But this did not seem to have much to do with him. After all, he was only a part-timer. How could he possibly clock in and out on time? He could forget about perfect attendance!
"Oh? Are you the newcomer Doctor mentioned?"
Just then, Ling Xi suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the living room sofa.
Ling Xi looked over and found a long-haired girl sitting on the sofa. She had a distinctive hairstyle, blue hair ornaments, and... blue eyes.
"You're... Cangxuan, right?"
Ling Xi recognized her at first glance. It could not be helped—being a successor of "Zu Chongzhi," he had once eagerly hoped for his ancestor to become playable. Yet he waited and waited. Eventually, the elf lady and Snake from the Pre-Collapse Civilization became playable, and even World Serpent executives joined the roster, but there was never any news of his ancestor.
Still, when Yun Mo was released, the little ancestor puppet finally appeared. Well... her strength could not exactly be called exceptional, but she was incredibly versatile. She could unlock all her core abilities at two stars, making her without question the top elemental puppet choice for free-to-play players!
"Mm, it seems Senior Sister Klein has already told you about us."
Although Cangxuan was slightly surprised that Ling Xi had called her by name immediately, she was not particularly taken aback.
"What's going on? What's going on?"
At that moment, Danzhu ran out of one of the laboratories. When she saw Ling Xi, she immediately asked curiously, "Eh? You're... Ling Xi?"
"That's right, I'm Ling Xi."
Ling Xi smiled at Danzhu. "Danzhu, Cangxuan, please take care of me from now on."
"Hehe, don't worry, don't worry. We'll definitely look after you. Besides..."
Danzhu grinned. "That means I'm not the youngest person in the lab anymore, right? Ling Xi, from now on... you have to call me Senior Sister."
Ling Xi: "..." Judging by their ages, they did not seem older than him...
And these two were ordinary people, not some approachable Immortal from Shenzhou who could live for fifty-five thousand years. So however old they looked, that had to be their actual age. There was no way they could be like the world's shortest person!
"Ling Xi, don't mind her."
Cangxuan calmly said, "Just call us by our names. In this laboratory, only Klein can be called Senior Sister. There's no need for us to fuss over such things."
"Sure, no problem."
Ling Xi immediately smiled and nodded slightly before asking, "By the way, are Doctor and Senior Sister Klein here?"
"They are. They're in Laboratory Three."
Cangxuan pointed to the third room. It was one of the laboratories Mobius frequented, but right after saying that, Cangxuan quickly added, "But I'd advise you not to go in right now."
"Hm? Why?"
Ling Xi was a little puzzled.
"Because Doctor hates being interrupted when she's doing research."
Danzhu immediately explained, "If Doctor is in a good mood, it might be fine. But if she's in a bad mood, then the person who interrupted her research... well... might become Doctor's test subject the next day."
Ling Xi: "..." Hey, was it really that exaggerated?
"Don't listen to Danzhu's nonsense. Doctor isn't as scary as the rumors make her out to be..."
Cangxuan spoke up as well, rubbing her forehead. "Still, even if Doctor isn't that terrifying, Danzhu is right about one thing. Doctor really hates having her research interrupted."
"Mm... I think I understand."
Ling Xi nodded in understanding. Research was Mobius's hobby. It was like someone who loved playing League suddenly getting interrupted in the middle of a game—anyone would be in a bad mood.
Reunion.jpg
Doctor Never Played Favorites?
After listening to Danzhu and Cangxuan's explanations, Ling Xi gave the matter some thought.
But after hesitating for a while, Ling Xi still said, "Cangxuan, if... Doctor texted me and told me to come find her, do you think I should go see her now?"
"Hm?"
Hearing Ling Xi's words, Cangxuan seemed to freeze for a moment. "Doctor really asked you to come over?"
"Yeah!"
Ling Xi took out his phone, opened the chat window, and smiled. "Here, look."
Earlier, after having lunch with Seele, Ling Xi had received a message from Mobius. The general meaning was that she had a task for him and told him to come find her in the afternoon if he had time. He had already planned to do so anyway. He had no classes that afternoon, so he came over immediately.
In the end, he had not seen Mobius, but instead met Cangxuan and Danzhu. They had even explained to him the horrifying consequences of interrupting Mobius's research!
So Ling Xi was a little hesitant. Should he follow Mobius's instructions and go find her, or... wait a while until Klein or Mobius came out?
"This..."
Cangxuan and Danzhu exchanged a glance. In the end, Cangxuan said, "We're not sure either. Under normal circumstances, Doctor would not take the initiative to look for us. There's no helping it—Senior Sister Klein can handle everything for Doctor."
"How about we wait a little? It's not even one in the afternoon yet."
Danzhu suggested waiting. She knew all too well of Doctor Mobius's reputation. Besides, although much of Mobius's research had unclear significance, quite a bit of it was important. It would be a shame to interrupt it recklessly.
"If we're only waiting a while, that's fine..."
Cangxuan nodded thoughtfully, but then added, "However, when Doctor gets serious, she can stay in the laboratory for days without leaving. So I don't know how long she'll stay inside this time..."
"Uh..."
Danzhu froze for a moment before finally looking at Ling Xi. "How about... you give it a try?"
Ling Xi: "..." Did she have to change her mind so quickly?
"There's another way."
Cangxuan suddenly thought of something. "Milk tea."
"Milk tea?"
Ling Xi was clearly bewildered!
"Yes, milk tea!"
Cangxuan nodded with great certainty. "Milk tea is the most wonderful thing in the world. Its sweet taste can dispel the gloom in one's heart and brighten one's mood. So whenever you're unhappy, all you need is a sweet cup of milk tea to feel better."
"Wait..."
Ling Xi quickly interrupted Cangxuan and asked, "So what does that have to do with the current situation?"
"It does."
Cangxuan calmly said, "Doctor likes milk tea, especially... Pudding Milk Tea!"
"Mm..."
In an instant, Ling Xi seemed to understand. "Buy the milk tea before seeing Doctor. If she's in a bad mood, use it to bribe her. If she's in a good mood, use it to build rapport. Is that what you mean?"
"Good job!"
Cangxuan decisively showed her approval!
"Turn left after you go out. The cafeteria is about two hundred meters away, and there's a place next to it that sells milk tea."
Danzhu added a reminder.
"Thanks, you two!"
Ling Xi thanked them, then decisively turned and headed out to buy milk tea.
Following Danzhu's directions, Ling Xi arrived at the cafeteria in the base. It was open twenty-four hours a day, so there were always people around. Of course, the food varied by era. Late at night, sometimes there were only prepackaged nutritional meals left—the kind that could be eaten after heating them up!
Of course, he was not here to buy nutritional meals. His target was...
"I love you, you love me, Mixue..."
Ling Xi heard a familiar melody... Damn, that was awesome!
Other advertisements boasted about century-old legacies and traditions passed down through generations. But this... this was a fifty-thousand-year legacy! A century-old store? A thousand-year tradition? What trash!
Before long, Ling Xi returned carrying five cups of milk tea...
"Cangxuan, Danzhu, I forgot to ask what flavors you liked, so I bought one of every flavor. Pick whichever ones you like!"
He had gone to buy milk tea for Mobius, but Ling Xi was not so stingy that he would buy only for Mobius. Danzhu and Cangxuan had helped him quite a bit just now, so treating them to milk tea as thanks was only fair.
"Eh, we get some too? Then we won't hold back."
Seeing that Ling Xi had bought drinks for them as well, Danzhu and Cangxuan were both happy. Milk tea was not expensive, but whether they bought it themselves or someone else treated them, it tasted just as good!
So the two girls did not hesitate. They hurried over to pick their favorite flavors. Mm... naturally, Pudding Milk Tea was absolutely off-limits, unless they wanted to experience what it felt like to become Doctor Mobius's test subject.
With their milk tea in hand, both of them immediately inserted their straws and began drinking happily.
"Mmm, I really do like this flavor. So sweet."
After only one sip, Danzhu let out a blissful sound. Sure enough, sugar was capable of making people happy.
"Mm-hm..."
Cangxuan nodded in agreement.
"Um, do you want to go in with me? I'm a little scared going alone..."
After glancing at Laboratory Three, Ling Xi turned his gaze to Cangxuan and Danzhu. Although the two girls said Mobius liked milk tea, if Mobius really got angry... at least the three of them could share the burden together.
Cangxuan: "..."
Danzhu: "..."
Suddenly, the milk tea in their hands no longer seemed so sweet...
"Ahem, of course, it's fine if you don't want to."
Seeing the slight change in the way they looked at him, Ling Xi hurriedly added.
"Fine, we'll go together."
In the end, Cangxuan smiled and said, "After all, you're the newcomer here. As seniors, it's only right that we look after you a little. Besides... believe in the charm of milk tea!"
"Then thank you. I'll treat you to a meal later."
Seeing Cangxuan agree, Ling Xi smiled, then carried the milk tea toward Laboratory Three.
Cangxuan and Danzhu exchanged a look, then hurriedly followed while holding their milk tea. Danzhu even ran to the front.
"Doctor, Senior Sister Klein, are you there?"
After entering the laboratory, Danzhu immediately called out to the two inside.
"Danzhu."
Mobius, who was sitting in an observation chair, turned around helplessly. Looking somewhat angry, she said, "Didn't I tell you not to interrupt me while I'm conducting experiments—eh, Ling Xi, you're here! Come over, come over."
As she spoke, a smile immediately appeared on Mobius's face. She quickly got up to welcome Ling Xi.
"Sorry, Doctor. Did we interrupt your experiment?"
Ling Xi did not quite understand Mobius's thoughts, but... apologizing first could not hurt!
"No, no."
Mobius quickly shook her head and smiled. "I wasn't conducting an experiment just now. I was only doing a small observation test, so interrupting it wouldn't affect the results."
"Uh... really?"
Ling Xi did not know what to say for a moment. Besides... had she not just said five seconds ago that Danzhu interrupted her experiment?
Danzhu: "???"
Wait, if it did not matter, then why did Doctor just say I interrupted her experiment? And...
Didn't Doctor never play favorites?
Snake's Thousand-Layered Schemes!
"Doctor, I bought a few cups of milk tea when I came over."
Seeing that Mobius really did not seem angry, Ling Xi took out the milk tea and smiled. "I heard you seem to like it."
"Milk tea..."
Seeing the milk tea in Ling Xi's hand, Mobius's eyes lit up. Smiling, she said, "Thank you, Ling Xi. I like it very much."
Before you continue