Li Nanli concluded, “That makes us a couple, so what you’ve been doing is considered breaking up a pair of star-crossed lovers, understand? Your behavior is essentially the same as those vicious mothers-in-law in the dramas that you always watch with your mom.”

  Fu Zhi was dumbfounded.

  ‘Me? Breaking up a pair of star-crossed lovers?’

  Fu Zhi blinked her eyes in confusion. Her eyes were clear and bright, and her pupils were black. There was a curious look on her face as she stared at her nephew.

  Li Nanli cleared his throat, adjusted his emotions, and said, “I saw a lot of love letters on your desk.”

  Even though the boys at Fu Zhi’s school were immature and, to put it bluntly, as clueless and useless as Lu Yumo, they were younger. They had more time to spend with Fu Zhi, and they were more skilled in keeping a girl happy.

  As a result, although it was very unlikely, they still posed a threat to him.

  Fu Zhi frowned and said, her voice thick with annoyance, “Yeah. And I don’t even have a place to put my textbooks anymore.”

  Li Nanli said, “If you date me, I can take care of all this for you, and no one will give you love letters in the future.”

  Fu Zhi thought for a while but still shook her head. She felt that it was not worth it, and by the way, she was able to fend for herself, so she did not see any need for his help at all. Thus, she said, “I can challenge 10 people at the same time, and I can crush Lu Yumo’s skull with one hand. I can protect myself very well, so why must I start a relationship with you?”

  “So you don’t want to learn? What’s the use of always doing research? You don’t even know what it is like to be in love with someone. Besides, haven’t all young people your age fallen in love a few times?” Li Nanli pressed on. “If you’re not familiar with love, why don’t you learn?”

  Fu Zhi was stunned. “But…… But the people at the research institute told me that I can’t date a man……”

  Besides, she still had to plant flowers and herbs to find a way to cure her second brother. She also needed to take part in the college entrance examination so that Xu Wei would be proud of her. She had so many things to do, so wouldn’t it be very exhausting if she dated a man right now?

  “Zhizhi, you must not listen to them. You were already behind everyone the moment you were born, so you have to work extra hard to catch up with the rest. Besides, if you date me, all of the assets under my name will be yours, and I will be yours as well. I’m hardworking, I can promise you a bright future, and I will give you every freedom that you need. You’ll certainly make a profit, so why not?”

  Fu Zhi was stumped.

  She began to waver. Just like Li Nanli had said, it was a risk-free investment, and she could very well become rich overnight.

  It sounded like a good deal……

  Li Nanli looked at her. He knew that she just needed a small push, so he added, “The government has given you the chance to come out of the research institute so you will learn how to be a human. You’ve learned about kinship, so don’t you think you should study the love between men and women as well? That’s how you will be better than others in every way and live up to those genes in you, don’t you think so?”

  Fu Zhi nodded. Well, it was true that she was still in the process of learning.

  Thus, she replied emotionlessly, “Alright then. Let’s date.”

  ‘I can date him for a while, and after I’ve mastered the love between a man and a woman, I will break up with him!’

  *

  The next evening, in the Chu Residence in the capital……

  When Gu Yan arrived at the Chu Residence, she was subjected to a round of exams like the rest of the participants.

  The Chu Family was more of an old-fashioned family, and their disciples were only obsessed with academic research. However, the participants that came with Gu Yan were different.

  Gu Yan knew her own position very well. A participant that had betrayed her own country was no different from a street rat.

  After one round of examination, there were only five participants left to proceed to the second round. The assessment was about perfumery, which Gu Yan was the best at.

  Other than Chu Hao and Chu He, there was also a teenager sitting next to Chu Hao in the examination hall. He was wearing a facial mask, so no one could see his face properly.

  The fact that Chu Hao and Chu He were here indicated that they would select one or two promising participants to become their disciples.

  It was a rare opportunity. After all, the Chu Family was an elite medical family, and anyone who could learn from Chu Hao would definitely have a bright future ahead of them.

  Gu Yan’s first choice was Chu Hao. She wanted to take advantage of his influence to get a place in the medical field.

  After roughly 30 minutes, they all got up from their chairs and went to check on the participants’ results.

  When Chu Hao passed by a girl, he stopped and nodded in assent. “Not bad. How many years have you studied perfumery?”

  The girl replied truthfully, “12 years.”

  Chu Hao asked the young man beside him to jot down the girl’s name before continuing to walk. When he passed by Gu Yan, he just looked ahead without sparing her a single glance. Then, he heard a noise, as if something had fallen down behind him.

  He frowned and turned his head around. He saw that Gu Yan’s cauldron had dropped to the ground, and the air was filled with the smell of a fragrance. Just as he was about to reprimand Gu Yan for her carelessness, he accidentally saw the invitation on the ground, and his eyes widened in shock.

  “What is this?” He quickly went forward and picked the invitation up from the ground. After he ascertained that the invitation was the one he had sent to “Addiction”, he was filled with so much excitement that he grabbed Gu Yan’s hand and said, “You…… Did you not say you were not free to come? Why……”

  The young man standing beside him also lifted his head to look at Gu Yan. His eyes were glassy, but there was a light radiating in them.

  Gu Yan had not expected that Chu Hao would react so intensely to an invitation. She licked her lips and said, “M…… Master, after some consideration, I concluded this is a very rare opportunity, so I decided to come and learn from you.”

  Chu He had noticed the commotion as well. His heart had been straining with anger because he hadn’t seen Fu Zhi.

  As soon as Gu Yan addressed him as master, both Chu Hao and the young man were stunned.

  Chu Hao immediately withdrew his hand and began studying Gu Yan from head to toe.

  Chu Hao was the head of the Chu Family, not some silly goose. Even though he looked gentle on the outside, he was actually a heavy-handed person. Otherwise, how was he going to manage a large family?

  He had never seen “Addiction” before, but he knew her temperament very well.

  He had gone through her WeChat Moments, and other than a few unfinished songs, the thing that had impressed him the most was that both of them were mutual friends of Sun Sanzhen.

  She was not friendly with Sun Sanzhen. She kept reprimanding him for his incompetence. How could a person like her willingly become his disciple?

  Chu Hao did not think so.

  Chu He came up to her from behind and tasted the incense created by Gu Yan. Then, he commented, “Pretty good. It’s very similar to how we create our incense, but you should leave it on the fire for a while longer…… Overall, you’re doing great considering your age, and you have a lot of potential.”

  After saying that, he turned to Chu Hao and said, “I like this kid. You always have high expectations for your disciples, so I figure you won’t accept another disciple just to have her, right?”

  “Nope. I’ll leave the rest to you guys. I have something else to attend to right now.” Chu Hao handed the invitation to the young man beside him. Then, he looked at Gu Yan. Since he could not be sure about her relationship with “Addiction”, he was going to ask Fu Zhi to confirm it.

  *

  At the Li Mansion in the capital……

  Fu Zhi collected the flowers that Xu Wei had sent to her. She had the letter of recommendation written by Chu He and only needed to participate in the last pill-making session, so she did not have to rush to the Chu Family.

  The Mysterious Heiress: Researcher In Disguise  

  Chapter 338: Bloodline Inheritance, The Ouyang Family’s Genes

  The flower in Fu Zhi’s hands was a herb specifically cultivated to make pills for damaged vocal cords. She was going to participate in the Chu Family’s entrance examination with the pill as well.

  Pills were more efficacious than other herbal remedies. The downside was that the herbs had a pungent smell, and their appearance was ordinary.

  This was not in line with her aesthetic sense, so she left the flower in Li Nanli’s office.

  They had somehow confirmed their relationship yesterday. After hearing from Liu Mi that there was a Yue Lao Temple nearby that was very effective at granting wishes, the first thing Li Nanli did in the morning was take Fu Zhi there.

  The Yue Lao Temple had been built on a hill in Suizhou not far from the capital. It took about one hour to get there, but they needed to climb the mountain.

  Fu Zhi was speechless. She instinctively made the first move and pulled her phone out.

  Li Nanli and the Taoist in the temple looked at her in confusion. She used her phone to snap a few photos of the surroundings, acting like a person who was ignorant and ill-informed to disguise her true intention. After she put her phone away, she changed the topic and said, “Wow! There’s a Lue Yao statue in the Yue Lao Temple!”

  The Taoist was stunned. That said, as the head of a temple, he was very professional. Therefore, he offered Fu Zhi a fake business grin and said, “Of course there’s a Yue Lao statue. After all, you’re in a Yue Lao Temple!”

  Then, keeping that fake business smile on his face, he turned to Li Nanli and said, “Well, I guess that’s enough talking. Let’s get down to business. You’re here for the lottery poetry, right? Follow me then.”

  Lottery poetry was very common in temples across their country. All of them had a bamboo tub that contained red-tipped, flat sticks with written oracles made of bamboo.

  Yue Lao was the god of love, so it went without saying that everyone that came to the Yue Lao Temple did so to ask for a good marriage. The Taoist flung his fly-whisk and said in a poised manner, “The most important thing about lottery poetry is having a sincere heart. Since President Li has donated 10 million yuan, your sincerity has been well received. Now, please put three incense sticks into the incense burner. Then, raise the tub above your head, and after you ascertain what you want to ask, shake the tub lightly.”

  Li Nanli did what the Taoist asked him to do. However, Fu Zhi leaned her body back, looked at Li Nanli with teary eyes, and asked, “You donated 10 million yuan? I can predict the future as well. I can tell you anything you want to hear. As long as you give me enough money, I can try to be superstitious and make you happy!”

  Li Nanli did not know what to say.

  ‘Is it the same?’

  The corner of Li Nanli’s eyebrows twitched.

  He was standing on a futon right now. He had put on a white shirt and black pants today, the hair in front of his forehead was a little messy, and his facial features were delicate.

  While holding the bamboo tub, he lowered his head to look at the young lady standing beside him. He pressed his lips firmly and said weakly, “Don’t be ridiculous. This temple is pretty reliable.”

  Li Nanli had a sincere heart. The moment he finished speaking, a stick fell out of the tub.

  It was a bad lot.

  Even though Li Nanli was standing very far away, he could still see the word “bad” on the stick.

  Fu Zhi, who failed to notice the dark expression on Li Nanli’s face, squatted down to take a look at the stick. “Well, this is not a good omen. It seems to me that you’re going to have a bumpy relationship filled with ups and downs.”

  Li Nanli did not know what to say.

  He just wanted to find something to stuff into her mouth. He pressed his lips firmly, picked the stick up, and threw it aside. “That doesn’t count. Let me shake it again.”

  Very soon, a new stick fell out of the tub. Fu Zhi hastily picked it up from the ground and said, “It’s another bad lot!”

  She paused for a moment, and then said in a serious voice, “Maybe even the god of love thinks we’re not meant for each other.”

  Li Nanli was speechless.

  He turned his head and shot daggers at the Taoist, causing the latter’s hair to bristle up in fear.

  The Taoist’s brain spun fast like a top, and then, an idea sprang into his head. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Our temple is different. We use the best-out-of-five method.”

  He regretted that he had not prepared a tub full of “good lots” in advance. The silver lining was that there were only six “bad lots” in the tub, and he was certain that Li Nanli would not be unlucky enough to get three “bad lots” in a row.

  “President Li, let’s try again. Don’t worry, the relationship between you and this young lady will surely last until the end of time.”

  Li Nanli picked the tub up and began shaking it emotionlessly again.

  A thin stick dropped out of the tub.

  This time, before Fu Zhi could go forward to look, he squatted down and picked the stick up from the ground.

  Fu Zhi looked at him, and when she saw the “bad lot” in his hand, she clicked her tongue and lamented. “You’re right. This temple is really reliable.”

  The corner of Li Nanli’s eyebrows twitched again.

  The Taoist felt as if the world was ending. This was the first time he had come across such an unlucky person as well. “May…… Maybe Yue Lao is taking a break today……”

  Creak!

  The stick snapped into two pieces right in the center.

  The Taoist also felt that it was time for him to say goodbye to his fortune god.

  The good thing was that Li Nanli was able to calm himself down very soon. While he was talking to Fu Zhi, his voice was calm and soothing. “Come on, let’s go back.”

  Fu Zhi thought about the 10 million yuan that Li Nanli had donated to the temple. She did not want him to spend money in vain, so she asked, “Shouldn’t we ask the Taoist to interpret the written oracle for us first?”

  Li Nanli then replied emotionlessly, “We should believe in facts and science, not feudal superstition. Zhizhi, you should open your eyes wider and increase your awareness.”

  Fu Zhi: “???”

  *

  When Li Nanli and Fu Zhi came down from the mountain, Liu Mi was waiting for them at the foot of the mountain. As soon as he saw Li Nanli, he went up to him and reported, “President Li, Jiang Jinshu asked me to remind you that he made an appointment with the Ouyang Family for you this afternoon. He’s asked you to go there in person.”

  It was only then that Li Nanli remembered that the Ouyang Family was holding its annual shooting competition, as well as a series of internal family competitions, such as wilderness survival, at a training camp in the wilderness today.

  Truth be told, the elite families in their country were ranked hierarchically.

  Several larger families, such as the Fu Family or the Li Family, were considered the top amongst the most elite families, followed by the Jiang Family and the Ouyang Family. As for the Lu Family that had adopted Fu Zhi, they were nothing in the capital.

  Most people thought that the Fu Family was the strongest family right now due to their connection to the government, but in reality, the Fu Family’s foundation was not as firm and deep as the other three families’ foundation, especially the Ouyang Family’s.

  The Ouyang Family had the deepest and firmest foundation. They had built their family fortune by designing and manufacturing firearms for the country. 30 years ago, under the leadership of Ouyang Zhui, the Ouyang Family had been so powerful that they’d nearly annexed the other three families.

  Ouyang Zhui was the youngest and the greatest firearms designer. The variety of rifles that he designed had a long range and great power, and they were much more efficient and powerful than the firearms manufactured by other countries.

  However, the world was like a stage, and every person had their exits and entrances. Ouyang Zhui had dedicated all his life and effort to designing firearms, but unfortunately, he had died at a young age by overstraining himself.

  He did not have any daughters or sons, so no one could inherit his wonderful genes.

  Honestly, an elite family like the Ouyang Family put a lot of emphasis on bloodline heritage.

  Every generation before Ouyang Zhui in the Ouyang Family had produced a genius with unique insight into machinery!

  However, after the passing of Ouyang Zhui, the Ouyang Family had not produced a genius like him in the past ten years.

  As a result, the Ouyang Family had started to go downhill in the past two years. The adopted daughter of the Ouyang Family, Ouyang Ya, had shown some promising potential in firearms design. She had designed a number of firearms, and she had been embraced and valued by a few members of the Ouyang Family, who wanted her to become the next head of their family.

  However, a certain group of hardliners in the Ouyang Family refused to acknowledge her, saying that she was an outsider because she did not have their blood flowing in her veins.

  Jiang Jinshu had gotten such an opportunity because the younger generation of the Ouyang Family was disappointing. They did not have the capability to carry their family forward, so when the Li Family offered an olive branch to them, they had no other choice but to accept it if they wanted to return to their former glory.

  The Mysterious Heiress: Researcher In Disguise