The second half of the banquet was much calmer than the first.
After dancing one dance, Zhuang Chi and Gu Ximian had been staying off the dance floor. During this time, Olivia came looking for them once. She looked left and right in the crowd for a long while, and when she saw Zhuang Chi tentatively waving at her, she instantly brightened up. Tugging Lily along, she trotted over and greeted them cheerfully, “So you’re here! Why haven’t I seen you two dancing?”
After Gu Ximian explained that they wanted to rest and chat for a bit, Olivia nodded as if she half-understood and hesitantly asked to join them, “Then let’s take a break too. Can we chat together…?”
Thinking that Olivia really did seem to like Gu Ximian, Zhuang Chi left the decision to Gu Ximian, who readily agreed. Only Lily frowned slightly, but in the face of Olivia’s happy smile, she said nothing, which was taken as tacit approval.
Although Lily still didn’t actively join the conversation, mostly just standing quietly by Olivia’s side, her presence was quite strong—almost like she was Olivia’s bodyguard, making Zhuang Chi constantly worry if she might do something impolite towards Olivia and be noted down by the little princess.
Perhaps sensing her awkwardness, after they had chatted for a while, Gu Ximian suggested that since the banquet was nearing its end, she wanted to have one last dance. She successfully led Zhuang Chi out, and the two returned to the dance floor.
Their second dance, which was also the last one of the day, went much better than the first.
Perhaps it was because the rest had helped, or perhaps… Zhuang Chi thought, it was because after several conversations, their understanding of each other had deepened.
Regarding Gu Ximian’s statement about wanting to meet the author, Zhuang Chi couldn’t manage much of a reaction.
Gu Ximian had spoken calmly then, but Zhuang Chi, for some reason, seemed to faintly sense a certain heavy emotion hidden behind her words. But Gu Ximian quickly started smiling and continued in a lighthearted tone that made Zhuang Chi wonder if she had misheard: ‘Aren’t you curious? What the person who created you is like, and… why that person shaped you this way, and so on.’
Her mind subconsciously began to formulate a response, but the heart palpitations she had felt once before immediately surged up like a shadow. Zhuang Chi had to expend a great deal of mental effort to keep her expression from betraying her, so she could only give a vague “mm” in acknowledgment. Fortunately, Gu Ximian clearly had no intention of delving deep into this topic, and the two of them quickly and “tacitly” changed the subject.
…So Gu Ximian only wants to meet the author for those reasons? Zhuang Chi thought. It always feels like… never mind, she couldn’t come up with another, more reasonable explanation anyway.
In the end, there were still many things about Gu Ximian that she didn’t understand. For example, why Gu Ximian knew this world was a novel, and now, why she wanted to meet the author. But Zhuang Chi didn’t want to force the issue and ask about things Gu Ximian didn’t want to talk about—after all, their relationship hadn’t reached the point where they could talk about anything and everything.
Right now… they felt more like some kind of allies, Zhuang Chi thought. Besides, she herself was hiding things from Gu Ximian that she couldn’t bring herself to say, so she was in no position to blame Gu Ximian for keeping secrets from her.
In this atmosphere where both of them were harboring their own thoughts, the final notes of the last piece of music gradually faded away, and the first banquet Zhuang Chi had attended in this world finally came to a close.
The aftereffects were still a bit much.
Even after the holiday ended, Zhuang Chi still couldn’t completely put the banquet out of her mind. She felt a bit overloaded by everything that had happened, causing her reactions to be a little slow. Lu Man, who had spent the holiday at home, frequently glanced sideways at her. “…You don’t seem to have much energy. Didn’t you rest well during the break?”
…That was indeed one way to put it. The banquet may have only lasted a day, but it had actually affected her entire holiday.
Before Zhuang Chi could answer, Ling Jing, who had come to their dorm to hang out, perked up her ears and looked up alertly from her comic book. “You’re not feeling unwell, are you? All sorts of strange problems can pop up in the month after differentiation, and you only differentiated two weeks ago—could it be a problem from wearing that thing all the time?”
She gestured towards Zhuang Chi’s neck, muttering that when she had to wear one, the whole process was extremely irritating. Zhuang Chi raised a hand to touch the edge of her neck ring and shook her head. “…No, I think I’m almost used to it.”
Ling Jing instantly shot her a look of admiration, while Lu Man, who didn’t know what it felt like to wear one, focused on another matter. “When did you say you could take that off? After you can completely control your pheromones?”
“Mmm…”
Although that was the case, and Zhuang Chi had already completed the mandatory education courses for post-differentiation Alphas and successfully passed the final pheromone control test, she hesitated for a long moment before replying, “Let’s wait until this month is over. I heard the glands are still developing during this period… It’s better to wait until things stabilize before considering taking it off, just to avoid any more problems.”
Amidst Ling Jing’s exclamation of “You’re way too tough,” Lu Man nodded and said matter-of-factly, “So you’ll have to keep wearing a couple item with Gu Ximian for a while, right? Why are you looking at me like that? The two of you are the only ones in the whole school who wear these, so of course it’s conspicuous.”
Zhuang Chi choked and sighed, “…How is your train of thought so similar to Olivia’s? But at least she thinks that way because she doesn’t know what it’s for…”
“Olivia?” Ling Jing, who had been silently rubbing the back of her own neck, looked over at the sound of the name. She had clearly been seriously considering getting a neck ring for herself, but now her attention was captured by Zhuang Chi’s words. “Are you that close with Her Highness the Princess already? Won’t you get a threatening letter from some secret guards from her country for calling her by her first name like that?”
…This person has probably been influenced by comic book settings. Zhuang Chi helplessly wondered how to explain it to Ling Jing, while Lu Man reacted to the name “Olivia.” “Are you talking about that… Princess Olivia who transferred into the literature department today?”
“Eh, the literature department?”
Ling Jing’s eyes widened, and she looked quite indignant. “She can’t even use idioms correctly! Why does she get to go straight into the literature department with Gu Ximian!”
“…You’re the one who sounds more likely to be threatened by secret guards.”
But in all fairness, what Ling Jing said actually made a lot of sense. The textbooks for the literature department were filled with what looked like incredibly profound texts at a glance. Even Zhuang Chi found them daunting. Could Olivia really read them without any difficulty…
…But there was nothing to be done; that was her plot setting. Zhuang Chi averted her gaze, feeling a little guilty. After all, when she was writing, Olivia had just been introduced, and little Zhuang Chi had wanted to give her more screen time, so she put her in the same major as Gu Ximian… Of course, she hadn’t considered at all whether it was reasonable for a foreigner to study in the literature department.
She silently pushed the matter to the back of her mind—having experienced so many unreasonable settings, Zhuang Chi was now quite adept at this. She quickly turned her thoughts to the fact that since Olivia was now at school, perhaps she should go and say hello. Meanwhile, Ling Jing was still fuming, muttering angrily to herself, “Damn it, if I’d known, I would have applied to the literature department too… Ah, or maybe I should join the same club as Gu Ximian!”
“The same club…” Zhuang Chi instantly thought of the Student Council Presidium, which had only one spot for a new student, and subconsciously replied in a low voice, “…That might be a little difficult.”
“Hmm?” As soon as she said this, Ling Jing immediately looked at her, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “What you said… do you know something! You know which club Gu Ximian wants to join, don’t you, Zhuang Chi!”
With a yelp, she tried to pounce on Zhuang Chi, but Zhuang Chi quickly held her back. Knowing she had misspoken, and feeling that she shouldn’t tell others before Gu Ximian said it herself, Zhuang Chi could only answer vaguely, “I-I was just talking. What club Gu Ximian wants to join… who could know something like that before registration…”
Ling Jing looked half-convinced, half-skeptical. Sitting on a small stool, she kept craning her neck to peer at Zhuang Chi. Zhuang Chi could only increase the pressure on her head to stop her, feeling thankful for the first time that she had differentiated into an Alpha, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to hold her back. Outside the fray, Lu Man looked at the two locked in a stalemate, leisurely scrolled through her phone, and suddenly said, “I guess Gu Ximian will probably apply for this one, the Student Council Presidium.”
“?!”
Zhuang Chi was startled, and the strength in her hand slackened. Ling Jing, who had been fully focused and enjoying their struggle, didn’t react in time and nearly pitched forward. She barely managed to balance herself before turning her head to look at Lu Man. “…The Student Council? You mean An Chen’s group?”
“Mhm.” Lu Man nodded. “Club recruitment starts in a few days. Someone on the school forum has already compiled a list of organizations that will have recruitment booths, and among them, very rarely, is the name of the Student Council Presidium… And it’s specified that they only want one new student. How should I put it… it seems perfect for Gu Ximian at a glance. Or rather, she’s probably the only one capable of joining, right?”
“After all, the Presidium has always been very mysterious, but it holds a lot of power and status. The entry requirements are generally quite high, and its members are all very impressive students. Normally, new students wouldn’t have a chance to join… I don’t know what’s going on this time.”
“Personal bias!” Ling Jing shot to her feet, her voice nearly cracking. “This is definitely An Chen mixing in his personal feelings! He just wants to use his position to get to her first—ah, when I ran into them at the library before, they did seem to be talking about the ‘Student Council’! He’s been trying to lure Gu Ximian since then, that… that villain!”
“We can’t let him succeed!” Ling Jing slapped the table twice and looked at Zhuang Chi indignantly. “Right, Zhuang Chi!”
“…”
What’s with the “Right, Zhuang Chi”? She’s so naturally lumping me into the opposition camp. Zhuang Chi didn’t dare mention that Gu Ximian had also invited her to run, so she first tried to reason with Ling Jing. “…Whether Gu Ximian wants to go or not is her own business. If she didn’t want to, she wouldn’t sign up, and she doesn’t need others to interfere…”
“How can that be!” Ling Jing looked like she strongly disapproved of her words and vehemently objected, “Gu Ximian will be tricked! An Chen will definitely sweet-talk her and fool her!”
“…Why do you have such a strange impression of Gu Ximian? Doesn’t she act perfectly normal when she’s around you?”
“And no matter what… I don’t want to see An Chen succeed!”
“That sounds more like what you really mean.”
It felt like she’d developed a grudge from the rock-paper-scissors game at the last banquet. In any case, Ling Jing sounded like she really didn’t want An Chen to have a chance to get closer to Gu Ximian. She then made up her mind. “If that’s the case… then I’ll stop him myself! I’ll sign up for that interview thing too! After I win, I’ll just find some random reason to quit!”
“Impossible. I just said,” Lu Man interjected calmly, pointing to the forum page on her phone, “this spot is only for new students.”
“Ugh, uh…”
Ling Jing was speechless. Zhuang Chi sighed softly and decided to just leave Ling Jing for Lu Man to handle. Just then, her phone lit up. Zhuang Chi opened it to see a message from Olivia, whom they had just been discussing: 【I started school at St. Blaisedon today! I miss you a lot. Do you have time now?】
…Wow, such an undisguised straight ball. Is this the offensive power of a character positioned as a “sweetheart”? Zhuang Chi blinked, a little embarrassed. She looked at Ling Jing beside her, who was deep in thought trying to come up with a plan, and Lu Man, who was sarcastically teasing her as if it was none of her business. She tentatively asked, “…Olivia sent me a message. Can I go meet her and say hi?”
“Oh, you two are really close, huh? Go on, I’ll hold Ling Jing’s reins for you.”
“Eh! Zhuang Chi, are you abandoning us to go to that woman’s side!”
The two had completely different reactions, and what Ling Jing said sounded rather strange. Zhuang Chi looked at her hesitantly, wondering if it would be better to reschedule with Olivia if Ling Jing was against it. After all, Ling Jing had come to her dorm to hang out, but she was leaving… it sounded very inhospitable—
Just then, her phone received another new message. Zhuang Chi looked down and was stunned to see the content of Olivia’s new message: 【Gu Ximian is with me too】
And it was immediately followed by a second one: 【She said she misses you too.】
“…”
Zhuang Chi was so shocked she almost dropped her phone. She fumbled with it like a hot potato, not knowing what to do, and then, under the curious gazes of the other two, she abruptly flipped her phone face down on her lap, trying to hide the screen in a way that only made it more obvious.
“…What’s wrong?” Seeing her like this, Ling Jing blinked in confusion and asked again, “Did she send you another message? Did she say you don’t have to go? Then don’t worry about her, let’s hang out together.”
“…No.”
Zhuang Chi took a deep breath, shot to her feet, and grabbed her jacket to put it on.
“I’m heading out. Bye.”
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