Chapter 67
After several busy days, the preparations for the ball were progressing smoothly, and the school map officially entered the production phase.
What a fulfilling freshman life. It was much busier than she had originally imagined. Zhuang Chi leaned back lazily in her chair, feeling like she had been spending more and more time in the Presidium office lately. Not that it was a bad thing; after all, the key figures were all here, working together diligently on their studies and tasks. It seemed none of them had any time to stir up trouble.
And indeed, no strange plot points had occurred again. Zhuang Chi thought. That's good. Nothing happening is the best outcome. It would be great if things could just stay this peaceful.
“Everyone, are you free this weekend?”
As Zhuang Chi was pondering these things during a moment of leisure, she suddenly heard An Chen ask aloud. Several people turned to look at him in unison as he added, “I mean both Saturday and Sunday. Do you have any plans yet?”
“I was planning on taking Xiao Ying out for some air, but if you have something on, I suppose I could make Xiao Ying wait a little longer...” Ling Jing said, raising an eyebrow. “So, what's up? Are you asking us to hang out?”
“Not exactly,” An Chen said, taking out his phone and turning the screen to show them the promotional page. “This weekend, there's a big Greek civilization art exhibition at a museum in the neighboring city. So I was thinking, if none of you have plans, should we go take a look and learn a thing or two?”
“Of course, you don't have to worry about expenses or accommodation. As the one who extended the invitation, I'll naturally take care of it.” An Chen nodded to them with a generous and gentlemanly air. “A round trip in one day would obviously be too rushed, but my family happens to own a hotel there, so we can stay there. The facilities are fully equipped, and it's not far from the museum.”
“Ooh, sounds good.” Lou Che leaned over to look at the exhibition promotion on the phone screen and tutted. “A Greek civilization art exhibition... This is like getting a pillow just when you're sleepy. It's exactly what we need. It's almost as if it was prepared especially for us.”
The speaker may have been careless, but the listener paid attention. Zhuang Chi's heart skipped a beat. She had always been sensitive to “coincidences” in this world. She hadn't thought much of it just now, but after hearing Lou Che's words, she suddenly grew wary. He has a point. Not long ago, we just decided to use the Greek myth 'Pygmalion' as the theme for the ball, and this weekend we just happen to run into a Greek civilization art exhibition...
...Something's not right. And what troubled Zhuang Chi the most was—she was certain that her original plot had absolutely no scenes in a museum, let alone any art exhibition.
In the past, despite various issues like “fuzzy memories” and “plot changes,” Zhuang Chi could at least recall a rough outline. This made her hesitate, worried that some unforeseen event might be waiting for them there.
“Zhuang Chi? Why aren't you saying anything? Do you have plans this weekend?”
Called back by An Chen's voice, Zhuang Chi looked up and saw everyone looking at her. She hesitated before first confirming, “...Do you all have time?”
“You really were spacing out. Everyone just said they're free. We're just waiting on you,” Gu Ximian chimed in, moving a little closer to study Zhuang Chi. “Is it because you've been tired from too much work lately? Why don't you rest this weekend, then? It should be fine to just let them go to the exhibition.”
Her words clearly implied, “If Zhuang Chi doesn't go, then I'll stay behind with her.” Zhuang Chi felt that in terms of potentially triggering an event, there wasn't much difference between the two choices—wouldn't she be with the female lead either way? If they didn't go to the exhibition, it would just be her and Gu Ximian left here... How should she put it? It felt like that might be even riskier than being in a large group.
...Forget it. I can't just do nothing because of my suspicions. If this really is a “deliberately arranged coincidence,” then from an information-gathering perspective, perhaps I should go and see it for myself.
“No, I just spaced out for a moment,” Zhuang Chi finally said, smiling at Gu Ximian. “I'm free this weekend too, so let's go together.”
Saturday, in front of the museum.
“Alright... the exhibition we're here to see is on the third floor of the museum. I checked beforehand, and photography is allowed. If you see anything you like or that could help with your ball attire, you can take a picture.” An Chen, who had passed his susceptible period, looked refreshed. He spoke while looking at the people around him, giving a few extra glances at Ling Jing, who looked like she hadn't fully woken up yet. He said sternly, “Whispering is fine, but you must be mindful of your volume and not disturb the other visitors.”
“I know, why are you looking at me,” Ling Jing muttered. “Even though I've never been to a place like this, I still know the rules...”
“—More importantly, Teacher,” Lou Che slowly raised his hand, his face looking a bit pale. “I... I think I'm still a little carsick...”
“Haven't we already gotten out of the car! Let's go rest on that bench over there for a bit. You're not going to throw up, are you—and I'm not a teacher! Do you think this is me taking a bunch of elementary schoolers on a field trip!”
An Chen said indignantly as he led Lou Che to a seat on the side. Ling Jing leisurely followed, patting Lou Che's back to help him catch his breath while remarking, “I never would have thought, genius. So you're not only afraid of ghosts, but you also get carsick.” Lou Che clearly wanted to retort, but when he opened his mouth, a “Ngh...” sound came out. He could only struggle to raise a hand to stop Ling Jing. “You... you're patting too hard...”
...What a peaceful scene. Zhuang Chi watched from the side, feeling that none of them seemed like they would cause trouble today. As for the remaining Alpha—
“Wow...” Olivia was looking around, her eyes sparkling, her voice carrying a dreamy, ethereal quality. “This is my first time visiting an exhibition as a regular student. There are so many people.”
“...” Even though she had a good idea of the reason, Zhuang Chi couldn't help but ask, “...Weren't there this many people when you visited exhibitions before?”
“That's right.” Olivia turned to look at her and smiled. “Because before, I was basically always invited by the organizers as a princess, so besides my entourage, there was no one else in the exhibition.”
This side is very peaceful too. She was deeply moved by such an ordinary scene. Zhuang Chi was infected by her excitement and couldn't help but smile along. Seeing her smile made Olivia even happier, and she continued, “I wonder if we'll have time after we finish the exhibition. Since we're here, I'd like to see the other parts of the museum too. Zhuang Chi, are you interested? Shall we go together?”
“Sure.” That was no problem. Zhuang Chi agreed readily. “If there's enough time, let's go together.”
“—Yes, together.”
The words had barely left her mouth when a voice suddenly chimed in from the side. Zhuang Chi looked over in response and met Gu Ximian's gaze. She saw Gu Ximian give her a brilliant smile. “May I join too?”
“O-Of course.” Before Zhuang Chi could speak, Olivia had already reacted, nodding repeatedly with a strange hint of awkwardness. “I was originally planning to invite everyone, not just the two of us with Zhuang Chi...”
Her voice grew softer as she spoke, until it was completely inaudible at the end. Zhuang Chi looked at the composed Gu Ximian, feeling that there was some invisible undercurrent flowing between the two of them. She couldn't figure it out, and after much thought, she could only whisper to Gu Ximian, “...Didn't you two make up before? Why does Olivia still seem so unnatural around you...”
Gu Ximian glanced at her, and for a moment, it seemed she didn't want to answer. But in the end, she sighed. “...Because I'm a bad person. Happy now?”
“—Alright, Lou Che is about ready.”
Before Zhuang Chi could figure out what Gu Ximian meant by that, she saw An Chen walk over to them with the other two and confirm, “If there's nothing else, shall we head inside?”
“I have a question,” Gu Ximian spoke up unexpectedly. She asked, “Are we going to stick together once we're inside? From an efficiency standpoint, wouldn't it be better for everyone to split up?”
“...Hmm...” An Chen looked at her thoughtfully and said hesitantly, “Are you suggesting... something like pairs of two...?”
“...”
Under the gaze of five pairs of eyes, Gu Ximian remained silent for a long moment before finally saying in a calm tone, “...No. I wasn't going to say that.”
In any case, they ended up going their separate ways.
Because of what Gu Ximian had said before entering the exhibition, everyone ultimately discussed and decided to first split up to view the exhibition on their own, then regroup at the entrance in an hour and a half to exchange notes before proceeding together.
Thus, Zhuang Chi was currently strolling through the exhibition alone. Although this Greek culture and art exhibition was rich and interesting, and she found everything she saw novel and fascinating, seeing the people coming and going, mostly in pairs or families of three, made her feel a bit solitary.
...I feel like I've rarely been on my own like this since joining the Presidium, Zhuang Chi thought. The Presidium's work was busy, for one thing, and the frequency of Gu Ximian's appearances by her side had also increased...
I thought we'd be sticking together from start to finish today. I didn't expect Gu Ximian to want to split up. Zhuang Chi took a picture of the exquisite sculpture in front of her, thinking that it was indeed understandable. After all, you can concentrate better when viewing this kind of exhibition alone—
—As she was thinking this, she saw Gu Ximian in front of her destination.
Wanting to check out the theme first, Zhuang Chi had been heading straight for the oil painting with the “Pygmalion” theme. Now that she could finally see the painting, and Gu Ximian standing before it, Zhuang Chi subconsciously stopped in her tracks.
It was a very large oil painting. The colors were magnificent and vibrant, and even from this distance, she could clearly see King Pygmalion and the statue Galatea on the canvas, nestled intimately together, showing deep affection. And for some reason, while other exhibits had at least a few people standing before them, this oil painting was deserted, with only Gu Ximian standing there.
Her back was to Zhuang Chi, her head tilted up slightly, looking very focused. But her tall, slender figure, mixed in with the bustling crowd, looked inexplicably lonely.
For a moment, Zhuang Chi hesitated, wondering if she should disturb her. Since Gu Ximian had said earlier that they should view the exhibition separately, perhaps she shouldn't rashly strike up a conversation now that they had run into each other by chance, and ruin her focused mood. But just as she hesitated, Gu Ximian moved first. As if sensing something, she suddenly turned her head and, across the long corridor filled with works of art, her gaze met Zhuang Chi's with unerring accuracy.
The distance between them wasn't very close, yet Zhuang Chi felt those eyes were incredibly clear, making her subconsciously hold her breath. Then, meeting Gu Ximian's gaze, she slowly started walking and came to her side.
“How long have you been standing there?” Gu Ximian spoke first, asking softly, “Why didn't you come find me sooner?”
“...” Whispering like this in a crowded place created a strange atmosphere. Zhuang Chi pursed her lips awkwardly and replied in a low voice, “...I was afraid of disturbing you.”
Gu Ximian fell silent. Zhuang Chi secretly turned to look at her and thought she could detect some displeasure on that proper face. Although she didn't know the reason, she felt she was somehow responsible. In any case, she clumsily changed the subject. “You got around so quickly. I came looking for this specifically, and I wasn't as fast as you...”
The person beside her was quiet for a long moment. Just as Zhuang Chi's heart was pounding, she heard her say softly, “I came looking for this specifically, too. Because I thought someone might think to come here and see it.”
What a strange thing to say. Zhuang Chi thought, Doesn't every exhibit have people who want to see it? Not understanding, she replied, “But it seems this painting isn't very popular. We're the only two looking at it.”
“...” Zhuang Chi felt as if Gu Ximian let out a small sigh. She heard her say, tinged with that sigh, “...It's better than having a crowd of people standing here.”
“Let's not talk about that. This painting is quite beautiful.” Gu Ximian looked up, her gaze focused. “What do you think?”
Hearing her say that, Zhuang Chi raised her eyes to the oil painting. Her gaze swept over Galatea, and then, as if possessed, she turned to look at Gu Ximian. The brilliant colors of the oil painting still lingered in her vision, but in that fleeting glance, Zhuang Chi felt they couldn't outshine the cool contours of the person before her.
She didn't dare look for long, hastily turning her head forward before Gu Ximian could notice, and answered in a small voice, “...Yeah, it is quite beautiful...”
But when Zhuang Chi looked back at the oil painting, she was stunned to find that the scene was different from what she had seen before. Pygmalion and Galatea had both vanished. The colors had melted and mixed into a mottled background, and the only thing that took shape within the frame was a book.
...Or rather, a notebook. A common, perfectly ordinary notebook.
Yet Zhuang Chi found it familiar.
And at that moment, all surrounding sounds came to an abrupt halt. Zhuang Chi froze, realizing she was completely alone. When she turned her head again, she saw only an empty exhibition hall. All the visitors and staff who had been here just a moment ago had vanished without a trace. Gu Ximian was gone too. In an instant, she was the only one left in the vast space.
The development was too sudden and absurd. Zhuang Chi stared at the space, now containing only works of art, for a long time. As her shock gradually faded, an exceptionally complex emotion welled up inside her.
She recalled the past: a young Zhuang Chi, after much deep thought, had solemnly put pen to paper in the notebook: 【She is a one-of-a-kind S-class Omega, studying at St. Blaisedon, the world-famous school for nobles.】
It was the very notebook that was now appearing in the painting.
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