Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

The ”Xia” in his name was from Xia Qiushuang, not the homonym meaning ’mansion’.

Xiao Yan’s eye twitched. Her expression was strained, with a hint of coldness.

”Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to pass along the message. I just wonder if Jiang Dongcheng even remembers.”

After she spoke, Xiao Yan tried to find any trace of resentment on Jiang Xia’s face—any emotion at all. But she saw nothing.

Jiang Xia brushed past Xiao Yan without so much as a glance. His voice, cold and laced with meaning, drifted back. ”Don’t worry. He’ll never forget it for the rest of his life.”

Jiang Xia walked down the steps and stood by the car door, waiting respectfully for Principal Luo and the others to board. He was the last to get in.

Standing on the steps of the vehicle, Jiang Xia looked at Xiao Yan by the restaurant entrance with a pleasant smile and called out, ”Ms. Xiao Yan, it’s time to go.”

Furious with Jiang Xia, Xiao Yan didn’t want to get in the car just because he said so. But her rational mind knew what the correct course of action was.

”Coming.”

Xiao Yan got in the car. The vehicle first went to Beijing University before finally dropping Jiang Xia off at the hotel where he was staying.

Once Jiang Xia was inside the hotel, Xiao Yan finally dropped her composure. She turned and gave a few quiet orders to someone, who then departed swiftly.

”Xiao Yan, we’ve already verified Jiang Xia’s identity.”

Leader Li, who had guessed what Xiao Yan was about to do, stood beside her. His words sent a chill through her.

”It’s always good to be thorough.”

”Thoroughness is good, but you need to know where the line is. The interests of the nation always come before personal interests.”

Leader Li was cautioning her. Xiao Yan nodded and said she understood. Seeing this, Leader Li said no more and left to prepare for the upcoming contract signing and other matters of their cooperation.

Xiao Yan was left alone in front of the massive hotel.

She paused for a moment, her gaze lifting back toward the hotel.

’Has that little brat from all those years ago really grown this powerful?’

’If I had known... I never should have let him live.’

The venom in her eyes vanished in an instant. She turned and walked away.

High up in the hotel, a window was gently closed. Behind it stood Jiang Xia, a clear wine glass in his hand.

”Beijing... I’m back.”

He, Jiang Xia, had returned right through the front door.

Holding the wine glass, which was filled only with water, Jiang Xia turned with an elegant grace, looking every bit the sophisticated villain who had just seized the advantage.

「Meanwhile」 An Ning, back at Beijing University, was in her last class of the day. As usual, she sat by the door, her attention divided.

But none of the professors in the math department bothered with An Ning anymore. After a week of her fielding their questions, they had developed complete confidence in her.

Some of the newer professors had even developed a strange, almost uncomfortable complex about her.

Having a student this good at math in their lectures put them under immense pressure. If An Ning so much as looked up or shifted in her seat, the lecturing professor’s heart would lurch. They’d immediately scan their notes on the board. ’What did I get wrong?’

After a quick check revealed she had only fidgeted, the professor would breathe an internal sigh of relief and continue the lecture.

This whole mental ordeal happened at least once or twice every class. It was more exhausting than teaching the material itself.

Several professors even thought, ’It would honestly be fine if An Ning just didn’t show up to class.’ But none of them dared to say it out loud.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the last class, the professor shot a quick glance at An Ning. Seeing her slip out the back door, he let out a long sigh of relief. His back instantly straightened, and his voice regained its authority.

”Li Cheng, could you come here for a moment? You...”

A student walked up to help the professor with a few things.

Zhou Xiaoshan snickered to himself and followed An Ning out, catching up to her in a few quick steps.

”Master, where are we going?”

Walking ahead of him, An Ning flicked a notebook back with one hand, slapping it against Zhou Xiaoshan’s chest.

”There is no ’we.’ Only ’me.’”

”This notebook contains the study plan I’ve prepared for you. Complete it on schedule. I’ll be checking your work.”

An Ning suddenly spun around. Her smile was a little frightening, which made Zhou Xiaoshan freeze in his tracks. He reflexively flipped open a page.

A second later, Zhou Xiaoshan’s jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. He looked up at An Ning.

”Master? Are you serious?”

”Or do you think it’s not enough?”

An Ning made a show of taking out a pen to add more. Zhou Xiaoshan flinched back, shaking his head frantically.

”It’s not too much! Not too little! It’s perfect! Just perfect!”

”Good. Finish it properly. Your error rate needs to be less than one percent. Good luck.”

With that, An Ning calmly turned and headed for her dorm.

Zhou Xiaoshan clutched the notebook, his expression utterly defeated. He stood there, buffeted by an imaginary wind for a second. But time was tight and the task was immense—he couldn’t afford to waste a moment!

’Wait, it looks like not everything in this notebook is math, is it?’

An Ning, already some distance away, quickly reached her dorm. Before she could open the door, it was pulled open from the inside.

Luo Li stood there in a white lab coat, holding a gleaming red scalpel in her left hand. Her right hand was covered by a blood-stained rubber glove.

It was a rather startling image.

”An Ning!”

”Don’t get blood on the door!”

An Ning sidestepped Luo Li and carefully inspected the doorknob. Seeing it was clean, she entered the room, satisfied.

A smile in her eyes, Luo Li followed An Ning inside with a light-footed gait.

”It had to be you. Any other roommate would have been scared half to death.”

An Ning pulled out her chair. ”It’s fine. I can perform soul-summoning, so go ahead and do what you need to.”

”What?”

This time, it was Luo Li’s turn to be shocked. She closed the door, pulled off her bloody glove, and set down the scalpel. ”You can summon souls?”

An Ning nodded.

”Haven’t I mentioned it? My main gig is scientific research. My side hustle is Feng Shui.”

Luo Li shook her head, then shook it again.

An Ning sat down and pointed to a chicken on Luo Li’s desk. ”Is that for a dissection?”

”Huh? Sort of. I’m going home today and didn’t want to show up empty-handed, so I’m preparing a gift. I bought it from one of the cafeteria ladies.”

An Ning nodded in agreement. ”That makes sense. What should I bring? What does your family like?”

”My family... likes money.”

Luo Li said this with a completely straight face, then added a warning. ”When you come to my house, don’t be scared. They just have a... preference for a certain line of work. They don’t have any bad intentions.”

”I get it. Don’t worry.”

An Ning and Luo Li got themselves ready in the dorm, then left through the gates of Beijing University on their bikes, carrying a very fresh chicken as a gift for their visit.

Luo Li’s home wasn’t actually that far, but it was in a rather remote location.

They had left after their last class and dallied a bit in the dorm, so by the time they rode out, the sky was already growing dim.

An Ning followed Luo Li as the path grew more and more remote.

She even had the strange feeling they were heading toward the underworld.

A gloomy wind gusted past, making the leaves RUSTLE.

The moonlight was ghastly pale, and the stars were dim.

The narrow path, only wide enough for the two of them, was devoid of any sign of life. The only sound was the crunch of their bicycle tires on the road.

”An Ning, don’t be scared. My family’s place is just a little out of the way. They’re not bad people.”

”Luo Li, please don’t over-explain. And remember, my side hustle is being a Feng Shui Master. I’ve seen real ghosts before.”