Section 59: Freshly Scrubbed and Clean

Sima’s sudden and direct approach proved effective, much to his surprise. Zhou Lingri did not object; she remained noncommittal and continued typing intently, though she made frequent typos. Sima gently caught her wrist, causing her to freeze in place like someone struck by an electric shock. The immaculate gu wriggled leisurely in her chest and abdomen, leaving her too breathless with tension to remember her usual mysophobia.

After an unknown length of time, Zhou Lingri abruptly shoved Sima away, leaped to her feet, and began wiping her wrist with an alcohol-soaked wipe. Patting her arm over her clothing, Sima said, "Then it's settled. After lunch, I'll treat you to Häagen-Dazs, and we can take a walk to digest." Zhou Lingri did not refuse, muttering a few indistinct words to herself, completely unaware of what she was saying. She too longed to fall in love like a normal person, but the gu worms permitted no such thing. Cao Gege on the fourth floor called this "physiological aversion," and it was utterly incurable! Since her gu worms did not react too strongly in rejection of Sima, she might as well give it a try.

And so, at noon that day, after finishing lunch, Sima and Zhou Lingri went out for a walk to aid digestion. Emerging from the gates of the Anti-Doping Center, the world opened up before them, and Zhou Lingri’s eyes instantly lit up. Pointing at the Häagen-Dazs shop across the street, she declared she loved the classic vanilla and chocolate flavors. Sima offered to buy her a double scoop later—one vanilla, one chocolate—to which Zhou Lingri retorted that she wanted four scoops: two vanilla and two chocolate. Indeed, she had no need to watch her figure; the gu worms consumed her vital essence, leaving not a trace of the calories from ice cream.

The early spring air was biting, but the shop’s heating was blasting, and there were hardly any customers. Sitting by the window, Sima and Zhou Lingri watched the hurried passersby in the city, savoring the taste of Häagen-Dazs ice cream and chatting idly. As the ice cream melted slowly on her tongue, Zhou Lingri’s mind became more active. Having long coveted the little leopard cat, she now spoke in soft, coaxing tones, asking Sima to "cleanse the little cat's stomach" so it would stop eating disgusting scraps, feed it specialized Bengal cat food, wash it clean with scented cat shampoo, and bring it to the office so she could pet it. In return, she would bring him some good tea to taste.

Sima usually enjoyed drinking tea and reading books. The water quality in Beizhi tended to be hard, which suited jasmine tea better, making fine loose-leaf tea somewhat wasted on him. However, seeing Zhou Lingri's sincerity, he was willing to accommodate her and nodded in agreement. Casually, he asked what kind of good tea it was. Looking somewhat troubled, Zhou Lingri replied that she wasn't sure; it had been given to her by Uncle Gao, who was reportedly very wealthy. Sima felt a sudden, unprompted wave of vigilance and asked which Uncle Gao. Zhou Lingri informed him that it was Gao Shuren, a senior researcher at the Gu Research Institute.

The mystery was finally unraveled. It turned out that Zhou Lingri’s backer at the Gu Research Institute was none other than Gao Shuren! Probing indirectly, Sima asked her about Gao Shuren. Zhou Lingri bit her lip and thought to herself that since she was "trying out a relationship" with him, there was no need for secrecy, especially since it wasn't anything shameful anyway. The "spoiled scion" who had been stubbornly determined to marry her turned out to be Gao Shuren’s nephew, Gao Yaozu. However, Gao Shuren had broken ties with his older brother, Gao Shumu, in his youth, falling out bitterly. Bearing a grudge against the entire branch, Gao Shuren had little fondness for Gao Yaozu either. Hearing that Gao Yaozu’s pursuit of Zhou Lingri had met with failure, leading him to drown his sorrows in alcohol and turn his household upside down, Gao Shuren found it immensely gratifying. He took a great liking to Zhou Lingri and voluntarily took her under his wing just to make things difficult for his brother and sister-in-law.

Zhou Lingri did not know much about the older generation's grievances. Of the old feud where the Gao brothers refused to see each other until death, she only knew some superficial rumors, reportedly sparked by a woman. Yet Gao Shuren's special favor toward her was genuine. The Second Division needed Gao Shuren’s influence to hold their ground and speak up for them at critical moments. "White Dove" had instructed Zhou Lingri to visit "Uncle Gao" during every major holiday and keep that connection alive. Gao Shuren never accepted her gifts empty-handed either, always reciprocating with fine items, some of which even made "White Dove" green with envy.

After finishing the Häagen-Dazs, they returned to the office to resume work. Sima took out his phone and sent a text message to "White Dove," agreeing to act as the third party who would "draw the hatred" and take the blame for the Second Division. "White Dove" was extremely satisfied with his response; he and a few "old cronies" were currently plotting a major operation, and since Gao Shumu had been keeping a close eye on the Gu Research Institute, they needed to find a distraction to draw his attention away. If everything went smoothly, they would soon be able to proceed with the next phase of their plan.

The fragrant, freshly washed little leopard cat was brought by Sima to the General Office the next day. Stifling her discomfort, Zhou Lingri gave it a careful, tentative stroke before hastily rushing off to wash and sanitize her hands. Still, for her, this was a small step forward in overcoming her mysophobia—something that would have been unimaginable in the past. She also produced the fine tea "Uncle Gao" had given her, wrapped in kraft paper and tied neatly with paper string into a precise, square shape with sharp corners—a style of traditional craftsmanship rarely seen nowadays. Sima unwrapped the package; the tea leaves were melon-seed-shaped, single-leaf pieces of a precious green hue, uniform in size, and exuding a distinctive, delicate fragrance.

Leaning in close to take a look, Zhou Lingri asked, "What kind of tea is this?"

"Not entirely sure. Let's brew two cups and taste it first..." In Changzhou, Sima mostly drank Pu-erh, while in Beizhi he mostly drank flower tea, making him rather unfamiliar with green tea.

Zhou Lingri fetched two teacups, washed them meticulously three times, scalded them with boiling water, and brewed two cups of tea. Sima took a sip, and memories of his past life surged forward. With a soft hum, he said, "It should be Gua Pian!"

"How is it? Does it taste good?"

"It's truly fine tea, but the water in the pantry is too hard. It's a shame to brew green tea with it!"

Digging an unopened hot water kettle out of the cabinet, Zhou Lingri washed it clean and placed it neatly on the desk, perfectly aligned and pleasing to the eye. She poured in three bottles of mineral water, plugged it in to boil, and brewed the tea anew. Predictably, the flavor improved immensely.

The two lingered together for a long time, sipping tea until mealtime, when they went to the cafeteria to eat. Afterward, they took a walk to digest while holding the cat. Passing by the Häagen-Dazs shop, Sima went inside to buy a double-scoop cup of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, which Zhou Lingri ate all the way back to the office. The Second Division’s small building was quiet, with everyone closing their doors for a midday nap. The wooden floorboards creaked as Sima and Zhou Lingri tiptoed back into the General Office like thieves, only opening their doors for business at two in the afternoon. They breezed through their paperwork, continued drinking tea and teasing the cat, and in the blink of an eye, it was dinnertime again. After a hearty dinner, they went out for a stroll together. Since bringing the cat meant many places were off-limits, Sima simply left the little leopard cat temporarily boarded at a pet shop, took Zhou Lingri to a movie, and finally saw her home.

Zhou Lingri spent a wonderful day. She did not realize she was right at the eye of a vortex, nor that the care and affection she received were entirely pure. There is no pure care and affection in this world; even parents' love for their children is driven by the desire to propagate their own genes. As for whether their offspring are happy, that is never the primary concern. If suffering could produce more offspring, all parents would desperately torture their children. The world is cruel; warmth is merely a veil artificially draped over reality. When the storm arrives, that veil will be torn away.