Reborn in 1950: Shorting the Federal Reserve at the Start

Qin Huaihua did not withdraw her hand because of the word "get lost".

Having spent so many years in Nanluoguxiang, what kind of situation hadn't she seen? A man's cold face, a woman's disdainful look—they were like wind in her ear. She firmly believed that there's no cat that won't eat fish, and no stone that can't be warmed.

Although the woman in front of me looks cold, she is ultimately a newcomer from out of town.

"Oh, girl, you're being too polite!"

Qin Huaihua's thick layer of makeup seemed to be the best bulletproof vest, preventing her from showing the slightest embarrassment. Instead of backing down, she took a step forward, her cheap perfume scent becoming even more overpowering.

"I know you're a young lady from a wealthy family and look down on us humble folks. But we're neighbors after all. I watched Jinghong grow up; he's like a younger brother to me. You've come all this way without even having a drink of water. If Jinghong finds out, won't he complain that I'm being inconsiderate?"

As she spoke softly, she reached out her hand very naturally, but instead of pulling Lin Qinghan, she went straight for the handle of the suitcase.

His movements were quick, accurate, and ruthless, revealing a cleverness honed from years of taking advantage of others.

"This box is too heavy, it weighs me down. Listen to your sister-in-law, let me carry it, let's go inside..."

Her fingertips were about to touch the cold leather.

Sudden.

A cold light flashed.

That was Lin Qinghan's gaze.

If she hadn't pursued scientific research, Lin Qinghan might have become a top-notch surgeon or a fearsome interrogator. Her eyes, usually used to decipher complex codes and search for clues in millions of data points, now resembled a scalpel just retrieved from liquid nitrogen.

Precise, cold, and ruthless.

Qin Huaihua's hand froze in mid-air.

She felt as if she were being watched by a venomous snake, or as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the freezing cold. Under those eyes, her greed, scheming, and even her shameful and sordid thoughts were laid bare under a microscope, exposed in the most minute detail.

The double crushing effect on her intelligence and personality sent a chill down her spine, straight to the top of her head.

"I told you to get lost."

Lin Qinghan didn't yell or shout; her voice was even lower than before.

But every word felt like it was wrapped in ice shards, slamming hard into Qin Huaihua's face.

"Can't you understand human speech?"

Qin Huaihua shuddered in fright, her outstretched hand retracting as if she had been electrocuted, and she uncontrollably took two steps back, almost twisting her ankle in her high heels.

"How could you... how could you be like this..."

She stammered, trying to regain her composure, but under those terrifying eyes, she couldn't utter a single complete sentence.

The neighbors who had been watching the commotion all fell silent.

They were used to seeing Qin Huaihua move around with ease among men, when had they ever seen her so frightened by someone's gaze?

This girl looks quiet, but she's a ruthless one at heart!

Just when the atmosphere was so tense it was about to freeze.

"Squeak—"

A sudden screech of brakes echoed at the entrance of the alley.

Immediately following was a series of rapid and forceful footsteps.

"So cold and desolate!"

A familiar voice came through, filled with barely concealed anxiety.

The icy look in Lin Qinghan's eyes melted instantly. She turned her head and looked at the figure rushing towards her. Her tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Shen Jinghong has arrived.

He ran a little too fast, the hem of his trench coat fluttering in the wind. Seeing Lin Qinghan standing there unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief, but when his gaze fell on Qin Huaihua, who looked utterly shaken, his face instantly darkened.

"What happened?"

Shen Jinghong strode over to Lin Qinghan's side, naturally reaching out to put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his embrace and shielding her from all the probing gazes around them.

That protective instinct is self-evident.

"It's nothing."

Lin Qinghan shook his head, glanced at Qin Huaihua, and said indifferently, "I ran into a fly that wanted to help me carry my suitcase."

"fly?"

Shen Jinghong sneered and turned to look at Qin Huaihua.

Qin Huaihua had recovered by this time. Seeing Shen Jinghong arrive, she tried to use the same trick again, squeezing out a few tears to feign pitifulness:

"Jinghong, you're finally back! Look at the person you brought back! I was just trying to help her, and she... she actually swore at me! You have to be the judge for your sister-in-law!"

"Deal with it?"

Shen Jinghong seemed to have heard a joke.

He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and, in front of everyone in the hospital, gently wiped the cuff of Lin Qinghan's sleeve, which Qin Huaihua had almost touched earlier, before disdainfully throwing the handkerchief into a roadside trash can.

"Sister-in-law Qin, I think you've misunderstood."

Shen Jinghong raised her head, her face bearing that signature, infuriating smile:

"My daughter Qinghan works in scientific research and is always in contact with precision instruments. She's a clean freak; she not only finds things dirty, but also...smelly."

He pointedly fanned the air in front of his nose, as if there really was a lingering, foul odor there.

"The atmosphere in our courtyard isn't quite right for her. So, please stay away from her in the future and don't let those messy, dirty things get involved with her."

This slap was silent, yet it was louder than the slaps he had given Shen Yaozu earlier.

Qin Huaihua's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, filled with shame and indignation. She had lived in this alley for half her life and had never been publicly called "dirty" like this.

"You...you all..."

She pointed at the two of them, trembling with anger, tears welling up in her eyes; this time, she was truly crying.

"I'm gone."

Shen Jinghong didn't even bother to look at her again. He took the suitcase from Lin Qinghan's hand, still with his other arm around her shoulder, and turned to walk towards the jeep that was still idling.

"Don't come to this kind of place again. It's beneath you."

He whispered to Lin Qinghan.

Lin Qinghan obediently followed him, a slight smile curving her lips, and softly hummed in agreement.

The two got into the car.

"boom--"

The jeep spewed out a plume of black smoke and sped away.

Qin Huaihua was left standing there, looking at the red taillights, listening to the suppressed laughter of her neighbors, her nails digging deep into her flesh.

Inside the train carriage.

Isolated from the outside noise, the world finally quieted down.

Shen Jinghong placed the suitcase on her lap, but did not open it immediately. Instead, she turned to look at Lin Qinghan beside her.

In the dim light of the dial, he could see her slightly tired profile.

"Were you scared?" he asked.

"no."

Lin Qinghan took off her glasses, rubbed her temples, and said in a relaxed, languid voice, "I just feel... disgusted. That kind of look, it's like they want to strip you naked and sell you by weight."

"This is the life of ordinary people, and also the life of the martial arts world."

Shen Jinghong sighed, "That's why I rushed back. If that blueprint had fallen into their hands, it would probably have been sold as waste paper for a couple of pounds of pork."

Lin Qinghan put her glasses back on and patted the suitcase.

"Thankfully, it wasn't lost."

She turned her head and looked at Shen Jinghong, her eyes becoming unusually serious, even carrying a hint of sacred solemnity:

"Shen Jinghong, I've delivered your 'life'."

"Now, it belongs to the state."

Shen Jinghong gripped the handle of the box, feeling its heavy weight.

He knew this was more than just a box of blueprints.

These are the wings that propelled the Chinese Air Force to take flight, the guardians of the vast skies, and also the unspoken, life-or-death bond between him and her.

"Walk."

Shen Jinghong took a deep breath, her eyes fixed intently on the pitch-black night ahead:

"Let's go to the Academy of Sciences. Some of the older colleagues probably won't be able to sleep tonight."