I returned to my room, and Yan Rou actually followed me in.
"Is there anything else?" I looked at her. She sat down directly in a chair and held out her hand. "Can you give me a cigarette?"
I handed her one and lit it for her. She took a drag and blew out a perfectly round smoke ring.
"Did you used to smoke often?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, this is my first time. Did you ask because you saw the smoke ring I blew?"
I nodded. The way she smoked made her look exactly like an old smoker.
She smiled. "I was imitating you. As long as you put your mind to learning, it shouldn't be that difficult."
I couldn't help clicking my tongue. Not difficult? I had put in plenty of effort before I could blow smoke rings like that.
"What is it?" I asked. This was already the second time I had asked. I believed she hadn't followed me to my room just to ask for a cigarette.
She sighed. "It's nothing. I just wanted to talk to you. Even though I agreed to cooperate with you, I still feel awful inside, you know? I feel like I've betrayed my people. The feeling is making it hard for me to breathe."
I said nothing and simply watched her. Sure enough, this was what it was about.
It was perfectly normal for her to feel guilty. If she felt nothing, I would have been suspicious instead.
She looked up at me. "You said this would be good for my people too. Is that true?"
I answered seriously, "You can judge for yourself whether it's true. According to R9, the Returners of your race should rule this world, right? He never said it outright, but I