Faced with Stella's blunt, categorical denial, Hesta was instead a little at a loss. But she quickly realized that perhaps excessive exhaustion had made Stella too lazy to use any rhetoric, which had completely ruined her sense of humor.
"Let's not even talk about your qualifications," Stella said hoarsely. Last night's twists and turns had left her throat feeling uncomfortable, and she secretly prayed she would not develop a fever next. "Remember Tang An, the vice-chairman of the Weihudun Interest Party? He was thirty-four when he accepted his appointment last year, and everyone was saying he'd win the next election and become District 12's youngest prime minister at thirty-seven. Come on, Jane, a simple math question. When do you think the next election is?"
Hesta blinked—Stella's slightly sarcastic tone had finally come back. She shrugged. "I thought you were going to say to me directly, 'What do you take me for, a magic lamp? You open your mouth and expect wishes granted?'"
Stella gave a dry laugh, stopped, and turned back with her hands on her hips. "What do you take me for! A magic lamp! You look at me and start making wi—"
"Why don't you ask me why I want to be prime minister?" Hesta was too lazy to use another earth-shattering question to pique Stella's interest. She followed Stella upstairs. "What's so great about being District 12's prime minister?"
Stella was amused again. She sighed, then could not help yawning.
"All right, my friend. Why do you suddenly want to be prime minister?"
"I think it's necessary for me to exert some... influence over the Emangria City Area," Hesta said. "I need to have administrative authority over the city for a period of time. Oh, not necessarily the whole city, but I need to control important areas.