An Apple a Day

Everyone turned to look, only to see Dr. Zhao had somehow quietly sidled up to them at some point.

"Shouldn't I be one of the main characters in this scene?"

He clutched his chest, his tone full of accusation.

"You're all chatting so enthusiastically, yet no one is paying attention to me? So I'm just a transparent person, is that it?"

Ren Yi's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Brother, can you stop popping up so inappropriately every single time?

Why does the entire vibe of the scene change the moment you open your mouth?

A perfectly good, tense atmosphere instantly turned into a comedy routine.

Well, what was bound to happen has happened.

This person, who was completely clueless about the situation yet insisted on jumping in to muddy the waters, truly did not disappoint.

"You... Zhao! Why are you still here!"

For once, the waiter actually lost his composure. His tone was filled with helplessness, and his eyes overflowed with the frustration of seeing someone fail to live up to expectations.

"Can't you find somewhere else to cause trouble? Why are you still standing here? Just leave!"

He looked like a man about to heroically sacrifice himself, only to feel a sense of collapse upon realizing someone else hadn't left the blast zone yet.

But Dr. Zhao clearly didn't pick up on that.

Hearing the waiter's words, Dr. Zhao put on a hurt expression, clutched his chest, and said pitifully.

"The love is truly gone! You used to be so close to me, calling me 'Dr. Zhao' this and 'Dr. Zhao' that. Now, look at you, just calling me 'Zhao'!"

"You've broken my heart. I'm going to cry!"

Dr. Lin walked over slowly at this point, reached out to pat the waiter on the shoulder, and let out a long, meaningful sigh.

"Give up. You can't carry him."

"If I remember correctly, most of the 'drama-loving' trait among us was inherited by him. He's the type who just wants to watch the world burn for the entertainment value."

"You can't blame me for that!" Dr. Zhao immediately changed his face, shouting about the injustice of it all. He spread his hands with an innocent look.

"Classmate Lin has been wearing a sour face this whole time, looking like he'd start a fight the moment I dared to take a step out of here. What was I supposed to do? I was forced into this!"

"I thought about it and decided it's safer to stay here and join the crowd. I can even watch a good show."

As he spoke, his aggrieved expression vanished instantly. He crossed his arms and leaned back slightly.

"By the way, speaking of compensation earlier, how much am I supposed to pay now? Is it a trunk of chips like that one?"

The waiter stared at him, his eyes as complex as a spilled palette of paints. He remained silent for several full seconds.

Finally, he let out a helpless sigh, looking like he had completely given up on trying to bail the man out. His tone was weary.

"You need to compensate for the total assets held by that gentleman when he leaves, excluding the collateral value," he said helplessly.

"Oh~" Dr. Zhao drew out the syllable, a hint of mischief in his eyes and a flippant tone.

"So that means if this interesting human loses and fails to leave the Instance, I don't have to pay a single cent, right?"

Ren Yi suddenly spoke up, asking him directly.

"You've been calling him an 'interesting human' since just now. So, do you know what his talent is?"

Aside from his brother Ren Man, the only one who had first noticed the Battle-Damaged Guy's abnormality was this seemingly frivolous Dr. Zhao.

"I don't know," Dr. Zhao answered decisively without a second thought, his tone perfectly frank.

"And yet you say he's interesting," Ren Yi pressed on relentlessly.

"Not knowing his talent doesn't stop him from being interesting!"

Dr. Zhao said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His tone carried a hint of self-righteousness as he even leaned in closer, his eyes gleaming with the light of a drama-seeker.

"I like Participants who know how to mess around in an Instance on their own."

Fine. It seemed getting a direct answer was out of the question.

Dr. Zhao paused, then turned to look at Ren Yi, a cunning smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"I feel like I'm getting a bit of a raw deal here. How about this—let's make a bet?"

"If this human wins and successfully leaves the entertainment city, I will compensate you every single cent according to his final value."

"But if he loses, you give this trunk of chips to me. How about it?"

"Sorry, I have no income and cannot participate in gambling."

Without a second thought, Ren Yi took a step back to create distance, refusing with a firm tone.

He already had enough trouble on his plate; he didn't want to get dragged into an unnecessary bet. It was better to avoid extra complications.

Maybe he should start eating an apple a day for good luck, just to keep trouble-magnets like Dr. Zhao away from him.

Wait, that wasn't right. If he did that, would Dr. Lin have to stay away too?

But before Dr. Zhao could respond, Dr. Lin jumped in.

"I'll bet with you!"

"Oh-ho?" Dr. Zhao's eyes lit up as he laughed.

"I didn't expect Classmate Lin to take the initiative to join in. Now that you have, I suddenly feel like I'm definitely going to win!"

Seeing Dr. Lin start to roll up his sleeves again, looking ready to turn on him right then and there, Dr. Zhao immediately wiped the smile off his face and waved his hand, his tone becoming serious.

"Alright, alright, I'm done teasing you. Let's be serious."

He reached up to adjust the gold-rimmed glasses on his face. His previously frivolous and cynical expression froze into coldness, and the aura around him underwent a world-shaking transformation.

The flippancy faded, replaced by a sophisticated air. He actually looked quite handsome, carrying a vibe of a "refined scum" even more potent than Dr. Lin's.

He turned to look at the waiter.

"Although I don't know the specific details here, I can probably guess. Does this matter... involve your job?"