On the way, Chen Cheng was wondering why the master system's check-in sound hadn't appeared after spending an hour at the Abbreviated Real Estate Agency Name.

The system's familiar electronic voice then rang in Chen Cheng's mind.

[Please figure it out yourself, Master.]

Chen Cheng: ...

"Could it be that the store isn't a major plot point?"

The master system remained silent.

"Wait... that's not right. Doesn't the plot of 'Anjia' revolve around this real estate agency? How could it not be a major plot point?"

Chen Cheng was helpless against the cold and aloof System Emperor and could only ponder it himself.

Chen Cheng recalled the circumstances of several check-ins. After a long time, he suddenly discovered a pattern and said excitedly, "Is it because there are too few main characters in this show?"

The system remained as silent as ever.

Chen Cheng was stuck in an awkward silence. Still not it?

Chen Cheng suddenly realized that there had been no check-in reward when he went to Shenmao Bank earlier. The System Emperor was so cold and aloof that Chen Cheng hadn't really thought about it.

Connecting the dots, Chen Cheng suddenly thought of a possibility: "Uh... damn it, could it be because there are too few female characters in these two shows, or because the female characters aren't prominent enough?"

[A teachable student indeed!]

The system's cold electronic voice rang in Chen Cheng's mind again.

Chen Cheng's eyes widened. "System, oh System, I didn't expect you to be that kind of system! Tsk tsk."

The Scum hadn't expected the cold-voiced master system to be a kindred spirit.

They were both freaking Visual Animals!

[Unconvinced?] The system's cold electronic voice questioned powerfully.

"No, no! Absolutely not!"

Chen Cheng knew who the boss was and immediately started acting humble.

Damn it, although he suspected he was being cheated out of rewards, he didn't dare speak up.

If he annoyed his System Father, he wouldn't even need to worry about future rewards; if the system took back the rewards already given, he'd go full Spartan in an instant.

If there's no reward, then there's no reward. I'm not a fussy person.

Even without a cheat, it doesn't stop me from being 'approachable through billions'.

Is there any better cheat than money?

Ring~

Ring~

Just as Chen Cheng was acting humble, his phone suddenly rang.

Chen Cheng picked up his phone and saw it was actually Miao Che. He glanced at his watch and joked with a smile.

"Hello, Senior Apprentice Brother. Off work? Want a drink?"

"Haha, I'm off work, but forget about dinner. Let's do it another day."

Miao Che's voice sounded a bit tired. "Anyway, Teacher Ouyang is sick and is receiving treatment in the hospital. Do you want to go see her?"

Chen Cheng was startled and immediately asked, "What's wrong with Teacher Ouyang? Is it serious?"

"An old problem, something with her heart. She's staying at Jiren Hospital," Miao Che said.

"Okay, I'll head over right away." Chen Cheng hung up and rushed to the hospital.

He didn't even have time to buy flowers, pastries, or any other get-well gifts. Chen Cheng sped all the way, nearly running a red light.

Fortunately, the car had a feature that made other vehicles automatically yield; otherwise, a small accident would have definitely occurred.

Chen Cheng arrived at the hospital and found Teacher Ouyang's ward.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Teacher Ouyang lying on the hospital bed, her face a bit pale.

Hearing the door open, the Old Madam looked toward the entrance. Seeing it was Chen Cheng, a gentle smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Xiao Cheng is here."

Chen Cheng walked to the bedside and asked softly, "Teacher, what happened?"

Teacher Ouyang forced a smile: "Just an old problem, it's fine."

Chen Cheng frowned. These elderly people really only said the good things, reporting only the joy and none of the worry.

Chen Cheng turned his head and looked at Dai Bin inquiringly.

Chen Cheng didn't know if he was the Old Madam's biological son; anyway, there wasn't a trace of the Old Madam or Dai Qiye in this young man. He looked very honest and simple, but there was a bit of gloom in his eyes, and he didn't seem very confident.

In the original story, Dai Bin was the biological son of one of the couple, while the other was infertile.

Chen Cheng didn't plan to investigate what was going on now; it wasn't important.

Dai Bin had met Chen Cheng at the memorial service last time. He smiled and said, "Arrhythmia."

Uh... Chen Cheng's mouth twitched. That's not "fine."

Chen Cheng turned and stared at the Old Madam reproachfully. "You really need to pay attention to your health. Heart issues are no small matter."

Seeing Chen Cheng's reproachful expression, the Old Madam was amused and waved her hand with a smile. "Alright, sit down. Miao Che came by just now and gave me a whole lecture, and now you're here? My ears are going to get calluses."

Chen Cheng sat down by the bed and said crossly, "If you'd just listen to us juniors, you'd see if we'd still nag you."

"Listen to you? Look who's the elder here." Teacher Ouyang rolled her eyes at Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng was pleased; the fact that she could joke meant her mental state was at least decent.

"Fine! We'll listen to you." Chen Cheng smiled.

Teacher Ouyang shook her head with a smile, looked at her favorite student, and asked, "Xiao Cheng, you haven't been back for four or five years, right? How do you feel this time?"

Chen Cheng shrugged. "Not bad. Maybe because I'm always surfing the internet, I haven't had any trouble adjusting."

Ouyang nodded. "It's good that you've adjusted."

She asked again, "How long are you staying this time?"

After a moment's thought, Chen Cheng said, "I'm planning to stay for a long time. I'll travel back and forth if needed."

The Old Madam frowned. "Is your research not going well?"

Chen Cheng nodded, not hiding it.

It was very common to pause research during a PhD and do something else for a while.

The Old Madam thought for a moment and said reproachfully, "No wonder you've had so many fewer questions than usual these past six months."

"Hehe..." Chen Cheng smiled awkwardly.

"You're even feeling embarrassed with me now." The Old Madam laughed crossly.

She didn't continue with that topic and instead asked, "Are you planning to work now that you're back?"

"Uh..."

Chen Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Teacher, there's something I want to tell you."

The Old Madam raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it that requires such gravity?"

"I was afraid you'd be angry, so I didn't dare tell you."

"What is it exactly? Don't be so wishy-washy~" The Old Madam pouted.

"Actually, actually, I have a hedge fund."

Chen Cheng looked a bit awkward. The Old Madam saw him as her successor, but he had ended up going into business.

The Old Madam's face immediately fell, and she frowned. "So... those questions you asked me before about the current economic situation were all for your hedge fund?"

Chen Cheng thought for a moment before saying seriously, "Half and half. Part of it was confusion and reflection on the current economy; the other part was to verify my strategies in the secondary market."

"Teacher, your patient answers gave me a lot of confidence on many issues."

The Old Madam closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Sigh~~~"

After a long time, she reopened her eyes to look at Chen Cheng and sighed heavily, "You people..."

Her tone was full of helplessness and loneliness. At her age, finding another student she was truly satisfied with was becoming harder and harder.

Seeing the Old Madam's desolate expression, Chen Cheng felt a bit bad after all. He clicked his tongue and said, "Teacher, economics is inherently a major social topic. I want to observe it more closely in economic practice for five to ten years before returning to the path of theoretical reflection."

"Your 'economic practice' is just playing the stock market?" The Old Madam rolled her eyes at Chen Cheng.

However, hearing Chen Cheng say 'returning to the path of theoretical reflection' made the Old Madam smile knowingly.

Uh...

This was a bit awkward; he had triggered the Old Madam's Chain of Contempt.

What academics looked down on most were people like them who spent all day calculating how to get money out of other people's pockets.

For example, the Old Madam really didn't like Xie Zhiyuan.

Chen Cheng's mouth twitched as he gave an awkward smile. "That's only a part of it. I've also invested in some entrepreneurial projects."

The Old Madam became interested. "Oh? Tell me about them?"

Chen Cheng picked two projects in which he had a large stake and gave the Old Madam a brief report.

The Old Madam didn't say anything, but her eyes were full of gratification.

While they were chatting, Xie Zhiyuan pushed the door open and entered.

As soon as the Old Madam saw who it was, her face instantly turned cold.

Chen Cheng greeted him and tactfully stood by the window with Dai Bin.

This was a double room, but only the Old Madam was staying in it, so it was quite spacious.

Chen Cheng chatted with Dai Bin for a bit.

Chen Cheng hadn't expected this somewhat mature-looking kid to actually be younger than himself, having just graduated from university.