Chapter 35: Discussing Academic Matters

"Alright, enough clowning around."

Chen Churan pulled back her smile. "Keep up the momentum tomorrow and strive for even better results."

"Boss Chen, can we discuss something?" Cheng Ziqiu rubbed his hands together, his face plastered with a fawning grin.

Chen Churan leaned back in her office chair, her slender legs crossed, projecting an air of "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Look, I performed so brilliantly today—discovering mechanisms, identifying treasures, making such a huge contribution—don't you think..." Cheng Ziqiu paused deliberately, gazing at Chen Churan with eager eyes. "...don't you think it's time for a raise?"

Chen Churan finished his sentence with a soft chuckle.

Cheng Ziqiu nodded repeatedly. "Exactly! Boss Chen is brilliant! That's exactly what I meant!"

"A raise, huh..." Chen Churan drew out the words, her fingers tapping lightly on the desk. "It’s not entirely out of the question..."

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Cheng Ziqiu immediately perked up.

"However," Chen Churan pivoted, "it depends on your performance tomorrow."

The smile on Cheng Ziqiu's face shattered instantly.

"If you can maintain today's level of heat tomorrow, I’ll consider giving you a raise. How about that?" Chen Churan watched him with a beaming smile.

Cheng Ziqiu felt like crying; it was just another empty promise to keep him on the hook. "Boss Chen, isn't that a bit..."

Before he could complain, Chen Churan cut him off. "What? You don't want to?" She raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a hint of a threat.

"I do! Of course I do!" Cheng Ziqiu quickly corrected himself, terrified she might change her mind. "Serving you, Boss Chen, is my honor!"

"That’s more like it." Chen Churan nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, go home and get some rest. We have to keep streaming tomorrow."

Cheng Ziqiu left the office dejected, cursing under his breath: *This black-hearted boss, all she knows is how to exploit labor!*

***

After work, Cheng Ziqiu dragged his exhausted body home. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Cheng Ziyan sitting on the sofa with a laptop in front of her. The glow from the screen cast a cold light on her face. Hearing the door open, she didn't even look up, just said coldly, "You're back?"

Cheng Ziqiu felt a thrill. *The ice queen little sister actually took the initiative to greet me?*

"Whoa, did the sun rise in the west today? Our young lady is actually waiting for me in the living room; I thought I’d walked into the wrong house." Cheng Ziqiu spoke with deliberate exaggeration, trying to liven up the awkward atmosphere.

Cheng Ziyan finally deigned to give him a glance. "Spare me the glib talk. I have serious business."

"Serious business? What could be more important than eating?" Cheng Ziqiu took off his coat and slumped onto the sofa, feigning nonchalance.

"About today's stream," Cheng Ziyan said concisely.

Cheng Ziqiu’s heart skipped a beat. *Is this girl trying to settle scores? That shouldn't be right; I saved her life. Even if she isn't grateful, she shouldn't be turning on me, right?*

"The stream? What about it? My performance was so outstanding today, don't tell me you're here to praise me?" Cheng Ziqiu asked tentatively.

"Praise you?" Cheng Ziyan sneered. "You almost got me killed!"

Cheng Ziqiu was stunned. *What is this?* "I got you killed? I saved you! If I hadn't warned you in time, you’d be lying in a hospital right now!"

"Do you have any idea how much you interfered with my research project by spouting nonsense about the tomb’s layout?" Cheng Ziyan’s voice rose, laced with suppressed anger.

Cheng Ziqiu finally realized. So, this girl wasn't here to thank him—she was here to hold him accountable! He had thought that by saving his cheap sister's life, he’d at least get a few kind words or, at the very least, a smile. Instead, he was getting an earful; anyone listening would think he’d dug up her ancestral grave!

"Spouting nonsense? My analysis was based on my experience and the actual situation! If it weren't for me, you'd be stone-cold by now!" Cheng Ziqiu flared up as well. *This ungrateful little brat!*

"Experience? You call that experience? You're nothing but a half-baked treasure-hunting streamer!" Cheng Ziyan interrupted him without mercy.

"Half-baked? A streamer?" Cheng Ziqiu felt his lungs might explode with rage. "If I were half-baked, you’d be dead! If I weren't doing this for the stream, would you have even made it out of that tomb alive? You, an archaeology honors student, couldn't even spot a tomb mechanism, and you have the nerve to lecture me?"

Cheng Ziyan’s face turned pale, clearly stung by his words. "Stop trying to justify yourself with sophistry! Everything you said during the stream was complete nonsense, twisting the facts! Do you have any idea how many people you almost misled?"

"I twisted the facts?" Cheng Ziqiu almost laughed out loud. "Every word I said was based on experience! Do you even know what experience is? Can those trashy books you read compare to my firsthand life-and-death encounters?"

He pointed to himself. "Let me tell you, back in my day—"

He stopped short. Back in his day? What did he do back in his day? Grave robbing, that's what! But this cheap sister was standing right in front of him. If he said that, he had no idea how terrified she might be. Besides, grave robbing wasn't exactly something to brag about.

"—back in my day, I was a renowned... Master of Treasure Appraisal! Known in the underworld as—The All-Seeing Eye!"

Cheng Ziyan looked at him skeptically, clearly not buying his tall tale. "A master of treasure appraisal? You?" She scoffed. "If you're a master, then I’m the Empress of Archaeology!"

Cheng Ziqiu rolled his eyes. *This brat really doesn't know when to quit.* He decided to give her a lesson and show her what true "experience" looked like.

"Fine, little girl. Since you don't believe me, let me enlighten you." Cheng Ziqiu crossed his legs, looking smug. "Take that tomb chamber you entered today. Did you notice the bronze beast head on the tomb door?"

Cheng Ziyan frowned. "Of course I noticed it. It’s a typical Han Dynasty style. Is there a problem?"

"A huge problem!" Cheng Ziqiu lowered his voice, feigning mystery. "That wasn't just any ordinary beast head. Look closely at its eyes—did they look a bit strange to you?"

Cheng Ziyan recalled the sight. The eyes of the beast head were indeed peculiar. They seemed more prominent than standard sculptures, and the material was slightly different.

"They were made of obsidian!" Cheng Ziqiu announced triumphantly. "In ancient times, obsidian was used to ward off evil, but it had a special function. Do you know what it was?"

Cheng Ziyan shook her head; she hadn't researched that.

"It was..." Cheng Ziqiu paused, drawing out the suspense. "Used for reflection! The eyes of that beast head were actually mirrors, used to reflect the traps and mechanisms inside the chamber!"

Cheng Ziyan stood there, completely bewildered. Mirrors? Traps and mechanisms? What on earth was he talking about?