Reborn in 1950: Shorting the Federal Reserve at the Start

The sea breeze in the Pacific Ocean at night carries a chill that can melt your bones.

Above them were countless stars, and below them were pitch-black waves. The massive steel ship, like a lone beast, cleaved through the waves and raced toward the western horizon.

Two figures stood side by side beside the railing on the second deck.

Without the spying of secret agents and the suffocating alarm, the air finally carried a rare sense of freedom.

"It seems Ruth is not going to be able to turn things around this time."

Shen Jinghong leaned on the railing with both hands, a cigarette dangling from his mouth—a trophy he'd just stolen from Smith's pocket. "If they slap that 'treason' charge on them, the CIA'll be in deep trouble, if not dead. Our FBI friend is probably hiding under the covers counting his achievements."

"It was that box of weapons that made it happen."

Lin Qinghan crossed her arms, the sea breeze causing her off-white trench coat to flutter loudly. She adjusted her glasses, turned her head to look at Shen Jinghong, her eyes less aloof and more inquisitive:

"Although I don't know how you conjured up that box of contraband, statistically speaking, the success rate of such an operation is infinitesimally close to zero. You are a variable, Shen Jinghong."

"Variable? I like that word."

Shen Jinghong grinned, "In aerodynamics, variables often mean breakthroughs. Just like when a calm airflow encounters an aircraft wing, as long as the angle is tricky, it can generate lift that can send tens of tons of iron into the air."

"Is this your understanding of fluid mechanics?"

Lin Qinghan raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes that were always full of calculations and logic. "Rough, but very intuitive."

"And what about Miss Lin's insightful opinion?" Shen Jinghong countered.

"To me, the world is made up of numbers."

Lin Qinghan turned around, leaned against the railing, and gazed at the deep night sky. "Wind is a vector, waves are wave functions, and even the trajectory of this ship is nothing more than a curve extending in a three-dimensional coordinate system. As long as the computing power is sufficient, everything can be predicted."

When she talks about her professional field, she seems to radiate light. That confident, certain, and even slightly arrogant expression is even more captivating than when she was in the hallway.

"What about people's hearts?"

Shen Jinghong suddenly took a step closer, staring into her eyes, "Can people's hearts be calculated?"

"The human mind is a chaotic system with too many variables."

Lin Qinghan subconsciously shrank back a little, but did not avoid his gaze. Instead, she stepped forward and said, "However, based on the analysis of your behavior patterns in the corridor just now, your non-linear decision-making logic is very interesting. Although it seems haphazard, every step you take precisely hits the opponent's psychological blind spots."

"Tsk, with your praise, I feel like a lab rat being dissected."

Shen Jinghong chuckled to herself.

Is this what flirting between top students looks like?

There's no "The moon is beautiful tonight," nor "You're so pretty," only "Your non-linear decision-making logic is very interesting."

But damn it, it actually made him feel a little tempted.

"Seriously, Lin."

Shen Jinghong's smile faded, and her tone became more serious. "Just now in the room, you were able to spot the algorithm error in that notebook at a glance and derive the correct formula within five seconds... At that moment, you shone brighter than all the stars in the sky."

Lin Qinghan was stunned for a moment.

The temperature on my cheeks rose quietly in the sea breeze.

As a genius who was praised from a young age, she had heard countless compliments. Some praised her for being smart, some praised her for being beautiful, but no one ever used the word "dazzling" to describe how she solved problems.

"That was a very basic mistake."

She turned her head away somewhat awkwardly, looking at the dark sea, and said in a lower voice, "If it's not corrected, the accuracy of the seeker will decrease by 15%, which is several kilometers of error for an intercontinental ballistic missile."

"But in the country, no more than three people can spot this error."

Shen Jinghong said softly, "Lin Qinghan, you are not only a mathematician, you are a national treasure. What a loss it would be for China if it didn't have you."

The sea breeze suddenly became noisy.

A stray strand of hair was blown by the wind and playfully stuck to the corner of Lin Qinghan's mouth, blocking her view and concealing her momentary panic.

She instinctively reached out to clear it, but Shen Jinghong's hand moved faster than hers.

That long, powerful hand, which had just been playing with smoke bombs and a pistol, was now incredibly gentle.

His fingertips gently brushed across her cheek, the cool touch carrying a delicate tuck of her hair behind her ear.

Time seemed to have been paused for that one second.

Lin Qinghan froze completely.

The moment my fingertips touched my earlobe, it felt as if a faint electric current shot through my nerve endings and into my heart, sending a tingling sensation I had never felt before.

She could even clearly feel the thin calluses on Shen Jinghong's fingertips—traces left from years of holding pens and operating precision instruments.

The two were very close.

They were so close that Shen Jinghong could see her trembling eyelashes behind her glasses, and Lin Qinghan could smell the faint, refreshing scent of sea breeze and tobacco on him.

The atmosphere was so ambiguous it seemed like it was about to drip water.

"that……"

"cough."

They spoke at the same time, and then separated as if struck by lightning.

Shen Jinghong withdrew his hand, touched his nose to cover up his actions, and cursed himself inwardly: Shen Jinghong, you came here to work on the military industry, not to find a partner. Can't you be a little more ambitious?

But the feel of it... is really good.

Lin Qinghan's face was flushed, and her hand was trembling slightly as she pushed up her glasses. She took two deep breaths of the cold sea breeze, trying to cool her burning cheeks, but her heart just wouldn't slow down.

"Um... it's quite windy," she blurted out, offering a dry, meaningless remark.

"Yes, it's quite big," Shen Jinghong echoed dryly.

After a few seconds of silence, an awkward yet sweet atmosphere lingered between the two.

Shen Jinghong suddenly remembered something, and his expression turned serious. He looked around to make sure the deck was empty, then took out a thick kraft paper envelope from his inner pocket.

The envelope still carried his body heat.

"Lin Qinghan".

He called her by her full name, his tone more solemn than ever before.

"Hmm?" Lin Qinghan was still calming her heartbeat and subconsciously responded.

Shen Jinghong handed the envelope to her.

"Keep this safe for me."

Lin Qinghan didn't reach out to take it, but looked at him with suspicion: "What is this? And where did this 'compensation for emotional distress' come from?"

"This is no ordinary loss."

Shen Jinghong lowered his voice, each word sounding like it was hitting the deck, "These are the complete aerodynamic layout drawings for the F-86 Sabre fighter jet, as well as the core combustion chamber design parameters for the J47 engine."

"F-86?!"

Lin Qinghan gasped, her voice almost losing control.

As a top scholar, she certainly knew what those code names meant. They represented the US military's most advanced air superiority fighter, a sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the Chinese people!

"You...you actually brought this out?"

"Don't ask how I brought it out; it's just magic."

Without a word, Shen Jinghong grabbed her hand and slammed the envelope into her palm. "I'm too conspicuous. You saw it yourself, the FBI and CIA are watching me closely. They'll definitely find another opportunity to attack me on the way, maybe even search me."

He looked into Lin Qinghan's eyes, his gaze filled with unwavering trust:

"It's not safe for me to keep this. Your suitcase has a hidden compartment, and after what happened just now, they won't suspect you for the time being."

"But……"

Lin Qinghan felt the envelope in her hand weighed a ton and was burning hot. "You just hand over something this important to me like this? What if I lose it, or what if it's a spy..."

"There's no 'what if'."

Shen Jinghong interrupted her, a reassuring smile curving her lips:

"I believe in your intelligence as much as I believe in Newton's laws. Lin Qinghan, your brain is the most sophisticated safe on this ship."

As he spoke, he took a half step back, his back to the sea. The sea breeze ruffled his clothes, making him look like a lonely knight.

"Please protect it for me. It's more important than my own life."

Lin Qinghan clenched the envelope in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Looking at the man before her, she felt an unprecedented surge of emotion. This was no ordinary entrustment; it was entrusting her with the future of the nation, the lives of countless pilots, and even his own life and fortune.

This kind of trust is more profound and moving than any sweet words.

"it is good."

She tucked the envelope into the inside pocket of her trench coat, placing it close to her heart, her gaze unwavering.

"As long as I live, it will exist."

Shen Jinghong smiled, a bright and relieved smile.

"Then it's settled, my housekeeper."

He stretched and resumed his carefree demeanor. "Let's go back to the room. We'll have to squeeze into that shabby room again tonight. After all, the door is broken, and if any pirates come in to rob us, I can protect you."

Lin Qinghan rolled her eyes at him, but this time she didn't argue. She just silently followed in his footsteps.

"Shen Jinghong".

"what?"

"Your fluid dynamics formula... is actually solved reasonably well."

"Hey! What do you mean by 'make do'? That's called elegance! Don't you understand art, Lin, you great genius?"