Chapter 153: Public Announcement
Chapter 153: Public Announcement
"You're not joking, are you?" Zhao Manying still found it hard to believe.
It was unimaginable for someone to go from an ordinary person to defeating the top-ranked fighter on the Tower of Trials in just a year and a half. Even she, who had witnessed countless peerless geniuses and was herself an unparalleled human prodigy, found it far-fetched.
"Take a look for yourself." Ji Xinghuo unlocked his phone, accessed the official website of the Starry Realm Department, and pulled up his profile.
The date July 1st, 2223, was clearly marked as the day he passed the physical test and fused with his first exotic species.
That date left a deep impression on Zhao Manying.
It was the day she successfully implanted the Star Gland and advanced to become a Superhuman.
"It's true!" Zhao Manying was stunned. She asked, "So, what rank are you now?"
"Advanced Exotic." Ji Xinghuo replied.
Even though she had her suspicions, hearing it straight from Ji Xinghuo's mouth still felt incredible. There were quite a few Advanced Exotics capable of climbing the Tower of Trials globally, but an Advanced Exotic capable of defeating the top-ranked fighter was simply too exaggerated.
Zhao Manying fell silent for a long while.
She had just called her younger brother "average in talent," and now, compared to Ji Xinghuo, she realized that she was the one with average talent.
"I'm doomed!" Zhao Manying's face suddenly fell.
Ji Xinghuo was perplexed. "What's wrong?"
"You're only an Advanced Exotic now. When you advance to Superhuman and fuse with more exotic species, your strength will definitely be much stronger than it is now. I'll never be your match." Zhao Manying, usually extremely confident, now looked somewhat dejected. "My mental block will never be overcome."
"Don't be so hard on yourself." Ji Xinghuo comforted her. "I only started late, so my strength increased rapidly at the beginning. It's impossible for it to continue at this pace."
Zhao Manying fixed her gaze on him, her expression complex.
Ji Xinghuo grew anxious.
This so-called "mental block" was actually a psychological factor. If she lost confidence in herself, her performance would suffer not just against her mental block but against any opponent.
"You're a Sword Immortal, a once-in-a-century unparalleled genius. How could you be easily defeated?" Ji Xinghuo quickly added, "As long as you want to, you can challenge me anytime. One day, you'll surely overcome your mental block."
He was already thinking about how to lose to her in a way that she wouldn't notice.
"Really?" Hope shone in Zhao Manying's eyes.
"Really!" Ji Xinghuo replied firmly.
"Pff! Hahaha..." Zhao Manying suddenly burst into laughter, her body shaking with mirth. It was clear that she had been holding it in for a long time.
Ji Xinghuo's face fell, then he realized he had been tricked.
"You're very strong, the most talented person I've ever met. But I'm not weak either. My confidence isn't so easily shattered." Zhao Manying's face lit up again, and she said with a smile, "But I'm glad to know that you care about me so much."
Ji Xinghuo shook his head helplessly, truly experiencing the unpredictability of a woman's heart. He recalled a profound saying: The more beautiful the woman, the better she is at deception.
"Are you angry?" Zhao Manying leaned closer and asked.
"It's fine."
Ji Xinghuo replied nonchalantly.
Zhao Manying's smile faded as she sensed his low mood. Her beautiful eyes shifted, and she got up, walked around the table, and sat down next to Ji Xinghuo.
"I want to apologize to you." Zhao Manying wrapped her arms around his arm and snuggled against him. Tilting her head back, she said, "Please forgive me. Can you not be angry anymore?"
A delicate fragrance filled his nostrils, and Ji Xinghuo felt her soft body against his. Looking at her exquisite face so close to his, his heartbeat quickened, and he nodded slightly, "I wasn't angry to begin with."
Their eyes locked, gazes colliding.
Time seemed to stand still.
This was the first time Zhao Manying had observed a man so closely, and she felt a bit shy. But the fluttering in her heart urged her to maintain eye contact with Ji Xinghuo, and she didn't look away. Their faces inched closer.
At that moment, Ji Xinghuo didn't hesitate at all.
"Mmm..."
It started as a gentle touch, a bit awkward, but soon it ignited into a passionate kiss.
After a long while, Ji Xinghuo finally pulled away from Zhao Manying, a thin strand of saliva connecting their lips.
Her face was flushed, and she grabbed Ji Xinghuo's hand, which was wandering at her waist, and said coquettishly, "Don't take advantage of me."
"I can't help it. My hands have a mind of their own." Ji Xinghuo said with a laugh, but he obediently kept his hands on her waist without going further.
Zhao Manying breathed a sigh of relief.
She moved back slightly and asked, "Was that your first kiss too?"
Ji Xinghuo nodded.
"Oh, we should have taken a picture just now. Even if we break up in the future, we can still reminisce about it." Zhao Manying felt a surge of sweetness, but she also regretted not capturing that moment.
"What's there to reminisce about? It's all barbecue flavor." Ji Xinghuo smacked his lips, thinking that if they really broke up, looking back at that photo might only make him feel disgusted.
Zhao Manying rolled her eyes at him, "You're so clueless about romance."
Then she took out her phone, using her kinetic energy to make it hover in the air. She snuggled against Ji Xinghuo's shoulder, posing with him for the camera, a sweet smile on her face. But that wasn't enough; she made the phone float around them, capturing various poses and expressions, snapping dozens of photos in succession.
Ji Xinghuo let her have her way and even cooperated.
Women loved to take selfies, and that hadn't changed in the two centuries since the invention of the phone.
However, his mood also brightened.
After Zhao Manying had taken enough photos, the two of them sat side by side, continuing to eat the meat and chat about their respective situations, getting to know each other better.
"So, you grew up in a public family?"
"I grew up in a biological family, just the three of us—Mom, my younger brother, and me."
"Next season, my goal is to win the domestic professional league championship for the third consecutive time. The club is very supportive, and we've strengthened during the off-season, so there's a good chance we'll achieve it."
"How dare you enter the Starry Realm when you had just become an Exotic?"
"Wow, you've been to Yunxiao City!"
Ji Xinghuo briefly recounted his experiences in the Starry Realm, mentioning a few teammates but leaving out many details when it came to Ren Mian. He mentioned that she was the captain and very strong, but his description made her sound rather ordinary, and he certainly didn't mention her mysterious nature or appearance.
Zhao Manying remained oblivious to his omission.
She also shared many stories about her life, the inner workings of the club, and the team members, revealing inside information that her fans were unaware of.
As they shared their lives and grew closer, their relationship quickly warmed.
"By the way, what's your social media account name?" Zhao Manying asked. "I'll follow you."
Ji Xinghuo hesitated.
He recalled the content he had posted online and instantly regretted not deleting it earlier. "I don't use social media much."
Ji Xinghuo wanted to buy some time to delete some of the content before telling her, but Zhao Manying smiled and said, "I found it. Xinghuo, is this you?"
She operated her phone with incredible speed, not using her hands like a normal person but instead using her kinetic energy to form an invisible hand that moved swiftly across the screen, scrolling through large amounts of content too quickly for a regular person to read. But she could finish reading all the information in the blink of an eye.
Due to his previous news coverage, Ji Xinghuo's social media account had already been discovered by others, and it was easy to search for it.
He didn't have time to stop her.
Zhao Manying opened Ji Xinghuo's profile, and the first page that appeared displayed the last few posts he had made when he was eighteen years old.
Her eyes paused, and then a strange smile appeared on her face as she read out loud: "If Zhao Manying asks me to be her boyfriend, even though I'm not interested in women, I might consider it since she's beautiful and strong."
"Hahaha..." Zhao Manying couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Ji Xinghuo covered his face with his hand, wishing for a hole to swallow him up. Embarrassed, he said, "I was only eighteen back then, and I didn't know any better. It was just a random post."
"I think you knew exactly what you were doing."
Zhao Manying's face was filled with smiles as she continued scrolling through his posts, seeing several more where he praised her beauty and admired her openly.
She looked at him and said, "So, it turns out you've had your eyes on my beauty all this time. When I asked you to be my boyfriend before, you hesitated and made excuses, but it was all an act, wasn't it?"
Ji Xinghuo had no defense against her accusation.
Zhao Manying scrolled back to the last post and, out of curiosity, asked, "Now that I really am your girlfriend, how do you feel?"
"Surprised and happy," Ji Xinghuo replied, adding silently to himself, "and content."
"Is that all?" Zhao Manying wasn't entirely satisfied with his answer.
At that moment, she came across the unfriendly comments, and a hint of anger flashed in her eyes. "These people are being so rude!"
"They're your fans," Ji Xinghuo replied.
Zhao Manying was well aware of the online culture and the significant proportion of "husband fans" among her followers. Usually, she didn't pay much attention to online discussions and left the handling of such matters to her assistant team. However, today was different.
She suddenly felt a surge of impulse and said, "What if I repost your post and publicly announce our relationship?"
That would be a slap in the face to those rude people, and she could also vent her anger on Ji Xinghuo's behalf. Additionally, she could get rid of the irrational fans, and she didn't care if they turned into anti-fans.
But Ji Xinghuo was startled by her suggestion.
"Please don't," he pleaded.
If they publicly announced their relationship, he would be thrust into the spotlight.
While there were personal privacy protection laws in the APAC community, those laws were limited to the region. It would be challenging to stop the vast number of global fans and the ever-present paparazzi, and there was a high probability that his personal information would be exposed. Not only would he be affected, but his family, friends, and classmates would also be disturbed.
Moreover, as a Red Cloud Swordsman of the Sword Bureau, his identity was sensitive, and excessive exposure was not advisable.
Most importantly, Ren Mian would find out!
"Why not?" Zhao Manying asked, confusion clouding her eyes as she tried to understand his perspective. Any man who became the boyfriend of the global goddess would want to shout it from the rooftops.
"I don't want to be too high-profile," Ji Xinghuo replied, only revealing part of the truth. Lowering his voice, he added, "Actually, I'm a swordsman of the Sword Bureau."
The Sword Bureau had confidentiality principles, but Red Cloud Swordsmen had a high degree of autonomy.
It was not against the Sword Bureau's rules to confide in close family and friends about being a swordsman if the situation called for it.
"No wonder you didn't care about the title of being the number one in the Tower of Trials," Zhao Manying said, her eyes widening in surprise before she nodded in understanding. "In that case, I won't repost it." She then had an idea. "You might not be able to make a public announcement, but I can."
She took Ji Xinghuo's hand and snapped a photo of their intertwined fingers, posting it on her social media account with the caption: "First love is sweet!"
There was also a red heart-shaped emoji at the end of the caption.
Within five seconds of posting this, Zhao Manying's phone started buzzing incessantly.
This chapter is a re-post as the previous one was blocked. Apologies to the readers who had subscribed before.
(End of Chapter)
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