Zhang Yingying wanted to speak this time, but Bai Xinyan waved a hand to stop her.
"I know—you want to say he's been in Xia City all this time. But what has he been doing? Teaching you classes? Having dinners with you? Sleeping at home?"
"Tch, you sure have plenty of informants."
"With lives on the line, of course I have to keep my eyes open." Bai Xinyan smiled and continued, "As far as I know, he had done almost nothing during this period. After nearly a month, he only began moving actively again last week, starting to stir up trouble for you and me..."
"Stir up trouble, my ass!"
"That's the general idea. Because his goals were unclear and his whereabouts unpredictable, the Dream World's momentum had already cooled and was showing signs of developing into an Elite Circle. That was also directly related to the excessively high 'threshold' he had set. The facts proved that if he really were as forceful as you said, or if he had consistently kept his focus on social governance, letting the Secular World... oh, the wall has been pushed now, but you know what I mean. If he could truly maintain the momentum and social impact of the God Declaration phase, would I have had any chance to put myself forward?"
Zhang Yingying frowned in thought. It took her several seconds to notice the abrupt phrasing from across the table. "Put yourself forward?"
"You don't think being a 'figurehead' is something to be proud of, do you? At a big shot's side, of course I had to find my own practical value. I wouldn't dare claim I'm irreplaceable, but I need to have a niche in the ecosystem, right? Besides, otherwise wouldn't all my painstaking research over the years have been wasted?"