Chapter 96
The next day. The Presidium office.
“...Well then, let’s begin the debriefing meeting for the Christmas event.” An Chen began, but his expression was not good at all. He looked quite dejected, though he forced some energy into his tone. “It was supposed to be held yesterday, but since Zhuang Chi fainted, it was postponed until today.”
Zhuang Chi lowered her head guiltily and offered a quiet apology. Before An Chen could speak, Ling Jing cut in, “It’s fine, why are you apologizing when you were sick? Are you really okay now? I wasn’t able to visit you properly yesterday, and I’ve been worried about you ever since…”
Remembering how Gu Ximian had driven them all out yesterday, Zhuang Chi didn’t know what to say. She was a little worried they might blame Gu Ximian, but then she heard Ling Jing’s tone shift, sounding very understanding. “But it makes sense when you think about it. We went over there empty-handed, without even thinking to bring you a fruit basket. No wonder Gu Ximian didn’t want to see us.”
“…” Zhuang Chi was silent for a moment before sighing. “...I don’t think that was the reason.”
Ling Jing mumbled, “Is that so?” and turned to look at the other person in question. But Gu Ximian didn’t respond, only sweeping a glance over her before looking away again, remaining silent with no intention of saying anything. Even someone as unobservant as Ling Jing could tell something was off. She could only turn back to Zhuang Chi, winking and making faces at her, turning her pretty face into something quite comical.
...It seemed like she was trying to convey, “What’s going on here?” Zhuang Chi thought. It was no wonder Ling Jing was curious. After all, ever since they had sat down, Gu Ximian had been like this. No matter how you looked at it, she was in a bad mood, and no one dared to speak to her.
But Zhuang Chi wasn’t too clear on the matter either. She had realized it yesterday at Gu Ximian’s home—or to be more precise, after they had kissed. Gu Ximian had been absent-minded and a little irritable. She had asked quite a few questions, and Zhuang Chi had answered them one by one, but seeing Gu Ximian’s stern face made her increasingly anxious. She felt that hiding these things in the past must have made Gu Ximian very angry, and her attitude while answering unconsciously became as rigid as a criminal under interrogation.
This question-and-answer session went on for a long time. Zhuang Chi’s mouth was dry from talking, and just as she was patiently waiting for Gu Ximian’s next question, what came instead was an ambiguous statement: ‘...Is there anything else you want to say?’
It sounded like she was asking a criminal if they were still hiding something. Zhuang Chi shuddered. She felt she had confessed everything except for the matter of “transferring the Creator’s Power to Gu Ximian, causing her subconscious to be able to change the world.” She was worried that saying this directly would make Gu Ximian worry too much about it, so after thinking hard for a long time, she said vaguely: ‘...Also, as the female protagonist of this novel, it’s possible—I’m saying it’s possible—that some of your thoughts might have an impact on this world…’
Her intention was to downplay this power so Gu Ximian wouldn’t be too concerned, but after hearing it, Gu Ximian just gave a short “en,” sounding as if she had no intention of delving deeper, and then asked, ‘Anything else?’
Anything else? Zhuang Chi was a little confused. She racked her brain for a long time but couldn’t think of anything else. Finally, she shook her head hesitantly. ‘I think… there’s nothing else.’
‘…’
Gu Ximian was silent for a long time. How should one put it? She looked even angrier.
Their conversation yesterday had ended just like that. Even after returning to her dorm, Zhuang Chi was still completely baffled, very worried that she had truly missed something. But even now, she hadn’t figured it out. Faced with Ling Jing’s frequent inquiring gazes, she could only respond with a bewildered and clueless look.
This was terrible. Gu Ximian had just said she would see how she behaved. Zhuang Chi was a little dejected. Her performance now must be very poor, right? If this continued, who knew when Gu Ximian would forgive her, and then… and then agree to date her…
“—In any case, let’s first talk about the matter everyone is most concerned about.”
An Chen, however, wasn’t concerned with their situation. He had already cut to the topic on his own, his tone flat and listless. “First of all, yesterday, Zhuang Chi and Ximian under the mistletoe—ahem, anyway, that moment was photographed by someone from the Propaganda Department.”
“?!”
All her thoughts were shattered by this sentence. Zhuang Chi’s pupils quaked. She shot up in a panic, and just as she was about to speak, she heard An Chen continue, “...But I discovered it in time and confiscated the photo, and I strictly forbade them from using the photo to publish a promotional article.”
That’s great! Reliable! Zhuang Chi let out a long sigh of relief, feeling like she had survived a disaster. An Chen glanced at her and added, “But in exchange for the photo, they requested an interview with Zhuang Chi.”
“…”
What the heck? This roller coaster of twists and turns. Zhuang Chi became terrified again, feeling that this interview was not a good thing. Perhaps sensing her reluctance, Lou Che unexpectedly spoke up first. “There’s always an interview with the person who opens the ball by the Propaganda Department after every Christmas Ball. You don’t have to worry too much. They probably won’t ask only about you and Gu Ximian.”
...Oh, so it was a tradition. Zhuang Chi felt a little more at ease. She then saw Lou Che turn to An Chen and tut-tutted, “How long are you going to keep up this look like someone owes you eight million? The two of them have already found their happy ending. Can’t you just get over it? Learn from me.”
An Chen paused, glared at Lou Che, and said through gritted teeth, “...Mind your own business. Besides, I thought about it carefully before. In principle, the Presidium should prohibit internal relationships—”
“Nonsense. I’ve been in the Presidium longer than you, and I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Lou Che shook his head vigorously and added, “I bet if you and Gu Ximian were the ones together now, you probably wouldn’t have this rule, would you?”
His words were completely merciless, leaving An Chen speechless. An Chen’s face flushed red, and Zhuang Chi felt his whole body begin to tremble, though she didn’t know if it was from anger or something else. As a party involved, even if Zhuang Chi wanted to help him, she didn’t know where to start. Just as she was at a loss, she saw An Chen suddenly turn to her and walk over decisively. “...Let’s go, Zhuang Chi. Let’s go outside and talk.”
He paused and added with very little sincerity, “Let’s talk about what to pay attention to during your interview with the Propaganda Department.”
He definitely didn’t want to talk about that! Zhuang Chi was inexplicably pushed to her feet and led towards the office door. As she was pushed to the doorway, she heard a cool voice from behind her. “Is there something you have to say alone outside?”
It was Gu Ximian. When Zhuang Chi looked back, their eyes didn’t meet. The speaker just kept her eyes lowered quietly, as if she were just asking a casual question. An Chen’s steps were halted by her call. Zhuang Chi saw that he was clearly hesitant, but in the end, he beat around the bush and said vaguely, “...I happened to have been interviewed last year too, so I’ll just pass on some experience to her. It’s useless for you all to listen, so I won’t waste your time…”
As he spoke, he looked at Zhuang Chi with a hint of sincerity in his eyes. Zhuang Chi thought to herself that this was most likely a lie he had come up with on the spot. But how to put it, even if An Chen really planned to talk to her about Gu Ximian… her liking Gu Ximian wasn’t a crime. Whether he wanted to declare war or something else, it was fine to go and listen to what he had to say. It was better than things staying this awkward. At least as a love rival, An Chen was relatively reasonable… right?
She was quite open-minded about it. Thinking this, she nodded at An Chen and then gestured to the people in the room towards the outside. “...Then we’ll step out for a bit.”
After saying that, the two of them left together. The few people left in the room looked at each other. Ling Jing was the first to be unable to sit still, standing up right after them. “I-I’ll go listen too, in case the two of them start fighting—um, I mean, I’m also very interested in the interview.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she scurried away. It seemed she was very worried that the two would start brawling the moment they stepped out the door, and that if she delayed, she wouldn’t be in time to stop their fight.
Only Gu Ximian, Lou Che, and Olivia were left in the room. Olivia looked outside with some worry, but before she could speak, Lou Che beat her to it. “What, you want to go too?”
“I…” Olivia was at a loss for words. She first looked at Gu Ximian and said hesitantly, “...Are we really just going to let them go out like this?”
“…”
Gu Ximian pressed her lips together. Of course, she also felt restless, but she also felt that since Zhuang Chi herself had agreed to go out with An Chen, it would be strange for her to interfere—she didn’t even have a proper status to do so.
Thinking of this, she grew sullen again. She didn’t notice that Lou Che had been staring at her with great interest for a while. He then hit the nail on the head, “You two haven’t started dating yet, have you?”
...This person was really annoying sometimes. Gu Ximian silently raised her eyes to glare at him. Lou Che shrank back, looking honest and well-behaved, but his mouth didn’t stop for a moment. “I knew it. You’ve had a cold face on ever since you showed up today, as if you’re afraid others can’t tell you’re unhappy, yet you won’t say anything yourself. Just now, too. You clearly didn’t want Zhuang Chi to go out, and when you finally managed to open your mouth to stop them, you spoke so indirectly…”
“What’s going on, Gu Ximian? Whose fault is it?” As he spoke, he grew bolder, scooting his stool closer to Gu Ximian, looking like he was ready to hear some gossip. “Did Zhuang Chi make you angry? Or did you regret it after kissing her? It can’t be that Zhuang Chi is unwilling, right?”
What did he mean by “It can’t be that Zhuang Chi is unwilling, right?” Gu Ximian thought. It was as if the problem could only be with her, when clearly Zhuang Chi hadn’t properly confessed to her, nor had she said she wanted to be her girlfriend.
Although Zhuang Chi had actually said something like a confession, because she said it so casually (meaning Zhuang Chi didn’t seem to be struggling with it like she was), the unbalanced Gu Ximian had already classified it as “doesn’t count.” But even if it didn’t count, she had uncontrollably replayed that sentence in her dreams several times last night. When she woke up in the morning, her face was burning, and for a moment she thought she had a fever too.
Zhuang Chi was a liar, Gu Ximian thought. Saying something like “some of your thoughts might have an impact on this world.” If that were the case, then why couldn’t Zhuang Chi, after thinking for so long yesterday, remember to ask her something like “Are we in a relationship now?” or “Will you go out with me?”
...Clearly, Gu Ximian herself had been thinking about it for a long time back then.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t think of a reason why Zhuang Chi didn’t say it. Gu Ximian was actually well aware that it was because of her own carelessly spoken line, “I’ll see how you behave from now on,” that the topic had been cut short. Zhuang Chi, on the other hand, had taken that line very seriously and was diligently putting it into practice. She had never seen her be so sharp at other times. And Gu Ximian herself had been very distracted during the latter half of their conversation yesterday, her mind completely preoccupied with why she had said such a thing. But the words were already out, and she was filled with regret, not knowing what to do—Zhuang Chi had been talking to her with the apprehension of someone reporting to a superior, leaving her with no opportunity to correct that statement.
In the end, what Gu Ximian wanted now was an opening. But Zhuang Chi didn’t get her meaning at all. She just sat there obediently, looking up at Gu Ximian, neither preparing an opening for her nor knowing to come over and lead her down.
She was already so annoyed, yet Lou Che was still beside her, preaching his theory of love about “speaking directly.” “Just tell her what’s on your mind. If she did something to upset you, just explain it to her properly. It’s not like Zhuang Chi is the type of person who won’t correct her mistakes—”
So annoying. If she could speak directly, would she still be sitting here now? Gu Ximian’s mind was in turmoil as she listened. She silently turned her head away, showing her resolute stance of having nothing to say. Lou Che rolled his eyes and casually tossed out a line, “—Otherwise, if you keep having this friction with Zhuang Chi, it’ll be very dangerous, right, Olivia?”
Gu Ximian’s heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously looked at Olivia. The little princess also looked at her in response, giving her a gentle smile.
“That’s right. If you haven’t confirmed your relationship, it’s still possible for Zhuang Chi to be snatched away by someone else.”
Coming from her, this statement was doubly threatening. Gu Ximian was speechless for a long time, unable to calm down even after hearing Olivia add in a light tone, “Just kidding.” It was only then that Lou Che felt he might have pushed her too far and tried to backtrack. “...You don’t have to worry too much, Gu Ximian. After all, Zhuang Chi doesn’t seem like the type to change her heart quickly. Anyway, as long as you talk things out, it’ll be fine…”
Gu Ximian couldn’t listen anymore. Once she was flustered, it was hard to regain her composure in a short time. Her mind was filled with all sorts of chaotic thoughts, all revolving around the name that she constantly thought about.
Zhuang Chi. Gu Ximian thought, unconsciously looking at the empty seat beside her.
...Zhuang Chi, why aren’t you back yet.
Post a Comment