Chapter 110: Acting
Jian Yu looked at Shi Zhao’s matter-of-fact expression and couldn’t help but start muttering to herself.
’Pin down Ling Yanzhi and the others?’
’That’s not something a socially anxious person like me can do.’
’If what I liked in my heart could match what I said out loud, it wouldn’t be called avoidant attachment.’
It’s not easy to get a tight-lipped person to show what they truly care about without holding back or hiding it.
’Besides, apart from the interest and doting they’ve shown so far, Ling Yanzhi and the others might have other intentions and plans, right?’
It wasn’t self-deprecation; she genuinely believed that aside from her face and her curvy figure, she was a person with very little charm.
When she tried to act like an extrovert, she always messed things up, only realizing after replaying it in her mind at night that others found her jokes awkward.
’If I turn into some lust-crazed woman and pounce on Ling Yanzhi and the others...’
’What if they push me away? What if they say it’s all one-sided? What if they laugh at me, end the relationship, and say they’ve gotten tired of playing?’
Jian Yu anxiously kicked at the cold, gleaming floor of the lab with the toe of her shoe.
’Can’t I just let... let them be the ones to take the initiative completely?’
’That kind of thing... if I’m the one in control, it’s so boring. It doesn’t feel exciting at all.’
Jian Yu pressed her lips together, her gaze resentfully drifting down to stare at her own pretty shoes.
The handsome profile of Xi Yu flashed through her mind—kneeling before her, lifting her leg to rest on his thigh as he put on her socks and shoes.
Jian Yu gave a slight shake of her head.
’My ’taking the initiative’ isn’t as simple, crude, and direct as Shi Zhao makes it out to be.’
’I have to use a little cunning, force them to take action, to come to me on their own initiative.’
’As long as the goal is achieved, that’s all that matters.’
"I..." Jian Yu summoned her courage and looked up.
Seeing her hesitate for so long, Shi Zhao asked tentatively, "You don’t like Ling Yanzhi? Do you want to switch to Pei Yin?"
’Speaking of which, isn’t there a third one?’
"The boss is Ling, Xiao Si is Pei... so who are numbers two and three?"
Jian Yu opened her mouth, unable to withstand Shi Zhao’s casual questions.
The burst of courage she had just mustered vanished without a trace.
’A three-person relationship... isn’t the third person the ’other woman’?’
’Ling Yanzhi is the boss, so Xi Yu is the other man?’
’That doesn’t seem right. I got confused by what Pei Yin said about a love triangle.’
Jian Yu shook her head, bewildered. "There are only three. The other one is Xi Yu."
’And then there’s Sheng Yue, who’s been running hot and cold. Are we in some ambiguous, flirtatious stage?’
Shi Zhao was a little dazed. ’Does the Little Leader always get to feast like this right from the start?’
"You’ve taken in that weirdo Xi Yu too?"
Every single one of them is a new rising star in the interstellar scene.
Their tempers might be a bit odd, but their looks, bodies, and strengths are all top-notch, each one better than the last.
Shi Zhao furrowed her brow.
’What if the Little Leader develops expensive tastes?’
’Will I have to help the Little Leader find a few more handsome men to keep in reserve?’
"So, what’s the Little Leader’s plan?"
Shi Zhao had an all-or-nothing expression on her face.
"Are they still trying to string you along, being unwilling? No problem. One a day, I can help you capture them one by one."
’Don’t ask why it’s one by one. She can’t beat two of them at once.’
’Against Xi Yu and Ling Yanzhi, she might even need to use some tricks.’
Jian Yu responded a beat too late, "No need. I have a plan."
She looked up and beckoned with her finger. "You’re going to help me."
Shi Zhao leaned in to listen, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
’Does it have to be this complicated?’
’The energy inside the Little Leader that needs to be stimulated... why does it sound like fear, shock, and anger?’
’Is this what the Little Leader likes? For some reason, this feels a little off to her.’
Jian Yu sat primly. "When the time comes, just pretend you can’t beat them, abandon me, run away, and say you’ll be back. That’s all you need to do."
’If we follow my plan step by step, I refuse to believe Ling Yanzhi and the others won’t react.’
’What’s the essence of a forced-love scenario? It’s she flees, they imprison, and neither side compromises.’
’This way, they’ll think that I previously lacked the ability to resist and was only pretending to be obedient.’
Jian Yu blinked. "What do you think? Can you act the part? If not, we can switch to another plan."
She also had a Plan B.
Shi Zhao’s proud, awkward gaze wavered. "No need to act. I really can’t beat them."
A Primordial Beast is stronger than an Awakener of the same Level, but she was a Level 2S.
She and Pei Yin were on roughly the same level; if she fought seriously, she could win.
As for Ling Yanzhi and Xi Yu, their strength ran too deep. She really wasn’t confident.
’I can’t be expected to be like Sister Ai Yi and just unleash all my energy, can I? That would take a long time to recover from, and it’d be easy to hurt innocent people by accident.’
At this point, Shi Zhao understood what Jian Yu wanted to do.
She didn’t understand it, but she would do as she was told. She could even help with the scheming.
As Jian Yu was pondering how to phrase the message, Shi Zhao decisively took action. "I’ll do it!"
And so...
Sheng Yue and Xi Yu finished their meeting and received a school withdrawal and transfer application from Jian Yu.
Duan Feiye had just stepped out for a walk and was nearly run over by a sprinting Yin Jiu.
Pei Yin discovered that on his turf, the accessway to Zone Five had been forced open.
Ling Yanzhi sensed something was wrong, burst into the lab, and found it completely empty—not a single person in sight.
...
Blue sky, white clouds, and below, students bustled to and fro.
The wind blew against her face. Jian Yu sat in front of Shi Zhao, reaching out to grab the horns of her mount for stability.
A light mist dissipated through her fingers in an instant.
Jian Yu fell into deep thought.
’I can sit on it, and I can hold onto it. So it’s not fake?’
Shi Zhao’s ears twitched. "We don’t have Soul Beasts. What you’re seeing is my beast form, but it’s not the real me. It’s a physical Soul Beast that I’ve materialized based on my own beast form."
Jian Yu pulled her fingers back, her head feeling a little dizzy.
She didn’t dare to look around, her face pale as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Everyone says Primordial Beasts have ugly beast forms."
Shi Zhao didn’t notice her fear of heights, alternately speeding up and slowing down.
She was worried Ling Yanzhi and the others wouldn’t be able to catch up, but also worried they would catch up too quickly.
Shi Zhao glanced back twice and explained, "We’re not ugly at all. The Leader deliberately had us disguise ourselves as large Fierce Beasts to scare people off, just to prevent outsiders from intruding."
Jian Yu’s breath hitched, and her squinted eyes slowly widened.
Several figures appeared before her.
White with ice-blue star patterns, jet black with scarlet ribbons, light purple with moon-white damask, and turquoise-green with iridescent white trim.
The sharp presence of the four colored chief uniforms intertwined to create an intimidating aura.
Shi Zhao raised an eyebrow. "That was pretty fast."
She looked at Sheng Yue in confusion. ’Why is the ice block face here too?’
’Weren’t there only three?’
Ling Yanzhi’s tone was impatient. "Since you came all this way, why not stay and catch up? In such a hurry to abduct our person?"
He said the word "our" very slowly, with a deliberate pause.
Jian Yu still wanted to put on an act, to show them what stubbornness and non-compromise looked like.
But then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a tentacle that blotted out the sky, and her gaze trembled.
’Plans can’t keep up with changes.’
’Why did Xi Yu use his ultimate move right off the bat?’
A shadow fell over them. Jian Yu’s body was lifted into the air, her waist bound by the tentacle as she was carried away.
Jian Yu turned her head and blinked at Shi Zhao.
Shi Zhao held back her frustration.
She made a few sloppy moves and hastily ran off, calling out, "I’ll be back!"