14: Chapter 14 Wang Shuo, your nose is bleeding.

Early the next morning, Wang Shuo got up early to wash up and fully take care of his personal business, then lay quietly in his hospital bed and waited.

At exactly 8:30, Miss Chen stepped into Wang Shuo's ward.

She walked over to Wang Shuo's bedside, placed the items in her hand on the table, and then walked over to the sofa, picked up her book, and sat down.

Wang Shuo took a look; what Chen Xin had brought back seemed to be a sandwich and a thermos.

If he hadn't guessed wrong...

Wang Shuo unscrewed the thermos, and sure enough, it was a large cup of steaming hot milk.

Milk with a sandwich... Tsk, tsk, this really was the life of the wealthy. Wang Shuo didn't mind at all. He took a big bite of the sandwich—it tasted pretty good—and then took a slow sip of the hot milk, thoroughly enjoying his meal.

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Occasionally glancing at the beautiful girl reading nearby, even just sitting there quietly, she was still a sight for sore eyes.

Wang Shuo seemed to have grown a bit fond of this kind of life. His frustration with Chen Xin's firm refusal to let him be discharged didn't feel so severe anymore; instead, a faint sense of guilt welled up inside him.

Making so much noise while washing up yesterday was partly out of habit, but partly pure mischief on Wang Shuo's part. He really wanted to see Chen Xin lose her cool. According to Chen Cheng, it would be terrifying. As a youth who loved seeking death, Wang Shuo felt he would be letting down his own curiosity if he didn't try.

Seeing Chen Xin's calm and unruffled expression at first, Wang Shuo had thought his actions had had no effect.

But the milk he drank today clearly told him that not only did it have an effect, but the effect was also unexpectedly obvious. This also showed that the ice-cold Miss Chen was, after all, just a normal human being.

Wang Shuo looking at Chen Xin quietly reading nearby, suddenly felt a trace of curiosity. What kind of environment could cultivate a girl with such a unique personality?

It seemed he would have to find a time to have a good chat with Chen Cheng. But recalling Chen Cheng's evaluation of his cousin, Wang Shuo felt he was a bit unreliable. Could that guy really answer such a profound question?

Over the next few days, Wang Shuo's life fell into its usual, unchanging rhythm.

Every morning, he would wake up early, brush his teeth, wash his face, and then lie in bed waiting. Chen Xin would step into his ward right on time at 8:30 every day, bringing a nice sandwich and a cup of steaming hot milk.

The taste of the sandwich was also completely unchanging, which made Wang Shuo seriously suspect that the one making the sandwich was a machine rather than a chef.

After finishing breakfast, Miss Chen would sit on her usual sofa in her usual posture to begin her day of reading, while Wang Shuo would hold a magazine whose pages he never turned just for show. In his mind, however, he was rapidly recalling all kinds of knowledge about the Humanoid Race's civilization, occasionally transferring knowledge he was interested in into his brain via data transmission for in-depth study.

Sitting like this would last the entire day. This seemed to be Chen Xin's daily routine, and she appeared to have absolutely nothing else to do.

His communication with Chen Xin was minimal, basically consisting of Wang Shuo talking up a storm while Miss Chen merely nodded subtly. This level of communication was far from enough for them to truly understand each other, but it seemed... Miss Chen had no such intention anyway.

In her eyes, there was nothing but books. At first, she was reading "principles of economics," but later on, she directly brought out books like "Mechanical Principles and Structure," "Principles of Computer Programming," and "Introduction to C Language," which she had bought from who-knows-where. Although she frowned from time to time while reading them, she still persevered.

When evening came, she would pack up her books right on time, place them on Wang Shuo's table, and leave quietly without even saying goodbye.

This state of affairs continued for three days. When Chen Xin pulled out a book titled "Research on Material Stress Mechanics" on this day, Wang Shuo finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"Miss... Chen..."

After spending a few days together, Wang Shuo felt that Chen Xin seemed rather sensitive to the term "Miss."

Sure enough, Chen Xin immediately raised her head.

"Can I make a suggestion?"

Silence...

"Are you reading these books... because you're planning to switch careers and become an engineer?" Wang Shuo pointed at the books in her hand. Over the past few days, she only brought them in but never took them back, so a thick stack of books had already piled up on the windowsill.

"No," Chen Xin shook her head.

"Then why are you reading them?" Wang Shuo looked surprised. "I recall you were studying economics, right? These books... have absolutely nothing to do with economics."

Chen Xin lowered her head in silence, looking at the book in her hands.

"And even if you wanted to switch careers to be an engineer, isn't this scope a bit too broad? I can understand things like 'Mechanical Principles and Structure' and 'Principles of Computer Programming,' but what on earth is 'Research on Material Stress Mechanics'?" Wang Shuo said in amazement. "Don't tell me you also want to do chemical research on materials?"

Chen Xin grew even quieter. "Is all of this... useless?"

"Of course it's useless!" Wang Shuo said righteously. "I am a student of Computer Science and Technology at Huazhong University of Science and Technology! A pure science student!"

"These things are just basic introductory knowledge, written to fool laypeople. Trying to self-study using these is practically impossible."

"Miss Chen, you've been reading for so many days. Have you figured out Circuit Principles? Do you know what Analog Electronic Technology is? Do you understand what Digital Logic is?"

"Not to mention deeper subjects like Computer Networks, High-level Languages, Data Structures, and Operating Systems."

"These are highly specialized fields of knowledge. If anyone could understand them just by reading a few books, what would be the point of our Huazhong University of Science and Technology?"

Wang Shuo said with a face full of pride.

Chen Xin said calmly, "Do you understand them?"

"Of course I do!" Having let it all out in one breath, Wang Shuo suddenly felt refreshed. Without even thinking, he bragged, "Never mind basic knowledge; Circuit Principles and Digital Logic are child's play. Even if it came to creating a brand new high-level programming language or writing an operating system from scratch, it would be a piece of cake for me. Let me tell you, I've been extremely interested in this stuff since I was a kid, and my dad was also very supportive. Plus, with my natural intelligence and exceptional wit..."

While Wang Shuo was still talking endlessly, Chen Xin had already fallen silent.

She silently looked at the books on the table. Her favorite "principles of economics" was buried deep beneath several other books, as if entombed, never to see the light of day again. It was just like her current self, being tightened and buried step by step by reality, until she could no longer turn things around.

"Is it useless?" Chen Xin murmured softly. Did she not know the futility of doing this? So, what on earth... was she still struggling for?

Having rambled on for a long time, Wang Shuo looked at the dazed Chen Xin. Seeing that she seemed to be looking at her book, Wang Shuo reached out, abruptly pulled the book out, patted off the dust, and handed it to Chen Xin.

"So I say, Miss Chen Xin, you should just stick to reading your 'principles of economics.' I think you look much better reading this book than the others. Since you like it, just stick with it. Life is short; you should always do the things you like, right? As for switching fields, which is extremely difficult, just leave that to a genius like me." Wang Shuo grinned and smiled.

Chen Xin stared blankly at the book Wang Shuo handed over. After a long while, she finally reached out and took it.

"Wang Shuo." Chen Xin's voice was a bit soft. This was only the second time she had called Wang Shuo by his name over these past few days.

"Thank you... and..."

"Your nose is bleeding."