Almighty Genius

New book published, soliciting recommendation tickets and favorites~~~

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"Boss, I've given up the secret recipe, can you let me go now?"

Mouse Qiang, seeing Qin Fang deep in thought, didn't have much confidence, but he still carefully ventured to ask.

"Go on, get out of here..."

Qin Fang wasn't in the mood to trouble Mouse Qiang and his people anymore and immediately gestured for them to leave.

"Thank you, thank you..."

At this time, Mouse Qiang already felt a chill on his back, anxiously waiting for Qin Fang's words. As if granted amnesty, he struggled to get up but winced as his movement brought a sharp pain to his face, forcing him to grin and bear it without revealing his suffering in front of Qin Fang.

Another underling cautiously came over to help Mouse Qiang up, and together they carefully carried their brother, who was beaten within an inch of his life, away.

"Why haven't you gone home yet?"

When the dust settled, Qin Fang clapped his hands ready to return home, but noticed that the girl Xiao Xue was still standing at the entrance of the alley, looking at him, so he couldn't help but ask.

"I don't want to go back..."

The girl simply shook her head with a bitter expression.

Chen Pangzi might be her uncle, but he practically pushed her into the firepit, then took off himself. Since Chen Pangzi fled, almost an hour had gone by with no sign of anyone coming to her rescue, leaving her deeply hurt.

"Sigh... it's pretty late, so let me take you to a hotel to stay for the night," Qin Fang sighed.

He had witnessed the whole process and understood the girl's feelings well enough, but as an outsider, he felt it wasn't his place to say much.

"No, I won't go..."

But the girl was adamant and shook her head, saying, "Can I stay at your place? I'll go home with you..."

Qin Fang was stupefied, staring straight at the girl of a similar age to himself, finding it hard to accept what she had just said.

"That... We're not well-acquainted, and it's not convenient!"

Certainly, Qin Fang felt a bit stirred inside. After all, he was an eighteen-year-old boy in the full flush of youth, harboring some fantasies, and this girl was very beautiful—dressed up, she would certainly be no less attractive than Tang Feifei.

However, things had happened so suddenly, and the girl's proposal was too direct, leaving him feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

The girl didn't speak, just quietly looked at Qin Fang, her eyes shimmering with an unusual light, making it even harder for Qin Fang to cope.

"She couldn't be thinking of offering herself to express her gratitude, could she…"

Qin Fang couldn't help but muse somewhat self-mockingly. If this were ancient times, maybe a heroic rescue like this could attract a beauty's favor, but this is the twenty-first century—who still believes in this stuff?

In today's society, it's often the case that good Samaritans step up to do the right thing, only to find the victim has vanished, leaving the hero to face backlash.

"My place really isn't suitable. It's just a small room... It's not appropriate for the two of us!"

Qin Fang could only express his helplessness. If he had a larger place, maybe he would have agreed, but with just one small room, one small bed, it simply wasn't feasible for a man and a woman with no place to even sleep.

"I don't mind..."

The girl's determination left Qin Fang somewhat in pieces, his words had been so straightforward, yet the response he received was still like this.

"But..."

Qin Fang wanted to refuse again, but the girl interrupted him directly, "There are no 'buts', I know you're a good person!"

Great, she just handed me the good person card!

Qin Fang then wore a bitter smile, "Alright, come back with me! However, let me make it clear from the start, in case... forget it, I won't scare you!"

He had intended to scare the girl off a bit, to make her back down, but seeing the girl's odd look, he swallowed the words he was about to say, which only resulted in a somewhat forced smile from her.

Of course, even so, that smile was still sweet, further enhancing the girl's delicate and attractive features.

"My name is Qin Fang, what's yours?"

In the end, the girl still followed Qin Fang back to his small house. Walking on the road, both were very quiet, as if neither liked to talk, forcing Qin Fang to break the silence.

"I know! My name is Xiao Muxue!"

The girl nodded lightly and said.

"Er... nice name!"

Qin Fang felt awkward for a moment; he seemed to really have mentioned his name before, but the memory wasn't too vivid, leaving him a bit embarrassed, so he shifted the topic and praised Xiao Muxue's name as being quite good.

"Thank you! My father chose it..."

The girl seemed very demure, but her mood suddenly dipped when she mentioned this, making Qin Fang even more puzzled about what had happened.

However, he vaguely felt that the girl didn't like talking about her family, and thinking maybe the hurt brought on by Chen Pangzi was a bit too much, he didn't continue on that topic. "What are your plans for the future?"

She could certainly stay with him for the night, but obviously, that wasn't a solution.

"I don't know..."

Xiao Muxue looked down, and Qin Fang couldn't see the expression on her face, but he imagined it to be very confused, as naturally, being unable to return to the relative's home where she lived would make anyone feel quite lost.

"I heard you set up a ramen stall?"

Xiao Muxue was silent for a while, then asked with a bit of curiosity.

"Yeah, things aren't good at home, and since I know how to make ramen, I partnered up with someone to set up a stall to earn some tuition and living expenses..."

Qin Fang didn't hide anything; Xiao Muxue had seen the deal between him and Mouse Qiang, and denying it would seem too fake.

"Then... can I work for you?"

Xiao Muxue asked cautiously, "I can do anything. I don't need a salary, just provide me with three meals a day and a place to stay... I don't want to go back!"

Qin Fang's expression was especially odd upon hearing Xiao Muxue's request.

To be frank, Xiao Muxue's request wasn't demanding; the business at his stall was good, he and Tang Feifei were busy running it, and occasionally Sister Pan would come over for a meal and lend a helping hand. They were quite short-staffed.

Qin Fang had thought about hiring someone to help, but he was very clear in his mind that his stall couldn't stay open for long, and once school started, he would hardly have any time, not to mention that hiring another person would mean paying another salary, which he really couldn't afford.

The request from Xiao Muxue indeed felt like help sent amidst the snow, only that... Qin Fang felt this matter was tricky, leaving him in a quandary.