Qin Hanyue looked at the girl's eyes, just about to say something, when he heard her ask: "Do you know what this dog is called?"
She stroked the dog's head over and over, her tone revealing some interest, but her expression was still indifferent, just like when she had called him yesterday to chat, extremely calmly telling him that she had gone blind.
Although she said it could be cured, this astonishingly strong psychological quality still impressed Qin Hanyue.
Qin Hanyue wondered what on earth could make her tense up even a little.
But Qiao Ying's composure and indifference also reassured Qin Hanyue, who had been worried all along.
Qin Hanyue: "What's it called?"
Qiao Ying slightly raised the corners of her mouth: "Its name is Sack."
"Woof!" As soon as it heard its own name, the dog Sack barked right away.
Qin Hanyue's thoughts were not on the dog. Hearing this name, he was stunned for a moment before laughing.
"What does Sack think of that?"
"Furious."
Qiao Ying got up from the floor and sat back down on the sofa.
Qin Hanyue reached out to help her, but she clearly didn't need assistance for such a small thing, she could do it herself.
The cat that had been lying next to her also got up, stepping elegantly onto Qiao Ying's legs and curling up in her lap.
Qin Hanyue sat down on the sofa as well, subconsciously glancing at the cat before looking back at Qiao Ying: "Let me see your eyes."
Perhaps because she couldn't see him and there was no eye contact, she didn't feel awkward or anything facing him. Qiao Ying raised her face to let him look: "Go ahead and look."
When she looked at people, she rarely scrutinized them or peered too deeply. To put it arrogantly, she was dismissive.
To most people her gaze seemed cold, but whatever they felt, Qin Hanyue didn't find it cold. On the contrary, he found it leisurely and casual.
This was the first time Qin Hanyue had "stared" at her so brazenly.
He couldn't help but reach out, wanting to touch her thin eyelids, but Qiao Ying spoke up: "See anything?"
Qin Hanyue lowered his hand, shaking his head slightly. Remembering that Qiao Ying couldn't see, he quickly answered verbally: "No signs of poisoning."
Qin Yan placed the large bag of medicinal herbs on the table.
"Miss Qiao, Old Master Ming personally picked all these medicines himself. Please take a look to see if they’re right.” Qin Yan opened each bag one by one.
He thought to himself: This absolutely cannot go wrong. Qin Yan didn't even dare imagine what would happen if his idol lost her eyesight.
A top hacker gone blind was like a soldier losing his gun, a kitchen losing its wok, or SpongeBob losing Gary.
If X really went blind, not only would he go crazy, but the entire hacker community would lose it.
"Let me get them for you." Qin Hanyue picked up each parcel of herbs and placed them into Qiao Ying's palm one by one.
Qiao Ying brought them to her nose and smelled them carefully.
Confirming they were all correct, Qiao Ying asked: "Where are my needles?"
Qin Hanyue: "They're in my pocket. Do you need them now?"
Qiao Ying stroked the cat in her arms without answering right away.
“Is anything else missing?” Qin Hanyue was getting anxious.
“Well, I still need someone to test the needles and medicine on. Many of these medicines contain toxins, so it has to be someone with excellent physical fitness, otherwise they probably couldn’t withstand my experiments.”
Qin Yan was shocked. "Using live human trials? And it sounds really dangerous." It sounded terrifying.
Without any hesitation, Qin Hanyue immediately said: "I'll do it."
Qin Yan: "Young Master..."
Qin Yan became frantic and quickly asked Qiao Ying: "Miss Qiao, what would happen if there was a slight mistake?"
"Best case you’d go blind, worst case you’d lose your life. The experiment process will be quite unpleasant too, so it has to be someone who can endure pain."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yan became even more anxious: "Young Master can't do this. If something happens to you then all is lost. Let me find someone else for Miss Qiao's experiments."
Qiao Ying: "Not just anyone is suitable. This experiment is inhumane, so if possible I don't want to wrongfully take innocent lives."
Qin Yan: "Just give me some time, I’ll definitely find someone satisfactory to Miss Qiao."
Qiao Ying: "I think your assistant Qin is very suitable."
Gasp!
Qin Yan: "Huh? Me?"
Qin Yan was dumbfounded: "Didn't you say you didn't want to harm the innocent?"
Qiao Ying: "I’ll do my best to keep your assistant Qin alive. If he’s extremely unlucky, at least he and I know each other, so I’d feel less guilty about killing an acquaintance versus a stranger.”
Qin Yan: Is she even speaking like a normal human being?
"Miss Qiao, I'm afraid I don't quite meet the requirements. Don't be fooled by how sturdy I look, actually I'm very out of shape and my physical fitness is below average. I'd probably kick the bucket after just two needles, the experiment wouldn't produce any results." Qin Yan chickened out, resisting the thought with his entire body.
Just then he saw Qin Hanyue turn his head and glance coldly at him.
With just that one look, Qin Yan’s fate was no longer his to decide. Qin Yan put away his pained expression of “desperately wanting to live”.
He said: “Miss Qiao, I’ll do it.”
Whether he agreed or not, either way it was death, so Qin Yan felt utterly hopeless.
Besides, he definitely could not let the Young Master actually do it.
Qin Hanyue: "If you're disabled, the Qin family will support you for life. And if you unfortunately lose your life, I’ll provide your family with a pension."
Qiao Ying: “I’ll remember you, Q.”
With just a “Q” from his idol, Qin Yan instantly felt his hot blood pumping. Even if they made him spill his guts all over the floor right now he’d be willing.
Qin Yan gallantly sacrificed himself: “Miss Qiao, you are the hope and future of the hacker community. My small sacrifice is nothing.”
Qiao Ying said to Qin Hanyue: “Give a bit more for the pension.”
Qin Hanyue: “Okay.”
She then asked Qin Yan: “Any unfulfilled wishes?”
Qin Yan: "......"
He nervously swallowed his saliva: “Miss Qiao, as you said earlier, is there a possibility that I could make it through? Although I’ve always been quite unlucky."
Qiao Ying: “Then I wish you good luck.”
Qin Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Luckily Lin Cheng returned at that moment, otherwise pitiful Qin Yan didn’t know what other state they might frighten him into.
The little dog Sack immediately ran over to greet its owner.
Lin Cheng walked into the living room: “Has your friend arrived?”
Qin Hanyue looked at the other person, his obscure gaze sizing him up. At the same time he stood up and extended his hand: “Qin Hanyue.”
Knowing that this man was the one who had spoken with Qiao Ying on the phone yesterday, the “Boss Lin” Qiao Ying had mentioned, Lin Cheng shook his hand without reservation, also unabashedly looking him up and down. “I knew Miss Qiao’s friend wouldn’t be any ordinary person.”
Qin Hanyue: “The Duke’s great name is also renowned to me.”
Lin Cheng smiled slightly. He circled around Qin Hanyue and bent down to hug the cat in Qiao Ying’s arms.
Seeing his move, Qin Hanyue felt a little uncomfortable inside.
But he didn’t know what kind of relationship this Lin Cheng had with Qiao Ying, so he couldn’t say anything.
As if sensing it, Qiao Ying took the initiative to pick up the cat from him, also rather displeased as she said: “No sense of boundaries.”
The discomfort in Qin Hanyue’s heart instantly vanished.
Lin Cheng: "Hm?"
He was just hugging a cat, so how was that overstepping boundaries?
Carrying the cat, Lin Cheng glanced at the things on the table: "The medicines arrived? How long will it take to fully cure her eyes? I’m still looking forward to seeing them healed."
Qiao Ying: "This poison isn't hard to solve, it just takes some time to purge it all out from my system."
"Not hard to solve? You know how to cure it?" Qin Yan, who had just been prepared to settle his unfinished business and even figured out his burial spot, immediately looked towards Qiao Ying.
Hadn't she just said live trials were required?
Qiao Ying: "I was just joking with you guys earlier to lighten things up after seeing how worried you were."
Qin Yan: "......"
Joking? Lightening things up?
It was joking and relaxing at his expense, wasn’t it?!
These two heartless people. And here he had been so sincere.
Duped over and over, every single day was something different. Qin Yan felt that his IQ had been insulted multiple times, damaging his self-confidence.
