Not Interested in You At All

Chapter 32: Really Not Interested in You

The body temperature of a normal human generally hovers around 36~37℃. Once that temperature fluctuates, whether it rises or falls, it causes damage to the human body.

A high fever of 40 degrees is something one can probably endure for a while.

But a body temperature below 30 degrees? Xiang Kun felt that one would be practically dead by then, wouldn't they?

Yet, his own constant body temperature was now 28 degrees.

Furthermore, he discovered that since his mutation, he seemed to have become less sensitive to changes in the surrounding temperature.

His other sensory capabilities had been enhanced, but his perception of temperature had actually declined—or perhaps, his adaptability had simply become stronger?

Although Xiang Kun's bodily functions were somewhat suppressed under the sun after sunrise, he felt nothing of the heat brought by the scorching sun; in fact, he was even more heat-resistant than before.

It was just like the hiking trip with Tang Baona and her group: everyone else was drenched in sweat, while he alone remained completely refreshed, sweating very little and feeling almost no intense heat.

Perhaps this meant that the suppression of his body after sunrise had nothing to do with the rise in temperature?

Xiang Kun quickly dismissed this speculation; not feeling the heat did not mean that the rise in ambient temperature was unrelated to the suppression of his bodily functions.

Xiang Kun knew there was a reason why human body temperature remained constant in the 36~37℃ range.

On one hand, over two-thirds of fungi in the natural world cannot survive in environments above 37 degrees, so this temperature reduces the chance of illness; on the other hand, if the temperature exceeds 37 degrees, the human body needs to consume more energy and ingest more food, which is equally unfavorable for survival.

Clearly, after his body mutated, he did not need to rely on an increase in temperature to kill fungi and reduce the chance of illness; his immune system must have become vastly different from that of an ordinary person.

At the same time, this body temperature might also be related to the fact that he did not need to consume any food other than fresh blood.

Xiang Kun did not continue to delve into the issue of body temperature. In any case, it was difficult for him to draw any conclusions for now. He simply recorded his temperature in his document and decided to measure it at regular intervals from now on, adding it to the list of data that needed to be recorded periodically.

The next day, August 5th, at 7:35 PM, at the expected time, the hunger descended once again.

Xiang Kun walked toward the rabbit he had prepared in advance, drained its blood, drank it, and cleaned up the carcass with swift, practiced efficiency.

However, after killing a rabbit and drinking 170ml of blood this time, he felt a very distinct, lingering hunger; he hadn't had enough.

But after looking at the remaining rabbit for a while, Xiang Kun hesitated for a moment and decided against killing it to drink more blood.

Before the drowsiness hit and he fell into a deep sleep, he sent WeChat messages to his parents and his tenant, explaining that he had things to take care of tomorrow and that his phone might be unreachable or go unanswered, so they should wait until the following night to contact him. This was to prevent them from worrying, coming over, or causing other issues if they couldn't reach him.

After returning from the hospital, Tang Baona lay half-reclined on the sofa, her sprained ankle propped up high.

Yang Zhen'er was busy setting out the takeout that had just arrived on the table.

"How is it? Feeling any better? Do you want me to feed you, Miss Tang?"

Tang Baona rolled her eyes at her, struggled to sit up from the sofa, and draped her foot over the coffee table.

"Hey, hey, there's food on here! Your foot smells so strong!" Yang Zhen'er quickly moved a small ottoman from the side for her to rest her foot on.

Tang Baona glared: "What did you say? Whose foot smells?"

Yang Zhen'er shrank her neck: "I didn't say your foot smelled, I meant the scent—the foot you had wrapped up, it has a strong smell!"

After serving the food for her friend and handing it to her, Yang Zhen'er asked again: "Do you want to call home and stay there for a while? I have to start work tomorrow, too, and I won't be able to take care of you."

Tang Baona pouted: "No way! I just got injured, and you're already sick of me?"

"How could I be sick of you? I'm just worried it'll be inconvenient for you to be home alone. Not to mention anything else, how are you going to go to the bathroom by yourself..."

"I..."

After the two laughed and joked for a while, the topic inevitably drifted toward Xiang Kun.

Yang Zhen'er said: "Hey, Nana, you said that 'Saitama-sensei' is clearly trained in martial arts—even Coach Zhang from the gym said he couldn't beat him—so why did he keep saying he hadn't when we asked? What was there to hide? And later, seeing how easily he carried you all the way back, that physical fitness... I feel like even professional athletes couldn't compare. Was he really just a programmer who worked overtime every day?"

Tang Baona also felt it was a bit strange. Moreover, while being carried on Xiang Kun's back, she had felt a constant chill radiating from him; Xiang Kun was like a human air conditioner, helping her dispel the heat. Xiang Kun had said he had a unique constitution—sensitive to cold but not heat—but she still felt that was hard to explain.

Beside her, Yang Zhen'er continued: "And earlier, when we were all eating together at noon, he said he'd already eaten two energy bars and wouldn't eat? He was even eating secretly; isn't that strange?"

"He told me he has weird habits when it comes to eating and is quite picky, so he doesn't like eating with others," Tang Baona explained.

Yang Zhen'er nodded: "No wonder he wouldn't stay for dinner. But weird as he is, at least he isn't fake. He basically says what's on his mind, unlike that returnee you went on a blind date with last time, who started bragging about who he knew in the UK and what places he'd been to before he'd even finished a few sentences, saying his company was going to list on NASDAQ, blah blah blah..."

It turned out that when they were in the car, she had deliberately asked those seemingly worldly and "let them eat cake" types of questions to provoke Xiang Kun. But to her surprise, Xiang Kun hadn't cared at all; if he was short on money, he said he was short on money; if he was unemployed, he said he was unemployed; if he was losing his hair, he said he was losing his hair. He didn't try to hide or evade anything.

However, it was precisely because Xiang Kun was so direct and honest that Yang Zhen'er couldn't understand: wouldn't the martial arts question have been a perfect opportunity for him to show off? Why deny it?

"Nana, let's get Lao Xia involved and have her weigh in—see if there's actually a chance between you and 'Saitama-sensei'?" Yang Zhen'er sat down next to Tang Baona and suggested.

"No! I've already told you, he and I are just ordinary friends. We might not even be in touch after this!" Tang Baona said immediately.

"No way, he carried you for so long today and brought you back safely from miles away, and you're already saying 'we won't be in touch'? Isn't that a bit like burning bridges after crossing them?"

"Hey!" Tang Baona glared at her, reaching out to pinch her.

She quickly raised both hands in surrender: "Fine, fine, just ordinary friends, okay? But don't you think he's a little mysterious?"

"What's so mysterious about him? Aside from the martial arts question, didn't he answer everything else you asked? And maybe he really hasn't trained in martial arts; maybe he's just naturally fit?"

"Even though everything seems normal, I just feel like he's someone you can't quite see through. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but don't tell me you don't feel it too! Let's introduce him to Lao Xia. She specializes in psychology and has a sharp eye; she'll definitely be able to tell something."

"Then you invite him; you added him on WeChat, didn't you?"

"Why would I invite him? He's not my blind date... Fine, fine, ordinary friends. You invite him, you have a better excuse—say you're thanking him for carrying you back today and want to treat him to a meal..."

"He doesn't like eating with people."

"Then invite him to play cards! How about tomorrow night? Come over to the house!"

Tang Baona had no choice but to send a hesitant WeChat message. After a while, she received a reply and handed the phone to Yang Zhen'er with an expressionless face.

Looking at the eight characters in Xiang Kun's reply—"Sorry, I have things to do tomorrow"—Yang Zhen'er was stunned for a moment and muttered to herself: "Nana, it looks like he's really not interested in you..."