Chapter 32: Sometimes There's No Need to Be Too Polite
Soon, Lu Zheng stood before Yi Ning’s front door.
“Ding dong.”
He pressed the doorbell.
But no one responded.
“Knock knock knock.”
He knocked on the door.
Still, no response.
Could she not be home?
Lu Zheng scratched his head, and only then did he remember—Miss Qiu Yu had told him not to knock or ring the bell when visiting Yi Ning, but to just call her directly.
He had been too focused on the guy who slipped away earlier and completely forgot.
Could it be that Yi Ning was deliberately pretending not to hear him because he didn’t follow instructions?
Lu Zheng rubbed his nose, feeling a little embarrassed.
He pulled out his phone and found the number Yi Ning had called him from last Friday, then dialed it.
“Hello?”
The call connected quickly.
“Uh... this is Pixel Mask. Um... sorry, I forgot what you told me before and ended up knocking and ringing the bell. I’m really sorry!”
Lu Zheng laughed sheepishly into the phone, raising one hand with the phone and the other pressed flat against his pants seam, bowing a full ninety degrees toward Yi Ning’s door.
Given his previous experience, he didn’t try to dodge responsibility this time.
But on the other end, Yi Ning didn’t seem to care much about it.
“Oh, that doesn’t really matter. Just wait a sec, I’ll open the door.”
Within two seconds, the door in front of Lu Zheng swung open.
Yi Ning poked her little head out of the room.
Her long hair, rarely tied up, was gathered into a side ponytail. The smooth, shiny pink strands fell parallel to the doorframe, adding a playful touch.
Yi Ning scanned Lu Zheng standing outside and fixed her gaze on the document folder in his hand.
“You’re here to deliver documents, right?”
Only then did she step out from behind the door and reach out toward Lu Zheng.
Unlike her appearance as Dr. Alien, she wasn’t wearing her usual floor-length white lab coat, but a loose crew-neck T-shirt and lounge pants, with overly large slippers on her feet. A few healthy, pink toes peeked out vividly.
“Uh... yeah.”
The unusual outfit stunned Lu Zheng for a moment.
He pulled out the documents and handed them over.
“Just as you requested—none of the documents except today’s are dated. I already confirmed everything for you.”
“Mm.”
Yi Ning took the stack, flipped through it casually, and without much care, placed it on the shoe cabinet by the door. She gave Lu Zheng a once-over, then asked politely:
“Want to come in for some tea?”
“Sure? Then I won’t be polite.”
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow and quickly nodded.
Like Miss Qiu Yu, he was also thinking about how to build a good rapport with Yi Ning.
After all, Yi Ning wasn’t like other villains.
Since arriving in D-City, aside from her daily routine of getting defeated in her evil schemes, she had been abnormally well-behaved—and she never targeted innocent civilians, except for Pixel Mask.
Add to that her very clean file within the Hero Association, and she ranked quite high on the list of villains worth recruiting.
If he could form a bond and persuade Yi Ning to switch sides and join the Hero Association, wouldn’t that be great?
But Yi Ning didn’t quite see it that way.
She had merely asked out of habit, not expecting Lu Zheng to accept so readily.
It was like the polite “no” when offered a red envelope during New Year—you weren’t actually supposed to accept that as a final answer.
Soon, it would be time for her to report her evil deeds of the day. She already felt guilty about using Hero Association-issued documents to fake her reports. If someone saw a D-City superhero hanging out in her home, there’d be no way to explain it.
She might actually get fired on the spot and die broke in this rural backwater called D-City.
Her gaze turned sharp, shooting biu-biu-like warning signals at Lu Zheng.
This was the home of an evil scientist plotting to dominate D-City—shouldn’t a righteous hero be a bit more cautious?
There could be countless traps waiting inside for you~
Sensing Yi Ning’s dangerous gaze, Lu Zheng looked down at her.
But Yi Ning quickly fixed her expression, putting on an innocent face.
What’s said is said—it couldn’t be taken back now.
“Come in~ no need to change your shoes.”
Yi Ning pushed the door wider with her left hand, turned her body to the side, and extended her right hand inside, flashing a welcoming smile.
This display only made Lu Zheng more uneasy.
Why was she smiling so brightly while inviting him in?
Lu Zheng felt that Yi Ning was definitely up to something.
Still, even with that thought, he didn’t back out of the invitation.
So what if she was up to something? Was she going to stab him the moment he stepped in?
Besides, Yi Ning didn’t seem to be in her “evil scientist mode” right now—at worst, it’d just be a prank, right?
Lu Zheng reassured himself.
He was the man trying to recruit Yi Ning into the Hero Association—how could he retreat without a fight?
A little prank? No problem! He’d deal with it using unbeatable patience, thick skin, and his superpowers!
Lu Zheng smiled and walked through the door.
As he passed Yi Ning, he instinctively lowered his head and glanced at her.
He’d never noticed it before, but now at this close distance, Lu Zheng realized that Yi Ning had a slight hunch in her back.
He tactfully withdrew his gaze and silently muttered, “Thanks for the hospitality.”
“Sorry to intrude.”
Lu Zheng grinned as he entered the living room.
If you’re really sorry, then get out!
Yi Ning also smiled while mentally stabbing him with her eyes.
She had noticed Lu Zheng lowering his head when passing her.
What was that supposed to mean?
Mocking her for being short?
Yi Ning felt insulted—her smile was starting to stiffen.
Unfortunately, Lu Zheng didn’t seem to notice and walked straight into the living room under her spiky gaze.
He looked around and felt a bit puzzled.
He remembered that the rooms in this building had mirrored layouts, yet Yi Ning’s apartment layout was exactly the same as his own.
Lu Zheng glanced at the balcony and windows from the corner of his eye, but he had never paid attention to the views from his neighbors’ windows before, so he couldn’t spot anything odd.
He forcibly pulled his gaze back and suppressed his curiosity.
What did it matter if something looked off?
It wasn’t like he was infiltrating some villain’s secret base.
He was just here to get to know Yi Ning better and see if he could persuade her to join the Hero Association—no need to obsess over minor details.
Lu Zheng curled his lips into a smile and sat boldly in the center of the living room sofa, ready to be hosted by a not-currently-evil-scientist Yi Ning.