Chapter 164: Stelle: Why... March...
Fu Xuan accepted the thick stack of transfer documents from Qingque's outstretched hands and began to carefully flip through them.
"You did a decent job, Qingque. For once, you've actually over-fulfilled your quota," she remarked, her tone a mixture of surprise and approval. "Your Celestial Jade Group has transformed from what was essentially a shell company into a legitimate enterprise, personally endorsed by the General, no less. Not to mention, you've solved quite a few employment issues in the process. That was a rather clever idea. It seems I've been far too lenient with you."
Normally, the mere mention of overtime would send Qingque spiraling into a litany of complaints—back pain, leg pain, arm pain, rheumatism, gastritis, arthritis. Yet, the moment the topic shifted to her beloved celestial jade, she would practically vibrate with energy.
"No, no, no, no, no! Grand Diviner, you can't give me credit for this! It wasn't my idea at all! It was my strategist's!"
"Oh? You have a strategist?"
"Yeah, yeah! He... uh, he came to repay a favor," Qingque explained, scratching her head. "I suppose you could say I... took him out for a tour?"
"Repay a favor?" Fu Xuan raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "This benefactor of yours... I suspect his background is not so simple."
Qingque laughed dryly, her hands twisting together in a nervous knot in front of her.
"Are you telling me that in a single night, he helped you handle everything—raising investments, signing contracts, and drafting the entire business plan?" Fu Xuan snorted, a flicker of disbelief in her eyes. "What is his name?"
"Uh... It's, um, Rekka."
Fu Xuan froze.
"What did you say his name was?"
"Rekka..."
A storm of calculations erupted in Fu Xuan's mind. 'Rekka, the outsourced business consultant for Aurum Alley. Just two days ago, he was still managing the district's revival. The Ambrosial Arbor's resurgence, coupled with the chaos stirred up by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, has left the Luofu in a rather unstable state recently.'
But this whole affair with Qingque was far too coincidental.
Qingque gets possessed by a Heliobus. She then just so happens to run into Rekka. He then just so happens to owe her a favor. He then just so happens to help her start a company, which just so happens to solve a major employment problem for the Luofu. And finally, after Qingque is freed from the Heliobus's influence, she hands this newly established, fully functional company over to the Seat of Divine Foresight, making it an official state enterprise.
Fu Xuan simply refused to believe that such a perfectly calculated series of events could be a mere coincidence.
But... then again.
This person was a Trailblazer. A current, active Trailblazer who hadn't renounced his ties to the Astral Express, nor did he ever refer to himself as a "former" member., judging by his past behavior, he seemed utterly indifferent to anything that didn't directly involve the reputation of the Astral Express and its crew.
"Grand Diviner, what... what are you thinking about?" Qingque asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Fu Xuan regained her composure, gently placing the documents on her desk. "Nothing. Since your company has been handed over to the Seat of Divine Foresight, this matter no longer concerns you. Go back to work."
"Eh? That's... it?" Qingque blinked, unable to believe she was getting off so easily.
"What, were you expecting an award? Go on." Fu Xuan waved a dismissive hand, her expression carrying the weary air of someone who had weathered countless storms. "Don't tell me you're still worried I'll hold a grudge. I'm not that narrow-minded."
"No, no! Of course not, Grand Diviner! I'll get back to work right now!"
She had survived. The Grand Diviner actually wasn't angry.
Qingque patted her chest, her heart still hammering against her ribs. She felt the thin transfer receipt in her pocket. Her brief tenure as the president of the Celestial Jade Group already felt like an absurd dream, one that had come and gone in a flash.
Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. Qingque was now, officially, the nominal founder of the Celestial Jade Group.
Though all the profits, of course, had been handed over.
Fu Xuan remained seated at her desk, her fingers tapping a light, rhythmic pattern on the polished wood. It was true that Qingque had been possessed by a Heliobus, and it was true that the creature had amplified her delusions for a time. But Rekka had been clear-headed from start to finish. He knew Qingque was possessed, yet instead of exorcising the Heliobus, he had simply gone with the flow, helping her build an entire company from the ground up.
Was it a coincidence, or was there an ulterior motive at play?
Fu Xuan closed her eyes. A glimmer of starlight condensed at her fingertip as she attempted to cast another divination.
Half a second later, she snapped her eyes open, her expression calm as she swiftly withdrew her hand back into her sleeve.
'Cannot be calculated.'
And worse, the divination imagery showed the man laughing at her height. Again.
Rekka, it seemed, had a talent for repeatedly and precisely poking every one of Fu Xuan's sore spots.
Aurum Alley was more bustling than ever. The lively sounds of vendors hawking their wares and the cheerful chatter of shoppers mingled with the fragrant aroma of steaming-hot food, washing over them in a wave of sensory delight. The street stalls were laden with all kinds of novel trinkets, and a group of children chased each other through the crowd, nearly tumbling into Rekka's legs.
"March, look. Someone sent me a good morning and good night message," Rekka said, nudging March 7th beside him.
March 7th was instantly on high alert.
"It's Fu Xuan."
"Fu Xuan... that pink rabbit... no, wait, the Grand Diviner of the Divination Commission, right?" March's eyes narrowed. Why would Fu Xuan be sending Rekka good morning and good night messages?
That wasn't right.
"You're doing this just to annoy me, aren't you!" she huffed, snatching the terminal from his hand. She took one look at the screen, and her expression instantly became difficult to read.
[Fu Xuan: You just wait. I will deal with you sooner or later!]
"...You call this a good morning and good night message?" March stared at him, aghast. "What kind of wicked thing did you do?" For a terrifying moment, she had actually thought Rekka was flirting with someone behind her back.
"I said she was short."
"...Hiss. I remember now," March winced. "I think Sparkle also really didn't like being called a shorty."
"Generally speaking, lies don't hurt people," Rekka stated sagely. "The truth is the sharpest blade."
The noise of the crowd was a pleasant backdrop, a sign of life and energy. There was nothing bad about it.
"Rekka, the others aren't here," March noted, her voice dropping slightly.
"Hmm? I know."
"You know, and you still aren't hurrying up..." March leaned in closer, her face tilted up towards his. The implication was so blatant it was practically spelled out in the air between them. "Now, a kiss?"
"Hurry up, before I change my mind!"
Even the tips of her earlobes were flushed a delicate pink. Her eyes, however, didn't waver, staring straight into Rekka's.
She waited. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four.
Her expression shifted from eager anticipation to confusion, then from confusion to embarrassed anger, and from embarrassed anger to...
"You did that on purpose! What are you laughing at! Are you going to kiss me or not? My neck is getting sore!"
"Close your eyes."
March 7th paused for a heartbeat.
Then, she closed her eyes.
The clamor of Aurum Alley suddenly felt very distant, as if separated from them by a thick pane of glass. The sounds of hawking, the shuffle of footsteps, and the clatter of pots and pans all melted into a blurry, indistinct hum.
'How is he so experienced...'March thought, her mind growing dizzy.'He usually looks so innocent...'
It wasn't until a considerable while later that March 7th finally, reluctantly, released Rekka.
You thought it was Rekka who was reluctant to let go of March 7th?
Wrong. It was March 7th who was reluctant to let go of him.
How could the Erudition-Path Rekka possess such powerful strength today?
Stelle stood frozen at the entrance to Aurum Alley. In her left hand, she held an iced black tea. In her right, a bag of braised beef-flavored instant noodles. She had just witnessed the entire process.
Her mouth was slightly agape, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the two people now talking quietly on the bench.
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