“That concludes your physical.”
Meng Lan set the examination records aside, her tone softening.
“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you about personally. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
Jiang Nuan nodded. “What is it?”
Meng Lan thought for a moment before speaking. “How have you been lately? When you’re with them, has anything ever made you feel pressured or uncomfortable?”
Jiang Nuan was pressing a cotton ball against the needle mark. It nearly slipped from her fingers.
“What?”
“I won’t tell anyone about your private affairs, and I’m not trying to pry into your personal life.”
“It’s just that, looking at your energy recovery records, I’m a little concerned. I wonder if you’ve been mixing up what the mission requires with how you actually feel.”
Jiang Nuan’s ears slowly began to burn.
This damn method of purification really left a person with no dignity at all.
Jiang Nuan did her best to make her expression look like that of a calm, emotionally stable adult.
“…Pretty good.”
Then she felt that saying only that sounded too guilty, so she added, “It’s just normal… mission requirements.”
Meng Lan rested one arm on the table.
“After the apocalypse, relationships don’t always have the standard answers they did in the old world.”
“But no matter how many people are involved in a relationship, or what brought them together, you should always have the freedom to choose and refuse.”
“I have three boyfriends,” Meng Lan said suddenly.
Jiang Nuan jerked her head up.
Meng Lan looked perfectly composed. “We’re still together, too, and we all live under the same roof. One of them does the cooking, one likes fixing things, and the third spends all day complaining that the first two are in his way.”
Jiang Nuan opened her mouth, then closed it.
No, she probably wasn’t in any position to be shocked.
But still… didn’t normal people usually give you some psychological preparation before dropping a bombshell like that?
Meng Lan smiled. “Not what you expected?”
“A little…” Jiang Nuan looked at Meng Lan’s kind expression.
“A relationship isn’t measured by the number of people in it,” Meng Lan said. “What matters is whether you want it, whether they respect you, and whether you feel comfortable and secure in the relationship.”
“Your ability and the mission are one thing. Your own feelings and your relationship are another.”
Jiang Nuan bit her lower lip.
Meng Lan was very direct, but somehow never made her feel offended.
“If it started because of the mission, because you felt you had no choice, then it’s even more important to keep those things separate,” Meng Lan continued. “Don’t force yourself just because you think you have some responsibility to shoulder.”
“Mm,” Jiang Nuan replied.
Meng Lan smiled. “That said, if you aren’t forcing yourself, then don’t spend every time thinking only about accommodating everyone else.”
“Your own feelings matter too.”
Jiang Nuan’s ears grew even hotter.
Meng Lan tactfully stopped there.
If she continued, the girl sitting across from her would probably bury her face in the table.
She chuckled, swiped twice across her terminal, and said, “I’m sending you something.”
Jiang Nuan lowered her head to look. Her entire body went rigid.
The file was titled: Intimate Relationship Communication and Experience Optimization Resource Pack.
The file size displayed after it was: 3.76 TB.
Jiang Nuan: “?”
Meng Lan said naturally, “It contains health information, materials on physical responses and personal feelings, as well as some… viewing references.”
Jiang Nuan nearly threw the terminal away.
“Don’t reject it so quickly.” Meng Lan raised a hand to calm her, her expression utterly serious. “There are some things that even liking someone can’t solve. Only you know whether you feel comfortable in your own heart.”
“You can watch those videos whenever you want to relax. Of course, whether you watch them is entirely up to you.”
Jiang Nuan stared at the 3.76-terabyte resource pack, feeling as if her terminal had grown hot in her hands.
“Isn’t this… a little too much?”
“I’ve already trimmed it down,” Meng Lan said sincerely.
Jiang Nuan: “…”
This was the trimmed-down version… Just how big had the original been?
Meng Lan coughed. The smile faded from her face, and she once again took on the dignified air of a responsible older sister.
“In any case, remember a few things. If you’re uncomfortable, say stop. If you don’t want to do something, refuse. You don’t need to give a reason.”
She reached out and ruffled Jiang Nuan’s hair. “You’re still very young, Jiang Nuan.”
“In this world, simply staying alive is already difficult enough. Whom you like, how you love, and whether you want to accept a relationship should all be your own choices.”
When the examination ended, Jiang Nuan shut off her terminal and left the medical room, her mind still buzzing.
In the corridor, Qinian had just finished his examination and was coming out of the room where Qi Sui was.
“Nuannuan, why is your face so red?”
“The examination room was too hot.”
Jiang Nuan kept a perfectly straight face. She lowered her head to make sure her terminal’s screen had gone dark, then finally relaxed.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m going to get breakfast!”
She immediately waved at him and turned to leave.
She had taken only two steps when the terminal in her palm vibrated.
[File transfer complete.]
Jiang Nuan looked down at the notification and stopped.
Behind her, Qinian clicked his tongue.
“What’s with the medical district’s network today? Did it suddenly lose its mind?”
She quickly closed her hand around the terminal.
“…No idea.”
