The little phonograph from last night had been far too impressive.
The moment Song Meier mentioned it, everyone’s attention gathered once again.
[Here it comes. The suspicion of me being a spy may be late, but it has arrived.]
Liu Xiyin instantly perked up and brought out the explanation she had prepared.
“Second Aunt, yes.”
Song Meier looked curious.
“Do you still remember what he looked like?”
Liu Xiyin thought carefully, then appeared troubled.
“He had yellow hair, a high nose, and blue eyes. Don’t all foreigners look like that? Second Aunt, do you also know foreigners like that?”
Song Meier choked.
What did she mean by asking if she also knew such foreigners?
What connection could she possibly have with foreigners?
Song Meier forced a smile.
“Of course not. I only know a few ladies from Hong Kong. They have close contact with foreign countries, yet I’ve never heard of such technology existing overseas. I was merely wondering what kind of remarkable person the foreigner Young Madam met was, to casually give you something even high-ranking officials’ wives have never seen.”
[Of course it’s because I have good character.]
Liu Xiyin remained calm. She tilted her head and thought for a long while.
“I don’t know who he was either. I only saved him with herbs from the mountain. After he recovered, he left. It seemed like he was going to find some Professor Wan… Wanka?”
“Hiss—”
“It was actually Professor Wanka? Then it’s not strange.”
“Professor Wanka did come to the country two years ago, didn’t he? He even accepted the Liu family’s eldest daughter as his final disciple. Young Madam actually met him too.”
Liu Xiyin knew Professor Wanka’s name would be useful.
Professor Wanka was a top American expert in biological science. Two years earlier, he had come to Xia Country with an American delegation for sample collection and research, and Liu Xiyin had interacted with him then.
At that time, she still had not returned to the Liu family.
She had only wanted to find herself a favorable opportunity.
After all, since she had been reborn into this era with her memories intact, she knew the country would certainly face both internal troubles and foreign threats.
As a twenty-first-century genius, Liu Xiyin had to set up her chessboard early and contribute what she could.
So she deliberately submitted papers to several international journals, cultivated an alias, then waited patiently.
As a scientific genius, even a tiny bit of knowledge slipping through Liu Xiyin’s fingers was enough to drive the scientists of this era mad.
It was only a matter of which rabbit would run into her trap and pass her test.
The first rabbit she caught was Professor Wanka.
Professor Wanka was the first to verify some of the theories Liu Xiyin proposed. He traveled thousands of miles with the delegation to Xia Country to find her and even insisted on taking her as his teacher.
Liu Xiyin: “…”
In his dreams.
Her brain was meant to contribute to Xia Country.
She had no intention of teaching foreigners.
But Professor Wanka was obsessed with science and was also willing to be used by her as a favorable wind to help Xia Country.
So Liu Xiyin agreed to form a fellow-disciple relationship with him, occasionally pointing him toward research directions, then jointly published one or two results with him.
Those achievements made Professor Wanka even more famous.
Riding that momentum, Liu Xiyin also fattened up her overseas alias, then slowly fed its benefits back into the country.
After all, Professor Wanka had long been famous, with students everywhere.
Anything Liu Xiyin published jointly with him caused far greater impact than anything she could achieve alone.
That was the dominance of academic hierarchy.
In short, in the eyes of the world, Liu Xiyin’s alias stood shoulder to shoulder with Professor Wanka.
It became much more convenient for her to use that alias to do other things.
However, the Yan family could not know any of this.
Liu Xiyin would never let them know about her alias either.
So at this moment, she only needed to mention Professor Wanka.
She did not even say it was Professor Wanka himself.
She merely said the person was going to find Professor Wanka.
As for who that person was?
Let them guess.
Liu Xiyin asked with surprise,
“Professor Wanka… is he very impressive?”
A young lady studying medicine said,
“Sister-in-law, he is extremely impressive. There is no biomedical scientist in the world more remarkable than him!”
Another young master said,
“No, Professor XY is even more impressive. The medicine Mother takes was developed by Professor XY.”
The children born from the concubines all called Qin Wan “Mother” and their biological mothers “Aunt.”
Liu Xiyin remembered that in the novel, Qin Wan suffered from gout.
Later, Song Meier switched her medicine and caused her to die in unbearable pain.
One of the first achievements Liu Xiyin and Professor Wanka had published together was a medicine for gout.
Her adoptive mother in the countryside also had gout, and Liu Xiyin had wanted her to suffer less.
Wanka had been generous enough to give Liu Xiyin the main credit.
He had even opened a pharmaceutical company with her.
Wanka provided the production equipment, while Liu Xiyin handled research and development.
Their domestic business had also been established two years ago.
Unexpectedly, the medicine had entered the Marshal’s Mansion before she did.
When Qin Wan heard Professor XY’s name, she showed a rare smile and nodded.
“Professor XY’s medicine is very effective. She and Professor Wanka are both extraordinary people.”
Liu Xiyin controlled her emotions very well at this moment and revealed nothing through her thoughts.
She only blinked.
“So, the person I saved back then may have been someone connected to Professor Wanka and Professor Ai… Ai ke…”
She stumbled over the pronunciation, as though she could not pronounce the English word properly, and embarrassment appeared on her face.
Qin Wan held her hand.
“Professor X. I heard Professor X is Chinese.”
Liu Xiyin lowered her head.
“I didn’t know. If I’d known that person was so powerful, I would have asked more questions. Then I could have met more amazing people.”
Marshal Yan lit another cigar and spoke with authority.
“Having such fortune is already remarkable. That little phonograph he gave you is very useful. The military government will remember your contribution.”
Liu Xiyin’s ears turned red.
“Being able to help Father makes your daughter-in-law very happy.”
[Hmph. Let’s see who still dares call me a spy now. If you have the ability, go ask Wanka yourselves. Wanka has already returned to his country. Like he’d bother with you.]
Unless Liu Xiyin sent him a telegram, Wanka was very aloof.
Liu Xiyin glanced sideways at Yan Changye.
[I’m talking about you, Great Villain. You actually suspected me of being a spy just because the things I had were advanced. So ignorant.]
Yan Changye: “…”
This concerned national duty.
If he had not been suspicious, that would have been incompetence.
Especially in such troubled times.
Still, after hearing those two thoughts, Yan Changye first looked toward Marshal Yan.
Marshal Yan’s face was hidden in cigar smoke and difficult to read.
Only his posture seemed relaxed, as though he was in a good mood.
Was it an act?
Or not?
The little bride knew Professor Wanka.
That much was certain.
Otherwise, she would not have used Professor Wanka’s name.
In her thoughts, she had even omitted the word “Professor” and simply called him Wanka.
She also knew Wanka had already returned to his country.
Professor Wanka and Professor XY were both extremely important in the international academic world.
If Father had heard that the little bride knew him, he would certainly take action.
Yan Changye lowered his eyelashes and ordered another cup of tea.
Song Meier’s expression was ugly.
Song Shiyun had said even France did not have such advanced technology.
Song Meier had wanted to guide everyone into suspecting Liu Xiyin of being a foreign spy in front of the Marshal.
Who knew this wretched girl would have such luck and actually encounter someone connected to Professor Wanka?
Professor Wanka was famous internationally.
Although he himself was an expert in biomedical science, so what if the people he knew understood other kinds of technology?
For someone connected to Professor Wanka, casually revealing even a little knowledge could overturn the world’s understanding.
What was a small phonograph compared to that?
Because Liu Xiyin had mentioned someone connected to Professor Wanka, the younger brothers and sisters who had previously kept their distance from her now gathered around with courage, asking what that person looked like in detail.
After all, this was someone connected to Professor Wanka.
If they could build a connection, it would be a tremendous opportunity for them.
The Liu family’s eldest daughter, Liu Mingyue, had gained some fame in the country simply because she became Professor Wanka’s final disciple.
She was even praised as Ancheng’s number one socialite.
That alone showed Professor Wanka’s influence.
Liu Xiyin casually described someone based on Wanka’s assistant’s appearance.
To everyone else, it sounded extremely convincing.
Song Meier was so angry her mouth nearly twisted.
After all her careful guidance, she had ended up helping the eldest branch instead, allowing Liu Xiyin to become familiar with the other siblings.