Right, this was awkward. Shi was reminded of why he didn't interact with people much. Someone says hello, you say hello back. That's being polite. He could understand that bit. It just always seemed like his conversations never went as smoothly as everyone else's.
It was interesting that apparently people wouldn't hire him because of the piercings. He certainly knew they made him stand out, but he liked the ability to change himself. "The piercings? What's wrong with my piercings?" He sounds grumpy when he asks that. Shi always sounds grumpy.