The True and False Daughters of the Wealthy Family 2
Qin Jingzhou’s spirit had the ability to interfere with reality, but whether he used it or not depended entirely on whether he thought it necessary.
As for the original host, it was normal for him to have trouble speaking or moving after lying unconscious as a vegetative patient in bed for nearly two years. The fact that he appeared lucid at all was enough to astonish the medical staff who had rushed over.
He looked at the person present with the sparsest hair and said, "Senior Brother Qin’s contact information is in my phone, in the nightstand drawer."
The attending physician’s eyes widened.
When Professor He had been brought to the hospital by his daughter, he had already been comatose for about six months. Now, upon waking, he actually knew that his phone had been placed in the nightstand drawer by his daughter... Did that mean that Professor He hadn’t been completely unconscious—that he still had some perception of the outside world?
The doctor took a couple of steps forward, subconsciously glancing at the EEG monitor in the corner, then suddenly realized: Professor He was awake now, what was the point of checking the EEG?
The doctor retrieved Professor He’s phone, plugged it in to charge, powered it on, unlocked it, found Senior Brother Qin in the contacts, and dialed directly.
The original host had been a student of Academician Qin—the leading figure in the life sciences of Hua Country. Though not the old professor’s favorite pupil, he was still a student that the old man would speak fondly of and always held in his heart.
Qin Jingzhou had gone through the memories the original host left behind. The “Senior Brother Qin” he wanted to see upon waking was none other than the youngest son of Academician Qin and the current dean of the School of Life Sciences.
The original host had met Senior Brother Qin when he first entered university. If it weren’t for Senior Brother Qin’s strong recommendation, the original host probably would never have become Academician Qin’s student.
Elsewhere, when the phone rang, Dean Qin was flipping through a journal in his office. He glanced at the caller ID and felt a chill in his heart. His junior had been in a coma for two years...
He braced himself and answered. After the caller introduced himself, Dean Qin heard a voice that was unfamiliar yet tinged with something reassuring—a voice he hadn’t heard in ages. "Senior Brother."
Dean Qin’s eyes immediately reddened.
When Dean Qin rushed to the hospital with his assistant, the doctors had already confirmed that Qin Jingzhou’s state of consciousness was clear.
With Dean Qin backing him up, the attending physician hesitated only briefly before agreeing to Qin Jingzhou’s request to keep his awakening a secret for now. Their patient’s current patron… Even her father probably wouldn’t dare cross the dean of the School of Life Sciences at Capital University.
Afterward, Qin Jingzhou asked to speak with Senior Brother Qin alone. Without protest, the doctors and nurses all left the room.
Qin Jingzhou looked to Senior Brother Qin. "I became a vegetative patient because I was poisoned."
Senior Brother Qin: ...
Qin Jingzhou continued, stating each word deliberately, "A never-before-seen neurotoxin. I found it rather interesting, so I casually ran a few experiments."
Senior Brother Qin was at a rare loss for words. "You used your own body for experiments?" His tone immediately turned stern. "That’s absolute madness!"
Qin Jingzhou finished the thought for him. "I’m not courting death, Senior Brother. You know my research interests. Of course I wouldn’t pass up such an opportunity. Besides, I have some guesses about the origin of this neurotoxin, but unfortunately I don’t have evidence." He furrowed his brows with the look of careful consideration. After a moment, he said solemnly, "I’ve made some progress. After a few days' rest, I’ll show you what I’ve found... Senior Brother, help me transfer to another hospital."
Thanks to the original host’s excellent character and academic reputation, Senior Brother Qin didn’t hesitate to trust him, even if what he said wasn’t wholly convincing.
Senior Brother Qin, indeed, did not hesitate. "Alright."
The original host’s daughter—the true heiress of the wealthy family—had used her “benefactor’s” connections to get him admitted to this renowned private hospital, where the fees were exorbitant but the standard of care matched the price. The vice president of this hospital was the benefactor’s own relative.
Even if the staff responsible for the original host’s care were trustworthy professionals, Qin Jingzhou didn’t want to recover under the very eyes of his daughter’s “benefactor.” Especially since this benefactor was busy trying to curry favor with and please the center-of-attention, Jin Li.
Discharge formalities didn’t require the vice president’s approval, especially not when Senior Brother Qin went straight to the hospital president—the latter had graduated from Capital University’s medical school and had been classmates with both Senior Brother Qin and the original host.
Thus, less than three hours after his arrival, Qin Jingzhou was already settled into a recovery ward at the affiliated hospital of the Capital University Medical School. By the time Senior Brother Qin sat across from him again, it was already evening and just about time for dinner.
Qin Jingzhou didn’t even bother with a word of thanks. He simply lit up his phone to show Senior Brother Qin a screen densely packed with words. "If all goes smoothly, tonight you’ll know exactly what I’ve been through, and what I’ve discovered."
Senior Brother Qin sized him up for a moment before breaking into a smile. "Then I’ll have to experience it for myself very soon."
On the phone was a recipe. Behind the first and second ingredients was a note in parentheses: "There should be some still alive in my lab, if my lab is still there."
The original host’s lab really was still there.
Capital University prided itself on its humanity. The original host’s lab wouldn’t be closed until after he was officially declared dead and his funeral held.
After studying the recipe, Senior Brother Qin tasked his assistant and several students with sourcing the ingredients—thanks to Qin Jingzhou’s reminder that the recipe needed to be kept temporarily secret, the work was split among several trusted individuals.
An hour and a half later, while Senior Brother Qin was eating his takeout dinner, the necessary ingredients had all been assembled. After his infusion and a little porridge, his junior looked much better than when he had first regained consciousness.
Senior Brother Qin dismissed his assistant, finished his meal in a few bites, and impatiently began preparing the so-called miracle potion as per his junior’s instructions.
The System, having held its tongue for a long while, watched as Senior Brother Qin used a rice cooker to stir-fry the ingredients. "Is this the legendary rice-cooker pill-refining?"
Qin Jingzhou’s tone was matter-of-fact. "There’s no spiritual-grade medicine cauldron, and no special spiritual flame, so we have to make do."
The System asked again, "Can I know what incredible thing you’re planning to make, Brother Zhou?"
"A short-acting intelligence potion." Qin Jingzhou observed as Senior Brother Qin efficiently cooked the key components, following his instructions to the letter. "But, to suit local conditions, this ‘short-acting’ intelligence potion has a short duration of one hundred years."
System: ... Pfft.
The people in this world don’t even live that long! If they drink a short-acting intelligence potion, the effect will last until death—so is there really any difference between short-acting and permanent?
Senior Brother Qin was still enjoying the preparation process. Qin Jingzhou, with little else to do, explained his reasoning to the System. "Based on my perception and the memories the original host left behind, if we take the average intelligence of an ordinary person in Hua Country as 10, the likes of the original host and Senior Brother Qin—top of the scientific community—should be around 17 or 18. Given the current state of this world, it’s basically impossible for intelligence to naturally surpass 20."
The System instantly understood. "So in this world, 20 is the critical threshold where mental power transforms from quantitative to qualitative?"
Qin Jingzhou nodded slowly. "Yes. Depending on talent, one dose of this short-acting potion can raise intelligence by about 5 to 8 points, with diminishing returns on repeat use." He went on casually, "I specifically chose to use a semi-spiritual herb unique to Hua Country, called Golden Ginseng, which is even more precious than a hundred-year-old wild ginseng from my homeland. The original host’s research before he fell into a coma also centered around Golden Ginseng, and the extract stored in his lab is worth over a hundred million yuan, only enough to make four doses of the potion."
"Just the main ingredient is worth twenty-five million... That makes it impossible to mass-produce the intelligence potion, but it’s enough for the authorities to treat you as a top-priority protected asset!"
Qin Jingzhou chuckled. "Didn’t that center-of-attention, Jin Li, use the original host’s fate for her first pot of gold in business? With official backing, I’d like to see if she can pull that off again and suck my fate dry. Besides," he watched as Senior Brother Qin poured the fragrant and clear liquid, extracted from the rice cooker, into a clean cup, "it seems the center-of-attention never actually did anything herself to the two girls—she just had her admirers do it for her. So I’ll do the same, promising never to deal with her personally."
The System couldn’t help but laugh. "Every one of her lovers and their older relatives have been strictly warned off, and no matter how many tricks Jin Li plays, she still won’t get to see you... Just imagining it for her is tragic, hahaha."
Qin Jingzhou narrowed his eyes and said to Senior Brother Qin, "It’s ready. The appearance and smell are almost exactly like my previous attempts... Want me to take a sip and test for poison for you?"
Senior Brother Qin shook his head. "No need."
He had inspected every single medicinal ingredient and knew their properties. After washing and heating, he didn’t believe any new toxic compounds would be produced. He raised the cup and downed the liquid in one gulp, savoring it. "It actually tastes pretty good—" Before he could finish, he toppled backward, hitting the back of his head on the ground with a dull thud.
System: ...
It didn’t really think Brother Zhou would make a mistake, but watching Senior Brother Qin hit his head with a faint glow beneath it, "That was a pretty realistic fall."
Qin Jingzhou remained unruffled. "Didn’t the original host spend almost two years as a vegetative patient? Since we’re putting on a show, might as well play it to the end. My improved short-acting intelligence potion will cause brief unconsciousness."
With his spirit’s power to interfere with reality, if Senior Brother Qin had truly been in danger, there’s no way he would have sat idly by.
As expected, in less than two minutes, Senior Brother Qin jerked up, clutching his bleeding scalp.
Having taken the potion, he effortlessly surpassed the critical threshold; his intelligence leapt from 18 to 24. At once, the world felt different to him—not his vision, but an indescribable new sensation distinct from mere intuition.
But what shook him most was realizing that his junior sitting before him... was the same kind of person as himself, only much stronger.
Qin Jingzhou smiled. "Senior Brother, what’s the 24th decimal of the square root of five?"
Senior Brother Qin blurted out without hesitation, "Three." As soon as he spoke, he froze.
Qin Jingzhou gave him a moment, then asked, "Understand now?"
Senior Brother Qin suddenly jumped up, "Stay here. Don’t move. Wait for me to come back!"