บท 115: Chapter 115: Simultaneous Recollections of the Two
In Herta's office, Ruan Mei stood before a full-length mirror, turning slowly to examine her reflection from all angles.
"Perfect! You're once again the clean and beautiful Ruan Mei," Herta exclaimed with a thumbs-up. She then pointed to the portraits of other Genius Society members that adorned the office walls. "So, what do you think? Want me to make a portrait of you too?"
Ruan Mei shook her head. "No, that's too flashy for me."
"What's wrong with a bit of flashiness? I just don't get you. Oh well, as long as you're happy," Herta replied, clearly satisfied with her own portrait as she continued to admire it. She even considered commissioning a few more around the space station.
Watching Herta indulge in her vanity, Ruan Mei spoke up, "So, can we talk about this Gu Tang person now?"
"Sure, since you're so curious," Herta said, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "It's not a complicated story, really. Just like Gu Tang himself—he's a pretty straightforward guy."
---
"I was wondering what you've been busy with lately, March 7th. Turns out you've been investigating gossip," Asta sighed.
March 7th shook her head. "This isn't just gossip; it's about something important concerning our comrades."
"Fine, then. What have you found out?" Asta asked, holding her forehead in her hands.
March 7th extended a finger, pointing it directly at Asta. "You used to be on good terms with Gu Tang, didn't you?"
That got Asta flustered.
"Hmph! There's no way I ever had a good relationship with that man. You must have gotten something wrong!" Asta insisted, resolutely.
But March 7th hadn't been idling these past few days.
She was prepared!
"Take a look at this photo!" March 7th produced a photo.
In the picture, Gu Tang was focused intently on his research, his profile looking particularly handsome. In the background, Asta could be seen using a file to hide her blushing face, sneaking glances at Gu Tang.
There was no denying it—the composition of the photo made Asta's behavior very conspicuous.
"Wait a minute! Who took this photo?!" Asta's face turned beet red as she snatched the photo from March 7th's hands.
---
"Ah-choo!" Technician B sneezed, touching his nose in confusion. "Strange, is someone talking about how great I am...?"
Technician A, sitting across from him, frowned. "Consider yourself lucky if no one's cursed you. And watch it with those sneezes—if you contaminate my food, I'll make sure you eat a knuckle sandwich."
---
"I've got plenty more evidence!" March 7th pulled out another photo.
This one captured Asta chatting casually with Gu Tang in a hallway, wearing a natural smile that suggested she was enjoying the conversation.
"And here's another one!"
It showed Asta and Gu Tang having a meal together in the cafeteria. Asta was animatedly recommending her favorite dishes to Gu Tang.
"And there's much, much more!" March 7th was about to pull out more.
"Whoever this pervert is that took these, I'm going to launch them into space!" Asta fumed, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Finally, she grabbed March 7th by the wrist. "Enough, enough… I admit, there was a time when I didn't dislike Gu Tang as much."
"You've finally softened a bit. That wasn't easy…" March 7th remarked.
Klipper must've hit Asta right in the mouth with a hammer, the hammer probably split apart.
March 7th softened her tone as she continued, "Based on my investigation, you two got along well for a while. Then, suddenly, everything took a nosedive, and you became like strangers."
Asta fell silent.
"And that turning point… was when Gu Tang left the space station," March 7th recalled Gu Tang mentioning how he'd left the station to wander the universe for a while. "Something must have happened that caused your relationship to break down and led to Gu Tang leaving the station, right?"
Asta sighed deeply. "Although I didn't go out of my way to hide it, I didn't expect you'd actually figure it out… Alright. I might as well explain it all to you."
"Asta… you and Gu Tang are both kind people. What could have happened that made you two fall out?" March 7th asked, frowning.
Asta began to speak slowly. "I'll start from the beginning… The first time I met Gu Tang, Herta had brought him to the space station. To be honest, I disliked him from the moment I saw him."
"Why?" March 7th was puzzled, as Gu Tang had a face that was hard to dislike.
"Because I was jealous," Asta admitted without hesitation. "You know how much I admire Herta, right? She's my mentor and the one who helped me break free from my family's constraints. I've always been the person Herta trusted the most on this station, and I used to take great pride in that…"
"Until Gu Tang showed up, right?" March 7th stroked her chin, piecing it together.
Asta nodded. "After not seeing her for a long time, the first thing Herta said was… to meet all of Gu Tang's demands. It felt like she wasn't just trusting him… but indulging him. I didn't understand why the usually cold Herta would behave like this. In any case, I disliked this man—that was my first impression of him."
---
"I fell in love with him at first sight," Herta declared confidently to Ruan Mei.
"Huh?" Ruan Mei looked at her in disbelief.
It was hard to imagine the phrase "love at first sight" coming out of Herta's mouth.
"I found him on a research base on some planet. He'd just crossed over and wasn't even wearing clothes," Herta recounted nostalgically. "My first thought when I saw him was… I want to sleep with him!"
Ruan Mei rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… I'd say that's less about love at first sight and more about, well, being led by your desires."
"Of course, I didn't express that desire right away. You know, I've always had that cold and aloof goddess image," Herta said, patting herself on the chest.
"Sure, if you say so," Ruan Mei replied, not wanting to argue.
Herta continued, "I found him interesting, so I kept him around… And guess what! Even though he was clueless about scientific knowledge, he could invent all kinds of fascinating things. He surprised me every single day!"
Ruan Mei nodded. "I see. Even though I don't understand the mechanics, no wonder the Simulated Universe turned out the way it did under his influence."
Herta grew more excited.
"Can you understand that feeling? At the time, I was plagued by endless boredom. Every puzzle could be solved, and research no longer brought me any joy… Until Gu Tang appeared!" Her face flushed, she clenched her fists and breathed heavily. "He brought new unknowns, things I couldn't comprehend, every single day. It was like a person dying of thirst in a desert suddenly finding an oasis! To me, the universe became interesting again!"
"I suppose I can see why you have such strong feelings for him," Ruan Mei mused. "So, did you two end up as a couple?"
Herta gave a thumbs-up. "No, but I did force myself on him."
Ruan Mei was stunned. "Uh, this… Even though I'm clueless about romance, even I know that's not the best way to win someone over."
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