True and False Daughters 12
Qin Jingzhou could have let the Officials take full control and vented his anger on behalf of his precious daughter, but with the intelligence potion report still pending, he felt like it wouldn’t be entirely justified.
The entertainment industry was a place where true capital reigned. The fact that the Officials had taken the initiative to put pressure on his daughter’s agency was a clear sign of sincerity.
He returned to the lab, bringing the Official-appointed team with him, and used the Official’s reserve of Golden Ginseng to produce two hundred bottles of intelligence potion, on and off. The authorities had already confirmed the potion’s effects, and they now firmly believed that the intelligence potion could be stably produced.
In reality, asking this world’s top researchers to figure out the mechanism behind the intelligence potion working was deliberately making things difficult for them, but discovering the differences between the potions he made himself and those made by the research team—clearly, the goal had been achieved.
Speak of the devil, his precious daughter and Shang Xi came home together with several large shopping bags. The young couple was huddled in the kitchen, whispering to each other as they prepped dinner. Senior Brother Qin made a special trip, claiming he was there to catch some air but mostly just to snag a free meal.
His main reason for coming was clearly to chat, and as soon as he arrived, he got right to the point. “All the venerated elders in academia and industry, as well as the Elders, have received your intelligence potion...” He deliberately paused for effect, but seeing his junior's unperturbed expression, he continued, “Everyone who tried it says it’s amazing!”
The intelligence potion was truly something only those who tried it could understand.
The elders Senior Brother Qin mentioned had all taken the potion. Their intelligence had rocketed past twenty points, their spiritual power crossed the threshold, and they were able to personally experience the greatest benefit of the intelligence potion: accelerated thinking.
However, even with their thoughts running faster, it was never to the point of feeling “less than human.” These influential figures, after their initial surprise, were able to rest easy—clearly, the intelligence potion was best distributed among those working in scientific research.
It was foreseeable that the bottlenecks which had plagued Hua Country for years might be broken through within three to five years, and that other new achievements would pop up all over the place like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Qin Jingzhou smiled as he replied, “It has to be good. I’m planning to feed myself off this breakthrough for a lifetime.”
Hearing this, Senior Brother Qin perked up. “Now that you mention it, I’m not hungry anymore! At present, about a hundred and fifty people have tried your exclusive potion. Of the hundred I’ve seen myself in the past few days, not one is stronger than you. So, tell me—what other hidden skills have you got up your sleeve?”
Qin Jingzhou smiled without skipping a beat. “It’s all the same tricks in a new package. There’s the Awakening Potion, which slightly boosts the Golden Ginseng extract’s healing effects, and then a budget-friendly intelligence potion with much weaker effects... Let’s start with these two for the general public.”
Since the original host had spent most of his life researching Golden Ginseng, Qin Jingzhou also wanted everyone to believe that after the qualitative leap in his spiritual power, not only did the past challenges melt away, but he retained a good deal of innovation as well.
In fact, that was exactly what Senior Brother Qin thought.
He and his father weren’t afraid of trouble; they’d done all sorts of thorough, comprehensive examinations. The two could testify that current instruments didn’t detect spiritual power at all. Based on the scattered hints from his junior, they guessed that while he was in the hospital bed, he’d probably been fully conscious.
Able to think, able to sense the outside world, just unable to communicate—a situation that meant all he could do was turn problems over in his mind.
While he felt sorry about it, Senior Brother Qin’s eagerness still peeked through. “Did you already make a trial batch?”
Qin Jingzhou replied, unhurriedly, “Of course.”
Senior Brother Qin immediately understood. “I’ll come see you tomorrow morning.”
After dinner, Senior Brother Qin took his leave in a hurry. Qin Jingzhou continued to recline in his rocking chair by the window, listening as his daughter gave her detailed little report.
His daughter, just as he’d expected, didn’t exaggerate a bit. Instead, she even said a few nice words for Du Jiaying: In a family like the Du family, where sons are prized over daughters and daughters are raised purely for advantageous marriage alliances, anybody without a little scheming would have disappeared from the story long ago.
Faced with the choice between a real and a fake daughter, both the original host and Qin Jingzhou would choose Xiao Xi.
Qin Jingzhou had never demanded that his children be saints, but even though Du Jiaying grew up receiving elite education, she was still shallow and always had her head full of romance. He just couldn’t bring himself to like her.
Qin Jingzhou was as blunt as ever. “Du Jizheng has definitely told Du Jiaying what kind of special treatment I’m getting now. Even so, all my biological daughter does is complain to Gao Wen, talk about how tough her situation is. Today, she even performed in front of you, hoping I’ll step in and settle her engagement.”
Shang Xi, naturally, had to defend his girlfriend. “She could have at least asked about Uncle He’s health, or maybe cared a bit about Xiao Xi... I still remember Du Jiahui was one of those young masters who tried to harass Xiao Xi back then.”
At this, He Chunxi felt nothing she said would be appropriate, so she simply stayed quiet.
Qin Jingzhou went on, “Good thing she’s only twenty, hasn’t even graduated college. There’s still time to reform.”
He Chunxi finally spoke, muttering under her breath, “Just shows she hasn’t done enough practice problems.”
Since there was still time, she planned to take the college entrance exam next year. Lately, she’d been studying in her dad’s lab with textbooks and exercise books. Immersed in a sea of questions, she could easily set aside both her boyfriend Shang Xi and her dad for the time being.
Qin Jingzhou was quite content and simply asked, “Interested in scientific research? Want to think about taking over for Dad in the future?”
He Chunxi grabbed her father’s hand. “I do! Right now, my short-term goal is to get into Capital University!”
Qin Jingzhou pulled his daughter into a hug and then looked at Shang Xi. “You said you wanted to do your master’s with me, right?”
Shang Xi nodded quickly.
Qin Jingzhou said, “Then you’ll have to work hard. It won’t be easy to get into my graduate program. If your written exam score is too low, I’ll be in a tough spot.”
Tough, maybe not, but if your score doesn’t make the top tier… I’d be embarrassed myself.
Shang Xi thought: I probably need to find someone to tutor me.
Qin Jingzhou just wanted his daughter and her boyfriend to put their noses to the grindstone and keep their activities limited to Capital University and its surroundings.
A few days later, he would go to meet Du Jiaying. It was easy to guess she’d bring Du Jiahui, and Du Jiahui would surely bring Jin Li as their adviser.
When Jin Li saw him, odds were she’d use a skill card to probe him. The moment she realized the card was useless, or even backfired, she’d have no choice but to redirect her efforts against his two daughters.
He only planned to protect Xiao Xi, leaving Du Jiaying to Jin Li’s devices. He hoped Du Jiaying would get thoroughly burned and wake up soon. After all, Gao Wen had been in touch with Du Jiaying for days, but he still hadn’t found a single redeeming quality in her.
Truth be told, Qin Jingzhou was already convinced before the meeting that Du Jiaying wouldn’t listen to reason. Afterwards… the girl’s single-minded insistence amazed even him.
Right after submitting the Awakening Potion and the public version of the intelligence potion, Qin Jingzhou’s personal security was upgraded yet again.
He brought his precious daughter and the “tagalong” Shang Xi to the reserved private restaurant right on time. The security detail was so prominent that Du Jizheng immediately scrapped his original plan.
Even Du Jiaying was clearly shocked... She wasn’t completely clueless. As a rich heiress who grew up with dedicated bodyguards, of course she could tell the level of her biological father’s security detail.
Yet, faced with her brother Du Jiahui’s expectant gaze, she hesitated, trembling. She loved her brother. Now she finally had a legitimate chance to talk about marriage with him—something she’d dreamed of for years. Was she really to let this opportunity slip away? After all, her brother was right: so what if she’d made Professor He angry? He was her biological father. However mad he got, he’d forgive her and give her another chance.
Besides, if she didn’t try, she’d never be satisfied!
Even though she’d hinted repeatedly that she wanted her biological father’s assistant to help relay her request to dissolve her engagement—and somehow arrange her engagement to her brother—no one had given her any answer.
And so, when it came to her turn, she spoke in tears. “My parents and brother have always treated me well. I don’t want to leave them. Professor He, you didn’t raise me, and I regret that, but I don’t blame you... I only hope to have your blessing for my marriage...”
By this point, Du Jizheng was breaking out in a cold sweat. Had someone put a spell on her?
Telling Professor He that she didn’t want to leave the Du family was fine, but why did every word she spoke seem to hint at dissatisfaction with Professor He… and with my plans?
Du Jiahui turned his head, gazing tenderly at Du Jiaying as she poured out her woes and tried to win sympathy, though under the table his hand was interlaced with his cousin Jin Li’s.
When Jin Li got out of the car, she had already activated her “Low Profile Card”—a skill card that, as the name suggests, greatly lowered her presence. At this moment, no one was paying attention to her, so she could boldly observe He Chunxi and Shang Xi, and especially He Chunxi’s adoptive father, Qin Jingzhou.
She hadn’t forgotten how soon after her transmigration, she’d pulled a couple of small tricks—two low-level cards sent out, and Professor He’s wife, or rather now ex-wife, had run off with an old flame to live overseas.
With Professor He demoralized and luckless, he’d gotten into an accident not long after, so she just tossed him aside. After all, in this kind of plot, side characters weren’t worth her time or effort. Until, all of a sudden, He Chunxi made a comeback, and both Shang Xi and Ji Chun broke free of her control. Their skill cards kept failing. When she investigated, she found that the “culprit” was none other than this supposed throwaway!
Now that she was seeing him in person, Jin Li could hardly keep from crying out: Unbelievable. Qin Jingzhou was completely enveloped in the nation’s tremendous fortune, his personal luck was… her vision filled with dazzling gold, a piercing pain shot through her eyes, and she couldn’t see a thing.
She nearly fainted from the pain. Clutching her eye with one hand, she instantly redeemed a painkiller, yet her voice still quavered uncontrollably. “Check his Favorability towards me.”
The System’s reply was ethereal. “Negative one hundred.”
That was pure enmity! Jin Li was shaken. “Why? He shouldn’t even know me!”
The System thought for a bit. “Shang Xi, as the Fate’s Son, is almost impossible to control. Remember how he’d partly regain his wits as soon as he got farther away from you?”
Jin Li clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. “True. I never liked him, but at the end of the day, the male lead is still the male lead... So what should I do about Qin Jingzhou now? With the nation’s fortune protecting him, and probably convinced… I bullied his daughter! However lofty my ambitions, and even if I wanted to wipe out every local Fate’s Son in Hua Country, I’m not confident about clashing with Qin Jingzhou in his current state!”
The System didn’t answer immediately. It simply scanned Qin Jingzhou again. After a full half minute of silence, it finally said, “I have two pieces of bad news. Which do you want first?”
Jin Li: I don’t want either!
The System didn’t need her answer. “Even the highest-level skill cards may not work on him, and… he might… possibly… be able to see me.”
Jin Li: …