Ch 45: Those who wronged me are now begging me for mercy

Time to Wash Your Face?

Llamas are only cute when they’re small or when viewed from a distance.

This group at Agricultural University was well taken care of, with students regularly bathing and grooming them, so their fur was white and fluffy.

But llamas are still large animals, and they carry a certain scent. Their front teeth are quite large, and while they might not seem intimidating from afar, up close, one could easily imagine those big teeth clamping down on their head.

“What the… what’s going on?” The person was so startled that they froze, then tried to run. But in the next moment, the lead female llama grabbed the back of their shirt and pulled them back into the pen.

“No way! Cha-Cha is usually so shy; what’s gotten into her?” The veterinary students were all dumbfounded, momentarily forgetting to intervene.

But then, more female llamas joined in, trying to lick the person’s face.

“Let go! Get off me!” The person struggled desperately, eventually falling to the ground.

The world spun as their perspective shifted. They found themselves staring up at the bright blue sky, surrounded by the heads of llamas, each one sporting a unique hairstyle.

At that moment, all the llamas opened their mouths: tui, tui, tui, tui, tui!

This was undoubtedly an experience they would never forget.

The female llamas, still under the influence of the drug, eventually backed off, with thoughts of “emmmmmmm…” visible in the air above their heads, and turned their attention to the male llama that had been neglected in the corner.

Clearly, after a brief moment of distraction, the female llamas realized that the male llama was the real hunk in their eyes.

As for the guy lying on the ground, besides smelling nice, there really wasn’t much else to praise.

“What a tragedy!” Rong Ziyin sighed, shaking his head.

System: Please, can you act like a decent person for once?

Rong Ziyin didn’t respond, but quietly packed up his camera and prepared to leave. He had gathered the data he needed, and there was no point in wasting more time.

Judging by the female llamas’ behavior, it was clear the effects of the drug had worn off. However, Rong Ziyin felt the formula still needed some adjustments.

System: Why, though? Isn’t it working well? I mean, it even got cross-species relationships going.

Rong Ziyin: That’s precisely why it needs to be changed.

During his observations, Rong Ziyin noticed a problem—if the drug merely enhanced male attractiveness, that would be one thing, but it seemed to blur the lines between species. That felt too much like dark magic.

Especially considering its potential misuse. If the drug were to be developed for humans, what then?

System: Would it really come to that?

Rong Ziyin: Why not? Even now, plenty of people still have fatal or harmful incidents with hallucinogens.

As he examined the bottle, Rong Ziyin frowned, recalling how he got entangled in a lawsuit over a high-interest loan. He was sure he hadn’t signed any documents, yet his signature was on the debt papers.

It wouldn’t be surprising if that rich kid used some underhanded method.

Refocusing, Rong Ziyin took out his notebook and documented the experiment’s results. He planned to refine the formula, focusing on improving reproductive success rates.

But perfecting the formula would take more time. The only reason he had a working base was because the initial version was provided by the system.

Rong Ziyin considered discussing with his advisor the possibility of incorporating this project into one of the university’s research programs.

System: But won’t the credit go to someone else?

Rong Ziyin shook his head: It’s not really my achievement anyway—it’s based on the formula from the “Seeking a Heir with a High Reward.”

And given the current rate at which species are going extinct, producing this drug could be incredibly beneficial for both animal husbandry and conservation efforts.

The system gave him the item, presumably wanting it to be shared. Otherwise, why would it have mentioned that any items from the lottery would be accounted for by the system?

After all, for minor items like this, no one would question their origin if he sold them on the “black market.”

So, Rong Ziyin told the system, “If the environment improves, individuals will benefit too.”

The system only half-understood but sensed that what Rong Ziyin said was reasonable.

Having made up his mind, Rong Ziyin planned to take the drug to his advisor for further discussion. As expected, this would be a major project for the veterinary department, likely leading to extensive discussions.

But just then, a stranger approached him, blocking his path.

“Excuse me, can you give me your camera?”

Rong Ziyin frowned, “And you are?”

“Oh, well, you were just filming one of my artists. He’s a public figure, and it wouldn’t be good if this footage got out.”

Rong Ziyin directly refused, “Sorry, but this is part of my research. I need to show it to my advisor for a project. After that, I can delete it.”

Realizing the person was an entertainer, Rong Ziyin was somewhat understanding and tried to compromise.

But the artist who had bumped into Rong Ziyin earlier was less accommodating. “No! You have to delete it now. I want to watch you delete it and issue a public apology!”

“He made me look bad. Go ask him if he was paid to set me up!”

Rong Ziyin frowned, sizing up the artist, who seemed about the same age as him. The guy had obviously been wearing makeup, which was now smeared across his face after being spat on by the llamas, leaving him looking like a messed-up palette.

Seeing Rong Ziyin remain silent only made the artist angrier, and he lunged at him.

“Don’t hold me back! I need an explanation today. Just because it’s Agricultural University, does that mean students can bully others with impunity?”

He was quick to throw around accusations, and with a crowd gathering, it seemed there were even reporters present.

Trying to avoid causing trouble for the university, Rong Ziyin explained, “You bumped into me first. Also, I wasn’t trying to set you up. This area is off-limits to non-research personnel. If you hadn’t entered on your own, nothing would have happened.”

Rong Ziyin pointed to a nearby sign.

“These llamas are in heat, and they’ve been agitated. A week ago, the veterinary department put up signs to keep everyone safe, restricting access to lab personnel only.”

“So, you’re saying I deserved it?” The artist, clearly used to having his way, lost his temper and began to yell.

A veterinary student quickly came over to explain to Rong Ziyin, “That’s a big-time celebrity, known for having a bad temper.”

The student was worried that Rong Ziyin might get into trouble, especially with reporters around, who could twist the story.

After hearing the student, Rong Ziyin pieced together who this guy was.

Apparently, this artist was an up-and-coming idol in the entertainment industry. His handsome looks had won him a lot of fans, and with a privileged background, he had built a strong image as a rich kid.

He wasn’t afraid to say what others wouldn’t, and he wasn’t shy about publicly criticizing people.

Unlike the ultra-polished stars of yesteryear, this guy had somehow managed to become a breath of fresh air in the industry.

As his fans would say, “Our idol is so real! He lives authentically and without pretense.”

Rong Ziyin didn’t follow entertainment news and had never heard of the guy. After hearing the explanation, he couldn’t help but comment, “Real? Sounds more like he’s just argumentative.”

The whole crowd fell silent. Then someone couldn’t help but snicker, and soon, everyone was laughing.

It really was like that. When someone mentioned wearing a skirt, he’d retort with, “What? You have something against pants?” This had nothing to do with being “real”—it was just pure contrarianism.

The artist was absolutely furious and insisted that Rong Ziyin apologize.

Rong Ziyin, however, didn’t back down and shot back, “I have ugly footage of you being spat on by llamas.”

Artist: ???

Rong Ziyin: “And shouldn’t you go wash your face first?”

Artist: ???

Rong Ziyin: “You might also want to change your clothes. The smell is overwhelming.”

Artist: !!!

With a soul-crushing trio of remarks, the artist, fuming with anger, couldn’t be bothered to continue arguing with Rong Ziyin and hurried off with his manager to clean up.

Seeing them leave so quickly, Rong Ziyin remembered that he had promised the manager he would delete the footage, so he tried to call them back.

But since he didn’t know their names, he simply shouted, “Hey, manager of the pole-pushing guy, come find me at the veterinary department office later.”

“Pole-pushing guy? What does that mean?” The veterinary students around were puzzled.

Rong Ziyin: “Well, someone who’s even more argumentative than a contrarian is a pole-pusher, right?”

The students suddenly understood: “Whoa! That makes so much sense!”

Meanwhile, the artist, who was not far away, became even more furious, insisting that Rong Ziyin had to pay for this.

But the manager, a smart man, quickly stopped him. “Save it! Didn’t you hear what he said earlier? ‘No unauthorized personnel allowed!'”

“So what? He’s just a broke student!”

The manager was exasperated, tempted to smack him. “You didn’t hear about the station director who was recently forced to resign?”

“I heard about it. Isn’t it just because that academic show crashed and burned?”

“Crashed and burned? Let me tell you straight: after they investigated that show, the head director ended up in jail!”

“Do you know why? In the entertainment world, entertainment is still just that—entertainment. But research is the priority! If you cause trouble at Agricultural University now, you’re just asking for trouble. So, if you don’t want to hit a dead end, you’d better go and apologize. Otherwise, not only will I not be able to protect you, but even your dad won’t be able to save you!”

“So I’m just supposed to take this?”

The manager was done with him. “Do whatever you want.”

With that, the manager walked out of the temporary rest area, not wanting to waste another word on such an idiot.

Meanwhile, Rong Ziyin had reached his advisor’s office.

At first, the advisor thought Rong Ziyin was playing a prank when he saw the footage. But after reading through Rong Ziyin’s experimental notes, he was shocked.

“This is a major discovery! A breakthrough!”

“You’re sure this has properties that enhance reproductive success?”

“Yes,” Rong Ziyin nodded. “I conducted tests on mice during their estrus period. The results showed that the embryos developed more fully and were healthier overall compared to the control group. But it’s only been a short time, so we’ll need to observe more to confirm the findings.”

“Good, good, good!” The advisor was overjoyed and patted Rong Ziyin on the shoulder. “You go on ahead. I’m going to find the department head. We might need to convene a meeting!”

“Alright, take your time,” Rong Ziyin said as he left the office. Before leaving, he remembered something. “Oh, by the way, a celebrity accidentally spilled some of the solution. It might cause some trouble.”

After hearing the story, the advisor couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, if there’s any trouble, it’ll be his, not ours!”

Feeling reassured, Rong Ziyin left the office.

System: So, what are we going to do now?

Rong Ziyin thought for a moment. “Let’s go check on the geese. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time to take care of them.”

So they headed over to the small garden where the geese were kept. As it happened, the geese were out for a stroll.

The two-month-old geese had already fully grown their white feathers, but their thin bodies, long necks, and fierce “knife-blade” eyes gave them a rather intimidating appearance.

The moment Rong Ziyin appeared, they frantically rushed toward him, calling out, “Handsome dad! We’re here!”

But Rong Ziyin casually sidestepped their enthusiasm and picked up a broom to start sweeping the ground.

The geese immediately began to wail in despair: “We never imagined that there would come a day when we’d lose to a broom!”

🍉🫐🍇🍒🥝