After Qi Zhimu said goodbye to Stelle, he went straight home.
As soon as he entered the room, he was dragged onto the bed by Herta, who lay on top of him.
"Met with Ruan Mei? Is the problem settled?"
"Yeah, it's settled."
"Not bad, darling. You actually got that boring block of wood, Ruan Mei, to compromise. Or did you use my name?"
Herta crossed her hands over Qi Zhimu's chest, resting her chin on the back of her hands as she looked down at his face.
He's so handsome.
I'm good-looking too.
We're a perfect match.
"No, although what Ms. Ruan Mei did was disrespectful to Stelle, she was easier to deal with than I imagined." A flash of confusion crossed Qi Zhimu's brow.
"Hmm?" Herta raised an eyebrow and said with interest, "In what way was she easy to deal with?"
"Similar to our attitude toward those idiots in the United Government back then, I pointed out her issues without any politeness."
"Oh, if it's just that, she wouldn't even have a flicker of emotion. Since we started collaborating, I've had plenty of disagreements and arguments with her on projects. So, how did she react to your lecture?"
"It wasn't really a lecture... After I pointed out her disrespect toward Stelle, she took out the antidote and even apologized to her."
At this point, Qi Zhimu's expression became strange.
"You should know that the Galaxy Rangers have a grudge against Dr. Primitive."
"So honestly, before reuniting with you, I had a serious stereotype about geniuses, thinking most of them were just a bunch of abnormal freaks."
"I was prepared to reveal my hand if reasoning failed, but who knew it would go so smoothly? Ms. Ruan Mei's behavior didn't seem like that of a freak at all."
"Even... she gave me a feeling similar to Mr. Screwllum, possessing both elegance and poise."
Hearing this, Herta immediately became alert.
That Ruan Mei, elegant? Poised?
She has elegance, and maybe poise too, but not for just anyone.
For her to be so well-behaved before Qi Zhimu even revealed his relationship with me... could she have taken too much medicine while testing it on herself for research?"
Well, she admitted she also had stereotypes about Ruan Mei.
If it wasn't a case of taking the wrong or too much medicine, then—
Thinking of a certain possibility, Herta's eyes widened instantly.
"This woman, she couldn't have fallen for my man, right?"
"...Herta, don't joke about that."
"Who's joking? My man is so handsome, so excellent, and so capable that even this genius is madly in love. Tell me, what woman wouldn't like him?"
Being praised like this, Qi Zhimu helplessly tapped her forehead.
"It's different. Our feelings started in our youth, before you even became a genius."
"If I hadn't existed during that time, and you had saved the Azure Star alone, became a genius, and then met me, would you have fallen for me then? Don't be tactful with your answer."
"Correspondingly, I'll give my answer first. Before I knew that the genius Herta was you, I had no thoughts about you at all. I was even too lazy to deal with you to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Herta thought seriously for a moment and murmured, "Without an unforgettable experience, indeed I wouldn't..."
"Exactly. People more handsome than me are everywhere. You see me through the eyes of a lover. Otherwise, how could a mere staff member of the Herta Space Station Medical Department be worthy of a genius's attention?"
"That's true, but I know Ruan... well, not that well."
Herta searched her knowledge of Ruan Mei, only to find it pitifully sparse.
Aside from academic matters, she only knew that Ruan Mei liked making seasonal desserts, liked embroidery, and liked being alone quietly. That was it.
What music she liked, what books she read, what kind of person she liked—Herta had no idea at all.
She was incredibly lacking in emotions, like a piece of wood that didn't know what joy was. She couldn't be warm to anyone, let alone show interest.
Right, interest!
"Lord Zhimu, did Ruan Mei ever look at you with interest?"
"No."
Qi Zhimu thought back to the situation not long ago and slowly shook his head.
"Although for a moment the way she looked at me seemed a bit strange, it definitely wasn't interest."
After being an interstellar mercenary for so many years, he had seen many walks of life, and this kind of look was among them.
If Ruan Mei had it, he wouldn't have missed it.
Herta's pupils shifted slightly. As she moved her thighs around on Qi Zhimu, she accidentally bumped into something hard.
She reached down and took it off; it was an ornament Qi Zhimu wore at his waist.
She glanced at the jade pendant and sachet on it, then tossed them onto the nightstand and pulled out a separate key pendant from inside Qi Zhimu's collar.
Just now, she had wondered if there was a one-in-a-billion chance that Ruan Mei had a deep connection with Qi Zhimu in one of his past lives.
But the several indestructible special curios on him dismissed that possibility.
When Qi Zhimu saw her puppet, he could recall the emotions and all memories of his past life, including his experiences after dying and being resurrected as a Virtual Substance Lifeform mage.
Now that he had met Ruan Mei in person, if one of Qi Zhimu's curios had come from her hand, how could he not remember?
Case closed.
Most likely, that Ruan Mei saw her looking radiant and completely changed a few days ago, so she took her words to heart and was considering finding a man.
After all, having lived so many more years than her, she couldn't always rely on Mr. Two-Fingers.
People are visual creatures.
Her man had a face as great as her own—masculine, well-defined, and full of manliness.
At first glance, he might not seem too special, but the more you look, the more attractive he becomes. He's incredibly pleasing to the eye; one wouldn't get tired of looking at him even after ten years.
Just standing there, he outshines the male leads of movies and TV shows promoted by the IPC's Interastral Entertainment Department to harvest female fans.
What did Asta say before... Oh right, the Foundation General!
She had accidentally caught a glimpse of Asta's screen and almost vomited. Since when could sissies play military generals?
Asking herself, even if it was as Qi Zhimu said:
If they hadn't had that unforgettable experience in their youth and first met at the Space Station, even if she weren't interested, she would at least soften her tone upon seeing such a pleasing character model.
If even she was like this, it wasn't surprising that Ruan Mei would be too.
Not to mention the female staff members in the Space Station who were always fawning over Qi Zhimu and faking illnesses just to see him.
If it weren't for Asta's secret warnings, heaven knows what kind of fighting scenes would have broken out.
If she weren't afraid of Qi Zhimu being bored out of his mind with nothing to do, she would have loved to high-profilely announce to the entire Space Station that this was her man.
Next time she and Qi Zhimu ran into Ruan Mei, they had to show some public affection.
No, not next time—tomorrow!
She would just invite Ruan Mei to the Azure Star as a guest. Once Ruan Mei learned of Qi Zhimu's relationship with her, whether her intentions were intentional or accidental, they would eventually vanish.
A dignified genius should not be so lowly as to snatch food from someone else's plate, right?
Action followed thought.
Herta immediately contacted Ruan Mei, and the call connected after a dozen seconds.
"What is it?"
"Come to my place for a good meal tomorrow. You should have time then."
"I don't. I have something very important to do." Ruan Mei's refusal was quite decisive.
"???" Herta was instantly filled with question marks.
"Did you contact me just to say this?"
"...Yes."
"Then I'm hanging up."
With that, the communication cut off instantly, leaving Herta a bit dazed.
Something important? A mysterious experiment quietly being conducted in the Seclusion Zone?
Fine then.
Still so obsessed with academic research, which means she probably doesn't have that idea. I'm halfway relieved now.
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