Chapter 65
Zhuang Chi's heart skipped a beat.
"Pygmalion, huh? It's not a very famous story, but it feels fresh." Unaware of her mood, the others were all enthusiastic, especially Lou Che. "I think it's better than those very famous Greek gods. It's time to test the creativity of St. Blaisedon's students!"
Ling Jing flipped through the book and looked up to ask, "If we use 'Pygmalion' as the theme for the Christmas Ball, won't it be difficult for costumes? There are only two main characters in this myth, and even if you count the goddess Aphrodite, that's only three..."
"You need to think outside the box." Lou Che smiled. "Pygmalion was a king who was very skilled at sculpting. The key to this myth lies in him and his creation. So, conversely, everyone attending the ball can say they are playing one of his sculptures. That broadens the scope considerably. As long as you can justify it, you can dress up as anything. It's been a long time since we've had such a broad theme for a ball—ah, in that case, Zhuang Chi, who's in charge of the opening, will naturally have to play the role of Pygmalion."
As Lou Che spoke, he looked at Zhuang Chi with high spirits and said with a grin, "As the creator of everyone present, the opening will probably be the process of offering a prayer to bring the creation to life, and then smoothly kicking off a grand ball—doesn't that sound interesting?"
“...”
Zhuang Chi forced a slight smile, then quickly pressed her lips together, her mind heavy with thoughts.
...From a conceptual standpoint, it was perhaps a feasible theme. But setting that aside, what she was mainly concerned about was...
It's too similar, Zhuang Chi thought. Too similar to the real situation. It was almost like some kind of fated metaphor.
Just as Lou Che had said, Pygmalion was a king highly skilled in sculpture who created many outstanding works. One day, he happened to carve a stunningly beautiful statue of a maiden and fell hopelessly in love with it. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, moved by his deep affection, bestowed divine power to bring the statue, named Galatea, to life. Pygmalion was thus able to marry his creation.
Ignoring the core of the myth and looking only at the surface, wasn't the situation Zhuang Chi currently faced precisely one where a creation from her own hands had come to life? And there was Lou Che's idea for the opening—honestly, saying that everyone present was Zhuang Chi's creation didn't seem to be a problem at all. Rather than dressing up in a costume, it felt more like she would be playing herself.
It was certainly good that they hadn't drawn the "vampire" theme, but this one they had drawn now... The coincidence felt too great, making Zhuang Chi even more concerned.
"You have a strange look on your face."
Gu Ximian's voice came from the side. Zhuang Chi turned her head to meet her concerned eyes. "Do you not like this theme?"
"Ah... no." Zhuang Chi tried to brighten her expression and hastily found an excuse. "I was just thinking about how to play Pygmalion... After all, he's a king from Greek mythology, and I don't really know much about ancient Greek attire..."
"Is that it? Then you don't have to worry too much." Gu Ximian said, tilting her head to the side. "I don't think they plan on designing your costume strictly according to how it should be in ancient Greece anyway."
Zhuang Chi followed her gaze and, sure enough, saw the others heatedly discussing the topic. One moment, Ling Jing was muttering, "Wouldn't an ancient Greek king just be wrapped in a piece of cloth? How is Zhuang Chi supposed to act in that?" The next, An Chen was vehemently retorting, "That's so ignorant! Apologize to all the kings of ancient Greece right now! And then go sign up for the ancient Greek history elective!" Lou Che, meanwhile, said nonchalantly, "No need to be so rigid, right? If you ask me, just go for whatever is most magnificent, since it's the opening of the ball... Hmm, anyway, let's get a cape custom-made for Zhuang Chi first." Olivia eagerly chimed in from the side, "A crown! I have a crown! I can bring it for Zhuang Chi to wear! It'll definitely suit her!"
...Olivia's crown... that couldn't be the real thing, could it? Zhuang Chi listened with trepidation, feeling that if she let these guys run wild, there was no telling what kind of astonishing outfit they would come up with in the end. Gu Ximian let out a soft laugh and said, "They really do like you. Listening to all this nonsense, don't you feel like there's nothing to worry about anymore?"
Although she was now worried in a different way... it was true that her original concerns were gradually suppressed by their back-and-forth chatter. Zhuang Chi could only listen with a wry smile, and when she thought back to her earlier worries, she felt she could think about them more calmly.
It's better not to overthink it, Zhuang Chi thought. Taking a huge step back, even if this theme was truly chosen by some behind-the-scenes power like the "god" of this world, its purpose wasn't apparent right now. In the end, all she could do was wait and deal with whatever came her way. Thinking about it endlessly was useless—just like the matter of "Lily's illogical actions" before, there was no information that would allow her to deduce anything further.
"In any case, you're now in charge of opening the ball. That should be settled, right?"
Hearing Gu Ximian say this, Zhuang Chi, though still a bit embarrassed, didn't want to reject Lou Che's kind intentions for no reason, so she didn't voice any refusal. Gu Ximian pondered for a moment, lost in thought, then said, "Then what costume do you think I should wear?"
Zhuang Chi froze. She saw Gu Ximian suddenly look at her, her night-sky-like eyes deep and gentle. She said slowly, "If you are Pygmalion, then what should I be?"
“...”
Her breath caught for a moment. Zhuang Chi subconsciously lowered her head to avoid Gu Ximian's gaze, lightly biting the tip of her tongue to swallow the words that were about to escape her throat.
"...Lou Che also said earlier, with this theme, everyone is playing one of Pygmalion's sculptures." She finally said, her answer watertight. "You too... can wear whatever clothes you want, right? Since Pygmalion was a highly skilled sculptor, it can always be justified."
Gu Ximian was clearly not satisfied with such a vague answer, still saying, "That's why I want you to give me more specific advice, like what kind of costume you'd like to see." Zhuang Chi blinked rapidly, rambling, "You'd look good in anything, even your school uniform would be fine," trying to bluff her way through and hide how flustered she was.
With the theme decided, the group decided to announce it to the entire school on the forum the next day. But before that, they held a small meeting.
"...First," An Chen finally acted like a student council president, pushing out an unused whiteboard in the room. He ceremoniously picked up a marker, wrote the title "Christmas Ball" on it, and asked the others who were watching him, "When you think of Pygmalion—no, let's broaden the scope a bit. When you think of Greece, what comes to mind?"
He looked at Zhuang Chi first. Zhuang Chi thought hard and said weakly, "...Olympus?"
"Hmm... while that's certainly an impression, it feels a bit difficult to incorporate into a ball..." An Chen tentatively wrote the word on the whiteboard and then looked at Olivia. "Anything else?"
Olivia answered very seriously, "The first thing I thought of was Venus... Is that useful?"
"Oh, that might work. Having a fake statue placed in the auditorium for decoration would be nice." An Chen nodded in approval and wrote it on the whiteboard. Then, he reluctantly looked at Ling Jing, who had been holding her hand straight up for a while. "...What do you want to say?"
"Yes!" Ling Jing raised her hand high, answering happily, "Saint Seiya! It uses prototypes from Greek mythology, right?"
An Chen fell silent, while Lou Che had a sudden realization. "Ooh, that gives me an idea for my costume. I could dress up as one of the Saints from Saint Seiya, right? King Pygmalion could definitely create one of those—"
"...Hey, don't blame me for not warning you beforehand, but I don't think cosplay would be very popular at this kind of ball."
An Chen said, shaking the marker, "Besides, we're talking about elements we can use at the ball itself. There's only a little over a month left until Christmas. Since we've decided on the theme, we need to start preparing as soon as possible. From the ball's schedule to the auditorium's decorations... there are so many aspects to consider."
Zhuang Chi recalled the magnificent, breathtaking auditorium she had been to during the opening ceremony and couldn't help but ask, "Does it still need decorations? I thought the auditorium was already magnificent enough..."
"Magnificence is one thing, but we also need to match the ball's theme as much as possible, so we have to put up some decorations," An Chen explained. "So we need to discuss how to use decorations to create the right atmosphere... Ah, and we need to be mindful of the food. Since the theme is a Greek myth like Pygmalion, we can't just bring a bunch of Chinese food from the cafeteria for everyone to eat."
It sounds quite complicated. Zhuang Chi nodded in understanding. She then heard An Chen sigh, "...But given the situation, none of us seem to know much about Greece. It might be better to discuss this after we've done some research... Hmm, I'll figure out what to do later."
He put down the marker and changed the subject. "Let's talk about other things first. Half of the Presidium members this year are freshmen and haven't attended a Christmas Ball before. Is there anything you want to know? The three of us can answer your questions."
It seemed to have turned into a Q&A session. Gu Ximian and Olivia both asked a few basic questions about the time and number of attendees. Zhuang Chi thought for a moment, then raised her hand and asked, "Since it's a ball... does that mean everyone has to dance?"
"Not necessarily. Lou Che didn't dance last year," An Chen said. "It's up to personal preference, and of course, you have to be able to find a partner. The Christmas Ball isn't like that last banquet where partners were assigned; you have to invite someone yourself. So even though it's called a ball, it's not that restrictive. It's mainly an opportunity for students to socialize and have fun. A lot of couples get together after every ball."
"But... you're the King Pygmalion in charge of the opening. Aren't you planning to dance?"
Lou Che interjected, pointing at An Chen. "I saw that the person who opened the ball last year was super popular. They were surrounded by people the whole time, and they must have received plenty of invitations to dance—right, An Chen?"
"...It's not as exaggerated as he says, but you do get more attention." A blush crept onto An Chen's face, but he tried to keep his expression steady as he said to Zhuang Chi, "It might indeed be difficult to turn down all the invitations... But it should be much better this year than last year, since you're playing 'Pygmalion'."
"Judging by this king's story, there's only one person who can be his dance partner," An Chen said, holding up one finger. "If you don't want to dance, you can just refuse anyone who invites you by telling them—"
"'You are not my Galatea.'"
After saying this with great solemnity, An Chen relaxed and shrugged. "It sounds a bit chuuni, but it's much better than what I had last year—the White Rabbit can't be picky about his Alice."
He didn't notice Zhuang Chi falter. The moment she heard that name, she subconsciously held her breath and lowered her head, not daring to look to her left.
Galatea.
The one and only sculpture among all of Pygmalion's works that he loved most deeply.
It was also the name that had immediately surfaced in her mind when she heard Gu Ximian's question earlier.
...As the person who created this world, if Zhuang Chi also had such a "Galatea" whom she treated with special affection, then she knew very well—
It would undoubtedly be Gu Ximian.
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