Chapter 227: I Refuse

“Meeting the two of you again, I feel honored.” In the gaze of the two, the female secretary walked over with a smiling face and raised her glass in a gesture of greeting, “Last time was rushed, I didn’t exchange names. I’m Mi Xiaolin, pleased to meet you both…”

Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji both squinted their eyes, staring at her without responding.

Their synchronized expressions and actions made Mi Xiaolin chuckle, “No need for that kind of expression… Although you were wearing masks last time, your grace and demeanor are the same. Plus, last time you stood up for Mr. Zhu, and now you’re with him again. As an eyewitness, I can naturally figure it out.”

Chu Ge pondered for a moment, “That’s true.”

Mi Xiaolin continued to smile, “I’m quite curious. Since you don’t want to reveal your identities, why not be even more discreet?”

Chu Ge’s response was calm, “We’re not afraid of trouble. We simply don’t want to disrupt our lives. But that doesn’t mean we have to live like mice, constantly hiding and second-guessing everything. It’s more troublesome to live that way. It’s better to be upfront, scare you off, and avoid unnecessary complications.”

“Haha… Just as I expected, as domineering as ever.” Mi Xiaolin seemed to find it amusing, “But you do have the confidence to back it up.”

Chu Ge remained unmoved, and his gaze turned slightly cold, “Since you know we dislike trouble, and now that you know our identities, why approach us and ask… What’s your intention?”

Mi Xiaolin hesitated for a moment, her curiosity seemingly directed toward Qiu Wuji.

Since Chu Ge had started the conversation, Qiu Wuji had remained silent, standing quietly by his side as if she had handed over the responsibility of external negotiations to him.

Such a beautiful, powerful, and obedient little wife… Where the hell did he find her?

Mi Xiaolin almost couldn’t resist educating her, that women should be independent and strong, not like this!

However, before she could deliver her educational speech, Qiu Wuji decided to educate her first, “My boyfriend is asking you a question! Why are you looking at me? That’s rude.”

Mi Xiaolin: “…”

Damn.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

She sighed, “Since we’ve come to you, of course, it’s for a preliminary discussion, to see if we can reach a consensus on certain matters.”

“Courtesy before conflict?” Chu Ge chuckled, “Sure, go ahead and ask, what do you want to discuss?”

“Before that, I’d like to pose a question to both of you…” Mi Xiaolin’s smile faded, and she looked earnestly into their eyes, “Do you hope for the resurgence of spiritual energy and the empowerment of everyone with extraordinary abilities, or do you prefer a world without such things, where normalcy prevails? Or perhaps, did you once desire to obtain various powers, but now that you have them, you hope that others don’t.”

Chu Ge was momentarily stunned, unsure how to answer.

Because he hadn’t really thought about it.

Qiu Wuji also found the question intriguing.

This was starting to resemble the philosophical debates in their martial arts fantasy world, rather than just the shallow struggles over treasures or vendettas.

The latter didn’t interest her at all – if she had any desire for treasure hunting before, it was for Chu Ge’s growth. Now that he could summon items from books, that interest had waned completely.

Even for summoning items from books, Qiu Wuji hadn’t pushed Chu Ge to seek ways to acquire more powerful items. She believed in letting things unfold naturally. Greed could easily cloud one’s path, and what she sought was essential for her own cultivation; anything irrelevant, no matter how valuable, wouldn’t pique her interest.

However, these philosophical debates transcended all that, provoking deep contemplation. They revealed the key to understanding the thoughts of the people of this world. It was more interesting being out here. Such matters were invisible when they sat idle at home.

She turned to look at Chu Ge, curious about his response.

After a silence that lasted over a minute, Chu Ge finally spoke with some difficulty, “In my view, these things are like the proliferation of firearms. Ultimately, a world without them would be the best. But… I already possess them, and I can’t be without them.”

Without them, would Qiuqiu still be there?

Uncertainty clouded his mind; he couldn’t contemplate it further. Yet, as long as there was a one-in-a-million chance of them being separated, he wouldn’t want that.

He could do without extraordinary abilities, but he couldn’t do without Qiuqiu.

He could lose that world, but he couldn’t lose her.

Mi Xiaolin chuckled, “So you’re the third type?”

The third type – having it themselves but hoping others don’t…

Chu Ge’s lips twitched a couple of times, wanting to say he wasn’t that type, but the words wouldn’t come out. Taken literally, it did seem like that was his stance.

Mi Xiaolin laughed heartily, “Everyone is like this, what’s there to be embarrassed about?”

Chu Ge slowly spoke, “So is the purpose of your search for the source of spiritual energy related to this? To control it for yourselves, to have it while others can’t?”

“It’s something along those lines,” Mi Xiaolin replied with a coy smile, “Having extraordinary abilities is wonderful. Once, we were just like dust at the bottom, and now we can overlook all living beings. We can become leaders of corporations, own luxury cars and mansions, move in elite circles… It’s something we could never have dreamed of in our early years, only existing as a reshuffling of the deck in our dreams.”

Chu Ge responded woodenly, “Others’ rise from the bottom is for the betterment of all. You seek to reshuffle the deck to occupy higher positions, to secure better benefits, and then cut off the paths of others’ ascent.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?”

Chu Ge fell silent.

“Throughout history, it’s been the same, no need to be ashamed of it,” Mi Xiaolin said calmly, “Since you’re somewhat similar, why can’t we cooperate?”

Chu Ge asked, “Cooperate? What about the grudges of Du Lianfeng and Qi Chengtai?”

Mi Xiaolin chuckled, “Those worthless people are already dead. Who cares about them?”

“Dead?”

“Dead.”

“You killed them.”

“In the eyes of others, you killed them… Of course, that doesn’t matter. If we can truly cooperate, even if it was you who killed them, it would only increase your leverage, adding to the deterrent effect before anyone even arrives.”

Chu Ge stated lightly, “And if we don’t cooperate?”

Mi Xiaolin calmly replied, “Well, then you will indeed be in trouble.”

“Trouble in what way?”

“Trouble with this project…” Mi Xiaolin lazily gestured around, “You could say this project is all about you… It’s quite important to you, isn’t it?”

Chu Ge squinted his eyes without answering.

“Is it important, then?” Mi Xiaolin smiled slightly, “I know. An author who writes day and night, struggles for three or four years, endures all sorts of issues… Finally, when this book becomes a hit, gets fully adapted for various rights, gains the attention of Xie Wenyuan, is treated as a top guest at the company, fame and fortune are right in front of you… Truly, it’s the epitome of going from obscurity to worldwide recognition.”

Chu Ge looked up at the soft lights on the ceiling, lost in thought as he listened to her words, then suddenly chuckled, “Yes, it’s important… Your literary style is quite good, and you’ve described it accurately.”

Mi Xiaolin smiled and said, “But I’m sure you also know that you’re quite insignificant in these matters. Xie Wenyuan is willing to show you face, so you can be considered a core member. If he doesn’t trust you, you’re just a figurehead. You might not even know where the ‘original work’ name is hidden. When you calculate your seemingly bright future, you probably only have a few hundred thousand in copyright fees, and nothing else really matters.”

Chu Ge chuckled, “Do you think you can influence Mr. Xie’s attitude? I saw that he seemed uninterested in talking to you earlier.”

“I might not be able to make him value you more, but I can easily cause trouble,” Mi Xiaolin smiled warmly, “No leader wants to see a troublemaker in a project, someone who causes problems at the drop of a hat.”

Chu Ge’s smile remained, but a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes.

Mi Xiaolin continued, “Why that expression… I’m just saying these things. I don’t think you have any reason to refuse cooperation at all. Since we’re collaborating, these things won’t even happen…”

“But I refuse,” Chu Ge straightforwardly threw out those three words.

Mi Xiaolin’s words seemed to catch in her throat, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Her eyes widened in astonishment, “You haven’t even heard the terms of the collaboration.”

“No need to hear,” Chu Ge said calmly, “Our paths differ, we shouldn’t work together.”

The once continuously cheerful expression on Mi Xiaolin’s face finally cooled down.

Meanwhile, Qiu Wuji, who had been silently listening, slowly began to smile.