Barren Star – Chapter 21
by Little PandaHua Zhuoyu is a bad egg.
Ning Mo was more inclined to believe Zhao Qiuyu’s version. She was curious about the relationship between Hua Zhuoyu and her cousin. At least she could be certain that in June, when the Ning family evacuated, there were no plants on Barren Star, and the dark pollution levels hadn’t shown the declining trend they were seeing now. What exactly happened in these short two months?
“I advise you not to have such high hopes. And from now on, please be more careful and stop dragging us down,” He Chao spoke bluntly.
Though Zhao Qiuyu was displeased with He Chao’s attitude toward plants, she didn’t lash out. After the extinction of interstellar plants, people gradually adapted to life without vegetation. Not everyone was passionate about plants, and some even proposed cutting research funding, since none of the numerous laboratories and cultivation bases had produced any results.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, but Ning Mo spoke up at the right moment, breaking the leaden stillness.
“The Chief Judge said she’ll be here shortly.”
Zhao Qiuyu moved closer to Ning Mo to check the message on her light brain, muttering quietly: “Why wasn’t I notified?”
He Chao also looked disgruntled. He wanted to know what Hua Zhuoyu had sent, but as a grown man, his pride wouldn’t let him lean in to look.
Hua Zhuoyu’s “shortly” turned out to be half an hour later.
The title of Chief Judge, like the position of Judge itself, was bestowed by the Supreme Authority. They didn’t need to know what Hua Zhuoyu’s special ability was, only that she was the strongest. While Star Court Judges typically maintained their own pride, that arrogance would completely disappear in Hua Zhuoyu’s presence.
Hua Zhuoyu was dressed casually, her right sleeve carelessly rolled up, revealing a faint scar on her wrist. She sat down in an empty chair, leaning against the backrest, her casual gaze sweeping over the silent trio as she said nonchalantly, “What’s wrong? Nothing to say?” Her eyes were animated, and when she smiled, they resembled spring water (meaning they were bright and gentle). But when she wasn’t smiling, that brilliance was covered by an imposing aura that instilled a sense of fear in people’s hearts.
Hearing this, Zhao Qiuyu’s heart sank, and hanging her head, she said: “I was wrong.”
Hua Zhuoyu said with a smile: “You just played the role of a criminal, what could be wrong with that? It’s fine, the other party is just a civilian, even if they died here, the Ning family wouldn’t care.”
Zhao Qiuyu: “…” She didn’t dare to respond anymore, hanging her head dejectedly like a quail (a metaphor meaning extremely timid and scared).
He Chao’s brows were sharp as knives. His thoughts weren’t on the base incident, but on Hua Zhuoyu herself.
“How did you get that scar on your wrist? Was it the Insect Race? Were they trying to extract your personal chip? You’ve been exposed to dark pollution for so long, the accumulation in your body isn’t good at all. I need to examine you first.” He Chao spoke rapidly, his tone full of concern. He approached Hua Zhuoyu wanting to observe her hand up close, but Hua Zhuoyu gave a light laugh, tapped her toes on the ground, and slid the chair away, maintaining distance from He Chao.
“No need,” Hua Zhuoyu refused.
He Chao’s breath caught, his expression turning unpleasant: “Why?”
Hua Zhuoyu gave him a strange glance and answered: “It’s unnecessary.” She wasn’t concerned about the scar on her wrist; if needed, she could just buy an ointment to remove it. She briefly mentioned the Insect Race’s interception, and though she knew about the person who had secretly interfered, she didn’t plan to bring it up.
After cursing those crazy members of the Insect Race, Zhao Qiuyu’s attention shifted again. She looked eagerly at Hua Zhuoyu: “What about the plants? How did the plants at the base get there? Who cultivated them?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled and finally gave Zhao Qiuyu a direct answer: “Both the base and Barren Star belong to Miss Ning. I’m just a passerby.”
“I’ve never heard of her, and how could one person possibly cultivate plants alone?” Zhao Qiuyu said incredulously, then patted Ning Mo’s shoulder, “The Ning family didn’t leave anyone here, right?”
Ning Mo nodded, her eyes equally filled with curiosity.
Hua Zhuoyu: “This matter doesn’t concern you.”
Zhao Qiuyu became anxious: “How can it not concern us?”
“Then how do you want to be involved?” Hua Zhuoyu gave a light snort and countered, “Neither Barren Star nor the base has anything to do with you. Don’t forget what you did before.”
Zhao Qiuyu was immediately silenced upon hearing this. After a while, she finally said: “I will compensate Miss Ning. I want to meet her in person.”
Hua Zhuoyu replied with sincere expression: “She probably doesn’t want to meet you. I’ll help deliver your compensation – the nutrient and cultivation formula.”
Zhao Qiuyu: “!” She had only planned to compensate with some star currency , with no intention of handing over the formula. But now that Hua Zhuoyu had spoken, she had no room to refuse. However, her dejection only lasted briefly before she became energetic again. If the boss said so, then so be it. By willingly providing the formula now, previous grievances would be erased, making future negotiations easier.
Seeing Zhao Qiuyu nod, Hua Zhuoyu curved her lips in satisfaction, then turned her gaze to He Chao and asked: “What about you?”
At this point, He Chao understood that Hua Zhuoyu was here to collect compensation on behalf of Miss Ning. He had originally planned to just give a small amount to settle the matter, but now that Zhao Qiuyu was willing to hand over her cultivation formula, he couldn’t be too stingy, lest Hua Zhuoyu look down on him. However, before he could speak, Ning Mo spoke up.
“I will compensate.”
Hua Zhuoyu glanced at Ning Mo and said good-naturedly: “No need, you just need to handle the Ning family.”
Ning Mo: “…” This was much harder than paying compensation; she would rather pay money. The Ning family didn’t know about Barren Star’s situation yet – they wouldn’t pay attention to a planet scheduled for abandonment. But if what Zhao Qiuyu said was true, once they understood Barren Star’s value, the Ning family would never give it up. Now that Ning Buyi and Barren Star were more or less connected to the Ning family, Hua Zhuoyu was suggesting that she should completely sever these connections. The star’s value hadn’t become apparent yet, so there was still time to act.
Hua Zhuoyu didn’t stay long on the ship. After completing her “mission,” she returned to the base.
The room was empty, and after thinking for a moment, Hua Zhuoyu headed to the lavender field, where she indeed found Ning Buyi at the edge of the field. Little Feng Jiu was peering around on her shoulder, continuously chirping “jiu jiu.”
Was Ning Buyi holding something? Hua Zhuoyu was curious, and when she got closer and saw the amber-colored crystals in the bottle, her eyes immediately focused.
“Is that honey?”
Ning Buyi nodded: “Yes.” The gift from the little bees had dispersed the unpleasantness brought by the uninvited guests who had forced their way into Barren Star. She smiled with pursed lips, her eyes as bright as stars, “As expected of the Insect Race, they handled the entire process, moving much faster than I imagined.”
Hua Zhuoyu’s gaze lingered on the honey for a long while before reluctantly moving away. “Honey” could actually be bought on the Star Network, but those were all synthetic products, very different from real honey. When she saw the flower field, she had been looking forward to this surprise.
The surprise came quickly, but somewhat at an awkward time.
Hua Zhuoyu asked: “What are your plans?”
Ning Buyi thought for a moment: “100,000 star currency per 100 grams? No, per 50 grams.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “Will you keep any for yourself?”
Ning Buyi: “…” After a long while, she counter-asked, “What do you think?”
Hua Zhuoyu felt quite good about herself, with the only unpleasant thing being what Zhao Qiuyu and the others had brought. If she had known, she would have made them come later. She frowned, her expressive eyes showing traces of worry. After careful consideration, she said: “I got the cultivation formula for you.”
Ning Buyi realized that Hua Zhuoyu showed no mercy even when taking advantage of her own people.
What if one day she herself was taken advantage of? Hua Zhuoyu was quite a bad egg.
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