Research giant Shi Qing took a stroll around his own room first.
As a nobleman, even though he was in the Institute of Technology, his lounge was extravagantly decorated.
On the table, there were some incense sticks emitting a faint fragrance.
Shi Qing picked up a photo beside the incense.
It was of the original owner and his father.
In this world, the history of the Huaguo nation took a different turn according to the original author's setting, starting from seven hundred years ago. Instead of isolating itself, Huaguo actively developed itself while exploring other countries and managed to protect its own nation smoothly during the Great War.
After the war, the emperor at the time believed they needed a change, and soon, Huaguo became a constitutional monarchy.
Both Shi Qing and the male lead, Qin Yunsheng, had noble status.
Shi Qing's ancestors were once ennobled as outsiders, and his father, through his own efforts, became a duke.
Usually, only those with royal blood could be ennobled as a duke, and commoners rarely had this opportunity, so his father was quite remarkable.
Qin Yunsheng, on the other hand, shared the same surname as the queen but belonged to a fallen branch of the royal family. Although he had the same royal blood as the queen, his branch had declined, and he held the lowest rank of baron.
Because the royal family had voluntarily given up the right to rule the world long ago, the power of the Huaguo royal family was much greater than that of other countries. Even as a baron, Qin Yunsheng would receive a monthly stipend from the royal family, considering that the country had a history of seven hundred years, its resources were more than abundant.
However, Qin Yunsheng chose to join the military and worked for military achievements like an ordinary person.
If the plot hadn't gone awry, as the male lead, he would have been chosen as the heir to the throne because of his military achievements. After all, the queen was getting older, never married, and had no offspring.
But then, he had the misfortune of encountering the original owner, which completely ruined his prospects.
Even now, nobles didn't have the supreme power they once had, but their status was still much higher than that of ordinary people. The original owner could have had a good life even if he did nothing.
But he lost his mother at a young age, and his father was always busy. Even though he was well cared for by his nanny, he had developed a somewhat extreme personality.
For example, he liked to show off.
Everyone has something to boast about, whether it's a perfect test score in school or getting into a prestigious university.
The original owner also liked to show off, but he had no abilities of his own. He was only interested in indulging in food, drink, and entertainment.
Without the capital to show off, but still eager to do so, what could he do?
Steal someone else's achievements and pass them off as his own.
In the whole Huaguo nation, there were many ways to showcase one's abilities, but he chose the Institute of Technology for a reason.
The woman who had just left was the original owner's cousin. Her father didn't have the rank of a duke, but he was still considered a nobleman, and their life was quite comfortable.
Before the original owner was born, the duke was completely immersed in his career and had no intention of getting married. People thought he would live a lonely life forever.
The young cousin, who was still small at the time, cried to her parents when she got a younger brother, complaining that her parents didn't like her and only favored her younger brother. She cried and begged to stay in the duke's house, and her parents reluctantly agreed.
The duke was skilled in investments, and even nationally, his assets were considerable, so he didn't mind taking care of another girl.
The cousin stayed smoothly, but it was completely different from what she had imagined. The duke was too busy to even care for his niece.
Later, after getting married, because of the duke's wife, the cousin received good care. But for her, the duke's wife was worse than not appearing at all because she gave birth to the duke's offspring, completely eliminating the possibility of inheriting the duke's assets.
After the duke's wife passed away, she saw that the original owner's academic performance was not that great, and he had a penchant for leisure and pleasure, so she saw hope.
So, she single-mindedly aimed to get into the Institute of Technology to let the duke know that she was much stronger than Shi Qing.
In her heart, if she were a towering tree, then Shi Qing was just a vine struggling to climb a wall.
Such a playful, even more delicate than a girl, and not very capable, yet he liked to show off. Compared to her, she naturally excelled.
The cousin had her reasons for thinking this way, especially since she had grown up in the Shi family. She knew that even though Shi Qing had the blood of a duke, the two of them weren't necessarily close.
She even resented her father because he was always so busy, and she saw him as an unaffectionate, unskilled son.
An unaffectionate son with no abilities.
Compared to her, who admired and looked up to him, he might not be the duke's choice.
Moreover, as the eldest son of the duke, Shi Qing already held the title of marquis and was destined to inherit the position of duke in the future.
They were both raised by him, so if the son inherited the position, the property would naturally go to the niece.
She used her younger cousin as a stepping stone. How could the original owner not notice this? He wasn't a good person either, so knowing what his cousin was thinking, he deliberately went against her.
Whatever she wanted, he would insist on getting. Whatever she liked, he would snatch away.
When the cousin joined the Institute of Technology, he also insisted on coming in.
Not only did he want to enter, but he also wanted to gain recognition, even if that recognition originally belonged to someone else. The reason he targeted Qin Yunsheng was because his cousin wanted to win him over, but the original owner caught wind of it and had been displeased with his bodyguards ever since.
After the bodyguard exposed his plagiarism, he became even more of an eyesore.
As the future heir to the throne, Qin Yunsheng wasn't foolish. He wouldn't outright say, "Yes, Shi Qing stole someone else's achievements." Instead, he stood up as a witness for the newcomer, stating that he had seen this research in the newcomer's possession.
However, it didn't make a difference; the original owner still held a grudge against him.
After sorting things out, Shi Qing took out his watch from his pocket and checked the time.
Hmm...
Yesterday, Qin Yunsheng testified for the newcomer, and the original owner, infuriated, didn't go home but slept in the lounge. Today, early in the morning, his cousin came to taunt him.
The timing was quite tight.
The system still had some doubts: [Host, are you sure you can handle this? There's indeed a backup of this research in the newcomer's possession, and it's hard to explain it away.]
Shi Qing stood in front of the mirror, buttoning up the white coat on him while showing a smile: [Trust in my abilities, System.]
After finishing his preparations, he thought for a moment, then unbuttoned the top two buttons, casually revealing the white coat: [Bring up the research for me to see.]
The system immediately started retrieving the data and placed it in front of Shi Qing.
Shi Qing: [This newcomer is truly a genius.]
The research he had developed was chip input technology. According to his idea, it was impossible to completely replace manual labor by installing chips on machines, but chips could be installed on robotic pets.
Although they couldn't compare in companionship to real pets, they were a good option for people with inadequate conditions for raising real animals. Moreover, these robotic pets could also serve as protectors for humans.
Shi Qing recalled the original owner's intentions.
No, wait, he didn't have any intentions.
He just accidentally learned about it and realized that this technology was a breakthrough. He directly used means to copy it, made some modifications, and then released it ahead of everyone else.
Shi Qing opened his computer and quickly started typing on the keyboard.
The system watched as the host's hands moved swiftly on the keyboard, leaving traces of motion.
System: Shivering.jpg.
[Host, what... are you doing?]
Shi Qing: [Working on something.]
System: [...]
Although the system couldn't understand what the host was doing, it seemed pretty impressive.
Shi Qing worked on it until evening.
He hadn't appeared all day, and no one from the institute came to check on him, indicating the extent of his reputation here.
In the end, Qin Yunsheng, who was dutiful, came knocking on the door.
"Mr. Shi."
From inside, Shi Qing's tone remained lazy, as if he didn't care about anyone: "Come in."
Qin Yunsheng's face showed no extra expressions as he pushed the door open and walked in.
"You haven't eaten all day. This is your dinner."
Shi Qing raised his eyes and saw Qin Yunsheng, and his movements paused.
The royal family had gone through seven hundred years, and who knows how many beauties had become queens and empresses. Beauty was deeply ingrained in their genes.
He had seen Qin Yunsheng's appearance in his memories. As the male lead, he was naturally outstanding, with a pair of eyes that seemed perpetually determined, a standard handsome face, rarely bursting into laughter, always with a faint smile on his right lip.
But now, seeing the real person, Shi Qing realized that Qin Yunsheng's charm didn't lie in his looks but in his demeanor.
When he was dressed in that well-fitted military uniform, he stood with a straight military posture in front of Shi Qing at all times, emitting an aura of fortitude that was impossible to ignore.
Huaguo's military uniforms were renowned for their attractiveness.
After all, during the Great War, someone had designed stylish military uniforms to attract people to join the army.
The key was that the uniforms had undergone improvements over two hundred years. Now, the aesthetic appeal had increased several times over.
Just looking at the military uniforms of Huaguo, one could tell how popular joining the military was.
And now, such a good-looking outfit on such a good-looking person.
Shi Qing: [Uniform Temptation!!!]
System: [Host, stay calm, stay calm. Right now, the most important thing is to reduce resistance!]
Shi Qing: [I understand, I get it, I know.]
At this moment, countless images flashed through his mind.
Officer uniforms, formal attire for royal family members at banquets, heir uniforms, and even the emperor's attire.
Huaguo, a treasure trove of a country where any uniform looked incredibly attractive.
The only regret was that in his memories, Qin Yunsheng, who used to smile a lot, now looked at Shi Qing with cold, emotionless eyes. His lips were even pursed into a straight line, giving the impression that he didn't have much affection for the person he was supposed to protect.
When he entered the room, Shi Qing was lazily reclining on the bed. Upon seeing Qin Yunsheng, he rolled over, then lazily sat down at the table.
"Open it for me," he said.
Qin Yunsheng didn't get angry at Shi Qing's action, which seemed to treat him like a servant. Instead, he complied, approached, removed his leather gloves, revealing long and slender hands, and opened the thermal lunchbox.
The young marquis, as always, appeared indolent and carefree. He picked at the food in the lunchbox with his chopsticks and suddenly raised his gaze.
Shi Qing's lineage had always been nobility, and their looks had naturally been enhanced over the generations. In his generation, he had an extraordinarily handsome appearance.
With his beautiful eyes locked on Qin Yunsheng, his attractive lips curved slightly, and he straightforwardly asked, "Did Shi Yiyi ask you to do this?"
Qin Yunsheng frowned slightly, looking at the young marquis with a disdainful gaze. His tone was even, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't act. Your relationship with her is obvious to anyone with eyes," Shi Qing replied, tossing his chopsticks aside and wearing a cold smile. "You went to such lengths to target me? You even got Tan Mingyi to help set up this scheme. Thanks for thinking so highly of me."
Qin Yunsheng's brows furrowed even more. He looked at the young marquis who was speaking self-righteously and felt like he was dealing with a stubborn child.
After all, at this point, it seemed like there might be more to the story between Shi Yiyi and Shi Qing than he knew, but he had no intention of getting involved. In his mind, both of them were trouble.
"Mr. Shi, I'm just telling the truth," Qin Yunsheng said.
"All right, you've told the truth, and now I'll let you keep telling it!" Shi Qing suddenly stood up, walked toward Qin Yunsheng, and confronted him directly.
As Shi Qing approached, Qin Yunsheng noticed that this young marquis, who usually slouched and appeared to have a carefree attitude, was only slightly shorter than him in terms of height. Maybe it was because he had never stood this close to him before, but Qin Yunsheng suddenly realized how delicate Shi Qing's figure was compared to his own well-built physique. He hadn't noticed this before.
"Qin Yunsheng, do you think I'm a fool?" Shi Qing raised his hand, and his slender and beautiful fingertips pointed toward Qin Yunsheng.
He sneered and kept poking at Qin Yunsheng.
Unfortunately, growing up in a pampered environment, his own body was delicate. Even if he exerted force, it had no impact on Qin Yunsheng, who had spent several years in the military and had developed a strong muscular physique.
Out of courtesy, Qin Yunsheng didn't avoid the harmless poking.
He maintained his military posture and met Shi Qing's gaze. His voice was deep and firm, "No, Mr. Shi."
"None?" Young Marquis sneered again. He took a step forward, raised his hand, and prepared to strike Qin Yunsheng, but the military officer had a quick reaction. He used his hand to block Shi Qing's attack.
The handsome young marquis was pushed back a few steps by the officer's strong blocking force. He held his arm, which had been blocked by Qin Yunsheng, and his eyes rapidly filled with anger.
"How dare you hit me!"
Qin Yunsheng didn't realize that this was just a defensive move; he thought that Shi Qing wanted to hit him and got angry. He didn't use force; he just restrained Shi Qing's arm with enough strength to prevent any further unnecessary actions.
"Let go of me, can't you hear me?" The delicate young marquis screamed and struggled but didn't dare to move too much, afraid that the pain from Qin Yunsheng's grip would worsen.
Qin Yunsheng, turning a deaf ear to the protests, only released his grip after a moment, which felt like an eternity to Shi Qing.
As soon as he let go, the marquis, who had been treated with care all his life, backed away quickly, as if he were a rabbit trying to escape. He clutched his right arm, which was now red and painful, with sweat forming on his fair forehead.
"What has Shi Yiyi given you that made you help her treat me like this?" He glared at the man standing opposite him with a mixture of anger and resentment.
The anger and pain on his face didn't seem to be feigned. His right arm was hanging awkwardly, and Qin Yunsheng, with a furrowed brow, stepped forward and grabbed Shi Qing's hand.
The young marquis immediately screamed in pain, even though Qin Yunsheng had only grabbed his arm. It was as if he were facing a life-threatening situation.
"Let go of me, please!"
Qin Yunsheng finally released his grip, having realized the softness and vulnerability of the arm he had held, even through the fabric of Shi Qing's clothes. This was completely different from the feeling of grabbing a comrade in arms during training.
He was only taking a few seconds to ponder when the marquis, who had been grabbed, was already angrily stepping back, clutching his arm.
Qin Yunsheng noticed that several bruises had appeared on Shi Qing's white and delicate arm below the elbow. Clearly, they were left by Qin Yunsheng.
He was taken aback.
Just a moment ago, he could be one hundred percent sure that he didn't use much force at all. In fact, he had reduced the force out of consideration for Shi Qing's earlier aggression.
Qin Yunsheng had encountered regular people before and had used this technique many times, but he had never harmed anyone with it. So, was it a problem with the technique or the person?
The young marquis, who was too afraid to struggle while his arm was held, was cursing vehemently, "I knew from the start that you were no good. You're in cahoots with Shi Yiyi, Qin Yunsheng! Despite being a baron, you've become Shi Yiyi's lackey. I won't let you two off!"
With one hand gently holding Shi Qing's arm and the other exerting an incredibly light pressure on the fair skin, the young marquis's spirited voice immediately stopped. His tone now held a hint of fear as he turned to look at Qin Yunsheng with red eyes.
Despite his fear, he tried to sound threatening, "What are you doing? Let me tell you, there are surveillance cameras outside, and if anything happens to me, you won't be able to escape!"
Indeed, when Qin Yunsheng lifted his hand again, the area had turned red, looking as if it had been heavily beaten.
He had known that some nobles raised themselves without any hardship, but he hadn't expected them to be this delicate.
Knowing that Shi Qing wasn't acting, Qin Yunsheng gently released his grip and stepped back, saying, "I'm sorry."
The young marquis, still cautious, held his arm and glared at the man, as if trying to confirm whether Qin Yunsheng had intentionally caused his pain.
Once he saw that Qin Yunsheng's face showed no additional emotions, he seemed to find some confidence and stood up straight, huffing in disdain.
"I knew it. You and Shi Yiyi are just the same, changing your faces quickly!"
Since earlier, he had been connecting himself with Shi Yiyi, and Qin Yunsheng had previously been too lazy to explain. But now, as he looked at the frightened Shi Qing, who appeared like a startled rabbit, the young military officer hesitated for the first time.
He said, "Mr. Shi, I must clarify that I have no connection with Miss Shi."
"You can say whatever you want," Shi Qing sneered. "You're all helping her and Tan Mingyi slander me. Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Qin Yunsheng had thought Shi Qing was just stubbornly denying everything, but now, seeing Shi Qing injured, with red eyes and a face filled with anger and hidden grievances, he began to doubt his own judgment.
"Mr. Shi, if it truly is your research, you can confront Tan Mingyi."
"Hah, I won't go." Shi Qing laughed coldly. "Why should I step forward? Even if he gave me my research back, he can't change the fact that he's a commoner. He doesn't even know that the country is developing a new drone. What right does he have to develop a chip?"
"Wait and see. You clowns will expose yourselves sooner or later."
Qin Yunsheng realized that, no matter the current situation, Shi Qing's pride was such that he would never confront the issue directly.
The officer in the crisply ironed uniform thought for a moment and decided to use the most effective method to deal with Shi Qing's personality: provocation.
"Mr. Shi, are you too afraid to confront him?" he asked.
Instantly, Shi Qing exploded, "Afraid? Me? Why should I be afraid? It's not like I stole someone else's research. Why wouldn't I dare?"
Fueled by anger, he took a few steps forward, raising his left hand as if he wanted to punch Qin Yunsheng.
After taking two steps, he remembered the miserable situation from earlier when he tried to strike and then ended up injured. He hesitated, trying to maintain his imposing demeanor, and returned to his previous position, suppressing his fear.
He picked up the computer from the table with a cold snort and declared, "Today, I'll show you whether I dare or not."
※※※
Tan Mingyi was diligently working in the room, and everyone else was quiet. In the midst of this tranquility, a loud noise suddenly rang out.
—Bang!
The iron door was forcefully pushed open from the outside, and in front of everyone's confused gaze, the young marquis held a laptop, connected it to the printer, and started printing some documents, paying no attention to anyone else.
As the printer began to operate, he stood by, cold and angry, glaring at Tan Mingyi.
Tan Mingyi: "..."
Although he was a genius, he was young with a good temper. Seeing Shi Qing's demeanor, he didn't dare to say a word and quietly moved back.
On the other hand, Shi Yiyi, upon seeing this scene, showed a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. She stepped forward and said firmly, "Shi Qing, what are you up to now? Stealing someone else's research wasn't enough for you? Now you want to threaten people too?"
Shi Qing coldly looked at his cousin in front of him, "Shi Yiyi, are you so sure that I stole it?"
Shi Yiyi was, of course, certain. She knew exactly what kind of person Shi Qing was. Her voice was firm, "I am absolutely sure, Shi Qing. You should turn back now, leave the research institute, there's still time."
Qin Yunsheng had just entered and saw the young marquis leaning slightly forward, with bright red lips that turned strikingly beautiful, as he spat out two words to Shi Yiyi, "Absolutely not!"
"You want to frame me? Well, I won't play along."
Shi Yiyi nearly burst into laughter. Did Shi Qing really think she needed to frame him when he was already deep in trouble?
She now had an attitude of enjoying the show, "Say whatever you want. The truth won't change."
"But I'll say this upfront, we grew up together, and I know your capabilities inside out. If you can really prove that this research is your own, I'll eat all these documents."
The young marquis, who had just displayed an expression of impatience, suddenly changed. He straightened his posture and even smiled, looking eager to try.
"You've got a deal."
Next, Shi Qing's expression was less anxious. He stood by the printer, his graceful fingers tapping eagerly. The printer continuously spat out documents, and finally, it stopped.
Shi Qing picked up the documents with his left hand and walked directly to Tan Mingyi, throwing them in front of him, saying, "Come confront me."
Tan Mingyi, trembling, took a careful look at the documents. His eyes lit up.
Qin Yunsheng had been listening on the side. As a military man who knew nothing about this field, what Shi Qing and Tan Mingyi were saying sounded like gibberish to him:
"The operational mode #$%...&."
"Design concept @#$%$$$$..."
"Regarding @#$&#$%..."
Although the professional terms turned into gibberish in his ears, Qin Yunsheng could tell that as the conversation between the two went on, Tan Mingyi's excitement grew.
Looking at Shi Qing, he even showed a hint of admiration in his eyes.
Even the others were watching Shi Qing with a look as if they were seeing a god.
Shi Yiyi had become completely stunned, looking incredulously at her eloquent cousin. She felt her vision darken.
Shi Qing and Tan Mingyi communicated for over forty minutes, and in the end, it ended because Shi Qing said he was tired.
At the end, the small-sized Tan Mingyi excitedly said, "Shi Ge, you're really amazing. I want to apologize to you. Although both of us are working on chips, your application in the military field and my application in daily life are entirely different. I couldn't possibly develop the chip you did."
The young marquis, with his head held high, said, "It's okay. I also want to apologize to you. What you just said indeed proved that it was your independent research."
Saying this, he extended his left hand, handed a document to Tan Mingyi, and said, "Hold this for me; my right hand isn't convenient."
Tan Mingyi obediently took it, but then he watched in dismay as Shi Qing tore the document in half.
He was shocked, "Shi Ge, what are you doing?"
Although he knew there were surely copies in the computer, he still felt a pang in his heart watching these treasures in his eyes being torn apart.
Shi Qing picked up another document, handed it to him, and while tearing it apart, he raised his chin proudly and looked at Shi Yiyi, "I tore it into pieces."
"That's unappetizing."
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