Chapter 16

After lunch, Lin Xinyi returned to his office.

Just like in the morning, no one came to disturb him in the afternoon either.

It was as if the mere presence of the security director in his office was enough to ensure the lab's safety.

And so, with nothing to do, he spent the entire afternoon trying to break his beginner Minesweeper record, finally lowering it to two seconds.

By the time he snapped out of his boredom, it was already 5 PM.

Lin Xinyi rubbed his sore eyes, wondering when he could clock out.

At that moment, his phone suddenly rang.

Having spent the whole afternoon idling, his mind had grown sluggish, but the ringing instantly brought him back to full alertness.

"Someone is calling 'me'?"

"Who could it be? That security chief from this morning again?"

He quickly pulled out his phone, and the name displayed on the screen made his pupils contract slightly—

"The Most Important Person."

"...What?"

In the phone's contact list, there were only two saved numbers—one labeled 'Laboratory' and the other 'The Most Important Person.'

The 'Laboratory' number was clearly work-related, but this 'Most Important Person'...

Who could it be? How close were they to the original owner of this body?

"I hope it's not a parent or family member..."

The last thing Lin Xinyi wanted was to be forced into calling a stranger "Dad."

With a trace of unease, he finally answered the call.

"Hello?"

A young woman's voice came from the other end.

Like the security chief from the morning, her tone was cold—but in a different way.

The security chief's voice was like a frozen tundra: icy, emotionless, and ruthless.

This young woman's voice, on the other hand, was more like an autumn forest—carrying a quiet, melancholic desolation.

Of course, that was just Lin Xinyi's subjective impression.

A more direct thought crossed his mind:

Why does everyone who calls me talk like they're trying to air-condition the room with their voice?

While he was still inwardly complaining, the woman on the other end spoke:

"You're in the office right now, aren't you?"

Lin Xinyi's heart skipped a beat.

So this so-called "Most Important Person" was actually in the same pharmaceutical company?

A female colleague of the original owner? Or... something more?

"...I'm in the office," he replied stiffly.

The woman's words remained brief and to the point:

"I'm coming over now."

With that, she immediately hung up.

Lin Xinyi suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

And sure enough, just a few minutes later, there was a knock at his office door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and the person who walked in was—

"Miyano Shiho?!"

Seeing the tea-haired girl step in with a frosty expression, Lin Xinyi couldn't help but be stunned.

How is it her? She's the 'Most Important Person'?!

If that was the case, then why had she completely ignored him during lunch, even looking at him with such obvious disdain?

When he first received the call, he assumed this 'Most Important Person' was a close female colleague of the original owner—possibly even his girlfriend.

But now… their relationship didn't seem that simple.

Could it be… Miyano Shiho is "my" girlfriend, and we're in the middle of a fight?

Just as he was considering this possibility, the expressionless Miyano Shiho cut straight to the point:

"Can we leave now?"

Lin Xinyi: "..."

Shiho frowned slightly. "Why are you still sitting there?"

Lin Xinyi: "..."

Her ice-cold expression finally showed a hint of urgency. "Why aren't you saying anything? Is something wrong?"

Lin Xinyi remained silent—acting even more like an ice block than she usually did.

But inside, his mind was racing—

Leave? Go where?!

Could you at least give me some context, lady?!

A wave of unease washed over him. He was in the exact same predicament as that morning, when he was being interrogated by Inspector Megure.

Only this time, the person questioning him was someone familiar with the original owner.

If he kept failing to respond naturally, she was bound to notice something was off.

"Ahem..."

After a long pause, he finally forced himself to say:

"I need to think about this."

"You—"

Miyano Shiho's sharp gaze grew even more intense.

"Why aren't you taking me to see my sister?!"

Sister?

Lin Xinyi silently sighed in relief.

Finally, some useful information.

From the sound of it, "he" had promised to take her to see her sister after work today.

Which meant—this was serious.

If their relationship was just casual, why would "he" agree to meet her sister?

And considering that "he" saved her number as 'The Most Important Person'...

Damn… is she really 'my' girlfriend?

The realization made his head hurt even more.

He had no desire to suddenly inherit a girlfriend he didn't even know.

Besides, although Miyano Shiho was undoubtedly beautiful, her personality was… problematic.

Every time she looked at him, it was as if she was staring at her mortal enemy. Her gaze was so cold it sent chills down his spine.

Yeah, no thanks.

"...Actually," Lin Xinyi hesitated, before finally voicing his decision in the most tactful way possible:

"I'm not going today. You can go by yourself."

Miyano Shiho: "..."

She only had one opportunity per week to see her sister, Miyano Akemi.

And as someone essentially imprisoned in this laboratory, she needed Lin Xinyi's approval—her "warden's" permission—to leave.

Not only that, but he had to personally accompany and monitor her the entire time.

If he refused to go with her, she wouldn't even be able to step outside the building.

So telling her to "go by herself" was absurd.

Forget whether she could even leave the company doors—if Lin Xinyi really dared to let her walk out alone...

Within half an hour, Gin would probably show up and personally deal with him, Beretta M92F in hand.

"...Are you joking?"

Miyano Shiho's face remained mostly neutral, but Lin Xinyi caught the slight twitch of her brow—she was annoyed.

And more than that—he noticed a flicker of suspicion in her blue-green eyes.

Crap. She's noticing something's off.

It makes sense—someone close to the original owner would definitely pick up on subtle changes others wouldn't.

Lin Xinyi felt a sense of unease creeping in.

Looks like I need to deal with this situation once and for all.

If the original owner had been arguing with her before, to the point of not leaving her a single message before his "suicide"…

Then cutting ties with her completely was probably the safest option.

It would minimize contact with the original owner's acquaintances and reduce potential trouble.

And so, after a brief silence—

Lin Xinyi lifted his gaze and spoke as gently as possible:

"Shiho."

He knew that, in Japan, calling someone by their first name signified a very close relationship.

And since this was essentially a breakup conversation, it was only appropriate to use her first name.

"Shiho."

"There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time—"

Before he could finish, Miyano Shiho's expression changed drastically.

For the first time, her usually cold and restrained face showed raw emotion—shock, embarrassment, discomfort, rejection, disgust...

A mix of expressions so complex, they were hard to describe.

If he had to compare it to something—

It was like that time he went home for New Year's, and his neighbor's aunt insisted on setting him up with her Photoshopped-to-oblivion niece.

"...I see."

Miyano Shiho took two steps back.

"Wait here. I'll be back in a moment."

She turned and left, coldly shutting the door behind her.

Lin Xinyi sat there, dumbfounded.

Then, from outside, he heard the faint sound of a phone call.

A minute later, the door swung open again.

Miyano Shiho stood there, face icy.

"Lin."

"You have a call."

"...Huh?"

Before he could react, his phone started ringing.

He glanced at the screen—

It was that security chief from earlier.

Not daring to ignore it, he picked up.

"Boss, what's up?"

There was silence.

Then, finally, the security chief spoke—his tone oddly hesitant.

"...Sherry just called me."

"She says you..."

"Sexually harassed her?"

Lin Xinyi: "..."