The twilight deepened.
Min Ziqiong had been sitting in the park for a whole day before returning to the villa.
She didn't want Ying Chen to know she'd been hitting brick walls, nor did she want Nannan to know she'd completely broken ties with her parents.
So, as soon as she stepped through the door, she forced a smile.
"I've been interviewing all day, I'm so tired! But I might be able to start working in the next day or two. To celebrate, I'll make you something delicious tonight. What do you feel like eating?"
Min Ziqiong asked Ying Chen and Nannan.
Ying Chen was not a picky eater. He replied, "Anything is fine."
After all, in this era of technology and ingenuity, a spoonful of concentrated milk essence could instantly surpass most cuisines from two thousand years ago.
Ying Chen might have been exceptionally knowledgeable in other areas, but when it came to food, he was clueless.
So, no matter what Min Ziqiong cooked, Ying Chen found it delicious. He once thought Min Ziqiong was a master chef and could open a restaurant.
Little did he know, Min Ziqiong's cooking was merely at a home-style level.
Nannan, on the other hand, was an "old hand" at this and knew her mother's cooking strengths and weaknesses.
She immediately gesticulated with her small hands and ordered several dishes.
While some of these dishes weren't particularly expensive, they were still not cheap for Min Ziqiong at the moment.
However, Min Ziqiong gritted her teeth, enduring the stinginess of her purse, and agreed.
"Then please wait a moment, I'll go buy the ingredients," Min Ziqiong said, and went out again.
Ying Chen watched Min Ziqiong's retreating back, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Forced smile, feigning strength?"
"Then I'll play along with your act. I'll find you after dinner!"
Two hours later, a sumptuous dinner finally concluded.
Ying Chen, like an irresponsible scumbag, ate his fill and then left.
Leaving Min Ziqiong alone to clear the table.
However, before leaving, Ying Chen tossed a sentence: "Come to my room after you're done cleaning."
This statement caught Min Ziqiong completely off guard.
At the same time, her heart began to pound.
Was Ying Chen really going to act like a scumbag and make a move on her?
Should she go, or not?
Min Ziqiong was terribly conflicted, so much so that she forgot Nannan was still sitting at the table while wiping it.
She ended up wiping Nannan's face.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Min Ziqiong hastily apologized to Nannan.
After a bit of chaos, the cleanup was finally complete.
Then, Min Ziqiong fell into her dilemma again.
Soon, the night deepened.
It wasn't until late into the night, when Nannan had fallen asleep, that Min Ziqiong, with a worried expression, arrived at Ying Chen's door.
She raised her arm and then lowered it, repeating this several times. Finally, as she made up her mind to knock, she heard Ying Chen's voice from inside.
"Come in, the door isn't locked."
"I thought you weren't coming."
Min Ziqiong was startled.
Hearing this, she instinctively turned to flee.
But then she thought, since she was already here, why run?
Besides, if Ying Chen really wanted to do something to her, could she escape?
With this thought, Min Ziqiong's anxiety instantly vanished, and she relaxed.
She pushed open the door and entered with confidence.
However, upon entering Ying Chen's room, the scene inside left Min Ziqiong dumbfounded.
The room was not as Min Ziqiong had imagined.
In Min Ziqiong's imagination, Ying Chen should have been wearing pajamas, lying on the bed, looking at her with hazy eyes, and beckoning her over.
The entire atmosphere should have been ambiguous and hazy, making her heart race.
But in reality, Ying Chen wasn't even wearing pajamas, let alone planning to sleep!
Ying Chen was still in the same clothes he wore during the day, sitting at his desk.
On the desk was a transparent bottle, containing something unknown.
Under the lamplight, the substance inside the bottle appeared crystal clear.
Light passed through the substance, casting a faint, ethereal shadow on the desk, as if the bottle contained another fantastical world.
"What is... this?"
Min Ziqiong was quickly drawn to the bottle, forgetting her jumbled thoughts.
"It's called a Mirrored Realm," Ying Chen replied leisurely.
"But before I introduce it, I have a question for you."
Min Ziqiong looked up at Ying Chen in surprise. Though she didn't know what he would ask, she said, "Mr. Ying, please ask away."
"If I gave you a hen that lays golden eggs, would you choose to give it to your parents to gain their forgiveness, or would you choose to keep it in your hands and let it continuously produce golden eggs for you?"
Upon hearing this, Min Ziqiong answered almost without hesitation: "I would choose to keep it in my hands!"
"I once read a passage: True power lies within oneself. I didn't understand it before, but now I realize how true that statement is!"
Ying Chen's eyes flashed: "True power lies within oneself? Hmm, not bad. You truly grasp it."
"Then I have nothing to worry about. This hen that lays golden eggs, I officially entrust it to you."
Saying this, Ying Chen picked up the bottle from the desk and handed it to Min Ziqiong.
Min Ziqiong took the bottle with a look of confusion. After examining it for a long time, she still couldn't figure out what it was.
She couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Ying, what exactly is this?"
"A drink?"
"A medicine?"
"Or a cosmetic?"
Ying Chen smiled slightly and replied, "It's all three."
This answer left Min Ziqiong bewildered for a long time.
All three?
What on earth could it be?
Something that combined a drink, medicine, and cosmetics seemed to be unheard of in the market.
A combination of a drink and medicine existed, like some herbal teas, which sold quite well.
But adding cosmetics to it, Min Ziqiong truly couldn't imagine it.
As everyone knew, no matter how much a cosmetic claimed to use natural ingredients, no one would ingest it.
Herbal tea plus cosmetics – consumers would likely lose any interest and just walk away, right?
Seeing Min Ziqiong's confusion, Ying Chen smiled slightly and explained, "Actually, this is the Water of Longevity."
"What?" Min Ziqiong's hand trembled, almost dropping the bottle!
Water of Longevity?
Could it be a legendary, mythical item?
Min Ziqiong couldn't help but examine the bottle in her hand, a dazzling gleam appearing in her eyes.
Who among humans didn't desire longevity?
And who could resist the temptation of eternal life?
But, could one truly achieve immortality and eternal youth simply by drinking this water?
"You're overthinking it," Ying Chen said faintly, seemingly reading Min Ziqiong's thoughts.
"This is the Water of Longevity, but not the true Water of Longevity. It only possesses some similar effects."
"Simply put, it can delay human aging, extend human lifespan, enhance human physique, and reduce the incidence of diseases... Of course, even if you drank a bottle of this water every day, you would still die eventually. You would just die a little later than others."
Min Ziqiong suddenly understood: "That's what I thought. How could something from a fairy tale truly exist?"
But the next second, Min Ziqiong seemed to have thought of something, and a look of shock flashed in her eyes: "Isn't this... the life sciences that countries are spending vast sums to research?"
"Currently, almost all major powers are researching this field and engaging in a secret race! Some countries with faster progress have proposed solutions like stem cell transplants and altering telomeres, attempting to extend human lifespan."
"But these are all theoretical and haven't been put into practice yet. Some countries have introduced products like 'life essence liquid,' but their specific effects are very limited. Even so, many wealthy individuals are willing to spend fortunes on them and scramble to buy them!"
"If this bottle of water you have can truly achieve the effects you describe, it would be no less than dropping a bombshell in the field of life sciences!"
"Both the scientific titans and the behind-the-scenes investors in this industry would be stunned by you!"