Qiao Jing’s gaze shifted from the photo and fell on John’s face, her voice cold as she began, "You’ve gone to all this trouble, solely to have me carry out experiments for you."
"Congratulations, you’ve succeeded."
As she spoke these words, sarcasm infused Qiao Jing’s tone, but John and Frank were too excited to even care about that, unable to contain their emotion.
They exchanged glances, the excitement on their faces impossible to hide.
Qiao Jing’s lips curved up slightly, a cold chuckle in her heart, as she deliberately slowed her speech, keeping John and Frank in suspense.
The word "however" caused John and Frank’s hearts to tighten instantly.
Both looked at Qiao Jing uneasily, fearing she might change her mind on the spot.
John, frowning, pressed, "However, what?"
Qiao Jing, unhurriedly, added another sentence, "I have one condition."
Frank, irked by her sluggish demeanor, said impatiently, "Professor Qiao, just state your condition. As long as you agree to do the experiment, no matter how difficult it is, we will do our utmost to meet it."
John nodded in agreement with Frank’s statement, "That’s right, whatever the condition, just say it."
After enjoying the tension on their faces, Qiao Jing scoffed before continuing, "Actually, it’s not a difficult task at all, just have George come and be my assistant."
Upon hearing this, John and Frank were both momentarily stunned, as if they couldn’t believe Qiao Jing’s condition was so simple.
They had thought Qiao Jing would surely seize the opportunity to propose something unattainable, just to trouble them.
It never occurred to them that it would be such an easy matter.
John recovered first, quickly agreeing, "No problem, I’ll arrange for George to come over right away, but I also hope you can start the experiments as soon as possible, Professor Qiao."
Qiao Jing raised her eyebrows, faint as wisps of smoke, with no intention of responding.
John was already used to her dismissive manner.
After all, as long as she was willing to do the experiments, nothing else mattered.
That very afternoon, George was brought to the lab where Qiao Jing was.
His injuries had been treated; since they were all superficial, they only looked severe but were not a big deal.
Although he had taken a beating, the opportunity to become the admired Professor Qiao’s assistant made George feel the ordeal was worthwhile!
As agreed, Qiao Jing finally began the experiment.
However, she had only promised to start, not to carry it out earnestly, and she had certainly not committed to any completion deadlines.
So, Qiao Jing just fiddled around at the experimental bench for a bit, and in less than ten minutes, she dusted off her hands and was ready to walk away.
Despite her perfunctory effort and briefness, George, who was observing, was greatly shocked.
He couldn’t help but exclaim, "Professor Qiao, you’re truly amazing. I’m afraid I couldn’t reach your level even in my next lifetime."
Qiao Jing glanced at him, replying indifferently, "Don’t sell yourself short. You can try doing the next steps."
"Me?" George pointed at himself, his face full of surprise, uncertain as he spoke, "Can I really do it?"
"Why not?" Qiao Jing looked at him, countering with a question.
George still hesitated.
Qiao Jing immediately realized what he was worried about and said decisively, "You are now my assistant. If I say you can, then you can."
Having said that, she waved her hand dismissively, not caring whether George started the process or not, and turned to walk away and catch up on her sleep.
George hesitated for a moment but finally mustered the courage, recalling Qiao Jing’s earlier steps, and began to operate with caution.
Although it was time-consuming and the results were minimal, George felt a surge of excitement and couldn’t contain his elation at the thought of doing the same experiment as his idol, Professor Qiao...
Because Qiao Jing had nodded in agreement to begin the experiment, John ordered the restoration of her food supply.
The next day, Qiao Jing slept in until the sun was high in the sky before getting up, and after a leisurely breakfast, she casually strolled over to the experiment table.
George, however, had already been there for quite some time, meticulously pondering the experimental procedures.
Qiao Jing’s gaze swept over the experimental table and noticed at a glance that there were slight changes from the way it had been when she left the day before.
Though it was only a minor progress, it was still a valid operation for this experiment.
She glanced at George and asked, "Did you do this?"
George was so engrossed that he hadn’t even noticed Qiao Jing’s arrival.
At the sound of her voice, he jumped, and his hands stopped moving.
When he turned around and saw Qiao Jing staring at him, George instantly became flustered, thinking he had done something wrong.
He swallowed hard, his face filled with nervousness, "Yes, it was me, is there a problem? Did I mess it up?"
"Sorry, sorry, Professor Qiao, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have just started without permission..."
Seeing George’s panic, Qiao Jing found it a bit amusing.
She tugged at the corner of her mouth and interrupted him, "You’ve misunderstood, you haven’t messed up anything; on the contrary, you’ve done quite well."
Upon hearing this, George froze for a moment, unable to grasp the full meaning.
Had he heard her correctly?
Was Professor Qiao praising him?
Had he actually received praise from his idol?!
Reading his stunned expression, Qiao Jing casually added, "You heard me right, I am indeed praising you."
As soon as these words fell, George suddenly raised his hand and pinched his arm hard.
Although it hurt enough to make him grimace, his face broke into a delighted smile.
To receive praise from Professor Qiao was an immense honor!
While George was beaming foolishly, Qiao Jing thoroughly examined his earlier operations and verified that he possessed exceptional talent in agriculture; he was an extraordinary talent.
If he were to receive better guidance, this person would certainly make significant achievements in agriculture.
Furthermore, considering that he had previously risked his safety to secretly bring her food, nearly getting killed by John in the process, it was clear that his character and conduct were also commendable.
With these thoughts in mind, an idea suddenly popped into Qiao Jing’s head.
She turned to George and asked abruptly, "Would you like to be my disciple?"
George was once again stunned, suspecting he was hallucinating.
In the broad daylight, was he dreaming?
"What ’what’?" Qiao Jing frowned slightly and asked again, "If I take you on as a disciple, would you be willing?"
Only then did George dare to believe it was all real.
He nodded eagerly, replying repeatedly, "Willing, I’m very willing!"
To become Professor Qiao’s assistant was already a dream come true, and he couldn’t believe his sudden stroke of luck—Professor Qiao actually wanted to take him on as a disciple!!!