Chapter 46

On stage, Lin Xiaoyu seemed to have been frozen in time. Holding the model she had just regained, a blush spread from her ears to her neck, almost steaming under the spotlight. She opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something more to Jiang Chen, but in the end, she just pursed her lips, gave a stiff bow to the judges and the audience, and then, like a startled rabbit, quickly scurried off the stage with the model in her arms. Even during the subsequent Q&A session, she seemed somewhat absent-minded, answering haltingly.

The judges were quite forgiving, probably thinking it was just a minor, tense moment, and gave her design concept and work itself good reviews.

Shi Ye sat in the audience, feeling like her brain was stuffed with a ball of yarn that had been scratched by a cat. Jiang Chen?! The architecture student council president, who had a crush on Lin Xiaoyu for two years, was rejected, and then inexplicably developed feelings for her (Shi Ye)?! How could he be in the judging area of ​​the design competition?! And conveniently sitting in the direction where Lin Xiaoyu's model might fall?!

Coincidence? Or...?

She suddenly remembered Lin Xiaoyu's earlier mention of her "crush," the one who "needed time to consider." Could it be... Jiang Chen? But didn't Lin Xiaoyu say that the person she liked "had been noticing her for a long time," and that it was "related to design"? Jiang Chen is an architecture major, so it's somewhat related, but he was clearly rejected after confessing his feelings! Could it be that after the rejection, something happened between them that she didn't know about?

Shi Ye felt that her "matchmaking drama" script had been completely ruined before it even began, thanks to Jiang Chen's unexpected arrival. Her carefully crafted plot of "Qi Jin appreciating Lin Xiaoyu's talent" seemed pale and laughable in the face of Jiang Chen's swift response and Lin Xiaoyu's blushing face on stage.

She subconsciously glanced at Qi Jin next to her again.

Qi Jin remained seated upright, her gaze calmly fixed on the stage, as if the accident had nothing to do with her. However, when Shi Ye looked over, she seemed to sense something, slightly turning her head to meet Shi Ye's gaze.

That look in her eyes… Shi Ye couldn’t decipher it. It was too calm, unnaturally calm. It was as if… she had known all along that Jiang Chen would come, or perhaps she simply didn’t care about the “unexpected factor” that had suddenly appeared in this matchmaking drama.

The slight panic Shi Ye felt due to the disruption of her plans was inexplicably soothed by Qi Jin's calm gaze, but a deeper sense of irritation quickly followed. She felt like a clown performing energetically on stage, while her only audience member (Qi Jin) seemed to have seen through her act long ago, and might even have read the script beforehand.

The competition continued, but Shi Ye was no longer in the mood to listen. Her mind was filled with the scene of Jiang Chen appearing and Lin Xiaoyu's flustered yet slightly shy look as she stepped off the stage.

After a long and arduous wait, all the contestants had finished their presentations, the judges left to discuss the results, and the intermission began. A cacophony of conversation and the sound of chairs being moved filled the audience.

Lin Xiaoyu walked over from the waiting area, her steps a little unsteady, the blush on her face not yet completely gone. She first glanced furtively at the judges' table (Jiang Chen had already temporarily left with the other judges), and then walked up to Shi Ye and Qi Jin, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz: "Senior, Sister Shi Ye...did I...did I mess up just now?"

Qi Jin looked at her and said calmly, "The presentation itself was quite well done. Unexpected things are inevitable, so don't worry about it too much."

Lin Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief, but then her face fell again: "But I answered the last question so badly... my mind went completely blank..."

"It's normal to be nervous," Shi Ye said dryly, but his gaze couldn't help but drift in the direction where the judges left.

“Senior,” Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up as if she suddenly remembered something, but quickly dimmed again, and her voice became even softer, “Just now… thank you, senior…”

Qi Jin: "?"

Shi Ye: "..." Is this girl confused? Did she thank the wrong person?

Lin Xiaoyu realized her slip of the tongue, her face flushed red again, and she waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no! I meant Jiang Chen! Thank you for catching my model! Oh, no, I meant, do you know Jiang Chen, senior? What's he doing here?"

Qi Jin didn't answer immediately. She glanced at Lin Xiaoyu, then at Shi Ye, before slowly speaking, "He is one of the student judges specially invited by Professor Wang. The School of Architecture and Design often has interdisciplinary collaborations, and Professor Wang appreciates his comprehensive abilities and logical thinking."

Invited judge? Shi Ye suddenly realized. No wonder he was sitting so close to the front. So… he really was involved in Lin Xiaoyu's "design"? Was Professor Wang the one who connected them?

Lin Xiaoyu said "Oh," her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt, her eyes involuntarily drifting towards the direction the judges had left, muttering to herself, "So that's how it is... I didn't know..."

"You didn't know he was coming?" Shi Ye couldn't help but ask.

Lin Xiaoyu shook her head, her face turning even redder: "Professor Wang only said there were special invited judges, but didn't say who they were... If I knew..." She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear: if she knew Jiang Chen was a judge, she might be so nervous that she would faint on stage.

Looking at her lovestruck expression, Shi Ye's thoughts about "matchmaking Qi Jin and Lin Xiaoyu" completely vanished. Utterly vanished. This girl's heart had clearly been captivated by that Jiang Chen senior who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere; there wasn't even a shred of room left for this "idol senior" beside her.

She suddenly realized that all her frantic efforts and racking her brains these past two days were a complete joke.

"I'm going to the restroom." She stood up, said in a low voice, and left her seat in a hurry before Qi Jin and Lin Xiaoyu could react.

She needs some fresh air, she needs to calm down, and she needs to reassess this situation that has completely spiraled out of control.

The restroom was nearly empty. The woman in the mirror was pale, her eyes filled with undisguised embarrassment and self-loathing. She turned on the tap and splashed the cold water on her face. The water droplets slid down her cheeks, bringing a sharp, sobering sting.

"Host's emotional fluctuation value has increased." The system's electronic voice sounded inappropriately, "It has been detected that Lin Xiaoyu, a key figure in the mission, is reacting abnormally to Jiang Chen, a third-party character, which may affect the emotional trajectory of the mission objective. It is recommended that the host take intervention measures."

Intervene? Shi Ye sneered inwardly. How to intervene? Glue Lin Xiaoyu's eyes to Qi Jin's body? Or tell Jiang Chen, "Stay away from my junior, she has to have a happy ending with Qi Jin"?

"System," she asked silently in front of the mirror, "if Lin Xiaoyu's 'crush' is Jiang Chen, and they are mutually in love, will you continue your mission?"

The system paused briefly. [The mission objective remains unchanged. Unless the key figure Lin Xiaoyu's affection for Qi Jin completely drops to zero or is determined to be irreversible, and the host has made every effort to salvage the situation, the system may request a mission evaluation adjustment based on the actual circumstances. However, Lin Xiaoyu's current affection for Qi Jin is still 50/100, and there is a possibility of it changing.]

50/100? Shi Ye looked at the mocking smile on her face in the mirror. Of those 50 points, probably 49 were admiration and trust, and the remaining 1 was gratitude. It had absolutely nothing to do with "romantic feelings."

The way Lin Xiaoyu looked at Jiang Chen... that was true, a mixture of excitement and shyness in her eyes.

She suddenly realized that this so-called "mission" was a huge mistake from beginning to end. Forcing two people who had no such intentions together was like trying to hammer a square nail into a round hole; it would only damage both the nail and the hole.

"What if I refuse to continue this mistake?" she asked softly, as if asking the system, but also as if asking herself.

[Repeated Warning: Rejecting the task will result in a protocol conflict and serious consequences.] The system's voice was cold and resolute.

Consequences... Collapse? Data backlash? Forced fusion?

Shi Ye closed his eyes and felt a wave of fatigue wash over him.

She opened the stall door and went out. By the sink, a familiar figure was leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for her.

It is Qi Jin.

She had come out at some point and stood a few steps away, quietly watching her. The light in the corridor wasn't bright, so her figure was somewhat blurry, but her eyes were exceptionally clear in the shadows, like obsidian immersed in a cold pool.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Qi Jin asked, his voice sounding somewhat low in the empty corridor.

Shi Ye shook his head, walked to the sink, and pulled out a tissue to dry his face. "No. It's a bit stuffy in there."

Qi Jin didn't speak, he just looked at her. His gaze was so focused and penetrating that Shi Ye felt somewhat at a loss.

"Jiang Chen..." Shi Ye tried to find a topic to break the suffocating silence, "Did you arrange this?"

She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. The question was too direct, and too... stupid.

Qi Jin raised an eyebrow slightly: "Why should I arrange for him?"

“Because…” Shi Ye paused. Because you want me to give up? Because you know Lin Xiaoyu likes him? Because you think that setting you up with Lin Xiaoyu is a farce?

She couldn't say it.

Qi Jin took a step forward, getting closer. Shi Ye could smell the familiar, cool scent of cedar on her, mixed with a hint of the ink smell from the exhibition hall.

"Shi Ye," Qi Jin's voice was soft, but every word struck Shi Ye's eardrums clearly, "What exactly are you afraid of?"

Shi Ye's heart clenched suddenly.

"Afraid of mission failure? Afraid of the world collapsing?" Qi Jin looked at her suddenly pale face, his eyes as deep as an unfathomable well. "Or are you afraid of... yourself?"

Shi Ye's breath caught in her throat. She looked at Qi Jin's face, so close to hers, and saw her panicked reflection in his eyes.

Qi Jin knew? How much did she know? About the system? About the mission? About... that 71% forced association?

"I..." She wanted to deny it, to explain, but her throat felt like it was blocked by something, and she couldn't make a complete sound.

Qi Jin reached out and gently touched the moon pendant around her neck, which was partially hidden by her collar. The cool fingertips touched the warm jade and her slightly warm skin, causing Shi Ye to tremble slightly.

“You’ve always worn this necklace,” Qi Jin said, his tone declarative and devoid of emotion.

Shi Ye nodded stiffly.

“Shi Ye,” Qi Jin withdrew his hand, but his gaze remained fixed on her, “I don’t care about your so-called ‘missions,’ nor do I care who you push me to.”

She paused, then spoke each word clearly and distinctly:

"The only person I care about is you."

"Your fear, your struggle, your... hypocrisy."

So, stop doing those useless things.

After Qi Jin finished speaking, without waiting for Shi Ye's reaction, she turned around and walked towards the exhibition hall. Her back was straight, her steps were steady, and she quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

Shi Ye stood frozen in place, like a stone statue that had been frozen in place.

Her mind was buzzing; Qi Jin's words exploded like thunder deep within her consciousness, echoing again and again.

"The only person I care about is you."

"Stop doing those useless things."

"Useless thing"... does it mean trying to match her up with Lin Xiaoyu?

Qi Jin really did see through everything.

Then why did she still indulge her? Why did she still come to watch the game? Why did she give her the necklace? Why did she say... she cared about her?

The frozen ground in her heart felt as if a red-hot charcoal had been thrown in; it wasn't a sharp pain, but a slow, scalding heat that almost melted her whole being.

My eyes started to feel swollen again, and this time the feeling was stronger than ever before.

She raised her hand and touched the moon pendant around her neck. The cool jade seemed to warm up at that moment, as if touched by the temperature of her fingertips.

"Host..." The system's electronic voice sounded hesitantly, seemingly also affected by the situation. [Detected that the target character Qi Jin's words contained a high concentration of emotional intent... a potential conflict with the core logic of the mission... reanalyzing...]

Shi Ye didn't hear what the system said next.

She simply leaned against the cold tiled wall and slowly slid down to the floor.

The corridor was deserted, with only the faint sounds of noise coming from the exhibition hall in the distance.

She hugged her knees and buried her face in them.

This time, there were no tears.

But the area around the heart felt as if it were filled with something.

It is no longer an empty void, no longer a sharp pain.

It's a kind of...unfamiliar, bittersweet, yet subtly warm...fullness.

She didn't know what it was.

But she knew that some things were different.