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

Hen paused, startled. "What are you saying, Blanca? Don't be angry. I'm sorry, I spoke without thinking, I got a little agitated. Don't take it to heart. Blanca, we..."

“I’m serious, Hen, let’s get a divorce.” Blanca said with a smile. “You’re still young, of course you can find a better, more suitable wife. The divorce papers are in the third drawer under your desk. I’ll leave everything in this house to you. I can give up all my savings. Just take Gretchen, and um, the villa in Hokkaido where we plan to have our wedding in the future. Yes, you heard me right, I started preparing for the divorce a long time ago.”

Hen was completely stunned.

“We have different paths to take. Like you said, the dolls are outcasts, they are all outcasts. But Hen, actually, I am too.” Blanca gazed at Hen’s gradually paling expression on the screen, revealing a gentle smile as if she had just met him, a smile that made Hen feel very unfamiliar.

Hen really liked Blanca's clean and quiet smile, but Blanca had only shown him that smile twice. The first time was in the library, and the second time was when they broke up.

He only deserves this smile when he is a stranger.

"I'm sorry, and goodbye." Blanca ended the call.

--------

"drop--"

"The user you dialed is not in service. Please try again later. Sorry, the subscriber..."

After trying several times, Hen realized that Blanca had really blocked him, and he sat down in a daze.

He then pulled out a document from the drawer, which was tucked into a brown leather file bag. He rarely opened his drawer, but upon opening it, he found that the handwritten date on the file bag was from a week ago.

The divorce papers were quietly placed inside; it was clear that Blanca had prepared them a week earlier. He glanced at them and found that Blanca's terms were so frank that she was practically leaving with nothing, even abandoning all her premarital assets and leaving him with everything of value.

Even the house in Hokkaido that she wanted, she demanded in the form of a loan, and Blanca was even willing to repay the market value of the villa within the next year.

It was so sudden, so sudden that even now, Hen cannot comprehend Blanca's resolute decision.

They won't take a single penny of the profits.

They showed no mercy whatsoever.

Hen gazed at the torrential artificial rain pouring down outside the window, closed his eyes, and felt utterly confused.

--------

The rainstorm used to simulate the environment was still pouring down. Outside the window, everything was a blur. Although a few nighttime lights were still on, all that could be seen was water flowing down the windowpane and forming a reflective film.

The base outside was deserted, but the interior was a different story. The bedroom lights were soft, the air was filled with the scent of perfume, the air conditioner was set to 27 degrees Celsius, the fabric sofa was messy yet soft, and there were plush toys on the sofa. Cheongsams, stockings and skirts were scattered everywhere—all of which highlighted the word "warmth".

A warm indoor space is always the happiest place in the world, especially in the pouring rain of late autumn. People caught in the rain feel a sense of homecoming when they see a lit window. Inside that window are loving couples, lovers who are always together, and sweethearts.

Or, for Shen Liang, it's a combination of both.

The dormitory was warm and cozy, with the main door closed. Right outside was the small kitchen that came with the two-person dorm room. A boy with long hair that reached his hips stood on a stool, stirring a wok filled with beef strips stir-fried with chili peppers. He was only wearing an ordinary apron, which would have revealed his fair and smooth back, but instead, his neatly styled long black hair hung down, covering his upper body up to his thighs.

Shen Liang had to stand on a chair to cook. It wasn't that the kitchen design didn't take his 1.49-meter height into account, but rather that Blanca's dormitory had a Western-style kitchen where pots were generally only used for heating milk or frying eggs. To control a deep, large iron pot, one had to be half a head taller than the pot, so Shen Liang often had no choice when cooking himself.

He was focused on cooking by himself, the oil on the stove crackling and popping, while the range hood sucked away all the fumes from the stir-frying.

"At least in the end, Mr. Hen probably just felt that the couple's relationship was not harmonious. Some things are less hurtful when they are kept hidden until the end." Danzhu's voice said, "Well, in the end, we have to get a divorce. We can only compensate Mr. Hen with all the property."

“After all… I need to keep Gretchen.” Blanca’s voice said, “I can’t live without Gretchen. I can give up anything else, but Gretchen… Gretchen is not an option.”

“Actually, a breakup leading to divorce doesn’t necessarily warrant such a large compensation.” Cang Xuan’s voice was similar to Dan Zhu’s, but the two sisters could tell at a glance that Dan Zhu was unreliable, while Cang Xuan’s tone was calmer and more composed. “As for child custody, Blanca, you’ve probably forgotten that if a child hasn’t been born, the woman has absolute rights regarding the child’s ownership. Under the current legal framework, only women have the right to give birth, and men cannot legally contest the custody of an unborn child under any circumstances.”

"That's a bit too heartless. They were husband and wife for a day, after all..."

"Danzhu?"

"Okay, okay, I won't say it anymore. Blanca, don't stare at me like that... I know, I know, I misspoke, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Don't hit me with your Herrscher abilities!"

"The Herrscher's power has been consumed by the doll."

"Ha, Junior Brother Eve is indeed deeply sinful."

"Hmph, it's no use for a girl who's been targeted by Doll to run away. She'll have to come back obediently sooner or later. Blanca has already proven that point. Doll, the best domesticated little wolf!"

Hearing the laughter coming from the bedroom, Shen Liang scooped out the stir-fried beef, plated it, and turned off the stove. Then, as usual, he looked down at the green-haired girl hiding under her apron, ruffled her still-messy hair, and whispered, "Is it okay?"

Klein looked up at his junior brother's gentle gaze, blinked his big, gray eyes, and nodded obediently.

"Thank you, Sister Klein." The boy patted his lab senior's head again.

Klein's eyes widened, her throat bobbed, and she looked very strained, but she still persevered until she finally made it through. Her usually calm eyes glared at Shen Liang for once.

Shen Liang curled the corners of her lips: "Sister Klein, you should be like this, show more of your emotions usually. You know, the more listless and calm you are, the more we like to tease you and see you look unhappy... After all, Sister Klein is really cute like this."

“A perverse sense of humor,” Klein said casually, then added in a low voice, “Milk tea.”

Shen Liang smiled and handed her the milk tea. Klein then drank the milk tea in one gulp with a bitter face. After savoring it for a while, she finally spoke: "I don't think this is teasing. Since your physical condition can't satisfy your boyfriend, it's a girlfriend's duty to do something else. I'm not like Senior Sister Danzhu and Senior Sister Cangxuan. I can't just stand by and watch you prepare dinner in the kitchen."

Danzhu's loud shout immediately came from the direction of the bedroom: "Klein, you're tarnishing our image again! You're trying to win over the dolls all by yourself!"

“It’s because you don’t have the heart for it at all. You call yourselves Asian, but Asian women are traditionally gentle and virtuous, yet you haven’t learned any of that,” Klein retorted.

"It's not like you were just helping out; you were clearly hindering the child from cooking!"

“But Junior Brother Eve doesn’t think this is a hindrance.”

In fact, Shen Liang didn't think it was a problem, but Klein, though rational, was also very serious. She always felt that she was too small to handle her boyfriend, so she always felt guilty.

But comparisons are inevitable. Danzhu and Cangxuan never felt this kind of self-blame. The two little devils never had any sense of being girlfriends. They just lay down and urged Shen Liang to cook.

Eve does indeed know how to cook.

It could even be said that Shen Liang is the best cook in the Infinite Laboratory.

Perhaps it's because Asians have the deepest genetic predisposition to "food," but Shen Liang learned a great many recipes from Mei and Ying, and because of his excellent memory, he even learned them better than his guardians. However, most of the time, even the food provided by Pado was enough to satisfy Shen Liang's picky palate, so he didn't need to personally take charge.

Among the group of little girls at the Infinite Laboratory, including Blanca, none of them knew how to cook.

How outrageous was it? So outrageous that Möbius personally concocted several different flavored nutritional supplements, adding stimulant effects, so that one dose could enable someone to work overtime for 48 hours straight. And this thing, which could be classified as "medicine," was consumed by these girls in the Infinite Experimentation Lab for a full three years, with them eating instant noodles as a snack whenever they had free time.

When it was Möbius's turn to care for Shen Liang, he, whose genes were fundamentally incompatible with the nutritional supplements, became unusually angry. Considering his usual image of being obedient, docile, and aloof, this was the first time the good boy "Eve" had shown anger, alarming the entire Project Human Child team. The whole team had to order two whole freezers full of fresh food to calm the child down.

Blanca, after much agonizing reflection, decided to learn to cook, but soon discovered that her skills were far inferior to Shen Liang's. Over time, all the wives and young girls at the Infinite Experimentation Lab became complacent, while Shen Liang, raised by the others, ate wherever he went, except when he lived at the Infinite Experimentation Lab where he had to feed the five of them.

Shen Liang turned off the fire on his side, while in the bedroom, a beautiful body lay sprawled out.

If Blanca had rotated the terminal 180 degrees earlier, Hen's attitude might have been completely different.

While Blanca sat at her desk, she was actually admiring the beautiful view from the bedroom. Right now, Danzhu and Cangxuan were either sprawled at the foot of the bed or huddled under the covers, too exhausted to even lift their hands, lazily watching cartoons on the projector screen. Their moon-white cheongsams were long gone, and their long, flowing hair clung loosely to their sweat-drenched bodies. Klein wasn't in much better shape; even with her injuries, she had mustered her last bit of strength to accompany Shen Liang into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

It's clear how nice the atmosphere in the room was from an angle where the marks couldn't be seen before.

But since everyone here is a girl, it doesn't matter.

Shen Liang, carrying a tray, knocked on the entrance to the bedroom.

Just like beckoning a cat, the moment the table was tapped, all the girls' eyes turned to look, including Blanca's. Although she looked like a married woman, Blanca was indeed one of the cats fed by Shen Liang. Without him, she would either have to leave her workstation to go to the cafeteria or eat Mebius's exclusive wasabi energy booster.

"Tonight's dinner is: caviar-braised tofu, braised spicy snails, black truffle lobster balls, stir-fried shredded beef, and pickled pepper poached eggs." Shen Liang pulled out the side of the bed next to the large bed in the bedroom, revealing a retractable board underneath that could be used as a temporary dining table. She placed the dishes on it one by one. "There are two main dishes: egg fried rice and garlic bread. I don't have time to make soup in just two hours, so I ordered a bowl of egg drop soup with the leftover ingredients from the braised tofu."

Although he spoke very plainly, the boy still raised his chin slightly with pride, because he was very satisfied with the girls' bright and excited expressions.

"It was worth it for me to ditch the doctor and rush back. Only here at Wawa's can I have a proper meal. The cafeteria chefs aren't as good as Wawa's home-cooked food! Just as great as Wawa herself!" Danzhu never hesitated to praise her junior brother. She quickly climbed off the bed, took a bite of the lobster ball that Shen Liang had picked up, and closed her eyes happily. "Thank you for feeding me, Wawa!"

“I didn’t mean to feed you…” Shen Liang was taken aback, but Cang Xuan also opened his small mouth and stared at him quietly. Then Klein also tugged at his apron and opened his mouth with an “ah”.

No boy can resist his girlfriend's coquettishness. Shen Liang held back for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Blanca watched the four little ones affectionately doting on each other and awkwardly picked up her chopsticks.

Möbius once asked her why so many people would fall for a boy who lacked knowledge, experience, and life experience. Blanca couldn't answer, because she didn't understand herself.

But she actually knew why Eve wasn't disliked.

In reality, Eve is a very picky little wolfhound, extremely difficult to tame. She's picky about everything, demanding fresh food, food specially made by Mei, and beautiful clothes that Eden or Wilhelm personally tailor. Even her hair has to be washed with a shampoo formulated specifically for her genes; otherwise, she'll get upset if her hair is frizzy.

But no one would dislike Eve's pickiness, because even if you give her something she doesn't like, she'll at most frown and still eat it, though she might not say thank you afterwards. Most importantly, she knows what she wants, and she knows what tastes good and what doesn't.

When he thinks something doesn't taste good, it's because he can cook it himself. If he feels that a guardian's cooking doesn't meet his minimum requirements, he will cook it himself. If he thinks you haven't done something well enough, he won't just criticize you; he will try to do it himself.

Blanca didn't understand why the child was so serious, even about something as simple as eating.

But this kind of seriousness that never slacks off is particularly charming in a boy, so much so that even when he frowns and criticizes, he is not disliked. In fact, many people like the look of disgust on this handsome young man's face.

And if you look at someone and can fall in love with even their disdain, how can you escape?

"Wawa, when are you planning to marry Blanca? I heard that Blanca used some tricks, and you've been married to Padova Blanca in your dreams for a full ten years?"

"Blanca, I don't understand. When you were a Herrscher, what did it mean that you didn't think about keeping my junior brother all to yourself, but instead shared him with Pado?"

"Ah, this..."

"Come to think of it, you and Mr. Hen haven't been together for this many years, have you? If this were a romance novel, wouldn't our little one be the official couple...?"

"Hey, baby, when are you going to marry me? You promised to find Padma in ten years, what about me?"

"And I."

"Oh, and Klein too. You seem to really enjoy bullying Klein. By the way, tell me the truth... Did the Doctor bully you so badly that you're using Klein as a substitute for the Doctor? They both have green hair and are small, so they look like sisters."

"Danzhu, what is a meal replacement?"

"Sister Danzhu, have some vegetables!"

"Ha, I knew it..."

As night deepened, Blanca's dormitory remained noisy.

--------

"You did a fantastic job at today's celebration party, kid," someone whispered in the darkness.

"Aren't you asleep yet, Blanca?" Shen Liang turned his head, looking at the beautiful face and soft blue hair beside his pillow. A faint light shone through the curtains, enough to see people clearly. Danzhu and Cangxuan were sleeping haphazardly on the bed, and Klein snuggled into his arms. At this moment, only he and Blanca were awake, Blanca's smile serene.