Chapter 54
Despite the peculiar incident, Olivia was fortunately a sensible girl who knew her limits. When they met again the next day, Olivia seemed to have adjusted her mindset. Aside from some unavoidable shyness, she was clearly trying to revert to their previous way of interacting, which brought Zhuang Chi some relief.
On the other hand, no matter how much Zhuang Chi tried to persuade her, Olivia’s attitude remained firm. She would respond to Zhuang Chi with ambiguous phrases like, “I’ll think about it myself,” but one could tell she was just trying to muddle through; it was obvious she had already made up her mind.
There was nothing to be done. They would have to take it slow. Zhuang Chi didn’t know what else to do, so with the expedient thought of taking one step at a time, she decided not to bring it up for the moment.
This affair unexpectedly led An Chen and Ling Jing to accept Olivia again—they were probably moved by her attitude. It even seemed they held a new level of respect for her. As for Gu Ximian…
…it felt like her mood had subtly worsened. A perplexed Zhuang Chi wanted to ask about the situation, but every time she was about to speak, Gu Ximian would flawlessly change the subject. After a few attempts, she realized this was Gu Ximian’s way of showing she didn’t want to talk about it, so she could only give up in bewilderment.
And now, the five of them were gathered together, discussing Lily’s matter.
“…Let me confirm first, should Olivia really be part of this conversation?” An Chen looked at Olivia sitting opposite him and said uncomfortably, “No matter what, she’s your relative. Are you sure you won’t want to protect her?”
But Olivia shook her head decisively and said in a low voice, “There are already many people in the royal family of A Country who want to protect her. I’ve heard a lot about it these past two days, and listening to it feels… upsetting.”
“So I won’t protect her. But, I need to be honest with you first,” Olivia said, her voice tinged with guilt as she looked up at Zhuang Chi. “Because of Lily’s royal status, it’s highly likely that she’ll be sent back to her country through diplomatic means. That’s something we probably can’t change. Even if she’s punished, it won’t be here.”
Before Zhuang Chi could speak, Ling Jing was already getting angry. “What! Your royal family is so protective of its own!”
“The idea of not airing one’s dirty laundry in public is the same everywhere. I also thought it might develop this way.” Receiving unexpected support from Gu Ximian, Olivia’s eyes widened slightly as she looked over. Meeting Gu Ximian’s deep, ink-black eyes, she heard her ask in a normal tone, “More than that, what I want to know is, will she really receive a corresponding punishment over there?”
“…If you’re referring to imprisonment, that might be very difficult.” After a long hesitation, Olivia finally said, “Lily’s family is very powerful, and her father is a man who cares a lot about face. Even though it’s a foregone conclusion that she’ll lose her right to the throne, it’s still unlikely he’ll let her go to jail. The most severe punishment I can think of that might be implemented is sending her to a convent—which means she’d be confined there for life. But the probability is still very small. Even if I came forward to propose it, it would probably be hard to achieve…”
“A severe punishment, huh…” Gu Ximian mused for a moment, then suddenly let out a soft laugh and said, “I think the most severe punishment for her—would be for you to never see her again.”
“…”
Olivia’s breath caught, and Gu Ximian looked at her faintly. “What’s wrong? Do you think that would be very difficult for you to do?”
…Zhuang Chi wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt as if Gu Ximian’s words were laced with icicles. While not quite hostile, it still made Zhuang Chi a little concerned. She was thinking about whether she should try to smooth things over when she saw Olivia let out a soft breath and quietly shake her head.
“It won’t be difficult,” Olivia said softly. “She has strayed too far down the wrong path. I also… don’t know what kind of expression to use when talking to her anymore.”
Her tone was filled with bleak disappointment. A relative she had spent every day with had suddenly become a criminal. Zhuang Chi found it hard to imagine what that felt like and, for a moment, felt a pang of pity. Gu Ximian didn’t say anything more. After a moment of silence, she suddenly looked at Zhuang Chi. “What do you think? What punishment do you want her to receive?”
It sounded as if she could pick anything she wanted. Zhuang Chi was startled. With no concrete idea in her mind, she just shook her head. “…What Olivia said about lifelong confinement already sounds very severe. Normally, even a prison sentence wouldn’t be for a lifetime, right? I think the most important thing is that she can change and not harm others again…”
“Why are you even considering such things?” Gu Ximian laughed, a little helplessly. “Don’t be soft on the perpetrator. I still don’t think it’s enough.”
The tone of her last sentence was so serious that it silenced everyone. The topic seemed to have reached its conclusion. Olivia took the opportunity to open her backpack and take out a school uniform jacket.
“This is yours, right?” Olivia handed it to Zhuang Chi, looking at her apologetically. “I saw it when I went to the police station last night. I heard it was your jacket, so I brought it back for you.”
It was finally found. Zhuang Chi happily took the jacket from Olivia and thanked her, then smiled at Gu Ximian beside her. “That’s great. I was worried it might have been taken and damaged, and I’d have to compensate you for a new uniform. But it looks like it’s completely intact… Then why did Lily take it?”
“…Huh?” Olivia blinked, looking bewildered. “You mean, this is Gu Ximian’s jacket?”
“Yeah, I asked her for it before I was kidnapped. I wanted to pretend to be her to lure the person away—”
As Zhuang Chi was explaining, she saw Gu Ximian, who was about to take the jacket, frown. Then, she leaned over, her nose twitching slightly.
“…What a sweet smell.”
She said this and retreated with a frown, clearly disliking the scent she had detected. Zhuang Chi, mystified, also sniffed it but couldn’t smell anything. The other three people present also looked baffled. Gu Ximian pondered for a moment before explaining, “My jacket has another Omega’s pheromones on it. It’s very sweet, like… honey.”
Zhuang Chi was startled and shot her head up.
“What’s wrong?” Noticing her strong reaction, Gu Ximian looked at her. When she saw the alarm on her face, a guess instantly formed. “Could it be… Lily’s?”
Her thoughts churned. Zhuang Chi lowered her eyes, wondering if it was because the pheromones in the room where she was punished that day were so thick that the jacket, which had been neatly placed in the closet, had also been affected. Or perhaps it was scented after Lily took it at some unknown time. She felt her own explanation seemed plausible, so she first nodded hesitantly in agreement. “…Yes, although I can’t smell it now, Lily’s pheromones do have a very sweet honey scent.”
“…” Gu Ximian’s face immediately showed unconcealed disgust. She decisively took the jacket from Zhuang Chi’s arms, tossed it onto the table, and then looked at Olivia. “Olivia, did you hear anything from the police yesterday? When did Lily take this jacket?”
“I only heard that they checked the surveillance footage and found that Lily took it while Zhuang Chi was unconscious. As for anything else, I…” Olivia shook her head and looked at Zhuang Chi uneasily. “But if Zhuang Chi only passed out that one time, then it must have happened then.”
The fact that Zhuang Chi had passed out from Lily’s pheromones had already been told to everyone present. Thinking about it, Zhuang Chi felt a new doubt arise. “…But why would Lily take this jacket at that time? It was placed neatly in the closet.”
The group looked at each other, all at a loss. Ling Jing was the first to give up thinking, sighing, “Who knows what that woman was thinking. Maybe she just wanted to steal her things while Zhuang Chi was unconscious. I don’t think her mind was ever very normal…”
“…Although what Ling Jing said is a bit much, I also think it’s hard for us to guess.” An Chen sighed in agreement and suggested, “I think if we really want to know, it would be faster to just ask her directly.”
Was this something that required so much trouble… Zhuang Chi was still hesitating when she heard Gu Ximian, after some thought, give an assenting reply. “Then I’ll go ask her.”
As she spoke, she turned to Olivia. “Is she at the police station now? If I want to meet her, do I need to submit some kind of application?”
“No, she’s not there anymore,” Olivia shook her head, speaking with a somewhat guilty tone. “She’s in that villa now, surrounded by guards, just not allowed to leave. You probably need to apply, but since you’re the involved parties, the procedure probably won’t be too troublesome.”
“At the villa, huh,” Gu Ximian frowned and said coldly, “The status of a foreign princess is really useful.”
Her mood had clearly worsened. With that cold, hard expression, she stood up and took the uniform jacket in her hand.
“Then I’ll go and ask,” Gu Ximian said, glancing at the somewhat bewildered Zhuang Chi. She said softly, “Let’s hear what she has to say.”
When they arrived at the villa, due to visitor restrictions, Gu Ximian ended up being the representative to meet Lily.
She was also the best choice. Olivia, who had already decided not to see Lily again, was out of the question. Gu Ximian personally didn’t want Zhuang Chi to see Lily again. Ling Jing and An Chen knew too little about Lily, which only left her. Moreover, as the owner of the jacket, she had the most right to question Lily. The only potential problem was Lily’s considerable reluctance to meet with her.
“You… what are you doing here…”
As soon as Lily was brought downstairs by the police, she became extremely wary upon seeing her. Even with the police present, she refused to get close to Gu Ximian. Gu Ximian, sitting on the sofa, was happy with this arrangement. She watched the struggling, unsuccessful Lily with a cold gaze and gestured. “You can stand in the farthest corner from me, as long as you can hear me. I just came to ask a question. I’ll leave after I ask.”
Lily stared at her hatefully and finally stood far away. Gu Ximian tossed the jacket onto the table and asked bluntly, “Why did you take this jacket from Zhuang Chi?”
“…” Lily looked at it for a long time before answering evasively, “Have you seen the surveillance footage?”
Gu Ximian frowned. “What do you mean?”
Perhaps deducing from her reaction that she hadn’t seen it, a complex emotion flashed across Lily’s face. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something sarcastic to Gu Ximian, but in the end, she just said flatly, “No reason. I just couldn’t stand it.”
Gu Ximian had very little patience for her, and it had reached its limit with this vague answer. She narrowed her eyes, her voice turning cold. “Speak clearly. Don’t be cryptic.”
“…It was an eyesore at the time. I wanted her to be unable to find this jacket next time, to have nowhere to run.” But Lily seemed unwilling to say more on the topic. Even with a momentary flinch, her words remained defiant as she turned her head away, slightly irritated. “Is that enough? How much clearer do I have to be? Do you want to hear from my mouth how much Zhuang Chi likes you?”
Gu Ximian, who had been growing angry at her insubstantial reply, froze at the last sentence. She looked at Lily with doubt and bewilderment. “…What are you talking about?”
But Lily was completely unwilling to say any more. She turned to the guard beside her, gritting her teeth and saying things like, “Is the time not up yet? How much longer do I have to chat with her?” Gu Ximian had wanted to ask a few more questions, but the moment she stood up, Lily overreacted by shrinking back in fear, apparently having developed some psychological trauma from their previous encounter. It was clear that a proper conversation was no longer possible. The police had no choice but to intervene, apologizing and informing her that the conversation had to end here.
Gu Ximian walked out, filled with confusion. She thought about what Lily had just said, and with every step, she felt her heart beat faster. Even without knowing the exact truth, a vague guess was already piecing itself together amidst the drum-like thumping of her heart. When her eyes met Zhuang Chi’s, who was waiting for her outside the villa, she felt as if she couldn’t quite look at her, and her ears grew slightly hot.
“You’re back.” Zhuang Chi, unsuspecting, greeted her warmly, then moved closer to look at her expression, her voice tinged with worry. “…What’s wrong? Did Lily say something unpleasant?”
Gu Ximian shook her head silently, looked up at her, and gazed deeply into her clear eyes.
“…I want to go see the surveillance footage. Can you come with me?”
She said softly, her heart swelling with a certain premonition.
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