Yongye leaned back in his swivel chair, both legs propped on the desk and a glass of iced Coke in his hand. He tilted his head at her, the smile on his lips shifting from easy confidence to blatant amusement.
"Cleaning up?"
"Then let's do as you wish. Let's begin."
He set the iced Coke on the edge of the desk and rose from his chair, his bare feet touching the dark gray carpet as he took a step toward her.
A faint pink glow flickered over his skin, almost impossible to notice without a close look. But as a reporter, Lois had much sharper powers of observation than most people.
Her pupils contracted slightly, her gaze fixed on his exposed neck and arms.
"Your skin... why does it look a little pink?"
Yongye glanced down at the back of his hand. Beneath the fluorescent lights, the pink glow had a faint pearly sheen, like the soft, moist surface of a freshly peeled shrimp.
"A gift from the Doctor of the Unified System. The chaos divine body."
His voice was low, its final note rising slightly, carrying a warmth that made Lois's ears burn.
"Who better to explore the differences than a reporter with your talent for spotting problems?"
Lois did not understand, but she could tell that the already absurdly oppressive presence of the bastard before her was heavier than yesterday, denser, more unreasonable. He was like a wild beast released after three days in a cage, every muscle fiber in his body silently swelling, contracting, then swelling again.
"Go easy on me later. I'm scared."
Her voice dropped a little. Beneath the crisp efficiency of a professional reporter, its final notes carried a vigilance that had only grown sharper after being repeatedly overwhelmed.
Yongye smiled without answering and