"Can I ask you something? Do you already have a girlfriend?"
Reading this WeChat message from Zhu Ke'er, Ken was momentarily baffled. Even through text, he could sense a hint of indignation emanating from her words.
What was going on? Could it be that Zhu Ke'er had taken a liking to him?
Ken found this rather unbelievable. Although since the physical changes, he appeared younger and more energetic compared to his former self, and his physique had transformed from obese to lean and muscular after two iterations of change, he was far from what one would call handsome or dashing. The basic structure of his facial features was set, hardly leading to striking good looks, not to mention the prominent bald head.
While their conversation at the café had been pleasant, Ken wasn't deluded enough to think a single meeting could win Zhu Ke'er's affections.
Could it be that after several transformations, his body possessed some undetected ability—like an enhanced appeal to the opposite sex?
Pondering this doubtfully, Ken replied. Although he had no intention of pursuing romance, he couldn't let her mistakenly believe he had a girlfriend, as that would implicate Zhao Lei and Wang Han, the matchmakers.
So, he responded: "Of course not. Why do you ask?"
A few seconds later, another message from Zhu Ke'er arrived: "Or... do you have a boyfriend?"
Ken's first reaction was that she had mistyped. But then he grasped her meaning and couldn't help but feel exasperated.
"My sexual orientation is perfectly normal!"
Zhu Ke'er: "Then is it that I'm not good-looking enough? Not your type?"
Ken: "You are very good-looking."
Zhu Ke'er: "Was I rude or had a bad attitude when we met?"
Ken: "Not at all."
Zhu Ke'er: "Then why are you avoiding me?"
Ken initially wanted to reply, "I'm not avoiding you." Indeed, he had merely declined a supper invitation citing prior commitments; it hardly constituted "avoiding." But that response would be somewhat disingenuous. They had met through a blind date. Afterward, Ken, as the male party, had not initiated contact even once. To call it "avoiding" wasn't entirely inaccurate.
While he hesitated, unsure how to explain, another message from Zhu Ke'er popped up:
"Don't get me wrong, I don't mean anything by it! I just think you're a nice person and we could be friends. But your attitude of avoiding me is really hurtful!"
Ken understood what she meant by "don't mean anything." He also had an inkling of her perspective now. Choosing his words carefully, he replied: "It's not that you're lacking in any way. It's that you are toogood, excellent in every aspect. I feel the chances of things progressing between us are slim. I probably just don't fit the type you like."
Zhu Ke'er shot back immediately: "How do you know what type I like?"
She quickly followed with another message: "What I mean is, there should at least be a process of getting to know each other. Even if nothing comes of it, we can still be ordinary friends!"
What else could Ken say? He could only reply: "You have a point. My mistake."
Fortunately, Zhu Ke'er didn't ask, "What exactly is your mistake?"—otherwise, he truly wouldn't have known how to respond.
"Are you free tomorrow evening? Let's have dinner together. I'll bring my roommate; you can bring a friend too. Place TBD, we'll split the bill."
Seeing the dinner invitation, Ken felt a headache coming. He had to reply: "To be honest, I have some peculiar eating habits. I'm quite particular and don't really enjoy eating with others."
Zhu Ke'er: "Then no dinner. Let's go hiking together next weekend."
"OK." There really was no way to refuse this.
Looking at the chat history with Zhu Ke'er on his phone, Ken felt a pang of regret. If he had met Zhu Ke'er before his physical changes, he would have pursued her wholeheartedly. But then again, with his previous mindset, perhaps he would have had no chance from the start, just like all those past blind dates.
Suddenly, screams erupted from the street outside his window. Ken moved to the window and looked down. A young man with a狰狞 expression was chasing a man and a woman, brandishing a knife. The couple seemed to be the young pair living downstairs from him.
Ken froze for a second, instinctively grabbing his phone to dial 110. As the dial tone sounded, he saw the young man from downstairs trip and fall. The girl, trying to shield her boyfriend, was stabbed twice by the assailant.
Without further thought, Ken rushed out of his room and sprinted downstairs. While running, he spoke to the 110 operator who had answered, reporting the street name, address, and that an assault was in progress.
By the time Ken reached the ground floor, the assailant was still swinging the knife. However, the owner of the small grocery store had now emerged with a mop handle, attempting to intervene and阻止 the attacker from striking again.
Without breaking stride, Ken accelerated, launching a flying kick that sent the assailant sprawling across the street. The knife clattered to the ground. Before the man could struggle to his feet, Ken was already upon him, delivering a punch squarely to his face.
The impact made a sickening, wet sound, as if something had ruptured. Ken, his arm already pulled back for a follow-up strike, paused. The assailant's face was now a bloody mess, his neck lolling limply—he was clearly unconscious. Ken's fist froze in mid-air, the subsequent blows never landing.
…
Just as Zhu Ke'er finished her WeChat conversation with Ken, Yang Rui had just parked the car in the underground garage. She glanced at her friend in the passenger seat, frowning. "You really made plans to go hiking with 'Sensei Saitama'? Why?"
"What do you mean, why?"
"You're not actually falling for him, are you? You said he's not your type. He ignores you, and you're still the one chasing after him to make plans?" Yang Rui was utterly perplexed. "Nana, this isn't like you."
"I just think he could be a friend! Going hiking together isn't the same as going out alone with him; it'll be a whole group of people…" Zhu Ke'er said, getting out of the car and heading towards the elevator.
Truth be told, she had regretted sending that first WeChat message to Ken almost immediately, but it was too late to take it back. So, she had just gone ahead and asked everything she wanted. And somehow, she felt a stubborn determination to get Ken to agree to meet up once, as if to prove a point.
Yang Rui locked the car and caught up, standing beside her friend in front of the elevator. She tilted her head, studying Zhu Ke'er, and whispered, "You're not planning to use your charms to make him fall for you and then ditch him, are you?"
"Don't talk nonsense! You've read too many novels…" Zhu Ke'er rolled her eyes.
"Or… have my constant remarks these past few days made you start doubting your own appeal? Oh dear, that would be my fault! You know I was just joking, right? Remember that big, clumsy guy you met once at my house the year before last? That's my cousin. He still talks about you sometimes… Your appeal is undeniable! You don't need to prove anything with that bald guy…"
"Ugh, it's not like that at all! Why do you…"
"Let me see what you just chatted with him about."