The Omniscient

Chapter 35: Impersonation

The recommendation letter from Lü Qinggong? Huang Ji had written it himself. Mimicking Lü’s tone and style, he logged into Lü’s personal email account from an internet café and sent two recommendation emails. With carefully timed actions and psychological precision, he successfully orchestrated a direct interview with Dean Hong.

The outcome of the interview didn’t matter much; Huang Ji had no intention of actually taking the job. What he wanted was the opportunity to converse with Dean Hong for two hours, leveraging his solid knowledge base. His efforts paid off when Hong personally made two calls, paving the way for Huang Ji to meet other professors.

Huang Ji’s chain of “fraudulent” encounters had begun.

Thanks to Hong’s recommendation, Huang Ji approached Professor Lin Tao with just a simple introduction:

“Professor Lin, hello. I’m Hua Xu. Dean Hong asked me to find you.”

This single sentence granted Huang Ji access to Tongji University’s Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Lab, where he engaged in meaningful discussions with Lin and a group of doctoral students and professors. This time, he no longer pretended to stutter; instead, he spoke fluently and confidently, leaving Lin deeply impressed.

By the time Huang Ji left, Lin had already treated him as a priority student, instructing him to take Tongji University’s part-time postgraduate entrance exam in October. Lin was so confident in Huang Ji’s abilities that he gave him free rein to visit the research lab anytime, to seek guidance and collaborate.

This access opened a world of possibilities. With his newfound identity, Huang Ji could freely approach anyone in the lab, including top-level professors, at any time. Unlike before, when he had to spend hours with each individual, he now only needed to spend 30 minutes each morning and afternoon near them. After two or three days, even the most accomplished professors couldn’t hide their expertise from his Information Sense.

Huang Ji readily agreed but had no intention of actually attending. With no middle school diploma, let alone a bachelor’s degree, the idea of taking a postgraduate exam was laughable.

But Huang Ji was confident that if he had the credentials, he could enter any research institution legitimately. He didn’t doubt that a standard job interview would suffice for him to secure a position. However, his lack of formal education left him with no choice but to rely on deception.

In just three days, Huang Ji wandered around Tongji University’s research labs, either observing, chatting, or engaging in discussions under the guise of seeking guidance. From morning till night, he ensured that his line of sight always included someone knowledgeable, often a professor or associate professor.

Huang Ji didn’t shy away from menial tasks, either. When others were busy, he’d offer to serve tea, sweep floors, or clean up. His helpfulness made him a familiar figure, and many began to treat him as Lin Tao’s student. Some even asked him to deliver items, a task Huang Ji gladly accepted.

Delivering items allowed him to venture beyond the building’s confines, granting him opportunities to meet professors from other departments or even chief physicians and deans from affiliated hospitals.

Over these days, Huang Ji sought knowledge across a wide spectrum: from internal medicine to surgery, pharmacology to anatomy, emergency clinical care to stem cell regenerative medicine and artificial organ transplants. He spared no field.

Shanghai, home to several nationally top-ranked hospitals, government-funded research labs, and medical engineering centers, became Huang Ji’s knowledge haven. Through various creative methods, he infiltrated these institutions, amassing a wealth of knowledge and clinical experience.

However, certain places were particularly hard to access, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Key Laboratory for Human Genome Research.

Huang Ji observed the lab for two days, studying its routines. Finally, he found an opening.

With a confident smile, he approached the security office and said, “Hello, I’m here for an internship. Academician Liu asked me to register today.”

The guard checked the schedule and found that, indeed, a doctoral graduate returning from the University of British Columbia was expected to intern that afternoon.

“What’s your name?”

“Li Wensi,” Huang Ji replied with a smile.

“Ah, alright. Head to Director Zhao’s office in Building C, Room 305,” the guard said, asking Huang Ji to sign in before letting him through.

Huang Ji walked into Building C as instructed, but as soon as he was out of sight, he slipped out through the back door and headed to Building B—the lab building. Here, at least one or two top experts worked daily.

Naturally, Huang Ji had no intention of meeting Director Zhao, who had a photo on file. Impersonating him was impossible.

He glanced at the security cameras and confirmed there were no blind spots. Hesitating for a moment, he lowered his head and walked in, ensuring that the cameras wouldn’t capture his face directly.

At the elevator, he noticed it required a digital ID card for access. Each card was programmed for specific floors, limiting mobility.

Just as he was about to head for the stairs, a woman carrying two sheets of paper briskly walked in behind him.

Seeing her approach, Huang Ji quickly pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

The woman’s phone rang a few meters behind him, causing her to pause and answer.

“Hello? Is this Liu Xin from the Organic Synthesis Lab?” Huang Ji asked into the phone.

“Yes…” the woman replied, confused. She was stunned to see someone ahead of her speaking into the phone, unaware she was standing right behind him.

“Oh, I’m the new intern, Li Wensi. Director Zhao sent me to find you in B401. Are you in the lab? Should I head to your office now? Hello?” Huang Ji said, inching closer to the elevator.

“Huh?” Liu Xin laughed softly, walking up to him and tapping his shoulder.

Huang Ji turned around, feigning surprise. “Oh, and you are…?”

“I’m Liu Xin,” she replied, smiling as she waved her phone.

“Ah, so Liu Jie was right behind me!” Huang Ji said, pretending to realize.

Both chuckled and put away their phones, the brief exchange breaking the ice.

Huang Ji introduced himself smoothly. “I’m Li Wensi, just back from Canada. We’ll be colleagues from now on, so I’ll be counting on your guidance.”

“Li Wensi… Oh, right! You’re the UBC graduate who turned down their offer to stay and came back to work for Academician Liu. Didn’t expect you’d be assigned to the Organic Synthesis Lab,” Liu Xin said.

“Yes, serving the motherland!” Huang Ji said cheerfully, maintaining a position to Liu Xin’s left, ensuring he stayed farther from the elevator’s card reader.

Sure enough, when they reached the elevator, Liu Xin instinctively pulled out her card and scanned it.

Huang Ji smoothly stepped into the elevator alongside her, engaging in casual conversation and sharing amusing anecdotes from his supposed time in Canada.

Huang Ji knew that Liu Xin deeply cherished her academic years, holding many precious memories from that period. In fact, at least three of her most unforgettable experiences were tied to those times.

Upon arriving on the fourth floor, Huang Ji saw only a few people at work. Without the slightest suspicion about his identity, Liu Xin began introducing him to the other experts.

Huang Ji immediately identified the most knowledgeable person in the room—a man in his late forties with a receding hairline that nearly reached the back of his head.

“This is Li Wensi, our new arrival…” Liu Xin introduced, then gestured toward the balding man. “And this is—”

Huang Ji interrupted with a smile, “Academician Pan, there’s no need for introductions. I’ve long admired your work, even back in Canada.”

“Oh?” Academician Pan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Of course,” Huang Ji replied. “Back in 2007, you visited UBC for an academic exchange. Before leaving, you gave us a lecture. During the Q&A session, I represented the Chinese students and asked you a question: ‘How would you evaluate your doctoral thesis?’ Does that ring a bell?”

Academician Pan froze for a moment before snapping his fingers. “Ah! You’re the one who asked that question?”

Huang Ji nodded with a grin. “That’s right. You answered that your doctoral thesis hadn’t been fully completed even then.”

“Yes, yes, I remember now! And to this day, I still haven’t finished that project!” Pan laughed heartily.

Of course, Huang Ji hadn’t been the one who asked that question back in 2007. In fact, it wasn’t even asked by the real Li Wensi. But Huang Ji knew that Academician Pan wouldn’t recall who the actual questioner was. After Huang Ji brought it up with such detail, Pan’s vague memory automatically assigned the student’s face to Huang Ji.

This association created a lasting impression. From now on, whenever Pan saw Huang Ji, he would unconsciously believe that Huang Ji was that student, anchoring all subsequent lies in this fabricated connection.

With this layer of trust established, Huang Ji successfully integrated himself into the lab, working alongside experts like Academician Pan and absorbing their knowledge.

Meanwhile, Old Wang stood leaning against a car, smoking as he scanned the research institute’s entrance. Finally, his target appeared.

“A slightly balding, chubby young man with glasses and a mole by his lip—no mistake, it’s him!” Old Wang muttered. Flicking away his cigarette, he hurriedly approached the man.

“Dr. Li Wensi, there you are!” Old Wang greeted with a broad smile.

Li Wensi, who had just stepped onto the curb, stopped and shook Old Wang’s hand. “And you are…?”

“Ah, my name’s Zhao. I replied to your email yesterday,” Old Wang said.

“Oh, you’re Director Zhao!” Li Wensi said, finally putting a name to the face.

“Yes, yes,” Old Wang nodded. “Here’s the situation, Dr. Li. I was supposed to interview you in my office, but something urgent has come up. I need to head to Suzhou right away.”

“S-Suzhou?” Li Wensi stammered, confused.

“Yes, it’s unfortunate timing. I was just about to leave when you arrived,” Old Wang said, feigning helplessness. “We can either reschedule the interview for a few days later, or… we could do it on the way to the airport. What do you say?”

“Oh… I’m fine with either,” Li Wensi replied, still a bit dazed.

“Great! Then hop in.” Old Wang opened the car door and gestured for him to get in.

“Okay…” Li Wensi climbed into the car, still unsure of what was happening. With that, Old Wang drove off.

Old Wang deliberately drove slowly, stalling for time. After about ten minutes, he patted his pockets and pretended to realize something.

“Ah, getting old… I left my phone at home. Dr. Li, could I borrow your phone to make a quick call?”

“Of course.” Li Wensi handed over his phone without hesitation.

“Nice phone!” Old Wang remarked.

“Thanks! I just bought it after returning to China,” Li Wensi said with a smile.

Feigning a call, Old Wang fiddled with the phone, secretly blacklisting the real Director Zhao’s number in the contact list.

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