ATPCN – Chapter 14

…She really appeared out of nowhere.

This was the only thought, devoid of any substance, that popped into her head for the moment. Zhuang Chi and Gu Ximian looked at each other. She blinked stiffly, and the words that came out were an equally pale pleasantry: “…Y-You came to eat too? Has your appetite returned?”

She remembered Gu Ximian saying she didn’t have much of an appetite when they parted ways in the auditorium—all thanks to Ling Jing, who was now sitting opposite them. Zhuang Chi dazedly wondered if it wouldn’t be uncomfortable for her to sit with them, and saw Gu Ximian shake her head lightly after a moment of silence. “I still don’t have much of an appetite. But I have class this afternoon, so I thought I should eat something. I just came to the cafeteria to take a look.”

“It’s a good thing I came,” she said, her gaze shifting from Zhuang Chi to the person opposite them. It lingered for a moment on Ling Jing, whose head was buried low, before returning. She spoke in a gentle voice, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have run into you.”

…Even though the content of the sentence was very friendly, why did Zhuang Chi feel so nervous hearing it?

Zhuang Chi followed her gaze to Ling Jing, who was staring intently at the scrambled eggs in her lunch box, looking as if she wanted to join them. It was as if she were strictly adhering to Zhuang Chi’s earlier advice to “not proactively appear in front of Gu Ximian.” In any case, she wasn’t looking up.

So, was Ling Jing’s expression earlier actually a hint that Gu Ximian was behind her? Zhuang Chi sighed silently. It was too hard to understand. Besides, hadn’t they already finished talking by the time she gave the warning? Ugh.

At this point, Gu Ximian’s gaze was drifting on and off her, clearly waiting for her to speak. So, even though Zhuang Chi hadn’t quite figured out the situation, she first confirmed, “Were you… behind me this whole time?”

“Not the whole time.” Gu Ximian smiled at her. “I just happened to see you two here after I came to the cafeteria. I was wondering if I should come over and say hello, but while I was hesitating, I heard my name, so I just went with the flow and eavesdropped.”

Such a frank admission of eavesdropping. Zhuang Chi was speechless for a moment. She tried to recall her conversation with Ling Jing and asked cautiously, “…You mean, you heard everything after Ling Jing said she wanted to apologize to you again?”

She had no time to spare for Ling Jing, who was now shooting her a terrified look from across the table. Zhuang Chi grumbled internally that she must have heard it, there was no use hiding it. But unexpectedly, she saw Gu Ximian think for a moment before shaking her head affirmatively. “No.”

The moment of happiness lasted for about a second, just long enough for Zhuang Chi’s eyes to light up a little, before she heard Gu Ximian’s beautifully shaped, thin lips calmly utter some ruthless words: “It was from before that.”

“It was from when you asked her why she thought you were an Alpha.” Gu Ximian’s gaze flickered, and she suddenly lowered her eyes, seemingly crestfallen, as she said softly, “I heard everything after that. You said our relationship wasn’t very good.”

“…You must have misheard!”

And it was the exact same misunderstanding as Ling Jing’s. But the panic caused by the person in question misunderstanding was, of course, much greater for Zhuang Chi. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how to explain clearly, but just as she started, she saw Gu Ximian suddenly laugh, clear and gentle. “I’m kidding. I heard what you said clearly. I didn’t misunderstand your meaning, don’t worry.”

…To be honest, she wasn’t very reassured, but she felt she shouldn’t press the issue either. Zhuang Chi pressed her lips together with a hint of apprehension, while Gu Ximian tilted her head to look at her, completely unfazed, and continued nonchalantly, “What’s wrong? Are you two done talking? If not, you don’t have to mind me. I’d like to listen, too.”

“…”

What kind of new torture is this? Zhuang Chi felt sweat starting to form. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if Gu Ximian was deliberately picking a fight. Could it be that she was unhappy because Zhuang Chi was speculating about her thoughts behind her back? Thinking about it that way, it seemed very plausible—

“…I’m sorry.” In any case, she apologized decisively, half-turning her body and lowering her head. “I shouldn’t have casually guessed what you were thinking without any basis…”

Gu Ximian raised an eyebrow as she turned, but said nothing. This made Zhuang Chi even more certain that she was angry. But just as she was halfway through her timid apology, Gu Ximian suddenly cut her off. “I’m not angry about that.”

Huh? Zhuang Chi faltered, looking up, at a loss. She saw Gu Ximian lower her lashes and continue in a low voice, “What you said… was also quite right.”

She had originally thought… Zhuang Chi was going to apologize for something like “siding with Ling Jing.”

After all, when Gu Ximian saw her eating at the same table as Ling Jing, that was the first conclusion she had jumped to.

…But Zhuang Chi was the one who had suffered the most tangible harm in this whole affair, Gu Ximian thought. Why would she be with Ling Jing now? Logically, rejecting Ling Jing in the auditorium like she did would have been the most straightforward and reasonable course of action. Someone who would agree under these circumstances… was either a fool with no mind of her own being led by the nose by Ling Jing, or someone who was eyeing Ling Jing’s background and wanted to do her a favor. As for the possibility of being tempted by the idea of having Ling Jing as a servant, or wanting to use it for revenge…

It probably wasn’t any of those. Zhuang Chi didn’t seem like that kind of person.

“…”

Then again, maybe not. Gu Ximian lowered her eyes. As if they had known each other for a long time.

She didn’t really want to delve into which it was. In any case, the moment she made a choice different from Gu Ximian’s, it was proof enough that they weren’t the same kind of person, wasn’t it? Thinking like this, Gu Ximian calmly turned on her heel and walked away from that table. She passed by the various food counters in the cafeteria, looking at the dazzling array of food signs, but couldn’t muster an appetite for any of it.

It was like a tiny grain of sand had suddenly appeared in her throat, a constant discomfort.

For some inexplicable reason, after wandering around the first floor of the cafeteria, she ended up behind their table. For some reason, there was a large empty space around them. Gu Ximian casually found a table behind Zhuang Chi and sat down. As usual, gazes started to sneak glances at her. Normally, she would have ignored them, but she was in a particularly bad mood right now, so she glared back bluntly, causing the surrounding noise to quiet down considerably. Instead, it allowed her to hear the conversation from the nearby table more clearly, and so she listened quietly until the end.

She had started listening with the thought, “If I hear Zhuang Chi revealing anything about me to Ling Jing, there’s no need to listen anymore.” But while she did hear her own name, the content was not what she had imagined.

The conversation didn’t sound like they were very familiar with Ling Jing, and the tone wasn’t very polite either, Gu Ximian thought. When they talked about her, it was all about preventing Ling Jing from approaching her again, and she even seriously said it was common sense… The person sitting opposite her clearly had no idea about this kind of “common sense.” Was there really any point in saying this to Ling Jing, an Alpha?

It was a good thing she heard it; at least Zhuang Chi’s words weren’t completely useless.

“Zhuang Chi.” Back in the present, Gu Ximian looked at the somewhat bewildered person. Several ways to approach the topic flashed through her mind, but in the end, she went straight to the point. “Did you agree to let Ling Jing be your servant?”

Since she had more or less confirmed it, Zhuang Chi had no intention of bluffing her way out. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded properly. Gu Ximian had originally intended to ask why, but the words changed on her lips, and she uttered, “Then what command did you give her?”

…That phrasing… Zhuang Chi, who was already uncomfortable with the word “servant,” tensed up again. Her mind couldn’t help but circle around the word “command”; it just didn’t feel right. She glanced at the silent Ling Jing, worried that the word might upset her. But this action seemed to be misinterpreted by Gu Ximian, who also turned her head. “Do you need to ask for her permission before revealing the specific content of the command? Alright then. Ling Jing, what command did Zhuang Chi give you? Can you tell me?”

Suddenly being called upon, Ling Jing was so startled that she practically jumped in her seat. She shot her head up to look at Gu Ximian, held her gaze for about two seconds, then, as if unable to withstand it, averted her eyes to Zhuang Chi. Her cat-like, light-colored eyes were filled with disbelief, as if she were silently seeking confirmation from Zhuang Chi: Is Gu Ximian talking to me? Is this a command?

…The latter part might have been something Zhuang Chi imagined, but she just felt that kind of atmosphere. Zhuang Chi didn’t know how to react either. Ling Jing herself slowly came to her senses, a mix of excitement, caution, and apprehension making her speak with extreme care, not daring to add a single extra word. “She told me not to bring my hawk to school anymore.”

Gu Ximian’s eyebrow twitched. She then looked at Zhuang Chi. Though faint, a smile did indeed appear on her lips, making Zhuang Chi’s heart pound. Fortunately, she spoke quickly. “You… you really only make such simple requests of everyone, don’t you.”

Ah. Zhuang Chi paused. Was she talking about what happened between them in the infirmary before…?

But Gu Ximian didn’t elaborate on the topic. Instead, she suddenly looked at Ling Jing again and smiled. “Ling Jing, you should be glad that Zhuang Chi is such a good person.”

“If I were Zhuang Chi,” Gu Ximian thought for a moment, a faint smile gracing her lips as she spoke to her with a gentle expression, “I think I would have first let your hawk scratch your arm three times to see how it feels.”

““…””

The other two at the table shuddered in unison. Zhuang Chi looked at Ling Jing’s stiff posture and pale face, silently resolving to never, ever get on Gu Ximian’s bad side in the future.

“I think I’m a little hungry.”

Gu Ximian’s expression quickly softened as she nonchalantly changed the subject. Zhuang Chi wondered why she didn’t explain it away as “just kidding” this time. Didn’t that mean she was being serious just now? But the next moment, she saw Gu Ximian lean towards her quite naturally, her gaze falling on her lunch tray. “Your lunch looks delicious. Which counter did you get it from?”

“Ah, it’s over there in the middle, probably the third one to the right of that white pillar…”

Although she hadn’t quite processed everything, she answered honestly out of reflex. But the more Zhuang Chi gestured, the more she felt it was difficult to pinpoint the exact location of a counter in St. Blaisedon’s massive cafeteria. Gu Ximian also looked like she didn’t quite understand where she was pointing. So, Zhuang Chi hesitated and stood up. “…Or I could take you there?”

To be honest, she thought she would be rejected. But Gu Ximian just blinked, looking a little embarrassed, and replied, “Is that okay? Won’t it be too much trouble for you?”

And so, they left Ling Jing all alone and went to get food for Gu Ximian. Zhuang Chi still hadn’t quite sorted out what was happening, but seeing that Gu Ximian seemed to be in a good mood, she relaxed a little.

…She’s so hard to read, Zhuang Chi thought. Gu Ximian’s thoughts and moods. As expected, she’s not as easy to understand as other people.

And Gu Ximian, the person who was causing her to rack her brains, followed quietly half a step behind her. After they had walked more than halfway, she suddenly called out, “Zhuang Chi.”

She stopped at the call. Just as she turned her head, she saw Gu Ximian abruptly lower her head to her and say softly, “Just now… I had some preconceived notions that painted you in a very bad light. I’m sorry.”

…Thoughts? Zhuang Chi was stunned for a moment. Her first thought was, why would Gu Ximian apologize for a thought? It wasn’t even spoken aloud. Weren’t her personal standards a bit too strict? She probably couldn’t do the same. Thinking this, she nodded with a hint of admiration. “Oh, it’s okay.”

“…” Gu Ximian looked at her and suddenly asked, “Aren’t you going to ask what I was thinking?”

Why bring it up herself? Zhuang Chi looked back blankly and asked in return, “…Do… you want me to ask?”

“No. And even if you asked, I wouldn’t tell you. After all, they were negative thoughts about you. Saying them out loud would feel like I’m insulting you.”

…Then why did she even ask that question? And saying it like that actually made her a little curious—how would Gu Ximian insult someone? Would she also use words like “idiot” or “moron”? It was a little hard to imagine.

But Gu Ximian, having piqued her interest, clearly had no intention of explaining further. She just curved her eyes at her, her voice becoming a little more cheerful. “I just felt I should apologize. Just think of it as me satisfying my own conscience.”

“Is it that counter over there?” She smoothly pushed the conversation forward, pointing to a spot not far away. “I’ll go buy my food then. I’ll be right back. Please wait for me for a moment.”

After saying that, she left on her own. Zhuang Chi, left with no room to interject, stared blankly at her back, and finally, resigned, stepped to the side to obediently wait for her as requested.

…So, did she make up an excuse to be alone with me just to apologize? Zhuang Chi wondered. Should I say Gu Ximian is earnest, or that she just does whatever she wants? Hmm…

Whatever the case, Gu Ximian might be as hard to grasp as a cloud in the sky, but… Zhuang Chi hadn’t been classified as an opponent by her yet—that much seemed certain.