Volume One, Chapter 20: Yang Qianrou’s Ecstatic Joy

The moment Yang Qianrou woke up, she found herself face-to-face with two large faces. Startled, she let out a frightened scream. In the next instant, the two men quickly straightened up and ran to the side.

“Professor Lin, she’s awake!”

Yang Qianrou hurriedly sat up and then saw an elderly man with white hair sitting on a nearby bench.

Having stayed with the Qin family for quite some time, Yang Qianrou might have been clueless about important matters, but she was well acquainted with the finer things in life. This elderly gentleman wore clothes that appeared unbranded but were actually high-end items that most people couldn’t afford, no matter how much money they had.

His aura was extraordinary.

Most strikingly, despite his age, his handsome face still carried a familiar charm.

Yang Qianrou’s mind was still a bit foggy after waking, making it hard for her to place him immediately.

The two men who had startled her moments ago were actually the old man’s bodyguards, now standing by his side.

“You’re awake?” the white-haired gentleman said gently. “I’m sorry, my men mistakenly thought there was danger and accidentally hurt you. I’ve already had a doctor from next door examine you. Fortunately, you weren’t seriously injured. Of course, if you’re worried, you can go for a hospital check-up. I will cover all the medical expenses. And if you need any other compensation, please let me know.”

He spoke kindly.

His voice was pleasant, his tone completely natural.

There was no hint of condescension or charity in his words; instead, they sounded sincere, effortlessly winning her favor.

Even Yang Qianrou felt her irritation lessen, and her voice softened as she replied, “No… no need. I don’t feel hurt anywhere, so no compensation is necessary.”

Though she hadn’t recognized him yet, her intuition told her this man was extraordinary.

Now living with the Qin family, she lacked no food or clothing, and she had a generous monthly spending limit. Rather than exchanging favors for money she didn’t need, it would be better to cultivate goodwill with someone like him—perhaps it could be useful later.

Yang Qianrou had figured this all out clearly in her mind and quickly settled on the persona she intended to project.

As her words fell, a business card was handed to her by the bodyguard, while the old gentleman’s voice sounded again:

“In that case… here is my card. Keep it. If you ever feel unwell or need any examinations, just contact me.”

Yang Qianrou’s heart leapt.

This was exactly the opportunity she wanted!

She had no intention of clinging to this man. After all, despite his impressive appearance and status, he was still quite old.

With Qin Wenze as an even better prospect, Yang Qianrou would not easily change her focus.

Yet, wouldn’t having connections like this be more advantageous for her climb to Mrs. Qin’s position?

She was about to politely decline, reinforcing her image as one indifferent to fame and fortune, when out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the name on the card.

Her hand froze mid-reject, clutching the card tightly, the fake smile on her face almost faltering as she exclaimed in surprise,

“You… you’re… Professor Lin Jingzheng?!”

Yang Qianrou had sensed this man was no ordinary figure but never expected it to be someone so illustrious.

Lin Jingzheng!

Who in the country—or even internationally—didn’t know him?

He was a renowned genius professor, a national-level luminary, always accompanied by specially assigned government security personnel when traveling.

Not only him, but his wife was also a leading expert in genetics and medicine.

Their photos and portraits even appeared in textbooks—though those showed them in their youth.

In his younger days, Lin Jingzheng was elegant and refined; historical photos of him had drawn countless admirers.

Those who valued appearance admired his looks and demeanor; career-driven individuals revered his achievements.

Even fans of romantic stories were deeply moved by the love story between him and his wife.

After retiring in old age, Professor Lin became a visiting professor at several universities in the capital, occasionally inventing new gadgets.

The patents under him and his wife generated enormous royalties—an unimaginable fortune to ordinary people.

Their family enterprises were vast, and their patents played a decisive role in maintaining their dominant position.

While other companies might be overtaken, the Lin family’s status was difficult to shake, for not many families had two such giants at the helm.

No wonder Yang Qianrou had found his face familiar but hadn’t recognized him immediately.

She was simply more acquainted with the younger Lin Jingzheng.

Figures like them rarely appeared publicly; their information was tightly guarded by the state.

After his wife passed away, Lin Jingzheng almost disappeared from public view, and photos of him became even rarer.

Hearing this, Lin Jingzheng showed no surprise, merely affirming the identity.

Yang Qianrou grew restless but inwardly thrilled.

With such a background…

If she could win Professor Lin’s favor, would marrying into the Qin family still be difficult?

With his exalted status on her side, whom would she need to fear?

Jiang Cheng would never stand a chance against her again!

Yet Lin Jingzheng, who had risen from the most difficult circumstances, was far from naive about human nature.

Yang Qianrou’s petty schemes were transparent to him.

Normally, he wouldn’t even bother with someone like her.

But now, he needed to communicate with her to extract some information he wanted.

Maintaining a polite smile, he asked her,

“You came here with that Qin kid, Qin Wenze, right? Are you familiar with the Qin family?”

Right.

Yang Qianrou suddenly remembered.

She looked around.

Everyone else had been cleared away; aside from her and Lin’s men, no one else was present.

Where were Qin Wenze and the others?

Surely they hadn’t left her alone here and walked off by themselves?

Annoyance flared in her heart, but it only strengthened her resolve to win Lin Jingzheng’s favor.

When the time came, who would dare ignore her presence?

“Yes,” she replied cautiously, her mind racing as she tried to guess Lin’s intentions, “Professor Lin, I live with the Qin family. Brother Wenze and Auntie are very kind to me, so of course, I’m familiar with them. Is there something you want to ask?”

Lin Jingzheng narrowed his eyes.

Yang Qianrou wasn’t related to the Qin family by blood, right?

Qin Wenze was married to Jiang Duoduo’s mother, Jiang Cheng, wasn’t he?

Then why was there a young woman unrelated by blood living with them?

His brows furrowed slightly, but his tone remained gentle, showing no sign of displeasure:

“There is something I want to inquire about. Do you know about their child, Jiang Duoduo?”