Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

In the laboratory.

After typing the last data, Qin Ran turned sideways and said with slightly drooping eyelashes, “Brother Ye.”

Taking the data from her, he glanced at her and couldn’t help but say, “Little Junior, I’ll find you another project again…”

Before she could reply to him, Scholar Liao looked up from his busy work and said in a cold voice, “Your project members have been finalized?”

Brother Ye pursed his lips and nodded, about to give the rhetoric speech he prepared.

Zuo Qiurong, who came in to get equipment, politely said, “Sorry, but our other two teammates don’t agree to have another newcomer.”

In order to appease Zuo Qiurong and get her to return, the other two teammates had specially called her in the afternoon to comfort her.

The two could afford to offend neither Zuo Qiurong nor Brother Ye, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.

Remaining silent, Brother Ye turned and silently adjusted the magnetic field with the data Qin Ran gave him.

“Your two teammates disagreed?” Scholar Liao glanced at Zuo Qiurong, then turned back to Qin Ran, paused for a moment, and continued, “Since those two teammates don’t want you to team up with them, there’s no need to force them. Pay attention to the projects initiated by the laboratory and the school during this period. I’ll ask other professors if…”

Although Scholar Liao never accepted a disciple, many doctoral students under his guidance had become professors.

As for Brother Ye’s team, Liao Gaoang concentrated on researching and couldn’t do anything to force them.

Hearing this, Zuo Qiurong only faintly smiled, remaining silent, and kept her hands by her sides.

While putting the book she borrowed from the library at noon into her backpack, Qin Ran shook her head upon hearing Liao Gaoang. “Thank you, Scholar Liao. But I already have a research project in my hands and have formed a team with my classmates.”

Hearing this, both Brother Ye and Scholar Liao were surprised.

Scholar Liao remained silent, while Brother Ye showed his joy. “That’s great.”

Zuo Qiurong leaned slightly on the table, staring at Qin Ran, pursing her lips in curiosity. “I didn’t expect Junior to have a project as well. As far as I know, there aren’t many projects at Beijing University now. Which project did you participate in?”

Zipping her backpack up, Qin Ran looked up at her and unhurriedly said, “ICNE Finals.”

Without waiting for her reaction, she politely greeted Liao Gaoang and Brother Ye, then directly left with her backpack.

ICNE, the highest project award for students still studying in the Physics palace.

Writing 10 SCI papers with an impact factor greater than 25 wasn’t as good as a medal from an ICNE Finals.

Freshmen in the Physics Department might not know what this competition was, but it was a research project that every graduate student desperately wanted to join.

Even Brother Ye was stunned for a long time before he finally let out a sigh, laughed, and felt immediately relieved. “No wonder when I told her in the afternoon that she couldn’t join, she remained calm. It turned out she has her own project already, the ICNE Finals. Little junior is pretty impressive… It doesn’t matter even if she doesn’t win an award. Fortunately, I didn’t invite her to our research project. Otherwise, I might hinder her instead.”

Just participating in this final was the dream project of the world’s top Physics graduate students.

Brother Ye wanted to ask if Qin Ran lacked an assistant or a part-time job.

Turning back to his workbench, Scholar Liao slightly nodded and uttered a rare word of praise, “It’s indeed impressive.”

Other than sneering, Zuo Qiurong couldn’t say a single word.

She originally thought Qin Ran was anxious for a review and desperately wanted to join their research project. Thus, she had tried her best to block her, but who knew she already had a project… and it was even the ICNE…

Since Qin Ran had said it herself, she didn’t think it was a lie…

In terms of popularity, although the project she signed up with Brother Ye was good in all aspects, compared to Qin Ran’s ICNE project, it was basically negligible.

She pursed her lips and felt strong jealousy gnawing at her heart…

She was speechless.

This wasn’t a comparison on the same level at all.

**

Qin Ran was unaware of Zuo Qiurong’s thoughts as she left the laboratory.

Towards the end of December, Beijing had seen its first snow.

The snowflakes weren’t particularly dense and fell rather slowly. The snowflakes were rather big and melted when they hit the ground.

Cheng Juan was standing under the streetlamp, looking down at the time on his watch.

His figure was slender, and a few snowflakes had landed on his body and head.

It brought a warm tone in the coldness under the illumination of the street lights.

He reached out to brush the snowflakes off his shoulder but paused when he saw her.

When Qin Ran walked over, he reached out to bring her into his embrace. Putting his cold hand around her neck, he released it after a second and smiled. “Are you cold?”

“No.” Qin Ran nodded towards the car, which wasn’t turned off, and had the air conditioner still running. Once he got into the car, she asked how long he waited outside.

“10 minutes?” Cheng Juan drove the car into the main road and glanced at her sideways.

It had suddenly snowed this evening, so fewer people were on the road. It took him a few minutes less to drive home.

Qin Ran nodded, rested her hand by the window, and propped her chin up, deep in thoughts.

The laboratory was now doing Scholar Liao’s research, and she would have her own research later. It was impossible to bring back the radiological researcher, and she might return ever later…

Thinking about this, she couldn’t help but lean against the door and stare at Cheng Juan, deep in thoughts.

They returned to Ting Lan.

In the hall with a computer on her lap, Cheng Wenru immediately put it aside when she saw Qin Ran. “Ran Ran, you’re back?”

Cheng Mu also stood up from the wooden table and greeted Qin Ran and Cheng Juan.

After changing her shoes at the entrance and putting aside her backpack, Qin Ran greeted Cheng Wenru.

Cheng Juan lazily stepped into his furry slippers.

“By the way, Ran Ran, this is your courier.” Cheng Wenru handed her the long box on the table, pointed to the inscription on it, and asked, “What’s this word?”

Qin Ran looked down at it and pursed her lips.

Then, she tore off the loosely attached note and threw it into the trash can.

Clean and neat.

“My friend is a half-foreigner and can’t write,” she answered.

Cheng Wenru nodded. “No wonder.”

She had tried to decipher it for a whole day to no avail.

Qin Ran tore open the courier. Cheng Mu immediately went downstairs, took his gardening scissors, and asked her to use it to cut through the tape. “Miss Qin, what did your friend send?”

“Probably a painting?” Qin Ran unwrapped it carelessly.

Sitting opposite her, Cheng Juan glanced at her courier and raised an eyebrow.

There were two characters on the box.

“Your friend is from abroad?” He leaned on the sofa.

One of the stamps was from abroad.

Qin Ran nodded and tore off the tape.

“Why wasn’t it checked if it came from abroad?” Cheng Wenru crossed her legs and looked at her courier.

Cheng Mu had a rather good memory and suddenly came to a realization. “Miss Qin has a war reporter friend.”

“A war reporter?” Cheng Wenru was surprised. “That’s impressive.”

War reporters weren’t ordinary people.

As the two of them talked, Qin Ran had already opened up the big cardboard box.

Inside were a rectangular packaged antique wooden gift box and two small wooden boxes.

Cheng Juan glanced at them and recognized the paintings in the rectangular wooden box. He casually said, “You even prepared gifts?”

It went without saying who these were for.

Qin Ran nodded absent-mindedly and opened the delicate small mechanism outside the rectangle to lift the lid.

Inside was a rolled painting with a slightly yellowish edge.

Cheng Wenru also collected a few paintings for Old Master Cheng before and immediately recognized it as an antique. Seeing Qin Ran move it casually, she quickly said, “Don’t open it casually, be careful you damage it.”

Qin Ran put it down and closed the lid.

Cheng Wenru pointed to the other two boxes. “What are those?”

Qin Ran didn’t know.

She only asked Giant Crocodile for one painting.

Thinking about it, she reached out for one of the wooden boxes.

Inside was a blue hairpin, with fine jadeite and golden tassels inlaid on it. It was obviously well-preserved, with bright colors and fine craftsmanship.

She couldn’t tell what hairpin it was.

She casually took it out and played with it against the light. “It’s not as heavy as it seems.”

She indifferently commented as a layman.

Beside her, Cheng Wenru retracted her gaze and stared at her in shock. “Your friend send you this?”

“My brother?” Qin Ran squinted and replied to her.