Chapter 62 Casting a Brick to Lure Jade
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, locking gazes across the crowd. Those pupils, seeming to hold stars within them, fixed their sight on me.
I immediately panicked. A Liang had explicitly warned me not to make eye contact with Xu Jiaojiao. And yet, I’d only glanced over and our eyes had met.
My mind went blank. The only question repeating in my head was: *Am I affected?*
To figure this out, I activated Thought Acceleration and began to analyze my own condition.
The answer I got was: No.
This was the conclusion after a thorough self-examination. Although I didn’t know why, I felt no affection for Xu Jiaojiao.
Perhaps the effect was delayed, or perhaps it was ineffective on me. At least for now, I seemed unaffected.
However! I couldn’t relax or breathe a sigh of relief.
Because she was still looking at me. If I made any move that conveyed my relief at her ability being ineffective, she would know. This would be equivalent to revealing my identity.
At that point, Lian Bing and I, trapped in enemy territory, would become the targets of everyone’s ire.
After an accelerated thought process led me to this conclusion, I took action. I continued to wave my arm and shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Adult Jiaojiao is so amazing!”
Finally, her gaze shifted away from me, and she continued singing.
…
I let out a long sigh internally. That was a close call. My stiff body hadn’t recovered yet, and before I could wipe the forced smile off my face, her eyes were on me again!
It wasn’t over yet; she was still suspicious of me.
I hadn’t expected it to turn into a tug-of-war. I continued to act like a fanatical admirer of Xu Jiaojiao, feeling my spirit draining away.
It was difficult to make a mentally unstable person act normal, but it was equally difficult for a normal person to pretend to be mentally unstable.
“How was it, you little piggies? Was it good?”
“So good! OOOOOOOHHHHH! xN”
Their unity was terrifying. If Xu Jiaojiao ordered them to die, they would probably do so without hesitation.
Looking at them now, she kind of reminded me of a certain woman named Kiara. I’d been playing a game about her recently. But in terms of her actions and speech, she was more like a certain boisterous dragon-girl.
What kind of existence was she to these men? Why did they pursue her like this? Didn’t they want to possess her? If so, wouldn’t conflict be inevitable? Such questions swirled in my mind.
I still felt nothing. Was it truly ineffective on me?
Perhaps it was because I was the Master of Destiny Power that I wasn’t affected.
I didn’t realize I had fallen into my old habit again, suddenly lost in thought. When alone, I always ignored my surroundings.
However, my body continued to wave its arms, my eyes becoming vacant, just like everyone else around me.
But this was counterproductive.
After the song ended, the venue fell silent, and I was the only one still waving my arms like a robot. It wasn’t until Lian Bing pinched my thigh that I snapped back to reality.
Damn it… I missed my chance!
I’ve definitely been noticed now!
Lian Bing moved away from me and crouched down, ducking away. My eyes caught a glimpse of her underwear—black lace. Lian Bing, you really do like black, and it suits you.
“Hey! You over there!”
From a distance, Xu Jiaojiao pointed at me! The boys who had been blocking me earlier parted like the Red Sea, exposing me alone.
What the…
My heart leaped. Was I exposed? If so, I should use Calamity from the Mouth to suppress everyone present to ensure Lian Bing’s safety…
But Xu Jiaojiao didn’t immediately order her surroundings to capture me. Instead, she beckoned me with her finger.
“Come here in front of me!”
I decided to observe further and walked nervously before her.
“I’m asking you, why were you waving by yourself just now? I’ve already finished singing!”
The best answer was flattery and sycophancy, anything to say something pleasant. “Good!”
“Adult Jiaojiao! I really, really like you! I was so lost in your singing just now that I couldn’t stop myself!”
Her first reaction was surprise, as if she hadn’t expected me to say such a thing. Then, her confident smile returned.
“Hehehehe~ You have some taste. You’re the first one to compliment my singing~ It seems you’re a step above these little piggies~”
But in this intensely uncomfortable situation, I felt relieved. She didn’t seem to have noticed.
Phew, even my terrible acting could fool her. It seems this girl isn’t very bright either.
They say big chests mean no brains, but Xu Jiaojiao doesn’t have big chests, nor did her IQ increase. She’s a disappointing girl in every aspect.
“Alright! I’ve decided! You’ll be my follower! What’s your name? I like you!”
I was stunned by this sudden declaration. But when faced with a dilemma, activate Thought Acceleration.
Initiating Thought Acceleration, entering the state of ‘second-thinking’, refusing to be flustered.
So, should I use my real name here?
If she was a Master of Destiny or a Fated Witch, she might have heard of me. Last time, Ji Zhibai informed me that as a Master of Destiny, I was quite famous in the hidden world, even earning the title ‘Calamity of the North.’
Thinking about it, revealing my real name wasn’t a wise move. But what fake name…
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck me. I recalled the fake name Li Nai had used: Lin Ai. The pinyin pronunciation was the same, just the segmentation was different.
So, I could move the ‘g’ from the end of An Juncheng to before ‘an,’ making it Gan Junchen.
“Yes! Adult Jiaojiao! My name is Gan Junchen!”
“Excellent! Then I’ll call you Xiao Chenzi! Hehehehe, you’re the first little piggy I’m calling by name~ Be proud of that!”
Xiao Chenzi? What kind of nickname is that? Like a eunuch’s name? Honestly, that’s still sort of calling me by my name.
Fortunately, she didn’t pick the character ‘Jun.’ So, Xiao Chenzi it is, as long as it’s not my real name.
This condescending attitude is insufferably narcissistic.
Well, after all, being in such a crowd-pleasing environment, it’s natural she’d feel superior to others.
“Wait a minute, that school uniform isn’t from our school. Are you from Shui Gao?”
“Yes!”
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“…Alright, then I’ll transfer to Shui Gao too! Hey! Baldy, handle my transfer!”
…She’s going to our school! Her decision-making is too hasty! My fake name was completely pointless!
“Understood! Adult Jiaojiao!”
This person called ‘Baldy’ might be the head of Lin Zhong… He was at the very front, acting like a super-fan amongst the fans.
I truly wonder what the principal’s wife and daughters would think of him in this state.
“Then, Xiao Chenzi, you can go back for today! I’ll come find you tomorrow! Await my grand arrival! Hehehehe~”
“Yes! Adult Jiaojiao! No problem, Adult Jiaojiao!”
Hooray! Retreat! Worth it!
Let’s get out of here, this place shouldn’t be lingered in.
First, I pretended to be reluctant and said a bunch of disgusting things. When the bell for Evening Study Session rang and Xu Jiaojiao ordered everyone to leave, I blended into the crowd and left the gymnasium.
I sprinted to the bicycle shed. Lian Bing was already waiting for me.
It wasn’t time to talk yet. After picking up Lian Bing, I immediately said.
“Charge! Timewarp! Take me home!”
Timewarp is the name I gave this bicycle. Saying that line was to activate the spatial transfer ability… Well, it was actually Ryleian’s eyes on the bicycle receiving my words and helping me transfer.
In an instant, I was back at my doorstep. Only then did I finally relax, letting out a long breath.
Wow, I really dodged a bullet this time. I felt like I was constantly teetering on the brink of discovery. Fortunately, I managed to bluff my way through in the end.
“Master, are you alright?”
“Ah, I’m fine. It seems her ability is ineffective on me. Don’t worry, I didn’t fall for her.”
“Hehehehe, I knew you wouldn’t be easily captured. And that tactic of casting a brick to lure jade was brilliant.”
“I also didn’t expect her to consider transferring to our school because of me… In any case, if she really transfers, she’ll be entering our territory. Then we can easily subdue her and extract information.”
The Destiny Power she must have consumed to gather so many people again couldn’t be small. She probably wouldn’t burn her lifespan, so the time would be longer.
“I think it would be better to continue with the current development rather than confronting her directly.”
“En? What do you mean?”
Lian Bing meant for me to continue the act. I had also considered this approach. Continuing to get close to her could yield information, but my time was running out. A direct approach would be faster, so I had discarded that plan.
“Since she’s decided to transfer to our school, continuing to pretend to like her would be more beneficial to the current situation.”
“Beneficial? In what way? And who am I acting for?”
Lian Bing must have a reason for recommending I continue acting. The key was who I was acting for.
“Hehehehe, of course, for everyone to see. But primarily for the two younger sisters.”
“Xinran and Keying?”
“Yes. This way, you won’t have to worry so much about your sisters anymore. You can just pretend to be infatuated with another woman and have no concern for them.”
“Wouldn’t that be even worse… It’s like adding fuel to the fire!”
Given Xinran and Keying’s current state, ignoring them and acting infatuated with another woman… wouldn’t that make their emotions even more volatile!
Hehehehe, now is the time for accelerated reaction, that is, ‘change.’ Well, this is just my suggestion, you don’t have to…
“I understand. I trust you. So, I just need to continue the act, right?”
Although I didn’t know what the final outcome would be, since Lian Bing had given me advice, it was best to follow it.
“Yes, no… You really trust me.”
“Helping Master solve his troubles is part of a maid’s duties, isn’t it?”
…Hehehehe, you are right. My dear Master, I will always be by your side.
That is precisely what I expect.
