Chapter 162: Chapter 162: What’s with the Act?

An older woman and a younger man?

Looking at the question on the screen, a small question mark appeared over Jiang Qingli’s head.

’This doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the healing mission.’

’Is Que Qingqiong trying to start a conversation with some girl talk to get closer to me?’

Jiang Qingli thought for a moment and replied: [I think if you like someone, that’s all that matters. Age isn’t an issue.]

The person on the other end agreed wholeheartedly: [Miss Jiang, we’re really on the same wavelength. I think so too.]

Then, she asked: [What do you think of my brother?]

’Oh, so this is the real topic.’

Jiang Qingli replied very seriously: [His condition is more severe than I thought, but he was very cooperative during the healing process. Bandaging him earlier was clearly painful, but he didn’t show it. He even comforted me instead. He’s a very good person. I’m sure he’ll make a full recovery.]

On the other end of the screen, Que Qingqiong and her aunt saw the message, exchanged a look, and smiled in satisfaction.

Que Qingqiong read it over and over, extremely pleased. "Miss Jiang is very observant, has a great personality, and is serious and responsible. She’s a dependable woman. Xiao Ling’s suffering is finally coming to an end."

"I told you! Our Xiao Ling might have some sensory defects, but his face perfectly inherited the superior genes from your mom and your third dad. No woman can resist that!" Que Zhiyu said as she started to walk out. "I need to find a master to calculate an auspicious date for their registration... Oh, I’ll just go to the Jiang Family’s house myself."

Que Qingqiong, the more rational of the two, grabbed her aunt’s hand. "Auntie, what era are we living in? Don’t interfere. Just let nature take its course."

Her aunt thought about it, agreed, and obediently sat back down. But not two seconds later, she pulled out her terminal and started fiddling with it again.

Que Qingqiong facepalmed. "You’re not looking for a master to read their romantic fortune, are you?"

"Qingqiong, why are you so superstitious now?" Que Zhiyu said, looking puzzled. "I’m messaging my secretary to prepare some restorative supplements for Miss Jiang."

-

When Jiang Qingli got home, she had just reached the first floor when she saw a mountain of gift boxes piled high in the living room.

A servant was reporting something to Baili Jing, who was standing nearby. Hearing the noise, the servant turned and called out, "Miss."

"Are these congratulatory gifts?" Jiang Qingli asked.

"No. The person who delivered them said they were restorative supplements to thank you for your efforts today." The servant turned and showed the screen to Jiang Qingli. "Miss, this is the gift list. Please take a look."

Jiang Qingli glanced at it and saw a dizzying, densely packed list of items: ginseng, bird’s nest, abalone... a whole heap of supplements.

She nodded. The servant added, "They said this is for this week. There will be more every week after this. If you have any other needs, Miss, you can let them know."

’The Que family really is extravagant...’

Jiang Qingli glanced at the mountain of gifts and patted Yi Nuo’s shoulder. "I’m leaving the task of dealing with all this to you. Good luck."

His gaze lingered for a few seconds on the girl’s slender fingers resting on his shoulder. Yi Nuo nodded quietly, his expression quite calm.

But the wolf ears on his head instantly popped out, their soft fur trembling slightly.

As if in anticipation of something.

Unfortunately, Jiang Qingli had already pulled her hand back and turned to talk to Baili Jing about the day’s healing session, so she didn’t see it.

Seeing this, the wolf ears seemed to twitch in dissatisfaction.

Yi Nuo lowered his eyes, looking at the girl’s fingers hanging by her side. Beneath his suit’s bow tie, his Adam’s apple bobbed with restraint.

He closed his eyes, and the wolf ears slowly retracted.

After performing a high-intensity healing session on Que Feiling that morning, Jiang Qingli was exhausted. Her eyelids grew heavy after chatting with Baili Jing for a little while.

"Go to sleep."

Baili Jing gathered the girl into his arms, gently patting her shoulder and back.

In just a short while, Jiang Qingli fell asleep.

Baili Jing gently picked her up and headed upstairs.

Passing by Gu Nian, who was sitting on the other side, Baili Jing paused, his eyes sweeping over the lollipop the other man had stuck in his mouth.

His tone was indifferent. "That stuff is bad for you. I’d advise you to eat less of it."

Gu Nian stared at the girl’s sleeping face, his eyelashes lowered. He didn’t say anything for a long time.

-

「Monday. The Melt Star Association.」

Wearing a mask, Bai Yiyi entered the elevator clutching a stack of folders, full of resentment.

Because of a system penalty, Bai Yiyi had been without her Superpower for some time. She couldn’t participate in the Superpower assessment and her rank was frozen; she could only recover by taking the assessment again next year.

This was already depressing enough for Bai Yiyi.

What made her break down even more was that not only had Jiang Qingli not died, but she had actually passed the assessment and even become the acting president!

’I knew Helian Sheng was unreliable!’

Under these circumstances, Bai Yiyi didn’t even want to come to the academy. But Ling Qing kept nagging her, saying that since she’d missed a lot of class to accompany Su Jue, she’d fail if she didn’t show up.

She had originally thought that even with her rank frozen, with her connections and seniority, the student council would still treat her with the usual deference.

But who would have thought that as soon as she arrived at the academy, that bunch of sycophants on the student council would give her attitude at every turn? They just threw a pile of documents at her and told her to deliver them.

Bai Yiyi had never run errands like this before. But Yuan Shiyao happened to be passing by at that moment, so to maintain her ’innocent flower’ persona, she took the files anyway.

She’d deliberately stumbled, intending to fall into the young man’s arms. But he just frowned, lost in thought, and didn’t even glance at her.

Bai Yiyi walked irritably toward the elevators. Just as she reached the entrance, she suddenly heard a displeased voice from inside.

"Hey."

The voice seemed to come from the elevator lobby.

Bai Yiyi tiptoed closer and saw Zhao Xinxin, one of the Melt Star Association’s vice presidents, stop a girl standing in front of the elevator. Zhao Xinxin’s brows were tightly knit, her face full of displeasure. "You went to heal that person from the Que family?"

’The Que family?’

Bai Yiyi thought for a moment and remembered that Jiang Qingli had accepted a mission on Saturday.

Although the mission was supposedly confidential, several high-ranking members of the student council had access to it. As a Vice President of the Melt Star Association, Zhao Xinxin naturally had ways of finding out.

Jiang Qingli probably knew this too, because she simply nodded.

’She’s so calm about it.’

’Damn it. If my rank hadn’t been frozen, she never would have gotten this opportunity.’

Bai Yiyi clenched her fists and sneered internally.

In the elevator lobby, Zhao Xinxin was also fuming. "Don’t you know that Que Feiling is a murderer?! You’re healing someone like that? What about the Melt Star Association’s reputation?"

Jiang Qingli’s gaze swept over the other woman’s furious face as she spoke calmly, "As far as I know, the Que Group has always been one of the Melt Star Association’s biggest sponsors. The gemstone cufflinks on your uniform come from the Que family’s D-01 Sapphire Mine in the Third District."

Zhao Xinxin faltered. "That’s because Sister Shu is close with Que Qingqiong."

"So?" Jiang Qingli looked her straight in the eye. "You don’t go after the Supervisory Office that issued the mission. You don’t go after Que Qingqiong, who requested the mission be assigned. Instead, you’re here warning me? The person executing the mission, who was the last to even know about it?"

"Because you know that Que Qingqiong manages the Melt Star Association’s investments and is also President Qin’s friend. And you still need the Supervisory Office to assign you missions. You can’t afford to offend any of them."

"But I’m new, and I’m only temporary, so I’m an easy target for you to vent on and use to assert your authority."

As Zhao Xinxin listened, her expression grew more and more guilty.

Jiang Qingli took a step closer to her and suddenly asked, "Vice President Zhao, does Secretary Qiao know you came to see me?"

Hearing this, Zhao Xinxin’s face instantly paled. "If you have a problem, direct it at me! This was my idea, she doesn’t know anything about it!"

Jiang Qingli didn’t respond, merely raising an eyebrow. "You don’t need to come to the Melt Star Association this week. Come back next week, after you’ve had time to think things through."

Her words were like a sudden clap of thunder, exploding in the air.

Zhao Xinxin’s eyes widened in disbelief, her voice rising. "What do you mean?!"

Jiang Qingli said, "I may be temporary, but I still possess all the powers of the president."

And the president naturally has the right to suspend a vice president.

Zhao Xinxin hadn’t expected Jiang Qingli to dare speak to her so brazenly. She raged, "Jiang Qingli, who do you think you are—"

Jiang Qingli raised a hand, cutting her off.

Facing the other woman’s out-of-control tirade, the girl remained calm from start to finish, but her eyes held an authority that permitted no defiance. "Here, you should address me as President."

After she spoke, she didn’t wait for Zhao Xinxin’s reaction, pressing the elevator button and stepping inside.

Zhao Xinxin muttered a few curses under her breath and pulled out her terminal to start sending a message.

Outside the elevator lobby, Bai Yiyi scoffed in disdain.

’She’s just an acting president. When Qin Shu gets back and finds out she punished one of her own, what’s going to happen to her?’

’What’s with the act?’

BUZZ—

A buzzing sound came from behind her.

Bai Yiyi turned around and realized someone was standing behind her.

A tall woman in the dark uniform of the Melt Star Association stood there, with a refined face and purple hair falling in front of her.

It was the Melt Star Association’s Secretary, Qiao Lan.

Qiao Lan had arrived at some point and was now holding her buzzing terminal, her eyes narrowed at Jiang Qingli’s retreating back. Her expression was unreadable.

Bai Yiyi’s eyes shifted, and she offered the other woman a familiar smile:

"Secretary Qiao, long time no see..."

...

The unexpected incident didn’t affect Jiang Qingli’s mood.

The person who had lost the documents had already been expelled from the Melt Star Association, but she knew that the people in the association were all elites in terms of Superpowers. There were definitely still people who didn’t accept her and were looking for a chance to target her.

Therefore, while today’s events were unexpected, they weren’t surprising.

In fact, Jiang Qingli even saw it as an opportunity.

Zhao Xinxin had wanted to use this matter to establish her authority, and Jiang Qingli could likewise use Zhao Xinxin to make an example of her and warn the other disobedient members.

’After this, things should be quiet for a few days.’

After finishing her morning’s work, Jiang Qingli ate her meal while reading through documents, then headed to the top floor of the library.

Midterm week was next week, and she had a few theory courses to study for.

Although Jiang Qingli could handle the physical education classes with ease, Imperial History had a lot of extra credit questions that required reading the recommended book list.

She had heard from Lin Xiyue that there were some physical history books stored on the library’s top floor, so she planned to borrow a few to read.

She’d borrow a few for Gu Nian as well.

’A few days ago, she heard him say he wasn’t sleeping well. Reading these might help him sleep.’

In the Interstellar Era, almost no one read physical books anymore. The top floor was empty except for a few scattered students, who were probably all from the history department.

Jiang Qingli found the section she needed and, her eyes locking onto a particular volume, reached out to grab it.

Just as her fingertips touched the spine of the book, a hand with well-defined knuckles suddenly reached out, brushing against the back of her hand.

The dry, warm touch slid gently across her skin, bringing a faint tickle.

From above her, a young man’s low chuckle sounded:

"What a coincidence. I wanted to borrow this book too."