Chapter 18

Jiang Yihao said, "Shooting stars are fleeting; seeing too many isn't lucky."

Bu Chen replied, "When? I was just thinking of taking a pretty girl to make a wish."

The mechanical voice from behind the door caught Bu Chen's answer and asked bluntly, "A Bu, are you here today to pass on a message from your family?"

Bu Chen was a bit surprised by his friend's sharp intuition, but then again, it was Bai Xingmiao, so it made sense. "I'm telling them to give up. Even if your grandfather came back from the dead, he couldn't convince your mother, let alone you."

Jiang Yihao didn't catch onto their cryptic exchange, so he just slapped his thigh and laughed heartily.

Sometimes Jiang Yihao wondered how Bai Xingmiao turned out the way he did, but a glimpse at his family tree explained it all.

Bai Xingmiao's mother, Countess Camur, Bai Fuzhou—Aunt Bai—was the most unconventional person he had ever met, bar none.

Decades ago, the latest heirs of the main branches of the Tapei, Banting, and Camur families were born, and Bai Fuzhou, the only girl of that generation, became the highest-born noble lady in Country A. Unlike typical noble ladies, she had no interest in social gatherings, garden parties, horse racing, or other traditional lady-like pastimes. Instead, she loved boxing, adventure, and other thrilling pursuits.

As she grew older, she became an activist with deep sympathy for the lower classes, often at the forefront of movements opposing war, calling for peace, and caring for the underprivileged.

During her freshman year at Iya University, she secretly went to another country to fight as a guerrilla, helping the local people fight off the colonizers. This had been kept under wraps until one day the old duke saw his daughter's photo on the country's medal list and was so upset he took to his bed.

This caused an uproar in the conservative upper class. People mocked her for throwing away her privileged life and willingly debasing herself by hanging around with the "mud-footed" masses, disgracing the Bai family.

Bai Fuzhou, however, did things her own way and paid no heed to others' opinions. She continued to devote herself to the cause of human liberation, which she loved, and eventually became the leader of Country A's left-wing party coalition.

After the old duke passed away, Bai Fuzhou naturally inherited the title. On her first day as duchess, she generously donated most of her wealth to charity. It was only because the old duke, with foresight, had put the family's several castles and heirloom antiques and jewelry into a family trust that they weren't all donated to museums as well.

Bai Fuzhou's shocking behavior sent ripples through the aristocratic circle. The old Duke of Banting publicly rebuked her for deviating from tradition and ruining her ancestral legacy. Other noble families, though quiet, silently cut off contact with the Bai family.

Those who had hoped to marry into the Bai family for their fortune ran away faster than anyone. As a result, the country's most prestigious noble daughter ended up as an "old maid" no one would touch.

But the duchess herself didn't care.

She married a young scholar she met through her work. Though he was of common birth, the two shared mutual love and compatible ideals. The couple held a simple wedding witnessed by close relatives and friends, and a year later gave birth to their only son, Bai Xingmiao.

Jiang Yihao thought that with such a punk-ish mother, it made perfect sense that Bai Xingmiao would behave so oddly and unusually.

Bai Xingmiao was extremely introverted and disliked being seen. Even if it was just him and Bu Chen in the room, he would lock himself away and use a voice-changer to communicate. Sometimes when talking to him, it felt like you weren't talking to a living person but to a Transformers robot.

Jiang Yihao considered his own life monotonous, but this friend's life was even more so.

Aside from playing ball, he sometimes went out with friends to unwind. Bai Xingmiao, on the other hand, almost always stayed in his room, studying, gaming, building models, or waiting until it was fully dark to go stargazing with a telescope. The rest of the time he'd dabble in funds and stocks. He could go an entire day without interacting with anyone.

The mechanical voice from the door asked, "Do you want me to try?"

"No need," Bu Chen replied lightly. "They are them, and we are us. I don't want anything to affect the bond between us brothers."

The electronic voice said, "I don't care."

Bu Chen: "Forget it, man. I'm afraid if you open your mouth, the odds that were 0.001% will turn into negative 300%."

Jiang Yihao laughed. "Just say it. It's not like you guarantee success."

Jiang Yihao finally got it. He thought it was something big, but it turned out the Bu family was campaigning for next year's election by cozying up to their old rivals.

He'd often seen Uncle Bu visiting their house lately.

From his family, he learned that the next prime minister election was the closest the blue-blooded politicians had come to supreme power in two hundred years, so the Bu family had invested a lot of effort lobbying for votes.

Jiang Yihao couldn't believe Uncle Bu would swallow his pride and go beg his old political enemy Aunt Bai for votes.

He remembered one year when the two of them had openly bickered on TV for a full six months over whether Country A should withdraw troops from the former colony, Country B. At that time, the three of them had sat on this very sofa, sipping drinks and watching their parents argue in front of the whole nation.

Jiang Yihao thought it wasn't such a big deal. The previous generation's issues were theirs; the three of them were friends regardless. He was about to console Bu Chen when his phone rang.

He didn't even get a word out, just let the phone ring on the coffee table. The dogs, unable to stand any noise, wagged their tails and barked at the phone.

Jiang Yihao couldn't take the dogs' barking, so he reached out with his foot. He glanced at the screen and, with a sudden jolt, dropped his game controller and grabbed the phone.

The screen clearly showed the name "Liu Zihan."

Afraid the caller might hang up, he fumbled to press the answer button and his voice involuntarily turned soft and gentle. "Hello, it's me."

Bu Chen frowned. Seeing Jiang Yihao holding the phone to his ear like it was a treasure, he shot him a sidelong glance. "Who are you talking to?"

Jiang Yihao ignored him, searching for a quiet place. He found the balcony, nudged the door open with his foot, and slipped out.

"...Hello, um, it's me."

Ruan Ning's familiar, timid voice came through the receiver. Jiang Yihao's heart raced. "I know, I know. What's up?"

Ruan Ning was startled by his enthusiasm. She hesitated, then said, "Um, I have a favor to ask. Could you spare some time to meet me? I'd like to talk to you in person."

Jiang Yihao: !

The sky was clear and blue, the weather fine.

Ruan Ning arrived at the training base at the agreed time to meet Jiang Yihao.

After their last parting, she had thought she'd never cross paths with Jiang Yihao again. But fate had other plans, and now she was slinking back, full of shame.

After leaving Seductive Summer, Ruan Ning had spent several days playing games to recover. When she finally came to her senses, she realized she was wrong—if her life was at stake, she shouldn't be gaming.

She broke out in a cold sweat. The next task was Bai Xingmiao, the smartest and most level-headed of the three male leads.

Bai Xingmiao had been a famous child prodigy in Country A since childhood. Ruan Ning had long heard of his glorious achievements.

He started teaching himself calculus at ten, wrote a paper on the relationship between thermodynamic temperature and energy at sixteen, which he presented at the Academy of Sciences of Country A. That same year, he enrolled at a top university in Country C, ranked first in the world for science and engineering. This year, after earning his bachelor's degree, he returned to Iya to pursue a master's degree.

Ruan Ning finally understood why she hadn't seen him at the freshman welcome party—he was already a senior by the time he enrolled, so he didn't need to sit with their freshman class.

Bai Xingmiao was also known for being eccentric and picky. She'd heard even his colleagues didn't dare disturb him casually.

At every internal exchange meeting, he would sit quietly in a corner, not interacting with anyone. Occasionally, if he heard a topic that interested him, he'd silently walk over to the person. If he found the discussion worthless, he'd snort and walk away, leaving the speaker baffled.

Remembering how she'd nearly broken down on the first two tasks, Ruan Ning couldn't imagine how painfully she'd fail with someone as sharp as Bai Xingmiao, who was almost eerie in his intelligence. In his eyes, she was probably no better than a patch of moss.

And yet, this cold, reclusive, aloof genius would eventually fall for the female lead.

Ruan Ning sighed heavily.

Another reason she was hesitant about this task was Bai Xingmiao's mother, Duchess Bai Fuzhou.

During her chaotic, world-weary, and depressed days, Ruan Ning had read many books by Bai Fuzhou encouraging women to accept themselves and pursue meaning in life. Those books had been a beam of light in her dark life.

Ruan Ning had no good feelings toward the high and mighty elites, but she already had a bit of respect for Bai Xingmiao even before meeting him.

She didn't want to ruin her image in the son of her idol's eyes because of this task. She wanted to first become friends with him before the task began, then take it slow. She thought it'd be best if someone could introduce her, since there were only a few people Bai Xingmiao would even look at. If she went up to him cold, he probably wouldn't give her a second glance.

She searched around and found, to her dismay, that only Jiang Yihao fit the bill. Various sources showed Bai Xingmiao had very few friends, and Jiang Yihao, who grew up with him, was one of the few he trusted.

When she called, Jiang Yihao's enthusiasm startled her. He agreed to meet right away without a second thought.

She didn't know if he'd still agree once she revealed her true purpose. In any case, she arrived filled with anxiety.