Chapter 19

On the other side, Pei Xingzhi looked at the model that had suddenly disappeared in front of him and felt a sudden pang of grievance.

What did he do to deserve this? It was Pumpkin Party that sent out the "flower of friendship," so why is it acting like he did something wrong?

Pei Xingzhi grew angrier the more he thought about it, and his resentment reached its peak when he looked at his friends list again. Friends bound by the Flower of Friendship cannot be deleted within thirty days, so Pei Xingzhi gritted his teeth and retaliated by changing Pumpkin Party's nickname to "Ultimate Idiot," and then sent several sarcastic messages in a fit of pique.

Pumpkin Party, who had already logged off, couldn't reply to him. Feeling bored, and with Black Cat and Kuro gone, Pei Xingzhi lost the will to continue playing the game. After finishing his daily tasks, he logged off.

After encountering a series of mentally unstable individuals, even Pei Xingzhi, with his usually good temper, was starting to lose his temper. He took off his headphones and threw them heavily to the side, only remembering that he wasn't living alone in the dormitory when he heard the thud below.

Pei Xingzhi looked down with a hint of apology. Chu Ling was still sitting in his chair, fiddling with the model, as if he had never left.

Is my roommate a dull, introverted STEM guy? That would be a rare breed indeed.

If he has to spend the next few years with this dull guy, his college life will be utterly boring.

If it were anyone else, they would probably be so desperate by now that they're ready to apply for a dorm change. But Pei Xingzhi is different. He likes these quiet classmates. Only people like this can truly bring out his social charm.

"Chu Ling, how old are you this year?"

Chu Ling's reaction to his voice wasn't as strong as before, but it still wasn't entirely natural. He turned his head somewhat awkwardly, looking up at Pei Xingzhi who was sitting on the bed.

"Seventeen."

"Seventeen? You're not an adult yet?" Even though he had prepared himself, Pei Xingzhi was still shocked by his age.

He's only seventeen, and a low-quality Omega at that. To be admitted to the Alliance University despite such inherent disadvantages... just how outstanding does one have to be to achieve that?

Pei Xingzhi paused in his act of getting out of bed, and immediately began to flatter Chu Ling.

"Then you're really amazing."

"I'm about to turn 18." Chu Ling maintained his indifferent attitude, nodded slightly, and sat back down to continue fiddling with his model.

Pei Xingzhi had automatically added a filter to Chu Ling's image; his equally indifferent behavior was now romanticized as the arrogance and individuality of a genius. Since Chu Ling didn't want to talk to him, Pei Xingzhi started a conversation himself.

"Where are you from? I've never heard of you before. Did you learn all your professional knowledge on your own? Was it difficult to learn? By the way, are you from another city? You seem to be quite unfamiliar with this area. I can take you around the neighborhood during my vacation. I know this area quite well. There's a really good restaurant nearby. I can take you there sometime."

Pei Xingzhi rambled on and on, while Chu Ling didn't even look up. Pei Xingzhi showed no awareness of his own meddling, talking for a long time until his throat was dry, but he still couldn't get a single glance from Chu Ling.

Pei Xingzhi rested his chin on the back of the chair and looked at Chu Ling, suddenly feeling that he might have misunderstood his roommate.

He didn't seem as timid as he appeared on the surface.

Seeing Pei Xingzhi stop, Chu Ling finally turned his head to look at him. He probably didn't make many big expressions, and a slightly awkward smile appeared on his face, which was usually covered by thick bangs and wide-rimmed glasses.

"I just made something really interesting, would you like to take a look?"

Chu Ling took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him, and Pei Xingzhi was quite flattered, so he responded without hesitation.

"What is that? I want to see!"

"This is something I made myself, and you're probably the first person to experience it." Chu Ling looked at him with a smile in his eyes. Pei Xingzhi felt like a lab rat being locked up in a laboratory, about to be injected with all sorts of little potions.

"Wow, did you make this yourself?" Although Pei Xingzhi didn't understand the function of this thing, he always gave people face and would never let his words fall flat.

"Hmm. This is a small housekeeping robot. It can clean and give massages. Although it's still in the experimental stage, its functions are already quite complete. This is an improved version, which is more intelligent than those on the market."

Chu Ling praised the robot to the skies, and although Pei Xingzhi had his doubts, he still tried it out according to Chu Ling's instructions.

After experiencing it firsthand, Pei Xingzhi was completely convinced by Chu Ling. Chu Ling was right; this machine was indeed much more intelligent than those sold on the market, and its appearance was also more stylish. If it were put on the market, it would definitely achieve remarkable sales.

Pei Xingzhi felt he was about to change his opinion of Chu Ling again. He had initially thought Chu Ling's style was due to a lack of aesthetic sense, but now he realized it was probably just the avant-garde style of a fashionista.

"If you like it, I'll give it to you." Chu Ling flicked his bangs, touching his nose with his right hand, seemingly a little reserved in the face of praise, but Pei Xingzhi always felt that he was secretly smiling.

Pei Xingzhi had a feeling something was wrong, but Chu Ling had no reason to harm him. Maybe this was just the unique way top students socialized?

Thinking of this, Pei Xingzhi accepted the robot without hesitation. Chu Ling rarely tried to build a closer relationship with him, and he couldn't let Chu Ling down.

"Thank you for the things. Are you free now? Let me treat you to dinner." Pei Xingzhi casually put the machine on his bed, changed his clothes, and invited Chu Ling to have dinner with him as a way of expressing his gratitude.

This time, Chu Ling did not refuse. She changed into a more "engineering-oriented" outfit and went out with Pei Xingzhi.

*

After the drowsy period caused by the drug's side effects ended, Xie Nanyi slowly opened his eyes. The glaring light shone into his eyes, and Xie Nanyi squinted. Assistant Qin, who had been watching over him, immediately dimmed the light.

How long did I sleep this time?

Three hours.

"It's shorter than before." He's almost developed an immunity to the side effects of the medication, and he'll probably have to give it up again soon.

Assistant Qin knew he didn't want to hear any meaningless answers, so she dismissed the doctor behind her who wanted to show off with a look and silently untied his restraints.

To prevent him from unconsciously harming himself, his limbs were bound like this after each dose of medication. It was euphemistically called protecting him, but this had to be done at least three times a week. Each time, he was locked in a brightly lit room, heavily shackled like a raging beast, his mental strength worn down.

The restraints on his body were removed, but Xie Nanyi still had to stay in the ward until the effects of the medication completely wore off. Assistant Qin pushed him to a special ward, where security personnel took Xie Nanyi's wheelchair and led him into this cage, ostensibly for protection but actually for imprisonment.

"I've changed my mind." Before entering the room, Xie Nanyi suddenly turned to look at Assistant Qin and said this out of the blue. "Even if I went too far, what can you do about it?"