Chaoge desperately wanted to cover his eyes and take two steps back to shield himself from the dazzling Buddha light. But in the end, he still politely bowed and said, "General Min, good day."
Min Kaiyang nodded and said to her indifferently, "Come with me."
While Chaoge was filled with questions, he paused in his steps and then added to Chaoge, "The general's order."
"Fine, you're a high-ranking official, so whatever you say is right." Reluctantly, Chaoge set off to keep up with his pace.
After winding through more than a dozen long corridors, they finally arrived at the rear hall of the palace. This was not Qin Muge's usual study where she handled official business, but her true resting place, which could not be described as a bedroom.
Min Kaiyang had barely brought her here before he was about to leave, treating bringing her here as a mere task. But before leaving, he turned around with a serious expression, his golden eyes devoid of any emotion, staring blankly at Chaoge. Just as Chaoge felt a chill run down her spine from his gaze, she heard his deep voice enter her ears: "Where did your AI signal go?"
Chaoge said that the AI signal was really high-energy, but what exactly was it?
Should I tell him that my AI has crashed? Will he think I'm a spy sent by another country to cause trouble? Chaoge blinked, her unease growing stronger.
Help! Qin Muge, if you don't come soon, your men are going to kill me!
Perhaps there really was some kind of telepathic connection between them. Just as Chaoge was struggling with how to answer Min Kaiyang's question, Qin Muge arrived right behind her. A voice, neither too close nor too far, came from behind Min Kaiyang: "Kaiyang, when did I give you the right to question my people?"
Chaoge felt both embarrassed and relieved that she had arrived just in time.
Min Kaiyang closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. He should have left immediately, but this time he seemed rooted to the spot and showed no intention of leaving. He just stared at Qin Muge, ignoring her cold expression, and calmly stated a conclusion: "Her AI has been corrupted."
Holy crap, what's with this feeling of Little Red Riding Hood being defiled? Wait! Little Red Riding Hood, you can't die! You haven't given me my reward for the third mission yet!
If Little Red Riding Hood could hear Chaoge's thoughts right now, she'd probably risk her life to restart it.
Upon hearing Min Kaiyang's words, Qin Muge's expression darkened for once. He moved swiftly in front of Chaoge, grabbed her wrist, and questioned, "When did your AI crash? Where have you been these past two days?"
She had clearly controlled the strength in her wrist well, ensuring Chaoge wouldn't feel pain, yet holding on very tightly, preventing her from breaking free. Speaking of which, Chaoge was speechless. What had she done at school these past two days! Besides attending this damned dance today!
As she spoke, she recounted her daily life, emphasizing the uncle who returned from the P4 nebula, and remarked that the nebula sounded rather high-energy, wondering if our country's wars had spread to other star systems.
Before she could finish speaking, Qin Muge flicked her forehead with his finger. She sighed softly, "You're so stupid. I was only gone for a day and you've caused such a big mess." Chaoge covered her forehead with her free hand, glaring at Qin Muge with some resentment. She didn't think it was because she was too unlucky; in her opinion, it was Qin Muge who was just having bad luck.
Before Chaoge could even voice her protest, she calmly listed the reasons why she was being called stupid: "Besides me and Kaiyang, who else in the P4 Nebula has returned alive?"
Chaoge felt a cold sweat break out on her back instantly. Had she encountered a ghost in broad daylight?
Seeing that her imagination had wandered off into the unknown again, Qin Muge didn't bother to remind her of the trap. He pulled her to sit down next to him, his words seemingly unconcerned about the issue: "It's been so long since we last met, don't you have anything to say to me?"
"Oh, yes, I have this!" Chaoge said, gathering her thoughts. Since she couldn't use the AI anyway, she was glad that she remembered all those ridiculous questions and could describe them.
"What's your favorite color? Although I think I could answer that too, green, right? I don't know why you chose white for your military uniform, it gets dirty so easily. Hmm, the second question, what type of person do you like?" Given their different experiences, Chaoge didn't feel comfortable answering for the other person.
Qin Muge was somewhat puzzled; what on earth was all this nonsense?
Chaoge then casually revealed that she had joined General Qin's support group for the sake of money, emphasizing that she had absolutely no improper thoughts about her and was only interested in the 50,000 deep blue crystals.
Qin Muge laughed, grabbed her collar and pulled her closer: "You're going to sell my information for money? Are you that desperate for cash? Hmm?"
Chaoge suddenly felt a little embarrassed, but she had her reasons! "Ahem, don't put it so harshly. I'm earning my own living, it's a legitimate income, okay?"
Qin Muge snorted coldly, remained silent, and simply extended his hand towards her.
Chaoge looked at her in confusion, not understanding what she meant.
"Hand it over." Seeing that she didn't understand, Qin Muge said succinctly.
Holy crap, why?! I already said this is legitimate income, why are you confiscating it?! And I haven't even received it yet! If you have the guts to take my money, then answer my question!
Before she could voice her protest, Qin Muge leaned in and sealed her lips with a light kiss, licking the corner of her lips with his tongue. His smile was wicked and arrogant, his red eyes captivating, and his black hair fell down, obscuring their faces. He could only hear her slowly explaining, "I am taxing this income of yours on behalf of the Empire, two hundred percent tax."
This is just too outrageous! Chaoge suddenly felt completely awful.
After a long while, seeing that she was still sullen, Qin Muge handed her a gold card and smiled as he spoke, "Still angry? Take this card and spend it however you like. Don't try to make that kind of money."
Chaoge was still unhappy! She was a person of principle and would not be bought off by this crystal card. Did she think that this would make things disappear? Let me tell you, no way!
Qin Muge immediately announced the amount inside, and Chaoge's expression lit up instantly!
Oh my god, rich people! So extravagant! Great General, mwah! The style shift is so rapid, it's almost mesmerizing.
☆ Chapter 28: The Twenty-Eighth Evaluation of General Qin
The main character of the ball disappeared halfway through, but none of the attendees found it strange. Considering Qin Muge's long history of never appearing in public, the fact that she had stayed in front of everyone for so long was already quite satisfactory.
—The above is the answer Chaoge received after asking Qin Muge, who felt he was being too idle.
Those who didn't know the situation might have thought Qin Muge had a disease that caused him to die whenever he saw a large crowd.
Qin Muge leaned against the edge of the sofa with one hand, gently touching her chin with the back of her index finger. Her red eyes held a gentle smile, and her black hair, like the most beautiful silk in the world, fell in front of her, forming the composition of this beautiful picture together with her snow-white military uniform.
Seeing that Chaoge was looking at the sky and the ground but not at her, she chuckled softly, then let out a soft "heh." The last syllable of the sound was slowly dissipated in the air, but when it reached her ears, it had a strangely lingering charm, like the ripples that gradually spread out after a raindrop falls into a clear lake.
Damn it, why am I blushing like I've never seen a woman in eight lifetimes... Chaoge really wanted to rub her forehead and look at the sky.
Seemingly remembering something, she tilted her head slightly, revealing a soft beauty in the lines of her right forearm resting on the sofa armrest. She stretched out her left hand, tugged at the fingertips of her glove, and then, in just a short moment, removed the glove completely, revealing her ivory-white half-arm.
Her fingers were white and slender, each one like a perfect work of art sculpted by a master craftsman. Using the same technique, she removed the glove from her left hand and beckoned to her with her index finger.
I never realized before that her hands were my type. As a hand fetishist, I can't resist Qin Muge's charms. It's really hard to be happy.
Then, without any restraint, she sat down next to Qin Muge, because seeing such beautiful hands, she really wanted to touch them!
Do you understand what it means to have two hands that can play for a year?
Qin Muge leaned closer to Chaoge, one hand supporting her on her side. Her red eyes gleamed with a knowing light, as if she understood everything. Knowing Chaoge's taste, she deliberately asked, "Do you like me?"
Chaoge twitched her lips, looked at her face, which she considered stunningly beautiful, sighed, and honestly replied, "I like your face, I like your voice, I like your hands, I like your figure, but I just don't like you, what should I do?" However, there was clearly a smile in her eyes.
Qin Muge simply leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes to rest, as if she wasn't the one who had just asked that question.
Such fickleness truly befits his position as number one on the list of the empire's most mysterious and unpredictable individuals.
Seeing that she seemed to have given up on teasing her, Chaoge suddenly felt a bit of pressure facing a proper general. She sat quietly so close to Qin Muge, watching her close her eyes and lean back on the sofa as if taking a nap. She subconsciously moved closer, trying to use her excellent eyesight to find any flaws on her face.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she got closer, Qin Muge suddenly opened his eyes, and the moment his gaze fell on Chaoge, the corners of his lips couldn't help but curve into a smile.
"I have some news for you. Give me a kiss and I'll tell you, okay?" It was as if she had just thought of this as a way to lean back and close her eyes to rest.
Chaoge couldn't help but find it a little funny. Was she really that shrewd or just that naive? She really couldn't see through her.
For some reason, Chaoge leaned over and, instead of kissing her, hugged her. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but I think you prefer hugs to kisses."
Qin Muge was a little stunned. She had never expected Chaoge to be so proactive. She had never been seen through by anyone else. Only Chaoge could occasionally guess a corner of her emotions by using the indescribable feelings between the two of them.
With just a gentle stretch of the hand, one can embrace such a gift from another world.
He's the guy who always understands her inexplicably when she needs him. How could she not like him?
Regardless of whether we are the same soul in other worlds, meeting you in this world is the happiest thing that has happened to me in a long time.
So, for such a person, she habitually used the most convenient way to keep her by her side.
Yan Chaoge never regretted anything she did, and neither did Qin Muge.
"In Chaoge, Yuandu has a tradition. During the military training period at the beginning of the semester, the quality of the admitted students is assessed. The person who performs the worst each year will be expelled at the end of the month's school leadership meeting, on the grounds that they are not suitable for Yuandu Military Academy." Qin Muge did not reach back to hug her. Instead, he pulled Chaoge away, stared into her eyes, and spoke slowly and deliberately.
She had barely finished the first half of her speech when Chaoge's expression turned grim, a bad feeling creeping into her heart. When she heard the word "dismissal," her expression turned completely cold.
Seeing Chaoge's expression, Qin Muge ignored it, gave a faint "hmm," and continued, "I probably don't need to tell you about the person who was expelled and the outcome, right?"
Yan Chaoge frowned, wanting to say something, but in the end only managed to utter, "Qinghe, she... she's been working very hard." Why couldn't she be given more time? She was improving in every training exercise, but it seemed that only Chaoge could see it. In the eyes of others, Luo Qinghe was still the one who was kept behind for extra training every day.
Qin Muge smiled and her eyes crinkled at his words. "Chaoge, you know that many times, effort doesn't guarantee results."
Yes, she always knew.
Chaoge slumped her shoulders, staring blankly at the sofa with a sullen expression. She wondered if this was good or bad for Qinghe. On one hand, she knew that Qinghe was not suitable for Yuandu, and on the other hand, she always felt that the world was too unfair to Qinghe.
If Qin Muge hadn't said what followed, her act of standing up for this friend she had only known for a month might have ended there.
"Moreover, the upper echelons of Yuandu are composed of the three major families, even though the Ling family voted against it." Qin Muge casually tossed out this remark.
Everyone in the empire knows that members of the Ling family make up almost half of Qin Muge's personal guard, and often, Qin Muge's will is carried out by the Ling family.
That means both the Yan family and the Yan family directly agreed to the decision to expel Qinghe. Hearing Qin Muge say this, it was hard for Chaoge not to think. So Yan Chen was quite free in the military's technology research and development department, otherwise why would he have time to think about an ordinary friend like her all day long?
Is it true that Qinghe was not actually in last place?
Looking into Qin Muge's eyes, which shone like rubies, she was not attracted by such beautiful eyes for the first time, but instead felt deeply sorry for Qinghe's fragile heart.
In the original world, despite the unfairness, people could always find other ways to improve themselves. Here, however, authority and AI are like a system that divides people into different classes from birth, and no matter how hard you struggle, you can only flounder in the same place.
Min Kaiyang, who had been standing outside the door, raised his golden eyes, devoid of any emotion, and watched the sun slowly sink in the west, the blue of the sky being eroded by the sunset into a kaleidoscope of colors.
"Give me the AI carrier." Qin Muge interrupted Chaoge's thoughts as she murmured, 'Qinghe should come and let me know when she leaves.'
Chaoge instinctively reached to remove the wristband from her wrist, but hesitated after realizing what she was doing, looking at Qin Muge with some hesitation. "What, are you afraid I won't return it to you?" Qin Muge raised a delicate, jade-like eyebrow.
Upholding the most basic trust between people, Chaoge closed her eyes, waved her hand, and took off the wristband from her wrist, adding with a pleading look, "Remember to give it back to me, I live off it. What you're holding is all I have left in this world!"
"Isn't I your only support in this world?" the general said, sounding somewhat unhappy.
"Oh, what gave you such a terrible illusion?" Chaoge asked in surprise.
Qin Muge smiled and looked at her for a while, then took the wristband from her, patted her head, and walked away. Only after she was far away did Chaoge hear a voice carried on the wind: "Suddenly I don't want to return it to you anymore, so it's a happy decision."
Wait! This isn't pleasant at all! Look back at me! Look at my miserable face! [Erkang gesture]
However, the general could not hear her rich inner thoughts, and lit a candle for Chaoge.
When Min Kaiyang saw Qin Muge come out, she was quickly putting on gloves as she walked. He consciously followed her, but his gaze kept drifting to the wristband on her wrist.
Qin Muge completely ignored his gaze until he couldn't help but speak up: "You know perfectly well that only I can cure the poison in those things."
General Qin reverted to her usual reserved demeanor, appearing aloof and noble to onlookers. She nodded, indicating she understood, and then Min Kaiyang waited for her to hand it over, only to find that after Qin Muge nodded, nothing more happened!
Fortunately, Min Kaiyang never showed any expression. Even when he was speechless, his icy face remained unchanged.
Qin Muge walked straight to Yan Chen's side, and the guards' eyes automatically focused on her. She nodded calmly to Yan Chen as a greeting, and then said as casually as if she had eaten a bowl of rice that night, "Your daughter and I hit it off immediately. She would like to stay at my palace as a guest tonight. Does the Yan family have any objections?"
Standing next to Yan Chen, Yan Xi thought to herself, "General, you haven't even glanced at me yet!" As she thought this, her face was so fair that she didn't need any makeup to achieve the desired effect.
A member of the royal guard, who had been secretly listening, exclaimed: "Holy crap! The general's palace is a place you can just stay anytime?! We want to stay too, General! At least look at us!"
Noticing that Yan Chen's gaze had shifted to Yan Xi beside him, Qin Muge waited a while for his reply before following his gaze to see Yan Xi. She gave a seemingly enlightened look and said calmly, "I wasn't talking about her."
Yan Xi: ...
☆ Chapter 29: The Twenty-Ninth Evaluation of General Qin