Chapter 63
Although there were still many things that hadn’t been figured out, life had to go on. Zhuang Chi and Ling Jing began to carry out their work. Both of them were famous figures in the school, and when they met with the person in charge of the Propaganda Department, they could always feel curious and probing gazes. Other than that, things went quite smoothly—Zhuang Chi always felt that part of the reason was Ling Jing’s fierce reputation. She always wore a stern face when out and about, which made the people they dealt with tremble with apprehension, not daring to be neglectful in the slightest.
Speaking of Ling Jing, it was worth mentioning that because Xiao Ying had performed a meritorious service this time, it was finally and completely spared the fate of being sent to a zoo. Ling Jing also no longer had to be Zhuang Chi’s “servant,” as Gu Ximian had stepped in to resolve the matter. Ling Jing (Zhuang Chi felt she had basically forgotten about the whole “servant” thing by now) was quite moved, hugging Xiao Ying and sighing at length: ‘You’ve made something of yourself, you’ve really made something of yourself, Xiao Ying, saving your own fate!’
Despite being freed from this strange relationship, the two of them continued to interact in the same way, having more or less gotten used to it. On the way back after a phase of their work was completed, Zhuang Chi was trying to instill in Ling Jing the idea that “it’s not that you have to smile all the time, but softening your expression a bit is always a good thing.” Suddenly, a flash of gold caught her peripheral vision. She turned her head to get a better look and, sure enough, it was Olivia. Ling Jing followed her gaze and asked doubtfully, “…Hasn’t Olivia been by herself a lot lately?”
…It seemed so. This was already the second time Zhuang Chi herself had run into her. The last time, she had also seen her wandering around the school alone, looking heavy with thought. It made Zhuang Chi a little concerned. After approaching her to talk, she found that Olivia did indeed seem to have something on her mind. After much thought, she figured it could only be about Lily, but since Olivia wouldn’t say, Zhuang Chi could only comfort her tactfully: ‘Don’t overthink it, and don’t force yourself to do things that will make you sad… You can always talk to us about anything.’
But Olivia had looked at her for a long time, as if wanting to say something but holding back, and in the end, said nothing, only thanking her softly.
Today, however, she seemed to look a little better. Perhaps she had taken her words to heart. Zhuang Chi thought to herself, then heard Ling Jing mutter, “Speaking of which, I ran into Gu Ximian mapping the campus by herself before, too. Why didn’t the two of them go together…”
“…”
…It sounded like the relationship between those two was still not going well. A faint worry grew in Zhuang Chi’s heart, but she was also concerned that rashly interfering in their affairs wouldn’t be right. She worried like this through the lunch break, and at Lu Man’s urging, she grabbed her textbook, ready to head to her afternoon class. They left the room, went downstairs, and then—
—And then, not unexpectedly, she saw Gu Ximian downstairs.
She was sitting on the sofa in the lobby, also holding a textbook, flipping through it nonchalantly. Just like that, she was as beautiful as a classical painting, standing out conspicuously among the people coming and going.
“You’re here.” Seeing Zhuang Chi appear, Gu Ximian revealed a gentle smile, closed her book, and stood up. “Let’s go, then.”
Zhuang Chi suppressed a momentary daze, nodded, and started walking, initiating the conversation, “What class do you have this afternoon?”
“English, it’s a required course.”
The answer was very smooth; it didn’t feel like she was lying, Zhuang Chi thought. Although it was normal for first-year students to have a lot of classes and for their schedules to overlap… but how should she put it, hadn’t the overlap between her and Gu Ximian’s schedules been a bit too much these past few days?
She didn’t know where Gu Ximian had gotten her class schedule, but ever since the Student Council Presidium’s team-building event ended, she would receive invitations from Gu Ximian to go to class together every so often. Admittedly, apart from that one elective, they weren’t in the same classes. At most, they could only walk the short distance from the dormitory to the academic building together, but since Gu Ximian was willing to do this, Zhuang Chi had no reason to refuse.
…It was a bit like how Ling Jing was at the very beginning, Zhuang Chi thought. The only difference was that Gu Ximian would give her a heads-up, but in terms of the result, they both ended up waiting for her downstairs. It just felt…
Ah, she wouldn’t think about this for now. She had something she wanted to ask Gu Ximian today—of course, it was about the matter between Gu Ximian and Olivia. Zhuang Chi still couldn’t feel at ease, and after thinking it over and over, she decided to ask indirectly: “…How is the work progressing on your end?”
Gu Ximian’s gaze flickered minutely, and she said faintly, “It’s going well.”
…She seemed so calm. It left Zhuang Chi unsure of what to say next. But Gu Ximian turned to look at Zhuang Chi’s complicated expression and proactively asked, “If you’re concerned about my work progress, do you want to come with me next time? The work is just strolling around the school, anyway.”
An idea struck Zhuang Chi, and she blurted out, “Do you mean the three of us go together?”
“…” Gu Ximian looked at her, silent for two seconds before slowly saying, “Do you want to go with her?”
Zhuang Chi froze, suddenly feeling inexplicably nervous. She stammered things like, “Because it’s a job you two are responsible for, I thought that’s what you meant.” Gu Ximian listened quietly and finally concluded with an ambiguous tone, “We’ll see when the time comes.”
Zhuang Chi didn’t dare say more, wondering if she was overthinking the implied meaning in Gu Ximian’s words—that she wanted to go with just the two of them.
…And recently, this kind of strange awareness had indeed been appearing frequently. From her return to school, to the incident at the arcade after joining the Presidium, and now, it felt like Gu Ximian was undergoing some sort of phased change. If she had to summarize it, Zhuang Chi actually felt that thinking this way would make her seem too self-absorbed, but she couldn’t find any other explanation—it seemed like Gu Ximian was showing her care for her more and more obviously.
And it wasn’t just Gu Ximian’s attitude that was changing. Zhuang Chi found it hard to describe this subtle feeling, like distance, or perhaps height. In short, some intangible thing that had previously created a greater gap between them was now quietly dissolving under Gu Ximian’s lead, bringing them closer.
Unconfirmed changes always made one uneasy. In the end, Zhuang Chi didn’t want Gu Ximian to treat her with favorable regard out of guilt for one accidental act of saving her, nor was she sure if this was the result of that minor unpleasantness at the arcade. She was randomly thinking that she should just ask Gu Ximian directly, but before she could speak, the other person beat her to it. Gu Ximian asked, “How is your gland feeling now?”
“…It’s fine.” Being shown concern, Zhuang Chi could only put her own words aside and answer her first. “It doesn’t feel like anything if I don’t touch it—”
She stopped mid-sentence in surprise, because Gu Ximian had suddenly reached out and gently touched the edge of the bandage on her neck, like a breeze brushing past.
Gu Ximian’s gaze was very focused, but she quickly withdrew her hand and said softly, “The edge is all curled up. It looks like it needs to be changed. Good thing we’re going to the doctor for another check-up this afternoon… You still remember that, right?”
“…Yeah, I remember.” Zhuang Chi, a bit flustered, raised her own hand to press on the slightly loose spot. “I probably rubbed against it in my sleep, it’s fine—huh, Lu Man, why are you standing so far away?”
As she averted her gaze, she caught sight of her roommate, who had been quiet ever since they left the dormitory building. Right now, she was walking at a distance of about two people from her side, as if she were holding her breath and trying to reduce her own presence. A sense of apology for not paying attention to her friend arose in Zhuang Chi’s heart, and she proactively moved closer. “Sorry, I just noticed… What’s wrong? Come chat with us?”
“…Um…” Facing Zhuang Chi’s completely innocent gaze, Lu Man blinked with no small amount of hesitation, shot a quick glance behind her, and hinted in a low voice, “I-I was just thinking, maybe I’d be disturbing you two or something…”
“How could you,” Zhuang Chi denied without hesitation, reaching out a friendly hand to rest on her arm and enthusiastically pulling her over. “What’s so disturbing about chatting? It’s not like you don’t know Gu Ximian.”
Ah, this person is definitely the dense type of Alpha who becomes super popular without any self-awareness! Lu Man was pulled over stiffly, looking with some terror at Zhuang Chi’s hand on her wrist, then glanced tremblingly at Gu Ximian, and quickly averted her gaze, taking a silent, deep breath in her heart.
…She’s watching, as expected. And she’s pretending to be nonchalant while secretly watching. Lu Man looked at the oblivious Zhuang Chi, trying hard to keep her expression calm, and seriously pondered what she should do if Gu Ximian suddenly approached her one day and asked to switch dorms.
Although it sounded like a fantasy, and school rules would never allow an Omega and an Alpha to live in the same dorm, it somehow felt like something Gu Ximian might do. In the end, why hadn’t Zhuang Chi noticed? Judging by Gu Ximian’s current actions, wasn’t she pursuing her?
…Although she thought so, this was ultimately a matter between those two. Lu Man wasn’t sure if there was some special information involved that she didn’t know about, so she finally decided not to say anything. It was just that after watching for a few days, the feeling had inevitably become subtle.
Sigh, although she couldn’t agree to switch dorms with Gu Ximian, if Gu Ximian were to ask for her help in creating an opportunity for her and Zhuang Chi in the future… Lu Man thought seriously, then she would help her.
In the afternoon, they arrived at the hospital.
It was unclear what strings had been pulled, but in any case, a special consultation department had been opened for Zhuang Chi in this hospital. Olivia had summoned doctors from A Country, who, together with the local attending physician, were solely responsible for treating Zhuang Chi’s gland.
Feeling that the whole setup was grander than she could have imagined, Zhuang Chi undid her bandage and let the doctors examine her thoroughly. Olivia and Gu Ximian stood to the side, each holding their breath, which made her not dare to make any witty remarks. Fortunately, after the examination, the doctor nodded slightly. “Not bad, the external wound is slowly recovering.”
Zhuang Chi was quite happy; as long as it didn’t hurt, she felt everything was fine. But the faces of the two people beside her remained grave. Gu Ximian spoke first, asking, “What about the internal injury?”
“Yes, I’m also more concerned about that aspect, especially…” Olivia glanced at Zhuang Chi, hesitating, but ultimately asked in a low voice, “…the matter of ‘Pheromone Addiction’ that Lily mentioned before. Can you tell if it has come true yet?”
The doctor shook her head apologetically. “It’s still very difficult to determine at this stage. Although what you mentioned has indeed happened before, it’s hard to detect in the early stages. It only shows more obvious signs during a susceptible period… so we can’t make a judgment right now.”
This was the first time she had heard this. Zhuang Chi nodded obediently, but Gu Ximian was not satisfied, her brow furrowing. “What kind of signs? What will happen if she really becomes addicted?”
“The effect of that pheromone on her will become stronger, and conversely, it will be harder for her to accept other forms of soothing. The susceptible period might be quite difficult,” the doctor answered truthfully. “It’s not that inhibitors won’t work, but the dosage will increase. For example, if a normal susceptible period requires two shots of inhibitor, in the case of addiction to a certain pheromone, it might take four shots to suppress it. Over time, it can easily harm the body.”
Sensing a degree of seriousness, Zhuang Chi worriedly touched her own gland, feeling only that it hadn’t had a single good day since it came into existence with her, and that it might have to continue suffering in the future. A sense of apology filled her heart, and she also asked, “Can it be cured?”
“…Theoretically, it can be.”
The response felt a bit vague. Zhuang Chi looked at the doctor in confusion and saw her sigh. “Essentially, the treatment for pheromone addiction is similar to desensitization therapy, which is to have the patient gradually adapt to and get rid of the addiction. But the most important thing is needing that specific pheromone the patient is addicted to… which means it requires the cooperation of the other party.”
“But judging from past cases, the people who cause this kind of result are all very high-level Omegas or Alphas, and correspondingly, their status is usually not low. Very few are willing to cooperate.” The doctor paused, looked at Zhuang Chi, and said carefully, “…So… if that situation really occurs, can you get that person to cooperate with you?”
“…”
Suddenly recalling the excessively sweet honey scent, Zhuang Chi subconsciously frowned. After a long silence, Olivia spoke up, “If that one-in-a-million chance happens, then I will be responsible for making her cooperate.”
“…Then I suggest Lily start praying now that this one-in-a-million chance doesn’t happen.”
Gu Ximian spoke softly, her voice laced with a faint chill. “Otherwise, I can’t guarantee that I won’t do something to her this time… something that will make her suffer even more.”
The nascent trace of apprehension was scared away by Gu Ximian’s words. Zhuang Chi looked at her abruptly, knowing that she was like this because of her, but she didn’t want her to do anything impulsive again. She shook her head at Gu Ximian reassuringly, “Don’t be anxious, it’s not certain that anything is wrong with me yet.”
“Why don’t we do a full body check-up first,” the doctor said, standing up and smiling at her. “Although we can’t check for addiction, we can at least look at other indicators to have some reference.”
Zhuang Chi stood up as well and smiled at Gu Ximian and Olivia, who looked like they were about to follow. “You don’t have to come with me, I can go by myself. Why don’t you two rest for a while and wait for me to come back?”
Gu Ximian was actually quite reluctant, but she stopped in her tracks before Zhuang Chi’s gentle smile, watching as she and the doctor walked out the door. Only she and Olivia were left in the room, which fell silent as the door closed.
“…”
It had been a long time since she had been alone with Olivia like this. Even though they had been assigned the same task in the Student Council Presidium, Gu Ximian and Olivia had yet to carry out any real two-person cooperation, instead choosing to act alone as if by unspoken agreement.
Gu Ximian could roughly guess Olivia’s thoughts. From her position, it would be difficult to proactively suggest they work together, and since Gu Ximian herself kept her mouth shut, Olivia could only remain silent.
How unpredictable life was. During the period when Olivia first enrolled, the two of them were always inseparable. Gu Ximian lowered her eyes, feeling that the memories seemed even more distant than the actual time that had passed. With Zhuang Chi’s kidnapping as the dividing line, the memories related to Olivia after that… even the color tone in her mind seemed colder than before.
Gu Ximian was not as forgiving as Zhuang Chi. In the end, she still held a grudge against Olivia to this day, because of her inaction back then, and also because…
The image that came to her mind at this moment was of Olivia standing in front of Zhuang Chi. At that time, Gu Ximian had clearly seen Olivia’s expression, her sapphire-like eyes nervous and focused, trembling slightly as she said to Zhuang Chi: ‘Can’t I choose you?’
“…Gu Ximian?”
The memory was interrupted by a careful, soft call from beside her. Gu Ximian looked over in response, meeting the same blue eyes as in her memory, but the emotions contained within were vastly different. Olivia seemed a little apprehensive as she said softly, “You look a little pale… Are you worried about Zhuang Chi?”
Only then did Gu Ximian realize she had been frowning tightly without knowing. She closed her eyes, smoothed her brow, and said curtly, “…Something like that.”
Hearing this, Olivia was quiet for a moment, then took a light breath and said, “…About Lily, she returned to the country two days ago. The internal meeting is over, and I… I played that recording at the meeting. Although a final conclusion hasn’t been reached, it’s probably already a fatal blow.”
“Because it was clearly Lily’s own voice, and the content was such a frank confession…” Olivia’s lips turned slightly pale, and she lowered her head. “…It also implicated those royal nobles I had ‘blind dates’ with before. Playing it like that in front of everyone, she offended too many people. None of them will let Lily off easy.”
“…” Gu Ximian lowered her eyelids. “…Thank you for your hard work.”
A few days ago, after the Presidium’s regular meeting, Gu Ximian had indeed sent a recording to Olivia.
The content was, as Olivia said, recorded when she had burst into Lily’s villa. Suppressed by S-class pheromones, the person in pain couldn’t bear it and would say anything she was asked. She had recorded everything from beginning to end.
Gu Ximian hadn’t expected to get so much information out of her; it was like conducting a bloodless interrogation. When she sent the recording to Olivia, she hadn’t attached any message or told her where to use it, which meant that playing it at the internal meeting was Olivia’s own decision—although that had been Gu Ximian’s original goal.
For Lily, it was indeed a “fatal blow.” To be pushed into an abyss by the person she liked, who wouldn’t even grant her a final meeting—what would that feel like?
Gu Ximian was not a person who softened easily. To her, doing this was a normal course of action, and it was nothing compared to the crime Lily had committed against Zhuang Chi. But she had previously thought that Olivia was different from her, an innocent and radiant foreign princess like a little sun. When she sent the recording, she had actually been mentally prepared for it to sink like a stone into the sea and that she would have to find another way. Now, learning that Olivia could do this to her own younger sister, she felt somewhat surprised.
“It wasn’t hard work. I just feel that… good children get rewarded, and bad children get punished. That’s just how it is,” Olivia said in a low voice. “…Zhuang Chi even comforted me in return. She’s a very gentle person and shouldn’t have had to suffer those painful things.”
That’s right. Zhuang Chi was without a doubt a good child, gentle and upright. She deserved any reward—even something as unbelievable as an Alpha who was supposed to fall for her in the plot turning to someone of the same sex instead. When it happened to Zhuang Chi, Gu Ximian found it understandable.
She just didn’t know what kind of reward Zhuang Chi wanted. Gu Ximian thought about how this person was always hard to understand, but then an earlier conversation with Zhuang Chi flashed through her mind.
Hesitating when mentioning Olivia, Zhuang Chi was not good at hiding her thoughts in this regard. Those gentle and clear eyes made it easy for Gu Ximian to see what she was worried about.
Gu Ximian closed her eyes and sighed silently.
“…When you have time later, let’s see when we can go finish mapping the school together.”
As Gu Ximian said this, she was not surprised to see Olivia’s eyes widen in shock. She gave Olivia a faint smile, as if extending an olive branch of peace.
If it could make Zhuang Chi happy, then she could be a good child too, Gu Ximian thought.
Of course, she would do it better than anyone else.
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