Chapter 12: What’s Your Relationship?
As life gradually settled into a routine, it dawned upon me that the world hadn’t actually stopped spinning for me. Humans tend to be narcissistic, not only exaggerating their own importance but also attributing success to themselves and failure to external factors. The results of the challenging mock exam were finally released on the third day. Many students sighed and lamented, blaming the exam setters for their lack of empathy, yet they conveniently overlooked Lu Li’s top score.
It’s better this way, less attention on me, Lu Li consoled himself. Their attitudes towards him were genuine. While they admired his academic achievements, their backgrounds prevented them from befriending an orphan who could barely afford to eat.
A steed of a thousand li* is common, but a discerning judge is rare, he thought to himself, not without a hint of narcissism.
(T/N): Many talented individuals
But there was one discerning judge: Chu Jingyi. After retrieving a copy of the results from the office, the class monitor excitedly grabbed Lu Li’s shoulders, congratulating him on his transformation. In her eyes, Lu Li going from his usual lackadaisical self to achieving first place was nothing short of a metamorphosis. Although her words stung a little, Lu Li still smiled and nodded.
The class elections were also held over the past two days, and unsurprisingly, Chu Jingyi was elected as class monitor.
During her speech, she was dignified, articulate, and sincere, a stark contrast to her usual self. Lu Li even wondered if she had a split personality, switching to her “serious mode” with a hidden button on her chest – or perhaps “cyber girl” was a more fitting description.
Yeah, the “class monitor” and “cyber girl” personas went surprisingly well together. She’d fit right into a holographic projection, appearing with the flick of a switch and announcing, “Greetings, I am Artificial Intelligence Unit Chu Jingyi, at your service.”
Lost in his thoughts, Lu Li suddenly felt An Baili playfully pinching his left earlobe.
“What are you doing?” He frowned, feigning annoyance. As expected, An Baili withdrew her hand and retreated.
“I’ve been having stomachaches at night. Can you accompany me to the hospital this weekend… I’m scared to go alone…”
Lu Li gave her an amused smile. You’re scared? You were ready to die together with me, but you’re afraid of a little hospital visit? He didn’t bother responding. Silence was a hundred times better than outright rejection in this situation. In the end, An Baili was just clinging to his care. With enough consistent coldness, he could make her give up.
He wasn’t fond of using the silent treatment, as it fundamentally damaged relationships. Interacting with loved ones was an exchange of emotions. If one party remained indifferent, it was no different from having a relationship with a fictional character. At least those characters could still utter heartwarming lines under the direction of their creators.
“I was thinking of going to the tech mall this weekend. Want to come along?”
To the hospital one minute, to the tech mall the next. You sure are versatile.
Seeing Lu Li remain stubbornly silent, his gaze fixed elsewhere, An Baili whispered, “If you spend the weekend with me, I’ll spend the night with you. I’m still a virgin, you know, and quite young…”
Lu Li couldn’t bear to listen any longer. He felt like An Baili was degrading herself.
He abruptly stood up and walked out of the classroom, bumping into the approaching class monitor.
Chu Jingyi was carrying a stack of test papers, her slender, fair arms a stark contrast to the yellowed paper. It was evident that she was struggling with the weight. In this situation, Lu Li should have offered to help. It was a perfect opportunity to get closer to the innocent girl.
But he didn’t. He didn’t want to escape An Baili’s vortex only to get caught in another uncontrollable entanglement. So, he simply feigned ignorance, mumbled a greeting, and continued walking towards the door.
The class monitor, with her simple mind, couldn’t comprehend Lu Li’s complex thoughts. She just wondered if he was skipping class again.
“Lu Li, where are you going? Class is about to start. We have a pop quiz next period.”
“I’m going to the computer lab.”
“Hey, you can’t skip class.”
“Thanks, class monitor!” Lu Li waved goodbye with a smile. He knew that deep down, Chu Jingyi was a soft touch, just like him. Even if she didn’t verbally condone his truancy, she would still turn a blind eye when it came to attendance. After all, hadn’t he gotten away with it last year? It was all about knowing how to handle people.
Being “handled” wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It gave others the illusion of control. At least in Lu Li’s eyes, the class monitor was partially controllable, while An Baili was not. That was why he preferred being around Chu Jingyi.
Upon arriving at the computer lab, he was greeted by blessed silence, save for the sound of a prematurely balding programmer typing away. Noticing Lu Li’s arrival, Mr. Chen scoffed, “His Majesty, gracing us with his presence again? Skipping class, I presume?”
Although his teacher, Mr. Chen wasn’t that much older. He had just graduated from university, and his relationship with Lu Li was more akin to that of bickering friends. Mr. Chen was socially awkward, timid during computer class but surprisingly aggressive in private. What baffled Lu Li was how such a man could have a girlfriend.
Lu Li pulled up a chair and sat beside Mr. Chen. “What are you working on, Mr. Chen? Another auto-reply program for your girlfriend? She didn’t dump you last time?”
Mr. Chen flushed, suddenly resembling Kong Yiji from Lu Xun’s stories. Lu Li thought he’d look quite fitting in a faded indigo robe.
“This is serious business. I’m working on a project. If it goes well, I might get hired full-time.” Mr. Chen grumbled. “Then I won’t have to teach you lot anymore. How do you even get away with skipping class all the time, Your Majesty? Aren’t you afraid of getting expelled?”
“His Majesty” was just Mr. Chen’s sarcastic nickname for Lu Li, alluding to his seemingly untouchable status in school. Despite constantly skipping class and scaling the school walls, he remained unscathed.
Of course, Lu Li wouldn’t be expelled. He had his dear class monitor to cover for him. Using the right people in the right places – that was what made him clever. Human society was like a spider web, with each node made up of people. It was impossible to achieve anything without navigating these human connections. This was something that Mr. Chen, with his social anxiety, struggled with immensely.
“You focus on your work. I’m going to use that computer. Can you grant me access?” Lu Li picked up his external hard drive from Mr. Chen’s desk drawer.
Speaking of which, this hard drive was one of Lu Li’s few valuable possessions – at least more valuable than his 100 yuan outfits. It contained a backup of his game’s demo version, along with some other things that any hot-blooded young man might possess. Lu Li had decided that if he were ever to die suddenly, he would crawl back home and format the hard drive before breathing his last. Only then could he rest in peace.
He had completed the game’s framework last year, using a free engine. As a solo developer, the optimization was poor, and the asset utilization was low. His main goals for this year were to flesh out the story and improve the underlying code. Of course, he planned to freeload off Mr. Chen for the latter.
Lu Li rewrote the first chapter of the story. After repeated revisions and testing, the demo version was finally starting to look decent, except for the free assets that clashed with the game’s style.
Thinking about the art style reminded him of Wen Hupo. He had asked around at school, but there was no one by that name, or rather, no Shirley Amber. Perhaps she was still overseas, receiving an elite education. He still couldn’t comprehend what had caused their falling out in his past life. He vaguely remembered commenting on her recent use of color, and the usually quiet Wen Hupo had suddenly erupted, unleashing a torrent of insults before packing her bags and leaving the next day.
Had he done something wrong?
Lost in thought, Lu Li was startled by two small heads poking through the doorway like curious kittens, their eyes darting around. Chu Jingyi and An Baili’s suspicious lurking finally caught Mr. Chen’s attention. He looked up at Lu Li, who was sitting at the back. “Your Majesty, you have visitors!”
Only then did Lu Li notice the two girls looking at him with a mix of apprehension and hope. He walked over with a wry smile. “Come in, it’s alright. Mr. Chen doesn’t bite.” He directed his words at Chu Jingyi, pretending that An Baili didn’t exist.
Chu Jingyi, still holding An Baili’s hand, entered the lab and politely greeted Mr. Chen.
The trio reached the back of the lab where Lu Li’s computer screen displayed the game interface. Chu Jingyi excitedly moved the mouse. “Can I try it?” She looked like a child who had just received a new toy, eager to play but unsure how to start.
Looking at Chu Jingyi’s profile, Lu Li couldn’t help but find the class monitor’s naiveté endearing.
While he observed Chu Jingyi, An Baili was observing him. Just as he admired the scenery, he too was part of someone else’s landscape. However, An Baili’s heart was far from at ease. She felt a pang of jealousy. She hated it when Lu Li looked at others with such tenderness. The thought of it would keep her up at night, a sharp pain stabbing at her heart.
She was deeply insecure, perhaps due to her low self-esteem or her timidity. There was no such thing as “yandere” in the real world, only antisocial personality disorder. People would steer clear of such individuals in real life. However, when an extremely timid person finally snapped, that was when their “illness” manifested.
And An Baili was ill.
Subconsciously, she sought her cure. Her hand reached out for Lu Li’s, desperate to hold onto him, to act coquettishly like she used to, demanding his attention. However, her hand froze midway, stopped by Lu Li’s icy glare. She withdrew it, like a child caught misbehaving.
Don’t be like this… Please…
“It’s just a demo version. There are still many rough edges,” Lu Li explained to the class monitor. “Are you classes over?”
It should be “your” classes, not “you” classes… An Baili corrected him internally. She knew Lu Li was doing this on purpose. They were once husband and wife, after all. His deliberate coldness only convinced her further that he still cared.
“Yeah, we came here as soon as class ended. We have a free period next, so I brought Baili along to check it out.”
Chu Jingyi, please stop smiling, stop chatting so happily with my Lu Li… An Baili felt increasingly uncomfortable. The two of them looked so well-suited, laughing and talking. The boy was handsome and clean-cut, the girl beautiful and elegant. They were dazzling, their light so bright she could barely keep her eyes open. It was as if she were the outsider.
Driven by a sudden urge, An Baili desperately needed to reaffirm her place in Lu Li’s heart. With an air of reckless determination, she grabbed his hand. It was as warm as she remembered. Just holding his hand brought her a sense of comfort, like snuggling under a warm blanket on a winter day or being wrapped in a cozy duvet with the air conditioner on full blast during summer.
However, Lu Li’s reaction was startling. He abruptly pulled his hand away, his voice sharp. “What are you doing?”
An Baili’s eyes welled up, but she remained silent, standing there looking utterly heartbroken.
Chu Jingyi was stunned. “What’s wrong, Lu Li?”
Lu Li realized he had overreacted. An Baili’s sudden gesture didn’t warrant such a drastic response. His exaggerated reaction had even alerted Chu Jingyi.
Never treat others like fools, for it only makes a fool of yourself. Chu Jingyi was no fool. Her voice was sharp as she asked, “What… is your relationship?”
Leave a Reply