98: Chapter 98 Nobel Prize in Medicine? No way, they won't reimburse my travel expenses.

At Yunding Villa, the afternoon sun lazily spilled across the leather sofa.

Jiang Chen was sprawled out on the sofa, clutching a game controller, unleashing a flurry of attacks on a virtual monster on the hundred-inch screen.

"Left hook! Right whip kick! Ultimate move! Nice!"

"K.O.!"

Just as he was basking in the joy of clearing the level, an excessively exquisite envelope blocked his view without warning.

The envelope was pure white, stamped with an embossed gold coin pattern, and sealed with an incredibly intricate wax seal.

"Stop messing around, Old Chen, you're blocking my replay."

Jiang Chen tilted his head, trying to peer around the envelope.

Academician Chen Shuyin stood behind the sofa, wearing loose loungewear, clutching the envelope, her expression complex to the extreme.

It was a mixture of shock, ecstasy, speechlessness, and a sense of exasperation, as if thinking, 'How can this person be so unappreciative?'

"Jiang Chen, can you please pause the game for a moment?"

Academician Chen Shuyin took a deep breath and slapped the envelope directly onto Jiang Chen's chest. "Do you know what this is?"

"What? A water bill?"

Jiang Chen picked it up and glanced at it nonchalantly.

It was all in English, written in a fancy script that looked exhausting to read.

But he still recognized the striking words in the header: [The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet].

"Nobel?"

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow and tossed the envelope onto the coffee table. "Why are these old guys writing to me? Do they want to buy insecticide? Tell them to queue up on the official website; there are no backdoors."

Academician Chen Shuyin watched the envelope land in a pile of snacks and felt her blood pressure soar.

She was a scientist!

This was the holy grail ticket that countless scientists spent their entire lives dreaming of touching!

Yet in this guy's eyes, it wasn't even as important as a bag of potato chips?

"Jiang Chen! Wake up!"

Academician Chen Shuyin walked around the sofa, grabbed Jiang Chen's shoulders, and shook him frantically:

"This is the notification letter for the Nobel Prize in Medicine!"

"Because your 'environmental purification spray' completely eradicated the X-99 virus and saved the lives of tens of millions of people globally!"

"The committee made an exception! They broke the convention of 'not awarding controversial technologies' and 'requiring long-term verification' and decided to award you this year's medical prize directly!"

"This is an honor! It is the highest crown in the world of human science!"

Academician Chen Shuyin was so excited that her face turned red, and little stars twinkled in her eyes:

"Do you know what this means? It means you will go down in history! Your name will be placed alongside Einstein and Marie Curie!"

Jiang Chen was shaken until he was dizzy.

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't shake me, or my brains will turn to mush."

He broke free from Academician Chen Shuyin's clutches, slumped back onto the sofa, picked up a grape, tossed it into his mouth, and chewed twice.

"Oh, got it."

"And then?"

"And then?"

Academician Chen Shuyin was stunned. "Then, of course, you go to receive the award! The award ceremony is in Stockholm, Sweden next week, and the King of Sweden will present the award to you personally! It's a global broadcast!"

"Go to Sweden?"

Jiang Chen frowned, showing an expression of extreme disdain.

He picked up the envelope and examined it carefully again, as if looking for some key clause.

He flipped it over and over for a long time, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

"Not going."

Jiang Chen tossed the envelope toward the trash can in a stylish and decisive motion.

"Why?!"

Academician Chen Shuyin screamed, almost lunging to catch the envelope. "That's the Nobel Prize! Are you crazy?"

"It's too far."

Jiang Chen's reasoning was sufficient and justified:

"Stockholm is in Northern Europe, right? It must be freezing there now. There's no direct high-speed rail, so I'd have to sit on a plane for over ten hours. Isn't that exhausting?"

"And..."

He pointed at the envelope, looking indignant:

"I finished reading it; there's nothing on here about reimbursing travel expenses!"

"Who pays for the plane ticket? Who books the hotel? I still need to bring bodyguards and assistants. How much money would that cost?"

"You want me to pay for my own trip to receive a certificate? Do I look like a sucker to you?"

Academician Chen Shuyin opened her mouth wide, staring blankly at Jiang Chen.

She felt her worldview shattered, beyond repair.

Travel expenses?

You, a super-rich tycoon who can casually produce two hundred tons of gold and whose bank account balance is beyond the authorization of even the bank president to check, actually care about the cost of a few plane tickets?

You just spent hundreds of millions on a yacht for fishing a second ago, and now you're nitpicking over a few tens of thousands of yuan for a plane ticket?

What kind of logic is that?

"Jiang Chen..."

Academician Chen Shuyin held her forehead, feeling a bit lightheaded. "That's the Nobel Prize money! Ten million Swedish kronor! Enough for you to buy hundreds of plane tickets!"

"Ten million kronor? How much is that in RMB?"

"About... seven or eight million."

"Only seven or eight million?"

Jiang Chen sneered, even less interested. "That's not even as much as I earn in one minute selling 'insecticide'. You want me to travel halfway across the globe for that pittance? I'd have to wear formal clothes? I'd have to fake-smile at that bunch of old guys?"

"Not going, absolutely not going."

He picked up the game controller again and pressed the continue button:

"Help me reply to the email. Just say I've been busy saving the world lately... no, busy growing sweet potatoes, so I don't have time."

"If they're willing to send the trophy via SF Express, preferably cash on delivery, then I might reluctantly sign for it."

Academician Chen Shuyin was utterly desperate.

Looking at this man who was immune to all persuasion, she only had one thought in her mind:

Awesome.

This is truly treating money like dirt and fame like passing clouds.

Although the reason is ridiculous, I have to say... this feeling of dragging the Nobel Prize through the dirt is actually damn exciting!

"Fine, you're not going, right?"

Academician Chen Shuyin took a deep breath and pulled out her phone. "Then I'm posting on Weibo. Don't blame me when you get roasted by the entire internet."

"Post it."

Jiang Chen didn't even turn his head. "Perfect. Let everyone see how stingy these foreigners are—they won't even reimburse travel expenses."

Five minutes later.

A Weibo post that was enough to cause the global academic community to have a heart attack appeared on the [Chenxing Technology - Jiang Chen] account.

The attached image was a Nobel invitation letter casually tossed onto the coffee table, with half a bottle of cola sitting next to it.

The caption was simple and blunt, with a thick layer of 'Jiang-style humblebrag' between the lines:

[Thanks for the invite, I'm cutting fruit right now, no time.]

[Thanks to the Nobel Committee for their kindness, I won't be receiving the award.]

[The main reasons are as follows:]

[1. Sweden is too far, and I'd have to deal with jet lag, which affects my beauty sleep.]

[2. I heard the fermented herring over there tastes terrible, and I'm afraid of not adapting to the local diet.]

[3. The most important point: They actually don't reimburse round-trip airfare and accommodation?!]

[Although I have a little money, money doesn't grow on trees. You want me to pay for my own business trip to receive a trophy? This is a losing business, I'm not doing it.]

[I suggest the committee just wire the prize money directly to my card, and send the trophy via SF Express—remember to insure it.]

The moment the Weibo was posted.

The world went quiet.

Immediately after, there was a tsunami of public outcry.

The comment section was flooded with "???" in just one minute.

Netizens looked at that Weibo, and their first reaction was: Was this account hacked?

The second reaction was: Is God Jiang crazy?

But when they realized this was just standard operating procedure for Jiang Chen, the mood instantly became incredibly joyful.

"Hahahaha! I'm dying of laughter! Travel expenses not covered? That's a strong reason!"

"Nobel Committee: I have never seen such an arrogant winner in my life!"

"God Jiang: What Nobel? Is it as fun as my holographic projection? Is it as profitable as my insecticide? No money, no deal!"

"So satisfying! In the past, we were the ones begging others for awards; now, they're begging us to receive them, and we're complaining that it's too far! Is this the confidence of a great nation?"

"American netizens are dumbfounded. The award they dream of getting is being rejected by God Jiang like an unwanted courier package?"

"Am I the only one who noticed the fermented herring? God Jiang is a food connoisseur!"

Public opinion did not turn one-sidedly to accuse Jiang Chen of arrogance, as Academician Chen Shuyin had feared.

Instead.

Under this 'seemingly absurd, but actually domineering' response, domestic netizens developed an unprecedented sense of national pride.

Yes.

Our technology is already leading the world; why should we care about a Western award?

Our 'insecticide' saved the entire world; do we still need your certification?

Not going!

That's just how willful we are!

However.

Just when the entire internet was applauding Jiang Chen's 'toughness'.

Some discordant voices also began to emerge.

"Isn't this too arrogant? This is the highest international honor, after all, representing the recognition of human civilization. Isn't Jiang Chen being a bit unappreciative by doing this?"

"Exactly, he's gotten a little success and now he's full of himself. How will the international community view our Dragon Country? They'll say we have no manners!"

"This is a diplomatic incident! I suggest the government step in!"

Watching these increasingly numerous 'rational and neutral' comments, Academician Chen Shuyin frowned.

She turned to look at Jiang Chen, who was still playing games:

"Jiang Chen, the situation isn't quite right."

"Although the netizens are hyped up, some public intellectuals and big influencers have started to stir the pot, claiming you're damaging our international image. Some have even started moral grandstanding, saying that if you don't go, you're not giving the country face."

"This public pressure... is getting intense."

"Pressure?"

Jiang Chen's hands didn't stop, and the monster on the screen was beaten by his combo until it was helpless.

"Let them bark."

"I saved people with my own ability and earned money with my own ability. Why should I care what they think?"

"Face is earned by oneself, not given by others."

He put down the controller, stretched, and a cold light flashed in his eyes:

"Besides."

"Who said I don't give the country face?"

"If the country asked me to go, I'd crawl there."

"But that bunch of foreign devils... hehe, are they even worthy?"