Chapter 7: Late, Taller, and Very Embarrassed
Lin Yan returned to his tiny mining pod, still glowing faintly from the gene serum.
He felt taller, stronger, and… slightly ridiculous.
As he approached his team, they all froze for a moment.
"Whoa… Lin Yan?" one of them blurted.
"You… you look taller!"
Another teammate snickered.
"And cuter!"
Lin Yan froze. His face turned red—a full-blown, tomato-level blush.
He wanted to crawl into a black hole and hide forever.
"Uh… thanks?" he muttered, scratching the back of his head.
"Let's congratulate Lin Yan! He met the quota today!" one teammate cheered, clapping loudly.
Everyone laughed, hooting and cheering, but Lin Yan's stomach sank. He had never felt so exposed.
"Yeah… let's just… not mention the chains, the electric shocks, or the serum, okay?" he muttered under his breath.
Hours later, at 8:00 p.m. Blue Star Time, Lin Yan finally reached home.
He tried to relax, showering and binge-watching his favorite shows.
Even while laughing at a space sitcom, he kept glancing nervously at the ceiling, half-expecting Star to materialize and lecture him for not doing more training.
"Good evening, Master Lin Yan," Star's calm voice said suddenly.
Lin Yan yelped, nearly dropping the snack he was holding.
"Star! Don't just appear! I'm… I'm trying to relax!"
"Relaxation is inefficient. I am monitoring your vitals. Also, your crush status is elevated."
Lin Yan froze.
"What… what does that mean?"
"Your heart rate spiked to 120 beats per minute when Bing appeared on your sensors."
Lin Yan's ears practically burned.
"Star… delete that. Delete. Right now!"
"Cannot delete emotional responses, Master. But I can suggest coping strategies. Strategy #1: Panic visibly. Strategy #2: Pretend it's normal. Strategy #3: Run in circles while screaming internally."
Lin Yan groaned.
"Star… you're not helping."
The next morning, Lin Yan left his small apartment, brushing off his nerves.
He spotted Bing, his childhood friend, walking toward him.
Bing, who had protected him from bullies all their lives, now seemed even more radiant than usual.
Lin Yan's face flushed again.
Star interrupted his thoughts.
"Master Lin Yan, a love letter was transmitted to your crush's device because your vitals indicated abnormal affection levels."
Lin Yan groaned so loudly the nearby vendors turned to stare.
"WHO SENT THAT?! STAR, I SWEAR—IF THIS GETS EMBARRASSING…"
"Master, embarrassment detected. Recommended response: pretend nothing happened. Optional: faint."
Lin Yan planted his hands firmly on his knees and muttered,
"Optional faint… really? You think I haven't considered it?"
Bing raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly.
"Lin Yan… what's going on? You look… nervous."
Lin Yan's brain short-circuited.
Nervous, taller, glowing faintly, flushed red—all at once.
He could barely form a sentence.
"Uh… I… I… uh… sky… asteroid… uh…"
Bing tilted her head, clearly trying not to laugh.
Lin Yan's knees nearly gave out.
He was officially a walking disaster.