Aileen’s Ultimatum

Renowned for its refined elegance, the Hall of Great Virtue was typically reserved for literary societies, even when students sought to host club events, primarily for organizing activities such as book clubs.

Legend had it that if a decibel recorder were placed in the Hall of Great Virtue’s main hall, a full year might pass before the instrument registered anything beyond a whisper, rarely exceeding 50 decibels.

Consequently, the Hall of Great Virtue earned its reputation as the most graceful chamber across the entire campus.

Yet, on this particular day, the school’s most elegant girl irrevocably shattered that serene legacy.

“I’ve traversed every inch, from here to there, from the high school division to the university campus, from the student council office all the way to the mailroom. The student council is no longer secure. In my efforts to gather information for you, I’ve been lurking in obscure corners beneath the academic buildings, exchanging whispers with my subordinates as if we were agents on a covert rendezvous!”

Aileen folded her arms, her delicate, ‘lotus-root’ forearms cradling her chest, which only served to emphasize the imposing presence of her ‘snow mountains’.

“Spies on television always get a comforting bowl of chicken soup after their missions. Where’s mine?”

Xi Yao let out a soft whimper, then carefully offered, “You’re welcome to drink whatever you like. Whether it’s coconut milk or flower tea, it’s… certainly negotiable.”

Aileen’s beautiful eyes flashed. “You have coconut milk?”

Xi Yao hummed softly. “What if we just put in a little effort?”

Much like our campaign for student council president, without effort, how can we ever know if we’ll succeed?

“Oh, please. Is that really the point of this conversation?”

Aileen settled into a seat with an exasperated sigh, continuing, “I never expected you to be as swamped as I am with all this, but you could at least invest a little more energy. Just last night, I specifically cautioned you to avoid any ‘sesese’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘sèsè,’ referring to intimate or sexually suggestive activities.) with Jiang Li during this crucial period… and what do you do? You immediately run off to your sister!”

‘Well,’ she mused, ‘in a certain sense, I truly didn’t engage in any ‘sesese’ with Jiang Li.’

‘One might even call that obedient.’

At this point, Xi Yao’s curiosity piqued. “Aileen, why are you so adamant that I… shouldn’t engage in ‘sesese’?”

Last night, she’d spoken of balancing work and leisure, asserting that all other activities were permissible, save for ‘sesese’.

“What do you think?” Aileen retorted, rolling her eyes. “Once you’ve ‘opened the prize’ (TL Note: A euphemism for experiencing sexual climax, often implying a state of post-coital daze.), your mind becomes utterly consumed by ‘sesese’ thoughts, making it incredibly difficult to regain your composure.”

“That’s not true,” Xi Yao countered, a hint of defiance in her voice.

Aileen scoffed. “Not true? Do you even recall what you were just saying to me?”

‘Something about letting me ‘prize’ once, something about how wanting coconut milk or flower tea was ‘negotiable’… as if those were matters open for discussion!’

Xi Yao blinked in a daze, then, after a moment of careful recollection, realized she had indeed uttered those very words.

‘Hmm…’

“Do you understand now? Look at the state you’re in. Can you possibly contend for student council president like this? Can you come up with any effective strategies?” Aileen crossed her arms once more. “One ‘prize,’ and you’re disoriented for days, yet you still question why I forbid you from ‘sesese’.”

Xi Yao tilted her innocent face upwards. “It’s hardly ‘several days’; you’re being far too dramatic.”

Based on her own experience, it typically lasted only a day or so; if it occurred in the evening, there was a good chance she’d wake up feeling perfectly fine after a night’s rest.

“I’m not exaggerating in the slightest,” Aileen stated with an air of detached calm. “Truth emerges from practice, and this is a conclusion I reached myself. How could it possibly be an exaggeration?”

She spoke with such conviction, such unwavering confidence, as though she had stumbled upon some profound truth.

Xi Yao paused, slightly stunned. “The conclusion you drew yourself, that truth emerges from practice… you…”

‘You ‘open the prize’ once, and your mind becomes utterly consumed by ‘sesese,’ leaving you disoriented for days?’

“Don’t concern yourself with such details.”

Aileen, realizing she had inadvertently revealed too much, shot her a fierce glare. “Just focus on yourself first. As for your current predicament…”

A jolt of surprise ran through Xi Yao.

The blonde girl leaned in close, her voice dropping to a low whisper. “Xi Yao, you wouldn’t want anyone else to discover the secret between you and your sister, would you?”

‘She’s… she’s threatening me!’

Xi Yao’s heart hammered a frantic rhythm in her chest as she stammered, “I… I’ll listen to you, once I become student council president…”

Aileen rolled her eyes. “Forget it. This has nothing to do with official business.”

Had this been earlier, with a legitimately elected student council president, Aileen would have relished the prospect of manipulating her. However, due to Yun Caiyi’s influence, Xi Yao was compelled to pursue a grassroots approach, which fundamentally altered the dynamics.

Should their plan succeed, and Xi Yao ascend to the student council presidency, she would become the first truly beloved ‘badge’ of office in history, her prestige soaring to unprecedented heights.

A president of such immense popularity becoming the secretary-general’s puppet? Aileen had no desire to experience the sensation of a public impeachment orchestrated by the entire student body.

Xi Yao blinked her eyes innocently. “Then what exactly do you want from me?”

Aileen’s gaze lingered on Xi Yao, taking in her pretty, adorable face, and then drifting to the soft, round expanse of her ‘snow mountains’.

‘Consider Jiang Li: immensely popular, yet seemingly of little practical use, she nonetheless enjoys daily intimacy with Xi Yao in their dorm room.’

‘Then there’s Xi Ruo, distant yet undeniably a major player, even more renowned. But with the university being a world apart from the high school, her status as a campus goddess offered no practical assistance for the election. She might visit only once or twice a week, on occasion—yet those infrequent visits allowed her to savor Xi Yao’s charms and personally preside over her ‘prize’ ceremonies.’

‘And then, consider herself: she’d dedicated herself entirely, meticulously managing both planning and execution, even personally securing vital intelligence and information. She’d done the work, exerted the effort, yet reaped none of the rewards.’

‘Damn it, why should that be the case?!’

“You needn’t ask me what I want you to do,” Aileen suddenly stated. “Aren’t you perfectly aware of what you should do yourself?”

Xi Yao paused, a flicker of bewilderment crossing her face.

‘Am I truly that aware?’

“Could you elaborate?” she inquired.

Aileen prompted her, “Have you already forgotten what you just said? I told you there were three things you needed to tell me. What was your third statement?”

Xi Yao pondered for a moment. “I said I should let you first… wait, what?!”

“What’s the matter?” Aileen eyed her askance. “Having second thoughts?”

“It’s not a matter of regret,” Xi Yao explained, nervously rubbing her small hands, “it’s just that I uttered those words because I was quite disoriented at the time. You know, my mind was utterly filled with… those ‘things’.”

Aileen’s expression remained utterly merciless. “Words spoken are like water spilled; can you truly gather them back?”

Xi Yao cast a glance at the floor, and Aileen, almost instinctively, followed her gaze. The main hall’s floor, crafted from superior timber, gleamed with a remarkable sheen, having only recently been permeated by water.

“Aileen, look,” Xi Yao said, a guileless smile gracing her lips. “The spilled water has all been wiped clean.”

Aileen drew a deep, exasperated breath, filling her lungs with the myriad floral scents of the hall.

She had been careless. Just moments ago, she had abandoned her usual penchant for complex sentences, opting instead to lecture Xi Yao from a position of moral superiority, precisely because she feared that innocent, cherry-red mouth would start chattering.

Just as she had anticipated, Xi Yao’s reasoning came in a perfectly coherent, eminently logical stream.

“So,” she said, her voice deceptively light, “do you wish for your sister to learn about Jiang Li first, or for Jiang Li to learn about your sister?”

Xi Yao’s delicate frame trembled. ‘I’m most terrified of my sister discovering anything about Jiang Wan,’ she thought, ‘though, admittedly, both prospects fill me with dread.’

To this day, Aileen remained unconvinced that Jiang Li was merely Xi Yao’s bath scrubber, firmly believing that other ‘areas’ had also been attended to. If Aileen harbored such suspicions, then Xi Ruo’s reaction would undoubtedly be far more intense.

Regarding Jiang Li, Xi Yao couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Despite Jiang Li’s persistent assertions of being straight, there were moments when Xi Yao couldn’t shake the feeling that she, too, was capable of truly terrifying actions.

‘Perhaps that’s the true terror of a straight woman.’

“Alright, you win.”