It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 130

 

ITOTIABSAM | Interstellar Orcs | 130

Controlling favorable public opinion within a moderate range naturally required some behind-the-scenes manipulation.

With the test results from 1101 confirming the presence of the incurable Sleeping Beauty Syndrome, Xie Ye's body was otherwise healthy. The remnants of the illegal drugs had been metabolized completely, which meant there was no direct evidence to incarcerate Xie Tianhua overnight.

"Even if it's just plain kidnapping, it's enough to give him a hard time," multitasking, Anna sat on the sofa a short distance away without looking up. "Of course, your safety comes first."

Moreover, with countless netizens watching, even if the federal government dug deep, they would have to unearth the evidence destroyed by Xie Tianhua and Xie Haiguo.

The vast disparity in power made it clear that any ordinary citizen couldn't withstand scrutiny from the state machinery.

Consciously sitting by the bedside, Gu Cong raised his hand and handed a sliced apple to Xie Ye.

"When the police come to question, how do you plan to explain?" Anna, with her back against the entire PR department, covered all angles. "After all, we did set a trap for those two scumbags."

Xie Ye hadn't been imprisoned for long, so this matter couldn't be kept from the authorities.

Despite regaining his freedom, delaying reporting to the police and staying out of the public eye could easily be misconstrued by certain media outlets, stirring up speculation.

Plot twists and turns always garnered the most attention.

"Sleeping Beauty Syndrome," with the apple balanced on the blade of the knife, Xie Ye opened his mouth and took a small bite from Gu Cong's hand. "After escaping from the warehouse in my animal form, I ran to my boyfriend's house for help based on memory, then fell into a coma. Despite debunking rumors during that time, Xie Tianhua and Xie Haiguo still didn't believe it. Any questions?"

Boyfriend.

The casually mentioned explanation finally made Anna briefly lift her head from her work.

How should she put it, even though she had already mentally prepared herself, hearing this word coming from Xie Ye's mouth felt awkward no matter how you looked at it.

Especially in Anna's impression, since graduating, he was practically no different from a work machine, occasionally smiling, but only to deal with business matters, polite yet distant.

Seeing him now, leaning on the hospital bed obediently being fed, with his cheeks slightly puffed up in a cute manner, Anna couldn't help but feel that she had never seen him like this before.

And when has he ever eaten snacks outside of regular meals? Even if it's just fruit.

With a lively system residing in his mind, Xie Ye easily read the doubt in Anna's eyes, intentionally blinking his eyelashes, which were lighter than usual: "I can't just tell the police he's my bed partner, can I?"

"Cough!"

Known for her calm and decisive demeanor in the industry, Anna couldn't hold back and coughed heavily.

Mainly because Xie Ye looked like he was carved out of snow, his facial features exquisite, but overshadowed by his hair color and complexion, making the term "bed partner" sound too romantic and flirtatious.

Not to mention Gu Cong, who was cutting another small piece of fresh apple next to him, still gentle in his movements, with a smile in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows. 

Anna inexplicably felt a chill creeping up her spine, as if she had accidentally stumbled into a large beast's territory, fearing that if she blinked again, Gu Cong would give her boss a knife to the throat with no hesitation.

However, it didn't happen.

Click.

The sharp blade was aimed at himself, and Gu Cong handed the naughty cat another sweet and juicy apple.

Alright, indeed worthy of a CEO, playing around like this.

Sensing that it wasn't suitable to linger here for too long, yet, adhering to the professional ethics of an employee, Anna withstood the pressure and completed the PR process with Xie Ye.

After eating half of the apple, seemingly casually, Gu Cong stood up. "I'll go pour some hot water."

He completely forgot that there was a professional medical service robot waiting in the corridor.

Involving business matters, aside from Xie Ye, Anna maintained a skeptical attitude towards anyone, even if the person could potentially be the future boss lady. Confirming that Gu Cong's figure disappeared, she straightened up and asked the question she was most concerned about: "What about the three percent of shares?"

Anna had never been entirely convinced of Xie Ye, this excessively young "chairman." She was well aware of Wang Li's wavering, but at the time, Xie Ye said he had a way to handle it, so she didn't intervene.

Even if it was an online transaction, the shares still needed to be transferred to the name of a legitimate citizen. After all, any change exceeding five percent required reporting to the Securities Regulatory Commission. In the interstellar era, there was even more stringent monitoring by the super AI. 

With Xie Ye holding 46% of the cards, even a minute change, whether it was an increase or decrease of 0.01%, would expose the other party's plan to fake a disappearance.

As the assistant and friend who was perceived to be closest to Xie Ye by outsiders, Anna understood early on that she would not be the chosen candidate. Too many forces were watching, and Anna knew she wasn't the one.

Seemingly suspecting why the question was asked when the answer was already apparent, Xie Ye frowned, tilted his head, and casually glanced at the apple marked with the knife scar.

Anna made an effort to control her volume. "Gu Cong?!"

Xie Ye remained composed. "Yes." Someone who didn't guard against him at all. In the old days, all the unencrypted personal information was in his original brain. He could operate it without the need for a system.

"Forgive me for being blunt," Anna carefully chose her words, emphasizing certain ones, "Are you so generous with every 'bed partner'?"

Perhaps a single company like Ark Tech might not be enough to squander.

A boyfriend was a boyfriend. Who dared to meddle in the boss's office romance? Especially when the other party had just deceived her so seriously.

...Wait a minute, maybe he wasn't deceiving her but "deceiving" Gu Cong.

"There was no confession." In a meticulously chosen hospital with excellent security measures, specially made glass was enough to block all flying and running cameras. Due to Xie Ye's personal habits, most of the curtains were drawn, but a few rays of sunlight still filtered through, casting a light golden hue on the young man, making him almost transparent, like a snow peak with a halo of light.

Facing Anna's evident confusion, the young man lifted his eyes and said seriously, "He didn't confess."

For a moment, Anna didn't know how to respond.

It was evident that these two had already done things that could truly be called intimate, but Xie Ye's idea that a confession was needed to confirm their relationship made her feel unexpectedly innocent.

"Someone taught me," recalling a hug backstage at a concert, faintly smelling of sweat, Xie Ye's gaze drifted off, "I need to reassure him."

But of course, she didn't want to let a certain blockhead get what he wanted so easily.

Anna: I don't understand, but I'm deeply impressed.

She had certainly seen Xie Ye's smiling face before, raising a glass at a dinner party, in front of a microphone during interviews. However, this smile, so soft, as if soaking an entire snow peak in spring water, was something she had never seen before.

The curve was faint, fleeting.

It was like an illusion, fleeting.

"As long as you're happy," Anna felt she had no right to speak about her boss's personal feelings. Even from a friend's perspective, she couldn't fully understand his thoughts, nor could she offer reliable advice.

On the other hand, Gu Cong, after their meeting today, seemed to be more understandable. He exuded an aura of wanting to be alone and to be close.

With both personal and professional matters discussed, Anna tactfully turned off the AI. She gave a final reminder, "There are bodyguards downstairs, and there will probably be reporters lurking around lately. Be careful. I'll send you updates about the company by email every day."

Xie Ye, now feeling under the weather after dealing with his awful father and brother, simply said, "I'm sick."

Anna was ruthless: "You've had this illness since I've known you."

In the past, she would have worried about what would happen if he collapsed and got hurt, but now with Gu Cong watching over him, she felt more at ease.

Without looking back, Anna left, pushing the door open. "Remember to reply to emails."

1101 comforted him kindly: "Cheer up, it's just work. At least it's easier to handle than being the protagonist."

But Xie Ye felt that the world's consciousness wasn't that kind. It wouldn't allow the technology that supported the protagonist's journey to fall into the hands of an outsider, even if he had cooperated with the protagonist before as a former antagonist.

However, when Gu Cong returned with water, Xie Ye didn't have the space to think about any upsetting matters anymore. He deliberately stayed outside a little longer, and Gu Cong was surprised by Anna's departure. She had taken everything with her, and he had thought she would be working here all day.

"Today is Saturday," Xie Ye reached under the pillow with his fair and slender fingers, feeling around. He took out an active AI and handed it to Gu Cong casually. "It's a recording. Do you want to listen?"

Gu Cong: ?

A recording? What recording? Evidence of Xie Tianhua's kidnapping?

"It's a recording of me and Anna," Xie Ye was never as good at comforting as Gu Cong, so he chose the most direct way. "There's nothing I need to hide from you."

His heart skipped a beat, and an indescribable warmth spread from his chest to his ears. In a daze, Gu Cong seemed to see a cat with its chin held high, reserved yet proactive, and contradictory, extending its claws to him.

So, the breath that had been stuck in his throat because of the term "bed partner" suddenly dissipated. Gu Cong raised his hand, took away the AI, but didn't look at it. Instead, he held onto Xie Ye's fingertips and said, "Got it."

"I'm glad."

Just now, he had brought over hot water, and there was still some warmth lingering on his hands. Xie Ye subconsciously held onto his hand in return, rubbing it lightly. It was as gentle as a cat pretending to casually rub against your clothes with its ears.

Only 1101 lamented: Confession! I missed such an important process of confession!

Clumsy Gu Cong.

It's such a pity for this small and helpless system.

With the rising and setting of the sun, thanks to the sufficiently twisted and bizarre "plot", the names of Xie Ye, Ark Technology, and the scummy father and brother, consecutively topped the hot searches on the interstellar network for several days.

Seizing the opportunity, the first phase of cooperation with the federal government had been implemented. Anna timely released the news of Ark Technology signing a contract with the Huo family, successfully boosting the company's stock price back to its peak, and even increasing it by a few percentage points.

After all, it's good to have a powerful backing. In the original work, the family of the main protagonist's attacker was famous throughout the federation.

On the day of his discharge from the hospital, despite the security robots blocking the way, there were still many journalists waiting nearby. Those with greater abilities even sneaked into the parking lot—especially the rooftop, because as Xie Ye, he would definitely leave in a private hovercar.

However, to everyone's surprise, the eagerly anticipated main character walked out of the main entrance just like an ordinary person, holding up a parasol to shield himself from the sun.

Because Xie Ye had a premonition of danger.

His intuition about misfortune had always been very accurate.

Considering the consistent patterns of the world consciousness over millennia, stepping into a trap proactively would probably end even more quickly.

Sure enough, as Xie Ye descended the last step of the stairs, a tiger with hanging white eyebrows suddenly leaped out from the crowd. Accompanied by the bullying of his beast form during his youth, fear was engraved into his bone marrow. It was visible to the naked eye—Xie Ye's lips lost their color, frozen in place as if petrified by the sudden appearance.

"Mr. Xie!"

"Duck!"

In the panic, everyone shouted warnings, but no one dared to approach. In peacetime, most aggressive beast forms were conscripted into the military. Everyone present was just small animals without much deterrent power. The sudden appearance of a tiger was indeed terrifying.

Tsk.

Time seemed to freeze in this instant. Xie Ye recognized the tiger as Xie Tianhua at a glance. He saw the cloudy beast pupils of the other party, perfectly portraying the stunned expression controlled by instinct, but in his heart, he was calculating whether killing a person transformed into a beast would be considered self-defense.

Unexpectedly, just as his claws were about to strike, and he was preparing to strengthen his body to throw the tiger over his shoulder, a dark shadow pounced from the side.

It was a black wolf.

Although its size was much smaller than the tiger, it easily bit down on its throat, its limbs pushing off the ground with electric force. From tail to head, with a swing of its neck, it forcefully flung the fearsome beast away, smashing it into the dust.

Its sleek and agile muscles, stretched out in a graceful manner, were simply stunning.

"Roar!" Xie Tianhua, who failed to get close to Xie Ye, naturally refused to give up. He often played hunting games with his group of friends, so he endured the pain and stood up. Using the skills he had learned, he charged forward once again...

But once again, he was flipped over onto the cold, hard floor.

This was undoubtedly a one-sided overwhelming confrontation.

Gradually, the cries of astonishment faded away, and silence spread little by little. Violence can evoke wildness, but it can also bring about fear. The smell of rust permeated the air, and the emotion called fear slowly shifted from the tiger to the black wolf.

Especially when the latter stood up covered in blood, almost everyone unconsciously took a step back.

Only the white-haired youth in the center of the crowd, holding an umbrella with one hand, stepped forward. In the moment when the black wolf was about to avoid him in remorse, he squatted down and unhesitatingly reached out to pat its head.

"Thank you for saving me."

"Gu Cong."

Once again.

Every time.

Even though most people felt that he didn't need it.

Previous TOC Next

Author's Note:

Hmm, this is the long-awaited scene from the world's introduction, finally reaching it. It's a bit wordy.