Chapter 88: An Idol
"Two kings cannot share the same throne?" Yun Yao found this phrasing interesting. "Are you saying this Qi Xia... is even as formidable as you are?"
"No, he's far stronger than me." Chu Tianqiu put the chalk back and found a chair to sit down. "It's just that he hasn't been through enough trials. If we want to harness his power, we'll need to wait for the right opportunity."
After leaving the room, Kim Won-sun looked at Qi Xia, who was silently waiting outside the door, and his expression turned somewhat awkward.
"Is he ready to see me?" Qi Xia asked.
"No..." Kim Won-sun shook his head. "Brother Chu asked me to ask you a question, like that."
"A question?" Qi Xia thought for a moment, then nodded. "Caution is wise. What does he want to ask?"
"May I ask when you arrived here?"
Qi Xia frowned, finding it rather strange.
There were so many questions he could have asked, yet Chu Tianqiu chose this one specifically?
"I arrived here three days ago."
"Three days ago..." Kim Won-sun nodded. "Brother, please wait a moment. I'll go relay that."
Qi Xia nodded solemnly, but he was already growing impatient.
...
"Three days ago?" Chu Tianqiu chuckled. "That's what he said?"
"Yes." Kim Won-sun nodded. "Ah, brother, the thing is, all three of us arrived here three days ago too, so it's not that strange, like that... Do you need to ask anything else?"
"No need to bother with him anymore." Chu Tianqiu said. "He answered wrong this time. We don't need to give him another chance."
"Huh?" Kim Won-sun was stunned. "Brother... that person looks like he's seriously injured, like that. If we ignore him, he might..."
"Then let him die."
"Uh..." Kim Won-sun was taken aback. "Brother... didn't you say..."
"Not yet." Chu Tianqiu turned to look at Yun Yao. "Yun Yao, you can see him out for me."
"Alright, understood."
Yun Yao stretched lazily, stood up, and headed for the door.
"Aish... Brother, if we want to escape, shouldn't we be trying to get help from someone powerful, like that?" Kim Won-sun asked, utterly confused. "If that man is really so strong, why not let him join?"
"He will join us eventually, just not now." Chu Tianqiu said with a smile. "The current Qi Xia is like a wounded snake. He hates everything here. He wants to survive, and he wants to escape. In this state, he can't join 'Heaven's Gate,' and we can't treat him as a teammate."
Kim Won-sun was dumbfounded for a long moment before nodding as if he barely understood.
Yun Yao hadn't walked far before she saw Qi Xia standing outside the courtyard. Half of his clothes were soaked in blood, a quite horrifying sight.
"Qi Xia?" Yun Yao asked.
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded.
"Let me ask you something. If the first five digits of a seven-digit code are 'YMWDH,' what should the last two be?"
"'MS'." Qi Xia answered without hesitation. "Are all the people in 'Heaven's Gate' this boring?"
"Seriously?" Yun Yao was stunned. "You figured that out in just one second?"
"'Year, Month, Week, Day, Hour' in English. Ordered by length of time, the last two must be the initials of 'Minute' and 'Second'." Qi Xia said. "Was that an interview question for 'Heaven's Gate'?"
"Not exactly. It was just a personal test." Yun Yao smiled sweetly. "I really like smart people. We lost a teammate figuring out that code."
"Then that just proves 'Heaven's Gate' isn't all that impressive." Qi Xia replied.
"No, it's just that my own abilities are lacking." Yun Yao shook her head, correcting him. "If Chu Tianqiu had handled it, he probably would have cracked it in a second too."
"So when can I meet Chu Tianqiu?" Qi Xia asked. "He's already kept me waiting for twenty minutes."
"You won't be meeting him." Yun Yao's smile was radiant, her eyes curving as she replied. "You didn't pass the 'interview,' so 'Heaven's Gate' isn't prepared to accept you."
A look of disbelief crossed Qi Xia's face.
"So the first question was the real interview." He stared at Yun Yao. "Did I answer that one wrong?"
"That, I don't know." Yun Yao pursed her lips. "Chu Tianqiu says you're wrong, so you're wrong."
"I understand." Qi Xia nodded, turned around, and prepared to leave.
"Hey!" Yun Yao called out. "Even if 'Heaven's Gate' won't accept you, I still really like you. I enjoy helping down-and-out handsome guys. How about staying as my 'rumored boyfriend'? I'm sure Chu Tianqiu wouldn't object."
Qi Xia turned back to glance at Yun Yao, a hint of mockery in his expression. "The sentiment is appreciated."
"So cold." Yun Yao scratched her head, then pulled a bottle of mineral water from behind her. "Here, take this. Friends?"
Seeing the plastic bottle in Yun Yao's hand, Qi Xia swallowed hard.
He hadn't had a drop of water in nearly a day.
"I owe you one for this water." Qi Xia reached out, took it, twisted off the cap, closed his eyes, and downed the entire bottle in one go.
He was severely injured now; even if she had poisoned it, he wouldn't have been any worse off.
"So sweet..." Qi Xia let out a breath. "I guess I've been dehydrated for too long."
"The reason it's so sweet is because I already took a sip from this bottle." Yun Yao gave a meaningful smile. "So now we've had an 'indirect kiss,' haven't we?"
"Thanks for the water. I'll return the favor when I get the chance." Qi Xia carelessly tossed the bottle on the ground and walked away.
Watching Qi Xia's retreating figure, Yun Yao felt a bit annoyed. "So rude. A top idol personally shows him favor and gets rejected."
"He's gone?" Chu Tianqiu appeared behind Yun Yao and asked.
"He's gone."
"Did he give up?"
"Doesn't look like it. It looked more like he'd made some kind of decision." Yun Yao shook her head. "This guy is really something. I think I'm falling for him."
"Oh? Just a couple of days ago you said you liked me, and now you've already switched affections?" Chu Tianqiu gave a wry smile. "I really can't figure you out."
"An idol's heart is not for guessing." Yun Yao shrugged. "Looking forward to the day I see Qi Xia again."
The two of them left the entrance, and the dilapidated campus fell silent once more.
And the young man named Kim Won-sun stood back at the door, once again watching the surroundings cautiously, as if nothing had happened.
Qi Xia found a broken wall, sat down to rest for half an hour, then got up and walked forward along the road.
After this indirect encounter with Chu Tianqiu, he understood the 'rules' of this damn place more and more clearly.
The situation was probably more complicated than he had imagined.
Now he had only one last thought left: to go see the edge of the city.
If there was any way to escape from here, it would have to be at the very boundaries.