"It's an honor to meet you both again." Under their gazes, the female secretary approached with a smile, raising her glass in a gesture of greeting. "Last time was rushed, and I didn't get your names. My name is Mi Xiaolin. It's a pleasure to see you both..." Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji both stared at her with narrowed eyes, offering no reply.
Their synchronized actions and expressions made Mi Xiaolin laugh. "You two don't need to make that face... Although you were wearing masks last time, your demeanor and bearing were still the same. Plus, you were standing up for President Zhu last time, and you're with him again this time. As someone who witnessed it all, of course I can guess."
Chu Ge thought for a moment. "That's true."
Mi Xiaolin smiled. "I'm quite curious, since you two don't want to reveal your identities, why don't you try to be more discreet?"
Chu Ge said calmly, "We don't want to reveal our identities simply because we don't want to disturb others' lives, but that doesn't mean we have to live like rats, hiding and acting timidly." "Even going out requires considering whether to separate from someone. Living like that only adds trouble to your life. It's better to be honest and scare you all away; then there will be no trouble."
"Ha...so domineering, exactly the same as that day." Mi Xiaolin seemed completely unfazed, smiling understandingly. "But you two certainly have the right to be confident." Chu Ge remained unmoved, a hint of coldness in his eyes: "Since you know we hate trouble, and now that you know our identities, why are you still asking...what's your reasoning?" Mi Xiaolin didn't answer immediately, glancing curiously at Qiu Wuji.
Since Chu Ge spoke, Qiu Wuji had remained silent, standing quietly beside him, seemingly handing over all power of negotiation to Chu Ge.
Such a beautiful, powerful, yet obedient wife...where the hell did she find her?
Mi Xiaolin almost wanted to lecture her; women should be independent and strong, not like this!
Before she could even begin her lecture, Qiu Wuji preemptively reprimanded her: "My boyfriend is asking you a question! Why are you looking at me like that? That's rude."
Mi Xiaolin: "..." Damn.
She sighed: "Since we've come to you two, of course we should talk first and see if we can reach a consensus on some things."
"Politeness first, then force?" Chu Ge smiled: "Sure, just say what you want to talk about."
"Before that, I'd like to ask you both a question..." Mi Xiaolin's smile faded, and she looked seriously into their eyes: "Do you prefer a spiritual revival where everyone gains superpowers, or do you not want to see such a thing and think a normal world is better? Or perhaps you once hoped to gain various abilities, but now that you have them, you wish others didn't?"
Chu Ge was stunned, momentarily at a loss for words.
Because he hadn't thought about it.
Qiu Wuji also began to find it interesting.
This was starting to resemble the Daoist struggles of their Xianxia world, and wasn't just a superficial matter of fighting for treasures or harboring grudges.
The latter held absolutely no interest for her—if she had previously harbored any desire to search for treasure in the sea, it was for Chu Ge's improvement. Since Chu Ge could now retrieve items from books, this interest had completely vanished.
Even when retrieving items from books, Qiu Wuji didn't urge Chu Ge to devise better methods; she let things take their natural course. Greed easily clouded her Dao heart, and what she herself sought were necessities for her Dao path; anything unsuitable, no matter how valuable, wouldn't entice her.
Daoist struggles, however, transcended these things, offering much food for thought and a crucial glimpse into the thoughts of people in this world.
It was much more interesting to be out and about; one couldn't see this while sitting idly at home.
She turned to look at Chu Ge, wanting to know his answer.
After a full minute of silence, Chu Ge finally said with some difficulty, "Actually, in my opinion, these are no different from widespread firearms; it's best not to have them at all. But… I already have them, and I can't live without them."
Without them, would Qiu Qiu still be there?
Uncertainty, too much to ponder, but even a one in ten thousand chance of separation wouldn't deter me.
I could lose my powers, but not Qiu Qiu.
I could lose that world, but not Qiu Wuji.
Mi Xiaolin laughed: "So you're the third type?"
The third type—having them yourself, yet hoping others won't… Chu Ge's lips twitched, wanting to say he wasn't like that, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Literally, that was indeed the meaning.
Mi Xiaolin laughed heartily, "Everyone's like that, what's there to be embarrassed about?"
Chu Ge slowly said, "So, the meaning of your search for the source of spiritual energy is this? To control it, to have it yourself, and for others to no longer have it."
"That's roughly the idea." Mi Xiaolin smiled charmingly, "Having superpowers is so wonderful. Once like dust at the bottom, now you can look down on all living beings, become a group leader, own luxury cars and mansions, frequent high-end clubs… That's something you and I could only dream of in our early years, a reshuffling of fortunes."
Chu Ge said blankly, "Others rise from the bottom so that everyone can be the same. You're doing it to reshuffle the deck, to occupy a higher position, to seek better benefits, and then to cut off others' path to rise."
"Aren't you the same?"
Chu Ge remained silent.
"It's always been this way, no need to be embarrassed," Mi Xiaolin said calmly. "Since you're pretty much the same, why can't we cooperate?"
Chu Ge said, "Cooperate? What about the grudge against Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtian?"
Mi Xiaolin smiled: "Useless trash dies, so what? Who will stand up for them?"
"Dead?"
"Dead."
"You killed him."
"In other people's eyes, you killed him… Of course, that doesn't matter. If we can really cooperate, even if you killed him, it will only increase your bargaining power. The intimidation comes before the fact."
Chu Ge said indifferently, "What if we don't cooperate?"
Mi Xiaolin calmly replied, "Then you will indeed be in a lot of trouble."
"For example?"
"For example, this project…" Mi Xiaolin lazily circled her fingers: "You could say this project started with you… It's very important to you, isn't it?"
Chu Ge narrowed his eyes and didn't answer.
"It's very important, isn't it?" Mi Xiaolin smiled slightly. "I know. A writer who works day and night, struggling for three or four years, developing health problems from the ordeal... finally, the book becomes a hit, full copyright adaptation, Xie Wenyuan values it, the company treats them like royalty, money and fame are within reach... truly a case of years of writing going unnoticed, then instant fame." Chu Ge stared blankly at the soft light on the ceiling, listening to her words, and suddenly laughed. "Yes, it's very important... Your writing is good, your description is spot on."
Mi Xiaolin smiled slightly. "But I'm sure you also know that you're insignificant in these matters. Xie Wenyuan is willing to give you face..." "You're a core member, but if he doesn't trust you, you're just a figurehead. You might not even be able to find the 'original author' anywhere. Your so-called promising future, if you calculate it carefully, might only amount to a few million in copyright fees; nothing else matters." Chu Ge chuckled, "You think you can influence President Xie's attitude? I think President Xie wasn't paying attention to you just now."
"I might not be able to make him value you, but I can easily cause trouble." Mi Xiaolin smiled warmly, "No leader wants to see a troublemaker on a project, someone who's always causing trouble." Chu Ge's smile remained, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Mi Xiaolin said, "Why that expression... It's just talk. I don't think you have any reason to refuse cooperation. If you were to cooperate, these things wouldn't have happened..."
"But I refuse." Chu Ge simply and clearly uttered those four words.
Mi Xiaolin's words caught in her throat; she seemed unable to believe what she had just heard, her eyes widening in astonishment: "You didn't even listen to the cooperation proposal?"
"No need to listen," Chu Ge said calmly. "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together." Mi Xiaolin's ever-smiling expression finally turned cold.
Qiu Wuji, who had been listening silently, slowly broke into a smile.