Chapter 66: Chapter 36. My Friend Says I'm Handsome

The atmosphere in the room turned somewhat awkward for a moment. When a girl tells you to your face that she isn't going back to spend the night, you should take active measures. However, that rule did not apply to Zhou Jinru, as attempting such a thing would most likely get him stabbed.

"Did you discuss staying here with Hoshiguma?"

Vigna sniffled. "You mean that big cat? She used too much force and is still sleeping in her room."

A hangover-induced headache pounded against his brain in rhythmic waves. He was still a bit unsteady when he got out of bed, rushing anxiously toward the bathroom. As he rounded a corner, he accidentally bumped into a girl who was walking with her head down. Both of them apologized as they stepped back, and the next moment, when Zhou Jinru turned his head, the other person also happened to turn back to look. Their eyes met for a fleeting second.

"Do... Doctor?" the purple-haired girl asked, her voice trembling.

"Why are you holding my..."

Zhou Jinru stared at the fruit in her hand. Those were given to him by the Rat King, and a few were still left.

"This? I'm not giving it back to you." The girl quickly hid the fruit in her pocket.

Zhou Jinru took a deep breath, turned around, and plunged straight into the bathroom.

"I..."

Did he really not recognize her?

Ansel's expression turned dejected. The current situation was so awkward that she didn't know what expression to use to face it. It wasn't very far from the L.G.D. headquarters to this place, but she had gone out of her way to change into a new outfit and, for the very first time in her life, spent money to get her hair done. By the time she arrived at the address left in Ch'en's note, it was already past three in the afternoon. The old residence was completely empty, so she sat by the doorway waiting and waiting. They didn't return until evening, and even then, people were being carried back in several vehicles.

The accompanying personnel said the Doctor had simply drank too much and would wake up soon. After receiving a nod of approval from a Feline teenager, Ansel had decided to stay.

She dragged her heavy, disappointed footsteps back down the hallway. Perhaps the separation had been too long, causing the Doctor not to recognize her.

Just then, Vigna happened to walk out. Seeing Ansel's lost and soul-drained expression, she couldn't help asking, "Did the Doctor bully you?"

The Doctor did indeed used to enjoy playing practical jokes.

Ansel shook her head and said softly, "It seems he didn't recognize me."

"Don't worry, he didn't recognize me the first time we met either. I watched him turn around and walk away while I was on stage, and it made me so mad I could die."

Vigna recalled everything that had happened at the Outer Ring university concert. She suddenly remembered she had even sworn back then that if the Doctor ever appeared before her again, she would forgive him for leaving without saying goodbye...

Such memories were better left unthought of—they were just too embarrassing.

Ansel grabbed Vigna's hand and asked nervously, "Then do you think I look okay today? I'm not really good at dressing up normally. Will people find me annoying?"

"Ansel, have a little more confidence. The Doctor is much better now than he used to be. At least nothing bad has happened when I'm around him, except that he's a bit dull now. He's much more restrained compared to his carefree old self, and he always seems so uptight. Cuora says the same thing—even she feels oppressed just staying around the Doctor."

Vigna rattled off the gossip shared among the girls as they walked hand in hand into the living room.

Cuora was sitting on the sofa, polishing a baseball bat. When she saw Vigna and Ansel coming out together, she realized something and asked, "Is the Doctor awake?"

Vigna nodded. "He's already awake. He'll probably be coming out looking for food in a moment."

As soon as those words left her mouth, Zhou Jinru's figure appeared in the hallway, shouting, "Is there anything to eat? I'm starving to death."

Vigna made an "I-told-you-so" face, and the three girls nodded solemnly, leaving Zhou Jinru utterly bewildered. Their synchronized gesture looked precisely like a traditional trope from a tokusatsu show—Ultramans nodding.

"We ordered takeout from McKenlau. Just wait a little longer and it'll be here."

What on earth was McKenlau?

Kentucky plus McDonald's?

Zhou Jinru was completely baffled, but he stopped asking. He went to his room, grabbed some paper and a pen, and sat in the living room to write a draft. Unfortunately, he hadn't practiced his handwriting much since coming here, so the paper was soon covered in crooked, scrawling characters. To quote his old schoolteachers, handwriting reflected a person's character—ugly handwriting meant an ugly person.

Zhou Jinru considered himself far from ugly. With this thought, he raised his head, looked at the girls gathered together watching television, and asked, "How do you think I look?"

Cuora studied Zhou Jinru closely and smiled happily, "The Doctor is a handsome guy."

Vigna didn't even turn her head, replying perfunctorily, "Not ugly."

Ansel stepped forward, moved a little closer, and examined his face intently. Her tender lips parted slightly as she whispered, "The Doctor looks very handsome. Even the currently trending Bai Qiyuan doesn't compare to you."

Zhou Jinru nodded with satisfaction and wrote on the paper: *My friends say I look handsome. Actually, they all harbor personal feelings for me, but I really am very handsome, and there's nothing I can do about it.*

Another failure.

Clearly, he had been so close, yet why wasn't he moved at all? If it were the past...

"Ansel."

Zhou Jinru suddenly called out to Ansel, who was slowly backing away. The Cattus girl's drooping ears instantly perked up as she gazed at him with eager anticipation.

"Long time no see. I won't say much else, but how are you adjusting to life in Lungmen?"

He couldn't keep ignoring this poor girl; he had to offer her some warmth, no matter what.

"It's actually alright. The people in Lungmen are quite nice."

Ansel lowered her head slightly, her toes gently nudging a non-existent pebble on the floor. Her hands twisted together anxiously, and her voice grew softer and softer.

"I don't think it's alright. During the few days I've been in Lungmen, I've frequently witnessed the locals' hostility toward the Infected."

Zhou Jinru gripped his pen, looking intently at Ansel with a burning gaze, and continued, "When you went to Rhodes Island back then, it was mainly because Rhodes Island and Lungmen had mutual diplomatic interests. Having all three L.G.D. senior superintendents go to Rhodes Island probably wasn't feasible, so they threw in a couple of extra people as padding."

"Doctor! What are you talking about?!"

Vigna shouted sharply, attempting to cut him off.

Zhou Jinru raised a hand to stop her and went on, "One was Snowsant, sent by Lady Wei Yanwu, and the other was Aak—wait, no, Firewatch... no, Shaw, from the Fire and Disaster Rescue Division."

A burning heat flushed across Ansel's cheeks. Her eye sockets welled up with tears, and though she desperately wanted to run away, her legs seemed to betray her, refusing to budge.

"As for you, Ansel, Ch'en brought you along because Rhodes Island had put forward a proposal at the time: we needed a professional in intelligence gathering, and she recommended you."

The tip of the pen in Zhou Jinru's hand gently tapped the desktop as he slowly continued, "You've always viewed yourself as a mere transaction between Lungmen and Rhodes Island. I disagree with that notion. You are not a piece of merchandise sold off by Lungmen; you are a living, breathing human being with free will, not cargo to be bought and sold."

"As a matter of principle, we oppose human trafficking in any form or shape."

"I am willing to help any Operator discover their own worth rather than ostracizing them with strange looks. If Lungmen always makes you feel uncomfortable, you are welcome to return to Rhodes Island. I sit in the Personnel Department for half an hour every day, and I hope to see your resume there one day."

"Also, your lipstick looks great. Remember to tell me the shade number."