Chapter 386: Chapter 386

"Weren’t you told to guard the door outside? What are you doing in here?"

If I remember correctly, Kirihara Ichiro is one of Matsumoto Mina’s confidants, right? Who is this fatso, daring to send Matsumoto Mina’s confidant to guard the door? Or is it that my performance in the Group these past few days made this fatso think Matsumoto Mina has no chance of returning, so he’s gotten cocky?

An Yan glanced over and spotted the badge on his chest: Group Leader Matsumoto Takuma.

I remember now. This is Matsumoto Yuki’s nephew. By relation, Matsumoto Saori would even call him cousin! If Matsumoto Mina hadn’t suddenly had a breakthrough, Matsumoto Yuki had actually intended to focus on grooming this one. No wonder he dares to treat Matsumoto Mina’s trusted aide with such an attitude!

"What are you standing there stunned for? Get lost!" Matsumoto Takuma raised his voice.

"I’m here to work, not to guard a door!" An Yan retorted, giving him a sidelong glance. She stepped forward, deliberately brushing past his shoulder as she continued inside.

Matsumoto Takuma swiftly grabbed her arm. "Kirihara Ichiro, I’m in charge here now! If I tell you to guard the door, you guard the door!"

An Yan fiercely shook off his hand. "I won’t. If you have the guts, go tell Miss Mina!"

The moment he heard the name "Mina," Matsumoto Takuma went berserk. "She’s nothing! She has no ties with the Group anymore. You still want to use her to pressure me?"

An Yan sneered, "Capable people, even if they occasionally fall on hard times, will always rise again. And you... heh."

Actually, Matsumoto Takuma wasn’t a complete good-for-nothing; he had some achievements in medical research. But it was precisely because he had some achievements that he couldn’t stand being ridiculed by others.

Matsumoto Takuma looked ready to fight her to the death. "Damn you, Kirihara! Today, I’ll show you who’s really capable!" As he spoke, his chubby hand lunged for An Yan’s neck.

Would An Yan let him strangle her? Of course not.

With An Yan’s skills, if she didn’t want Matsumoto Takuma to gain the upper hand, he truly wouldn’t stand a chance.

Moreover, An Yan deliberately wanted to escalate the situation, so she feigned panic, dodging left and right. Using the surrounding environment to her advantage, she toyed with Matsumoto Takuma as if leading a dog on a chase, making him run in circles. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

In just a few minutes, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered. They wore white jumpsuits, some even holding notebooks or pens, yet their expressions of excitement were identical to those of gossiping aunties at a wet market.

Seeing the crowd grow, Matsumoto Takuma felt emboldened and commanded imperiously, "Seize him!"

Yet, not a single person moved.

To be honest, I’m quite surprised myself, An Yan thought. I guessed that Matsumoto Takuma, being on bad terms with Matsumoto Mina, probably didn’t hold much real power. I just didn’t expect it wasn’t ’not much’—it was none at all!

Although none of the onlookers stepped in to help, they all chimed in:

"Kirihara-kun, calm down!"

"Group Leader Matsumoto is still the group leader, after all. You should stop now."

"Kirihara-kun, if you injure Group Leader Matsumoto, the Department Head won’t let you off. For your future’s sake, just stand there and let Group Leader Matsumoto hit you a few times to vent his anger."

"Group Leader Matsumoto is the Department Head’s own nephew! If the Department Head finds out, he’ll definitely fire you."

"Stop running! Where can you run when you’re about to be fired?"

Listening to them, it sounds like they’re trying to break up the fight, but every sentence is just reminding me that Matsumoto Takuma has connections. Make such a scene with him, and I probably won’t last here. It’s as if they’re outright saying: if you’re going to fight, fight hard. Don’t get fired for nothing without getting something out of it.

Amused by their words, An Yan finally stopped, just as they wished.

Matsumoto Takuma, thinking she was actually scared, furiously raised his hand to strike her.

Would An Yan just stand there and let him hit her? Absolutely not!

The moment Matsumoto Takuma reached her side, she unhesitatingly kicked him away.

Matsumoto Takuma staggered back several steps and crashed heavily into the wall. For a moment, he winced, grimacing in pain.

Before he could recover, An Yan was already in front of him, throwing a barrage of uppercuts and hooks—left, right... She controlled her strength, keeping it within the limits of a normal adult.

After a dozen punches, Matsumoto Takuma was completely subdued. "Stop! Stop hitting me! I won’t make you guard the door anymore, alright?"

An Yan heard this and stopped. "You mean it?"

Matsumoto Takuma glanced at her. Sensing she had relaxed, and not having learned his lesson, he tried to strike again.

But just as he lifted his arm, An Yan instantly grabbed his neck and pinned him against the wall.

This time, it seemed she was ready to kill.

Matsumoto Takuma’s eyes rolled back. Now he truly understood: Kirihara Ichiro was playing for keeps today.

Shaking with fear, he frantically slapped at her arm. "Let go! Let go! I really won’t dare again, I absolutely won’t! I won’t fight back! Let go! Please, I beg you! Quick, let... go..."

He was young; he didn’t want to meet his ancestors yet!

An Yan controlled her strength, releasing him just as he felt his soul about to depart.

Matsumoto Takuma, like a dying stray finally able to breathe, gasped for a full three minutes before recovering.

His eyes, still unfocused, fixed on An Yan. He raised his hand...

An Yan immediately moved to grab his neck again.

Matsumoto Takuma was so terrified he plopped onto the floor. "I wasn’t trying to hit you!"

An Yan was speechless. If you weren’t trying to hit me, why raise your hand? Now this is just awkward!

Since her hand was already out, she simply pulled Matsumoto Takuma to his feet. "Can I go back to work now?"

Without a second’s hesitation, Matsumoto Takuma nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! Kirihara-san, please, go back to work immediately. Keep up the good work!"

The respectful address was now in full use.

An Yan was finally satisfied. She turned to leave, then paused.

I don’t actually know which office Kirihara Ichiro works in. How awkward!

Just then, a colleague up ahead stopped. "Kirihara-san, what was all that about today...?"

The speaker looked somewhat familiar. It’s that kind colleague I met upstairs before. His name seems to be Miyamoto Kan.

An Yan smiled and quickly caught up to walk beside him, muttering, "I’ve had it with that guy for a while. Do you know how much important stuff he’s held up for me?"

Miyamoto Kan nodded with a smile. "I don’t blame you for being angry. We’ve been quite upset too. Ever since we heard Miss Mina wouldn’t be coming back, he’s been strutting around like a madman, causing trouble every single day!"

"You really vented everyone’s frustrations today! I’m just not sure if he’ll complain to the Department Head later..."

Following this chatty, kind-hearted colleague, An Yan made her way to Kirihara Ichiro’s research team.

The entrance led into an air disinfection chamber; passing through it, she reached the work area.

I had imagined a research lab with neat rows of benches, racks of test tubes, and cabinets full of materials and chemicals, An Yan thought. But what met her eyes here was a wall constructed from stacked glass enclosures. Each enclosure housed one or more animals.