Chapter 896: Acting

Auntie Tong's words were deeply etched in my heart.

If any members of Ji Dao no longer wished to continue as part of Ji Dao, they should naturally have a better place to go.

Ji Dao was no longer what it was when it first started, and things had turned out pretty much as I expected. Now, the entire Ji Dao had a terrible reputation.

Many small and medium-sized organizations had been stirred up by Ji Dao, and some Ji Dao members were keen on causing trouble in games, which ultimately led to everyone turning against Ji Dao and no one trusting them anymore.

But this was just perfect.

All the members of Ji Dao were now isolated and without allies, yet they still believed strongly in what I said.

This dilemma would make them even more loyal. When external enemies were overwhelming, the internal structure would become more stable. It seemed like all the "Liang Ren" were collectively targeting Ji Dao and treating them as enemies, but from the perspective of Ji Dao members, it was as if everyone else was deluded while they alone saw the truth. They stood against the world, viewing the masses as foolish but still worth saving.

Even so, I would keep a close eye on those who were starting to think about leaving. They had risked their lives for Ji Dao, and no matter what, I couldn't abandon them.

If anyone came to me wanting to quit, I would recommend Tian Tang Kou as a place for them.

After seeing Auntie Tong off, I waited in the same spot for a long time, until it was almost evening, when I finally spotted that familiar figure. But there were two people approaching.

Jiang Ruoxue was walking toward me with a tall, skinny boy, glancing around as they came.

I felt a bit flustered—this was the part I wasn't good at.

A few steps later, Jiang Ruoxue saw me. Her eyes lit up with obvious delight, but she held it back and forced a very unnatural look of sadness.

"Ah..." She opened her mouth. "Zhichun...?"

"Uh... it's me." I nodded.

"Ah... I never expected to find you here..." She slowly lowered her head, showing a helpless expression.

Yes... Ruoxue, you'd better not have expected this.

"This couldn't be an illusion, could it?" Jiang Ruoxue looked at me, then glanced back at the boy. "Gu Yu, is there someone in front of me? Am I just missing her so much that I'm hallucinating?"

"This..." The boy clearly hadn't coordinated his lines with Jiang Ruoxue and was stuck. "Xue Jie... should I say I see her or I don't?"

Jiang Ruoxue blinked, then lowered her head and said, "It really is an illusion... How could she possibly come to make up with me?"

"This... you..." Gu Yu hesitated for a while, about to say something, but Jiang Ruoxue glared at him, and he swallowed his words.

"Gu Yu, I told you I had a falling out with my best friend, and now I'm so lovesick that I'm having hallucinations." Jiang Ruoxue sighed dramatically. "We should just break up."

"Break... break up...?"

Well, from the look in Gu Yu's eyes, he didn't even know when they had started dating.

"Xue Jie, don't mess with me..." Gu Yu said. "I just wanted to ask you about the Sheng Xiao thing. How did I get dragged into this?"

Jiang Ruoxue quickly glared at him again. "Stop pestering me. I've got a broken heart."

"Uh... uh, I..." Gu Yu scratched his head. "Xue Jie... you... maybe you should fill me in on the plot first... I'm a bit lost..."

I had imagined many scenarios for reuniting with Jiang Ruoxue, but this one was completely unexpected.

I thought we might be silent, or sad, or even argue again, but now I was just holding back laughter.

Oh heavens... when will Ruoxue end this?

I was really about to break character.

"Say less!" Jiang Ruoxue whispered sharply to Gu Yu. "You usually can't get a word out, but now you're talking non-stop?! Is your innocence more important or my friend?"

"N-no... Xue Jie... she's already here..." Gu Yu whispered back. "You two should just sort things out. Why drag me into it?"

They were both so frantic that their "whispers" were loud enough for me to hear.

"What's with all the nonsense!" Jiang Ruoxue whispered. "Turn into a flower."

"What thing?"

"I said, turn into a flower!"

Gu Yu blinked, then pulled out a black stick from his pants pocket with a resigned look, pinched it lightly, and right in front of me, it turned into a plastic rose.

"Hand it over!"

Jiang Ruoxue snatched the rose without hesitation and walked over to me, saying as she went, "Even if it's an illusion... it's still what I long for!"

"Xue Jie, that's a magic prop... people can see the trick..."

The sad expression Jiang Ruoxue had just built up turned to one of exasperation in an instant. She turned back and said, "If you keep babbling, I'll explain to you the logic of today's sudden death."

"Uh... okay, okay." Gu Yu nodded. "I'll stop talking."

She held the flower up to me, but from her expression, she wasn't sure where to put it.

She seemed to want to hand it to me directly but was afraid that touching me might mess up the scene.

So she glanced back at Gu Yu.

Gu Yu was scared of getting scolded and kept his lips sealed tight.

After hesitating for three seconds, Jiang Ruoxue made up her mind and grabbed my hand.

"Huh...?" She exaggerated her surprise. "I can actually touch you?! You're real?! Ah?! I... I..."

Well, after her "I..." dragged on, I knew she hadn't prepared her next line.

I couldn't hold it anymore... this was too funny...

"Pfft..."

I burst out laughing, doubling over so hard that tears were about to come out.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

When Jiang Ruoxue saw me laughing uncontrollably, she knew her plan had failed. She turned back with a speechless look and said to Gu Yu, "Didn't I tell you to say less?"

"Huh...?" Gu Yu was stunned. "Xue Jie... how is this my fault? And I haven't said anything just now!"

"I don't care, it's you." Jiang Ruoxue said. "My acting was so good... the plan was flawless, and you ruined it all. Why did you have to babble on?"

This felt so good... it was wonderful.

I knew Jiang Ruoxue all too well. She must have been worried I'd feel awkward, so she put all the embarrassing parts on herself.

After this whole farce, she was still herself, and I was still me.

Turns out, when you're with someone who likes you, you don't have to be careful all the time—they'll take care of your feelings naturally.

"Ruoxue, I'm sorry," I said.

"Oh, come on!" Jiang Ruoxue waved it off. "Why are you apologizing to me? Now, we need Gu Yu to apologize to me, or this isn't settling anything."

Great, now it was Gu Yu's turn to feel awkward.