Chapter Twenty-Nine: Rest Assured, Boss

At this moment, the conference room was unusually quiet. Aside from the faint sounds of breathing, only Fang Nian’s voice broke the silence.

“As you can see, our combination lock requires six digits. Yet, the only clues are the four clocks hanging on the wall. This means the password must be hidden within these clocks.”

“Let’s begin by examining each of them separately. What changes can you observe in these clocks?” Fang Nian asked.

Xia Moyan responded cooperatively, “The two clocks on the left seem to have their minute and hour hands reversed.”

“That’s right. The hands on the leftmost clocks are indeed swapped, while the times on the right clocks are normal. So where would the designer conceal the password? Perhaps you’ve already noticed—yes, it’s hidden in the moments when their hands overlap.”

“Of course, this requires a bit of calculation. We can’t simply watch and wait for their hands to coincide, so let’s compute it. By estimation, the overlap happens around thirteen hours later, between seven and eight o’clock.”

As he spoke, Fang Nian entered a series of equations into his computer, projecting them in three dimensions for everyone to see.

“Suppose the hands overlap at seven o’clock and x minutes. Then, the equation is (7 + x/60) / 12 = x/60, so x = 7 × 60 / 11 = 420 / 11 = 38.2. That means the hands coincide at 7:38.”

At this point, several employees who had previously mocked Fang Nian wished they could slap themselves. Though the equations were simple, the speed and clarity of Fang Nian’s reasoning left them in awe.

“Brother Fang, so the password after the two clocks overlap is 738738?”

Fang Nian shook his head with a smile. “No, that’s why there’s a second set of clocks. According to the calculations, the second overlap should occur thirty-six hours later, meaning they will coincide again the next day. This second overlap gives us the last three digits. The method is almost identical. Can anyone calculate this?”

Quickly, a girl with glasses stood up. “By estimation, the overlap is between eight and nine o’clock. Suppose it’s at eight o’clock and x minutes. The equation is (8 + x/60) / 12 = x/60, so x = 8 × 60 / 11 = 480 / 11 = 43.6. That means the hands coincide at 8:44.”

“So the final six-digit password is 738844.”

Having reached the answer, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly became lively. The previous tension vanished, and Elder Du gave Fang Nian a satisfied smile.

In stark contrast to the Xia family’s joy stood Xiao Xuefeng, whose face was red with anger, looking worse than autumn chrysanthemums. He had never expected this waste from District 4, a scavenger, to possess such a sharp mind.

While today’s puzzle wasn’t especially difficult, it wasn’t something an ordinary person could solve so quickly. Just as Xiao Xuefeng considered sending his assistant to fetch another item, Fang Nian interjected.

“No need, Mr. Xiao. I’ve seen all twelve pieces from Master Zuo Feng’s series—‘The Sold Goldfish,’ ‘Twenty-Four,’ ‘Four Fours,’ and so on. Even if you bring them all out, they hold no challenge. Unless you have something better? If so, I’d be happy to discuss it.”

Hearing this, Xiao Xuefeng’s face flushed even more. His hand, reaching for the assistant’s light tablet, froze mid-air.

Awkward—just unbearably awkward. He had intended to impress everyone with Master Zuo Feng’s puzzles, but unexpectedly, a dark horse had appeared. He had never been so humiliated.

Realizing his plan had failed completely, Xiao Xuefeng saw no reason to remain. Without even a parting word, he hurriedly left with his assistant.

Once Xiao Xuefeng had departed, everyone was in high spirits. Learning Fang Nian’s identity, many sought to get closer to him. Those still puzzled by the clocks’ secrets crowded around, asking for explanations. Some inquired about ‘The Sold Goldfish,’ ‘Twenty-Four,’ ‘Four Fours.’ Even Wei Jianshe and Du Men chatted with Fang Nian at length.

When things returned to calm, Fang Nian leaned back, stretching lazily.

“Honestly, lecturing seems lucrative, but it’s surprisingly exhausting.”

Soon, a steaming mug of water was placed on the table before him. Xia Moyan sat down beside him.

“You’ve talked a lot—drink some hot water.”

She then moved to sit opposite Fang Nian, her eyes blinking, fixed on him.

Fang Nian felt a little awkward under her gaze. “You… aren’t busy anymore?”

Xia Moyan smiled.

“I’m just curious how much you actually know. Last time you amazed us, and you said it was coincidence, which could be explained. But this time? Was it also coincidence?”

“Ah… Well, actually, I grew up helping my grandfather at the hunting grounds. The items brought out just now happened to be ones I’d seen there before, so I knew how to solve them.”

Xia Moyan’s brows furrowed, still somewhat skeptical.

“Really? But that doesn’t add up. Our Xia hunting grounds employ many helpers, and while they see the daily workings and even enter the grounds, most never encounter anything core. How did you come to know all this?”

Fang Nian shrugged, cold sweat gathering on his brow.

“Really, it’s because… well, my grandfather taught me. You know he was your grandfather’s sworn brother, a man of great virtue. With his generous nature, he befriended many influential people—including Master Zuo Feng. All these puzzles were topics they discussed while drinking and chatting. My grandfather found them interesting and remembered them. When I was a child, I had no toys, so he would tell me these stories—thus, I learned them.”

Fang Nian spun a tale even he barely believed. Seeing Xia Moyan still doubtful, he quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, I actually came here today to discuss something with you.”

He then shared his thoughts with Xia Moyan—namely, that he had little to do at home and wondered if he could come here to learn about hunting ground construction.

Truthfully, even if Fang Nian hadn’t asked, Xia Moyan had been planning to see if he’d be interested in helping at the research center. She had always felt that her betrothed was anything but ordinary.

“Work starts at eight tomorrow morning. Any problem with that?”

Fang Nian grinned.

“None at all. Rest assured, boss—I’ll do my best.”