Barren Star – Chapter 41
by Little PandaWill you leave too?
True Wood had grown accustomed to their lofty position, always relying on power and authority to suppress issues when they arose.
However, at this moment, Ning Buyi had no intention of selling perfumes in other physical stores, using only Starlight Platform as their exclusive platform.
On October 3rd, True Wood released their “Flower Fairy No. 8” perfume, even holding a launch event and inviting famous artists from Da Xia. This “Flower Fairy” perfume was meant to replicate lavender fragrance, as the Starlight Platform had actual “dried lavender flowers” for perfumers to study. Originally, they had planned to extract ingredients from the dried flowers, but somehow, despite following the extraction process meticulously without any errors, the extracted material had a strange odor and couldn’t be used as “perfume essence.”
In contrast to True Wood’s formal and bustling approach, Ning Buyi’s team maintained a low profile that differed drastically from the rampant rumors. They simply posted a notice announcing the sale of 100 bottles of “Wood God” perfume on Starlight Platform, priced far higher than their previous fruit and vegetable gift sets. Ning Buyi wasn’t worried about sales, already calculating how to use the profits to purchase new materials and upgrade the base’s defense systems.
In Aurora City:
Jin Feifei now had an enormous laboratory and office, equipped with all new facilities. At this moment, she had removed her lab coat and was lounging lazily on a soft sofa, watching True Wood’s perfume launch event while her bird and bear friends [companions] were cracking sunflower seeds beside her.
“That person looks familiar,” Feng Ermao pointed forward. She stared at a beautiful woman wearing a burgundy dress and pearl necklace, barely able to look away.
Jin Feifei said coolly, “That’s Zhong Xuan. She previously acted in a political intrigue film. You were quite obsessed with it, shouting about seizing royal power, until Lord Feng Yi gave you a good scolding.”
Feng Ermao: “…”
“She’s a long-time user of True Wood perfumes, invited to almost every launch event,” Xiong Xun suddenly spoke up, paused for a moment, then continued, “I guess the reporters True Wood specially invited will interview her, and once she starts praising Flower Fairy to high heavens, her fan base will rush in and buy out all the Flower Fairy perfume.”
In the interstellar world, “celebrity effect” [marketing strategy using celebrity influence] was quite common. Xiong Xun had considered this approach, but seeing that his lord wasn’t willing to invest money in it, and since their perfumes already had good quality and reputation, they didn’t need to draw legs on a snake [to overdo something unnecessarily].
Feng Ermao made an “oh” sound and said, “That paparazzi looking like a pretentious dog has gone over. I wonder how my former goddess will react? If she tells blatant lies, this little fan will be heartbroken.”
Jin Feifei snorted, not tolerating Feng Ermao’s nonsensical behavior: “You can’t even remember her name, and you call yourself a fan?”
Feng Ermao: “…”
Zhong Xuan was a beauty, followed by camera flashes wherever she went, captivating all eyes with her every move. However, her loyal fans had heard her praises of True Wood so often they could recite them backwards, so they paid little attention to her words, focusing only on her mesmerizing face.
Nearby, Sai Yong, despite his high-end suit, couldn’t hide his rat-like features [an untrustworthy appearance]. He squinted at Zhong Xuan with a smug, self-satisfied smile.
However, Zhong Xuan’s response this time surprised everyone.
She rarely displayed the “rudeness” of focusing on her light-brain in front of reporters, but this time she first gracefully said “sorry,” then answered honestly: “The ‘Wood God’ perfume is launching on Starlight Platform, and I’m afraid I’ll miss it.” Even though she had agents and assistants helping her grab some, she felt that one more person meant one more chance.
The reporter was stunned speechless by Zhong Xuan’s words, while other media people, like sharks smelling blood, directly asked: “Miss Zhong, didn’t you previously say True Wood’s perfumes were the best?”
“Yes,” Zhong Xuan smiled gracefully and elegantly, “but that was in the past. I am a loyal devotee of ‘Beauty’, and I won’t go against the will of the Beauty God.”
Zhong Xuan’s statement set the whole venue ablaze, but unfortunately not in the way Sai Yong had hoped. His face turned dark with anger, and if it weren’t for the reporters present, he would have already lost his temper.
Feng Ermao, who had been watching the livestream intently, almost choked on sunflower seed shells and burst out laughing: “Things are getting interesting now. My goddess is still so honest.”
Jin Feifei picked up a pine nut and threw it at Feng Ermao, who was sprawled out laughing: “Mind your image.” After a pause, she smiled gently and added, “Miss Zhong has good taste.”
Xiong Xun glanced at Jin Feifei.
If he remembered correctly, not long ago Jin Feifei had said Zhong Xuan was “blind in eyes, heart, and nose” [completely lacking judgment]. However, he was tactful enough to keep his mouth shut and not challenge Jin Feifei’s authority.
Zhong Xuan wasn’t True Wood’s spokesperson and had no business relationship with them, so even though Sai Yong was furious, he couldn’t do anything to her. As for the fans watching the livestream, they had originally been ready to rush for that industry-despised, temporarily marked-up, sky-high-priced perfume, but when Zhong Xuan mentioned “Wood God,” everyone, whether they knew about it or not, swarmed to the Starlight Platform. Those 100 bottles of “Wood God” were sold out instantly.
—Ahhh? How did it sell out in seconds? Are the brothers and sisters that rich?
—I couldn’t get the affordable fruits and vegetables, and now I can’t even get the expensive luxury items! I thought with the high price there would be less competition!
—I’m so jealous of those lucky ten people now!
—What’s going on? I got one! Does my goddess’s recommended perfume have something special?
—???
—Nothing special, just return it if you got one.
—My mom and others somehow got the news and mobilized the whole family to grab one.
On Star Network [StarNet], discussions about “True Wood” and “Aurora” continued endlessly, with related topics dominating the trending lists.
On this “Flower Fairy” night, True Wood encountered their biggest embarrassment since their establishment. While the public relations department was busy suppressing news, the arrogant and self-important Sai Yong couldn’t contain his anger and directly contacted “Mystery No. 1”, sending several threatening messages.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Did you buy off that little bitch Zhong Xuan?”
“How dare you go against His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“You think we can’t find out who’s backing you?”
Although Xiong Xun managed the Star Micro, Ning Buyi had the highest level of access privileges and could receive private messages from Star Micro as well. Upon seeing these threatening words, she was both astonished and amused. After their series of strange behaviors, she had actually come to think very little of them, but surprisingly, they managed to lower themselves even further. They used a completely new account—didn’t they know that Star Network requires binding to a unique identity certificate? Or did they think they could intimidate her with the words “Crown Prince”?
“What’s wrong?” Hua Zhuoyu noticed Ning Buyi’s expression and asked with concern. To strengthen Ning Buyi’s training, Hua Zhuoyu had set up a simple bed in the living room and rarely returned to her wooden cabin anymore, spending most of her time with Ning Buyi. She watched as Ning Buyi transformed from a little vegetable bird into a beginner warrior who dared to take up weapons and fight back.
Ning Buyi smiled and said, “See for yourself.”
Hua Zhuoyu quickly scanned through the string of text, and with arms crossed, asked: “What do you plan to do?”
Ning Buyi turned to Hua Zhuoyu: “Can I post screenshots of this?” Though her tone was questioning, her expression revealed her true feelings—she wouldn’t change her mind even if Hua Zhuoyu opposed.
“Of course you can.” Hua Zhuoyu supported Ning Buyi unconditionally, raising her eyebrows with a smile, “Xia Tu values his reputation and won’t let himself be used as a shield [or: scapegoat]. Not only will he not cause you trouble, but he’ll also try his best to distance himself from True Wood. Of course, all this assumes that ‘Mystery No. 1’ carries enough weight now.”
“What a fine Crown Prince indeed.” Ning Buyi scoffed lightly, gazing intently at Hua Zhuoyu, “The Crown Prince seems quite popular?”
“Firstly, it’s the innate reverence for leaders and the strong, and secondly, it’s thanks to Xia Tu’s peerlessly handsome face. If he had an eagle nose and hawk eyes or a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks, he probably wouldn’t be so praised.” Hua Zhuoyu smiled mockingly.
“The royal family probably doesn’t have such appearances, right?” In interstellar society, only the royal family maintained the ancient customs of “three palaces and six courts” [traditional imperial harem system], completely different from commoners. The “consorts” who entered the palace couldn’t possibly be ugly. Moreover, after generations of genetic modification, leaving aside intelligence levels, their appearance and bearing were at least top-tier.
Hua Zhuoyu: “Everything can be solved through surgery, so appearance doesn’t really matter much.”
Ning Buyi made an “oh” sound, losing interest in the topic. She didn’t plan to waste words with the fool on the other end, and directly posted the screenshot with the text: “Who wants to claim this?”
—??? Why insult sister?
—Who is this person? Speaking so arrogantly, could it be His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived?
—@True Wood.
Da Xia Imperial Star, Crown Prince’s Palace.
When the “perfume” incident was causing an uproar on Star Network, Xia Tu had already heard about it, but he thought it would blow over in a day or two and didn’t need attention—business matters should be handled by themselves. However, unexpectedly, before this wind died down, his reputation was implicated. It wasn’t just the royal family watching “Mystery No. 1,” but also the Supervisory Department. While “Mystery No. 1” might not be traceable, the Supervisory Department had their ways! Previously, in Hua Songyu’s case, the Supervisory Department had suffered a major loss and was eager to find an opportunity to bite at the royal family and government! He couldn’t leave any weakness.
“Big Brother, what’s wrong?” Sitting across from Xia Tu was Second Prince Xia Tai, his curiosity appearing just right. However, when Xia Tu’s cold glance swept over, he transformed into a humble, gentle, and obedient appearance.
“Nothing.” Xia Tu suppressed his impatience and stared at Xia Tai for a while before speaking in a warning tone, “I hear your girlfriend is a commoner? Better end that relationship before the media gets involved!”
Xia Tai’s face showed some urgency, as if wanting to argue. But Xia Tu didn’t give him the chance to speak, abruptly standing up and declaring: “I don’t want to hear your explanations, I just want to see results.” With that, he ignored Xia Tai and strode out. After Xia Tu left, Xia Tai’s gentleness immediately disappeared, his eyes revealing darkness and coldness. In Xia Tu’s eyes, this brother was just a “marriage alliance tool”, where could there be “brotherly affection” in the royal family?
Xia Tai didn’t linger in the empty room, his footsteps swift as wind, deaf to the servants’ calls.
Only after returning to his hovering vehicle on the elevated bridge did he send a message to Xia Sang: “That fool Sai Yong has caused trouble. It’s best to expose True Wood’s affairs now and cut off this arm of Xia Tu’s. Xia Tu has connected with the military now and clearly doesn’t plan to play nice with the Supervisory Department. Once this lead is thrown out, the Supervisory Department will follow up.”
Xia Tai waited quite a while before seeing Xia Sang’s reply: “Dogs biting dogs!” [infighting between enemies]. Xia Tai’s expression froze, and he expressionlessly cleared the data. He had already told Xia Sang; whether to act or not was Xia Sang’s own decision.
Far away on Barren Star, Ning Buyi knew nothing of the power play between the Supervisory Department and the royal family. Like countless spectators, she only saw how overnight everything collapsed, with all of True Wood’s past dirty dealings exposed. Star Network was in an uproar, and even if the Crown Prince wanted to protect them, he didn’t know how to act, so he simply cut ties with them completely. In the future, both “True Wood” and the Sai family would be sent to the Star Court, but this hardly mattered to Ning Buyi. No matter how noisy and bustling it was outside, she just focused on making her money and doing her training.
In the Star Network Virtual Training Room:
Ning Buyi drew her gun and swept in all directions, the mecha under her control moving with agile grace, landing as lightly as a cat. Some of Hua Zhuoyu’s missiles she managed to dodge, while others she shot down with her bullets. Just as she was approaching the finish line, there was a loud bang, and the mecha’s shell flashed with blinding red light as its engine was completely disabled.
Ning Buyi, drenched in sweat, jumped out of the cockpit, her face pale and expression not quite right.
On the other side, Hua Zhuoyu unhurriedly put down her weapon. She glanced at Ning Buyi and said coolly, “Worse results than before.” Her words reached the exhausted Ning Buyi’s ears through a buzzing sound, somewhat distorted. But Ning Buyi could still see traces of coldness and dissatisfaction in her furrowed brows.
“Were you distracted?” Hua Zhuoyu questioned.
Ning Buyi sat on the ground exhaustedly, pressing her lips together without answering.
November was approaching, and she couldn’t calm her heart. From June to November, it seemed like nothing had been done, yet time had slipped through her fingers.
Hua Zhuoyu gazed intently at Ning Buyi, walking slowly past the table holding various weapons toward her. “Take a rest,” she said gently, her bright eyes rippling with tender affection. In this short distance, she had already put away her “strict teacher” face, leaving only a heart-quickening gentleness.
Ning Buyi looked at Hua Zhuoyu’s extended hand, her first instinct was to slap it away, but upon touching that warm skin, she changed her mind and used the support to stand up and steady herself. Although this was in the Star Network world, everything felt real, not like “flowers in a mirror, moon in the water” [illusory and unattainable].
“I’m just a bit tired,” Ning Buyi said after a moment. Her gaze lingered on Hua Zhuoyu’s face briefly before moving away, looking down at her toes as she added, “Do Star Court judges also undergo such intensive training?”
“The duty of judgment is innate. But as judges must traverse the Star Sword, facing numerous dangers, those chosen by the Supreme must undergo intensive training,” Hua Zhuoyu smiled, “I started when I was five years old.”
“Was it tiring?” Ning Buyi asked, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt foolish. She instinctively looked up at Hua Zhuoyu’s expression and unexpectedly met those peach blossom-like eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, desperately wanting to escape that whirlpool-like gaze, yet unwilling to show weakness before Hua Zhuoyu.
“Yes, tiring. Back then, I would try every way to slack off, wanting to play wildly at playgrounds like other children. We actually succeeded a few times, which of course led to doubled training.”
Ning Buyi asked curiously: “We?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled slightly: “Si Pu, from the Si family.”
“Oh, I know,” Ning Buyi smiled too, “The three families of the Supervisory Department have good relationships, at least on the surface. So you two… were childhood sweethearts?”
Hua Zhuoyu didn’t answer, just looked at Ning Buyi with an ambiguous smile. Ning Buyi blinked, hiding her inner nervousness. Realizing the topic had strayed, she quickly changed the subject back to asking about Hua Zhuoyu’s training. Hua Zhuoyu naturally shared everything she knew.
Perhaps discouraged by her test results, or perhaps inspired by Hua Zhuoyu’s experiences… Ning Buyi couldn’t quite explain what happened, but training continued until late that night. Too tired to seek food in the cafeteria, she relied on nutrient supplements to replenish her lost energy. Usually, she fell asleep easily after intensive training, but this time sleep didn’t come as expected. Ning Buyi tossed and turned in bed until her inner restlessness drove her to sit up.
“Master, Beidou is at your service.”
When the lights came on, a familiar electronic voice sounded. Beidou was the base’s super-intelligence, its presence traced in every piece of equipment in the base, with its usual visible form being just one of its many bodies.
Ning Buyi pressed her lips together, got up to pour a glass of water, and gazed at the door connecting to the living room. Just by gently pushing it open, she could see the sleeping Hua Zhuoyu.
The clear water moistened her lips, its coolness sliding down her throat, gradually soothing the restlessness deep in her heart. She put down the glass and turned to stare at the electronic equipment, saying softly: “Will you leave too?” Only she was bound to this Barren Star, existing alongside it. As for others, they came and went, ultimately just passing travelers [temporary visitors].
The electronic voice sounded again, Beidou automatically adjusting to its sweetest tone: “Beidou will never leave Master.”
Ning Buyi smiled and lay back down on the bed. Perhaps artificial intelligence was her closest companion.
The sleepless Ning Buyi drifted into dreams in her daze. Her dreams were unsettled, like a skyscraper that could collapse at any moment, or a lonely abyss without living souls. She walked alone through desolate, abandoned streets, desperately chasing after bustle and excitement… When she finally broke free from this terrifying cage of solitude, the sun was already high in the sky.
She hadn’t received any messages from Hua Zhuoyu.
This must have been the Chief Judge’s thoughtfulness.
Ning Buyi dawdled for quite a while before getting up to wash.
When she pushed open her room door and walked toward the living room, she happened to meet Hua Zhuoyu entering. In her hands was a slender-necked vase with several fresh flower stems still bearing buds. Sunlight shone from behind her, falling on her profile and her well-defined knuckles.
Ning Buyi had never really noticed the vase in the living room before. Only now, seeing Hua Zhuoyu, did she vaguely recall that since the base had fresh flowers, this vase had been under her care, with fresh bouquets being replaced periodically.
“Awake?” Hua Zhuoyu’s tone was peaceful, with hints of laughter hidden in her voice.
Ning Buyi nodded in a daze, her gaze following Hua Zhuoyu’s movements. Watching her arrange the vase, watching her sit on the sofa, reaching up to brush aside a stray strand of hair. Her fingertips itched, and Ning Buyi suddenly noticed her own restless desire to help, startling her heart.
Hua Zhuoyu smiled and asked: “Taking a break?”
Ning Buyi shook her head: “No.”
Hua Zhuoyu stood again and walked toward Ning Buyi, placing her hand on Ning Buyi’s shoulder, her thumb gently brushing a strand of hair aside. The warm pad of her finger grazed Ning Buyi’s cheek like a small current of electricity, making Ning Buyi shiver as she pressed down on Hua Zhuoyu’s hand.
Hua Zhuoyu blinked, looking at Ning Buyi in confusion.
Ning Buyi: “…” She dropped Hua Zhuoyu’s hand and stepped back several paces, her face flushing crimson.
“Aren’t new people coming from Beast Star?” Hua Zhuoyu changed the subject, no longer mentioning training.
Feeling somewhat dizzy, Ning Buyi made two “oh” sounds before pausing for quite a while, then said: “The list includes not just the Feng Jiu and Dragon clans, but other races too.”
“Mm.” Hua Zhuoyu nodded, her gaze moving deliberately over Ning Buyi, “I’ll leave after they arrive.”
Ning Buyi’s heart sank: “Won’t it be too late?”
Hua Zhuoyu’s eyes fixed steadily on Ning Buyi as she said softly: “There’s time.” She didn’t say anything extra, but those rich emotions were clearly written in her eyes.
Ning Buyi felt self-conscious under her gaze, her mind like being drawn into a whirlpool, falling deeper and deeper. She pressed her lips together and said: “Aurora City has complete facilities, and now with the manpower, I’ll have money soon.” After a pause, she added, “When you leave, will you take the people from Aurora City with you?” She wasn’t afraid anymore of them leaking information, worst case they could use “Eraser X” to completely erase these memories.
Hua Zhuoyu pondered for a moment: “Let them stay, they’ll make it easier to handle the Civilization Alliance.”
These people all worked for Xia Sang, moving between star systems searching for traces of civilization. Their ability to accumulate wealth was probably no less than the experts around Xia Tu. Currently, Xia Sang’s wings have not grown yet [power wasn’t fully established], and she wouldn’t want others, especially Xia Tu, to know the truth about the “Civilization Alliance.” For this, she might be willing to pay a substantial “hush fee” [money paid for silence].
0 Comments