Chapter 22

“I’m serious. You can come over tomorrow afternoon. Once Gu Han finishes his part, we’ll do one or two runs and that should be enough. In the meantime, you can practice your own program,” Yan Ning said earnestly.

“It’s fine, I’m confident. Those things don’t matter, being with you is more fun,” Lu Fengfeng said, and it wasn’t just politeness.

Since discovering the secret about the inhibitor on Yan Ning’s wrist, he found observing her behavior fascinating, especially this morning’s competition—it really opened his eyes.

“Fun doesn’t fill your stomach. After the competition, we can hang out as much as you want,” Yan Ning replied.

She meant that the competition was too intense, requiring full focus. Once it was over, they could relax and enjoy themselves without any worries.

Not only was she grateful to Lu Fengfeng, but also to Qiao Yingxue and the others. They had all been fully supporting her during this time. Once the competition was over, she would make sure to treat everyone well.

Lu Fengfeng raised his hand and touched his chest. It wasn’t just an illusion—his heart was beating faster than usual. But somehow, there was a vague emptiness inside.

“Okay.”

He lowered his hand, ignoring the uneasy feeling in his heart, and squinted his eyes, flashing a devilish smile. Two teardrop-shaped moles at the corner of his eyes made his smile even more alluring.

Yan Ning stood up, reached out to him with a warm and pure smile, free of any impurities. “Then let’s practice one last time.”

“…” Lu Fengfeng was momentarily frozen, then slowly took her hand.

Qiao Yingxue, who had been observing quietly, secretly gave Yan Ning a thumbs-up in her mind: “GOOD JOB!”

Ningning was so amazing, it brought tears to her eyes. She hadn’t been fooled by the enemy’s sweet words and was even able to counter with a clever move.

What Qiao Yingxue didn’t notice was that, over the past two half-days, from yesterday to today, she had started to really enjoy observing the interactions between Yan Ning and Lu Fengfeng. Occasionally, a smile of “a satisfied old aunt” would appear on her face, a look that someone her age definitely shouldn’t have.

—

After training in the evening, Gu Han still hadn’t sent any updates. Yan Ning decided to go there herself to check the progress.

The competition was tomorrow night, and if the stage effects weren’t ready by then, it would be a disaster.

When Yan Ning arrived at the 17th floor of the Golden Tower, she only saw three programmers, but no Gu Han.

She was told that Gu Han’s sister had been injured at school, and he had gone back after receiving the news. Gu Han always treasured his sister, so it was likely he wouldn’t be back tonight.

The programmers, who already had high hairlines, were now even more worried that their hairlines might recede further after tonight.

“How’s the progress?” Yan Ning asked.

“About a quarter left. Some of these models are too complex, and they’re very time-consuming,” one of the programmers replied.

Yan Ning thought for a moment. “You guys keep working. If you’re unsure about anything, just ask me. I’ll think of a way and see if anyone can help.”

She remembered her friend on her contact list, the Penguin Doll Tutu. He was great at photography and photo editing, so maybe he could help with this task.

But the main reason she decided to ask him was due to a vague instinct. The two penguin dolls were very likely to be Aimeran aliens. If they were extraterrestrials, they should be familiar with 3D projections, and it was more likely they could handle this technology.

She sent a message, and soon received a reply.

【Tutu: Oh, I can do that. Where are you?】

【Yan Ning: Golden Tower, 17th floor,  District,  Street.】

【Tutu: What a coincidence! I’m here too. But it’s already after working hours. However, if the beautiful Yan Ning is summoning me, I can’t say no! Wait for me, I’m coming soon~~~】

The blue penguin doll Tutu carried his delicate briefcase and took the elevator from the 23rd floor to the 17th floor.

When Yan Ning saw him, she ran over excitedly and hugged the penguin doll tightly. “This is great, you’re really helping me a lot!”

“Ahhh, beautiful lady, let go! Let go!! I’m going to suffocate!” The penguin doll’s arms and legs flailed as he hadn’t expected the usually aloof beauty to suddenly be so enthusiastic and strong.

Yan Ning was indeed excited because she felt that her guess was about to be confirmed.

Tutu’s reaction showed the traits of Aimeran aliens—obedient to beautiful things.

Ahem, it seemed a bit narcissistic.

In fact, Yan Ning hadn’t changed much inside, but after receiving so much praise from Qiao Yingxue and the others, she had gained a bit of confidence in her appearance.

She led Tutu to Gu Han’s original position and briefly explained what she needed. Without any blueprints or detailed descriptions, Tutu immediately got to work.

At this point, she was certain that Tutu and the other penguin doll named Sese were both Aimeran aliens.

Her story was set in a magical, otherworldly setting, and many of the monsters were inspired by extraterrestrial life forms. Earthlings who had never encountered these creatures, like the other three programmers, needed detailed blueprints. But Tutu didn’t need much from Yan Ning—he quickly created a rough model.

Yan Ning sat beside Tutu, watching as his short arms rapidly typed on the keyboard, occasionally moving the mouse to adjust the details. Her heart was calm.

It was a strange feeling to meet aliens on Earth, as if meeting an old acquaintance from her hometown.

She didn’t point it out. The two penguin dolls had probably figured out she had been to other planets during her interview, and they shared an unspoken understanding, which was perfectly fine.

—

Gu Han received a call from the butler, informing him that Gu Tian had been injured, and immediately put down his work.

Returning to the Gu residence, Gu Han went straight upstairs to Gu Tian’s room.

Gu Tian was sitting on the bed in a puffy nightgown, reading a book, with bandages wrapped around her right cheek.

When Gu Han entered the room and saw the bandages on his sister’s face, his expression immediately turned cold. “Tiantian.”

“Brother, why are you back? Didn’t you say you had work to do?” Gu Tian looked up when she heard the voice. Upon seeing Gu Han, she immediately smiled and casually placed her book aside.

Gu Han sat down beside the bed, his eyes filled with concern. “What happened to your face? Who hurt you?”

Gu Tian waved at the aunt standing by the door, signaling her to leave for a moment.

After the person left, Gu Tian scooted forward on the bed, closing the distance between them. She lowered her voice and said mysteriously, “Brother, I think I encountered an alien.”

After speaking, she looked at Gu Han’s expression, unable to hold back a smile.

Gu Han’s expression remained unchanged. Instead of immediately denying the claim like most people would, he asked, “What kind of person is she?”

Gu Tian looked up at the soft light from the ceiling lamp, thinking for a moment. “She’s a girl in our grade who just transferred here recently. She’s really pretty, but we hadn’t spoken before. Today, during the race, we started talking. She runs really fast and easily lapped me twice. I almost fell, and she caught me from behind. Her body is really soft and warm, and she has this amazing scent that makes you feel safe. Then she held me and helped me avoid an invisible arrow.”

“Brother Yan Yu seemed to misunderstand her, and others might find it strange too, but I know she was saving me. I heard an unusual sound in the wind at that moment.”

Gu Tian spoke very seriously. Gu Han raised an eyebrow. “Then how did you get the injury on your face?”

“Although I couldn’t see it, I think it might have been from a sharp weapon, like an arrowhead. One of the angles was really tricky and grazed me a little.” Gu Tian lightly touched the bandage on her face. Despite being injured, her eyes sparkled as she spoke, looking excited. “Actually, I hadn’t realized she might be an alien until later. After we got to the infirmary, my face wouldn’t stop bleeding, and the doctor said I needed to go to the hospital immediately. She volunteered to help me with the bandaging, and the bleeding stopped miraculously under her touch. She applied the medicine and bandaged my face all by herself.”

Gu Han’s pupils contracted, and a contemplative look appeared on his face. He felt like… he felt like this person his sister described seemed very familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before…

“Do you know her name?”

“Yan Ning. Her name is Yan Ning,” Gu Tian replied.

“Eh? Hahaha, what a coincidence.” When Gu Han heard the name, he raised a hand to his forehead and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Gu Tian was confused.

Once Gu Han stopped laughing, he explained to Gu Tian that Yan Ning was his current employer.

“So, brother, you also noticed something special about her and deliberately got close to her?” Although Gu Tian was young, she understood Gu Han very well.

“Mhm,” Gu Han nodded. “Perhaps we can find a way to cure you.”

At around ten o’clock in the evening, Gu Han returned to the company.

Although he looked tired, he still had a smile on his face as he entered, looking in a good mood.

He purposely found Yan Ning and sincerely thanked her, “Thank you for saving my sister today.”

“Huh? So that little girl… Gu Tian is your sister?” Yan Ning reacted quickly. The only person she had met today was Gu Tian, and since both Gu Tian and Gu Han shared the same surname, she quickly made the connection between them.

“Mm, she mentioned you to me and said she wanted to thank you properly.”

“It was nothing.” Yan Ning felt a bit embarrassed. She hadn’t protected Gu Tian as well as she should have.

“We’ll talk about this later. I need to get to work.” Gu Han saw that someone was already busy at his desk and didn’t want to disturb them. He took out his notebook from his bag, found a random seat, and entered work mode.

With his help, progress sped up considerably.

After Yan Ning made a call to report to Uncle Zheng, she stayed in the Golden Building on the 17th floor the entire night.

The five programmers worked through the night, typing away at their keyboards, and by noon the next day, they barely finished all the images for the 3D projection she wanted.

In the afternoon, Shi Lei and Zhou Ye delivered the clothes, and Zhao Xiaolu also brought Yan Ning’s musical instruments.

Once everything was prepared, all the equipment and props were shipped from Shengyi Headquarters directly to the school.

—

On the afternoon of the 30th, the sports competitions at Minghua Middle School’s sports meet came to an end.

The principal and several teachers presented awards to the winners in front of the playground, and Yan Ning received two certificates.

After the award ceremony, the principal announced that the second round of the personal competition, an arts performance, would be held in the auditorium that evening, and all students were required to attend.

At seven o’clock in the evening, the second round of the personal competition officially began. The event was much larger and more lively than expected, with the auditorium packed with people.

Zhao Xiaolu sent a message in the small group, saying there were cameras outside, and not just one camera angle.

Yan Ning rubbed her hands together. Her number was 20, the last one.