733: Courage Boost

Courage Boost

Dr. Feng had lost count of how many times he had sighed for the day.  2

Once, he had come across an article stating how office romance was the worst because it would affect not only your mood but also your salary if you messed up your relationship. But wait – what they had could not even be considered a relationship! And there was no romance at all! And he already thought that the situation could not get any worse!

Argh…! It was clearly him who was being confessed to, but why was he the one who had to bear the stress?! He was so going to become bald soon from how hard he kept yanking on his ponytail!

Counting the days, it had been more than a week since Luan disappeared silently. 

For the first few days, Dr. Feng was still feeling a tad relieved because he really had no idea how to face Luan again after that awkward confession. He even had the urge to skip working for the first time ever. Unfortunately, he was the Head Administrator and there was no way he could abandon his work so irresponsibly just like that…

As a result, work had since became a new form of torture for him. He wanted to avoid the system, but he had to use the system in his everyday work! What kind of bizarre development was it?!

Every single time he called out the system's operation to calculate something for him, he would remember Luan and remember… how he had stood in this office and shed bitter tears as he confessed his heartfelt feelings. It was so goddamn distracting that he, the workaholic and perfectionist Dr. Feng, ended up making a few simple mistakes which he usually would not have done even with his eyes closed!

Dr. Feng massaged his temple in frustration. At least, he had to be thankful that Luan did not let his chaotic emotions get in the way of the system's operation. Otherwise, he could not imagine what kind of disaster would happen if the system was corrupted with bugs all over again…

He couldn't help but sigh again. Why oh why… just why did Luan have to fall for him of all people? He did not think that he had done anything worth to be admired. He had simply… spent too much time and effort to build the system – that's all. 

Perhaps Luan had just mistaken his dependence for love? Dr. Feng did not know, and he had no way to guess the answer either. 

Because he had gotten quite used to Luan's existence in his office, every time he was immersed in his work and raised his head, he would pause for a second when he did not see the man in his usual place. Then, a sense of loss and confusion would surface in his heart. For some inexplicable reason, the office looked bigger and emptier than usual, which was a very strange notion to have because he had spent years alone in his office without any problem whatsoever!

Sometimes he would find himself staring in a trance at the boundless sea of data as if he would see Luan emerge from it in the next second. After realizing where his thoughts had wandered into, he hastily shook his head and buried himself into work again. 

But much to his dismay, Luan's tears and his anguished eyes kept flashing through his head again and again. And it messed with his mind so much that he could not have anything done!

Goodness, this was all Luan's fault!

Unable to endure such a low-pressure workplace anymore, Dr. Feng finally took half a day off and dragged Dr. Xiao and Lu Yizhou to the private bar he regularly visited. 

One was allegedly a popular woman among the researchers – Dr. Feng had no idea where this rumor came from nor could he confirm its authenticity – whereas the other was an expert who had chased after his love in many lifetimes inside the simulator. Perfect.

"So…" Xiao finally opened her mouth after she finished her Mojito as she could not bear the thick silence anymore. "Are we going to have a silent hymn here or is someone going to talk?"

"Wait, just… give me a second." Dr. Feng slumped on the chair and chugged down his beer. Outside work, he would always let his hair loose and currently, he had already turned it into a messy bird coop from how many times he raked his fingers through it. "Just a second…"

Lu Yizhou did not have much curiosity to begin with and hence, he merely sipped his drink quietly and almost merged into the background. 

But Xiao was different. She was not someone who would let go of any juicy gossip, especially from the Head Administrator who was rumored to be a machine in human clothing. This was the first time she had seen Feng looking so… confused and unnerved. It immediately piqued her curiosity, "Just what are you going to say to the point where you need alcohol to boost your courage?"

"It's not!" Dr. Feng hissed as if Xiao had just poked his sore spot. "I don't need any courage boost, okay?! I am just…" he let out a frustrated groan and put on a serious look. "Alright, I want to ask you guys something."

Xiao gestured for him to speak, whereas Lu Yizhou merely raised his eyelids to give him a faint glance. 

Dr. Feng took a deep breath. He stared at the large glass of beer in front of him and murmured, "If… I said if, okay? If someone suddenly confessed to you and they're not human, what are you going to do?"

Dr. Xiao and Lu Yizhou silently exchanged a glance. Dr. Xiao had a faint guess in her heart whereas Lu Yizhou… well, he already knew everything from Bianca. After all, there were no secrets between father and daughter, right? 

Xiao cleared her throat. "What do you mean by… 'not human'? You have to be specific, Feng! Is it a ghost, an animal or an evil spirit?!"

Dr. Feng rolled his eyes. Just what kind of messy scenario was going on in this woman's mind? Ghost? Evil spirit? Hah! He was going to laugh to death. However, if he said that it was a system… then wouldn't he spill the beans this way?! He did not doubt Xiao's IQ at all and adding on to her terrifyingly keen woman's intuition, he was certain that she would be able to guess the truth!

But what should he say if not 'system'? Dr. Feng chewed his lips, perplexed. 

However, before he could come up with any suitable words, he heard Lu Yizhou chime in lightly, "It's a system."

Dr. Feng: !!!

"Oh… oh!" Xiao's eyes lit up and her smile became more wicked with a subtle yet unknown meaning within. "So it's a system huh? That's… very unique! I like it!"

Dr. Feng turned his dumbfounded gaze at Lu Yizhou. "You…" he stuttered. "How the hell did you know it?!"

There was no way Lu Yizhou was going to sell out his daughter. As such, he could only say vaguely, "Is it so difficult to guess? The only new addition in the research institute is Luan. And…" he suddenly trailed off and decided not to say anything more. 

Dr. Feng could somehow guess what he was going to say. He could not help but slap his forehead, exasperated. Oh God… how could he forget this important fact? 

Aside from Zachary and Bianca who were not cut out for advice because one was still in a coma while the other was Luan's silent supporter, Lu Yizhou was the only person who had seen Luan and Cyrus together inside the simulator! Of course, he must have known one thing or two!

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