Jiang Lijin was silent for a moment.
What opinion? What opinion could she have?
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke, her tone carrying a bit of perfunctory casualness: "Not necessarily. I used to be a C-class, and I could match with an S-class. Who knows, maybe now I'm a 3S-class, but I'll still end up matched with an S-class. No one can say for sure about the main brain's matching mechanism."
Chiron didn't reply. He knew Jiang Lijin was telling the truth; their understanding of the matching mechanism solely came from experience and statistical data. No one had ever figured out the main brain's decision-making logic.
Jiang Lijin thought the topic was over.
But Chiron was silent for a few seconds, then spoke again, with a trace of unexpected persistence: "But what if?"
Jiang Lijin paused. What if?
"Lord Chiron," her tone carried a bit of teasing and a little amusement, "You don't seem like such an imprecise person, to actually say 'what if'."
Chiron raised an eyebrow and didn't speak.
She thought about it and said, "Well, if it's you, I would be very happy."
These words rolled off her tongue smoothly.
After all, she was living under someone else's roof, eating his food, and drinking his water. What was wrong with a little flattery? Besides, Chiron was a 3S-class big shot, an academician and a dean. Getting on his good side would definitely be beneficial for her future life, right?
Jiang Lijin felt that her answer was very appropriate.
[Host,] Xiao Yi's voice suddenly rang in her mind, also carrying a hint of teasing, [How much of that was sincere and how much was fake?]
Jiang Lijin couldn't be bothered to pay attention to it. Did such a question need an answer? She didn't even know herself.
Chiron listened to her words, was silent for a second, then nodded, the corners of his mouth seeming to curve up a little: "Understood."
His tone was still calm, but Jiang Lijin felt like his mood had improved a bit.
She didn't think much of it and continued to lean against the seat, looking out the window.
Not far along, the optical computer on Chiron's wrist suddenly lit up. He glanced down, his brows furrowing slightly.
Jiang Lijin noticed the change in his expression, and before she could speak, she heard Chiron say, "I need to take a call."
He tapped on the optical computer, and a virtual screen popped up, floating in front of him. There was no image, only sound.
"Dean." A young male's voice came from the optical computer, carrying a hint of urgency, "Sorry to bother you, but there's a situation at the hospital, and we need you to come back."
Chiron's tone remained calm: "What happened?"
There was a second of silence on the other end, as if weighing the words, and then they only asked Chiron to come over, saying they would explain the specific situation in person.
Chiron spoke, his tone still flat: "Understood, I'll be right there."
The call ended. He turned his head to look at Jiang Lijin, his eyes carrying a hint of inquiry: "There's something going on at the hospital. Do you mind coming to the hospital with me first? It won't take long. I'll take you home as soon as I'm done."
Jiang Lijin was stunned for a moment, then nodded indifferently: "Sure, I don't have anything going on anyway."
She was now an unemployed person with plenty of free time. Going home meant doing nothing anyway, so it didn't matter.
Chiron nodded, and the hovercar turned at the intersection ahead, heading in another direction.
The Central Hospital of the Main Star wasn't too far from the Academy of Sciences. The hovercar arrived in ten minutes. It was still that towering silver-white building. But this time, instead of going through the main entrance, Chiron drove straight into the underground parking garage.
After parking, the two walked into the elevator. Chiron pressed the floor button and said to Jiang Lijin, "Just go straight to my office and wait for me. I'll come up as soon as I'm done. You still remember where my office is, right?"
Jiang Lijin gave a "hmm," thinking her memory wasn't that bad.
Unexpectedly, Chiron turned his head back, his usually expressionless face actually carrying a hint of teasing: "Just don't walk into the psychological counseling room."
After saying that, his floor arrived, the elevator doors opened, and he walked right out, leaving Jiang Lijin frozen alone in the elevator.
This guy... why is he always expressionless when he jokes? It's so weird...
Chiron's office wasn't hard to find. Following her memory, Jiang Lijin walked down the long corridor, pushed open the familiar door, and found it unlocked.
The office looked the same: a desk, a sofa, and a huge floor-to-ceiling window.
Jiang Lijin walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the scenery outside. From this angle, she could see the entire central area of the Main Star. Those strange-shaped buildings, the shuttling hovercars, and the orderly flight tracks unfolded before her eyes like a three-dimensional scroll.
[Chiron is actually quite unpretentious.] Xiao Yi's voice rang in her mind, carrying a trace of emotion.
"How so?" Jiang Lijin asked casually.
[Look at this office. A 3S-class big shot, and he doesn't even have any decent decorations.]
"He probably doesn't care about these things."
[True, it's the same at his house. The exterior is so high-end, but the inside is very low-key.] Xiao Yi continued to comment, [What does this show? It shows that he is practical, not vain, and a good person to live with.]
Jiang Lijin felt something was off and didn't reply.
[So Host, what do you think of him?] Xiao Yi's voice took on a subtle tone.
Jiang Lijin knew Xiao Yi was up to no good, rolled her eyes, and was about to answer when a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Jiang Lijin paused and looked back at the door. The door was slightly ajar, but from her angle, she couldn't see who was outside.
Who would come to Chiron's office at this time?
She hesitated and didn't make a sound. Maybe the person outside would leave after knocking a few times and finding no one.
Knock, knock, knock.
Three more knocks, a little louder than before.
Jiang Lijin's brows furrowed slightly. Why did this person keep knocking? It just so happened that Chiron's office had a signal jammer, so Xiao Yi couldn't see who was outside.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking became urgent.
Jiang Lijin took a deep breath. Forget it, she might as well open it. Anyway, Chiron told her to wait here; it wasn't like she was doing anything shameful.
She walked to the door and reached out to pull it open.
Then she froze.
Two people were standing at the door. One was Felwin, wearing a light pink dress, her smooth long hair draped over her shoulders, and that signature gentle expression on her face. The other, with flamboyant red hair and a tall build, was none other than Arden.
The moment she saw the two of them, the disgust on Jiang Lijin's face couldn't be hidden.
Why would it be these two? What are they doing here?
Felwin's eyes widened instantly, a trace of disbelief flashing across her gentle face, but she quickly regained her composure. Her gaze circled Jiang Lijin and then fell on the office behind her, as if confirming something.
Arden's reaction was much more direct. He was stunned at first, then his brows furrowed tightly, and a surge of undisguised disgust welled up in his eyes.
"Jiang Lijin?" His voice carried disbelief, "Why are you here?"
Jiang Lijin looked at him, her mouth twitching. She wanted to ask the same thing.
But before she could even open her mouth, Arden had already continued.
"I remember now." His tone turned mocking, his eyes looking Jiang Lijin up and down as if he were looking at a piece of trash. "Miss Felwin told me that you work as a cleaner at Lord Chiron's house. What, did you tag along to the hospital today to clean up here too?"
A cleaner?
Jiang Lijin was speechless. She looked at Felwin, whose face still wore that harmless expression. Her eyes were curved in a smile, as if to say, "I was just telling the truth."
Seeing her stay silent, Arden assumed she had a guilty conscience and mocked her even more vigorously.
"What? Did I hit the nail on the head?" He took a step forward, looking down at Jiang Lijin from a superior height. "I really underestimated you before. Instead of finding a job and a place to live after your divorce, you actually had the skills to latch onto Lord Chiron. But then again, what else can a divorced C-grade female like you do besides cleaning? It's not like you can come to the hospital to perform purification like Lady Felwin, right?"
His voice echoed down the corridor, carrying a deliberate arrogance.
Jiang Lijin looked at him, suddenly finding it a bit funny. The more this guy spoke, the more carried away he got.
Arden kept going, as if he couldn't hit the brakes. "You're really shameless, though. Is Lord Chiron's office a place you have any right to be? If something goes missing, how are you going to pay for it? Can a C-grade piece of trash like you even afford it?"
Jiang Lijin still didn't say a word. She just watched him, her gaze as calm as if she were looking at a dancing clown.
But in her mind, a little figure was already screaming.
[Host!] Xiao Yi's voice exploded in her mind, the decibel level so high it sounded like firecrackers going off. [He's insulting you! He called you a cleaner! He called you a C-grade piece of trash! He—]
