Ever since the unexpected incident on New Year's Eve, Nemo hadn’t crossed paths with Matthew Grimm for an entire month. Instead, their interactions shifted to a barrage of daily emails and occasional goodnight chats. The morning calls, however, were successfully canceled after a half-asleep Nemo furiously cursed him out in Taiwanese, threatening to end their friendship.

This once again proved the universal truth: even when language barriers exist, profanity can build a Babel-like tower of mutual understanding between two people.

Even though Nemo often stayed up until the early hours, their definitions of “goodnight” still differed. Often, Nemo would head to bed, only to later discover from a few stray comments that the world’s richest man had been either out and about or still working tirelessly. Matthew Grimm’s daily schedule remained a complete mystery.

During this time, Nemo went camping in the forest twice. On the first trip, he brought along Tolya, as suggested by boss Liu and Sunny Jie who were concerned for his safety. His Russian roommate nearly burned down the tent while using the camping stove, eliciting an obligatory curse. On the second trip, Nemo deliberately chose a time when Tolya was unavailable, finally enjoying a peaceful solo retreat.

By the way, the mountaineering backpack that Nemo had abandoned to rescue the injured billionaire during the New Year’s incident was promptly returned to him, fully intact, over the holiday. Not having to spend extra money to replace his gear slightly raised his opinion of Matthew—just a tiny bit.

When Matthew found out that Nemo planned to go camping, he clamored to join, only to be immediately shut down. Nemo had absolutely no interest in being responsible for Matthew Grimm's safety, let alone serving as a companion alongside his security team!

Matthew was not pleased. “Nemo, how can you call yourself a Captain?! Here I am, tirelessly working day and night for the American people and the entire world—developing solutions to mitigate the fallout from the meteor shower, creating next-generation weapons to combat various monsters, championing luxury tax increases to fund infrastructure and refugee assistance laws, covering the collateral damage costs of superheroes, and providing all kinds of thoughtful services for lovely ladies (okay, maybe that part’s unnecessary)—and I can’t even have a little time to relax?”

During this period, the death of Old Mr. Grimm was officially announced, turning global media attention back to Matthew Grimm. This time, it wasn’t tabloid gossip—he had genuinely become the uncrowned king of America. As a result, Lone Star City’s prominence soared dramatically.

Whether they were superheroes or supervillains, it really seemed like they could show up at any time now. You capture him, I save him, he thanks me, and then you capture him again. What kind of hellish food chain is this?!

“The last time you ‘relaxed,’ you ended up escaping a kidnapper gang completely naked. Please have some awareness of your net worth, Mr. Grimm.” To shut him up, Nemo resisted the urge to chuck the special encrypted phone Matthew had given him into the closet. Instead, he had to lay out his grim predictions for Lone Star City’s future and reveal that his entire team at Westlake Restaurant supported his plans. Captain Nemo was sacrificing his vacation to prepare for the initial phase of an evacuation strategy.

“In any case, my camping trips are for scouting out safe zones. Even ordinary people like me have the right to plan our escape routes. It’s a secret operation!” Nemo said.

For some reason, either the phrase “safe zones” or “secret operation” excited Matthew to no end. Not only did he offer to research evacuation routes for Nemo, but he also suggested they build a hidden helicopter landing pad near the safe zone for complete secrecy. He even bragged that piloting a spaceship was already within his skill set, so a mere helicopter would be a piece of cake.

Nemo couldn’t help but suspect that Matthew had suffered from a severely deprived childhood. With his family background and genius-level intellect, it was impossible for him to grow up normally with peers his age. No wonder he latched onto the first person who could act as his confidant and lifesaver.

Nemo agreed to explore the routes and campsites Matthew suggested, using the military-grade radio and satellite phone provided by the billionaire to report back and summarize his findings afterward. The condition? Matthew was forbidden from secretly following him. Nemo had no intention of camping with a male friend he wasn’t yet comfortable with—it would feel too awkward.

Rejected and dejected, the world’s richest man reluctantly went off to investigate routes. When Nemo reminded him not to neglect his other responsibilities, Matthew’s response sounded as wilted as dried lettuce.

And so, a peaceful month passed. The chef and the billionaire somehow developed a back-and-forth rhythm in their interactions. Matthew Grimm always carried himself with an air of an older brother, which made sense since he was ten years older than Nemo. He felt it was his duty to tolerate Nemo’s capriciousness. If his parents were still alive, adopting Nemo as a younger brother wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

Nemo had only three words for this: “You are insane.”

"I just got dumped."

When Matthew Grimm called to complain, Nemo had already developed the patience of a saint to handle it.

"I know. It was on the front page of every paper this morning."

The actress had dumped the tycoon and gone public with her new romance—a young Hollywood actor-director with both talent and charm—fresh off wrapping up their latest film.

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"Then why didn’t you call me after work to check on me?" Matthew’s heartbroken tone was as pitiful as stubbing your pinky toe on a table leg.

Reflecting on the past month of witnessing Matthew Grimm’s bizarre lifestyle, Nemo wasn’t the least bit surprised by the breakup. The man poured excessive attention into a single new friend; being dumped was practically inevitable.

"I didn’t know you needed comforting. After all, this relationship lasted..." Nemo casually checked the Grimmpedia page compiled by diligent netizens, "one month and twenty days."

"Of course I need comforting! The worst part is, she wanted to break up a month ago. She said helping me distract the paparazzi on New Year’s Eve was her parting gift. She’d been hinting that we should go our separate ways, but I was too busy to notice. Then this morning, she sent a breakup text and immediately posted cozy pictures with her new boyfriend on Twitter."

So it was really just twenty days. The rest was social obligations.

"If money isn’t an issue, dating a talented, like-minded pretty boy should be more enjoyable," Nemo remarked bluntly.

"Are you saying I’m not talented?" Matthew’s voice shot up two octaves. Nemo instinctively held the phone at arm’s length.

"Not in the same field," Nemo replied succinctly, deflating the tycoon.

"So are you going to comfort me or not?" Matthew demanded petulantly.

"What kind of comfort do you want?" Nemo asked, already exasperated.

"My new villa is finally finished, and I want to invite you as the first guest to tour it. You can try out the kitchen and cook me a special dish. I heard there’s a Taiwanese tradition where lighting a fire in a new house drives away evil spirits. Sounds good, right?"

Nemo rolled his eyes. That ritual was called "over-fire," not just "lighting a fire," and Matthew’s description was wildly off. Nemo didn’t bother correcting him, already too tired to care. Besides, there was something he had been meaning to talk to Matthew about in private.

"Is it far?" Nemo’s question hinted at his willingness.

"I’ll send a car to pick you up from your apartment. We’ll take a helicopter from the top of Grimm Tower, and it’ll be less than half an hour. It’s in the mountains around Lone Star City, but further out."

"Why build your house so far away? Never mind, I’ll think about it." Nemo wasn’t keen on traveling far when Grimm Group’s executive office would suffice for a private conversation.

"Well, I’m not planning to live there often. It’s in a scenic, secluded area where reporters can’t reach. I also think crowded cities are unsafe these days. Great minds think alike. You just agreed to come, didn’t you? Come on, don’t be stingy."

"What if I drive myself?" Nemo didn’t like the idea of being entirely dependent on someone else for transportation. If things went south, he’d at least want a way to escape.

"You could, but it’d take at least half a day. There are plenty of roadblocks and security checkpoints along the way, even for me. I have to go through all the verification procedures, too. It’s to prevent shapeshifters or kidnappers from sneaking in as me."

With that level of security, did this guy have some apocalyptic weapon plans or an alien pet stashed in his villa?

For the first time, Nemo began to truly believe that the eccentric man he was talking to was indeed the world’s top military-industrial tycoon.

"If Lone Star City ever faces a major disaster and you’re forced to evacuate to the mountains, I can send a helicopter to pick you and your friends up. Don’t you want to scout out your future refuge?" Matthew tempted him.

"Fine! My day off is tomorrow. You arrange it." Nemo decided to treat it as a chance to broaden his horizons. If Matthew didn’t set boundaries, why should he hold back?

After informing his roommate, Tolya, that he’d be visiting Matthew Grimm’s new villa the next day—location and route strictly confidential for security reasons—Nemo emphasized it was purely to cook comfort food for the lovelorn tycoon and bring some warmth to the new house.

Tolya’s face twisted into an expression of sheer dread as if the world were ending. Nemo, meanwhile, was preparing to turn in early, opting for a full night’s rest to handle whatever might come his way.

"Aren’t you worried about... you know... even if you’re both guys..." Tolya trailed off, clearly unsettled, and grabbed Nemo’s arm just as he was stepping into his room. "You’re making me lose sleep!"

"Matthew swore up and down a month ago that he’s straight, which is why I even gave him my contact info." Nemo was utterly confused by Tolya’s paranoia. Sure, tabloids claimed Matthew Grimm swung both ways, but the man had never been caught with a male partner in his fifteen years of romantic escapades.

Matthew Grimm has politely rejected countless handsome men’s public declarations of love, shows no interest in entering politics, and publicly supports LGBTQ+ rights, making him nearly invincible on gender-related issues.

Besides, Nemo found it hard to believe that a world-renowned billionaire, who didn’t care about being completely naked in front of strangers, would be concerned about others knowing he was bisexual. It was even more profitable to use it to gain political correctness points, especially since his family’s products were in high demand worldwide. Matthew dealt with high-tech toys every day, like missiles, self-propelled artillery, and limited edition sports cars that made countless men weak at the knees. As for muscles, he only needed to look in the mirror.

Nemo wasn’t the type that men usually went for. His game friends who had come out would often complain that the gay community was always more bottoms than tops, and even if they built up their muscles, there were still too few partners to go around.

"I think Matthew is just really protective of his personal space and security. I get it," Nemo said thoughtfully. " Not to mention bringing a woman over for the night—heck, even if you're just inviting friends over, I'd probably have a hard time being your roommate, Tolya."He recalled Tolya telling him how their successful roommate arrangement had only worked because Tolya had been flexible and willing to meet Nemo’s unreasonable, fussy demands. When he first arrived in Lone Star City, all Nemo wanted was a single apartment—just a place to sleep and shower would have been enough.

Tolya couldn't help but wonder: why does Grimm only invite Nemo? Isn't this the same guy, who, with his social skills that practically scream "cheat codes," was labeled by Nemo himself as having social butterfly syndrome?

"He’s helped us scout out the safety points and evacuation routes we need, and even offered to send a helicopter to take us to his place for shelter. As a friend, that’s pretty decent. If I don’t show some gratitude, wouldn’t that be a shame for a Taiwanese like me? Besides, after this past month, I’ve come to feel that maybe the whole issue with the space station crash, drifting to a deserted island, getting rescued, and the passing of his parents… it’s not all just about the breakup. He might be dealing with some PTSD and needs help." Nemo hadn’t mentioned yet that he and Matthew had actually met during the kidnapping incident."

"...Okay, you’ve got a point." Tolya reluctantly backed down.

"When I first agreed to share the apartment with you, I didn't think much of it. Besides, with my line of work, slicing through anything is a walk in the park," Nemo said with a grin.

" When real danger comes, please don't worry about your chastity, just focus on saving your life," Tolya said, patting his roommate's head. After it was roughly swatted away, he sighed, "Stop getting knocked around. Look, I’ve had my head cracked open too, but I'm fine. Unlike you, who keeps losing your memory at the drop of a hat."

"Get lost!"