Just a Humble Lapdog (Seeking Recommendations)

Fang Cheng slammed his chopsticks onto the table and barked at Kanzaki Rin, "Didn't I tell you not to come over?"

Kanzaki Rin: "Huh?"

Kujo Go: "Huh?"

Maeda Kenichi: "Huh?"

Fang Cheng turned to the two men and said, "Sorry about that. I saw you two through the peephole and got a bit nervous, so I messaged Rin to ask what was going on. I didn't expect her to just run over here."

The statement was so shocking that Maeda Kenichi and Kujo Go bolted upright from their chairs.

Kujo Go was left gaping, while Maeda Kenichi was so stunned he started stuttering: "Y-y-you... what is your relationship??"

He didn't have much interaction with Kanzaki Rin, but he knew how highly sought-after this rising star was among the interns, with suitors even including many full-fledged members.

He never imagined she was keeping a wild man on the side—or rather, that she had a boyfriend.

If this news got back to the department, wouldn't it trigger a bloodbath?

"What kind of relationship do we have?"

Fang Cheng smiled faintly and answered truthfully, "We're just ordinary friends. There's nothing between us."

I'll believe that when pigs fly. You're even calling each other by name, and you dare say it's just an ordinary relationship?

Fang Cheng gestured toward Kanzaki Rin with his chin. "If you don't believe me, ask her."

Maeda Kenichi and Kujo Go turned their heads in unison.

Kanzaki Rin had calmed down by now and realized that Fang Cheng was trying to provide her with an out.

However, by intentionally phrasing it so ambiguously, wasn't he just making it easier for people to misunderstand?

Facing the inquisitive gazes of Maeda Kenichi and Kujo Go, Kanzaki Rin had no choice but to follow Fang Cheng's lead to avoid any further mishaps, given their lack of chemistry.

She reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded gently. "Yes, we're just ordinary friends. I was worried you might misunderstand, so I came over to check."

"I see."

Maeda Kenichi put on an expression of sudden realization, though he didn't believe a word of it.

If they were just ordinary friends, a phone call would have sufficed; why bother coming in person? It was clear she was worried sick.

He interpreted Kanzaki Rin's silence after entering as the panic of someone whose secret affair had been exposed.

"Since you're a friend of Kanzaki's, then there's certainly no problem. Sorry for the intrusion, we'll be taking our leave now..."

Maeda Kenichi said, while signaling to the dazed Kujo Go.

"What's the rush? Sit down and have some morning tea before you go."

Fang Cheng said with a smile, then shouted at Kanzaki Rin: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and wash the dishes."

Maeda Kenichi and Kujo Go were both shaken; that tone was just begging for a beating.

Kanzaki Rin was such a proud and independent girl in the Countermeasure Department—would she really let someone ride roughshod over her like this?

Yet, the expected outburst from Kanzaki Rin never came.

She took a deep breath, looking like a long-suffering wife, walked over slowly, gathered the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen sink, and began washing them with practiced ease.

Maeda Kenichi and Kujo Go watched in stunned silence, especially when they saw Kanzaki Rin instinctively reach under the counter for the dish soap.

Just how many times have you washed dishes here to be this proficient?

Kujo Go looked as if his entire worldview was crumbling.

Fang Cheng even explained to them, "She always comes over to mooch off my meals, so she washes the dishes in exchange. There really is nothing between us."

"I get it! I get it!"

Maeda Kenichi replied perfunctorily, nearly laughing out loud.

Do you take me for a fool? You think you can fool me with that?

He grabbed the shell-shocked Kujo Go and hurriedly took his leave.

If they stayed any longer, the poor junior might have his entire perception of reality shattered.

Fang Cheng said to Kanzaki Rin, "Go see your colleagues out. You're a grown woman, have some social awareness."

Kanzaki Rin glared at him, wishing she could grab a kitchen knife and hack him to death on the spot.

She suppressed her rage, wiped her hands, and walked her two colleagues to the door.

The three of them walked in silence through the hallway until they reached the elevator, where Maeda Kenichi finally couldn't help but speak up: "Kanzaki... you... it's not worth it, really."

In his eyes, Kanzaki Rin was clearly the submissive party in her 'relationship' with Fang Cheng, being bossed around like a total doormat.

With so many promising young talents in the Countermeasure Department, Kanzaki Rin could have a line of suitors at her beck and call in a heartbeat.

Why stoop to being someone's doormat?

Did that insufferable young man inside really possess some virtue that made Kanzaki Rin willing to debase herself just to be with him?

"If you have some hidden hardship... we understand."

Kujo Go suddenly came back to life, looking at Kanzaki Rin with hopeful eyes, wishing for her to explain that there must have been some unavoidable reason.

What else could Kanzaki Rin say?

She had no choice but to swallow her pride and force a nonchalant expression: "There's no hidden agenda; I'm happy to do it."

That single phrase, "I'm happy to do it," struck like a bolt of lightning, turning Kujo Go completely ashen.

Even Maeda Kenichi, who hadn't really harbored any thoughts about Kanzaki Rin, felt as if he had bitten into a lemon, his teeth aching from the sheer sourness.

How could such a fresh, vibrant cabbage be rooted up by a wild boar from the outside, and one she was so devoted to, at that?

Kanzaki Rin looked at the two of them: "I hope you two won't speak of today's events to anyone else."

Maeda Kenichi quickly promised: "Of course, rest assured. We aren't the type to run our mouths."

If this news leaked, it would cause such a massive stir, and there was no benefit to them in offending anyone by spreading it.

After Kanzaki Rin turned and left, the dazed Kujo Go finally couldn't help but cover his face with his hands, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

He was one of those secretly in love with Kanzaki Rin, but unfortunately, this romance had vanished into thin air before it even began.

Maeda Kenichi reached out and patted Kujo Go on the shoulder, sighing in deep understanding of his current mood.

Love truly makes one blind.

The goddess you worship might just be a pathetic, fawning sycophant to someone else behind closed doors.

The pathetic sycophant Kanzaki Rin returned home and glared at Fang Cheng: "Are you having fun playing these games?"

Fang Cheng laughed heartily: "Can't you tell if I'm having fun or not?"

Seeing Kanzaki Rin's expression darken further, Fang Cheng reined it in: "You really have no conscience. Wasn't I helping you out of a tight spot?"

Kanzaki Rin gritted her teeth: "Of course I know that, otherwise I would have hacked you to death already."

It was precisely because Fang Cheng was helping her that Kanzaki Rin had managed to endure until now; otherwise, she would have turned on him long ago.

The bastard had intentionally led Maeda Kenichi and Kujo Go to let their imaginations run wild, and now they mistakenly believed she was nothing more than Fang Cheng's pathetic, fawning sycophant.

Her lifelong reputation was ruined, all at the hands of this bastard.

Seeing signs that Kanzaki Rin might be reaching a breaking point, Fang Cheng stopped provoking her and brought up business: "You mentioned on the phone that they came here looking for vampires because of a tip-off. What's going on with that?"

At the mention of business, Kanzaki Rin's expression turned serious: "Yes, someone reported it anonymously. I suspect your identity has been leaked. Have you revealed your immortal body to anyone recently?"

"No."

Fang Cheng spread his hands innocently: "I haven't stepped out of the house lately; I'm basically like a kept man hidden away by someone."

"Are you really trying to pick a fight with me?"

"Don't be angry, I'm just mocking myself. You're responsible for my three meals a day, humiliating me with 'charity food' every day—isn't that basically keeping me as a lover?"

"You could always refuse!"

"Don't say that, I think being a kept man is a very promising career."

The two discussed it for a while without finding any leads, so they had to leave it to Kanzaki Rin to secretly investigate the identity of the anonymous informant.

"By the way, how is your vampire hunting operation going?"

Fang Cheng asked again. Kanzaki Rin hadn't provided any updates for days, and Fang Cheng hadn't seen any relevant news online either.

At the mention of this, Kanzaki Rin's expression turned solemn: "The operation failed. Someone tipped off the vampires we had tracked down in advance, and now they've all gone into hiding."