Chapter 64.1
Editor: SimoB
Shi Yiyi was livid, but Shi Qing added fuel to the fire by kindly pa.s.sing her all the shredded paper. His fox demon like face, which was more beautiful than a girl’s, was really asking for a knuckle sandwich.
“Eat up, dear cousin. No need to thank me~”
When Shi Yiyi didn’t move, the young Marquis smiled sweetly, “Do you think that this is too plain? Why don’t I cut out some flowers for you?”
Shi Yiyi threw her hands up. Her hatred only intensified when she realized that everyone was staring at her.
She gritted her teeth, pushed Shi Qing away and stormed off.
Shi Qing yelled after her wickedly, “Don’t worry, if you don’t have time now I’ll put it aside in the break room for you! There’s enough to last you a few days!”
The young Marquis waited until he heard Shi Yiyi slam the door on her way out before dropping the papers in his hands. Looking back at the people who were staring at him, his rude demeanor returned.
“What are you all looking at? Don’t you have anything better to do?!”
The group of onlookers lowered their heads and pretended to be busy. Only Tan Mingyi, who was captivated by the research, ignored Shi Qing’s aloof appearance and approached him joyfully.
“Shi-ge, are you free right now? I wanted to talk to you some more. Did you eat dinner yet? Are you hungry now? I haven’t eaten much either, so let’s go to dinner together and talk while we eat.”
Then he casually reached for Shi Qing’s hand. As soon as he touched Shi Qing’s arm, the arrogant look on the young Marquis’s face that said, “I’m very proud but I’m a n.o.bleman so I should maintain my n.o.ble bearing”, changed.
“Hiss–”
He covered his arm warily and took several steps backwards, his face suddenly growing vicious again.
“Who told you you could touch me!?”
The look of excitement on Tan Mingyi’s face morphed into confusion. He stammered out an explanation at the person who lashed out at him.
“Sorry Shi-ge, I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“What use are the police if saying sorry was enough?!”
The young Marquis’ fierce att.i.tude succeeded in making Tan Mingyi’s originally bubbly mood fizzle out.
He looked somewhat downcast. “I’m sorry Shi-ge. I won’t do it again.”
From the side, Qin Yunsheng could clearly see that all eyes in the room were gathering on Shi Qing again.
Their att.i.tudes towards Shi Qing had changed because of the confrontation, but now they seemed to have reverted to their usual expressions of disgust.
One person spoke up for Tan Mingyi, “Professor Shi, Xiao Tan just touched you slightly. He won’t do it again, so why hold it against him?”
Apparently he thought that Shi Qing just didn’t like to be touched.
Shi Qing chuckled and didn’t even bother looking at the guy, much less correcting his a.s.sumption. He just lifted his chin proudly, turned around and strode towards the door.
As the young Marquis pa.s.sed by Qin Yunsheng, perhaps because the pain in his arm reminded him of the recent incident, he glared viciously at the officer who was ordered to protect him. As if he didn’t learn his lesson, he purposefully hit him with his left arm.
Even though Qin Yunsheng quickly relaxed the muscles on his side upon realizing Shi Qing’s intentions, the tender and delicate Marquis still felt like he had hit an iron plate.
“Ah!”
He yowled in pain, but quickly cut himself off after remembering he was in public. He settled for glaring at the other person.
Now both of the young Marquis’ arms were out of commission.
But he happened to be eager to hold grudges even if he was afraid of pain, so he could only dangle both arms away from his body and viciously kick Qin Yunsheng’s shoes.
“Wu…”
The kick was off from his target, and Shi Qing even stubbed his toe. Qin Yunsheng just watched as the corners of Shi Qing’s eyes reddened within a second.
Shi Qing subconsciously bent down to check the injury, but when he was halfway there he remembered where he was.
So the Marquis with a pretty face made a concerted effort to stand up straight with his red-rimmed eyes and nose.
Even though he knew that Shi Qing was the one who came looking for trouble with him, Qin Yunsheng couldn’t be angry at him after looking at this pitiful person who could injure himself so easily.
He even thought that this kind of Shi Qing was a bit cute.
[Ding! Qin Yunsheng’s animosity value: 92/100]
The young Marquis finally realized that he couldn’t do anything to Qin Yunsheng.
His red-rimmed eyes glared at the officer fiercely as he cursed, “Don’t you have eyes?! Get out of the way!”
The door was large enough that he could pa.s.s through even with five Qin Yunsheng in the way.
But the soldier saw how he was on the verge of tears and obeyed silently. He then watched as Shi Qing limped out unnaturally and slammed the door shut.
–Bang!
The young Marquis left in exactly the same manner as he arrived.
As soon as he left, conversations filled the previously quiet room
Their department was mostly filled with young people, all of whom occasionally enjoyed a bit of gossip.
Immediately, someone leaned closer to Tan Mingyi, “Xiao Tan, is it true that Shi Qing didn’t steal your results?”
This was Shi Qing they were talking about!
Who at the Inst.i.tute didn’t know that Shi Qing was a good-for-nothing aristocrat? He didn’t come when everyone did experiments, but he insisted on putting his name on the published articles.
Although he was a professor, his credentials were questionable. There was even a rumour that he hadn’t attended a single day of cla.s.s when he was studying here.
If he wasn’t a Marquis, maybe he wouldn’t have been able to graduate at all.
Before, when Shi Qing announced the chip, many people were suspicious. Everyone was certain after Tan Mingyi showed his chip data that Shi Qing had plagiarized from him.
But now, somehow, the tables had turned?
Tan Mingyi answered with conviction, “His thought process is very similar to mine, but the chips we ended up developing are completely different. Professor Shi’s computer chips are more suitable for use in the military, something I have no experience in. And Professor Shi was able to answer all the questions I asked just now. Although we haven’t talked much before, I can tell that Professor Shi’s level of knowledge is definitely above mine.”
Huh?
His colleagues weren’t sure if they could believe that.
The only reason they didn’t outright reject the idea of Shi Qing developing his own chip was because they had also heard the conversation between him and Tan Mingyi.
Someone spoke up. “Even if it’s true, Xiao Tan, you shouldn’t think of befriending Professor Shi. He’s always had a weird temper. Didn’t you see how much he overreacted when you just touched him a little?”
Hearing that, Tan Mingyi seemed hesitant. Then Qin Yunsheng suddenly opened his mouth.
The soldier’s voice was attention-catching and resounding.
“Professor Shi didn’t overreact, he has an injury on his arm.”
“An injury?”
Tan Mingyi’s eyes lit up, “Yes, yes! Didn’t Professor Shi ask me to hold the doc.u.ments for him just now because one of his hands was indisposed?”
When he said that, the people who had one ear on the lookout for drama also remembered.
“He really did seem to have an injury. I mean he didn’t use his right hand at all.”
“What Xiao Tan just ran into was also Professor Shi’s right hand, right?”
“Still,” some people grumbled, “if he’s injured, why can’t he just say something like a normal person? How is anyone supposed to know if he stays silent?”
As Qin Yunsheng listened to them speak, the disdainful face of that arrogant young Marquis appeared before his eyes again.
He opened his mouth, “Professor Shi is very introverted. He won’t tell if you don’t ask. Moreover, he didn’t even want to clear his name during yesterday’s debacle. I had to provoke him before he was even willing to come over.”
Thinking about it this way, Qin Yunsheng’s mind began to compile a theory automatically.
So Shi Qing was actually someone who was truly capable but too lazy to show it. Why hadn’t he noticed this before?
Just like how he missed Shi Qing’s habit of silently enduring pain and difficulties.
The man couldn’t help but begin to wonder if his previous opinion of Shi Qing was too superficial.
The people here thought that Shi Qing was a haughty young master who would throw a temper tantrum after a slight touch to the arm.
But what they didn’t expect was that Shi Qing was injured, and that he wouldn’t reveal his injury even when he was touched by Tan Mingyi. Instead, he left to treat his injury on his own.
Then what about before?
Didn’t something similar happen then?
Thinking about the young Marquis who angrily tried to stomp on him and ended up stubbing his own toe, his originally cold and stern eyes softened a little.
“I’ll be going first.”
He felt like he should puzzle out this mystery himself.
***
When Qin Yunsheng returned, Shi Qing was lying on the bed watching TV.
He seemed very relaxed and comfortable.
But his arms were still at an unnatural angle, and the grapes placed next to him hadn’t been touched.
The man stood by the door looking at Shi Qing before knocking lightly.
“Come in.” The young n.o.bleman’s lazy voice sounded out.
Qin Yunsheng walked in with his first aid kit, as rigidly as ever.
As soon as Professor Shi saw him, his previously carefree expression immediately soured.
In Qin Yunsheng’s eyes, Shi Qing scrambled to sit up and watched him warily. He growled viciously, “What are you doing here?! What else are you going to do to me?!!”
“Professor Shi, let me help you treat your wounds.”
He had always felt that Shi Qing was not worthy of the t.i.tle of ‘Professor’ and insisted on calling the other man ‘Mister’.
But the t.i.tle of ‘Professor’ rolled off his tongue easily now.
Qin Yunsheng placed the first aid kit on the table but didn’t immediately approach the bed. He opened the box and took out the disinfectant to show Shi Qing that it was harmless.
However, the young Marquis, who had been injured on him several times, had finally learned his lesson and refused to move.
“Who said I wanted you to take care of it for me?! I have plenty of servants who can do it! I don’t need you!”
Qin Yunsheng gave no reaction to Shi Qing’s malicious tone, remaining calm.
“I was the one who misunderstood you before. My apologies.”
The young Marquis snorted, but he didn’t say any more scathing words.
Only then did the slender and upright officer bring the disinfectant and cotton swabs to the bed. His eyes stayed on the ball that Shi Qing had curled into as he approached.
“Please give me your arm.”
Shi Qing’s face wasn’t that angry anymore, it was just filled with his usual arrogance. “Who are you to tell me what to do? Your att.i.tude is acceptable now, but don’t think I forgot how coldly you treated me before!”
After having personally witnessed Shi Qing endure pain to save face, his current unforgiving appearance was not too annoying.
Qin Yunsheng used the old tried and true method.
“I’m just trying to make amends but, if Professor Shi is afraid… then let’s forget it.”