Chapter 287 It's alright, he's just weak.

These headlines acted like magnets, attracting countless netizens, whether they had watched the live stream or not, to click through.

The state media article used rigorous and objective wording to detail the epoch-making contributions of Academician Jiang Jing in fields such as biotechnology, neural sensing, and the Brain-controlled robot, accompanied by photos and video clips of him looking poised and confident at the conferment ceremony.

"Holy crap! Before clicking, I thought it was clickbait, but it's actually true?!"

"Twenty-five years old... I'm still in my second year of grad school, and he's already an Academician..."

"I bow down to the big boss; this life is like it's running on cheat codes!"

"Where is the Xingchen Technology official website? I want to go leave a comment and worship him!"

"Already been there, the official website almost crashed, brothers!"

"He's really brought glory to us young people; from now on, God Jiang is my idol!"

"Where are those people who questioned his qualifications before? Come out and walk a few steps, look at these solid, real contributions!"

"I can only say, Jiang Jing is awesome! (Voice cracking)"

The comment section was refreshing at a speed of thousands of messages per second, with various exclamations, praises, jokes, and worshipful comments emerging endlessly, covering the top of the trending lists on almost every social media platform.

The official website of Xingchen Technology and the comment section of its official Weibo were instantly overwhelmed, submerged by countless comments like "God Jiang," "Academician is awesome," and "Coming to soak up some of his divine aura."

Amidst this wave of nationwide celebration, a certain famous singer known for his leather pants and rock style watched as the trending topic spot his team had just spent a fortune on to promote his new song was instantly swept away like it had been hit by an invisible giant wave, falling dozens of spots down, with his search index curve even showing a cliff-like drop...

His vision seemed to go black again, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

"What is going on... I just wanted to release a new song!" A mournful howl echoed in the studio, filled with the helplessness of fate and metaphysical coincidences.

On this day, the heat of the internet was, without any suspense, completely dominated by the name "Academician Jiang Jing."

The Hongqi sedan drove steadily on the road back to the hotel, the atmosphere inside the car completely different from when they arrived.

Jiang Jing leaned back in his seat, his fingers gently caressing the exquisitely crafted, substantial Academician medal, a faint smile playing on the corners of his lips.

He suddenly turned his head, his gaze falling on Zhou Wanqin and Lin Hong beside him, and spoke with a hint of playfulness: "How about it, Captains, was I handsome enough today?"

Lin Hong was watching the street scene rapidly receding outside the window; hearing this, she turned her head and looked Jiang Jing up and down.

She tried hard to maintain her usual cool expression, but the flash of amusement in her eyes betrayed her.

She gave a light cough and feigned indifference: "Hmm... so-so, I guess."

Jiang Jing was already used to her stubbornness and smiled as he looked toward Zhou Wanqin on the other side.

Zhou Wanqin looked at Jiang Jing and nodded very seriously: "Very handsome... very dazzling."

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but her gaze did not waver.

"Hehe, Captain Zhou really knows how to talk." Jiang Jing smiled with satisfaction.

After putting away the medal, he suddenly changed the subject, as if he had just remembered something.

"Oh right, Captains, I wonder if you still remember... that 'half-month agreement' between us? Counting the time, it seems like it's long overdue."

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two, his tone carrying a clear sense of mischief: "When shall we find a suitable place and spar a little? I've even thought of the conditions for after I win, oh."

In a flash, Zhou Wanqin and Lin Hong's faces were simultaneously stained with a distinct blush, and their eyes began to drift uncertainly.

This topic was indeed something they had been consciously avoiding recently.

When they first made the bet, they were full of confidence, simply not believing that Jiang Jing could possess the strength to defeat both of them in just half a month.

They were elite soldiers who had experienced countless brutal training sessions and real-combat tests, and fighting techniques were already ingrained in their bones.

However, as time passed, especially after witnessing Jiang Jing's superhuman learning ability and seemingly bottomless physical stamina, that initial confidence had long been shaken, even turning into a vague sense of unease.

They felt less and less confident in their hearts.

Avoidance seemed to have become their subconscious choice, as if as long as it wasn't mentioned, that heart-racing bet didn't exist.

Now that it was brought up by Jiang Jing to their faces, a feeling of awkwardness instantly welled up in their hearts.

They simultaneously acted like ostriches, pursing their lips, looking elsewhere, and remaining silent.

Deep down, they were truly afraid that Jiang Jing would propose some mortifying demands when the time came.

Jiang Jing found their appearance extremely amusing.

He deliberately drew out his tone, using reverse psychology: "Oh my, look at this reaction... no way, no way, two dignified field-grade officers, the elite of the Dragon Kingdom's elite, surely you don't want to... go back on your word?"

"Who is going back on their word!" Lin Hong, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristled, turning her head to glare at Jiang Jing, her cheeks puffed up in anger, "We... we certainly keep our word!"

Zhou Wanqin also took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and chimed in to explain, though her tone was clearly lacking confidence: "It's just... it's just that you've been very busy lately, either... um, meeting with Ms. Liu, or preparing for today's conferment ceremony, we... we just didn't find a suitable opportunity..."

This excuse felt far-fetched even to them, and their voices grew quieter as they spoke.

Jiang Jing laughed heartily and waved his hand: "It's fine, it will be quick, it won't take much time."

Lin Hong and Zhou Wanqin exchanged a glance, their eyes still rapidly searching for excuses to back out.

Lin Hong rolled her eyes, just about to come up with an excuse.

But Jiang Jing seemed to see through their thoughts and got ahead of them, chuckling: "What? Are you two still trying to find reasons to retreat at the last minute? That doesn't fit your persona."

Being called out directly by Jiang Jing, the two women's faces turned even redder, like ripe apples.

Lin Hong had a more impatient temper. Provoked by Jiang Jing, and knowing she was in the wrong, she hardened her heart and said with a reckless attitude: "Fine, let's spar! Who's afraid of whom! We... we don't believe we'll actually lose to you! You set the time!"

Seeing that Lin Hong had accepted the challenge, Zhou Wanqin had no choice but to nod along. Although she was feeling nervous, her inner pride made her unable to back down any further.

"Good, straightforward, worthy of being heroines among women!" Jiang Jing clapped his hands and laughed, offering praise without hesitation, and then made the final decision.

"Then tomorrow it is. As for the location... I think that private Gym on the top floor of the hotel that isn't open to the public is quite suitable; it's quiet, and no one will disturb us."

The two women nodded again, effectively agreeing.

It was just that the atmosphere inside the carriage had become somewhat strange, permeated with a sense of tension and a hint of indescribable ambiguity.

Zhou Wanqin and Lin Hong simultaneously pumped themselves up in their hearts:

"It's fine, it's fine! He must be all show and no substance!"

"With so many women around him, his body must have been drained long ago! We'll wait for him to tire himself out, two against one, we have a high chance of winning!"

"We absolutely cannot lose! If we lose... it would be too embarrassing!"