Bruce stared at the confidentiality agreement before him, his emotions shifting from initial confusion to shock and exhilaration as he grasped its contents. The once-renowned master of pharmaceuticals, who had commanded respect in the outside world, was now reduced to serving as someone’s assistant—yet not a trace of humiliation showed on his face.
"When can I meet the teacher?"
He was already calling her "teacher" before even seeing her.
Zuo Yi sighed inwardly and pushed away Bruce’s overly enthusiastic advance.
"Now. I’ll take you there."
Bruce wore the expression of a man who had endured hardship only to finally taste sweetness, as if he wished he could sprout wings and fly there immediately.
They arrived at the entrance of the laboratory Ji Tingzhou had specially prepared for Ji Nian.
Bruce peered curiously from outside, thinking to himself, No wonder there’s been no news about the teacher all these years—the lab was built right inside the Ji Family’s estate. Then he marveled at the sheer wealth and extravagance of the Ji Family.
Once granted permission, the doors swung open. Zuo Yi didn’t enter but instead gestured to Bruce. "She’s inside. Go ahead."
Too eager to even bid Zuo Yi farewell, Bruce sprinted inside at the thought of finally meeting the person he had longed for.
The first thing he saw upon entering was a spacious, pristine white corridor, bright and immaculate.
The moment he stepped in, a round little robot suddenly appeared before him.
Bruce’s sharp eyes recognized it as an unreleased assistant robot from the Ji Family’s corporate lineup this year.
The robot scanned Bruce, confirmed his identity, and spoke: "Mr. Bruce, this way, please."
Intrigued, Bruce let out an excited sound and followed the robot.
What kind of person is the teacher?
Someone capable of creating such things must be a wise, composed elder, full of brilliant ideas.
In his mind, he pictured an elderly face—stern, clad in a white lab coat, round glasses perched on the nose, eyes gleaming with sharp intellect.
"Bruce, please enter."
Having led him to the lab’s inner chamber, the robot smoothly turned and left.
Bruce took a deep breath at the door, about to knock, when it swung open on its own.
He stepped inside, his gaze darting around eagerly—only to land on a little girl buried in a mountain of documents, hunched over a sofa as she read intently.
Recognizing a familiar face, Bruce relaxed and smiled. "Miss Ji Nian, you’re here too."
After all, Ji Nian was the only known link to that mysterious pharmacist. Seeing her here wasn’t entirely unexpected.
"Where’s the teacher?"
He glanced around but saw no one else.
Ji Nian looked up at Bruce’s searching gaze and beckoned him over.
She tossed him a thick stack of documents.
"Absorb all of this in ten minutes."
With only that instruction, she lowered her head and resumed her own reading.
The materials had been provided by scholars sent by Princess Feia. Unfortunately, one of them had indulged in an overly spicy pack of konjac snacks on the flight, resulting in severe diarrhea. The man was currently hospitalized on an IV drip, but the documents had been delivered ahead of time.
Though puzzled by the teacher’s absence, Bruce knew better than to disregard an order from the young mistress of the Ji Family.
He quietly began reading.
As he suspected, the teacher was indeed researching a cure for Ji Tingzhou’s condition.
Initially, Ji Tingzhou had hired Bruce precisely because he knew of his own genetic illness. But after realizing progress would be slow, he had instead funded Bruce’s other projects—essentially giving up.
Now, to return to the study of genetic disorders filled Bruce with renewed determination.
An hour later, he had mostly digested the material.
"Miss Ji, where are we going?"
He still wanted to ask about the teacher’s whereabouts, but seeing Ji Nian gather her things and head deeper into the lab, he had no choice but to follow.
Watching Ji Nian pull out a perfectly fitted lab coat and slip it over her petite frame, Bruce wondered why she was preparing to enter as well.
But if the teacher was inside, he could overlook her odd behavior.
After passing iris and fingerprint scans, Ji Nian led Bruce into the inner chamber.
Once inside, Bruce’s eyes darted around in awe.
"That instrument… there are only two in the entire country, and one of them is here?"
Mid-admiration, he suddenly realized the vast lab was empty except for Ji Nian and himself.
Confused, he turned to see Ji Nian walking toward the control panel.
Then, like a hammer to his excitement-drunk mind, a realization struck—
Wait…
How did Ji Nian just get in?
Iris scan. Fingerprint.
Highest clearance.
To his knowledge, no pharmacist would ever grant such unrestricted access to anyone but themselves.
And what Ji Nian had been reading earlier… definitely wasn’t summer homework.
It wasn’t until she deftly operated the equipment and shot a puzzled glance at Bruce—still frozen in place—that the truth finally hit him.
The reason the wise, elderly pharmacist he had imagined hadn’t appeared was because—
She was already here.
"Wha—?!"
Bruce’s blue eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Ji Nian.
"Y-Y-Y-Y-You?!?!?"
His hands trembled as he gaped at the girl who, at most, was only a few years older than his own son, now clad in a custom-fitted white coat.
This has to be a dream.
There’s no way the teacher I’ve idolized all these years is actually the fourteen-year-old young mistress of the Ji Family.
Fourteen…
Which means when she saved Wei Yang… she was five?!
"This can’t be real!!"
"Miss Ji, stop teasing me. Where’s the teacher?"
His worldview teetering on the edge of collapse, Bruce barely held on, his smile more pained than any frown.
Ji Nian understood his reaction.
Had she, in her past life, spent years studying tirelessly, believing herself to be the pinnacle of talent in her field, only to encounter a child—still struggling with basic bladder control—who had created an antidote defying all scientific logic…
She’d have lost her mind too.
Just then, Ji Nian’s phone buzzed with an entry request. She opened it to see a familiar figure standing outside.
As if sensing her gaze, the man looked up, his sharp emerald-green eyes locking onto the camera, meeting hers through the screen.
Seeing Ji Tingzhou—rational, healthy, standing there—Ji Nian felt a bittersweet ache spread through her chest.
Granted entry, the man strode in, navigating effortlessly to her lab.
His eyes swept over her, lingering briefly on the faint marks still visible on her neck, but his expression remained unreadable.
Stopping at a measured distance, he met Ji Nian’s gaze.
"Commander Yu’s wife—the one protecting Ji Xi—has contracted a rare illness. She relies on Ji Xi’s medicine to survive."
"Capturing Ji Xi would aid your research, wouldn’t it?"
He shrugged, a hint of self-mockery in his tone.
"This time, your dad really does need you to save him."
The moment the words left his lips, Ji Nian dashed forward and threw herself into his arms—
She kicked her father squarely in the calf—an utterly rebellious act.
