Evolution - Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Yu Zhiyao was indeed silently appreciating her colleague's entire soul-crushing performance, and she was very satisfied with the show.
Even from her seat by the window, she couldn't clearly hear what her colleague was saying. But that didn't stop her from reading the gist of it from their expressions, especially Yao Huizu's.
She had seen this progression of expressions once before, in her memory.
It was when she had held the leverage and successfully divorced him.
From disbelief, to impotent rage, and then to twisted, venomous resentment…
The agreement had been written in black and white, clear as day from the very beginning, with no deception involved whatsoever. So why, when it was time to actually fulfill it, did he wear an expression of aggrieved fury, as if his sincere feelings had been betrayed?
She hadn't even pursued all the minor breaches of contract he had committed.
Later, she thought about it seriously and concluded that perhaps his dream had been too beautiful. In his dream, she was supposed to be a marionette, cooperating with him to advance the plot as he envisioned it, falling in love with him, shifting her focus to managing the household as he wished, and placing everything in his hands—all under the lovely name of a "rational division of household labor."
When the beautiful dream shattered and he was forced to face the real world, he was utterly disillusioned.
His years of careful scheming had been overturned in an instant. Back then, Yao Huizu had become completely twisted.
After taking such a huge fall at her hands, he suffered significant psychological damage and became somewhat unhinged. He felt his self-esteem had been trampled and his pride crushed. He didn't become as humble as dust; instead, he gradually became as twisted as a maggot.
To this day, some people still believed that her decisive departure had left him so heartbroken that his personality changed drastically. Little did they know, he had simply been unable to keep up the act any longer and had given up, revealing his true colors.
Ji Changqing scratched her cheek. Her girlfriend sitting opposite her seemed to be lost in some unpleasant memory, her expression a little frightening. She gently patted Yu Zhiyao's hand, which was resting primly on the table. After two light pats, she held it gently. "What's wrong?"
Your girlfriend is right here in front of you, don't be sad.
Yu Zhiyao snapped back to reality. Seeing the confusion and concern in Ji Changqing's eyes, she suddenly remembered the other woman's commentary when she had told her this story.
"Wow, so when the scam failed, he drove himself crazy?" Ji Changqing had said indignantly, full of disgust. "Faking insanity to extort someone! Is he made of superglue? Once he sticks to you, you can't peel him off!"
For some reason, Yu Zhiyao felt a little flicker of happiness. She lowered her gaze to their intertwined hands, then suddenly turned her palm over and lightly hooked Ji Changqing's palm with her fingertips.
Ji Changqing jolted, her entire body instantly tensing. She swallowed hard, completely flustered by the small gesture. She shot a fierce glare at Yu Zhiyao, the accusation in her eyes all too clear: I never knew you were this kind of Yu Zhiyao!
Who was it that, just a few days after their "absence makes the heart grow fonder" reunion, started complaining about being too clingy, too needy, too tiring, and demanded a strict schedule? And now she was the one starting things. The worst was when someone flirted and ran, with no intention of taking responsibility!
Her mournful gaze, so pitiful it looked like she was being bullied, left Yu Zhiyao at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. She could only offer a small treat, hinting, "It's the weekend today."
So we can fool around as much as we want?
Ji Changqing understood immediately.
The Academy of Sciences had a ten-day New Year holiday, and Yu Zhiyao had twenty days of annual leave each year. Her life wasn't just about Ji Changqing and work. Especially after her best friends came from Blue Star, most of her holidays were spent squandering time with them.
This year, she had specifically saved her annual leave for Ji Changqing, originally planning for the two of them to enjoy some quality time together. However, after some practical application, Yu Zhiyao decided this wouldn't do. She had to find something for Ji Changqing to do to burn off her overly abundant energy.
They couldn't possibly spend all thirty days of a month-long vacation in their room, could they?
So, she very, very considerately consulted Ji Changqing, "How do you want to spend the New Year?"
Ji Changqing answered immediately, "With you, of course!" That's how it had been back on Blue Star. Every New Year, she would go back to her hometown, eat, drink, and have fun, and the year would pass just like that.
A true family-visit leave.
Yu Zhiyao was floored. But she wasn't one to give up easily. She coaxed her gently, "Wouldn't it be more lively with more people? More of a New Year's atmosphere?"
"Of course!" Ji Changqing nodded repeatedly, finally saying what Yu Zhiyao wanted to hear. "Okay, how about we invite some friends over?"
Yu Zhiyao pondered for a moment. "Which friends do you want to invite?"
Ji Changqing didn't even have to think, expertly rattling off a list of names. "Xue Hong, Zhong Lan, Lin Huang, and Qian Jing and her girlfriend."
No He Yi.
More than twenty years had passed, and she still had the same few old friends. Her social skills were truly one of a kind.
Yu Zhiyao was silent for a moment. "Anyone else? Don't you have any new friends?"
Like He Yi, whom you met in the game! Weren't you two close enough to team up all the time?
Ji Changqing shook her head innocently, feeling utterly adorable.
Still no He Yi. Just no He Yi.
Yu Zhiyao took a deep breath. For some reason, she suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for He Yi. As far as Ji Changqing was concerned, He Yi might as well not exist.
Ji Changqing then asked Yu Zhiyao attentively, "What about you? Which friends do you want to invite?"
If they were all old friends, she basically knew them all, and everyone would be more comfortable.
Are you kidding me? Yu Zhiyao thought. I'm not inviting anyone. The whole point was to find something to burn off your energy and distract you. If I invited my friends over, wouldn't I be the one getting tired?
She pretended to think seriously for a long while before saying, "Never mind. You haven't seen Xue Hong and the others for a long time. Let's just invite them this time, so we don't have to worry about two groups of strangers not having fun."
After all, Ji Changqing's work was much more unpredictable, and it had indeed been a very long time since she had gathered with her mischievous friends.
So thoughtful, so considerate.
Ji Changqing was incredibly moved! This was love! Between going to her family's home for the New Year or her in-laws', she had chosen the in-laws'!
She completely forgot that this was Yu Zhiyao's turf.
She happily trotted off to frantically contact her friends, asking if they had any plans for the New Year and if they wanted to celebrate together.
They all gave her face. After all, it wasn't easy for her to have disappeared for so many years. One by one, they declared that their original plans weren't important—Her Majesty was the most important!
Except for Zhong Lan.
After graduating, Zhong Lan had returned to Blue Star to continue her work as a civil servant. Interstellar routes to Blue Star were open, but a jump point hadn't been built yet. The holiday wasn't even long enough for a one-way trip, so she was destined to participate virtually.
Ji Changqing's vanity was greatly satisfied. She launched into a heated discussion with her friends about where to celebrate the New Year.
Lin Huang suddenly asked her, "Your Majesty, where are you right now?"
Ji Changqing answered honestly, "Zhi Hang Planet."
This was like dropping a bomb into deep water. The previously calm surface instantly began to boil!
The chat feed exploded, scrolling so fast it was as if they were typing with their brainwaves, all jumping to ask questions:
Old Cadre: OMG!!!
Red Scarf: Holy shit!!!
He Shi Bi: The Academy of Sciences!
Red Scarf: TMD am I blind?
RMB: President Yu?
Old Cadre: Congratulations?
He Shi Bi: Hahaha!
…
Old Cadre: OMG! OMG! OMG! Zhi Hang Planet!
Red Scarf: Zhi Hang Planet? Is that the Zhi Hang Planet I know? The one where President Yu is?
He Shi Bi: It has to be!
Red Scarf: Bitch, why are you there? Tell us your story!
RMB: Her Majesty is finally off the market again, go for it!
Old Cadre: So this is the perfect happy ending? throws confetti!
He Shi Bi: I knew it, President Yu wouldn't let you get away!
…
Ji Changqing felt a little guilty. She sat cross-legged on the sofa, picking up her optical computer, then putting it down, then picking it up again, staring pitifully at the rapidly scrolling chat history.
Pitiful and helpless.
She had, it seemed, probably, never told everyone?
When she met Yu Zhiyao on Iris Star, she had been under strict surveillance and protection and couldn't make contact.
But why hadn't she said anything later?
Hmm, probably because by the time the restrictions were lifted, the most exciting moment had passed, and she no longer felt the urgent need to share. Plus, she had been in the military afterward, buried under all sorts of training and daily work, and all her free time was devoted to Yu Zhiyao.
Faced with her friends clamoring for details and asking how they had rekindled their old flame, Ji Changqing thought long and hard before replying with particular cleverness, "We ran into each other by accident during a mission, some things happened, and we got back together."
She looked at her reply and felt it was fine. Every sentence was the truth! As for how they interpreted it, that was beyond her control.
In the end, the excited group unanimously decided: Why even choose a place! Of course it had to be Zhi Hang Planet! They were coming to spend the New Year with President Yu!
Zhi Hang Planet!
Zhong Lan, unable to participate, was full of regret. The group chat was already as lively as New Year's itself; it would be even more so when they actually met. But the excitement belonged to them, and she had nothing.
She hated herself for returning to Blue Star!
She moped for two days, and then she remembered a teammate who had once spectated a disaster scene with them but wasn't in the group chat now. She thought hard and decided she should contribute another spectator to Her Majesty and Yu Zhiyao's drama.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, do you remember The First? She got into the Academy of Sciences after graduation. Maybe she's on Zhi Hang Planet too. You should invite the kid to celebrate with you. The more the merrier!"
Her Majesty now knew!
They had a very pleasant weekend. For certain indescribable reasons, they didn't go out on Saturday. On Sunday, they ventured a bit farther.
They didn't have any specific plans. The two of them just wandered aimlessly, letting their feet take them wherever they pleased. When they got tired, they would stop for a rest, and if they saw an interesting shop, they would go join the crowd.
In the afternoon, they strolled onto a street filled with flowers and the aroma of coffee.
A café had a small stage set up out in front. Most of the time, street performers would go up to show off their skills, earning applause and tips. When customers felt inspired, they would go up and perform as well.
Passersby danced gracefully to the music. The air was filled with a happy atmosphere.
This was where they ran into He Yi.
Yu Zhiyao and Ji Changqing were sitting at an outdoor table. Perhaps infected by everyone's cheerfulness, Yu Zhiyao looked at Ji Changqing's relaxed and content smile and, on a whim, wanted to sing a song for her that perfectly matched the mood and the scene.
So she went up.
He Yi, who was inside avoiding the sun and enjoying a dessert, saw them at that very moment.
Al mio amore dolce un buono Mojito (To my sweet love, a good Mojito)
I suoi occhi sono belli dopo il rum (Her eyes still look beautiful after the rum)
E il mio caffè, non troppo dolce (And my coffee, not too sweet)
Perché il mio mondo è già troppo zuccherato (Because my world is already sweet enough)
…
Vedo solo lei, in questo paese allegro (I see only her in this joyful land)
Dove c'è lei, c’è soltanto amor (Where she is, there’s only love)
…
Yu Zhiyao played a cheerful tune, singing with a smile. From time to time, she would look up at Ji Changqing, her eyes overflowing with tenderness and affection.
As a shipper who had struck gold with a real couple, He Yi just wanted to scream. It was against the rules! The sweetness level was off the charts!
Although the others couldn't understand the lyrics, the melody was universal. They could feel the heartfelt affection conveyed in the song and began to sway gently to the slow, lyrical rhythm.
Ji Changqing's face was full of pride. President Yu was truly multi-talented. But was she singing in Spanish or Italian?
He Yi shot Ji Changqing a look full of envy, jealousy, and hate, then turned to look at Yu Zhiyao with utter admiration. Only then did she belatedly realize the subtle situation.
Ji Changqing, that idiot, TMD she couldn't understand a word!
She imagined the scene: if Yu Zhiyao discovered that Ji Changqing didn't understand at all, would she give a live demonstration of what it meant for a smile to slowly freeze, turning this public display of affection into a "show love, die fast" disaster?
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