I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

"Girlfriend?" Tang Yu's confident expression turned to hesitation. "That's not what I've come to know..."

"That's fine, let's get down to business, Reporter Tang. I thought the meeting place would be more formal this time?" Cheng Fei casually withdrew his arm and looked around at the surroundings.

The tea restaurant was packed with people, and the conversations of the diners were so noisy that there was no atmosphere for discussing private topics; it was more like meeting up with online friends.

“Deep Blue doesn’t have any branches in Academy City, so we can’t exactly invite you to headquarters. This place is fine, and I was just thinking of trying this place myself.” Tang Yu said seriously.

"Okay." Cheng Fei stopped a passing waiter without any hesitation, picked up the menu and ordered for himself.

After the waiters left, Tang Yu took out two documents with hexagonal logos on the covers and placed them in front of the two men. She said seriously, "Sign the confidentiality documents first."

"Do we have to sign a confidentiality agreement?" Cheng Fei picked it up and quickly flipped through it, while Shen Xi next to him did the same.

"Of course, we can't just reveal our secrets," Tang Yu said softly.

The two quickly read through all the entries, confirmed there were no problems, and signed the last page of the document.

Tang Yu nodded in satisfaction, put the documents away, and then looked them over. "Since you two have a good relationship, you must know about each other's situations, right?"

Cheng Fei and Shen Xi exchanged a glance, and Cheng Fei spoke first, "More or less."

"Considering that you have all met Deep Blue's recruitment requirements, I'll get straight to the point and answer the question you're most concerned about first," Tang Yu said, pausing for a moment.

The waiter came over and placed the dishes Cheng Fei had ordered on the table. He had ordered char siu rice with fried noodles, as well as flaky egg tarts and so-called French toast, which was actually just toast coated with egg, fried, and then drizzled with honey.

Tang Yu and Shen Xi each had their own food in front of them.

After the waiter left, Tang Yu continued, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, "Deep Blue's work, simply put, is to study extraterrestrial life phenomena on Earth, or to put it more bluntly, events related to extraterrestrial civilizations."

Cheng Fei, who was putting the char siu into his mouth, paused.

Shen Xi narrowed her eyes as well.

Tang Yu ignored the two and slowly began to speak, “The world before us, Earth, has been visited by extraterrestrial civilizations more than once throughout history, leaving behind a large number of mysterious and dangerous relics. What Deep Blue has been doing for many years is dealing with these relics.”

"Relics?" Cheng Fei stared intently at the other person, secretly regretting that he hadn't brought Nagasaki Asuna with him.

“That’s right, a relic.” Tang Yu nodded. “Back in the fifth century AD in Delhi, India, there was a seven-meter-tall, six-ton ​​forged iron pillar. This pillar stood outdoors for over 1,600 years without rusting. Later, the Delhi Iron Pillar came under our control and management. It turned out that it wasn’t iron at all, but a special alloy shell with self-healing capabilities. It came from an alien probe and its purpose was to collect environmental data. According to analysis, it is still sending information out to this day.”

Shen Xi frowned as she listened.

Tang Yu continued, “In 7th century Mexico, deep in a cave called Batur, people discovered hundreds of handprints printed on the wall with black ink. The handprints looked like children’s, but had six or seven fingers and were located in a place that was difficult for ordinary people to reach. Later, our researchers found that the handprints had special radioactivity, and a small, damaged, abandoned space shuttle was found in a cave not far from the handprints.”

Shen Xi shivered almost imperceptibly and moved slightly closer to the boy beside her.

Tang Yu glanced at her and said, “There are many mysterious events that you may or may not have heard of, such as the famous Tunguska event of the last century and the Hestallen Light that still appears in the Hestallen Valley of Norway. They are actually related to relics of extraterrestrial civilizations. After we discover these events, we will take management measures as soon as possible to avoid irreversible serious consequences.”

"Are you suggesting that the progress of human civilization is actually the result of the influence of these relics?" Cheng Fei feigned curiosity.

“It’s hard to define it that way.” Tang Yu pondered for a moment and shook his head. “For a long time, humans didn’t have enough brainpower to understand these relics. Deep Blue was only established in the last one or two hundred years. Most of the relics involve technologies that are beyond our current theoretical framework. More often than not, we manage the relics but don’t understand the principles behind them.”

Cheng Fei remained noncommittal. "Fine, then why should I believe these things exist?"

"Once you join Deep Blue, you'll see it for yourself sooner or later," Tang Yu said, spreading his hands. "And you've already seen one of Deep Blue's most important management items, you just haven't realized it yet."

"What managed property?" Cheng Fei asked, puzzled.

“Corridor,” Tang Yu uttered.

"Is the corridor also a managed property?" the boy asked calmly.

"You might not believe it, but the Corridor is floating above the Pacific Ocean right now. It's a space fortress. Deep Blue captured the Corridor by chance. It can even allow our consciousness to travel to other planets, which is the dual-body world you see." Tang Yu sat in a corner of the tea restaurant where no one paid attention to her, her tone casual as if she were telling a science fiction story.

Cheng Fei pretended to ponder for a moment before looking at the other person and asking, "Then why did Deep Blue recruit us?"

"In order to control and manage the relics, Deep Blue recruits the best and most professional talents from all over the world. Scientists, psychologists and even military experts are among our recruits, and you are no exception." Tang Yu said, looking at the boy with a meaningful gaze.

"Then why are you looking for me?" Shen Xi asked expressionlessly.

Tang Yu turned her head, her tone unchanged, "Your mother, Lin Wanqing, is also a member of Deep Blue and has made important contributions to the foundation. Of course, we will pay special attention to her children."

The cool, aloof girl's eyes widened slightly.

Tang Yu smiled and said, "I know that you two may find it hard to accept this all of a sudden. You are welcome to ask questions, and I will try my best to answer them within the scope of my authority."

Cheng Fei thought for a moment, then thoughtfully began, "My first question is..."

In the bustling tea restaurant, customers chatted and enjoyed their food. One table of diners came and went, and no one noticed what the three people in the corner were talking about. When the waiters occasionally passed by and heard their conversation, they simply regarded it as trivial chatter and completely ignored it in their busy work.

……

After a while, the three left the tea restaurant and stood by the roadside.

"So what do you want us to do now?" Cheng Fei asked Tang Yu, his hands in his pockets.

"There's nothing for you to do for now. Deep Blue never forces anyone. You only need to participate when you want to know more," Tang Yu said in a relaxed tone. "You can digest today's content first, and if you're willing, continue playing the Corridor."

"Why are you playing in the corridor?" the boy asked suspiciously.

“The corridor is more complicated than you think. Conquering the corridor is also part of our research. Helping to overcome the challenge of the third-level teleportation portal is also a contribution to Deep Blue.” Tang Yu said, opening the back door of the taxi parked in front of him. “That’s all for today. I have other work to do. If you two have anything else to discuss, please contact me online anytime.”

She waved her phone, got into a taxi, and quickly disappeared into the traffic on the main road.

Cheng Fei smacked his lips and muttered reluctantly, "Why do we have to play games again?"

Shen Xi narrowed her eyes slightly and remained silent ever since leaving the tea restaurant.

"Teacher Shen, since things have come to this, let's go home first?" the boy said casually.

The girl didn't look at him, she just nodded.

So the two got into the car, and the Panamera merged into the traffic and headed toward Guang'an Street.

The atmosphere inside the car was quiet.

Cheng Fei gripped the steering wheel, glanced at the aloof girl in the passenger seat with her brows furrowed, his gaze sweeping over her legs before settling on her face. "What are you thinking about, Teacher Shen? Are you reminiscing about when you, as the Celestial Queen, descended to Earth, escaped Deep Blue's pursuit, and possessed a human girl?"

Shen Xi said coldly and without any politeness, "Stop talking nonsense. I'd like to ask Cheng Feiyu where all those strange props came from. Could it be that he has some kind of alien artifact on him?"

"Sigh, let's leave this kind of secret aside." The boy shook his head and sighed imperceptibly. "Teacher Shen, according to Tang Yu, it's not just you Star Spirits who come to Earth to litter. Is Earth some kind of tourist attraction in the multiverse?"

"How would I know if Cheng Feiyu doesn't know about this?" Shen Xi glared at him, a little unhappy.

"Little cutie, you don't know and I don't know either. I don't know any more than you do. Just remember this." The boy nodded to himself.

The girl paused, her expression turning inscrutable as she looked at him.

876. What Shen Xi wanted Cheng Fei to guarantee was...

The two returned to Guang'an Street and opened the door to the 36th floor of the upscale apartment building.

Asuna Nagasaki was still in the rented apartment across the street, and the living room in front of her was quiet.

Shen Xi walked into the entryway, lifted her lower legs one by one to take off her black uniform shoes, and then slipped her small feet, covered with white socks, into slippers. She then obsessively arranged the shoes she had taken off neatly.

Cheng Fei stood behind her with his hands in his pockets, watching her movements nonchalantly, and was not surprised to be glared at when she turned around.

The two entered the house, and the boy skillfully took two cartons of yogurt from the refrigerator, inserted straws, handed one of the cartons to the girl sitting on the sofa, and then threw himself next to her, leisurely sipping his yogurt.

Shen Xi put down her things and moved above him, kneeling down with her slender body, staring at him expressionlessly.

"Teacher Shen?" the boy asked, puzzled.

"Now, let's have a meeting." The girl said coldly, leaving no room for argument. She wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face near his collarbone, took a deep breath, and remained still.

"Okay?" The boy put his arm around her frail waist and tightened it slightly.

"Trash, what do we do now?" Shen Xi trembled and whispered.

"Now? Of course, we'll play along. Joining Deep Blue isn't so bad, we even get a monthly stipend." Cheng Fei looked at the ceiling and sighed comfortably.

Although he didn't know why, according to Tang Yu, his current status was that of a prospective researcher with D-level authority, while Shen Xi was a senior specialist with S-level authority. Their allowances differed by more than ten times. Perhaps this was due to connections, but the young man didn't think about it for the time being.

"By the way, Mr. Shen, does your uncle know that your mother is a member of Deep Blue?" Cheng Fei asked casually.

Shen Xi shook her head. "Even if you knew, it would be impossible to know the inside story."

“That makes sense. Deep Blue, as a foundation, pretends to be quite legitimate on the surface.” The boy nodded, pondering as he said, “Now it seems that your mother was a member of Deep Blue. Maybe it was she who let you come into contact with some kind of relic, which is why you became the Protoss Queen. Her faked death at the end was also related to them. It’s all connected.”

"Mmm," Shen Xi responded softly, twisting her body to press herself even closer to him.

Cheng Fei's phone suddenly beeped with a WeChat notification. The boy picked it up and saw that it was from Tang Yu.

"I don't know anything about Lin Wanqing, but Deep Blue had an Antarctic mission ten years ago, which might be related to her. You can try using your privileges to check."

When Shen Xi looked up, Cheng Fei showed her his phone and shrugged, "Try using your S-level privileges, senior specialist."

The girl nodded.

Tang Yu taught the two how to log into the DeepBlue intranet, where matters related to the other party could supposedly be handled.

Shen Xi followed the steps to log in using the tablet, and a simple application interface appeared in front of the two of them.

The girl found the information search page and tried searching using "Antarctic expedition" as the keyword.

"Insufficient permissions to view".

This message popped up.

Cheng Fei was a little gloating. "Teacher Shen, it seems your S-level privileges aren't so great after all."

Shen Xi narrowed her eyes slightly, clearly displeased, and coldly ordered, "Isena, find a way."

A familiar, childlike female voice immediately rang out from the tablet, "Yes, sir, attempting to infiltrate the target network..."

"As expected of the ruthless and cold-blooded Protoss Queen." Cheng Fei sighed as he looked at her beautiful yet icy face.

A few seconds later, Isena's voice rang out again, this time sounding somewhat dejected, "Your Majesty, it's no use. The enemy's firewall is very tight; we can't find any loopholes."

Shen Xi gritted her teeth, her displeasure becoming even more apparent.

“Teacher Shen, no matter what, even the corridor is a relic managed by Deep Blue. It’s normal that Xiao Yi has no choice, right?” Cheng Fei rubbed her head.

The girl paused for a second, then tossed aside the tablet and buried her face in his neck again, as if she had given up.

The boy hugged the slender body in his arms, smelled the faint fragrance emanating from her hair, and gently stroked her back. "Little cutie, don't rush, at least we're making progress, take it slow."

Shen Xi remained silent, but her small nostrils twitched where he couldn't see, and she spoke in a voice that revealed neither joy nor anger, "It's all sweat."

The boy hesitated, then asked, "Isn't Your Highness's focus a bit too strange?"

"It also smells like a vixen, disgusting," the girl said again, her voice displeased.

"You can smell that?" Cheng Fei tried it himself and found that he couldn't smell anything.

Shen Xi suddenly got up and left his embrace, her face cold. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Please go ahead?" The boy's gaze moved from her legs to her face.

The girl took a few steps toward the bathroom, then stopped, tilted her head, and looked down at him with an unyielding tone, "After I'm done washing, Cheng Feiyu will go wash too."

The boy paused for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "Yes, Your Highness, I'm very sorry for disgusting you."

The girl turned and left, leaving behind a casual remark, "You can take a bath after showering, or you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Huh?" The boy asked, surprised and uncertain.

The girl didn't turn her head, leaving him only with her slender back view.

……

Following Shen Xi's orders, Cheng Fei took a shower and then filled the bathtub with water.

When the boy, with a towel wrapped around his waist, lay down in the bathtub, the aloof girl, also wrapped in a towel, appeared. Just like the last time they soaked in the hot spring, she held the edge of the towel with her small hand, first looking down at him with a cold expression, then tentatively stretched out one of her dazzling white legs, lightly touching the water with her toes to test the temperature, before stepping into the bathtub and sitting down opposite him.

So, on a summer afternoon, the dust and sweat on their bodies were washed away, and they gazed at each other in a comfortable and quiet atmosphere, and a moment passed like that.

"Is there anything you can't let Xiao Yi hear? You can tell me now." Cheng Fei smiled at her.

The aloof girl paused, lowered her eyes, and uttered two words, "No."

The boy was confused. "What do you mean by 'nothing'?"

"The literal meaning? Cheng Feiyu doesn't even understand this?" The girl glared at him, a little impatient.

The boy remained calm and said, "So, Teacher Shen just wanted to take a bath?"

The two had agreed to take a bath together as a way to avoid talking to Isena, which was technically called a bathtub meeting, or at least that's what he thought.

"I just wanted to take a shower when I got home, and I can also hold the meeting at the same time. Anyway, this isn't the first time I've done this kind of thing with Cheng Feiyu. What's the problem?" Shen Xi raised her chin, her eyes narrowed, and her face became increasingly displeased.

“No problem, Your Highness, you can do it anytime you wish.” The young man’s expression hardened.