Why Am I the One Being Pursued?

Bai Jun added sugar cubes to his medicinal tea one by one and casually said, "Nineteen."

"Huh?" Qing Que's eyes widened in surprise at once. Her delicate, pretty face was full of foolish innocence, making her look utterly adorable.

"No, that wouldn't be quite accurate." He suddenly frowned, seeming to mull something over.

Before Qing Que could breathe a sigh of relief, Bai Jun added, "Strictly speaking, I'll be twenty soon."

He even tacked on, "Really."

Since he said so, Qing Que could only take it as a joke.

If he were really considered twenty by Xianzhou standards, then this wouldn't count as an older woman robbing the cradle anymore. She ought to be arrested by the Ten Lords Bureau!

Seeing Qing Que's disbelieving expression, Bai Jun shrugged helplessly. Fine, if she didn't believe him, she didn't believe him.

After eating and drinking his fill, he inevitably felt sleepy. Seizing the drowsiness, Bai Jun planned to head back to the Public Office and get some proper sleep. But seeing how energetic Qing Que was... well, better not tell her he was going back to sleep. He didn't want to ruin her mood.

He drained the same cloyingly sweet medicinal tea Fu Xuan drank in a few gulps, yawned as usual, then stood and stretched. "It's getting late. Time to get back to work. You should head back early too, Qing Que, unless you want your supervisor to punish you by making you copy the Divination Regulations again."

Seeing Bai Jun leave—and use such a flimsy excuse as going back to work—Qing Que thought she had somehow upset him. She hurriedly got up and chased after him. "Wait for me, Qing Yan! Want to slack off and play Imperial Jade Card Game together this afternoon?"

"We'll see."

"Then, then shall we have dinner together tonight?"

"Some other time."

"Qing Yan, you... you look kind of unhappy..."

"I'm not."

His voice remained indifferent and unreadable. After receiving that same answer several times, little Qing Que thoroughly panicked. Her small hands turned icy, as though she had plunged them into frozen water, and her body instinctively seized Bai Jun's hand like someone drowning. With a faint sob in her voice, she murmured, "Waa... I'm sorry. Qing Yan, don't be mad at me."

"?"

Bai Jun stopped in astonishment and looked oddly at Qing Que, who was clutching his left hand.

No, what nonsense was this little sparrow spouting now?

Xianzhou's Deepest Affection

Despite the little interruption earlier, Bai Jun still returned to the Public Office half an hour early.

After the rain, the afternoon gloom had dispersed, and sunlight slowly spilled through the clouds. It was not harsh; the light and shadows were warm and gentle. The air carried the faint scent of earth mingled with freshness. Droplets on the roadside greenery diffused the warm yellow light, while several puddles reflected the azure sky.

The Public Office windows stood open, letting out the lingering muddiness and faintly stale air. Weather like this was perfect for slacking off. And there happened to be hardly anyone in the Public Office. The quiet, peaceful atmosphere was practically the finest pleasure heaven could grant humanity.

Bai Jun did not hesitate. He opened the cabinet, took out a fluffy pillow, put on an eye mask, and sprawled across his desk, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

The whole sequence was smooth and practiced, without the slightest hesitation. It seemed he had maintained this habit for quite some time.

Before Jing Yan woke him that afternoon, he intended to thoroughly enjoy the pleasures of a nap.

Unexpectedly, the sleep was especially satisfying. When Bai Jun woke up, he actually felt as if a lifetime had passed.

Sunlight streamed through the window, wrapping his body in warm comfort. He took off his eye mask, rubbed his bleary eyes, stretched lazily, and stared blankly around him for a long while before slowly waking up.

"How long did I... sleep?"

"Congratulations. You successfully slacked off for two hours."

Apparently hearing Bai Jun's confused murmur, Jing Yan sarcastically snapped at him. At the same time, a damp rag came flying toward him.

Acting on instinct, he casually reached out and caught the rag speeding through the air. Yet even that earned no praise from Jing Yan. Instead, her command became even harsher. "Go! Wipe down the bulletin board for me."

The Earth-Balance Commission had a heavy workload. Every day, large and small matters piled up within the four hours of morning and afternoon office time. Even excluding civil disputes handled during field duty, there were still countless case reports awaiting resolution.

By that calculation, after slacking off for two hours, he had less than two hours until the end of the workday?

Knowing he had no grounds to argue, Bai Jun immediately raised both hands in surrender. At the same time, delighted by the approaching end of work, he obediently took the rag and went to wipe the bulletin board at the entrance of the Public Office.

Seeing him like that, Jing Yan helplessly rubbed her forehead and shook her head. There was little she could do with him. If not for the fact that he had received another five-star review that morning, she would have thrown him out to work night duty no matter what.

The Earth-Balance Commission' bulletin boards were usually placed by the entrance to the Public Office, in a conspicuous spot visible the moment one walked in.

Bai Jun carefully wiped the bulletin board, which had gone unmaintained for some time, at the pace of someone deliberately dragging out his work. While he was at it, he read through the contents again.

It was mainly used to educate Xianzhou residents on the Earth-Balance Commission' procedures and everyday common sense. It contained countless useful life tips, around eighty percent of which concerned fraud prevention. In truth, the information on it could solve ninety percent of people's problems, but nobody ever read it carefully. If every person who came to the Earth-Balance Commission for help gave it a proper read, perhaps their workload would drop by more than half.

Unlike that morning, the Public Office was quiet around him. Occasionally, there came the click of a stapler pressing through paper and the soft scratch of fountain pens gliding across pages, completely unlike the earlier clamor.

Now that the rain had cleared, most officers naturally would not remain in the Public Office. First, their work required them to go out. Second, they truly could not stand the frustration of battling Jade Omens in such a tiny office. Though mediating disputes outside was frustrating enough too...

In any case, the Public Office had become much quieter, and Bai Jun's mood improved considerably.

He had only cleaned half the bulletin board when slow, steady footsteps sounded outside the Public Office. Bai Jun glanced sideways and saw a middle-aged man approaching in a Earth-Balance Commission uniform. He had a rugged full beard and a tall, sturdy build, carrying the calm solidity of a Cloud Cavalry soldier, though his face was full of exhaustion.

As he walked listlessly, pounding one shoulder, he immediately spotted Bai Jun crouching by the entrance and cleaning the bulletin board. "Ah, Qing Yan. You've gotten handsome again lately."

"What kind of greeting is that?" Bai Jun laughed, looking at his immediate superior with amused interest.

"That's a special Cloud Cavalry greeting." Unlike Jing Yan, Da Hao was not particularly stern. A warm, approachable smile appeared on his weary face. "I really miss my days in the Cloud Cavalry. Letting me wield blades and guns would be fine, but I'm truly not good at meetings."

"You're back."

Hearing Jing Yan's voice, Da Hao nodded and unfastened his heavy standard-issue coat. "Mm. I just got back from the Starcruiser Sea Hub. Once the General Affairs Department starts a meeting, it just never ends."

Jing Yan walked over then and naturally took the coat Da Hao had removed. "You've worked hard. I'll make tea. Rest for a while first."

"Thank you." Da Hao returned to his seat and fell backward, as though every bone in his body had vanished and all strength had drained away. Slumped on the hard wooden chair, he sighed. "If the General Affairs Department held fewer meaningless meetings, the Public Office's work would definitely be much easier."

After taking over the Earth-Balance Commission' tedious work for more than a hundred and twenty years, his temperament had long been worn smooth. If it had been him just after retiring from the Cloud Cavalry, he would definitely have yelled, "Damn it!" and "To hell with this!" while thoroughly cursing out everyone in the General Affairs Department's relevant divisions.

It was only because so much time had passed, and because of his identity as a Earth-Balance Commission steward—not to mention someone keeping an eye on him—that he had gradually reined in that edge.

Leaning back in his chair, Da Hao instinctively picked up his old-fashioned thermos, only to find it empty. He could only put it down again.

Watching the young figure busy at the bulletin board, full of vitality and seemingly inexhaustible energy, Da Hao felt as if he were seeing his younger self. Moved by the sight, he said, "Qing Yan, with your ability, taking my place as a steward wouldn't be difficult, would it?"

Among the young people in this Public Office, most lacked the right temperament. Song Yan drifted through life in a muddle, and Da Hao himself often had meetings. The only one who could help Jing Yan and share some of her work was Bai Jun.

This kid was good in every way—clever, sharp, and handsome. If he had to name one flaw, it was that he was a little lazy.

"No way."

The moment that was brought up, Bai Jun decisively refused. He turned around with an expression that was three parts surprise, three parts bewilderment, and three parts disdain. "I don't have a habit of creating extra trouble for myself. Or do you think everyone enjoys running to meaningless meetings all day and writing reports restricted to empty formalities?"

"..."

That seemed right. Sometimes, even he had no idea what exactly he had spent an entire day doing.

Da Hao gave a bitter smile. He immediately felt that his earlier request had been pointless, merely inviting ridicule.

Bai Jun did not turn around. He remained focused on wiping the bulletin board and said without much enthusiasm, "Me? I only want to become a housecat, lie in front of the Earth-Balance Commission Public Office and bask in the fake sun overhead, watch people come and go, guess what they're here for. If a traveler tossed me a pastry, I'd wag my tail at them."

Hearing that, Da Hao, the retired Cloud Cavalry veteran, could not help bursting into laughter. "Hahaha! You brat, you're exactly like I was when I first took over the Earth-Balance Commission!"

After laughing for a while, tears even came to his eyes. Along with them came what seemed to be the exhaustion in his entire body. He rubbed his stiff face, sat upright again, and looked at the documents piled across his desk. "But still, there's no one on the Xianzhou who doesn't work. Even Di Ting has more drive than we do."

"You're swearing again! Please mind your status!" A warning suddenly rang out from the figure making tea in the distance.

"Uh! Forgot again... cough, cough." Da Hao shuddered. Then, realizing Bai Jun was still watching him, he hurriedly coughed several times to cover his embarrassment. "Sigh, sometimes I wonder if I should just retire while I still have some strength left and go home to farm. The higher-ups still send me a pension every month, so it's not as though I'd starve to death."

"Instead of sitting there bemoaning the world, why don't you think more about the people around you?"

"Around me?" Da Hao did not immediately grasp what he meant. His brows furrowed as though he were pondering Bai Jun's words.

Bai Jun shook his head, and a foxlike mischievous smile appeared on his lips. "Sigh, I heard someone's been pursuing Pure Ink Steward recently. I wonder if it's true."

"W-What!?" Da Hao let out an utterly embarrassing cry. But before long, he immediately refuted the possibility. "N-No way. Jing Yan probably isn't interested in that sort of thing... Right, she shouldn't be..."

Perhaps even Da Hao himself did not realize just how panicked his eyes looked at that moment.

"How would you know? Pure Ink Steward is young and beautiful. It's perfectly normal for her to be popular, isn't it?" Bai Jun continued smiling wickedly, radiating a thoroughly delighted air.

If Da Hao had looked closely at Bai Jun, he would have known this was a joke. But he seemed completely flustered now, biting his thumb while muttering something incomprehensible under his breath.

Bai Jun had also finished cleaning the bulletin board. He stood up, looked at its spotless surface, and nodded in satisfaction. "Mm. Next time, they should just put the bulletin board in front of my desk. Maybe it would reduce my workload quite a bit."

After a while, Da Hao frowned deeply and asked in a low voice, "Then... Qing Yan, have you heard who's pursuing Jing Yan...?"

"How would I know?" Bai Jun deliberately concealed the subject, teasingly looking at Da Hao. "You and Jing Yan are closest. Just ask her directly later."

"Don't! Don't do that, Qing Yan. You're so handsome, you must have experience with this sort of thing. You have to help your big brother here..."

"What are you talking about? I'm all about pure love." Bai Jun righteously corrected Da Hao's mistaken view. At the same time, he inconspicuously glanced at the corner not far away. "All right, I'm heading out for field duty. Goodbye."

With that, he turned and left the Public Office, leaving only Da Hao sitting in his chair and staring blankly.

Behind the wall at the corner, Jing Yan held two steaming cups of fragrant tea. An embarrassed expression rarely appeared on her normally calm face. She muttered resentfully under her breath, while her pointed ears flushed faintly red. "Sigh, this little blockhead is lecturing the bigger blockhead..."

How could she not understand Bai Jun's meaning? What was even more infuriating was Da Hao's slowness. Back when they were still in the Cloud Cavalry, anyone with eyes could see how she felt. Yet this blockhead alone had not understood a thing.

Even if he thought with the back of his head, he should know that no young girl would enlist specifically to repay a favor, insist on transferring to the unit he belonged to, then after he retired, give up a promising clerical career in the military just to come with him to this little Public Office and handle these trivial household matters.

Perhaps this was what people called fate. By now, they were long past the age for romance, and she no longer had the innocence of her youth. Listening to their conversation now, she could not help feeling a little embarrassed.

Yet for some reason, the hand holding the tea trembled faintly. After thinking it over and over, she still did not dare step forward.

She knew what she was worried about. Nothing more than how she should answer if Da Hao truly asked. But after thinking again, Da Hao probably did not have the intention or courage. If he did, she would not have waited so bitterly for so many years.

At that thought, she let out a soft breath, carried the tea out openly, and acted as though she had heard nothing.

"Where's Qing Yan?" Jing Yan placed the tea in front of the desk, lightly gathered her hair, and asked as though nothing were amiss.

But Da Hao seemed not to hear her. He lowered his head and said nothing.

Ripples suddenly stirred in Jing Yan's heart. Her fingers unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes, and she vaguely seemed to be hoping for something.

But after waiting and waiting, Da Hao still refused to speak. Jing Yan sighed and revealed a bitter smile.

Honestly, what am I even expecting on my own...

Just as she turned around, however, an almost imperceptible murmur sounded. If one were not listening carefully, it would have gone completely unnoticed.

But Jing Yan heard it clearly. He had plainly said, "J-Jing Yan, would you like to have dinner tonight?"

"Ding—"

Noble Moral Acclaim +10

10/100

Hearing that sound, Bai Jun's eyes lit up as he strolled down the street. Already in a good mood, he looked even happier.

As for why he was wandering around outside? Of course, he had gotten off work early.

Oh my, what an unexpected bonus. He had thought leaving work early was good enough, but he had actually earned Moral Acclaim too.

He took his earphones out of his pocket, opened his Jade Omen, and put on some soothing music. As he enjoyed the scenery, Bai Jun strolled along the roadside. Whenever someone greeted him, he responded in turn, leisurely making his way home.

He would not go find Qing Que for now. If Fu Xuan saw him at the Divination Bureau, he would inevitably get another scolding. Better to see her tomorrow.

The warm yellow sunset added a soft filter over Exalting Sanctum's buildings. In the distance, high-rises stood densely across the Starcruiser Sea Hub, their vast glass curtain walls reflecting the sunset's afterglow. Dusk blurred the sharp angles of the modern buildings, and from the elevated corridors, the entire Luofu seemed to drift through a golden sea painted by the setting sun.

But though it was called a sunset, how could a starship traveling through the universe possibly see the sun? Both sunlight and the changing seasons were actually simulated scenery generated by the realm. If one wished, heavy snow could begin falling right now.

The realm steadily scattered dazzling yet non-scorching sunlight. The heat and color it spread seemed not much different from the real sun in his memories of a previous life. Even so, Bai Jun could still vaguely sense the vast difference between it and the sun. It lacked both majesty and grandeur, as well as the brutal heat that made sweat pour down one's body or skin sting. It was so gentle and idealized that it felt restrained, as though trapped inside a cage.

Looking at this fake sun for too long was inevitably dull. And for some reason, his sixth sense seemed to be warning him of something. With that thought, he silently quickened his pace.

Yet after only a few steps, Bai Jun abruptly stopped. His gaze was firmly drawn to the figure in the distance.

She leaned against a wooden railing, easing the burden on her shoulders slightly. One hand supported her chin. Her fair, refined face possessed a distinctive beauty, while her dark curved brows framed a pair of glimmering eyes carrying a faint hidden sorrow.

She was an exceptionally beautiful Foxkin woman. Her hair was tied into a simple bun, with long, gentle locks falling down her back. Her hair ornaments were set with gold, jade, pearls, and gemstones. A pair of fine gold-thread bells hung at her slender, graceful waist, swaying nimbly in the passing breeze with a charm all their own. She stood by the railing of the sea hub, her emerald eyes staring thoughtfully at the passing star skiffs in the distance, as if pondering something.

That figure was unmistakable.

"Why is she here...?"

Bai Jun unconsciously swallowed. Fear rising in his heart, he quietly took a few steps backward.

He should take a detour before she noticed him and leave by another route.

Bad omens always seemed to come true. Bai Jun had barely formed the thought, and before his foot even touched the ground, the Foxkin woman had already turned to look at him. A faint, weary smile rested on her lips.

"What a coincidence. Where is my benefactor headed? Why not give this little woman a ride while you're at it~?"

The early spring air still held a trace of winter's chill. Bai Jun drew the cool air into his lungs bit by bit. Accompanied by the soothing music playing from his Jade Omen screen, he let out a brief, helpless sigh.

"Yes, what a coincidence indeed, Miss Tingyun."

Smiles truly never disappeared. They merely transferred to someone else.