Qi Shao thought Xie Sen was really strange. He suddenly jumped into the swimming pool to swim, and it was the same pool that had just given his contracted beast a sterilization bath.
He stood and watched for a while, and soon found something wrong. The water in the pool was very clean, less than two meters deep, and he could see the bottom at a glance.
He thought the person who was going to swim was paddling his hands and feet in a disorderly manner, which was not the way he was swimming at all, and he was gradually sinking to the bottom.
Qi Shao's face changed, and he jumped into the water with a "splash". He swam to Xie Sen's side in two or three seconds and rescued the unconscious Xie Sen from the water.
When Xie Sen woke up and opened his eyes, he saw the snow-white ceiling and the faint smell of disinfectant in his nose. He turned his head and met Maine's eyes who was sitting on the stool beside the bed.
Maine propped his chin up on one hand. Seeing him wake up, he lowered it, leaning forward and asking, "How are you feeling?"
Xie Sen sat up and looked around. It was all white walls. "I'm fine. Is this a hospital?"
Maine nodded. "You fell into the water last night and were unconscious. You've been asleep for eight hours."
Xie Sen checked the time. It was already past six the next morning. He rubbed his forehead, remembering the drowning incident. Master Qi would definitely think he was a fool.
He threw back the covers and got out of bed, putting on his shoes as he asked Maine, "Have you been taking care of me?"
"Yeah," Maine said as he stood up. "Wait a minute. I'll have the doctor check you out and make sure you're alright before we handle the discharge procedures."
"No need to bother. I'm fine," Xie Sen thought. He knew his condition better than the doctor did. "I still have to go to work!"
Maine frowned. "How can you say you're fine? The doctor said you're overtired and malnourished. You're in very bad shape."
Xie Sen was speechless. There weren't even vegetables here. Malnutrition was the norm, wasn't it? As for being overtired, that was complete nonsense. He wasn't tired at all.
At Maine's insistence, Xie Sen went through the examination. The doctor finished, saying, "Nothing serious. Get plenty of rest. When was the last time you drank nutrient solution?"
Xie Sen was bewildered. What was 'nutrient solution'?
Seeing his expression, the doctor sighed, "Did you forget to drink it? No wonder you're malnourished. The Ministry of Health has issued multiple reminders that you must drink a bottle of nutrient solution weekly. You young people just don't listen."
He wrote out an order: "Buy a bottle of nutrient solution. Drink it as soon as possible, and you can be discharged."
With Maine's help, the discharge process was swift. Xie Sen took a 300ml bottle of luminous green liquid and sat in the passenger seat. Curiously, he asked, "What's this made of? It costs 100 Star Coins a bottle."
Maine set the route and replied, "It's a mixture of juices from various large, non-edible plants. Rich in the nutrients we need."
Xie Sen suddenly understood. No wonder people here eat meat every day without getting sick. They actually use plant-based nutritional supplements.
He took a sip of the nutrient solution and his face instantly wrinkled. It tasted so bad! A strong smell of grass, dirt, and an indescribable spiciness blended together, making it feel more like poison than a supplement.
Maine tilted his head to look at him. "Not used to it? How long has it been since you last had it?"
"I can't remember," Xie Sen mumbled.
Maine frowned. "Citizens are limited to one bottle of supplements per week. If you miss it, you can't buy it anymore. You must remember to buy it next time."
Xie Sen was surprised that something so unpalatable couldn't be bought yet. He nodded, thinking about the days of eating meat every meal, and swallowing the supplement in big gulps, he suppressed the discomfort.
They returned to the apartment. Xie Sen showered and changed into clean clothes. As they left the bedroom, Maine, who was next door, had just changed and emerged from his bedroom. His hair was slightly damp, clearly fresh from the shower as well.
"I'm going to work. See you tonight," he waved to Maine.
"You haven't had breakfast yet..." Maine's words were interrupted by a ringtone. It was Xie Sen's call.
Xie Sen answered the call, but hung up shortly after. He spread his hands and said, "I have time for breakfast. My manager told me to rest this morning and return to work this afternoon."
He lamented, "And without a clean bill of health from the hospital, I'm not allowed to work the late shift!"
Maine asked, "Are you short on cash?"
"Yes," Xie Sen said. "Luckily, I made some money on the school forum, otherwise I'd be broke right now."
Seeing Maine heading to the kitchen, Xie Sen quickly ran over, grabbed his arm, and pointed at the sofa. "To thank you for spending the night with me, I'll make breakfast. You sit back and relax."
Maine glanced at his hand and nodded. "Okay."
Xie Sen walked into the kitchen, turned on the system, and looking at the remaining energy value of fifteen, he swallowed, thought for a moment, and turned it off again.
He couldn't be too extravagant. He could only exchange one chili pepper at most. To get the most out of it, he'd have to exchange it for an extremely spicy one. It wouldn't be suitable for breakfast.
He cooked the fried meat as usual. After eating, he asked Maine, "Is there a supermarket nearby?" "
Yes, it's about 300 meters to the right."
Xie Sen said, "I'm going to the supermarket to buy some things. Is there anything you need?"
"No, I'm going out later and will be back around 6 PM," he said, opening his bracelet and making a few adjustments. "I've given you access to the gate. You can open it yourself."
Xie Sen hadn't expected such trust from him and was touched. "Don't worry, brother, I won't touch anything."
Maine hummed and went back to his room to change.
Maine came out of the room. Xie Sen was stunned to see him wearing a black baseball cap, a black suit, and black combat boots.
"What are you doing?" Why did he look like he was about to fight or do something bad?
Maine looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and uttered two words: "Keep it secret."
Xie Sen's curiosity grew, and he worried that he might be up to something bad. But if Maine didn't want to tell him, there was nothing he could do unless... he was being followed!
The two of them went out together. Maine went to the parking lot, while Xie Sen headed for the supermarket. Xie Sen had taken a few steps when he saw Xie Sen enter the parking lot. He quickly turned and hid around the corner.
He decided to wait for Maine's shuttle to emerge, then immediately go to the parking lot and drive his own shuttle behind Maine.
Traffic in the neighborhood was slow, so if he drove quickly, he should be able to keep up.
However, after waiting for a long time, Maine's shuttle didn't emerge. Only three unfamiliar shuttles and a small truck left the parking lot.
Xie Sen thought for a moment, checked his wristband, and confirmed that the parking lot had only one exit. He waited another five minutes, but his patience ran out, so he simply walked into the parking lot.
In the corner, his light blue shuttle and Maine's black shuttle were parked side by side. He knocked on the window of the black shuttle, but there was no response. He peeked through the window, but saw nothing.
If Maine were there, he would definitely react. This could only mean that Maine wasn't there, that Maine hadn't left with the shuttle!
Such a mysterious presence only made Xie Sen even more worried. Could it be that Maine had already turned evil, and was only pretending to be evil, secretly preparing for future mischief?
No, maybe it was something else, Xie Sen thought. Maine had already given him access to the main door of their residence. How could such a good person, so trusting, possibly turn evil?
He left the parking lot and went to the supermarket as planned, buying ten pounds of meat and some salt, the only common seasoning here.
Returning to his apartment, he went straight to the kitchen, activated the system, and redeemed an incredibly hot chili pepper. The pepper grew on a chili tree; he could smell its spiciness even when he got close.
He took out a small bowl and instructed the chili tree: Explode into the finest powder in the bowl, and don't let it spill outside!
The chili tree, with its red pepper-bearing branches, carefully reached into the bowl and rested on the bottom. The bright red pepper looked particularly beautiful against the white bowl.
Silently, the chili pepper exploded in a cloud of fine red powder. Bits of powder drifted into the air, choking Xie Sen and causing him to cough violently.
Xie Sen quickly covered the bowl with a plate, praised the chili tree, and recalled it to the system.
Xie Sen cut off a large chunk of the meat he had bought and put the rest in the refrigerator.
He cut the large chunks into long strips and made spicy meat jerky.
When it was done, the kitchen was filled with a strong, spicy aroma. Xie Sen's eyes and nose were red. He swallowed hard, opened all the vents, and fled from the kitchen with the large plate of spicy dried meat.
He put the dried meat on the table and drank two glasses of cold water, then washed his face with cold water before feeling better.
Coming out of the bathroom, he looked at the dried meat with shining eyes and was about to eat when the intercom suddenly rang.
"Hello, Xie Sen, I'm Ma Qun, the director of the Botanical Research Institute." The person introduced himself directly.
Xie Sen still remembered him: "Hello, Director Ma, what can I do for you?"
"As far as I know, your professional graduation exams are over, and you have a two-month internship next. Are you looking to invite you to intern at the Botanical Research Institute?"
Xie Sen had no intention of changing jobs: "Thank you, I've already found an internship."
"Please think about it carefully. I don't think there's a better place for you than the Institute. You're a natural planter," Ma Qun said earnestly.
Xie Sen's mouth twitched. Did he look so much like a farmer?
The people at the conservation center said he was a natural-born conservationist. Could it be that he was destined to care for plants or animals?
Xie Sen politely said, "Thank you. I'm very satisfied with my current job." Planting plants doesn't generate energy.
Ma Qun said with regret, "You're talented and have solid expertise. It would be a shame if you didn't come to the research institute. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me."
Xie Sen politely agreed. As he hung up, he was still thinking, "As expected of the dean, he's so nice! He even praised his solid expertise."
He soon understood why Ma Qun praised him so highly. He had barely hung up when he received his graduation exam transcript. It included everyone in the department. He circled himself in red in the first row, and then the
transcript was sorted by performance. He stared at the identical names in the top two rows and fell into deep thought. Could the Botany Department be the worst department in the school?
And yet, he got first place!
He searched the school forum for information about the department, but before he could find anything, he saw his name on the top trending topic.
"Shocked! Xie Wasteful got first place in the Botany Department in his graduation exam!"
Xie Sen rolled his eyes. Your whole family is useless! He clicked in and saw rows of neat and orderly replies: The Botany Department is finished!