Why Am I the One Being Pursued? Chapter 42

As Sushang spoke, her voice grew quieter. She pulled her gaze away from Bai Jun, lowered her head shyly to look at her feet, and desperately tried to calm herself down. Only after carefully sorting out what she wanted to say did she speak. "I actually don't mind, but next time you do something like that, tell me beforehand..."

Sushang did not realize how easily those words could be misunderstood, nor did she notice the strange expression on Bai Jun's face that seemed to say, "Child, what are you talking about?"

The two of them were still standing very close together. Even though she had pushed him away earlier, she had not gone very far.

An inexplicable silence followed. Sushang lowered her head and tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, while Bai Jun had no idea what to say to ease the awkwardness. Before long, though, their attention was drawn away by an energetic voice.

"Eh? Bai Jun and Shang-Shang? What a coincidence!"

Following the voice, they saw Guinaifen holding a selfie stick in one hand and excitedly waving at them with the other before jogging all the way over.

"Little Gui, what are you..."

Sushang looked curiously at the Jade Omen attached to the selfie stick, while Bai Jun narrowed his eyes. The moment he realized what was going on, his expression changed drastically.

Guinaifen casually introduced them to the Jade Omen on the selfie stick. "Ah, this is a livestream! My big brother Lang Shile taught me last night. He said street performances don't make much money these days, and this is the trend now. Come on, Shang-Shang, say hello to the audience!"

"Audience?"

Sushang was nowhere near as outgoing as Guinaifen. Once she heard there were viewers watching from the other side of the screen, she immediately became much more bashful and reserved, only daring to give the camera a small greeting.

"Everyone, this is the one and only best friend I mentioned before—the Shang-Shang who gave me the name Guinaifen~"

After saying that, Guinaifen looked at the Jade Omen screen and immediately widened her eyes in surprise. The previously quiet livestream suddenly exploded as comments and gifts flooded in:

"Little Gui Guinevere's Livestream"

"Commenter No. 1: Whoa, Little Gui, who was that silver-haired handsome guy who appeared with you just now?! Does he have someone already?"

"Commenter No. 2: Yeah, yeah! He's so pretty, and look how gentle his eyes are... Wait, could he be Little Gui's boyfriend!?"

"Commenter No. 3: Probably not? Little Gui would need smoke rising from her ancestors' graves to land a cabbage of that caliber."

"Commenter No. 4: Silver-haired beautiful youth, go solo! I'll send you a Galaxy Warship."

"Commenter No. 5: I like that title. Come to think of it, yeah! I feel like he's more beautiful than handsome—or maybe both? He must be one of those exceptionally rare beautiful youths!"

"Commenter No. 6: Beautiful youth!? I'm so excited! Keep talking and I'm going to get a nosebleed!"

"Commenter No. 7: Oh, I know him. Young Master Bai is the most famous handsome young man for miles around Exalting Sanctum. None of you are allowed to have any improper thoughts about him."

"Commenter No. 8: Got it. Moving to Exalting Sanctum right now."

"Commenter No. 9: Where is he? Little Gui, get that silver-haired beautiful youth back on camera! I'll send gifts!"

"Commenter No. 10: Where's my husband where's my husband where's my husband where's my husband?"

The moment Guinaifen realized she had finally grasped the secret to attracting viewers, she excitedly turned around to tell Bai Jun the good news. But he was already nowhere to be found, while the comments began flooding with endless messages telling her to refund their money.

"Where did he go? Shang-Shang, did you see Bai Jun?" Guinaifen anxiously asked Sushang beside her, unwilling to let such a massive wave of traffic slip away.

"I-I don't know?"

—Meanwhile, Bai Jun had recognized that the thing Guinaifen was fiddling with was a livestream and had escaped at top speed. By now, he had already run back near Exalting Sanctum.

As a qualified and outstanding energy-saving enthusiast, there was no way he would get involved in troublesome things like livestreaming. Otherwise, with his naturally outstanding looks and the passive ability "Beautiful Youth," he would have become an idol long ago—singing, dancing, taking advertisements, making money, and becoming famous across the universe... Come to think of it, that actually sounded pretty good?

No, no, no!

Forcefully throwing that mistaken notion out of his mind, Bai Jun patted his cheeks and repeatedly reminded himself to stay calm and not be tempted by worldly things. At the same time, he took out the fox mask to distract himself.

After that brief test earlier, it seemed that the fox mask's scent changed according to whoever held it. For example, when Sushang had merely held it earlier, the mask's original rose scent had immediately changed into her scent. But its exact purpose remained unknown...

Could the change in scent signify something?

As Bai Jun walked down the road, a sudden idea struck him. He decided to try putting on the mask. Strangely enough, the small and delicate mask clearly did not look like something someone with Bai Jun's build could wear, but driven by some inexplicable curiosity, he still placed it over his face.

The moment the fox mask touched his forehead, Bai Jun suddenly felt an icy sensation spread across his face, like skincare essence dripping onto his skin. It felt quite pleasant, but he quickly realized that the mask had vanished from his face into thin air!

Just as he was wondering what had happened, two Cloud Cavalry soldiers walking toward him smiled and greeted him. "Yo, you're as lively as ever today, Sushang."

"Sushang, you forgot to clock in again this morning. The captain said if you dare do it again, he'll hang you from the flagpole at Starcruiser Sea Hub next time."

Sushang?

Bai Jun instinctively turned around, thinking Sushang and Guinaifen had caught up to him. But after nervously looking around, he did not see either of them... Was it an illusion? Why did his field of vision seem lower? Had the vending machines by the roadside always been this tall...?

"Oh my, little Sushang, do you have time to help Auntie move some machinery?" At the same time, several other people greeted Bai Jun.

"Are you talking to me..."

A light, soft, and clear female voice came from Bai Jun's mouth. Even if he were stupid, he would have understood what had happened by then.

"H-Hey, no way!?"

Bai Jun immediately covered his mouth and lowered his head in horror. He could not see the tips of his shoes at all—only the soft fullness before his chest. Looking farther down, he saw a pair of long, fair legs, and even his pants had turned into a skirt.

In a panic, he ran in his long boots to the glass storefront of a shop. Bai Jun stared blankly at the dignified and beautiful face reflected in the glass—it was unmistakably Sushang's appearance. And it was not just her appearance. His height, build, clothing, voice, and even a Xuanyuan Sword on his back had changed as well!?

W-Was this an illusion? When did it happen?

Clinging to his final shred of doubt, Bai Jun tremblingly reached a hand toward his chest, then slowly pressed down. That strange and wonderful sensation did not feel like an illusion at all.

"My god, looks like I drew something incredible this time..."

Bai Jun—or rather, Bai Jun in Sushang's form—sighed and touched his own cheek, trying to quickly undo the mask's effect. Yet no matter how he felt around his soft face, he could not find even the slightest trace of the mask. He shouted the name "Mask of a Thousand Faces" countless times in his mind, but it did not have the slightest effect.

"..."

Now Bai Jun was truly drenched in sweat. He swallowed with difficulty as a terrifying and unsolvable question appeared before him—how the hell was he supposed to undo this transformation!?

The system's uselessness was fully displayed at that moment. Other people's systems would surely explain their abilities to their hosts gently, thoughtfully, and in detail. His system, on the other hand, spent all day pretending to be dead and refusing to speak. Now it had caused him even more trouble. If he had known, he absolutely would not have used this thing!

As if things were not bad enough, the Jade Omen in his pocket started ringing.

Bai Jun had no mood to deal with it. He only stood before the glass, thinking about how to turn himself back and refusing to spend the rest of his life as Sushang Number Two. But the Jade Omen rang again and again until he had no choice but to pick it up and glance at it.

Do not disturb unless necessary. For business matters, contact my work number: Are you there? Are you there?

Do not disturb unless necessary. For business matters, contact my work number: I just found out that the spaceflight ticket the company booked for me is actually this afternoon. It really is rather sudden. Bai Jun, do you have time this afternoon...

Do not disturb unless necessary. For business matters, contact my work number: Of course! If you don't have time, don't force yourself. I-I'll be fine.

It would have been better if he had not looked. Bai Jun now understood exactly what it meant for a leaking roof to get hit by rain all night.

Sigh. Today was surely going to be an utterly terrible day.

Now, This Young Lady Is Sushang (Sort Of)

After all that trouble, Bai Jun still could not figure out how to undo the transformation. He could only crouch in the corner beside a vending machine in Sushang's form and sigh.

The time he had agreed upon to see Elena off was drawing closer, but his current appearance was obviously unsuitable. For a while, Bai Jun considered simply coming up with an excuse to decline.

But when he thought about how he had no idea when he would see Elena again after this parting... He thought for a long time and decided he should still go see her off one last time. At the very least, he should give her a gift.

To avoid Sushang herself and prevent an even bigger mess, Bai Jun deliberately went farther away to a small commercial street where he definitely would not run into her to pick out several gifts. Yet even then, he encountered many people on the road who knew Sushang and greeted him. Bai Jun could not help but marvel inwardly at how absurdly popular she was. Friends everywhere, huh?

After wrapping the gifts, Bai Jun looked at himself in the mirror. He sighed as he headed toward the docks at Starcruiser Sea Hub, pondering how exactly he should explain himself to Elena later.

Along the way, Bai Jun had to constantly watch his surroundings to avoid running into Sushang, who usually loved wandering around everywhere.

Before long, he arrived at Starcruiser Sea Hub. The docks, with star skiffs constantly coming and going, formed the girders and framework of the structure. The vast star-skiff transit platforms looked as though they had been carved from a single boundless slab of moonstone, seamlessly embedded throughout the harbor.

As one of the universe's foremost major corporations, the Interstellar Peace Company's dedicated means of transportation were as flamboyant as the company itself. A graphite-colored spaceship, like a steel behemoth, lay ostentatiously within the Starskiff Haven. It was one of the most conspicuous vessels near the Stargate.

Using the spaceship as a landmark, Bai Jun quickly found Elena.

The silver-haired girl stood alone by the railing of the Starskiff Haven, holding Trotter in her arms. Unlike before, Elena was wearing a red-and-black company uniform this time.

From afar, the carefully concealed fullness beneath her shirt pushed the fabric high. Her delicate hips formed smooth curves beneath the tight black jumpsuit, while the cutout designs at her sides pressed against the flesh of her thighs, making it impossible to look away from the slivers of fair skin only a few fingers wide.

All Bai Jun could say was that the uniform suited Elena's style very well. Just like her neat white short hair, it was beautiful and fashionable.

Bai Jun hesitated for a long time before gathering his courage and walking over with the gifts. Yet before he could greet her, Elena seemed to sense something in advance and turned around.

But when she discovered that it was not Bai Jun, but a beautiful girl with twin brown ponytails, Elena's gaze dimmed slightly. She stroked Trotter in her arms and let out a weary sigh.

She looked to be in terrible condition, as though she had not slept well the previous night. The dark circles beneath her eyes stood out sharply against her fair face.

It was not that Elena had actually rested poorly last night. She had done it deliberately. Ever since she returned after their previous meeting, the contents of Bai Jun's diary had lingered in her mind, especially the parts about dark circles. So she had wondered whether Bai Jun might prefer people with dark circles under their eyes?

And so...

Elena had given herself massive dark circles, and when she woke up that morning, even she had been alarmed by the stupid thing she had done.

Um, this was probably just an apology for leaving in such a hurry last time. As compensation, she was letting Bai Jun see her with dark circles out of concern for him. That had to be it. There could not possibly be any other reason.

Even so, she had been nervous from morning until now, her heart pounding ceaselessly.

Just then, a clear young woman's voice sounded behind her.

"Um... are you Miss Elena?"

Elena turned around and saw that the speaker was the brown-haired girl with twin ponytails she had noticed earlier. She looked puzzled. "...And you are?"

"Bai Jun asked me to bring you a few gifts. Please accept them."

As she said this, the brown-haired girl's gaze shifted guiltily to the side. Under normal circumstances, Elena would not have missed such a small detail, but her attention had been completely diverted by what she had just heard. She did not notice the other girl's change in expression and instead felt her heart tighten as she hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Then where is he?"

"Something suddenly came up for him."

"But that shouldn't be..."

A darkness appeared in Elena's eyes that perhaps even she herself did not notice. She quickly took out her phone to check, but found no follow-up message from Bai Jun. Before long, she became suspicious of the person in front of her. "What are you to Bai Jun?"

"I'm his cousin. Didn't my cousin tell you?" Bai Jun secretly broke into a cold sweat, but still spouted nonsense with a straight face.

"You're Bai Jun's cousin?"

Elena examined her again. Although the two looked vastly different, closer inspection revealed that the other girl's gaze and tone did indeed share quite a few similarities with Bai Jun's. Only after receiving another confirming nod did her wariness slowly fade, replaced by a sadness that seemed to come from nowhere.

"Why didn't he tell me that something had come up? He clearly promised me..."

Seeing this, Bai Jun's expression stiffened as his mind raced. After hesitating for a long time, he stammered, "Actually, Bai Jun... he's very sad... so..."

Although he failed to provide any specific information after speaking for so long, Elena, who often watched movies and read novels, had her imagination running at full speed. She immediately pictured a scene—unable to bear her departure and afraid he would cry at the moment of parting, Bai Jun had no choice but to hide himself away and use gifts to convey his feelings instead.

"Eh! Eh? I-Is that so..."

Elena's heart raced as she could not help reaching up to touch a silver strand of hair that had fallen before her eyes, barely concealing her flushed face.

She thought that it was fortunate Bai Jun himself was not here. If she truly saw that expression on his face, she would surely become helplessly flustered and be unable to say anything.

"All right, there's nothing to be done when something unexpected happens. Remember to say goodbye to Bai Jun for me."

Elena's attitude softened at a speed Bai Jun could not understand. Though he had no idea why, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and handed over the gifts in his hands.

Elena accepted the gifts. The first thing she took out was the collar Bai Jun had specially chosen for Trotter. However, because Trotter's round body did not resemble that of most pets, the collar was much slimmer. Perhaps it was more like a choker than a collar, but that did not matter. There were instructions written on the box, and Elena would understand the moment she looked at them.

However, Elena merely blushed slightly as she took out the red collar. Then, under Bai Jun's stiff gaze, she put it around her own fair neck, gently gathered her hair, shyly held the gift box before her crimson cheeks, and quietly asked, "...How does it look?"

"...G-Good. It looks good."

At that point, no matter how Bai Jun thought about it, it did not seem appropriate to remind her that it was a pet collar. Besides, the girl's fair skin and adorable temperament really did suit the red choker, so he could only nod in awkward praise.

"Tell Bai Jun that I really like his gift."

Elena carefully put the collar away and returned it to the box. Without looking at the other gifts, she took an exquisite gift box from her crossbody bag and handed it to Bai Jun. "This is my return gift for him. I hope he likes it."

Bai Jun accepted the exquisite gift box. Through the glass in its packaging, he could clearly see how refined the watch inside was. Its elegant yet minimalist dial constantly radiated a subtle sense of luxury, while its case appeared to be made of some high-end precious metal, carefully polished to match the equally exquisite strap.

Although Bai Jun did not know much about the value of watches, even an outsider like him could tell that this one was expensive.

At that moment, someone emerged from the spaceship's hatch and waved at Elena, signaling that they could take off at any time.

"Ah, sorry, I should be going."

Elena looked at the time on her watch. Then, just before boarding the spaceship, she suddenly turned around and revealed a sly smile. "Bai Jun's cousin, you're just as cute as your cousin, you know? I hope that the next time I visit the Xianzhou, I can have a meal with you!"

"Just as cute... Ahaha, thanks."

Bai Jun stiffly saw Elena off. Only after the spaceship she was on left the Stargate did he finally let out a relieved sigh, leaning weakly against the railing as he complained, "Sushang being cute is one thing, but what the hell is with calling me cute..."

"Young lady, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" A Cloud Cavalry soldier responsible for maintaining order at the docks came over with concern.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just a little sleepy."

Bai Jun rubbed his cheeks. Between not resting well last night and everything that had happened, he felt mentally exhausted. He only wanted to hurry home, rest, and figure out how to undo this damned transformation.

He then stood back up and ran straight toward his home without looking back.

Not long after Bai Jun left, Guinaifen arrived with Sushang on her arm under the Cloud Cavalry soldier's puzzled and strange gaze. Guinaifen cheerfully showed the lively Starskiff Haven docks to the viewers in her livestream, while Sushang leaned against the railing with a tired expression, wondering why livestreaming with Little Gui was so exhausting.

"Eh? Young lady, why are you back again? Didn't you say you were sleepy and run home to sleep?"

Seeing Sushang leaning against the railing in exactly the same posture as before, the Cloud Cavalry soldier thought he might have fallen under some kind of illusion. After painfully pinching his thigh to confirm that he was not dreaming, he could not help stepping closer and asking curiously.