章節 21: Shattering Illusions: The Unveiling of Truths
Inside the elevator, the two women who were queued behind me entered and asked again, "Do you want to be healed?" They smiled friendly.
The two women, one in red and the other in cream, appeared to be young, possibly newly recruited BtPs. Their masks were appealing and ordinary. In terms of clothing and beauty, when compared to Michelle, they were like an acclaimed artist encountering an average college student.
The one in red exuded a bold and tomboyish demeanor, while the one in the cream dress appeared shy and projected a healer's aura.
I examined the woman in the cream dress carefully, touched her hand, bowed slightly, and tenderly kissed the back of her hand. "Miss, my heart beats so fast when I see you. Do you know what ailment I have? Can you cure my unfortunate condition?" I inquired while softly gazing into her eyes.
Both of the women seemed shocked and froze for a second.
"I believe your soft lips could perfectly cure me. Do I have the honor of kissing them?"
Michelle attempted to stifle her laughter while tightening her grip around my waist.
Both women blushed furiously at my daring advances. They glanced at each other, their eyes wide in surprise and their cheeks flushed with color. The boldness of his flirtation had caught them completely off guard.
As the elevator came to a stop at the highest level, the doors sliding open to reveal a brightly lit hallway, both women regained a bit of their composure. They shared a quick glance, a silent communication passing between them.
"We... we must go now," the woman in the red dress managed to say, her voice still shaky.
With that, they quickly stepped out of the elevator. Their steps were hurried, almost a run, as they moved down the hall, disappearing from my sight.
"If you dare to flirt with any more girls, I'm going to bite you," Michelle warned playfully, her smile making the threat less serious. She tightened her hug on my left arm, and we moved out together, leaving the confines of the elevator behind us.
As I exited the confines of the elevator, I was immediately transported into a world that was a stark contrast to my familiar surroundings. It was as if I had stepped into the pages of a glamorous magazine. The room was vast and illuminated by an elaborate chandelier that hung majestically from the ceiling, its crystals glittering and casting dancing reflections on every corner of the room.
On a stage to the side, musicians I had only seen on television played a symphony of sophisticated melodies, a familiar backdrop to the dulcet tones of a renowned singer dressed in a gown that was as mesmerizing as her voice. Her clothes, woven from the finest threads, sparkled under the spotlight, adding an extra touch of grandeur to the performance.
Tables laden with a myriad of sumptuous food adorned the room, an endless feast of colors and scents that were both tantalizing and overwhelming. Crystal glasses filled with red and golden yellow liquids shimmered under the chandelier's light, their bubbles sparkling like miniature stars captured in a glass.
The room was enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass walls, providing a panoramic view of the cityscape beyond. The streets below were ablaze with the lights of the bustling city. Buildings stood tall, their luminosity reflected on the glass facades, while vehicles moved with rhythmic precision, their headlights resembling a vast, moving constellation at our feet.
Everywhere I looked, the guests embodied elegance and opulence, their attires ranging from classic tuxedos to dazzling gowns, each one unique, yet unified by the same air of sophistication. Their faces, hidden behind beautifully intricate masks, added an air of mystery and intrigue to the gathering.
The entire scene was a spectacle of affluence and grandeur, an overwhelming display that stunned my senses and made my heart flutter with awe. This was a high society party, a world away from the one I knew. The sheer magnificence of the setting was an undeniable testament to the different strata of society, a world where extravagance was the norm, not the exception.
Michelle promptly located several of her female colleagues amidst the opulent crowd, and I found myself accompanying her to meet them. Within moments of joining their intimate circle, the conversation was already in full swing.
"I heard Andreas is going to be the rabbit," said a woman of slightly plump stature, her voice carrying a hint of grave delight in the juicy gossip. "He's done far too many wrongs, enough to truly rile up the Head of BtP Discipline." The revelation seemed to ripple through the group, eyes widening and mouths forming silent 'o's in the wake of the unexpected news.
Michelle's face shone with joy.
"And this handsome man you've brought along," the woman continued, now turning her attention to me, her eyes gleaming with curiosity, "Are you really the driver? Were you the one pulling the strings behind Andreas?" Her questions hung in the air, sparking intrigue and anticipation among the group.
"No, I'm just a nobody who's fallen in love with Michelle," I replied, my gaze turning towards Michelle to express my deep affection for her. "I simply couldn't stand by when someone threatened to hurt such a kind woman." The words hung in the air, emphasizing the sincerity behind my sentiment.
I thought my role here was done and I should leave Michelle until she calls me to take her home, meddling in women's affairs is not a good thing for a man.
I lowered my head to Michelle, wanting to whisper a word of excuse to her.
"Michelle," a voice called from behind. A pair of men and women joined us. Both were wearing thick-lensed glasses with very large frames.
"Valeria," Michelle responded, and from her facial expression, I could tell Michelle didn't like her. The woman immediately introduced her male partner to the other women, his name was Philips, one of the BtP members who worked in the technology development division.
Just a few minutes was enough for me to understand Michelle's expressions. Valeria was the type who liked to seek attention, dominated parties, and continuously chattered about herself, this time showing off her new boyfriend who she claimed was very brilliant and so on. She even made room for Philips to express how smart he was with all the work he was doing.
"Oh come on, discussing work at a party. This guy must be crazy," I thought, annoyed because even a country bumpkin like me knew that at a party we should be discussing exciting things like women, women, and more women.
Talking about women is always fun both for men and for the women who become the center of attention. There's no creature that craves attention more than women.
I wanted to get out of this crowd immediately but it wasn't possible to leave them now, especially when someone was speaking. Of course, it would be very impolite and perhaps that's why we were all here trying to smile even though our body language showed we couldn't wait to flee like all creatures avoiding a skunk's fart.
However, the man named Philips seemed to ignore the rule not to disturb a crowd of women, he continued to ramble about his knowledge of space, time, and quantum physics. He kept talking without pausing for a moment, explaining how he was working on a project related to time travel, matter and anti-matter, and perhaps also with the mystery of how parallel worlds work, black holes, and so on. The woman accompanying him, Valeria, looked so proud of Philips.
Someone should bring this clown down from the stage or he will continue his impromptu lecture for the next hour and hurt everyone's ears. I know not everyone gathered here is interested in what he's talking about and he could say anything about sequences, time dimension formulas and everyone here would just believe it. Besides, people with knowledge don't speak recklessly, only those half-hearted ones have loud voices. An empty can always makes a loud noise.
I leaned towards Michelle and whispered something to her that made her smile. Instantly, she opened her mouth, "Excuse me, cutting you off Philips, according to my friend, the new research you want to undertake was finished by a German researcher last week." Philips was instantly silent and looked in my direction.
Michelle continued, "And if you want to start research about anti-matter, it seems you're also late. Yesterday, researchers from China already finished it, and oh yeah, about the parallel world you want to start, it also seems that there will be publications about it in a few days. You better forget about asking for your research funding from the BtP funding center."
Philips's face turned ashen, "Lie, they couldn't have completed it, Philips quickly pulled out a smartphone from his pocket, and moved his fingers back and forth to check the truth of Michelle's words." Some women there began to look curious until finally Philips stared at Michelle and then at me with a satisfied face, "It seems what you said is completely nonsense, there is no proof at all, my type of research is special and in a more specific field, no one will start it except me." I could only smile, the world is currently flooded with information like a vast ocean. It's impossible to get what we want if we don't use the right method.
"Lend it to me, let me show you," Michelle retorted, not wanting to lose. Philips rudely pushed the device towards her. Before Michelle could touch it, I was already holding the device gently, telling Michelle, "Darling, your fingers are too delicate to do this, let these rough fingers represent you, it's not suitable for a woman to be bothered with such trivial matters at such an event." Instantly, my fingers danced on the small screen, its internet access was amazing and much faster than the cheap computers and slow connections at my place. In less than a minute, I returned his mini gadget and Philips accepted it. His smile instantly disappeared as he looked at the writings on his smartphone.
"You didn't possibly hack into their research system and steal this data, did you?" Philip asked. I just smiled, then turned to look at Michelle, "For her, I would break through even worlds most advanced security systems, but the only place I truly want to infiltrate is her heart, to be able to sit by her side there for the rest of my life."
Philips didn't answer but women in the crowd immediately answered, "So Sweet." Seems like they agreed to kick out the party crasher and wanted to continue with gossip discussion, Andreas, handbags worth a new car, and places that sell delicious cakes. As I surveyed the crowd, I saw that indeed, many of the party-goers were using their body language and appearance to their advantage, subtly displaying the fine details of their attire, waiting for someone to take the bait and ask, "Is that Dior you're wearing?" or "Are those earrings from Tiffany's?"
"And who are you?" Valeria asked, staring at me and squinting her eyes.
"Just a rude person who adores Michelle," I answered with a sweet smile, even though I couldn't believe when I saw Valeria showing her victorious smile and saying, "Do you know our friend Michelle has her special nickname?" Michelle's friends instantly stared at me and the atmosphere became tense.
I gently held both of Michelle's hands and stared at her "Michelle the Coyote Ugly, honestly I don't understand why people call her that, I've seen Michelle's true form many times, kissed her and honestly I'm fascinated by her original blue eyes, mesmerizing like gemstones, more beautiful than anything else and her real face is truly gorgeous."
I meant her real face before the accident.
Michelle stared at me captivated and held my hand tightly. I wanted to kiss her cheek to cover up my action of kicking Valeria and her clown out but by that time Michelle was already looking somewhere else, at one of her slightly chubby female friends and it turned out that Valeria and everyone there were looking at that woman.
"Hah...? What's going on?" the woman asked nervously.
"Leah? Tell me did this man tell the truth?" Valeria demanded.
I stared at the woman and almost cursed.
This is a haven for superhumans, anything can happen here, this woman is surely a truth-sensing device. Damn, she will expose my flattery and I will be embarrassed for lying.
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