Chapter 176: Chapter 176: A Reason for a Kiss? [1]

Ye Ling was quite satisfied with this check-in reward.

Although he had only received a fifteen-percent stake, its potential value absolutely surpassed that of his sixty-percent stake in Shengding Group!

In the grand scheme of the modern era, the word "patent" was undoubtedly a core concept.

Why could those foreign high-tech companies act so arrogantly?

The primary reason was that these corporations held a massive number of patents. This allowed them to collect licensing fees from any company that used their technology, even if they did nothing else!

And DJI Technology had a firm grasp on this core concept—patents!

From its inception, DJI Technology had a very clear understanding of intellectual property. It filed for a massive number of patents, which laid the foundation for its monopoly in the drone and aerial photography industry.

And this was precisely where its potential value lay.

Ye Ling closed his laptop. He took a bath first, then started preparing breakfast.

As the rice cooker started BEEPING and puffing out steam, Ning Ruoxi had just gotten out of bed, still looking sleepy-eyed.

"Go get washed up and then come eat breakfast."

Ye Ling glanced over at Ning Ruoxi and couldn’t help but smile.

’My girl is becoming more and more like a little piggy,’ he thought. ’She went to bed pretty early last night, but still ended up sleeping in until eight or nine o’clock.’

’Is she hibernating or what?’

Hearing Ye Ling’s words, Ning Ruoxi didn’t immediately go to wash up. Instead, she pouted, walked up behind Ye Ling, and held out her arms.

"Hug..."

Her soft, delicate voice was as sweet as sugar, enough to melt one’s heart.

"Alright, hugs."

Ye Ling dotingly ruffled Ning Ruoxi’s hair, pulling her into a hug. He then couldn’t resist planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Ready to go get washed up now?"

Ye Ling let go of Ning Ruoxi and asked with a smile.

"Nope." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Ning Ruoxi pouted, turning her other cheek to him. "This side, too."

"Mwah!"

At that, Ye Ling pulled Ning Ruoxi back into his arms and gave her a firm kiss. "Satisfied now?"

"Mhm!"

Ning Ruoxi beamed, tilting her head. "Do you know why I made you kiss me?"

"Because you wanted some kisses, of course," Ye Ling said casually.

"Nope. It’s because you leave spit on my face when you kiss me, and then I feel gross and have no choice but to go wash it off."

Ning Ruoxi suddenly took a step back, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she spoke.

"Huh?"

Dark lines immediately formed on Ye Ling’s forehead.

In fact, the moment Ning Ruoxi stepped back, he’d had a feeling it wasn’t going to be that simple.

’Babe, your little pranks really know how to ruin a tender moment!’

"Hehe, I’m going to get washed up now!"

Her eyes curving into happy crescents, Ning Ruoxi skipped into the bathroom.

’To think I’ve fallen for such a scoundrel,’

Ye Ling couldn’t help but sigh. He looked away and began to ladle out the porridge. As he did, he suddenly broke into an amused chuckle.

’This mischievous little imp... she’s pretty amusing, isn’t she?’

After breakfast, Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi headed to Modu University.

They had a big lecture that morning. The professor was none other than the middle-aged man who He Jian and his two friends dreaded—one of the so-called "Three Great Evils."

By now, Ye Ling had learned his name: Zhou Xing. He was one of the more senior professors at Modu University.

Rumor had it that he’d won some kind of award and was quite renowned in the field of computer science.

Ye Ling had a pretty good impression of this Professor Zhou Xing and found himself engrossed in the lecture from start to finish.

"Hey, Ye Ling. Come with me for a moment."

The bell signaling the end of class had just rung, and Ye Ling was about to go find Ning Ruoxi when Zhou Xing suddenly called out to him.

"Me?"

Ye Ling paused, clearly taken aback.

One of the big differences between university and high school, aside from the more relaxed academics, was that lecturers almost always ended class right on time. They never ran over.

’If you asked them to lecture for even a minute longer, they probably wouldn’t want to!’

"Hehe, Brother Ling, you’re on your own! Good luck!"

Hearing Ye Ling get called over, He Jian and his two friends shot him mischievous smirks and let out a meaningful sigh.

"Get lost, you guys."

Ye Ling shot the guys an annoyed glare. Still, he was a little curious about why Zhou Xing wanted to see him.

"Professor, did you need something from me?"

Slightly puzzled, Ye Ling walked up to the podium.

"Come with me. I have a few questions for you. Don’t be nervous," Zhou Xing said, looking at Ye Ling with a friendly smile.

At first, Ye Ling wondered if he was in some kind of trouble, but Zhou Xing’s attitude was surprisingly friendly, which only puzzled him more.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

’This old guy doesn’t have some... unsavory hobbies, does he?’

Ye Ling glanced at Zhou Xing’s bald head, then touched his own smooth cheek and couldn’t help but shudder.

But in the next moment, Ye Ling mentally shook his head.

’No.’

’That’s my professor.’

’How could I think of him like that?’

"Okay, but can you wait just a second? My girlfriend is waiting for me outside, I need to let her know."

Ye Ling had just noticed Ning Ruoxi waiting at the classroom door, so he quickly explained.

"Sure, go ahead."

Zhou Xing paused for a second at his words, then followed Ye Ling’s gaze to Ning Ruoxi. He couldn’t help but shake his head with a little smile.

’I didn’t expect that.’

’Didn’t expect the kid to hit me with a public display of affection.’

Ye Ling stepped out of the classroom, quickly explained the situation to Ning Ruoxi, and then came back. "Professor, I’m ready to go."

"Alright."

Zhou Xing nodded and led Ye Ling out of the classroom.

"Do you know why I was looking for you?" Zhou Xing glanced at Ye Ling, his face wreathed in a smile.

"I don’t..."

Ye Ling shook his head.

’For some reason, he felt there was something sly about Professor Zhou’s smile.’

"Did you give Luo Yue a trojan horse program a while back?" Zhou Xing asked.

"A trojan horse program?"

Ye Ling paused at the question. It seemed he was beginning to understand. He nodded. "Yes, I gave it to her."

"The thing is, Zhang Xuan is a former student of mine. He gave me the trojan horse program the other day, asking if I could help him take a look at it. But I studied it for ages and found I couldn’t crack it at all..."

Listening to the professor’s explanation, Ye Ling began to put the pieces together.

’So this Zhang Xuan must be the upperclassman Luo Yue mentioned. She gave him the program, but he couldn’t solve it, so he passed it on to Zhou Xing.’