Chapter 5: Not Afraid of a Difficult Childhood, Only Fearful of a Sudden Advantage

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Ye Sheng made no effort to hide her words, so Li Xingming heard everything from the kitchen. He didn’t rush to the living room to respond; after all, Jiang Qianshan would handle it for him. The little childhood friend was clever and sharp, not just a pretty face.

Li Xingming focused on slicing the peeled water bamboo shoots into evenly thin pieces, blanching them, and preparing the scallions, ginger, garlic, and small chili peppers, along with the essential steamed fish soy sauce.

"Ah Ming, Shengsheng is amazing! No wonder she’s a top student from the capital," Jiang Qianshan said excitedly as Li Xingming finished prepping the ingredients and she burst into the kitchen. "You’ve got your own academic achievements too!"

"In fact, the modern academic system isn’t much different from that of the Sixth Era—controlled by academic cliques, with high barriers to entry and identity discrimination. But no matter the era, granting second authorship just because of inspiration gained from a non-binding public lecture is really a testament to generosity and academic integrity. Truly commendable, Ye Sheng," Li Xingming remarked.

"I’ll take that as a compliment," Ye Sheng replied.

"Then what’s the price? Your papers are all published in the top third of SCI journals; surely you’re not giving me second authorship for nothing."

"No freebies. You’ve already provided inspiration; I shouldn’t ask for more."

At this moment, Li Xingming was chatting with the guest while Jiang Qianshan cooked in the kitchen. She turned on the gas stove and, to eavesdrop on their conversation, set the range hood to its lowest setting.

Thanks to industrial superhuman technology, the new generation of rune-infused range hoods were far quieter than those of the old era, allowing Jiang Qianshan to cook while keeping an ear out for any signs of mischief.

But she misjudged the oil’s temperature; as the meat slices hit the pan, they almost splattered, sending oil droplets flying. She had to crank the range hood up to full power, the roar of the blower filling her ears as she mused.

Oh my, Ye Sheng really went overboard with generosity.

Just because of a spark of inspiration from a lecture exchange, she gave second authorship away?

Though Jiang Qianshan seemed naive and easy to fool, she actually understood a lot.

For example, according to academic norms, the corresponding author is usually the supervisor, the first author is the one who actually wrote the paper (in most cases), and the second author’s position is more complicated—it could be someone who contributed to the project, or a favor granted to someone in need, or even the supervisor’s daughter’s name inserted directly (she’s currently in third grade at a certain experimental primary school in the capital)...

So, could it be that this second authorship was Ye Sheng’s way of showing affection to Li Xingming?

Jiang Qianshan’s mind wandered as she finished cooking; soon, a table of three dishes and one soup, full of color, aroma, and flavor, was ready.

Yet, no sign of the two appeared in the living room.

It didn’t take long for Jiang Qianshan to find the answer: Li Xingming and Ye Sheng had obviously hit it off and moved to the study. The computer was already on, and both wore holographic stealth virtual reality game headsets.

Today’s VR technology could link directly to the nervous system, and the hottest application was the superhuman combat simulation.

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Combat simulation was probably the only video game parents hoped their children would immerse themselves in, for good reason. It closely mimicked real battle experiences and helped children better adapt to superhuman combat after awakening.

In peaceful times, opportunities to fight were rare but still part of the assessment, akin to physical fitness tests for university students in the old days.

Moreover, achieving a certain rank in combat simulation could earn official rewards—cash prizes and, more importantly, benefits for academic advancement.

Of course, one had to reach a very high rank to earn rewards, something Jiang Qianshan dared not even dream of; she was terrible at fighting with no talent whatsoever.

The only reason there were two gaming machines at home was that sometimes Jiang Qianshan would accompany Li Xingming to play.

Now, this gaming machine, usually reserved for Jiang Qianshan, was on another woman’s head.

She sat shoulder to shoulder with Li Xingming, their knees touching—her right knee clad in thick, warm black stockings. Ye Sheng’s impossibly long legs combined slenderness with elegant curves, and only such unbeatable beauty could carry off the so-called thick black aesthetic. Li Xingming’s left knee was covered by plain school uniform pants, which Jiang Qianshan had painstakingly tailored stitch by stitch to fit his figure. The uniform was too generic to show off Ah Ming’s good physique.

Stay calm, Jiang Qianshan.

She took several deep breaths, trying to swallow the irritation crawling at the corners of her eyes.

A top scholar liking to play combat simulations, casually starting a game with a classmate she admired, sitting a little closer—nothing to get worked up over...

What a thick-skinned devil!

She was playing games on my exclusive gaming machine with Ah Ming!

Jiang Qianshan had already firmly decided in her heart: Ye Sheng was a cheating cat!

"Why is someone stomping their feet? Is your game console’s multimedia sound crossed?" Li Xingming asked.

"It’s Qianshan... no, I mean Jiang Qianshan," he said, temporarily removing the headset. "Qianshan, if you’re hungry, eat first. Ye Sheng and I want to play best-of-five... no, best-of-three, the food will get cold if it takes too long."

"Okay, you guys go ahead. I’ll wait to eat with you. Actually, I’m not very hungry right now," Jiang Qianshan answered obediently, stepping out of the study, then tiptoeing back, nervously peeking at the two playing.

It was clear the battle was intense.

In the end, Li Xingming narrowly won two to one.

Ye Sheng placed Jiang Qianshan’s exclusive gaming machine back on the table, her gaze vacant for a moment before biting her lip. "You can’t perform at your best on an empty stomach."

"Still acting tough," Li Xingming teased.

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"Let’s continue after dinner."

Ye Sheng rose swiftly, eager to finish eating and start another round with Li Xingming.

Then she saw Jiang Qianshan and suddenly realized she might have gotten a bit too absorbed—after all, she was a guest in someone else’s home.

She didn’t care much about social conventions most of the time, but Li Xingming was special, and Jiang Qianshan was a kind, pure, and lovely girl.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Ah, it’s nothing, nothing..." Jiang Qianshan’s sincere eyes made Ye Sheng feel a little embarrassed to meet her gaze. Strange—she had been holding a grudge, but faced with Ye Sheng standing there, she suddenly felt deflated.

Sincerity is always the ultimate weapon.

So, is she a scheming manipulator or an innocent, clueless genius? I want to ask.

Jiang Qianshan couldn’t decide. She knew her own weakness—she was a girl who loved to overthink, with a somewhat fragile heart. The only thing steady was the obsession she had nurtured for Li Xingming since childhood.

"Our match was pretty close, and each game ended quickly. I’m still unawakened, so I can only use first-level characters in battle. You holding your strength down to my level means there weren’t many fancy moves."

"Don’t be gross," Ye Sheng frowned slightly. "I don’t need you to save face for me. Losing is losing."

"Where’s the saving face?"

"You’ve played on my account before, with a higher rating than mine. I don’t want your pity; I want to beat you fair and square."

No, buddy/sis,

Can you speak in terms I understand?

Under the table, Jiang Qianshan stepped on Li Xingming’s foot. That small, plaintive look was easy for him to understand—

"Ah Ming, what are you hiding from me again?!"

"Oh, I forgot to explain to Qianshan... By coincidence, Ye Sheng is actually a longtime online friend I often play combat simulations with. What a small world!"