What Should I Do If My Ex-Girlfriend's Pheromones Smell Too Good? - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Inference

Lin Yuan looked as if she were sulking at the air, her expression darkening slightly.

However, she was no longer as intensely emotional as she had been in her youth. After a long silence, she corrected Yan Xiangyu’s statement without confirming or denying it: “Becoming a politician was an idea I had long ago; it wasn’t a decision made out of a momentary impulse.”

Family resources, personal character, and an… emotional issue—a blend of multiple factors had driven her to make that choice. Lin Yuan was indeed a devoted and affectionate person, but she was not a “love-brain.”

Shu Qiong felt a bit awkward. Was she technically the child of this Auntie Lin’s love rival? Even though her relationship with her father was abysmal.

She suddenly understood why Lin Yuan never visited her home when she was a child, yet her figure would frequently pop up in places where Chen Aishu was absent.

“Your mom had exceptionally poor taste.”

Lin Yuan gave a blunt summary of the previous topic, her gaze sweeping over the two people in front of her. “You’re a bit better than her.”

Shu Qiong: “…”

Why did that dart loop around and hit me instead?

“Don’t compare me to that piece of trash,” she countered instinctively, frowning slightly as she leaned forward to shield half of Yan Xiangyu’s shoulder. “There is no comparison whatsoever.”

Yan Xiangyu, expression unreadable, obediently let Shu Qiong hold her hand, remaining silent.

Lin Yuan let out a sneer: “Suit yourself. It has nothing to do with me anyway.”

Following that, silence fell among the three of them again. It lasted until the helicopter approached the dormitory building and landed steadily.

The pilot looked back to ask Lin Yuan: “Sir, this area has been mostly cleared. Shall we land here?”

Lin Yuan hummed an “Mhm” without saying much. She was busy tapping and drawing on her light screen, occasionally knitting her brows, looking quite preoccupied.

The helicopter found a spot to park in the large open space near the dorm. The cabin door slid open, the rails making a faint sound of friction and clanking.

Lin Yuan remained where she was, unmoving.

For a moment, Shu Qiong wondered if she had heard the pilot. Maintaining her polite attitude as a junior, she asked before leaving: “Senior Lin, aren’t you going to the air-raid shelter?”

“Oh, I still have things to do. You go ahead,” Lin Yuan looked up, saying airily, “If you need anything, you can come find me.”

Shu Qiong had already climbed back into her mech; hearing that last sentence inside the cockpit, she doubted her ears: “…Okay.”

Unexpectedly, Lin Yuan crossed her arms and said, “What do you mean ‘okay’? Do you even have my contact information?”

Shu Qiong gave an “Uh,” refusing to show weakness: “I can ask Auntie Jin and the others.”

Lin Yuan finally, reluctantly, let them go, giving a dismissive wave as if she were very impatient. Shu Qiong, however, felt for no particular reason that the woman’s mood was actually quite good.

Yan Xiangyu stepped onto the ground first. Her battle-damaged Standby walked with a bit of a limp. Fortunately, the surroundings were safe, and the two entered the half-collapsed dormitory entrance without any trouble.

Just as they stepped inside, Shu Qiong heard the sound of rotors spinning again. She turned to see the helicopter taking off once more, flying back toward the signal tower.

Yan Xiangyu’s calm voice reached her ears: “We’ll see her again.”

“Mhm,” Shu Qiong smiled. “Let’s go inside.”

As they approached the air-raid shelter, they could see teams of fully equipped military personnel moving in and out, seemingly tallying and transferring undamaged supplies. The personnel were all solemn. This time, the Alliance had suffered heavy losses—not only were many valuable research and teaching instruments destroyed, but a group of excellent instructors and military cadets had been lost as well.

Presumably because they saw Shu Qiong and the other descend from the commander’s helicopter, no one obstructed or questioned them. They were allowed through after a glance at their blood-stained mechs.

Shu Qiong and Yan Xiangyu returned underground in silence. Just as they parked their mechs and were about to jump out of the cockpits, they heard a flurry of hurried, disorganized footsteps.

“Daughter! Yan… Little Yan, you’re finally back!” Jin Yan ran the fastest, pouncing forward to grab Shu Qiong’s arm, looking her up, down, left, and right. Finding no wounds, she sighed in relief: “As long as you’re okay!”

Shu Qiong smiled and proactively opened her arms to show everyone she was fine, hopping a few times to prove her legs were intact. She then noticed that Jin Yan’s attitude toward Yan Xiangyu had improved significantly.

Jin Yan hooked an arm around Shu Qiong’s neck and whispered, “I used to be at odds with ‘Yan-Bking’ because I was afraid she’d bully you, right? After all, she’s so cold, stiff, and cynical—she looks very hard to deal with! But now… honestly, what exactly is going on between you two?”

She had heard everything loud and clear on the public channel earlier. When Yan Xiangyu spoke to her “daughter,” phrases like “sit on my lap,” “sleeping,” and “uncomfortable” came out so casually—it sounded very improper!

“We…” Influenced by her words, Shu Qiong couldn’t help but steal a glance back.

Yan Xiangyu was also receiving concerned inquiries from friends. She wasn’t used to such a warm atmosphere, so her posture was slightly unnatural, but she answered every question, concisely narrating what they had done after exiting the sewers, only omitting the part about meeting Lin Yuan.

Suddenly, mid-sentence, Yan Xiangyu turned her face without warning, catching Shu Qiong before she could look away.

Shu Qiong pretended to be calm as she turned her head back, acting as if she had only been distracted by the commotion over there for a moment.

“…It’s exactly what you saw,” she managed to squeeze out.

Jin Yan clicked her tongue: “I can see that! What I’m asking is, how far have you two progressed?”

Shu Qiong felt shy: “Not yet, uh, not yet…”

“What! You haven’t officially gotten back together?” Seeing her hesitant tone, Jin Yan assumed her friend was being shy about her pride and said indignantly, “This ‘Yan-Bking’ really is still no good! How can she seduce you while not giving you a formal status? That’s too wicked!”

Shu Qiong cursed loudly in her head, the redness on her face instantly vanishing: “Is that what you were asking? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

She reflected for a second on her own “dirty” thoughts and explained, “Well, previously the timing wasn’t right, and then we ran into all these accidents. We haven’t had time to confirm the relationship. But we both know where we stand.”

Both Shu Qiong and Yan Xiangyu were relatively conservative when it came to feelings; they acted steadily and wouldn’t rush into crossing boundaries. It was a matter of mutual respect and testing the waters.

For instance, some people like to confess when things are still unclear, making a grand gamble of self-release; others prefer to wait until they are absolutely certain, using the confession as a small “seal” of ceremony—a finishing touch rather than a forced ultimatum. Shu Qiong undoubtedly belonged to the latter.

She sighed and said, “When I go back to the Capital Star this time, I need to visit the old Shu family estate once to settle some restless factors.”

Jin Yan wasn’t surprised at all and patted her shoulder: “Want me to have my mom and the others go with you? To give you some backup momentum?”

Shu Qiong laughed: “No need. I’m not going there to kick down doors. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

As soon as she spoke, a voice came from behind: “You know what you’re doing with what?”

Shu Qiong and Jin Yan turned simultaneously to see Yan Xiangyu. Having finished with the others, she was standing behind them with her arms crossed—who knew how long she had been listening.

“I called you just now, but you didn’t answer,” Yan Xiangyu said softly, her eyelashes drooping slightly. “I didn’t listen to your conversation on purpose.”

Jin Yan rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.

Shu Qiong curled her lips and gestured for Yan Xiangyu to come over: “It’s fine if you heard. I have nothing to hide from you.”

Yan Xiangyu stepped closer and looked up: “Then I want to—”

“Not this time.” As soon as she opened her mouth, Shu Qiong knew what she was going to say and gently refused.

She could already imagine what those fools at the Shu house would say if she brought Yan Xiangyu back. She was used to it herself and didn’t care, but she wasn’t willing to let it ruin Yan Xiangyu’s mood for no reason. Shu Qiong was protective; she would likely end up completely burning bridges with those people then, which wouldn’t be conducive to her follow-up plans.

Yan Xiangyu wasn’t disappointed, staying close to Shu Qiong’s side obediently.

Seeing this, Jin Yan found her a bit more likable. She thought to herself that this “Yan-Bking” wasn’t as hard to get along with as she seemed when she was around her “daughter”…

Suddenly, Yan Xiangyu looked up at Jin Yan, her eyes staring straight at the hand Jin Yan had casually draped over Shu Qiong’s shoulder.

Jin Yan silently retracted her hand, overturning her previous thought. Still hard to get along with!

“Hm?” Shu Qiong didn’t notice the silent clash between them. She turned inquiringly toward Yan Xiangyu. “What do you think?”

She had just told Jin Yan about meeting Lin Yuan and expressed her confusion over Lin Yuan appearing at the base planet as a commander.

Yan Xiangyu nodded slightly, her facial features softening, her gaze visibly turning tender: “I think the same as you, Xiao Qiong. Senior Lin’s identity is likely not simple. Furthermore, this Zerg invasion of the base planet is full of suspicious points.”

Jin Yan finally turned her attention back to serious business, asking hesitantly: “Auntie Lin?”

She didn’t know much more about Lin Yuan than Shu Qiong did. After a moment of thought, she shifted the focus: “Most of the garrison on the base planet was transferred away, and shortly after, the Zerg attacked. The first place to fall was the signal tower, which has the highest defense rating… Do you think such a coincidence really exists in this world?”

“You think,” Shu Qiong lowered her voice, “there’s a mole in the military?”

That would indeed explain some of the doubts. With so many excellent military officers, why would the reinforcements be led by a political figure with an unclear specific position?

Yan Xiangyu suddenly shook her head: “The language barrier.”

There is a racial barrier between Zerg and humans; their methods of communication are fundamentally different. The difference isn’t something the term “foreign language” can cover.

Just as a person can learn a difficult, obscure dialect if they put in the effort, they can never master the language of a bug. Differences in receptive organs and brain structure make communication impossible. Granted, scientists can use vast research samples combined with body movements and sound wave frequencies to make inferences, but they are still far from full mastery or decoding. If the official authorities can’t do it with the full power of the Alliance, civilian organizations certainly can’t.

Under such a premise, how could a human betray their own race to be a spy for the Zerg?

“It’s just a possibility,” Jin Yan said with a frown. “Perhaps research has made a breakthrough that we just don’t know about?”

Shu Qiong proposed a new guess: “There’s another possibility. Someone wanted to use this to achieve a certain goal or harvest certain interests. Triggering the Zerg raid was just one part of it—maybe a deliberate means to profit from war, or perhaps an accident caused by political maneuvering going out of control.”

“…If that’s really the case, that’s too wicked,” Jin Yan said gloomily.

Shu Qiong shrugged: “I’m just putting out a guess; it might not be accurate.”

Who can say for sure if a heart is good or bad? However, at the mention of profiting from war, several people couldn’t help but think of an acquaintance.

Xin Xiuyun.

Shu Qiong rubbed her temples and asked Jin Yan: “I remember you said, which industry did the Xin family use to leap into high society?”

“A supplier of Alliance mech parts… one of them.”