Volume 4 Chapter 23

Volume 4 + Chapter 23: A Fresh Start On Campus Life

“Hmph, you really think I, Bai Yuxuan, am afraid of your threats?” Upon hearing Wang Shiman’s words, Bai Yuxuan let out a cold laugh.

“So what if you tell my father? At worst, I’ll just tell him that Qianxue was deliberately planted by you, Wang Shiman, to ruin my reputation. I’m sure that by then, my father would turn his attack against you, wouldn’t he? After all, Qianxue has countless ties to you, even if my father really investigates this, you won’t be able to stay out of it. And though you, Wang Shiman, have considerable influence nationwide, this is Xijiang, the Bai family’s territory. If you want to fight me, you might not come out unscathed either.”

“Truly worthy of Young Master Bai, indeed, threats of this level are hardly enough to intimidate you.” At that, the corners of Wang Shiman’s mouth curved upward slightly, her smile appearing unusually alluring against her violet-rose lipstick.

“You flatter me. Besides, you were just testing me a moment ago, weren’t you? Let’s get straight to the point, name your price. What conditions do you need to let Qianxue go?”

“Young Master Bai, don’t be so hasty. Before we discuss Qianxue’s matters, there’s one more thing I’d like to discuss with you. You said earlier that Qianxue has his own future and shouldn’t be controlled by me?”

“Exactly!”

“But I don’t believe that the future Qianxue envisions for himself is any better than the one I’ve designed for him. You should know, whether it’s his looks, his physical coordination, or his diligence, talent, and comprehension, Qianxue is the best among all the people I’ve trained. I can say without exaggeration that he’s the most suitable person I’ve ever seen to become an idol. It’s just a pity that he was born the wrong gender!”

“Qianxue was not born the wrong gender, he is a boy to begin with. Even if you force him to dress as a girl and play the part, his strong heart, the heart that courageously shoulders the burden of his family, will never change. In my eyes, a Qianxue like that is ten times more handsome than those men who have nothing but bulging muscles.”

After Bai Yuxuan said this, Qianxue was stunned, because it was the first time in his life, apart from his younger sister, that anyone had ever called him handsome.

“So even if you change his appearance, you can’t change his inner self. You cannot control Qianxue, he should be the one to pursue his own future!” Bai Yuxuan continued.

“His own future? How could that kind of future compare to the one I’ve designed for him? What do you think Qianxue can accomplish between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five? I dare say that any career he pursues or any achievement he attains before twenty-five will never shine as brightly as being the diva of the music scene. Moreover, whether he can succeed in anything else is still uncertain. But if you leave him in my hands to train, with his natural gifts, I can definitely mold him into the next generation’s diva!”

Having said that, Wang Shiman paid no further attention to Bai Yuxuan. She rose from her seat and walked toward Qianxue.

“Well, Qianxue, in just ten years, you could become a diva and a legend just like me. Isn’t that far more meaningful than anything else you might do? All you have to do is forget your own gender!” At that moment, Wang Shiman’s eyes burned with a fervent obsession, like a master gem-cutter who has just laid eyes on a flawless rough diamond.

Yet at this moment, facing Wang Shiman, Qianxue merely gave a bitter smile, then dropped to his knees with a thud before her.

“Qianxue, what are you…!” Bai Yuxuan rushed forward to help him up, but Qianxue signaled with his eyes for her to stay back.

“President Wang, no, please allow me to call you ‘Master.’ If you hadn’t given me that opportunity back then, my family might have starved to death on the streets. Not only that, you provided me with food and clothing, gave me an education, and taught me all these skills. The kindness you’ve shown me, I will never forget it for the rest of my life!”

With that, Qianxue kowtowed three times to Wang Shiman.

“But…” Qianxue rose and said to Wang Shiman, “I do not wish to accept the future you have arranged for me. It may be true that I cannot achieve greater success than a diva even in ten or twenty years, but that is not my personal aspiration. Even if I truly became a diva, I would not be happy. So I want to go find, and pursue my own dream.”

After Qianxue finished speaking, Wang Shiman glared at him fiercely, but this time Qianxue did not flinch, he met her gaze with sincere eyes.

After looking at Qianxue for a long while, Wang Shiman finally let out a sigh and said, “Fine, you may go.”

Hearing her words, Qianxue’s eyes widened.

“To be honest, if you truly want to leave, I can’t stop you anyway, can I? After all, with Bai Yuxuan around, all the constraints I once placed on you are now useless. Whether it’s your mother’s medical expenses or your sister’s tuition, anything I could give you, he can give you too. Still, you are a thoughtful child, coming back specially to thank me. Very well. From now on, our ties are settled. As for your ransom…” Wang Shiman walked up to Bai Yuxuan, “I’ll just take the cost of your meals all these years, plus the medical fees I paid for your mother.” After saying this, she sank back into her chair with a weary air and instructed her secretary to see them out.

At that, hearing Wang Shiman’s words, Bai Yuxuan was overjoyed, she hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. Yet at the same time, a faint unease crept into her heart, for she felt that things had gone a little too smoothly.

Then, at the very last moment before parting, Qianxue bowed once more to Wang Shiman, and then left her office with Bai Yuxuan. But just as the door closed behind them, Bai Yuxuan suddenly caught sight of Wang Shiman, who had looked dejected a moment ago, flashing a sinister, icy smile.

That sight sharply intensified the unease in her heart. She glanced at Qianxue beside her, and saw that his expression was like the sky after rain, the gloom that had once lurked on his face had completely cleared, making him look every bit the sunny, adorable, energetic girl. Looking at Qianxue by her side, Bai Yuxuan steeled her resolve once more.

(Wang Shiman! Whatever scheme you’re hatching, as long as I am by Qianxue’s side, you will never take him away!) And so Bai Yuxuan led Qianxue out of Wang Shiman’s company.

It was now noon, and the two, famished, had lunch at a family restaurant nearby.

“What are your plans now?” Bai Yuxuan asked Qianxue.

“I want to go back to school…” Qianxue said hesitantly.

“Then are you planning to return to Sakura Academy?” Bai Yuxuan asked, and Qianxue fell silent.

“A couple of days ago, I received a call from Xia Bingdie. She said that after you left, not only were the juniors in your three clubs sad for a long time, but even our classmates couldn’t concentrate in class. I heard that our class’s average score on the last monthly exam dropped by five or six points.”

Hearing this, Qianxue became even more conflicted.

“But I lied to them for so long…”

“It’s fine, it’s the same principle as ‘it’s not a crime if you don’t get caught.’ As long as you don’t reveal yourself, it’s not really deception, is it?”

“Then what are you suggesting…”

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll still wear girls’ clothes and go to Sakura Academy with me!”

[Translator’s Note: Please join the Gravity Tales’ Discord Server, if you want to hang out.]

[https://ko-fi.com/golden_dragon]