After Picking Up the Rival Boss, It Smells Really Good - Chapter 7

Cough, Qin Gou nearly choked on his beer. The boy hadn’t expected Lu Lian to speak so directly either. After a moment of stunned silence, he quickly reacted by considerately patting Qin Gou’s back while taking the opportunity to shoot Lu Lian a glare.

Qin Gou set down his beer and looked at Lu Lian with a perplexed expression, his eyes seemingly carrying a giant question mark.

It was rare to see Qin Gou make such a face. Whether it was an illusion or not, Qin Gou thought he saw Lu Lian smile faintly beneath his mask.

When leaving the bar, the boy was still trying to persuade Qin Gou to stay, asking if he wanted to spend the night. Qin Gou expressed deep regret, saying he had matters to attend to today and would have to take a rain check.

On their way back, Qin Gou held it in for a long time before finally bursting into laughter, bending over while clutching his stomach: “Hahaha! Sometimes I really admire you. Have you ever considered taking up acting as a side job or something?”

“Not interested.” Faced with the laughing Qin Gou, Lu Lian couldn’t even be bothered to lift his eyelids, coldly staring ahead at the road.

Qin Gou finally managed to stop laughing. Then he threw an arm around Lu Lian’s shoulders, savoring those words meaningfully: “Ungrateful? Ha… In Pelat City, would anyone dare say that to you?”

“Haven’t heard of it.” Lu Lian replied, finally willing to glance at him. “Anyone who dares say that probably dies before they even reach me.”

Qin Gou chuckled teasingly: “Then I suppose it’s my fault. Young Master Lu will just have to tolerate me a bit more.”

“…”

“I’ve inquired about Blaise’s situation.” Qin Gou finally returned to serious matters, detailing everything he had learned to Lu Lian. “I think he’s using the Free Clinic as a front for illegal biological experiments.”

Lu Lian fixed his gaze on him, signaling him to continue.

“But a veterinarian couldn’t possibly master such advanced technology. He must be collaborating with certain forces. I’ve already sent Paine to investigate – we should have results soon.”

With Qin Gou away, Lu Lian was alone in the house. Since the last incident, Qin Gou had removed all the surveillance cameras from the home. Since he couldn’t hide anything from Lu Lian anyway, showing appropriate trust would benefit their future cooperation.

Lu Lian placed dog food in the living room for Noodles. The puppy ate noisily. Lu Lian walked out to the balcony holding a disposable phone.

“Beep…” The call connected, and an urgent yet delighted voice came through: “Sir! You’ve finally contacted me. It’s a week later than expected – we were worried something had happened to you.”

“The plan proceeds normally.” Lu Lian offered no further explanation, giving concise instructions before changing the subject. “Have those rats in the company started moving?”

“They’re all under surveillance.”

“Keep close watch on them.” Lu Lian said. “I should obtain what I need in about two weeks. Send people over according to the plan.”

The voice replied respectfully: “Understood.”

After hanging up, Lu Lian snapped the phone in half and threw it directly into the trash can.

With a clang, the door happened to open at that moment.

Qin Gou walked in carrying bags of groceries: “I shouldn’t have bitten you last time. Since your hand is injured and you probably can’t cook now, consider this my compensation – I’ll show you my culinary skills. To be honest, that noodles you made last time. clearly showed you’ve been eating too much Nutrient Solution in the Main City without much cooking practice.”

While talking to himself, he sorted the ingredients and paused briefly when accidentally glancing into the trash bin while discarding packaging. He then asked casually: “Any changes to our cooperation?”

Lu Lian sat comfortably on the sofa, patting Mian Tiao’s head: “Not for now.”

“Good. Constant changes would be troublesome.” Qin Gou brought the ingredients into the kitchen. “Any dietary restrictions?”

“None.” Lu Lian answered, then corrected after a pause: “No garlic.”

“Heh. In ancient China, northerners would have beaten you to death for that.” Despite his words, Qin Gou picked out the garlic from the ingredients and set it aside.

The clatter of pots and pans came from the kitchen, with cooking aromas wafting into the living room.

Lu Lian sat on the sofa as Mian Tiao, having finished his dog food, wagged his tail and jumped onto Lu Lian’s lap, adorably nuzzling against his clothes. Lu Lian looked down, a rare smile touching his lips like a breeze over frozen lake.

In the silent night, Lu Lian and Qin Gou stood at the end of a dark alley. Before them was an old, moss-covered manhole cover.

Dean worked efficiently – Qin Gou had received all the information yesterday. Blaise operated a massive underground bio-factory conducting numerous illegal biological experiments.

Lu Lian raised an eyebrow and glanced at Qin Gou, unusually helpless: “You’re saying the pet factory is under this manhole cover?”

“The main entrance is heavily guarded,” Qin Gou admitted it sounded absurd, “We’re just scouting this time – can’t alert them, so this is our only way in.”

“You go alone.” Lu Lian turned to leave.

“Hey!” Qin Gou quickly pulled him back, putting on a pitiful act: “What if a Core Inhibitor-less cripple like me encounters danger? My death doesn’t matter, but who would escort Young Master Lu back then?”

“…”

Eventually both descended through the manhole. Even this action, Lu Lian performed with calm elegance as if conducting meticulous office work, never appearing reckless or dirty.

Underneath, Qin Gou discovered it wasn’t some filthy, damp sewer but rather a space filled with modern mechanical civilization – long corridors paved with seamless white tiles.

“Be careful, there might be traps.” Lu Lian warned.

Qin Gou responded with a hand signal and stepped ahead of Lu Lian.

Lu Lian silently glanced at Qin Gou. This move meant Qin Gou was clearing the path for him, taking all risks himself – as if he deeply trusted Lu Lian, even wanting to protect him.

Lu Lian calmly withdrew her gaze.

Perhaps because they were still in the relatively peripheral areas of the factory, they encountered no traps, patrols, or surveillance during their walk through the passageway. The two remained unscathed.

It wasn’t until they came across two identical forked paths that both Qin Gou and Lu Lian fell silent.

“According to today’s lucky symbol, taking the right path seems more favorable,” Qin Gou was the first to voice his opinion.

Lu Lian knelt on one knee, carefully examining the dust on the ground. “Relying on luck to get things done it seems you’re even more unreliable than I thought.”

Both paths showed signs of having been traversed. Qin Gou had clearly noticed this too. Besides human footprints, the right path also bore marks resembling those of a four-legged animal, making it more likely to lead to the pet factory.

“Let’s each take one path,” Qin Gou suggested.

Lu Lian stood up, giving him a scrutinizing look tinged with faint mockery. “Don’t you need protection anymore?”

“No choice. If we can’t rely on luck, the best approach is to check both sides,” Qin Gou shrugged.

“I’ll take the right,” Lu Lian said. The right path was more likely to lead to the Experimental Factory and carried higher risks.

Qin Gou had no objections. If they encountered any dangerous animals with Core Inhibitors, Lu Lian was clearly more capable of handling them. There was no need for him to show off here.

Qin Gou didn’t rush off immediately. Instead, he grabbed Lu Lian’s collar. Lu Lian raised an eyebrow but didn’t resist.

Qin Gou pressed his thumb lightly, attaching a pin-sized mechanical device to Lu Lian’s collar. “Same old spot a simple communication device.” He then pointed to his own collar, where an identical device was installed. “Contact me if anything happens.”

Without further delay, the two headed off in their respective directions.

The white passageway gradually darkened, and Qin Gou keenly realized they were descending deeper underground.

This path clearly didn’t lead to the factory’s core. So far, no issues had arisen, suggesting minimal danger.

Qin Gou activated the communicator. “Lu Lian, how are things on your end?”

After a long pause, even breathing and footsteps came through, indicating Lu Lian had also turned on her communicator.

“We’ve only been apart for less than 10 minutes. I don’t think I’ll encounter any danger,” Lu Lian’s calm and composed voice replied.

“Is that so?” Qin Gou teased. “It feels like much longer to me. Perhaps a day apart feels like three years.”

Lu Lian ignored him.

Qin Gou fell silent again. The sound of their breathing accompanied each other for a while until Qin Gou heard Lu Lian say, “There’s a group of bats hanging from the wall ahead.”

Bats?

“Strange,” Lu Lian frowned. “These bats seem to be emitting sound waves similar to the Mental Sea, though very faintly.”

These were clearly modified creatures. For a moment, Qin Gou couldn’t help but admire Blaise, the owner of this pet hospital, for devising such peculiar modification methods.

“Be careful,” Qin Gou said.

“Mm.”

No sooner had Qin Gou spoken than footsteps sounded from ahead. He swiftly retreated and hid.

Soon, a person clad in some kind of isolation suit, wearing a mask and fully armed, approached. A number tag on his chest read “073.”

He was likely someone like a lab technician or patrol personnel, not holding a very high position. Hence, he was designated with a numerical code.

This passage had no forks or branches, and clearly, there was nowhere for anyone to hide. Apart from leaving, there was no way to avoid being discovered.

Of course, Qin Gou had no intention of leaving. He retreated to a blind spot at a corner.

The moment 073 turned the corner, Qin Gou’s arm abruptly locked around his neck, yanking him backward. With a sharp elbow strike aimed directly at his head, Qin Gou delivered a full “knockout package”!