When Duzem put away the bottle of Apple Dew, he glanced behind Zheng Qing out of habit.
Zheng Qing realized almost at once who he was looking for.
"Ah, sorry, Doctor."
The young scholarship student explained without thinking, "Jiang Yu was supposed to come too. She'd already reached Beta Town. But just now, at Qingqiu Mansion, Councilor Su decided she'd been overworking herself and wasn't in good health. She needed a proper rest, so the councilor made her stay at the mansion..."
"It's all right, it's all right." The laboratory's owner waved a hand, studying the young man with a curious expression. "You mean Councilor Su chose to keep Miss Jiang at Qingqiu Mansion herself?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm." Dr. Du Zem glanced cautiously out the window and chose his words. "As it happens, Jiang Yu isn't here today, and there's something I've been wondering about. I mean your relationship with her... Even I can sense that things are a little ambiguous between you two. Doesn't Councilor Su mind? What about Qingqiu or Zhong Mountain? Don't the women there care either?"
Zheng Qing's mouth twitched.
Who said an alchemy fanatic devoted to research didn't care about gossip? For a moment, he couldn't decide whether to call Dr. Du Zem blunt or simply clueless.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
A painfully fake smile appeared on the young scholarship student's face. "Jiang Yu and I don't have the kind of relationship you're imagining... And neither do Councilor Su and I."
When he saw that the doctor still seemed to have more to say, the wizard took a rare firm stand and changed the subject. "Oh, right. I saw Lin Guo at the mouth of the alley just now. I heard he's joined your laboratory?"
At the mention of Lin Guo, Dr. Du