Chapter 59: Double Leak Upon Leak

Having been partnered with Lin Changqing for a full term, the Dean naturally knew who Lin Sicheng was.
A hopeless case, a stubborn and incorrigible good-for-nothing...
Wait, no, how did Lin Sicheng end up in the expert guidance group?
"I brought him there! Once we arrived, he started scanning around with a radiation gun, and then discovered that the radiation level of that piece of jade was only 0.02 micro..."
Though theoretically plausible, the Dean remained skeptical: "Lin Sicheng even understands this stuff?"
He didn't just understand it; his knowledge was far too vast...
Fearing the Dean might catch on, Wang Qizhi dared not elaborate further. He swiftly steered the conversation off course: "Those three pages of reports were also pulled out by Lin Sicheng!"
Sure enough, the Dean's train of thought was successfully derailed, his expression turning exceptionally shocked: "Not you?"
"Of course not, I don't even know Director Guan."
Startled instinctively, the Dean began to mull it over: Lin Changqing and Guan Xingmin shared an extraordinarily close relationship, so this might actually be true.
Regardless of his usual performance, today's matter had indeed been handled brilliantly; Lin Sicheng deserved to be credited for this.
And he also had Wang Qizhi to thank: extraordinary people possessed extraordinary methods!
He just couldn't figure out how these two had ended up teaming up.
As these thoughts churned in his mind, Wang Qizhi smiled. "Anyway, that's pretty much the situation. Also, I plan to officially register the project on Monday and temporarily transfer Lin Sicheng to help out in the project team for a while... I hope I have your approval, Dean!"
You don't even have a handful of people in your project team, what kind of registration do you need?
The crucial point was, what good was Lin Sicheng?
Yet, after a brief moment of suspicion, the Dean didn't dwell on it: "Lin Sicheng is an undergraduate student. If you want to transfer him, just do it. Do you really need my approval?"
Of course I need your approval, otherwise when Shang Yan comes looking to settle scores with me later, who's going to take the blame?
"Thank you, Dean. Please go ahead with your work!"
Wang Qizhi stood up with a smile, and the Dean walked him to the door. The moment Wang Qizhi stepped downstairs, the Dean furrowed his brows again.
"Don't you feel like Wang Qizhi was a bit off today? It seemed like... he was constantly dodging the real issue and making things sound trivial?"
His assistant was utterly bewildered: "Which aspect are you referring to, Dean?"
"Lin Sicheng!" The Dean pinched his chin. "I keep feeling like Wang Qizhi has some hidden agenda."
The assistant was momentarily stunned: given Lin Sicheng's reputation, what was there to scheme about?
Yet, a sudden thought crossed his mind: "There's been gossip floating around the teaching and research office these past two days. People are saying that Professor Liu and Professor Shang from the Cultural Relics Protection Department both want Lin Sicheng to take their graduate entrance exams?"
The Dean's eyelids twitched: "Who?"
"Professor Liu Meili and Professor Shang Yan!"
No way!
Liu Meili taught theory, so that could be ignored, but what was going on with Shang Yan?
When it came to ceramics professors in the school, Lin Changqing ranked first, and she undoubtedly ranked second.
Therefore, if she were doing it as a favor to Lin Changqing, she would have done so long ago without waiting until today.
A flash of realization suddenly struck the Dean: *Dean, I want to transfer Lin Sicheng into the project team to help out for a while, I hope you'll approve...*
Damn it, he had fallen for Wang Qizhi's trap: was this fellow using him as a human shield?

Which of Liu Meili and Shang Yan was easy to deal with?
But that wasn't the main point.
Didn't he know what Lin Sicheng was like better than anyone else?
An embroidered pillow stuffed with straw.
Therefore, if only one professor wanted to take him on as a graduate student, it could still be attributed to a personal favor. But for all three professors to harbor the same intention made the situation quite intriguing.
Especially given Wang Qizhi didn't even know who Lin Changqing was, nor did he have any reason to do so.
Could a good-for-nothing suddenly transform into a talent, someone fought over by everyone?
The more he thought about it, the stranger it felt. After a moment of hesitation, the Dean dialed Shang Yan's number.
At first, everything seemed normal, but gradually, the Dean's eyes widened into two perfect circles...

The sun slowly ascended, casting long, slender shadows of the buildings.
The curtains fluttered as a morning breeze drifted in.
Ye Ning rubbed her eyes as she emerged from her bedroom, casting a glance at Wang Qizhi standing by the window.
He was impeccably dressed, holding a cigarette between his fingers.
It's the weekend, why is he up so early?
Muttering inwardly, Ye Ning walked over and peered downward: "Uncle, who are you waiting for?"
"Lin Sicheng."
Again?
It felt like this name had been appearing with extraordinary frequency at home lately, and her uncle brought him up at the drop of a hat.
She then glanced at the briefcase and car keys on the coffee table: "Are you guys going out?"
"Mmm, going to Baoji to take a look at that bowl!"
Ye Ning froze: "You promised me last week that you'd take me with you!"
Wang Qizhi rolled his eyes: "Did I?"
He had completely forgotten.
"How could you not? You go back on your word!"
"Stop chattering nonsense, go change your clothes if you want to go!" Wang Qizhi checked the wall clock. "I'll give you ten minutes at most!"
"That's too much!"
Grumbling under her breath, Ye Ning scurried back to her room like a gust of wind.
With a soft squeak, the sliding kitchen door pushed open, and Dan Wangshu emerged carrying breakfast, setting it on the dining table.
"Is Lin Sicheng almost here? Tell him to come up and have a bite too!"
Wang Qizhi picked up his glass of milk and gestured toward the bedroom with his chin: "She hasn't even washed her face yet; even a free-loader has her pride."
Dan Wangshu rolled her eyes and gave him a light smack.
Straightening her hair, Ye Ning rushed out of the bedroom in a flurry: "Uncle, say that to my mother's face next time!"
Saying it in front of your mother is nothing; I'd dare say it in front of your father.
Wang Qizhi let out a scoff as his phone began to buzz insistently.
A casual glance revealed a smug, triumphant smile at the corner of his mouth: Look at that, no specific time was mentioned, yet he arrives punctually at eight o'clock.
This was what you called tacit understanding.
Wang Qizhi hung up, finished his milk in one gulp, and stepped out the door holding a pan-fried bun.
"Auntie, look, Uncle is acting heartless again..."
"What are you flustered about? Get yourself properly put together!"
Rebuking her, Dan Wangshu walked over to the window.
The thin mist was dissipating, the autumn wind rustled by, and the locust tree leaves made a gentle, rustling sound.
As if sensing something, Lin Sicheng raised his head, scattered flecks of light playing across his brows and eyes.
He paused slightly, a smile breaking across his face: "Mistress!"
Hearing this address for the first time, Dan Wangshu felt a mild novelty and quickly smiled back: "Lin Sicheng, the house is a bit messy this morning, so I won't invite you up. But since Ning'er wants to go too, could you wait for her a little bit?"
What was there to mind about that?
As this thought crossed his mind, the building entrance door creaked open.
Wang Qizhi walked out, extending a plate forward: "Here!"
Lin Sicheng didn't stand on ceremony; he took it and began to eat, looking up with a smile: "Thank you, Mistress!"
Dan Wangshu stood frozen in place, watching the master and apprentice huddled head-to-head eating buns downstairs, utterly at a loss for words.
This pair was really something else...
The two chatted as they ate: "We're heading to Baoji later to look at a Hongzhi chicken-oil-yellow dish!"
Lin Sicheng was slightly taken aback. Chicken-oil-yellow referred to the delicate yellow glaze, a piece of imperial ware from the Ming Dynasty. Particularly the Hongzhi reign marks—whether in craftsmanship or artistic value—were considered top-tier among monochrome glazed porcelains of the Ming and Qing imperial kilns.
The crucial point was that their surviving numbers were extremely scarce, while current market prices remained relatively low. Thus, encountering even one was pure treasure-hunting.
"Has an asking price been set?"
Wang Qizhi gestured with his hand: "Fifty-two hundred thousand!" (TN: referring to 520,000)
Good grief, wasn't this practically a bargain within a bargain?
It wouldn't take long—at most a couple of years of holding onto it—and the price would at least quadruple!
As he marveled inwardly, the building door creaked open once more.
Ye Ning's face was bare of makeup, a lingering sheen of moisture still clinging to her skin, tender as a newly unhusked lotus seed.
Her features were bright and striking, her eyes sparkling with ripples of light. Her long, jet-black hair was tied into a ponytail, and her dark jeans outlined her supple, graceful curves.
With a slight frown of her willow-like brows, she first glared at Wang Qizhi, then handed over a carton of milk with a hint of embarrassment on her face: "Lin Sicheng, sorry to keep you waiting so long!"
Lin Sicheng smiled and took it: "Only a few minutes!"