The Cold, Indifferent Female Colleague

The short half-morning was an entirely new experience for Lin Xinyi.

His previous work had always been busy, fulfilling, a constant battle, with every minute and second holding meaning.

But now, two whole hours had passed, and other than breaking his beginner Minesweeper record to 3 seconds, he hadn't done anything meaningful.

This was something Lin Xinyi couldn't have imagined before.

For him, this kind of empty, tedious, dull, life-wasting work...

"Isn't it just too awesome?"

Lin Xinyi felt a little touched:

He didn't have to do anything, just sit in the office and earn 890,000 a month.

Compared to before, when he couldn't even dream of slacking off at work like this – it was great if he wasn't woken up by a phone call in the middle of the night to go to a scene.

"Alright, to the cafeteria."

Having just wasted two hours of his life, Lin Xinyi was indeed a bit tired.

Just then, Yamada, his junior, proactively came to remind him about lunch, so he went with the flow and nodded in agreement, getting up to go to the cafeteria with Yamada for lunch.

Perhaps because the original owner was inherently solitary and quiet, Yamada had no idea that his "Big Brother" had, at his core, been replaced by someone else.

He continued to lead the way obediently, while Lin Xinyi slowly followed behind, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the company's internal structure.

Soon, the two arrived at the company cafeteria.

The cafeteria wasn't too large, but its decor was high-class, and the variety of food offered was dazzling and complete.

Lin Xinyi observed for a moment and found that employees ate for free in the cafeteria. They could take whatever they wanted, which was equivalent to a high-end buffet every meal without spending money.

"The company benefits are too good."

At this moment, Lin Xinyi even wanted to stay at this company forever.

He didn't waste words but mimicked Yamada, grabbing a tray and selecting his food.

After getting their food, they prepared to sit down, only to find that there weren't enough tables.

The not-so-large cafeteria was almost completely occupied by employees who had come to eat.

And these employees were clearly divided into two groups:

One group wore black clothes and had pistols at their waists, numbering fewer than 20 people. They were all security personnel under Lin Xinyi's jurisdiction.

The other group all wore white lab coats, had generally delicate temperaments, and numbered about 30 to 40 people. They were all technicians at this pharmaceutical company.

The security guards and researchers clearly didn't have much to talk about with each other.

They sat in their respective groups, almost filling all the tables in the cafeteria.

Only one large table was still relatively empty.

Sitting there was a young female researcher in a simple, clean white lab coat with short, tea-colored hair.

This young lady—no, girl would be more accurate—occupied this large table, which could seat six people, all by herself.

It was strange; despite the tight seating, no one nearby tried to share her table.

Whether they were the researchers in white or the security guards in black, everyone seemed to deliberately avoid sitting near her.

Lin Xinyi, however, had no such qualms:

"Let's go to that table."

He picked up his tray, ready to go and share a table with that female researcher.

But Yamada, who had been following him, stopped hesitantly:

"Cough, cough... Big Brother, you go by yourself."

"That woman always speaks so sarcastically, I'm not going to invite trouble."

"Oh?" Lin Xinyi felt vaguely strange, but compared to the female researcher who seemed to have poor social skills, he, lacking the original owner's memories, was even less willing to sit with these "acquaintances" like Yamada.

So, he thought for a moment and finally walked towards the tea-haired girl sitting alone.

As he got closer, Lin Xinyi got a better look at the girl's appearance:

To describe her in his usual way, this girl looked...

Female, estimated height 170cm, well-nourished, well-proportioned features, no limb deformities.

Nose bridge high, nostrils narrow, nasal tip small, cheekbones low, jawbone flat, with mixed-race features.

Slight tea-brown pigmentation observed in the eye sockets, rest of skin pale, no jaundice.

Both pupils equally large and round, cornea clear, iris blue-green.

Ocular capillaries congested, with symptoms of bloodshot eyes.

From the supraclavicular border to one-third the distance of the mandible, jugular venous distension visible when seated, jugular veins noticeably engorged.

"She's quite pretty."

"But there are clear signs of chronic overwork and excessive pressure on the right side of the heart."

"Lack of sunlight, pathologically pale complexion, and poor mental state."

This girl has been working far too much overtime; her health is really suffering.

Lin Xinyi concluded this in his mind.

Meanwhile, as he approached step by step, the tea-haired girl also noticed him.

She frowned slightly, and an unconcealed look of disgust appeared in her pupils.

Although she didn't say anything, the look of strong antipathy was clearly directed at Lin Xinyi.

Lin Xinyi paid no attention to it.

It was fine if she disliked him; he just wanted to eat in peace and didn't want to chat much with a female colleague he didn't know at all.

Too much conversation could lead to him revealing something, and then he'd have to put effort into explaining himself.

And so, enduring her icy gaze, Lin Xinyi casually sat down at the table corner diagonally across from her.

As he took his seat, he inadvertently saw the ID badge hanging on her chest:

Name: Miyano Shiho

Position: Chief Researcher

Chief Researcher?

Lin Xinyi mused to himself:

Such a young girl, able to be a Chief Researcher at this important laboratory?

You have to understand, this isn't like his Security Director position; Chief Researcher is a thoroughly high-tech role. Can such a young girl really be competent enough for it?

Lin Xinyi was surprised, but in order to minimize interaction with "acquaintances," he didn't pry further out of curiosity.

And so, in a moment of silence, he began to focus intently on his meal.

"This guy is a bit off."

Lin Xinyi remained completely silent, but the girl named Miyano Shiho, on the other hand, felt a stir in her heart:

She keenly noticed that today Lin Xinyi was a bit different from before.

The old Lin Xinyi was reclusive and melancholic, dressed sloppily and unkempt, his eyes lifeless, and he would only look down at the ground when he walked. He was like a decaying machine, a puppet manipulated into a walking corpse.

Today's Lin Xinyi, though still appearing reclusive and silent, had tidied himself up very well, and his eyes had become firm and powerful, with a different kind of vigor.

And then there was the way Lin Xinyi ate:

His lunch was a Western-style steak, eaten with a knife and fork.

The gleaming silver knife was handled with great skill, each cut precisely following the grain of the beef to yield a piece of suitable size.

The knife movements were gentle and elegant, as if performed by a noble trained in etiquette.

This was not the behavior of someone who paid no attention to their demeanor.

Of course, Miyano Shiho couldn't have known that Lin Xinyi's skill with a knife wasn't from practicing eating Western food.

But regardless, she had already subtly noticed that Lin Xinyi was somewhat different from before.

The current Lin Xinyi felt more approachable.

However…

"Still so annoying."

"Why does he have to sit so close?"

Miyano Shiho's sense of aversion lingered.

After all, she and Lin Xinyi were old acquaintances.

Lin Xinyi was a reserve talent recruited and cultivated by the organization, and he had once been sent to Columbia University to study with her.

It was just that Lin Xinyi studied clinical medicine, while she studied biology and pharmacology.

But they had little interaction during their university days, and if they did, it was extremely unpleasant memories—

Because Lin Xinyi was ostensibly sent to school for training, but in reality, he was dispatched by the organization to closely monitor Miyano Shiho, to prevent her from escaping the organization's control while studying in the United States.

In other words, Lin Xinyi was a shackles the organization had placed on her.

These shackles constantly bound her, preventing her escape, firmly pressing her down into this dark abyss.

And this terrible situation had even continued until now.

After Miyano Shiho graduated from university, she was sent here by the organization to lead drug research.

Lin Xinyi also graduated from Columbia University with her and was sent to this laboratory to serve as Security Director, his main job still being to monitor Miyano Shiho.

He was a vicious dog carefully raised by the organization, and Miyano Shiho knew that she was a bird in a cage, firmly guarded by this vicious dog.

Therefore, no matter what improvements there were in Lin Xinyi's demeanor, as long as she saw that glaring black outfit on him, she would immediately be reminded of her desperate situation of being held under house arrest and coercion by the organization.

"How disgusting."

The more Miyano Shiho thought about it, the less she felt like eating.

This wasn't just because of Lin Xinyi, but because he made her think of Gin, the man Lin Xinyi reported directly to.

That devil had just been to the lab this morning, taking another batch of APTX4896—those tiny capsules she'd personally developed—from her hands. She had no idea how many more people Gin would use them to kill.

Just thinking about it made Miyano Shiho lose her appetite even more.

She stood up, her brow furrowed, and cast a long, deep look at Lin Xinyi.

"Huh?"

Lin Xinyi felt a bit bewildered by her gaze.

He had thought "he" simply didn't get along with Miss Miyano, but judging by that look, did she harbor a grudge?

Miyano Shiho, however, simply walked away without looking back.

Wastefully, she left a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the table, only a few bites taken.

"This..."

Lin Xinyi frowned deeply:

Overworked, distended jugular veins, and such a poor appetite.

This girl's health is really bad...

Well, he'd better be ready to perform CPR at any moment.