Hey! I'll Make You a Bowl of Noodles!

A bunch of capitalists.

Not to mention,

there would definitely be all kinds of scheming and infighting within the company.

Lin Nai had no desire to play out The Legend of Zhen Huan when the time came. That would be way too messed up.

With a brain like his,

he wouldn't even survive a single episode of The Legend of Zhen Huan.

So there was no point bringing it up!

When it came to intelligence, Lin Nai had always been very self-aware.

Besides,

Lin Nai didn't think that if he really went to the company, Asta wouldn't find a way to help him.

At the very least, she wouldn't let him suffer.

But was that really a good thing?

If Asta helped him, at best it would just be a favor between friends. But if someone with ulterior motives blew it out of proportion...

it would turn into some messy issue about interfering with the company's personnel arrangements or whatever.

And some people would definitely try to use him to get to Asta.

How would that be any different from dragging Asta back into the mire she had worked so hard to escape?

So Lin Nai could never go to that place.

Well, not absolutely never.

Lin Nai had once pondered this with his earth-shattering wisdom.

The conclusion was...

as long as he gained the power to break the rules someday, he could just get right in their faces!

Rules! Were made to be broken!!

And there was one more thing.

Working a job was impossible~ He'd never work a job in this lifetime.

He didn't know how to do business either. Only Black Tower could sustain his life~

Asta didn't really mind.

Or rather, if she hadn't wanted to avoid hiding it from Lin Nai, worrying that he would be unhappy if he found out she had concealed it from him later,

she would have rejected Topaz for Lin Nai the instant she saw the message.

Though the final result hadn't changed anyway.

Asta's smile widened. "All right, then I'll help you turn her down."

"Thanks, Asta."

After that,

Asta handled Space Station work with one hand, replied to messages with the other, and still had time to chat with Lin Nai now and then.

As for that,

Lin Nai's assessment was: Asta, you're incredible. You can multitask three ways.

"By the way, it's almost noon. Asta, want to go get something to eat together?"

He hadn't even eaten breakfast.

He was already starving...

Asta didn't refuse. She put down her work and left with Lin Nai for the cafeteria.

Hey! I'll Make You a Bowl of Noodles!

As they walked,

Asta looked exhausted, which made Lin Nai curious.

"What's wrong? It's rare to see you this tired."

In Lin Nai's impression, Asta rarely looked like this.

Even when she was off work, Asta was like an ordinary girl... an ordinary rich girl, but she was still always full of energy.

Asta let out a deep sigh and said troubledly, "I don't know what's going on. A lot of the researchers have been listless lately."

"Isn't that normal?"

Lin Nai didn't think much of it. Most researchers who joined Herta Space Station were either technology fanatics or Herta's diehard fans.

And most of those people were workaholics.

There were rarely any slackers. Wen Shiqi, who usually rested in the Core Passage, was one of the few exceptions.

Even in the Security Department, under Arlan's supervision, there were hardly any lazybones at all.

"Forget it, let's talk about something interesting." Asta changed the subject. "Come to think of it, Lin Nai, you seem pretty close with Miss Topaz."

"We're just kind of familiar, kind of familiar~"

Asta looked at him teasingly. "It's my first time seeing her invite someone so frequently."

She was really curious.

What exactly was going on between those two?

"Well...

Lin Nai put both hands behind his head and said,

"We just talk about pets and play Aetherium Wars together. We got familiar after spending time together, that's all."

Sometimes, Lin Nai also treated Topaz's pets.

Hmm...

Come to think of it, was that woman planning to make him her personal doctor or something?

Gulp!

Don't even think about that!!

"Besides, my relationship with Topaz is completely pure."

Topaz occasionally came to Herta Space Station. Sometimes she came to see Asta, and sometimes she came to collect debts.

Then, through a bit of coincidence, Lin Nai got to know that animal-loving girl.

As for that coincidence...

it was Zhazha.

When Lin Nai saw a Trotter back then, his Star Rail DNA kicked in, and he wanted to see whether that thing would drop some coins.

So he went into stealth mode, planning to take Zhazha out.

But Topaz spotted him halfway through.

To make things less awkward, Lin Nai could only claim that he wanted to give Zhazha a checkup.

Luckily, he was technically a medical researcher at Herta Space Station.

Thanks to the system, he supposed.

"Yes, yes, completely pure."

Asta clasped her hands behind her back and muttered softly, "Obviously, my relationship with him is closer, right? After all, I was here first."

Ever since those two met,

whenever Topaz came to the Space Station to collect a debt from Madam Herta, she would stay behind for a while to play with Lin Nai.

In the past, once Asta paid up, Topaz would promptly head for her next destination to collect another debt.

Now, things were completely different.

"Hmm? What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Hearing that, Lin Nai didn't pay it any mind and continued chatting with Asta about another topic.

Before long,

the two arrived at the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was bustling with people.

Although the Space Station had fried rice robots, most people still came here to eat.

Maybe that hadn't been the case in the past...

Lin Nai recalled the old days.

He still remembered that when he had first arrived, the food in the staff cafeteria could truly be described as... beyond words.

For example, dried earthworms in all kinds of flavors. Back then, the researchers at Herta Space Station even treated that stuff as a staple food!!!

When Lin Nai first arrived, his face nearly turned green from fright.

Eating that stuff?

He'd rather turn into a herbivore and eat the landscaping at Herta Space Station!

Come on, even before transmigrating, he couldn't accept eating bugs, not even silkworm pupae or anything like that.

Even though that damned stuff supposedly cleared internal heat, reduced inflammation, and was said to replenish deficiencies.

Lin Nai just couldn't accept it physically.

He would throw up.

He really would throw up.

Could anyone imagine how it felt to sit in an exquisite restaurant, only for the staple food to be dried earthworms in various flavors?

There was a trace of absurdity amid the elegance!

It was as out of place as a marinated egg on spaghetti.

It was as bizarre as knife-cut noodles served with steak.

It was as ridiculous as putting chocolate sauce and soda into a serving of rice noodle rolls!!

Oh, my Three Pure Ones, if anyone tried to make him eat those damned dried earthworms, he swore he would kick them to death with his boots!

He had gone off topic.

Afterward, Lin Nai negotiated a small condition with Herta in exchange for improving the Space Station's food.

Lin Nai: Herta, you wouldn't want your unfinished experiment to starve to death, would you?

Well.

Herta very much didn't want that, since she had been deeply interested in Lin Nai at the time.

If he suddenly went on a hunger strike and starved to death, that would be no fun.

So...