LWDC Chapter 107

“So, you just tricked him into becoming a laborer like this?”

Yu Zhou stood at the end of the corridor, leaning against the wall next to the window, so he could monitor whether anyone or anything was approaching from inside or outside: “Ending a zombie crisis and collecting debts of fate are not the same level of difficulty. Did he agree so easily?”

“Whether the bet is difficult or not isn’t the problem for him; the problem is whether it’s fair.” Ning Fei held his phone in one hand and examined the instructions on a spray bottle with the other. “I took the initiative and gained an advantage in the debt collection mission, so he must be unhappy. Now, the goal is to end the zombie crisis, and the person I want is in his hands. If he doesn’t agree, there’s no way I can get the person, which is also an advantage for him. What’s more, he’s already confirmed through my actions that Wang Haiyang is one of the key figures. Switching to this bet is more in line with what he wants.”

“So you used this psychology of his, to make our goal sound like Tian Yue must complete this salvation mission?” Yu Zhou looked out the window, chuckling. “But in reality, Yue Fengping doesn’t have this idea. As long as the zombie crisis can be ended, he can accept anyone completing it, even support them. He doesn’t want to be a superhero. And I didn’t demand that the Tian Yue base must solve the crisis. As long as the goal is achieved, even if Duan Yunhong becomes a superhero, your 4 million is safely in your pocket. Tricking him like this is all benefit and no harm, I’m amazed you could come up with such rhetoric in such a short time.”

“How can it be ‘all benefit and no harm’? There’s still my bet with him, isn’t there?” Ning Fei chuckled. “If he becomes a great hero, won’t I lose my bet?”

“If you lose, you lose. Although you’re a very competitive person, the fact that you would trick him like this means you can accept this ‘loss.'” Yu Zhou said with a teasing tone. “But even though I haven’t met that Duan Yunhong, judging from your description of him, if he knows you’re tricking him, he’ll definitely be furious. If he only finds out after he wins the bet, then I really can’t imagine what the scene will be like. All the joy will probably turn into anger.”

“Perhaps.” Ning Fei’s tone was lazy. “But how would he know? If you don’t tell him, and I don’t tell him, how would he find out? As soon as the zombie crisis ends, our victory or defeat will be decided, and he’ll have to destroy my positioning mark. Once I leave, where can he find me?”

“So heartless, little Ning Fei.” Yu Zhou’s laughter came through the phone. “Although everything you say is true, I still feel like something’s not quite right here. Could it be that you’re afraid of what might happen in the future, so you’re eager to get rid of him? Otherwise, why don’t you just have another relaxed and happy world with him, and arrange to compete again in the next world?”

“‘Relaxed and happy’? I’m here to work, not to vacation.” Ning Fei replied. “And even if we didn’t compete in this world, he wouldn’t help me, he might even deliberately create obstacles for me. Where’s the ‘relaxed and happy’ in that?”

Yu Zhou: “Oh, dare you say your nightlife hasn’t improved qualitatively since you two got together?”

Ning Fei: “…I don’t want to talk about this with you.”

Yu Zhou: “Haha, come on, do I not know you? We’re all adults, and you’re not the celibate, frigid type. What’s wrong with talking about adult topics?”

“Your feelings aren’t always right, Yu Zhou.” Ning Fei lowered his eyes, his tone faint. “I don’t discuss or interfere in your private life, I hope you’ll do the same for me. If I were to mutter about your views on love all day, wouldn’t you be annoyed? If I said, ‘You actually spent 4 million points of luck for your man’s wish and called me here to do private work, you’re really ‘stupid, rich, come quickly’,’ would you be happy?”

“…” Yu Zhou was silent for two seconds, then asked, “You wouldn’t be saying your true feelings under the guise of a hypothetical, would you?”

“You guess?”

“I won’t guess. I’ve always openly shared my love stories with you, but you never reveal anything to me. If I hadn’t happened to run into this, I wouldn’t even know what type you like.” Yu Zhou snorted with a laugh. “Fine, just keep being mysterious. Anyway, I know now, you have to pretend to care about this ‘savior title’ in front of that Duan Yunhong, right? I’ll take care of that, there’s no need for Lao Yue to act, since it’s me who’s issuing the private job.”

“You’re less like his man and more like his sugar daddy.” Ning Fei couldn’t help but complain, then immediately said goodbye before Yu Zhou could respond, “That’s it, hanging up.”

After saying that, he really hung up the phone, then threw it onto the sofa beside him.

He leaned against the back of the sofa and let out a self-deprecating laugh after a long time.

*

Not long after, Wang Haiyang rarely invited Ning Fei to a meal. And it wasn’t just a casual meal; the whole family was at the restaurant having dinner with Ning Fei.

The reason was that the research funding and benefits for the research team he led had increased, and he wanted to celebrate. Moreover, Wang Haiyang believed that this was somewhat related to Ning Fei, so he insisted on treating him to a meal.

Ning Fei really had trouble expressing what he felt; in this situation, Wang Haiyang definitely wouldn’t want to go to the Tian Yue base, so he had worked for someone else for nothing.

He could only humbly say that this was all the result of Professor Wang’s outstanding abilities and had nothing to do with him. However, Wang Haiyang said decisively: “If it hadn’t been for your conversation with Chen Yikun that night, I wouldn’t have mustered the courage to apply for increased funding again. If it hadn’t been for you saying you’d give us a ride that night, and asking us to wait outside for a while, we wouldn’t have run into Director Duan and gotten into his car. He must have started paying attention to me from that day on. Later, he also told me that he had carefully reviewed our group’s research and felt that we should be able to produce good results. So when I mentioned increasing funding to him, he not only quickly agreed, but also said he would increase our benefits. It was unbelievably smooth!”

After a pause, Wang Haiyang lowered his voice with a somewhat embarrassed expression and said, “Actually, I have some other suspicions…”

“What?”

“It’s just that after you and Director Duan… uh, became friends, it might be because he saw that we lived close by that he thought about paying attention to my group’s project again.” After all, Wang Haiyang was a scholar, so it was quite difficult for him to say this out of self-respect. He really regarded Ning Fei as a friend, so he revealed some of his inner thoughts to him. After finally saying these words with difficulty, Wang Haiyang couldn’t help but sigh, “But, I didn’t expect you to actually pursue Director Duan, since you said he was your ideal type. And you actually succeeded, you really have the drive!”

Ning Fei’s face was wooden: “It’s not that successful…”

Wang Haiyang said, “The fact that Director Duan interrupted his inspection at the ability user center to take you to get treatment has spread throughout the research institute. How could you not have succeeded? Don’t be humble.”

Ning Fei: “…”

How could he put it? One was that Duan Yunhong intercepted Wang Haiyang, and the other was that Wang Haiyang thought he was the one who pursued Duan Yunhong. Ning Fei was truly speechless after being hit by these two boomerangs. And Wang Haiyang kept chattering on and on, really pouring salt on his “wound.”

–Forget it, whatever.

Anyway, Wang Haiyang wasn’t going to leave with him, and it didn’t matter what he thought.

That evening when Ning Fei had dinner with Wang Haiyang’s family, Duan Yunhong came to pick him up in the end, although this was just Director Duan giving him a ride after working overtime. But in this way, it was really impossible to explain the relationship between the two. Ning Fei was too lazy to argue anymore. After simply saying goodbye to Wang Haiyang, he got into Duan Yunhong’s car.

Duan Yunhong watched the whole process of Ning Fei coming out of the door and getting into the car. Once the car door was closed, his first sentence was: “No more value, so you treat him coldly?”

Ning Fei turned his head to look at him: “Huh?”

“I’m talking about your attitude towards Wang Haiyang.” Duan Yunhong started the car and commented sharply, “Before, you would chase after him to talk during the short walk after getting out of the car. Now, he’s taking the initiative to come out, but you just wave goodbye to him simply. Isn’t that an obvious change in attitude?”

“Even if it is, so what? I already cut you off, am I supposed to help you maintain your relationship with your subordinates? You’re thinking too highly of yourself.” Ning Fei’s tone was lazy, and there was a hint of alcohol in his words. “Actually, his kids are so annoying. Especially the little son, he’s as noisy as a little devil and doesn’t have any manners. If you give him a little snack, he’ll automatically climb on top of my head. It’s like if I have something in my hand, he’ll definitely get it if he wants it.”

Duan Yunhong replied calmly, “But he’s very useful, right?”

“Ha, otherwise? Why would I bother to deal with a little brat?” Ning Fei sneered. “A few times, he insisted on clinging to me, so his mother had no choice but to come and talk to me. There was no way to avoid it.”

“So you let others mistakenly believe that you were pursuing her?”

“Pfft, how do you even know that?” Ning Fei said cheerfully. “I get it, Wang Haiyang told you, right? He looks like someone who can’t withstand your interrogation. Did he tell you that I said you were my ideal type?”

Duan Yunhong didn’t answer, but glanced at him.

Ning Fei understood, that was the tacit acknowledgement, and he laughed even more obviously: “Hahaha, it’s convenient to use you as a shield, anyway, wasn’t that the same pattern in the last world? Otherwise, he would misunderstand that I like little boys. I’d rather be misunderstood as liking non-humans than be seen as a pedophile.”

Duan Yunhong: “You like non-humans?”

Ning Fei: “What, do you want to become a non-human?”

Duan Yunhong couldn’t answer again.

Ning Fei laughed for a while, then quieted down. The two were silent for a while, but it didn’t feel awkward.

Just before they arrived at Duan Yunhong’s home, he spoke again, asking a topic that had never been touched on before.

“What are you planning to do next?”

Ning Fei was a bit distracted and didn’t react for a moment: “…What?”

Duan Yunhong didn’t turn his head to look at him, and his tone remained cold: “You can’t take people away, so, are you planning to return to the Tian Yue base?”

Ning Fei thought for a moment, then smiled again.

“You’re right, there’s no use in me staying here, it’s time to prepare to go back.”