Chapter 33: Chapter 33: You’re Not His Relative, Are You?

Gu Ning stood behind Alex and looked up at the door, which bore the number 2.

’Apartment 2,’ Gu Ning thought to herself. ’So this is Alex’s room. It’s right above the office.’

"Go on in. The bathroom is to the right." Alex unlocked the door with his key and stepped aside to let Gu Ning pass.

Gu Ning, full of curiosity, peeked inside before stepping into the room.

There was nothing special about it.

Alex’s room wasn’t much more spacious than her own place, and the layout was similar. But his room was incredibly clean and tidy. A quick glance around the living room revealed only a sofa and a set of table and chairs. Not a single shoe could be seen in the entryway. The place was so minimalist it looked uninhabited, like it could be rented out at a moment’s notice.

The floor was so shiny that Gu Ning felt a little hesitant to step on it.

’Alex said he was a neat freak,’ she thought. ’Looks like he was telling the truth.’

Seeing Gu Ning standing frozen, Alex assumed she couldn’t find the bathroom. He walked over and pushed the door open. "It’s in here."

Gu Ning snapped out of it and stepped carefully onto the floor, practically walking on tiptoe.

A faint smile touched Alex’s eyes as he watched her walk so cautiously. "Don’t worry about it," he said. "I mop every day."

’Beastmen have so much energy,’ Gu Ning thought. ’When I get off work, forget mopping—even eating feels exhausting.’

Her place had only gotten a little tidier since Barto moved in a few days ago. He was still nagging her, saying the place she and Cook had shared was a pigsty.

"I’m heading back down. Just close the door on your way out when you’re done."

Alex said to her through the door after she had gone inside.

Hearing his footsteps recede and the sound of the front door closing, Gu Ning relaxed and sat down on the toilet.

As she relieved herself, she surveyed the bathroom. Just like the rest of the apartment, it was as clean as a model home and at least twice the size of the one in her own quarters.

Gu Ning’s gaze fell on a shower head and its piping on the left wall.

She stared at it for a few seconds.

’Wait—?!’

’It’s a private, en-suite bathroom!’

’Of course. The managers’ quarters are on a whole different level.’

Gu Ning was practically dying of envy just looking at that shower head.

She desperately wanted a bathroom where she could shower in private. Ever since managing one hot shower in the public bathhouse, she had been making do with cold sponge baths for the past few days.

After she was done, Gu Ning stood by the toilet tank and pressed the flush button over and over.

The deodorizer Alex had mentioned was sitting on the tank. Every time she flushed, Gu Ning gave it a spray to make sure not a single trace of odor remained.

The deodorizer had a fresh, woodsy scent, similar to the one she’d smelled in the public restroom.

After flushing several times, Gu Ning noticed the sink and went over to wash her hands.

On the counter was a bottle of what looked like hand soap. Gu Ning pressed the pump, and a clear gel came out.

She held it to her nose. It had a faint, floral scent.

As Gu Ning lathered her hands, she felt as if she had been transported back to her old life in the human world.

Except, everything in the bathroom was twice as large, and even the sink was absurdly high.

The sink was clearly built for a Beastman’s height; it nearly came up to Gu Ning’s shoulders. She had to hold her hands up high just to wash them.

In that respect, her own place was more convenient. Her latrine didn’t have a sink, just a spigot. All she had to do was place a bucket underneath it.

After washing her hands, Gu Ning ignored the towel hanging on the side. She shook the water from her hands, wiped them on her clothes, and opened the door.

On her way out, Gu Ning passed the bedroom. The door was open, and she glanced inside. There was only a bed, nothing more.

The apartment was quiet and empty.

Gu Ning stood in the living room, a faint sense of ease washing over her. ’Alex really did leave,’ she thought, ’he even closed the front door.’

Since no one was there, Gu Ning took the opportunity to look around the apartment openly.

She didn’t dare to linger, though, and left after a quick look around.

Gu Ning returned to the bustling office.

It was the Beastmen’s lunch break. The ones in this office all held senior positions, and their meals were separate from those of the regular workers.

Gu Ning glanced over. Their food was mostly meat, but it looked more refined than what the common Beastmen ate.

"Well, look who it is. Alex’s little helper."

A Beastman spotted Gu Ning and called out mockingly, "Hey, little Mixed Breed. Come be my assistant, and I’ll give you meat, too."

As he spoke, he picked up a large drumstick from his bowl and gestured with it in her direction.

Gu Ning frowned. ’Is he trying to get a dog to do tricks?’ she thought irritably.

She ignored him and walked briskly toward the inner office.

"Hey, where are you going?" A Beastman blocked her path, slinging an arm around her shoulder and steering her toward his workstation. "Come eat with us."

A few of the other eating Beastmen glanced at Gu Ning. Some chimed in with a couple of jokes, while others, completely uninterested, just kept their heads down, eating and scrolling through their terminals.

The Beastman who had stopped her wore a technician’s uniform. "So, what does Alex usually have you do?" he asked, pulling her toward his desk.

The one who had offered Gu Ning the drumstick chimed in, "You’re not related to him, are you?"

They found it hard to believe a Dwarf hybrid could handle such detailed work; ’their kind’ wasn’t known for patience. Yet this little Mixed Breed had spent the entire morning with Alek in the inner office. How could she possibly be doing his paperwork?

Unless this little Mixed Breed actually knew Alex, and he had deliberately brought her here to be with him.

Gu Ning had no desire to talk to them. Seeing an opportunity, she ducked under the Beastman’s arm and tried to make a break for it.

"Hey, why are you running? I’m asking you a question."

The Beastman in the technician’s uniform grabbed the back of her collar. "Tell us, what’re you so good at? Give us a little demonstration."

They were offended that Alex had compared them to a Mixed Breed.

’She’s just some little Mixed Breed hiding under Alex’s protection, that’s all.’

Gu Ning flinched, about to react to being grabbed by the collar, when another hand shot out and swatted the offending hand away, freeing her.

"If you’re all this idle, get up on the wall. Now." Alex said to the Beastmen, his face cold. "If the maintenance check on Zone C’s defense systems isn’t finished today, don’t bother coming down. You can stay up there until it’s done."

"Alex, we were just trying to chat with her, that’s all. We didn’t mean anything by it," one of the Beastmen said with an awkward laugh.

"You wanted to talk. She didn’t," Alex said. "Now. Immediately. Get on the wall."

His tone was even, but it left no room for argument.

The technicians didn’t dare say another word and started heading out.

One Beastman was still hunched over, wolfing down his food. Gu Ning saw it was the one who had first called out to her.

’He’s still eating! He’s still eating!’

Alex didn’t even let him take two more bites before snatching the bowl out of his hands.

"Get to work."

The Beastman could only get up and leave, looking utterly miserable.

Alex’s gaze swept across the office, and the few remaining curious onlookers quickly looked away. They were all thinking the same thing: ’Guess you really can’t mess with a Beastman who has a Mixed Breed relative. Alex is usually so good-natured, but even he got pushed too far.’