The wrap-up was definitely not something Qin Jingzhou was in charge of. The security boys received their orders and moved in, quickly subduing the mercenaries who couldn’t put up the slightest resistance.
As for Mr. Nian, he was truly shaken, and he readily admitted to himself that he’d never forget the image of Mi Jingzhou standing there, backlit, beneath the mecha spider. But “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger”—this time, he had underestimated Mi Jingzhou, but next time, never again.
He made a wish in his heart, then turned and ran without a moment’s hesitation.
To be honest, if Mr. Nian had just stayed hidden and kept his head down, it would have been nearly impossible to find him. But he just had to bolt in a panic the moment the mecha spider landed... so flustered that he forgot about the mecha spider’s high vantage point. The pilot and engineer in the cockpit under the spider’s belly had a perfect view of his every move.
Mr. Nian and his cronies didn’t even make it a kilometer before they were caught red-handed by another security team. After all, in Hua Country, where weapons control was extremely strict, just where had these two groups of mercenaries gotten their advanced weaponry?
Naturally, the key components had been custom-manufactured in factories owned by Mr. Nian and Mr. Zhang, while the rest of the parts were sourced in batches before being assembled secretly in a hidden workshop.
Qin Jingzhou, currently at the private hospital, received the weapon schematics forwarded by Chief Wang—all confiscated on the spot. He glanced at a few blueprints that looked just a step away from being combat-ready energy weapons, then handed them to Ling Jing.
Ling Jing looked through them and genuinely sighed, “You could have been a beauty, but why go and be a thief? Supporting male leads three and four surely can’t do cutting-edge research, so this tech is definitely not clean—but pick the right backer, and you never have to worry about turning legit.”
Qin Jingzhou replied, “He’s not content with being under anyone else. His goal is to become king of the world.”
The two of them were still chatting and laughing when Gu Sheng came out of his grandfather’s hospital room, his expression unreadable. “Dad, Grandpa wants to see you. Are you willing to go in?”
Qin Jingzhou nodded, “Sure.”
He stood up then, took Ling Jing’s hand, and headed toward the room.
Old Master Gu, now awake, watched his former son-in-law stroll in with his girlfriend without the slightest awkwardness. Much to his own surprise, he actually felt rather calm. Though his voice was weak, he was easy enough to understand. “Looks like I was wrong after all.”
Qin Jingzhou answered, “No worries.”
That response... Old Master Gu couldn’t hide his disappointment. The more calmly his former son-in-law treated him, the clearer it was that he had truly let go. If he’d really moved on, those old grudges and feelings couldn’t be used anymore.
Luckily, at least Sheng Sheng was still his son-in-law’s child. Even if Sheng Sheng had let him down before, his son-in-law had still given him many chances.
Children and grandchildren have their own fates. Let them be.
That’s what Old Master Gu told himself, mainly because he really had no better way of mending things between his son-in-law and grandson, but he also didn’t want to make things worse with heavy-handed tricks...
By the time he convinced himself, he found real peace. Turning to his grandson, he offered a strained smile. “Go ahead and tell your dad the cause of my illness.”
Gu Sheng looked helpless. “He was poisoned, okay? We kept those who tried to poison me around as bait... Each of them was under surveillance, but even so, there were a few leaks...”
Qin Jingzhou chuckled. “You think the people you arranged could really keep tabs on your grandpa and his men?”
That finally brought a genuine smile to Gu Sheng’s face. His dad was protecting him... and for a second, his eyes stung with tears.
Old Master Gu smiled with relief as well, and it was as if all his illness had melted away. What he wanted most was to see his son-in-law and grandson on good terms.
He took a moment, then tried to explain earnestly, “I’m usually careful enough, but once I got back, it was one social engagement after another. No matter how careful, sometimes you just can’t avoid it...”
Qin Jingzhou said, “Old Master, just focus on your recovery and hurry back to work as soon as you can.”
Old Master Gu agreed readily. “I... will do my best.”
Leaving Old Master Gu’s room, Qin Jingzhou saw his daughter, Mi Xiaoxiao, sitting on a nearby bench in the hallway with Gu Zhiwei and their family.
Ling Jing spoke first. “How’d it go?”
He’d just gone to visit the original host’s father, Gu Xin’s father, who had gone into a rage, raising all sorts of demands—catching the culprit, handing them over, and insisting he deserved compensation for all his pain and suffering, or else he’d refuse to divide the inheritance.
Ling Jing listened patiently, then just turned away, leaving the original host’s father to yell at the air from his hospital bed.
To say the man was slow on the uptake would be an understatement. He’d always dismissed his daughter, never realizing that not only was she outstanding in her own right, she’d also snagged a top-level scientist boyfriend.
The projects the couple worked on together were especially impressive.
But she’d never even mentioned a word of that to her father.
Then, after his stroke, his mind wasn’t what it used to be. At the slightest provocation from his other children, his anger boiled over, and he decided to make his demands public and humiliate his daughter on the spot. He thought if he shamed her enough, she’d come begging for mercy, let him play benevolent father, maybe even show her a little favoritism after her apology—then she’d have to obey him from then on, right?
He never imagined that as soon as he finished rattling off his demands, this so-called unfilial daughter would just walk out! Without a backward glance!
He was convinced he’d raised a white-eyed wolf and raged exactly so.
Gu Zhiwei’s father stood up, planning to leave with his sister, and on hearing the old man’s tirade, he bluntly shot back, “Take a look at the accounts. After our mother divorced you, did you ever pay a cent of child support or alimony, on time?”
No matter how muddled the old man’s mind was, this he hadn’t forgotten.
It was never about the money. Withholding alimony and child support was simply a way to force his ex-wife and her kids to bow their heads...
Gu Zhiwei’s father continued, “Our mother never changed our names for Grandpa’s sake.”
The old man might have been trash, but his own father had always been clear-headed and kind to daughters-in-law and grandchildren. Every time the old man divorced, his father had forced him to split everything with his wives and always made sure the kids got their fair share.
Before passing away, he went even further, skipping over his son and leaving the bulk of his shares and property directly to the grandkids.
That way, his ex-wives and their children never had to endure the old man’s temper, and their lives were just fine.
Watching the old man’s face grow darker, Gu Zhiwei’s father pressed his advantage, “We just came to check if you were dead yet. You brought us into the world, we’ll see you off in the end—but since you’re not dying anytime soon, we’ll be on our way and out of your sight.”
Without waiting for the old man to say more, he, his wife, and his son left the room with his sister.
After a bit of verbal sparring learned from his sister and brother-in-law, Gu Zhiwei’s father summed up, “Evil lives on for a thousand years. That old thing probably has another fifteen left in him, at least.”
Qin Jingzhou laughed. “I just wrapped up here too.”
Ling Jing said, “Got time? Want to grab a meal together?”
Of course there was time.
While they were happily sharing a meal, news started flooding social media. The mecha spider had suddenly descended, instantly opening its impact-resistant shields to block out a hail of bullets, then swinging its mechanical arms to reveal a set of intimidatingly dark launchers... Slightly blurry photos and videos spread rapidly across every major platform.
Viewers' blood was boiling. Messages flew: Damn! This is the spider mecha of my dreams! Is it too late to sign up to be a mecha pilot?!
A few eagle-eyed users even recognized the figure standing beside the car under the mecha spider. Though the image was fuzzy, after some careful checking, the gossip-hardened crowd confirmed that the tall, backlit, impossibly handsome man standing by the car... was none other than the so-called “scumbag” Mi Jingzhou who had hit the trending searches a while back.
Users immediately sent screenshots and comparison photos to the Capital Transportation University.
A quick online search turned up Mi Jingzhou’s profile on Capital Transportation University’s website: hired as a distinguished professor in July this year.
Five minutes later, Capital Transportation University posted a weibo for clarification: Professor Mi is, in fact, the chief designer of the mecha spider. Hua Country Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Engineering, and several major state media accounts quickly reposted the announcement.
Users: ...my whole family is shocked!
So all those people who had bashed Professor Mi as a “scumbag” before—were they all foreign hostile forces?!
In the information age, never underestimate the tenacity of netizens.
They quickly organized and started digging deep into the marketing accounts, water army, and the sources of those dark money campaigns.
Several accounts with millions of followers were abandoned and deleted on the spot, but did they really think deleting the account would mean no consequences, that everything could be swept under the rug?
How naive.
Naturally, Ling Yu, who funded the smear campaign, didn’t escape either.
Ling Yu, who was undergoing questioning at the institute, was so frightened by the developments on social media that she was rushed to the hospital for emergency care.
The authorities had already sought Qin Jingzhou’s opinion on how to handle the issue. He had suggested that since the marketing accounts and water army were so eager to stir up trouble and cyberbullying, they should get to taste their own medicine. Of course, if any victims came forward with evidence, the authorities should provide legal aid and handle the cases with special care.
Officials agreed wholeheartedly.
That night, just after Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing got home, Chief Wang called.
Chief Wang’s voice was thick with laughter. “Netizens are going wild. They’re all asking if you’re taking on grad students. I’ve got a pile of old friends wanting to know if you’re accepting applications for next year, and how you plan to select students.”
Qin Jingzhou grinned, “Sure, though my standards are pretty high.” He glanced at Ling Jing. “Tell you what—set up a platform for me and I’ll do a livestream Q&A.”
The livestream was scheduled for the following evening, and millions of netizens showed up “without being invited.”
Qin Jingzhou announced up front that he’d only answer key questions—in other words, the ones he wanted to answer. “...As for what I plan to do after completing the mecha spider project? That’s simple—design a spaceship, head to other planets, and start farming and mining.” At that, he looked over at Ling Jing off-camera and grinned brilliantly. “Because my girlfriend really wants to know what fruit and vegetables grown on alien planets will taste like.”
Netizens: ...things were going fine, so why hit us with the dog food.