Zero lifted his head, only to see that next to Jing Yuan sat a stranger.
The man's build was massive, shoulders broad like a double-door refrigerator.
Looking closer at his features and aura, sharp brows, fierce eyes, a stern expression, his whole bearing screamed of a battle-hardened warrior.
Just one glance, and it was clear this man was anything but ordinary.
Zero scanned him once and judged that eight or nine times out of ten, this person was high-ranking in the Cloud Knights. Then, linking it with the way Jing Yuan had almost spoken his title just now…
Was he some commander surnamed Jiang, or was he Luofu's current general, Tengxiao?
Either way, whether a senior officer or the General himself, he was Jing Yuan's superior.
Most likely, this guy had nothing better to do, went out for a stroll, happened to bump into his subordinate, and just came over to take a look.
Zero glanced at Jing Yuan with pity in his eyes.
What rotten luck, getting off work and still running into your boss on the street.
Suddenly, the burly man with "don't-mess-with-me" written all over his face forced out a twisted smile. His rough, booming voice inexplicably turned sharp, "Little brother, hello there."
The moment he finished speaking, Zero and Jing Yuan both fell into an awkward silence.
How to put it… this guy had the kind of face that said, "Say the word and I'll wipe out your whole family, even mix the egg yolk evenly for you." So when he suddenly pulled out a smile, it was the sort of beauty that could make the kid next door cry on the spot.
And then paired with that deliberately forced-out squeaky tone…
It just felt sinister, like some shady serial killer who lures you into a dark alley to finish you off.
Seeing neither of them speak, the man shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his hands together, his eyes, so sharp they could cut like blades, now wide and dazed as he looked at Zero.
Zero, '…Feels like those eyes are done for.'
'You've got the face of a blood-soaked iron warrior who could kill a man with one punch, so stop pulling that pitiful look, okay!'
Suppressing his almost-out-of-control expression, Zero quickly ordered a plate of egg fried rice from the waiter, then nodded to the man, "Hello."
The man suddenly let out a breath of relief. His whole body relaxed as he called the waiter over and ordered a meal for himself.
Tentatively, the man asked, "I'm with the Cloud Knights next door. I heard the Divination Commission is doing some kind of test lately, mind sharing a bit?"
Jing Yuan blinked, suddenly enlightened. He was starting to get it, and followed up, "What test?"
Zero didn't feel there was any need for secrecy. When his coworkers were swearing up a storm, the news probably already spread across the Six Commissions and the Cloud Knights.
He said casually, "It's a psychology test."
The man pressed on, "Was it hard to do?"
Zero thought about it. He still couldn't wrap his head around how he'd answered seriously and ended up with "antisocial tendencies" as a result. So he said plainly,
"The questions aren't hard, it's just that the results aren't very accurate."
Jing Yuan cared less about difficulty and more about the number of questions.
After all, no worker wants to waste time on something meaningless.
Jing Yuan asked, "Was it a lot?"
Zero estimated, "Four tests, around six hundred questions in total."
Both of them cried out in shock.
Jing Yuan leaned back in disbelief, "What kind of test needs six hundred questions?"
The burly man's eyes went wide, "How could there be that many?"
Zero shrugged at their expressions, "That's a question for General Tengxiao and the Alchemy Commission who wrote them."
Jing Yuan's expression froze. He instinctively glanced at the burly man, then quickly, stiffly, yanked his gaze back.
Zero understood instantly, it really was Tengxiao.
So the guy was going incognito, wanting to see if his measures were working?
Though most likely even Tengxiao himself hadn't expected the Alchemy Commission to come up with six hundred questions…
Tengxiao opened his mouth, stayed silent for a long while, then finally asked Zero, "Just now you said, the test results weren't accurate?"
Zero arched a brow, noticing how carefully the man latched onto his words. He had no intention of hiding it, and sighed as he shook his head, "Yeah, I got tested as having a personality disorder."
Tengxiao, "…"
Zero couldn't figure it out, "I answered all the questions myself, so how did I end up with a personality disorder? The Alchemy Commission must've messed up the questions."
Tengxiao, "..."
Jing Yuan cursed Zero in his heart, but with the General right beside him, he could only keep quiet.
He knew Zero too well. That guy had definitely figured out who the General was, but he just didn't care. He'd rather spout nonsense and wreck his own career.
'What kind of lunatic is this, when your boss reaches for a dish, you spin the table instead!'
'Who, in front of their superior, openly exposes their flaws and talks about their shortcomings? Who would even think to do that?'
'Isn't this basically throwing an ultimate right in your boss's face? What's the difference between this and a lawless thug provoking the cops in broad daylight? Are you that desperate to get written up?'
Jing Yuan glared at Zero, hating iron for not turning into steel.
He decided to sacrifice Dan Feng's Alchemy Commission's reputation a little to try salvaging Zero's image in the General's eyes, "The Alchemy Commission never handled psychology tests before. Maybe the results will be more accurate next time…"
Jing Yuan knew Zero had already seen through the General's identity, so he stopped pretending too. He looked directly at Tengxiao, only to see that the General, usually calm even in crisis, was now drenched in sweat, his expression weak.
The iron-blooded General no longer looked like a hardened warrior, in a flash, he'd turned into a delicate maiden swaying in the wind.
Jing Yuan silently handed him a tissue and asked the waiter to lower the temperature in the room.
Tengxiao took the tissue, wiped his sweat, and in a frail voice asked, "Could it be the pressure is just too much?"
At that moment, the waiter rolled in a cart to serve the food.
Zero picked up his plate and said offhandedly, "Not really, the Divination Commission's work environment is actually pretty good. No pressure."
Tengxiao took a deep breath, grabbed his chopsticks, stuffed a few bites in, then started asking about Zero's work at the Divination Commission.
As Luofu's overseer, Tengxiao knew the art of conversation well. He carefully picked harmless topics.
Zero cooperated with him on the surface, and the two of them seemed to be chatting enthusiastically.
Bit by bit, Tengxiao steered the topic toward career planning.
Zero's face didn't change, "Work is just for money, less work, close to home. The way things are now is just right."
Tengxiao laughed heartily, his tone full of emotion, "Young people nowadays are always so restless. But people like you, willing to settle down and focus on self-improvement, are becoming rarer and rarer…"
Zero looked like he was playing along, but in truth, he only curled his lips perfunctorily.
Low EQ, lazy and unambitious.
High EQ, willing to settle down, focused on self-improvement.
'No wonder he's a General, this way of spinning words really is something.'
Now he was even more curious about Hua's position.
On the surface Hua seemed cold, but he actually looked after him quite a bit. He must have quite a lot of influence, being able to convince Tengxiao to lend a hand.
Or maybe Tengxiao wanted to use helping him as a way to make Hua owe him a favor?
Debts of favors are the hardest to repay, thankfully he'd already refused.
He'd ask Hua what he thought when he got back.
Tengxiao called the waiter over and, with lightning speed, paid for both Zero's and Jing Yuan's meals.
Jing Yuan had been focused on eating and missed his chance to pay, so he could only watch as his top boss treated him to dinner.
Tengxiao declared they were kindred spirits at first sight. The General slowly raised his hand, fixed his eyes intently on Zero's face, then lightly patted his shoulder and flashed a toothy smile, "Don't worry, I'll have everything arranged perfectly for you."
Zero, '???'
'What don't worry? What arranged perfectly? Did I even say anything?'
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