[The CJ Company submitted a public apology this morning. They stated that they will provide refunds to their customers who purchased through their promotional sales and will cooperate fully with the investigations. However, most of the board of directors of the company had already fled to other countries, making the investigation difficult. According to the team leader of the investigation, they have sufficient evidences in their hands for the next week's trial. Meanwhile, all business transactions related to CJ Company are to be frozen until the ruling of the upcoming trial comes out.]
Xiong Zhi was reading the news in her phone while waiting for her physical education class. It has been days since the case of Xiao Mei concluded. Xiao Mei still has not contacted her. The surgery of Mrs. Ping must be at hand, which was why Xiao Mei did not contact her.
The coach entered and she put her phone away. They were in the junior's gym. Due to the expanse of the campus and also to avoid disturbing normal classes, it was located a few minutes' drive away from their building.
The coach sounded a whistle to gather all students' attention. "Today, we'll be playing basketball. The boys must have more experience with this, so boys will play first. As for girls, you stay at the bleachers and watch, make sure to take note of the rules so that when it's your turn to play, you will be more familiar with them."
Having no friends, Xiong Zhi sat alone at the back area of the benches. She just watched the game in front her while deeply thinking of something.
It was almost a month since she was reborn. Her office building was already established. She was just waiting for Xiao Mei to come forward, and then Xiong Zhi will introduce her personally to IHZHI and her CEO.
After briefing them, she would just wait for her company to grow. Her deal with Gu Zhen could wait. There was still a year. She was still avoiding the beast and they had not met yet, which was good for her. Her enemies had not showed up so far, but she prepared herself to face them.
She might not have a close relationship with her grandfather but they were at least good. It seemed like everything was good so far.
But who she was concerned the most was Linfeng.
She did not know how she should approach him. Should she push him down the bed first and make him responsible for her, like what she watched in the ancient dramas? Or maybe she had to write a love letter and pursue a slow romance with him, like what she read in the modern romance novels? She... she did not know.
This was the first time she fell in love, her first time trying to pursue someone. In the past, she had no care about anything, even the Xiong family, she did not care. Whatever tiny responsibility she felt as a Xiong had been erased with all sufferings she experienced because of the Xiong family.
But now, her first priority was Linfeng, everything else was secondary. Even the interests of the Xiong family was nothing compared to her getting together with Linfeng. In the few days she spent with him after rebirth, she clearly felt a distance between them, as if he was guarded and there were walls around him.
But no matter what, she would climb those walls. She promised to herself in this second lifetime that she would do everything to spend her life with Linfeng.
Piiiiiiiiiiiii!
A whistle broke her thoughts. She looked at the source. The coach clapped after he whistled.
"Good! Gu Zhen! I thought you can't shoot with those thin arms of yours. But you just did it! Nice shot! Thinking of joining my basketball team? We can welcome you, three-point shooter," the coach said to Gu Zhen.
Gu Zhen took off his glasses and wiped them before putting them back on.
Kachak!
Xiong Zhi heard a faint sound. She blankly looked for the source of the sound.
"Thank you, coach. But I only play basketball when I'm free. Unfortunately, I don't have much free time," Gu Zhen said and smiled.
Kachak!
'That sound again.'
Xiong Zhi was sure this time that it was not an illusion. She heard it clearly. She looked around.
'Where are you?'
Then at the corner, she saw a shadow peeping back and forth at the court.
Xiong Zhi raised her brow. 'Found you.'
Out of boredom, she stood up and quietly walked to the back and circled around the area. When she arrived at the corner where the shadow was, she slowed down on her steps.
She was facing the person's back. Xiong Zhi examined the person in front of her. That person was also wearing a junior's gym uniform just like her.
'...'
The person's head was covered in a black shawl, which looked weird. From the figure, she could guess it was a girl. The girl was holding an instant-print camera and she looked like she was taking pictures while muttering something.
Xiong Zhi stepped forward and heard her words.
"Oh my, oh my..."
"My husband look so hot..."
"Kyaaa... he is really good..."
"Come on, look here, look here... kyaaa... good shot!"
Xiong Zhi inadvertently stepped back, but then continued forward.
'Eh...? She doesn't seem to be malicious, but like a stalker instead.'
"Ahem." Xiong Zhi coughed loudly. She came out of boredom, but now she felt curious at what this strange girl was doing. She also wanted to confirm something with this girl.
The person jolted in shock due to the sudden sound behind her. Her hand slipped and all the instant pictures she captured were all littered in the ground, thus, exposing the pictures. Flustered, the girl quickly crouched down and collected them one by one in lightning fast moves. Before a minute passed, the pictures were already in her pocket. Her instant-print camera hung around her neck.
Xiong Zhi saw them with sharp eyes. Those pictures...every one of them had Gu Zhen in it!
She looked at the girl holding onto the pictures carefully. The girl also wore a pair of sunglasses covering half of her face.
But Xiong Zhi still recognized her. She was the girl in the cafeteria who broke the plates, and also one of her classmates.
"Song Xuantin, are you stalking Gu Zhen?" Xiong Zhi asked the obvious. She just wanted to make sure, because she wanted to confirm if the glare she always felt was also from her, or from other hidden forces.
(A/N: hidden forces XD I know I just wanted to laugh )
Song Xuantin stopped for a moment.
'How... how did she know?! I-I'm wearing a disguise, ah! Even my maid doesn't recognize me! She must be bluffing!'
With that thought, she composed herself and held her chin up.
"I'm not Song Xuantin. You've mistaken me for someone."
'...'
Xiong Zhi looked at the girl expressionlessly, as if looking at a fool. Then, her gaze lowered to her chest and stared at it. Then, she looked up at Song Xuantin's face again.
Song Xuantin's hair on her skin stood up.
'Did... did she recognize me by the size of my boobs?!'
She covered her chest. She did not know that the esteemed Young Miss of the Xiong family had that kind of taste! To think she even made Xiong Zhi her rival!
She was straight ah! She had no preference for lilies!
(EN: it's a pun for lesbians)
Xiong Zhi then realized that the look Song Xuantin was giving to her was a little strange.
With her usual blank face, she pointed at Song Xuantin's chest.
"Your full name was sewed to your uniform," Xiong Zhi said simply. She also pointed to her own chest with the name 'Xiong Zhi' sewed on to her own uniform.
She did not know what kind of thoughts the girl was having. But she did not like the look that the girl was giving her, like she was a rapist or something.
"..."
Song Xuantin touched her chest. Then her eyes went wide.
'What an idiot! I forgot to cover my name! I'm screwed...'
She bit her lip nervously. What was the point of having this disguise if someone found out she was stalking—no, admiring Gu Zhen! What if the Young Miss Xiong Zhi told Gu Zhen?!
'Ahhhh! What should I do? What should I do?'
Seeing the girl panicking, Xiong Zhi did not push her.
"The glare last time, is it you?"
Song Xuantin's attention turned back to Xiong Zhi.
'The glare...?'
She looked confused. Xiong Zhi enlightened her.
"At the cafeteria, when I talked to Gu Zhen." The more she thought of it, the more she thought it was possible.
"En... it's probably me. I might have stared so much at your back." More like want to push you away from Gu Zhen.
"Oh." Xiong Zhi started to walk away, then turned to look back, remembering something.
"Don't worry, I won't tell to anyone what I saw today," Xiong Zhi said while looking at Xuantin's pocket.
Song Xuantin protected her pocket.
'Why look at my pocket?! I'll never let you steal it!'
"Why? Why should I trust your words? You probably will tell him later that I'm a stalker! I'm not, I, I, I'm just an admirer!"
'You're my rival! How can you not talk badly about me to Gu Zhen. Gu Zhen might hate me, wu, wuuu... But I'm not a stalker, I just want to admire him even from afar, ah.'
Song Xuantin looked like she was about to cry. Xiong Zhi's mouth twitched, feeling uneasy. She understood how Song Xuantin felt. She also did not want the man she liked to hate her.
"You like Gu Zhen, don't you? Don't worry I understand how you feel." Her mature twenty-three year old heart came out, facing a love-sick sixteen year old girl.
However, this made Song Xuantin misunderstand her words. She narrowed her eyes.
"Are you saying you like Gu Zhen, too, that's why you understand me? You are now proclaiming war?" Song Xuantin, with teary eyes, looked like she was ready to fight.
This made Xiong Zhi's head hurt.
'What a fool.'
But Xiong Zhi tried to be the mature one, since she felt like she had to coax this little kitten in front of her. Rather, she felt it was below her to fight with such a fool.
She also pitied the girl. She did not want to add to the girl's love problems.
"No. I have absolutely zero romantic or sexual feelings towards Gu Zhen. Those feelings are only for my one and only one man."
The fool's eyes widened.
"That, that one man is not Gu Zhen?" She wanted to make sure if this Xiong Zhi was a friend or a foe.
Xiong Zhi sighed.
"Yes. I'm referring to my one and only one man, Linfeng," she repeated again and even blurted out Linfeng's name.
When Song Xuantin heard Linfeng's name, her eyes brightened.
'Ehhhh?! Ehh?!'
Her gossip mode was turned on. She seemed to instantly forget what they were arguing about.
"Linfeng? The Zhou Linfeng who is the number one most desired future husband by the girls in TIHS?" she excitedly said in one breath. "Oh! His rank is being challenged by the Guan guy—" Then Song Xuantin's eyes went wide behind her sun glasses.
"Ehhhh? He is your aide! Oh my gosh, you're IN LOVE WITH YOUR AIDE!" Song Xuantin excitingly whispered in a screeching tone, jumping up and down.
It was like a soap opera! A forbidden love!
Xiong Zhi looked blankly at the young girl who had already forgotten her guarded stance against her.
Her mind caught on two things:
First, Linfeng was ranked number one as the most desired husband of the female student population, the school grass. So many women wanted to covet her man. She need to secure her place in Linfeng's heart as soon as possible.
'I have to make a move,' she dazedly thought.
Lastly, the Guan guy.
The moment she heard that surname, it made her afraid and mad at the same time. She dreaded the time when she has to meet the beast again.