Chapter 22 We Have Touched Each Other's Ears

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"Kittens and stuff..."

Russell pursed his lips and emphasized, "Actually, I'm already an adult. I've even graduated from graduate school."

Every time he repeated this sentence, Russell felt a certain "child insists they're an adult" kind of wry humor.

The most frustrating part was that he really was a very reliable adult... even several years older than this "Minister" before him.

Speaking of which...

Cui Que had gentle eyes and deliberate, leisurely movements. She seemed to have a good temper and didn't look like someone who could fight... but she was the minister of a department full of tough people.

And judging by the way the Inferior regarded her, there seemed to be a great deal of respect for her.

This made Russell inevitably more curious about her.

Staring at a lady's face during a first meeting was quite impolite and generally frowned upon. Although Russell also had good features, that wasn't an excuse for others to always accommodate him.

It wasn't until Cui Que circled around from behind her desk and approached him that Russell really made eye contact with her.

With just one look, Russell's gaze was drawn to Cui Que's pupils.

Those were blue pupils the color of periwinkle flowers.

Of course, they couldn't compare to Glass's light green prosthetic eyes, which were close to works of art at the pinnacle of craftsmanship. But simply being looked at by those pale blue pupils made Russell feel unexpectedly calm.

The anxiety he had felt when entering the Special Execution Department was also substantially relieved.

—Blue can indeed induce tranquility.

Yes, Russell remembered... there really was such a claim.

And in the next moment, Russell unconsciously looked at her cute, small white dog ears.

Just being observed by Russell, her ears involuntarily twitched.

"Would you like to touch them?"

She suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

Russell was momentarily stunned, then somewhat tempted, "May I?"

When he saw Bad Day on the airship earlier, he couldn't help but want to touch it — the twitching ears, the swaying tail, in Russell's eyes they became even more attention-grabbing.

The shape of Cui Que's ears immediately reminded Russell of Bad Day.

"Of course."

Saying so, without waiting for Russell to hesitate, Cui Que confidently took Russell's hand and gently placed it on her head.

Although this was a somewhat submissive gesture... for some reason, it made Russell feel as if he was the subordinate one.

—But when ears are offered on a platter, it's a waste not to touch them.

After all, it was you who allowed me to.

With that thought in mind, Russell pinched the dog ears of his superior.

However, as this was their first meeting, he was worried about giving his superior a bad impression, so he didn't dare to apply too much pressure... he just lightly pinched them, then withdrew his hand reluctantly.

"My apologies."

Russell said softly, bowing his head.

Yet oddly... he felt a sense of relaxation.

—Can petting a dog truly bring comfort to one's mood?

Doesn't it work with cats? Is it not the same when I touch myself?

Russell, who had never been so close to someone before, suddenly wondered.

"Don't be so nervous... we are all the same kind of people."

Cui Que suddenly stretched out her slender, fair fingers and naturally touched Russell's ears.

"See, now it's fair."

Her lips curled into a sly smile, "What do you think, am I a bit scheming? I let you touch my ears first because I wanted to touch yours... Now you won't feel awkward, right?"

"...Awkward?"

Russell couldn't help but ask softly.

Cui Que didn't reply immediately.

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She just passed by Russell, settling herself on the enormous, fluffy sofa next to him. She reached out and patted the space beside her, signaling for Russell to sit down.

As Cui Que took her seat once again, the Inferior, who had been standing rigidly to the side, finally sat down on the opposite sofa.

Even seated, however, he maintained a serious demeanor, sitting up straight and proper. His gaze did not fix on Russell, but rather on the documents scattered across the table.

Seeing both his superiors seated, Russell did not dare to remain standing. He reluctantly followed Cui Que's gesture and sat beside her.

"——I mean, a sense of obedience."

Half-opening her eyes, Cui Que revealed a languid expression again and spoke gently, "It's considered offensive to touch someone's prone-spiritual traits. Acting this way or even just making such a request based on one's identity could make others feel like they're being trained for obedience, or harassed by an abuse of power."

"I don't want you to think I'm forcing you, or insulting you... If you feel you didn't get enough of it earlier, you can touch my ears again."

...That won't be necessary.

Russell thought to himself that he wasn't the type to be so sensitive about his self-esteem.

But it was still a matter of respect for himself — thinking this, he couldn't help but feel a bit more fondness for Cui Que.

"Now, we have the sort of relationship where we've touched each other's ears."

With a curious expression on her face, Cui Que asked softly, "May I inquire...what breed is your spiritual Energy?"

"A dune cat."

Russell answered forthrightly.

Some people whose spiritual Energy took the form of rodents or reptilians often saw such questioning as discriminatory.

But Russell didn't have such reservations.

He countered, "How about you, Minister?"

"A Samoyed,"

Laughing, Cui Que said, "Also, don't call me Minister like that guy — just Cui Que will do.

"By the way, Russell...what's your alias?"

"I haven't come up with one yet."

Russell smiled awkwardly, "I'm aware that normally when you start a job, you're supposed to have an alias. But since this is my first time entering the professional world, I haven't had the chance to decide on mine yet."

"I see…"

Cui Que nodded thoughtfully, as if considering something, "Then you should think it over carefully — according to statistics, cases of changing an alias after the first year of work are less than five percent. Because changing your alias can affect your work."

An alias is essentially a "temporary authentication code."

It can be repeated because when an alias is confirmed, it generates a unique authentication code — something like Doctor#031915, except the code has eighteen characters and includes letters.

Usually, adding a friend would require a face-to-face physical link offline.

But such linking is risky because the other party could stealthily transmit a virus or Trojan, a locator program, or some type of plug-in. Even if the person has no malicious intent, they might transmit a virus they are carrying.

These viruses and Trojans can directly transfer personal funds to certain accounts or steal confidential personal information... Even the least aggressive kind of plug-in can cause incessant pop-up ads that take several seconds to close.

To remove such viruses, one has to go to a specialized chip doctor for treatment, which is costly.

Therefore, adding friends directly is a risky affair — if someone isn't trustworthy, people generally wouldn't engage in a physical link.

Yet, not adding friends can affect work.

After all, many tasks still require close contact, and without contact information, even transferring money becomes inconvenient.

Hence, the "alias" came into being as an alternative mechanism for making connections.

It's akin to what Russell knew from his previous life...not wanting to disclose one's real name and phone number, so instead, adding a client on WeChat.

Messages sent to an "alias" are not instant messages, but rather in the form of "emails" — one can ignore inbox notifications and check them when convenient without the other party knowing your true identity. And emails that contain data that may carry viruses can be completely set aside; if a client learns the "alias," they can send emails directly to inquire about taking on orders.

If one changes their alias, it's like suddenly changing the work WeChat... Many regular clients might suddenly find themselves unable to reach the person, and previous ads will only lead people to the old WeChat, so it's better not to change it if not necessary.

Conversely, changing an alias can also be used to avoid someone. Of course, with professions like network detectives and hackers with Spiritual Energy, how long one can hide is another question.

But...

Another Samoyed, huh.

—Are Samoyeds such a common spiritual Energy?

Russell looked at Cui Que, perplexed.

In the depths of his consciousness, Russell felt as if he could see Bad Day's shadow in Cui Que.