Hearing what Shangguan Bing Xue was pointing out, Bai Zemin could not help but smile bitterly in his heart and remained silent with a somewhat hesitant expression on his face.
He really had no intention of interfering too much in other people's private business as it would be difficult to know if the other person would not take it in the wrong way. Besides, somehow he felt that the further away from the strange love, friendly relationship between Chen He and Shangguan Bing Xue, the better.
However, Bai Zemin could not just cut off the conversation just like that. Not unless he wanted the good relationship that was beginning to form between him and Shangguan Bing Xue to go back to being somewhat stiff like in the past; this was something Bai Zemin did not want.
The reason why he did not want such a thing to happen was very simple and without too sage motives, and it was that since Shangguan Bing Xue would most probably be one of his most powerful and trusted generals, then it was better to have a more amicable relationship than a rigid one where emotions were inclined to change for the worse depending on personal benefits.
Seeing that he remained silent and noticing the hesitation in his heart, Shangguan Bing Xue said somewhat awkwardly, "If it bothers you too much, then just forget it."
She was really enjoying the moment they were currently having.
Shangguan Bing Xue knew that she didn't have to worry about Bai Zemin having ulterior motives towards her, and she also knew that he didn't see her as someone special in his heart by any stretch of the imagination. If such things were taken out of the equation, all that was left was pure friendship; and this was what she was looking for.
Although she already had Wu Yijun, with whom she could talk about anything without worries, it never hurt to have someone more there. After all, Wu Yijun was not currently here and there would also be many more cases where the two women would be separated due to their different missions and tasks as a result of the great power gap between the two.
But if Bai Zemin did not want to continue chatting with her, then so be it. Shangguan Bing Xue was a proud person after all. Something like begging was something that wouldn't even cross her mind in a million years.
"It''s not that it bothers me…" Bai Zemin forced a smile and calmly explained, "Look… That guy, Chen He… I think you know what's going on in his head too. The man is in love with you to the point where he sees things where there are none. That's why I don't want to interfere in these things. You know, to avoid unnecessary complications…"
Shangguan Bing Xue furrowed her eyebrows slightly when she heard this. In fact, she was also well aware that Chen He saw Bai Zemin as a kind of rival in love.
She sighed and gently rubbed both sides of her head as she said softly, "I really don't know what to do about this matter… I have already rejected him quite firmly five years ago, but Chen He still insists on not giving up even though I clearly told him that I had no intentions of having a romantic relationship with anyone… As if that wasn't enough, he basically sees any man as his enemy. Not to mention you, with whom I recently started to talk more than the usual."
Bai Zemin smiled bitterly at her words and unconsciously blurted out, "My condolences…"
Shangguan Bing Xue's situation was quite complicated if one thought about it carefully.
Chen He was a person she had known since a very young age, a guy with whom she shared too many years of her life and with whom she probably experienced many things; he was someone she could trust and with whom she could vent her emotions always repressed behind a cold personality and indifferent expression.
However, that same person suddenly began to look at her with different eyes and then openly expressed his apparent love for her… This left Shangguan Bing Xue in a very difficult position because no matter what she did, that friendship they had in the past would never be the same again.
If she accepted, then the friendship itself would disappear to become something far beyond. After all, while a couple could be companions with each other, that companionship was different from the relationship between two friends; which was what Shangguan Bing Xue wanted.
As for if she rejected him, there was a possibility that the friendly relationship would disappear as well. Except that this time it would be forever.
However, Shangguan Bing Xue could not simply agree to date a man when her heart felt nothing more than the appreciation a person feels for a friend. Therefore, she had been clear with Chen He, risking that the friendship they had formed over many years of their childhood would be broken.
But who was to know that Chen He would actually be stubborn? Not only did the friendship not break, but he stayed by her side whenever possible to prove to her that he was worthy of her… Unfortunately, although the friendship was not broken and did not reach the worst case scenario, things could no longer go back to the way they were in the past.
After all, it was impossible for Shangguan Bing Xue and Chen He to act 100% as if nothing had happened when in reality they were both aware of each other's feelings and thoughts.
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him and said with a hint of pleading, "Can't you think up something…? You know, just now you helped me lighten my troubles a little…."
"Woman, are you all right in the head?" Bai Zemin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He pointed to himself and said between tears and laughter, "It's not something to be proud of or anything, but just to let you know, I've never in my life had a real romantic relationship with a girl… Do you think someone like that can give you advice in this situation?"
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him in a daze for several seconds before smiling bitterly and shaking her head.
"But." Bai Zemin added after some thought, "If you and he have been getting along for many years, why don't you give it a try? I mean, I know many people who started out as friends, trying to start a relationship, and at the end of the day they end up falling in love with each other. Who knows, it might be the case for you two as well."
Shangguan Bing Xue sighed and shook her head as she said, "What you just said is not something that never crossed my mind. However, it was only a thought for a couple of seconds before I automatically had my mind dismiss it forever."
"Why?" He asked in surprise.
"I just don't feel it." Shangguan Bing Xue calmly explained, "I tried, I really tried to imagine myself holding hands with him, but instead of feeling my heart beat stronger or feeling good, all I felt was discomfort all over…. The feeling was close to bordering on the disgust I feel when I see the lustful eyes of other men looking at me."
"… F." Bai Zemin muttered under his breath unconsciously.
"What's that?" Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him in confusion.
Bai Zemin coughed a couple of times and quickly explained, "No, well… A greeting for the fallen man."
"The fallen man…?" She muttered with a frown before a flash of realization shone in her heart.
Shangguan Bing Xue smiled bitterly and said, "I cannot do what doesn't come to me. Unlike many women who may try to casually engage in a relationship with someone, if I don't feel it then I just don't feel it. I won't do something my heart doesn't agree with."
Bai Zemin's black eyes glittered with a hint of appreciation and praise as he looked at the woman in front of him.
In this new era, in the midst of the 21st century, it was extremely difficult to find a demure woman with Shangguan Bing Xue's thoughts; much more difficult still was to find such a beautiful woman who thought like this.
"Why don't you try to be frank with him…?" he proposed and seeing that she was paying attention to him, he continued, "I mean, it's been a while since you rejected him… Chen He is probably waiting for an answer now that he got better himself."
Shangguan Bing Xue thought about it for a moment with a serious expression before slowly nodding and saying, "Maybe you're right… Chen He has worked hard to not only learn martial arts and how to handle different kinds of weapons for self-defense, but also worked overtime to close the gap in our grades when we were still students. So maybe he's waiting for an answer."
Bai Zemin sighed in his heart and secretly shook his head. Even though he said that, he knew very well that Chen He was not going to give up.
The reason was very simple… This was that in the current world, the gap Chen He believed there was between him and Shangguan Bing Xue, that distance between their hearts that he felt could be closed was born out of the difference in strength between the two of them.
Past Chen He could not compare to Shangguan Bing Xue in anything. Whether it was qualifications, family backing, personal ability, etc; in everything he was below her.
In the present, Chen He was below Shangguan Bing Xue as well. While she had already broken level 40, he had only just stepped into the First Order less than half a month ago.
Bai Zemin was sure that Chen He believed that the reason Shangguan Bing Xue did not accept him was because she could not accept a man who was inferior to her.
"If you really, really, really don't want to have anything with him, be sure to make clear the reason why." Bai Zemin added at the end.
"… Okay." Shangguan Bing Xue nodded. She secretly thought that she should discuss the matter first with Wu Yijun and then would see what to do.
Just as Bai Zemin was preparing to say something else, she interrupted.
"Don't you want to ask me about my family? I know you've been curious about it for a long time." Shangguan Bing Xue smiled slightly and said with a slightly mischievous tone, "For me to be childhood friends with people like Chen He and Yijun, my status definitely must not be small… Something like that must be what you think in your head, isn't it?"
Bai Zemin shrugged his shoulders and said calmly, "You don't need to say anything."
"Oh?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, really surprised this time.
He looked at her with a you-understand smile as he said slowly, "Actually, I'm 90% sure about who you are…. That 10% doubt is because of your surname, but that's all."
Shangguan Bing Xue stared at him for a couple of seconds before smiling bitterly and saying, "Has anyone ever told you that men who are too smart aren't very popular?"
With this, Bai Zemin's slight doubt was completely swept away and he was now completely sure of the identity of the beautiful woman in front of him.
Unconsciously, the image of Lilith flashed in his mind and he couldn't help but chuckle as he said, "Don't worry, a beautiful woman has told me that in the past."
"I'd like to meet her sometime if possible." She also chuckled and joked.
"I'm sure the opportunity will present itself." Bai Zemin nodded with a smile.
Seeing that his attitude towards her did not change in the slightest even though he was aware of her identity, Shangguan Bing Xue could not help but stare at him some more. The more she looked at the clearly more handsome face than in the past of the young man in front of her, the more her impression of him improved.
He was not treating her with greater respect, nor was he giving her an obsequious attitude, and she could not see the slightest fear in his eyes; Bai Zemin was simply treating her as he had treated her in the past, as he was treating her a minute ago.
"You really are a weirdo." Shangguan Bing Xue smiled slightly and shook her head, "Even though you are aware of my identity, you didn't even have the slightest reaction except for a slight surprise that disappeared as quickly as it came."
Bai Zemin chuckled as he heard what she said. He looked at her with an amused look and said composedly, "Did you forget what my goal is and the reason why I am slowly forming my own army?"
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him speechlessly and remarked, "That makes you even weirder! Aren't you afraid? With everything I know about you and the faction you're setting up, it can definitely be a big hit to you if I decide to betray you in the end!"
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Thanks a lot to all those who use their Golden Tickets to vote for BW <3
