Pretending To Be A Boss

They felt such a sense of poignance because, long ago, as early as the first year of their student life, Tang had a particularly distasteful personality—too calm and rational, mercilessly bursting many a childhood fantasy.

He was like a machine whose IQ and EQ were inversely proportional.

He should have been the envy of all teachers and students, a true genius, yet he was despised for being overly rational and harsh.

Of course, there were times when he was bullied, but even if he was cornered by a group of students about to be beaten, Tang would calmly and rationally explain the series of butterfly effects that his beating would cause.

And then he successfully scared off those students.

No one could bully Tang, teachers sometimes tried to scare him, but Tang would often find loopholes in their points, leaving them unable to justify themselves.

As a result, no one liked Tang. He always sat alone in the back row, gazing indifferently out of the window.

Like a machine. Like a misfit who never belonged at Pyramid.

This situation continued until the third year.

That's when he suddenly changed.

The process was pretty much as Tang had fabricated: the birth of a new personality, which then gradually merged with the original one.

As time went on, Tang increasingly resembled a normal human being, rarely harsh and infrequently introspective.

Yet, he was able to empathize deeply with human emotions.

But this history, it was just for Tang to channel emotions.

There was neither the personality of Xu Xian nor Tang.

He had indeed suffered from a split personality, but both personalities had merged during the third year due to a certain event.

This merger was the Tang of today.

His words today were just a bluff to get through these calamities.

This compelling act, and the vaguely meaningful pain flickering in his eyes, led Qing JiuYu and Bai Mansheng to unconsciously believe Tang's words, visibly softening their demeanor.

Bai Mansheng's opinion of him was gradually improving.

Tang said indifferently,

"The task you have entrusted to me is proof enough of my stance, so don't doubt me."

He was speaking to Qing JiuYu.

Qing JiuYu nodded, then curiously said, "So all that perplexing stuff you just said, was it true?"

Qing JiuYu and Bai Mansheng still found the concept of a split personality hard to grasp; they understood Tang's meaning but only partially, it was like understanding without really understanding.

"I have no need to lie to you. What do you have that's worth my deceiving?" Tang stated.

Qing nodded, thinking that it made sense; this man in front of her seemed less and less attractive, and his strength was not inferior to hers, so indeed there was no need for him to deceive her.

Tang then looked towards Bai Mansheng:

"Xu Xian is an important part of me, without him, I would become obnoxious and isolated, so don't despise him, he cares deeply for friends like you. Friends are very important to him."

The emotions in this statement, the true from the false, even Tang himself could not clearly define, much less Bai Mansheng, who ultimately just nodded.

"You don't dislike the Serpent Clan?"

"I don't dislike them, and I'd say the same in front of Qing JiuYu. I'm different from Xu Xian; when I speak, I'm not so considerate. He has some traits that I lack, but overall, what he likes, I'm bound to like as well."

"Alright then."

Bai Mansheng said just these two words, deciding to let go of the comment Tang made about her becoming less attractive because of his assertion that what Xu Xian liked, he liked as well.

She turned to leave.

The negotiation finally came to an end.

Qing JiuYu was more open-minded than Bai Mansheng, and although she was also annoyed with Tang for saying she looked less attractive, following his rambling, Qing JiuYu realized...

Competing with Bai Mansheng for beauty was truly trivial.

On the truest level of triviality.

But when women become stubborn, they pursue an issue to its very roots. While Qing wasn't as petty as Bai Mansheng, she was more tenacious.

With a smile, she asked,

"I'm curious, what does the woman you like look like?"

The real meaning of this question was, if you had to choose one, who would it be?

Inwardly, Bai Mansheng thought of Qing JiuYu as a sly vixen, always stirring up trouble.

Yet, she stopped in her tracks, pricking up her ears.

Tang answered:

"Xiaojiu, come here, let brother give you a hug."

Tang Xiaojiu ran out cheerfully, unable as a child to understand so much; she just felt that since the adults were done talking, then Tang could make her some delicious food again.

Tang picked up Tang Xiaojiu, pinched the face of the six-year-old girl, and said,

"This is the kind of girl I like."

(Perhaps tomorrow or the day after, for several days I will update consecutively—I need to plan out the storyline for the Hunting Festival. Consider this a hint for recommendation tickets~)