Chapter 15

This short morning had been an entirely new experience for Lin Xinyi.

His past work had always been busy and fulfilling, constantly engaged in battle, where every second was meaningful.

But now, two whole hours had passed, and besides breaking his beginner Minesweeper record to three seconds, he hadn't done a single meaningful thing.

This was something he could never have imagined before.

To him, such an empty, tedious, and meaningless job…

"Is way too enjoyable!"

Lin Xinyi felt a bit emotional.

Doing absolutely nothing while sitting in an office and earning 890,000 yen a month?

Thinking back, he never even had the luxury of slacking off at work before. Being able to go through a night without getting woken up by a sudden call was already considered lucky.

"Alright, let's go to the cafeteria."

After wasting two hours of his life, Lin Xinyi was starting to feel drained.

Now that his subordinate, Yamada, had taken the initiative to remind him about lunch, he went along with it, getting up to follow Yamada to the cafeteria.

Maybe because the original person in this body was naturally withdrawn and taciturn, Yamada didn't notice any changes.

He simply walked ahead, leading the way, while Lin Xinyi trailed behind, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the company layout.

Before long, they arrived at the company cafeteria.

The space wasn't large, but it was well-furnished, and the variety of dishes available was impressive.

After a quick scan, Lin Xinyi realized that employees ate for free here. They could take whatever they wanted, making every meal essentially a high-end buffet at no cost.

"This company's benefits are incredible..."

At that moment, Lin Xinyi even entertained the thought of staying here permanently.

He didn't hesitate and followed Yamada's lead, grabbing a tray and selecting his food.

But as they went to find seats, they encountered an issue—the tables were almost full.

This relatively small cafeteria was already packed with employees who had arrived earlier.

The employees were clearly divided into two groups:

One group wore black uniforms with guns at their waists—these were the security personnel under Lin Xinyi's command, around twenty in total.

The other group, dressed in white lab coats, had a more scholarly appearance. They were the researchers of the pharmaceutical company, numbering around forty.

Clearly, the security staff and researchers had no common topics to discuss.

They sat separately in their own groups, taking up nearly every table.

Except for one.

A large table that could seat six people remained mostly empty.

Sitting there alone was a young female researcher in a plain white lab coat, her short, tea-colored hair framing her face.

Oddly enough, despite the lack of available seating, no one attempted to sit with her.

Whether it was the researchers or the security guards, everyone seemed to be deliberately avoiding her.

Lin Xinyi, however, didn't care about such things.

"Let's sit there."

He carried his tray and walked toward the female researcher.

But Yamada, who had been following closely behind him, suddenly hesitated and stopped.

"Ahem… Boss, you can go ahead."

"That woman always speaks so sinisterly. I'd rather not ruin my meal."

"Oh?"

Lin Xinyi found this a bit strange, but compared to a supposedly unpleasant female colleague, he was more reluctant to sit with people who knew "him."

So after a moment of thought, he continued walking toward the lone tea-haired girl.

As he got closer, Lin Xinyi took a clearer look at her face.

If he had to describe her in forensic terms—

Female, estimated height 170 cm, well-nourished, symmetrical facial features, no visible deformities.

High nasal bridge, narrow nasal wings, slightly upturned nose tip, low cheekbones, smooth jawline—indicative of mixed-race ancestry.

Slight pigmentation around the eye sockets, but otherwise pale skin, no jaundice.

Both pupils symmetrical and round, corneas clear, irises bluish-green.

Visible engorgement of the jugular veins, suggesting increased right-heart pressure.

"She's quite pretty."

"But clearly overworked, showing signs of high right-heart pressure."

"Lack of sunlight exposure—her complexion is unnaturally pale, and her mental state seems poor."

This girl had been overworking herself to an unhealthy degree.

Lin Xinyi reached this conclusion in his mind.

At the same time, the tea-haired girl noticed his approach.

She furrowed her brows slightly, her pupils flashing with undisguised disdain.

Though she said nothing, her gaze clearly carried an intense dislike directed at Lin Xinyi.

Lin Xinyi remained unfazed.

If she disliked him, even better—he just wanted to eat quietly, not engage in unnecessary conversations with a colleague he didn't even truly know.

Talking too much risked exposing himself, and he didn't want to waste energy making explanations.

So, ignoring the cold, piercing gaze directed at him, he calmly sat at the corner of the table, diagonally across from her.

As he sat down, he noticed the name tag pinned to her chest:

"Name: Miyano Shiho"

"Position: Chief Researcher"

Chief Researcher?

Lin Xinyi raised an eyebrow.

A girl this young was actually holding a chief researcher position in such an important laboratory?

Unlike his own job as "Security Director," which was just a glorified security captain, a chief researcher was a truly high-level technical role.

Could someone this young really be capable of handling such responsibilities?

Lin Xinyi was curious but chose not to ask any questions. The less interaction he had with "acquaintances," the better.

Thus, in complete silence, he focused on his meal.

"Something's off about him."

Miyano Shiho, on the other hand, felt a strange sense of unease.

She keenly noticed that today's Lin Xinyi was different from before.

The old Lin Xinyi was reclusive, unkempt, lifeless, always looking down when he walked, like a decayed machine or a mindless puppet.

But today, though still reserved and silent, he was neatly groomed, his eyes firm and steady, exuding an unfamiliar vitality.

And then there was the way he ate…

He was having Western-style steak, using a knife and fork.

His silver knife moved smoothly, precisely cutting along the grain of the meat into evenly sized portions.

His movements were refined and elegant, almost as if he had been trained in high society etiquette.

This wasn't how someone who disregarded personal image would behave.

Of course, Miyano Shiho wouldn't have guessed that Lin Xinyi's knife skills came from something entirely different than eating Western cuisine.

But either way, she could tell—he was different from before.

He now seemed… easier to approach.

And yet—

"Still just as detestable."

"Why sit so close to me?"

Miyano Shiho's dislike remained.

After all, she and Lin Xinyi had known each other for years.

He had been recruited and trained by "The Organization" alongside her and was even sent to study at Columbia University with her.

But their interactions had never been pleasant.

Because while she was studying biological sciences and pharmacology, Lin Xinyi was sent there to keep an eye on her—to ensure she didn't defect from The Organization while abroad.

He was her shackle, keeping her imprisoned in this darkness.

Even now, nothing had changed.

After graduating, she had been forced to work in this lab, while Lin Xinyi followed her here as "Security Director," his real job still being to monitor her.

He was The Organization's well-trained guard dog.

And she was the caged bird under his watch.

"Disgusting."

Miyano Shiho lost her appetite.

Just the sight of Lin Xinyi reminded her of Gin—the ruthless man who had visited earlier to collect another batch of APTX 4896, the pills she had personally created.

God knows how many people would die from them.

The thought made her stomach turn.

With a deep frown, she stood up, giving Lin Xinyi one last icy glare.

"...?"

Lin Xinyi was puzzled.

Did they have some kind of personal grudge?

Without another word, she walked away, leaving behind a barely touched peanut blueberry sandwich.

"…"

Lin Xinyi frowned.

Overworked, increased jugular pressure, poor appetite…

This girl's health was terrible.

Alright—he should be prepared to perform CPR at any moment.