Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Many times she felt that Kosmo was quite a straight man, and being a straight man wasn't a bad thing; at least it meant that such a boy was reliable... But if you tried to get close to him with all your tenderness many times and were treated like a straight man, then maybe you have to think about whether he is really a straight man... or simply someone who never cared about you.

Just then, Kosmo's next text message arrived, and Desdobia no longer tried to hide it from Shen Liang, turning on the projection screen.

“There’s no need to do that, Desdobia.”

Ah.

Desdovia knew that this photo would make Kosmo realize that it was she who had sent the messages before, not Eve, not Paddo, and not anyone else.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Kosmo.”

"You understand, if you like dolls, I won't say anything."

"What do you want to say? What can you say? Kosmo, you're a strange person. Didn't anyone tell you not to always contact other people's girlfriends via private messages?"

Another long silence followed. Then, Desdobia noticed that the other person's remarks avoided these sensitive issues, seemingly trying to revert the conversation to how it was a few months ago.

"You look great today. I've never seen you wear anything like a school uniform before."

“JK style makes me look younger, so I only wear it when I’m out and about. That way, I don’t look like I’m several years older than the dolls.”

“Wawa is indeed very young. After you, Pado, and Wawa went out alone, I had a sleepless night. I suddenly realized that there were many things from the past that I hadn’t cared about much. You’ve been in Pattaya for a long time now, have you been sleeping well?”

"It's alright. We change hotels every day for routine patrols. The service is always good, and they even include wake-up calls and breakfast. The only problem is that the baby likes to kick off the blankets."

"I came across a short Asian poem while reading one of the books you've been reading recently. After reading the translation, I thought it was quite romantic. Do you remember it?"

"The wind is fierce and violent, yet it smiles at me, laughing and joking, but my heart is filled with sorrow."

The wind blows and the haze hangs heavy, yet you have come so kindly. I neither go nor come back; my thoughts linger on you.

The wind is strong and the sky is overcast; more overcast skies are coming soon. I am awake and cannot sleep; if I speak, I will sneeze.

The sky is overcast and gloomy, the thunder rumbles loudly; I lie awake, unable to sleep, longing to speak my heart.

Shen Liang looked up at the projection screen, then calmly tilted his head. "The 'Bei Feng: Zhong Feng'?"

Desdobia laughed out loud, but there was even a hint of sadness in her laughter.

"The Odes of Bei: The End of the Wind" is a poem told from a woman's perspective, recounting a man's romantic and amorous nature, while expressing her own sorrow, bitterness, yet also anticipation and tenderness—a typical poem of a woman's lament. It's remarkable that Kosmo was able to find this poem in her reading notes to subtly express his emotions; this taciturn young man finally had a desire to express himself.

But do you know why I started reading the Book of Songs? Why did I specifically learn about Asian culture so that I could have topics to discuss with others?

Shen Liang twirled Desdovia's blonde hair with his fingers. He seemed to have a special fetish for hair. After Alicia gave him beautiful long hair, he became interested in other girls' hair as well, enjoying the feeling of smooth strands of hair being rolled between his fingers.

"So, Kosmo is Dobia's boyfriend?"

This time, it's a genuine question.

“Whatever the doll wants me to be, I can be.” Daisy Dobia met his beautiful, clear red eyes.

Chapter Thirty-Six: I am the doll's cat! I am the one!

What a wonderful feeling.

Shen Liang raised his fingers, which were wrapped around golden hair, and pressed them against the girl's lips.

"You are very sad."

Desdovia opened her mouth and bit his finger, looking up at him pleadingly as she sucked on it.

She has always been a girl who craves love. She has always longed to find the feeling of being noticed and needed in someone, just like how anyone can see that she likes Kosmo.

But tender feelings can turn into the pleasure of revenge, after a long period of unfulfilled desire.

Especially when the person on the other end of the phone is the one seeking revenge.

The terminal screen flickered as chat logs were sent one by one. Desdovia lay in front of Shen Liang, biting his finger and tilting her face up, letting his finger and tongue swirl around, like a tamed orange cat being teased by its owner.

"Dobiya, do you know what this poem means?"

Here we go again. I used to think that this kind of young man who believed in ancient cultural traditions and had a calm and artistic mind was very romantic, but now I think this personality is quite troublesome. When he was pursuing you, he was silent and didn't say a word. Now that you're breaking up, you're sentimental and talking about art. Where did you go before?

"I know, but I don't want to talk about it. It's boring, and I'm very busy."

"You seem unwilling to listen to me anymore; you weren't like this before."

Yes, I wasn't like this before. The girl who used to like you fell into someone else's arms, and you finally realized how good that girl was? Or is it that in your eyes I should revolve around you, and you finally can't adapt anymore?

"That's enough, don't overthink it, we're just colleagues."

"I don't understand why you sound so angry. We can talk things over after the mission is over."

It's happening again! This cold, indifferent attitude—do you really think we can still talk? In your eyes, am I still that partner you can control, someone who only rebels for a moment when slightly unhappy? Even though I'm on my honeymoon with Wawa, you still think everything is! ...

"It hurts," Shen Liang suddenly said.

Daisy Dobia realized that she had subconsciously clenched her teeth, leaving a noticeable indentation on Shen Liang's long, slender index finger.

"Sorry, doll."

"It's okay. If you feel really upset, you can bite me all you want." Shen Liang touched her face. "Mei said that boys are born to be relied upon by girls. Whether it's sadness, anger, or any other emotion, a man must bear it and be a wall. A man who can't be a wall is a failure."

Desdobia chuckled. It turned out that even children understood some of these truths. But... she spat out her finger and rubbed her cheek against Shen Liang's hand like a cat. Then, no longer trying to hide from Shen Liang, she spoke directly, using voice input.

"It's not over yet, Kosmo. That's enough. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Why exactly? I don't mind if you play with the dolls for a while, but relaxation and love should be separate. The dolls are experimental subjects, and they won't allow you to actually develop any relationship with them."

“Shut up,” Daisy Dobia whispered.

"Don't be angry, I'm just telling the truth. I'll wish you well if you want to find a new boyfriend. But Doll and you are not suitable. He is a person with a historical mission and has never cultivated human emotions. At most, you can only treat each other as toys and can't open your hearts to each other."

"Whether you mind or not is none of my business. Let's both be dignified, Kosmo. We'll be colleagues in the future."

After sending the text message, Desdovia turned off her terminal; she had lost all interest in continuing the conversation.

Shen Liang gently rubbed the blond cat in his arms, pondered for a moment, unsure of what expression to use.

Actually, he'd been forced to read a lot of romance novels by girls like Paddy and Vivi, so he could barely understand the current plot. Desdovia was clearly determined not to dwell on the past, but speaking of which, are all girls who want to sever ties with their past this resolute? Don't they leave any room for embarrassment?

But judging from the chat history, it seems that the two are not even boyfriend and girlfriend, so it doesn't seem like she's heartbroken. Did Desdovia cut off Kosmo or her past self who depended on and admired others?

Shen Liang suddenly realized he was pondering his most perplexing area again: the realm of human joy and sorrow. He couldn't understand it at all. Just like when reading romance novels, he didn't understand why the male and female protagonists would be so heartbroken and suicidal over a simple affair or breakup. At the Fire Chaser Base, countless people died every day from dangerous experiments or duties, yet everyone still lived peacefully. This post-apocalyptic world had been like this since his birth, so how could he possibly contemplate suicide due to hormonal fluctuations?

But he had read through the entire exchange between Kosmo and Desdobia. Even someone who was clueless about relationships could understand the weariness in Desdobia's tone. She was still leaning against the car window, kneeling in front of him in a duck-sitting position, resting her head on his lap, quietly watching the sunset outside the car.

“Nobody wants me anymore,” Daisy Dobia said with a light laugh, looking at the conflicted boy in the rearview mirror.

"Dobiya is beautiful, someone will always like her," Shen Liang comforted her with a line she had learned from a novel.

"I have very high standards. Kosmo is handsome, young, and capable, but he doesn't meet my standards anymore."

"If the requirements are so high, then Dobiya will be in trouble," Shen Liang said honestly.

"..."

Desdobia suddenly realized that talking to this idiot in any roundabout way was pointless; his emotional module hadn't been activated at all. Whether speaking or listening, he only took things literally. No wonder those nine women were so bold, so decisive, and so intimate… They were the women who understood Shen Liang's true nature best. They were just waiting for the right moment for the boy to mature so they could seize the opportunity and divide the spoils without hesitation. They had no intention of engaging in coy, shy courtship!

She decisively got up, stared at Shen Liang, a strange light flashing in her eyes. Then she let out a long breath and made up her mind.

“But doll, actually my demands aren’t that high.” She cleared her throat, moved forward slightly while kneeling to close the distance, and suppressed her embarrassment and tried to meet his gaze as directly as possible. “Pado once laughed at me for being a shameless younger man enthusiast, but she herself is clearly worse than me. Besides, so what if she’s a younger man enthusiast? I…”

"If what you've been trying to say after all this time is about me, then you're not into younger men; you're just plain lecherous," Shen Liang said calmly.

"I……"

"It's human nature to be attracted to young women and to admire them. Mei told me that at my age, I don't have enough personal charm to attract older women. Most people who say they like me are just focused on my appearance. But that's okay. Appearance is also an important part of sexual attraction, and I also have a therapeutic effect on fusion warriors, relaxing their bodies and minds. This face is very useful when I'm doing soothing."

The blonde girl, who had just severed ties with her ex, was stunned. Had she been rejected? Had she been rejected again? Okay, I admit I probably hadn't paid much attention to your inner qualities compared to your cuteness, but all the girls at the Fire Chaser Base are like that. Who has the time to slowly develop a relationship and get to know someone's inner qualities? These demise-like fusion warriors only care about enjoying life to the fullest!

You know that the girls in the base are just looking for comfort, so why are you singled out me for criticism?! Do you even understand how amazing it feels for those fusion warrior girls who don't even have time for dating to suddenly have a handsome black-haired, red-eyed boy sent to them by the base to be their boyfriend for a day?!

It's infuriating! We risked our lives to come back alive because the country guaranteed us jobs, you little wolfhound! And now you're standing on some moral high ground, accusing us older women of being naive and immature?

“You’re right, I don’t want to argue… but doll, don’t you want to?” Desdobia met his calm gaze, her face flushed as if she had been drinking. “Give me a chance, I also want to… join the Son of Man project… in the experiments.”

“But I have enough girlfriends.” Shen Liang’s response was always surprisingly frank.

Desdobia's first reaction was to be embarrassed and angry. Good heavens, I've already said all this and you still reject me? There are so many girls in the Fire Chaser Base and you haven't rejected me, but you're acting all high and mighty with me? But her anger quickly subsided. She immediately remembered her earlier conclusion: Shen Liang was a straightforward person. What he said meant exactly what he said, usually without any elaboration.

Dobiya smiled helplessly. After considering for a while, she crawled on all fours and gently approached Shen Liang, lowering her head like a soft orange cat. Shen Liang had a ring around the base of his middle finger, secured by a black cloth wrapped around his arm, resembling a single-finger glove. At that moment, Dobiya again took the initiative to bite his middle finger, humbly and obediently raising her head. "But I'm not in a hurry. If I have a girlfriend, then… what about a pet?"

Shen Liang fell silent. Although he knew that Daisy Dobiya really wanted to get out of her past gloomy mood, she was being far too proactive... She hadn't changed at all. She seemed to have always been this proactive, or even more so!

“I heard from Paddo that you like to call her Kitty, and you also like… that Kitty’s disheveled look?” Desdobia licked his fingers, smiling shyly and charmingly. “Just that much, even though I don’t have a tail or ears, I can still do it. How about now? I want to try…”

"Ah! You shameless hussy who steals your sister's boyfriend!" A furious and shocked voice rang out, as if the speaker had been betrayed by two people at the same time. Then, with a swift gust of wind, came a woman's slipper!

Shen Liang quickly grabbed the slippers and saw Pado wrapped in a bath towel, her eyes brimming with tears and her hair standing on end in anger!

"While I was showering, you actually tried to steal my location and usurp my persona! Desmond Desmond! You betrayed me! We're not best friends anymore!"

Desdobia retorted, throwing her slippers at him. "Fine, we can't be best friends then! You've taken advantage of me without ever thinking about your hungry old sister! You didn't even give me any inside information. What's wrong with me doing it myself? You belong to everyone!"

"Then you shouldn't have stolen my persona!"

"How did I steal your persona?!"

"Wawa can only keep one cat, which is me, Padofelis! No matter what, I will protect Wawa's status as the only pet. This is my core distinction from Sister Mei and Sister Snake! How dare you covet my authority!"

"Is that all you aspire to, Pado...?"

"So what if I have this ambition? It's still better than most of yours! At least I will never abandon my cat! My position is secure and unshakeable!"

Halfway through the challenge, both adorable girls burst into laughter. Paddy hopped over barefoot, and the cat, fresh from a bath and smelling wonderful, plopped down in front of Desdovia, its long, wet hair cascading down. It licked her palm with its soft, barbed tongue, then gave Desdovia a defiant glare. The meaning was clear: "Being a cat? You're nowhere near it!"