What happened to our meal?
Is your family's canteen located in the water?
“I’m sorry,” Rick’s colleague pushed up his glasses. “He’s mentally ill.”
"Who are you cursing!" Rick swam thirty meters away with a clumsy freestyle stroke, raised his arms and shouted angrily.
When Rick finally swam back and forth and climbed ashore, panting, his bespectacled colleague had already arranged the benches facing each other on the shore. The four of them sat down, and he took a lunchbox out of his bag; inside were seaweed rolls.
"Don't be shy, take it!" Rick tossed his head cheerfully. "I made this myself, to treat you to some!"
"..." Wen Zheng thought numbly, "I didn't particularly deserve this honor."
Holding seaweed rolls wider and longer than their palms, Wenzheng and Wendy munched on them while listening to Rick complain about the inhumane treatment of the game company, Living Space.
"I haven't swum in three years," Rick said sadly, tossing his hair. "I can't take a break at all. I'm either fixing bugs or on my way to fix bugs. Every summer and autumn, I'm so busy I'm going bald. Look, look at my honey's hairline!"
Rick reached out and brushed his bespectacled colleague's bangs back, only to have his hand slapped away.
After three bites of the seaweed roll, a whole new world unfolded inside. As expected of the little boss's handmade creation, it contained crab meat, crab roe, lobster, dried scallops, ham, shredded tofu, and all sorts of strange ingredients that the Allied nations knew about Xia Kingdom.
If you don't look inside, it doesn't taste too bad.
Wen Zheng used his small knife to cut off the back half of the seaweed roll, then divided it into small pieces. He laid the parchment paper flat, stuck toothpicks in it, and fed the cat small pieces one by one.
Rick stared in disbelief, pinched his colleague's glasses, and muttered, "Honey, I want that kind of service too."
My bespectacled colleague said coldly, "Are you a cat?"
Rick: "…………"
Rick, with his blond hair and blue eyes, is handsome and seems unreliable at first glance, but he's actually quite good at livening up the atmosphere. After a lot of casual conversation, he managed to get a lot of information out of Wenzheng and Wendy.
“I remember you.” He chuckled and sucked his finger, looking at Wen Zheng: “You received our Outstanding Contribution Award.”
Only a dozen or so people worldwide receive this award each year, so it's not surprising that Rick would remember it.
"You, a newbie, found an architectural logic error that our entire production team missed in just half an hour. That's really impressive. To this day, Lilith, the architect at the time, still thinks about you. A few days ago, she saw your picture in the news and actually asked me for annual leave to come and chase her dream... Are you kidding me? How could I possibly agree!?" Rick proudly patted his chest: "I've already run away. If she runs away too, who will do the work?"
A silent, cold wind blew by.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat. "Don't look at me like that. I'm usually very responsible and conscientious. I just wanted to say that our company is really short-staffed in terms of office architects, and programmers too. You two, would you like to consider...?"
Wendy took another hearty bite of the seaweed roll: "I'll pass. I've had enough of sitting. I just want to get moving. Being a security guard, oh no, a bodyguard would be great. As for Wen Zheng..."
She paused for a moment before saying, "You should understand."
Rick rarely composed himself, his face showing an unusual seriousness.
"Even if you used to work in a classified department, haven't you retired now? I don't understand why you guys care so much about this..."
"I haven't officially retired." Wen Zheng signed another seaweed roll for Dahei, without looking in Rick's direction: "Thank you for your kindness, if there's an opportunity in the future."
Rick sensed the slight regret in his voice and understood. Wen Zheng was a man with a story, a story Rick wasn't yet qualified to know.
He stopped asking questions and instead started talking about interesting things at the headquarters of the living space.
They were all rife with gossip, and even Wendy, who doesn't play games, got itchy to join in, cheering Rick on with words and actions for his "One more time, I'll tell you guys..."
Speaking of architects, Wen Zheng suddenly had a thought and asked, "Do you know May?"
Rick exclaimed, "May Yu! I know him! He's our honorary architect, he submits scripts every year, and this year another of his works has been nominated for platinum. What, are you interested in the architect's job?"
Wen Zheng shook his head, pretending he wasn't gossiping with the fans: "I just want to know if he's male or female, and what award he received back then?"
"It's a man," Rick said without any hesitation, "The weapon is Pandora's Box, which is different from the reward type for your player group. It can manipulate space and time within a certain range, but it also has many limitations. If used well, it's practically a bug."
"...Knowing it was a bug, why did you still do it?"
Rick sighed dramatically, "What else can he do, my darling? This is a special contribution award! But he doesn't play games often, so he won't disrupt your balance."
Male.
Wen Zheng and Wendy exchanged glances, and a wave of admiration welled up in Wen Zheng's heart.
At the time, Chengmei hadn't set up shared viewing; the so-called "Pandora's box" was just her way of putting it, and there was still a possibility it wasn't just one person. But if it really was one person, then...
That's so unique.
Wen Zheng was finding it hard to keep up.
After finishing the seaweed rolls, the harmonious and friendly dinner at the swimming pool could have ended. Rick, however, insisted on having a swimming contest with Wen.
With the recent cold snap, very few Rongcheng residents have the leisure to visit the swimming pool, but because the pool is large, there are still a few people on the track.
Wen Zheng initially wanted to refuse, but after being persuaded by the others, he had no choice but to buy a pair of swimming trunks to change into.
Dahei had been curled up on the bench with one eye open and two front paws tucked into its arms, looking sleepy after a good meal. But as soon as Wenzheng came out, its eyes widened immediately, and a distinct expression of disbelief appeared on its cat face.
What's wrong with this human?
It's one thing to stay naked at home, but to go out and collude with these people is another.
Haven't humans always been quite particular about these things?
"Wow—" Rick exclaimed, then whistled to express his excitement: "Can I take a picture of you in your swimsuit?"
“No,” Wen Zheng said coldly.
He wore black swim trunks with a chain pendant around his neck. His muscles, honed over many years of training, were perfectly defined—he had everything he needed without being overly exaggerated. It was a typical Asian physique.
Without waiting for Rick, Wen Zheng walked to the edge of the pool, jumped into the water, and darted five meters away like a fish.
"Ah! You jumped in!" Rick followed unwillingly and jumped in with a splash. Perhaps his voice was too loud, because a few other swimming enthusiasts also jumped into the water, each taking a lane to chase after Wen Zheng in the lead, making it look like a mini-race.
The pool is 100 meters long vertically. Wen Zheng swam back and forth, touched the wall with one hand, and floated out of the water with his head up.
Dahei squinted, looking at Wen Zheng under the bright light. Wen Zheng's profile was delicate and perfect, with straight eyelashes that drooped down. Water flowed down his hair, past the corners of his eyes, across his cheeks, and then over his chin, hitting his prominent Adam's apple.
It's just a human being, why does it need to be so good-looking?
It turned its head away uncomfortably, no longer looking at Wen Zheng's young and healthy body.
Wen Zheng wiped some of the water off his face, opened his eyes, and saw that the people he had left behind had arrived at the finish line one after another, with the poor otaku Rick being the last one.
Golden-haired Rick, panting heavily, loudly accused, "That's outrageous! What happened to the claim that the Xia people's physical fitness is poor?!"
A middle-aged man standing nearby laughed loudly: "Young man, how many years has it been? Do you still remember the old almanac? Besides, if you're not physically fit, why would you come to the swimming pool!"
Upon hearing this blunt truth, everyone laughed so hard they almost fell over. Just as the atmosphere was getting lively, the venue's loudspeaker suddenly came on.
"Temporary closure notice. Due to power maintenance, please leave as soon as possible..."
"Power maintenance?" one person asked curiously. "Why isn't it being done on a day when the museum is closed?"
"That's right, we haven't used up our allotted time yet, will the venue give us more?"
Wen Zheng also found it strange. Wendy hurried over with her phone in hand, squatted down and said, "Look, this is the maintenance notice page of our Rongcheng Power Bureau. There is no central swimming pool or sports park."
A staff member shouted from the doorway, "What are you waiting for! Come out quickly!"
"No, what's going on? Our session isn't over yet. Isn't it supposed to close at 12 o'clock? The power's still on!" one person shouted back.
"Oh, why worry about so much? Just leave when we tell you to. The more you know, the faster you'll die. Those who haven't reached their allotted time can get a free ticket at the front desk so they can come back next time, okay?"
The staff were rude, but most people didn't bother to argue and just wanted to leave.
But Wen Zheng and his group were inherently rebellious and wouldn't listen to him. Just as the staff were angrily saying they would call security, a lazy, hoarse voice called out from the main gate.
"Hey, there are still people here? Didn't we agree to have the whole place to ourselves...?"
The four people and the cat all looked towards the gate, but instead of seeing the male voice, they saw the kitten.
Not one, not two, but a whole group.
British Shorthair, American Shorthair, Ragdoll, Persian cat... all sorts of colors and breeds, numbering at least twenty or thirty. Each of them was on a leash, all gathered in one person's hand.
The owner of the hand took a step and finally appeared in front of them.
He was a young man with droopy eyes, single eyelids, small pupils, and dark circles under his eyes, who looked like he didn't have a regular sleep schedule.
He was wearing a beige zip-up sweatshirt, beach shorts, and a black baseball cap on his head, which he wore at an angle, perhaps to show how rebellious the head under the cap was?
"Oh, distinguished guests, please don't worry, they'll be leaving soon, they'll be leaving soon..." The staff member quickly stepped forward, trying to take the leash from the distinguished guest while winking at Wen Zheng and the others.
"Hey, wait!" The man pushed him away seriously: "These are my beloved cats. I've always taken care of them myself, otherwise they'll feel uneasy, they'll act up, and they won't understand my love!"
After saying that, he attached the ends of the ropes in his hand to the handles of the metal ladder leading up to the pool. The ropes were not long enough, and the edge of the pool was damp. The cats were all moving around restlessly, meowing, and refusing to sit or lie down.
"Oh my, are they cheering me on?" The distinguished guest beamed, then turned to the staff and said, "Look, aren't they especially concerned about me, their owner?"
The staff member wiped his sweat: "Um, yes, yes..."
The big black throat let out a displeased growl. Wen Zheng took a step back and placed his hand on its head reassuringly.
Wendy had been typing away on her phone, and suddenly spoke up: "I know, this person's name is Liu Yinhe, and he's the son of the chairman of Yinhe Pet Chain."
“Boring,” Rick suddenly said, walking to the bench, pulling out a t-shirt and casually putting it on. He ruffled his half-wet hair and said to Wen Zheng and the others, “I don’t want to be in the same space with this kind of idiot. I’m leaving.”
Wendy: "Okay, let's pack up and go too. Do you need a ride?"
“No need, I still have my honey.” Rick grinned again. “I’ve booked a flight back tomorrow morning, so I’ll say goodbye now. I still stand by what I said, you’re always welcome to come to Survival Space Game Company. If you change your mind anytime, just come find me!” He snapped his fingers, winked, and shuffled off in his clattering plastic slippers, gesturing for his bespectacled colleague to follow him.
"Please forgive him, he's sick." My bespectacled colleague greeted him, and then I heard Rick shout from afar—I heard him too!
The commotion here was quite loud; I wonder if Liu Yinhe, the distinguished guest sitting opposite me who was taking off her coat, heard it.
The staff member followed him the whole time and said something to him. Apart from saying that the venue was booked at the beginning, the other party did not cause any more trouble.
Wen Zheng and Wendy briefly discussed it and decided to leave first, since they had already finished what they needed to do that night.
"Alright, I've driven here, I'll take you home." Wendy tossed her big waves of hair, and suddenly Da Hei kicked the bag containing Wen Zheng's clothes off the bench, as if to say, "Then hurry up and get dressed!"
Wen Zheng picked up the bag, too lazy to go back to the changing room, and started putting on the clothes one by one. Just then, the "distinguished guest" opposite him suddenly walked over and made a loud "tsk".
"What kind of cat is this? How did you mix them?" The distinguished guest waved his hand to tease the big black cat, and said with a smile, "Its eyes are bright, its eyeliner is clean and upturned, its nose bridge is of moderate height, its body has no mixed colors, and it is very big... Looking closely, it is quite good. Is it a mixed breed from your own home?"
The big black dog didn't move at all, but Liu Yinhe's hand stopped in mid-air, unable to go any further.
Don't touch my cat.
Wen Zheng's hair was still dripping wet, but his eyes were sharper than ever before.
Liu Yinhe, who had originally intended to bully someone, suddenly shuddered and sheepishly withdrew her hand.
"Don't rush me, I won't touch it, but you have to answer me. Tell me honestly, and I'll give you 20,000. How about that? Don't be too greedy."
Wen Zheng stared at him intently: "So what if you know?"