What to Talk About with Ne

Ye Jian had left after escorting him to the entrance. So it was too late to back out now. Liu Shiheng stood alone for a moment, tugged at his shirt, and stepped forward. It was a long corridor constructed of crystal-blue glass; even the floor beneath his feet was glass. With a bit of suitable music, Young Master Shiheng would have thought he was back in an entertainment club in Gangcheng. Of course, the light here was a little too bright, reflecting dazzlingly off the glass and restricting his vision. Ye Jian had told him to just keep walking forward. He walked for about five minutes before stopping. "Whew! Whew!" Taking deep breaths, Liu Shiheng gritted his teeth and took that final step from dazzling blue into deep, shadowy blue. Ahead lay a room. In his line of sight, a figure heard his footsteps and turned around. Long legs, an ample and perky bust, shapely curves, blonde hair, red lips... If he hadn't retained a shred of sobriety in his mind, Young Master Shiheng would have wanted to whistle. *Holy crap, Ne is actually a woman?!* he thought. *And such a sexy woman, at that! Why didn't anyone ever tell me?!* Calming down slightly, Liu Shiheng raised a hand and said with suave charm, "Hi!" "...Hi!" The other party seemed to hesitate a moment before replying in kind, then said, "You must be Mr. Liu Shiheng? Please follow me. Mr. Ne is waiting for you inside." "..." Liu Shiheng froze dumbly. His English was quite good, so it wasn't that he hadn't understood. It was just that he felt slightly awkward right now—because just a moment ago, he had even begun contemplating using his mortal body to quell the world's civil strife, putting an end to Snow Lotus between the sheets and in the kitchen. *So this chick is Ne's secretary? Receptionist?* Liu Shiheng wondered. "Hello?" Seeing him not respond, the woman politely prompted him. "Ah, right." Liu Shiheng snapped out of his reverie. The woman gave a dazzling smile. "Then this way, please." Setting out again from the other side of the room, it was still a glass corridor, only dimmer than the first. The shapely woman walked gracefully ahead. Liu Shiheng reined in his wandering thoughts and followed her for about another two minutes. At an open doorway, the woman stopped, turned to offer a polite smile, and departed. Before him stood a chapel-like structure, truly diminutive in scale, and naturally dominated by crystal-blue glass as well, from the walls to the floor... Well, since he was already here, Liu Shiheng cautiously stepped inside, paused at the doorway, and warily swept his gaze around. Nobody. The seven rows of pews flanking the entrance were completely empty. On the platform opposite him, there were only interconnected panes of crystal-blue glass, glittering radiantly with the light trapped within. Looking at this setup, it almost felt like he ought to call out, "Hey, is Ne around?"... Liu Shiheng reminded himself that this was an incomparably terrifying being. In terms of status, the man he was about to meet was once a great contributor etched into the annals of Azure, and now the leader of Snow Lotus. In terms of martial might, people ranked him second on the Dome Leaderboard, second only to Chen Buer—and yet, he was actually a scientist. "Please, have a seat anywhere, Young Master Shiheng." It was a gentle male voice. His English carried an accent, but it wasn't hard to understand. It sounded very close by, yet it was surround sound, offering no sense of direction. *So he asked to see me, but won't even show his face?!* "Alright, thank you." After thanking him, Liu Shiheng found a spot on a nearby bench and sat down. Out of nervousness, he only perched on the very edge... Shifting in his seat, he had no idea which way he was supposed to face. Then Liu Shiheng suddenly realized that Ne had just called him "Young Master Shiheng"... Well, Ye Jian had probably told him, or Sister-in-law. "You don't mind chatting like this, do you?" that voice asked. "Of course... I don't mind," Liu Shiheng stammered. "Then..." The voice hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "What shall we talk about?" "Huh?" Liu Shiheng let out an involuntary sound, thinking, *I thought you called me here because you already had something in mind!* As if knowing what he was thinking, Ne chuckled and said, "I certainly have things I'm curious about, but I believe a guest's wishes should be respected first. So if Young Master Shiheng minds the topic I want to discuss, you may refuse." "Huh?" This time it was an exceedingly weak murmur. Liu Shiheng felt a shiver run down his spine. Ne was acting far too polite; compared to this, he would have preferred it if Ne had acted aloof and intimidating from the start. This unexpected gentleness was unnerving... like facing an adorable child who might suddenly transform into a monster, bare a savage grin, and rip out your heart. In his presence, Liu Shiheng could die at any second. He was already regretting coming here. "Would you mind talking about your friends? I'm quite interested in them," Ne asked. Liu Shiheng hesitated. "Talk about... what?" "For example, that suit of iron armor and the person inside it? That was the most successful... no, one should say the only successful creation of that research project." Liu Shiheng was taken aback. "You... Mr. Ne, you mean you were the one who saved Rusty Sister?" "No, phrasing it that way makes me feel ashamed," Ne said. "It was merely that I created that operation, as well as the dead iron source energy internal circulation system." "Oh." "So, do you mind sharing? And then there's your Major Qing. I'm quite interested in him as well..." Ne prompted. Liu Shiheng didn't answer immediately. He didn't want Ne to take an interest in Rusty Sister or Qingzi at all. *So, if I say I mind, will I die?* he hesitated. "You object?" Ne asked, a hint of probing in his tone. "...Mm." Sweat streamed down Liu Shiheng's back. "And 'mm' means?" "I... object." "..." Silence fell on the other end. Liu Shiheng began to tremble. He felt he might really be about to die. Given Ne's strength, an eccentric temper would be entirely fitting; what's more, he wouldn't even need to show himself for Young Master Liu to drop dead at any moment. "Then what shall we talk about?" After a dozen seconds of silence, Ne suddenly broke the quiet. "It has truly been a long time since I interacted with people from the outside world, especially someone interesting. Courtney said you're a very amusing fellow, and that because of your presence, both she and Ye Jian have become much happier." Liu Shiheng: "..." *So Ne didn't actually summon me just for small talk, did he? Is he really that bored? Shouldn't a man like him spend every waking moment plotting how to destroy Azure, or conducting research?* "How about this: I'll make a suggestion. Option one: we chat casually about inconsequential matters. Option two: you may ask about anything you're curious about, or I can tell you a few secrets that I find interesting." Seeing him not respond, Ne continued. *This is a life-or-death question!* Liu Shiheng instinctively judged this to be a lethal dilemma: if he chose the latter, he would definitely be silenced forever once he finished asking and listening. "I choose A." "A? Oh, the first option." Ne considered this for a moment and said, "I hear that Young Master Shiheng is a deserter from Azure? And that you deserted more than once." "Uh, yeah." Apparently taken aback by his unabashed candor, Ne paused, then let out a slow laugh. "Why? Out of fear of death?" "More or less. Though after I found out about the Great Spikes, it hasn't actually been that terrifying," Liu Shiheng answered honestly. Ne hesitated for two seconds on his end before saying, "My apologies, but I don't quite understand." "It's just... I don't want to struggle desperately only to end up dead anyway, Mr. Ne, can you understand that? I don't want to fight and resist again and again, worrying every time that I might die and crying out of fear over it... But I'm totally fine with this planet suddenly blowing up." "Oh, I—" "Please don't tell me. I mean, if you happen to know when that will happen, Mr. Ne, please don't tell me. I beg of you," Liu Shiheng pleaded hurriedly. "Understood." Ne laughed. "Then it's your turn to ask." "Um... Mr. Ne, are you really immortal? They say you're immortal." Liu Shiheng was gradually loosening up. "Do you want to know?" Ne said. "That counts as a question about secrets." "Then pretend I never asked." "Very well, haha... What an amusing fellow you are." Ne seemed to relax as well. "By the way, I'm suddenly curious about something: Young Master Shiheng, do you ever envy your friends?" "Envy? Envy what?" "Take Major Qing, for instance. Do you ever wish that you, too, could become a powerful existence?" "Not in the slightest." "Oh? Truly? I'm surprised. Could you tell me your reason?" "The reason is simple. What's the point of being strong? Unless you're invincible under the heavens—no, invincible in the entire universe—aren't you still just as likely to die in battle at any moment? And statistically speaking, because he shoulders more responsibility, fights far more battles, and has far more eyes on him, I think Qingzi is in way more danger than I am," Liu Shiheng said. "Take right now, for instance. If Qingzi were the one standing here, wouldn't you want to test his strength, Mr. Ne?" "...Probably. Yes, I would," Ne replied. "Exactly! You'd think that, and then he'd be thinking: *Why don't I just take a swing at you and see?*" "Haha, really?" "Yes, he would! No matter what kind of enemy it is, the moment he feels threatened, he'll want to chop at them to test them out. He chopped at Ye Jian, you know? Back when he was only top-tier. In front of a whole crowd of people, he snapped both of Ye Jian's blades..." "Tsk, tsk, how embarrassing! That really is a headache. Looking at it that way, your Major Qing truly is quite a troublesome fellow." Ne laughed once more. "Right? So you see, I don't have any of those problems at all. And there's no way I'd ever get into a fight with you." Liu Shiheng's eyes glinted with smug satisfaction. He spread his hands, turned in all directions, and finally leaned toward the platform to ask, "By the way, Mr. Ne, you're really strong, aren't you?" "Do you want to know? That's another question about secrets," Ne said. "Even that counts?" "Then it doesn't," Ne said. "I am very strong." "Mm." "...Why don't you follow up by asking who's stronger between me and your Legion Commander?" "Huh?!" Liu Shiheng was taken aback. "I never thought about that."