Chapter 169: The Illusion of Flirting with a Blind Person
Shen Lu turned and gave Ye Fan a few instructions, telling them to take care of Fang Peng’s body. If Wang Daguo came by, they were to tell him what had happened.
If he didn’t, they were to leave Fang Peng’s body for now; she would deal with it when she returned.
Xue Can had said he wouldn’t wait for Shen Lu, but he still slowed his steps on the way downstairs. Only after Shen Lu finished her instructions and hurried to catch up did he speed up again.
The research institute was in the Upper City District. Fortunately, Shen Lu had a pass that the Bai Family had helped her obtain—one that allowed unlimited entries for half a month.
’The Shen Family is so stingy,’ she thought. ’Just look at the Bai Family. Now that’s generous.’
The streets were flooded, so the rickshaws weren’t running. Shen Lu had no choice but to follow Xue Can on foot.
The man was tall with long legs, and carrying the glass case didn’t affect his speed. KUKU, he just strode forward, and Shen Lu had a hard time keeping up.
She couldn’t very well ask him to slow down, so she bit her lip and forced herself to go faster.
It took them two and a half hours to reach the checkpoint. After passing through, the road conditions improved significantly. Sanitation workers were busy clearing the floodwater from the streets, and their method was simple and crude.
They were just using pumps to drain the water and dump it into the Lower City District. Shen Lu thought it was completely fucked up.
"Mr. Xue, shouldn’t we take a taxi?" Shen Lu suggested.
It was about fourteen or fifteen kilometers from the checkpoint to the institute. If she had to walk, she really wouldn’t make it.
Xue Can’s gaze swept over Shen Lu’s drenched and slightly pale face. He sighed softly. "The taxi won’t fit the glass case. You take it. I’ll walk."
"Okay!" Shen Lu agreed without a second thought. She happily hailed a taxi and went on ahead, waiting for Xue Can at the entrance of the Biological Research Institute.
She didn’t have to wait long for Xue Can to arrive. With the mutant beast in the glass case, the two of them entered the institute smoothly. A staff member asked them to wait for a moment in the reception room.
The air conditioning in the institute was set a bit low. Since her clothes were almost completely soaked, the cold air made Shen Lu sneeze several times in a row.
She rubbed her arms, which were cold enough to be covered in goosebumps, and muttered under her breath, "It’s like a morgue in here."
Xue Can turned his head, his hand suddenly reaching for her.
Shen Lu instinctively recoiled. It couldn’t be helped; this wasn’t the first or second time Xue Can had suddenly made a move on her. The moment she saw his hand reach out, her body would naturally tense up in defense.
But the man only grasped her wrist. He didn’t mean to harm her, so the damage-reflection privilege wasn’t triggered.
’What is he trying to do?’
Just as Shen Lu was wondering, a comfortable warmth spread through her. Her eyes widened as she stared at the thick steam rising from her body.
Two minutes later, all of her wet clothes were dry, and her cold limbs had warmed up.
’He... used his superpower to dry my clothes and warm my body?’
’Since when did Xue Can become so considerate?’
Shen Lu tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion and curiosity.
Xue Can averted his face unnaturally. He had intended to ignore her, but her stare was too blatant. The man’s gaze drifted downward as he said flatly, "What is it?"
"Thank you." Shen Lu gave him a sweet smile. "Mr. Xue, you’re truly professional."
’It’s probably not that he’s being considerate,’ she thought. ’I’m a client of his Mercenary Corps now. Isn’t it only natural to take care of a client?!’
Xue Can choked, suddenly feeling like he had just tried to flirt with a blind person.
He would never do something like that proactively, unless a client requested it.
’Shen Lu really is...’
’No, wait, what am I complaining about?’
Xue Can retracted his gaze, his tone stiff. "Mm."
The wait was a bit long. Shen Lu sat obediently for a while before getting up. The meeting room wasn’t large; she could circle it in less than a minute. Feeling sneaky, Shen Lu decided she wanted to go out and look around. But the moment she opened the door, she came face-to-face with a security guard outside.
"Please do not wander around," the guard said sternly, looking at Shen Lu as if she were a criminal.
’Are they really this strict?’
Shen Lu pouted and gave a reason he couldn’t refuse: "I need to use the restroom."
The guard stared at Shen Lu for a second, then nodded. "Please follow me."
Shen Lu had no choice but to follow the guard to the women’s restroom.
"I remember the way back. You don’t have to wait at the door, Officer."
The guard stated robotically, "You have a maximum of 20 minutes in the restroom. If you’re not out after 20 minutes, I will come in to find you."
Shen Lu: !
’Hey, hey, hey, what is this? They even time your bathroom breaks?’
’What if I were constipated!’
Shen Lu was cursing a blue streak internally, but on the surface, she just grinned. "Okay, okay, I get it."
Inside the restroom, Shen Lu felt a major headache coming on.
She had originally thought that by coming along, she could scout out the institute, but it turned out there was no chance at all.
The security here was far stricter than Shen Lu had imagined. Their wariness of outsiders was at maximum, leaving her no opportunity to wander around.
Shen Lu hadn’t come to the restroom entirely as a pretext; she really did have to pee. After taking care of business and washing her hands, she noticed a girl about her age, wearing a white lab coat, also washing her hands at the mirror.
Through the mirror, Shen Lu got a clear look at the other person’s face, as well as the nameplate on her chest.
Level 1 Researcher: Li Qin
Shen Lu once again felt a pang of regret. If only the guard wasn’t standing watch at the door, she could have disguised herself as this researcher named Li Qin and gone out for a bit.
Li Qin finished washing her hands and was about to leave when someone called out to her from behind.
"Miss, wait a second."
Li Qin turned around to see a girl with delicate features in ordinary clothes. She wasn’t from the institute.
"Can I help you?" Li Qin asked.
Shen Lu pointed to the hem of her coat. "Miss, it looks like you got your period."
Li Qin frowned and glanced down. Sure enough, she saw a faint red stain on the hem of her coat.
’Damn it, why did my period have to start right now?’
The girl handed her a sanitary pad. "Here, use this."
Li Qin was a little embarrassed. "Thank you so much. How much is it? I’ll transfer you the money."
’This girl looks like her family isn’t well-off. I’ll take the pad, but I have to pay her for it.’
Shen Lu slyly put her Light Brain into her System Warehouse and said with an innocent face, "Oh, Miss, I don’t have a Light Brain."
"Then wait for me a moment." She didn’t have a habit of carrying cash, but she had some in her office.
Shen Lu nodded obediently.
Li Qin came out quickly, having also briefly dealt with the bloodstain, and then led Shen Lu out of the restroom.
The guard waiting outside was getting impatient. He was counting down the seconds; there were only ten left until the 20-minute mark.
Once time was up, if Shen Lu still hadn’t come out, he was going to charge in and find her.
"What took you so long?!" the guard scolded Shen Lu fiercely.
Shen Lu glanced at Li Qin with a wronged expression. Li Qin frowned. "Why are you being so aggressive?"
"Researcher Li, she..." The guard tried to explain, but Li Qin had no patience to listen. "She needs to come with me. You don’t have to follow."
"That’s against the rules."
"She’s just a girl. What trouble could she cause?" Li Qin’s patience ran out. "If something really does happen, the responsibility will be mine."
The guard seemed to hold Li Qin in high regard. Hearing her say this, he didn’t dare to talk back any further. He grunted an "Oh," and turned to leave.