She felt less like Ling Jing’s employer and more like her guardian.
After stepping in to stop Ling Jing from once again demanding compensation via a student card transfer without another word, the victim had run off so quickly that there wasn’t even time to chase after them and offer to buy them an ice cream.
Zhuang Chi dejectedly led Ling Jing away from the lake. Seeing that it was about time for lunch, the two of them, though still preoccupied with their own thoughts, went to the cafeteria together.
Zhuang Chi went to casually order some food. When she returned, she saw that Ling Jing had already saved a spot. For some reason, all the tables in a circle around her were empty, while Ling Jing sat in the middle, looking bored and incredibly conspicuous at a glance. Although the St. Blaisedon cafeteria was large and not crowded, this scene was still bizarre during the lunch rush. It was as if everyone looking for a seat had consciously avoided the area centered around Ling Jing.
…Although she had heard about it in rumors before, this was the first time she had so directly realized just how bad Ling Jing’s reputation and social standing at this school were. As Zhuang Chi thought this, Ling Jing noticed her. Seeming to mistake the reason for her pause as not having seen her, Ling Jing stretched out her arm with an “I don’t know what to do with you” expression and called out, “Over here.”
Zhuang Chi could only brace herself and sit down opposite Ling Jing under the sideways glances of those around them. Incidentally, what sat before Ling Jing was not a cafeteria tray, but a bento box she had just received from a well-dressed butler at the cafeteria entrance. As expected of a rich kid character, she thought, she’s quite particular about these details.
As these random thoughts ran through her mind, Zhuang Chi looked at Ling Jing opposite her. After the incident by the lake, the other girl was clearly showing a bit of guilt. She didn’t dare to meet Zhuang Chi’s gaze, instead adopting a prim and proper look, her eyes fixed downward.
“…Anyway, I’ve thought of something I want you to do now.”
Zhuang Chi picked up her spoon and stated decisively before starting her meal, “Don’t bring your hawk to school anymore.”
Ling Jing flinched, her eyes instinctively widening as if to retort, but she seemed to quickly realize she was in the wrong. She slowly deflated and said in a small, soft voice, “But… but Xiao Ying needs me to feed it…”
“Let someone else feed it. Doesn’t it even snatch ice cream from the hands of strangers? It’s not like you’re indispensable.”
“…You can’t be so absolute… And, what… what if some emergency happens to it while it’s home alone…”
“Then before this ’emergency’ happens,” Zhuang Chi paused, her hand holding the spoon still, and looked at Ling Jing, saying unequivocally, “let it stay at home for now.”
After speaking, Zhuang Chi didn’t bother with Ling Jing, who was still muttering, “Won’t it be too late by the time an emergency happens?” and started eating on her own. The student cafeteria at St. Blaisedon was of a fairly high standard, and mealtime should have been a pleasant experience. But Zhuang Chi’s mood was utterly somber. She felt as if she could somewhat understand the mindset of a parent who suddenly realizes their parenting methods are flawed, but their child has already become a brat.
“…I-I understand. Since I’m a servant now, I have to…”
As if having made a decision after a great struggle, Ling Jing responded with difficulty, then crestfallenly poked at the food in her bento, looking like she hadn’t quite adapted to this “servant” identity. But she bounced back surprisingly quickly. Before long, she started sneaking glances at Zhuang Chi again. Her attempt at being subtle was truly terrible. When Zhuang Chi, feeling too uncomfortable to chew under her stare, looked back directly, Ling Jing cleared her throat very deliberately and said in a stiff tone, “You… you seem like a pretty good person.”
…Her tone sounded just like a mafia boss picking out a lackey for a personal bodyguard. Zhuang Chi was baffled, then listened as the other girl continued awkwardly, “…I thought you would try to get revenge on me. After all, I really did hurt you, but you still… you…”
So she was prepared to be resented, but it didn’t happen, and she even received some help, which left her at a bit of a loss. Zhuang Chi sighed softly in her heart. Although she never had any intention of getting revenge on Ling Jing, the current situation wasn’t entirely due to her being a good person. It was more out of a sense of… responsibility.
Yes, responsibility. No matter what, this was a character she had created with her own hands. She was inextricably linked to how things had turned out, not to mention Ling Jing was genuinely asking her for help… Zhuang Chi’s sense of responsibility as the originator of it all, combined with a certain complex and indescribable emotion, made it difficult for her to choose to stay completely out of it.
Perhaps it was a kind of motherly love, Zhuang Chi thought. She felt as if her own child could shine brightly after a bit more fixing up—
“…You’re not after something, are you?”
“…”
Whatever the true nature of Zhuang Chi’s complex emotion was, it had now vanished without a trace. For a moment, she was so exasperated she almost laughed. “…What do you have that’s worth wanting?”
“There’s plenty, isn’t there?” She was quite confident. Zhuang Chi watched, rather speechlessly, as Ling Jing leaned back in her chair with a fair bit of vigilance, her eyes widening warily as she added, “I still run into delinquents trying to rob me from time to time when I go out.”
…What a terrible living environment. Ling Jing said it so casually, but hearing it, Zhuang Chi felt a pang of pity and no longer wanted to be angry with her. She softened her tone and sighed, “…Don’t worry. Aren’t you an A-class Alpha? I can’t beat you anyway.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
This person’s suspicion vanished as quickly as it appeared. Zhuang Chi silently thought that Ling Jing’s life must be quite happy, since she couldn’t hold onto things in her head for long. Then she heard the momentarily unguarded Ling Jing ask, “So what grade of Alpha are you?”
She felt like she was constantly being mistaken for an Alpha these past two days. Although not everyone had Gu Ximian’s keen sensitivity to pheromones, Zhuang Chi couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled. She shook her head and asked back, “I haven’t differentiated yet… Why do you think I’m an Alpha?”
This question stumped Ling Jing. She stared blankly for a long moment before saying hesitantly, “…Maybe it’s because I always see you with Gu Ximian, and you two seem pretty close…”
Her words made no logical sense. And not only was this person’s train of thought strange, but it also moved at lightning speed. The keyword triggered the next topic directly. “Why is your relationship with her so good? Did you give her gifts?”
“…No.” It sounded like in Ling Jing’s world, the two were directly related, like a game setting where giving gifts to a character increases their favorability. Zhuang Chi thought for a moment, then added, “…And my relationship with her probably hasn’t reached the ‘so good’ stage yet…”
“It’s already very good,” she had only meant to correct Ling Jing’s exaggeration, but Ling Jing became displeased and protested, “She even talks to you on her own initiative. She didn’t even give me a proper look today.”
“That’s because your relationship with her is too poor.”
Going by her standard of judgment, there was probably no one in St. Blaisedon she could win against right now. But Zhuang Chi was considerate enough not to be so specific. She just ate her food while watching Ling Jing’s face scrunch up in distress at the sore spot she had hit. Then, when the other girl suddenly let out an “Ah!” with an expression that said she’d had a great idea, Zhuang Chi immediately had a bad feeling.
“Zhuang Chi, Zhuang Chi,” Ling Jing’s tone when calling her name was even a bit friendlier. She leaned toward her hopefully. “Do you think if I apologize to Gu Ximian properly again, she’ll accept it?”
“…”
Although she had guessed Ling Jing would ask about Gu Ximian and had resolved to say she didn’t know no matter what she asked, Zhuang Chi still frowned slightly upon hearing her words. After a long pause, she replied, “She probably… doesn’t need you to apologize again.”
So there was no question of acceptance. For Gu Ximian, the apology in the auditorium had already been a full stop. She wouldn’t trouble Ling Jing over this matter again. The change in feelings caused by the incident was another matter entirely, and it had nothing to do with whether she apologized or how many times she apologized.
Perhaps it could be said that Ling Jing had gotten lucky, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, and asked the right person. Because she clearly hadn’t figured this out and said with pleasant surprise, “Are you saying she’s already forgiven me?”
…Strictly speaking, perhaps so, but it was definitely not the same as the “forgiveness” Ling Jing was thinking of now. Zhuang Chi hesitated for a long moment before finally reminding her, “No matter what you do, what has happened can’t be changed. The fact that she was offended by you is a foregone conclusion. So whether you want to get on good terms with her now or simply want her not to fire you, I advise you not to act rashly. Or to put it more directly, you should probably avoid actively appearing in front of her for a while… That would be better.”
For Gu Ximian, for Ling Jing, and for herself, it would be better, Zhuang Chi thought silently. With Ling Jing’s personality, if she were really allowed to do as she pleased, who knew what kind of huge mess she would stir up—she felt there was a 90% chance it would further displease Gu Ximian. The scariest part was that this was likely the original plot development, and who knew what kind of bizarre events it would lead to. For both public and private reasons… it was better to stop her for now.
Perhaps because her speech was a bit long, Ling Jing was stunned for a while before she reacted. Her expression was one of partial understanding, but her words were still stubborn. “…You just said your relationship with her wasn’t that good, but now you sound like you know her very well.”
“I said my relationship with her wasn’t that good, don’t change my words.” Zhuang Chi shot her an annoyed look, then added, as if to cover something up, “…And this has nothing to do with whether the relationship is good or not. If you just considered it from her perspective for a moment, you could have thought of it too… It’s just some common-sense thinking.”
Ling Jing hummed a long, doubtful “Mmm,” but it was cut off halfway, as if she had choked on something. Zhuang Chi looked up in confusion, only to see the other girl’s expression stiffen as she made faces at her, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn’t. Her overall performance was so strange that Zhuang Chi couldn’t make out anything other than that she was in a hurry.
Just as Zhuang Chi was asking in bewilderment, “What’s wrong? Did the spice get to you?” she suddenly felt someone approach their table. Before she could react, they had sat down in the seat beside her, and then a gentle female voice came through, “I was gone for just a moment, and your relationship with Ling Jing is already good enough to have lunch together?”
“And, I think I just heard my name?” Gu Ximian smiled at the stunned Zhuang Chi. “What sort of ‘common sense’ were you talking about… Would you mind telling me, too?”
Gu Ximian said, her gaze as calm as the surface of a lake.
