flstandardbreds Chapter 177 This is part of Lin Xuan's plan.
Chapter 177 This is part of Lin Xuan's plan.
"Hello, my name is Cheng Xin, and I'd like to interview for a job..."
This was Cheng Xin's 41st job application, and unsurprisingly, she was rejected once again.
Three months after arriving at the shelter, Cheng Xin hadn't found a decent job. Luckily, she had enough money in her bank account to last her a lifetime; otherwise, she wouldn't even have a chance to eat.
Cheng Xin's education and abilities are outstanding. Although two centuries have passed, she is definitely not in a situation where she cannot find a job.
The real problem lies in her resume.
Former PDC member, senior technical advisor at PIA.
This identity practically screams "remnant of the previous dynasty."
Although nearly two centuries have passed, the pain inflicted on people by the PDC has not been erased. Therefore, the lower and middle classes are more hostile towards PDC officials, while only the upper classes are less concerned.
The reason is simple: high-ranking officials only care about personal gains and losses, and rarely tie the rise and fall of a dynasty or country to their own goals.
Just like in the era of the United Nations, most of the stars in the Chinese entertainment industry are descendants of the Eighth Prince. There are quite a few officials from the PDC who hold important positions in the Earth Alliance. In fact, they love the Earth Alliance era even more than the people of the Deterrence Era.
That's why Luo Congmin didn't take their identities too seriously.
When a person leaves their original group and joins another, the first thing they do is to ridicule and belittle the group they used to belong to. Only by denigrating their former group to the point of worthlessness can they highlight how farsighted they were in leaving that group and how right their choice to leave was.
However, the lower-level officials did not think that way. Their hatred for the PDC was genuine, and almost no one treated these former PDC officials with any kindness.
After being rejected yet again, Cheng Xin is already considering whether she should start her own business.
She had a lot of money, but Cheng Xin knew that starting a business was not her natural fit.
She still prefers a stable life, going to work every day, doing things she enjoys, and having her own little home. The repetitive nature of her life doesn't bore her; instead, it makes her feel at ease.
She was born to be a public servant. If it weren't for the fact that she would have almost no chance of passing the political vetting, Cheng Xin would have already signed up for the local civil service exam.
Cheng Xin is an orphan who has never had parents.
Before being adopted, she lived a life of displacement and had no hope for the future.
Even after being adopted, she still lacked love, or rather, her distorted childhood prevented her from receiving love, which kept her single until she graduated with her doctorate.
She had many admirers, but she always maintained a respectful distance with them. Yun Tianming was one of the few people she remembered.
Cheng Xin didn't know why she remembered Yun Tianming. Maybe it was because he also worked at PDC. It was just a pity that the man later became a member of Project Ladder. He was really great, which changed Cheng Xin's opinion of him.
The more a person lacks something, the more they crave it.
The lack of love in her youth drove Cheng Xin to an extreme. She longed for a stable life, a stable family, a stable job... and even, a stable peace.
Furthermore, she spreads her love to those around her because she once lacked it, so she hopes to bring it to those around her.
This is the other extreme.
The difference between a demon and a saint is just a thought away. Both are deformed products of a lack of love. The only difference is that the former chooses to respond to the world with hatred, while the latter chooses to make the world stop empathizing with her through sacrifice.
Cheng Xin was the latter. Although she knew that spreading love would cause troublesome consequences, and those admirers were the result of her spreading love, it was still better than walking down the path of resentment towards the world.
Just when Cheng Xin was at a loss about what job to look for next, Zhi Zi suddenly found her.
She was a Zhizi who was completely different from anything rumored.
According to legend, Tomoko wore a kimono and carried a decorative katana on her back.
But the Zhi Zi who came to find Cheng Xin was different; she was a woman dressed in modern clothes.
Her attire was more in line with the humans of the Intimidation Era. If she hadn't revealed her identity, Cheng Xin would never have guessed that the other party was actually Zhi Zi!
After all, no matter how you look at it, the other party seems to be able to integrate into the deterrence era better than he, a human from Earth.
"So, you're the second Zhi Zi?" Cheng Xin asked, somewhat surprised.
She had only ever seen Tomoko in a kimono on television, but the other woman was clearly not the same Tomoko as that guy.
“Yes, she is the spokesperson for the Trisolarans, mainly facing the public, so she rarely appears in public,” Zhizi said with a smile.
She appeared very lively. In terms of temperament, this Zhizi did not have that naturally radiant affinity, but she made Cheng Xin feel a sense of similarity with her kind.
It was as if the other person were a real, living person.
“My job is different from hers. I am Lin Xuan’s assistant and secretary. Mr. Lin Xuan does not like to personally participate in some of the publicity activities of the local organizations, so I usually do it for him.”
"I see. So why did you come to see me?" Cheng Xin asked, puzzled.
Tomoko smiled mysteriously.
"Of course, it's an invitation for you to return to your original job."
"Me?" Cheng Xin was somewhat incredulous.
She really wanted to work for the Earth Federation, but as a former PDC official, it was almost impossible for her.
“You have value, and the Earth Alliance doesn’t want to bury your talent,” Zhi Zi said.
Cheng Xin shook her head.
"No, there are plenty of people more talented than me, the Earth Alliance shouldn't need me."
Tomoko couldn't help but purse her lips.
"You really want me to spell it out, don't you? Sending you to the Earth Alliance wasn't our decision; it's the doves who need your assistance!"
"Doves?"
Afterwards, Zhi Zi discussed the recent political changes in the Earth Alliance with Cheng Xin in detail, and only then did the latter realize what had happened.
"Since the Three-Body Trust Crisis triggered by the Sun-Circling Accelerator, the hawkish representatives have gained more and more influence in the Earth Federation, which is quite unfavorable to the doves. President Luo Congmin has also kept quiet about this, allowing the contradictions between the two sides to continue to intensify."
"Therefore, the doves urgently need a figure who can suppress the hawks and has the authority to speak out."
Cheng Xin still didn't quite understand.
"What does this have to do with me?"
Zhizi suddenly slapped her forehead.
"I almost forgot, you underwent memory erasure. Have you forgotten your relationship with Lin Xuan?"
"Me and...Lin Xuan?"
Cheng Xin was completely bewildered. She thought back carefully for a long time and realized that she had only met Lin Xuan a few times by chance and had not had much interaction with her.
"Yes, you're Lin Xuan's girlfriend!"
Cheng Xin: ? ? ?
Cheng Xin was completely dumbfounded. She was certain that she had never been in a relationship since she was a child, let alone someone like Lin Xuan, the observer of all mankind.
Zhizi carefully observed Cheng Xin's reaction and couldn't help but chuckle when she saw her bewildered expression.
"It seems your memory has really been erased. I suggest you go home and rest for a few days. Maybe you'll remember something."
As she spoke, Zhizi tossed a set of room keys to Cheng Xin.
"Your home before hibernation, of course... it's ruins. You can go back and take a look; maybe you'll find some clues."
Cheng Xin nodded slightly, took the keys, thanked him, and then turned to leave.
Watching Cheng Xin's departing figure, Zhi Zi's smile faded, and she reported into her earpiece.
“Cheng Xin has clearly shown symptoms of amnesia, and I haven’t made any progress on her end.”
Another woman's voice soon came through the earpiece.
"It's well hidden; let's continue to observe."
They originally wanted to obtain Cheng Xin's memories to investigate the relationship between Lin Xuan and this woman, but they found nothing. Now, Cheng Xin has also forgotten her memories related to Lin Xuan due to memory erasure, which has prevented the two lines of work from making any progress.
But the more this happened, the more interesting it became to the Trisolarans.
Lin Xuan must be hiding some secret about Cheng Xin; the relationship between the two doesn't seem as simple as it appears.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to investigate to this extent and still find nothing.
Meanwhile, Cheng Xin, upon returning home, still couldn't recall anything.
But she clearly knew that such a person existed in her memory, and that it had been erased from her memory.
After all, that star was a gift from that person.
"Could it be... that Lin Xuan and I were really lovers?"
Although Cheng Xin thought it was a bit far-fetched, it was indeed a possible thing.
After all, Yun Tianming was already dead in her memory, and she hadn't had much contact with the other people. It seemed reasonable that Lin Xuan was the one who could give her a star as a gift.
But considering their identities, this is just too far-fetched.
Putting aside the fact that Lin Xuan was once a Wallfacer, Cheng Xin felt it was a bit outrageous that she was almost ten years older than him.
She was already 29 years old when she started working at PIA, while Lin Xuan had just become a Wallfacer and was 18 years old when she started her freshman year of college.
She could only recall the one time they had any contact was when they were at the gate of the Southwest Associated University, when the other person tried to have an awkward conversation with her.
"Could it be... that my relationship with him really exists in that erased memory?"
Cheng Xin hesitated. She had forgotten her deleted memories, and if she could retrieve them now, the truth would surely come out.
But at that very moment, she saw the news that Dr. Delock, who had been in charge of erasing her memories, had been murdered and a large number of her memories had been destroyed, including hers.
There was nothing she could do; her memories were gone forever. So Cheng Xin had no choice but to search for information about her relationship with Lin Xuan in the brain network.
And you know what? She actually found some relevant information.
Lin Xuan once deployed an artificial intelligence within the Super Dream World to assist in its operation.
And this artificial intelligence is named [Cheng Xing]!
It sounds almost exactly like his own name; no one would believe it wasn't intentional.
Even after learning all this, Cheng Xin was still somewhat dazed.
"It seems that my deleted memories really are related to Lin Xuan!"
At the same time, Yun Tianming was watching Cheng Xin's reaction through the screen.
He had lost all feeling for this woman; all he felt for Cheng Xin was disappointment.
But Yun Tianming was also a little curious.
What kind of plan did Lin Xuan devise for Cheng Xin?
He knew about Zhizi's contact with Cheng Xin, but he knew that Lin Xuan could also have predicted this situation, so he didn't interfere.
The problem now is that the Trisolarans feel there is something wrong with Cheng Xin, and they also know there is something wrong with Cheng Xin, but neither side knows exactly where the problem lies.
"Never mind, let's not worry about it for now. Lin Xuan must have her own plans."
Yun Tianming decided not to presume to guess Lin Xuan's intentions. Since Lin Xuan wanted the Trisolarans to misunderstand his relationship with Cheng Xin, he would just lend a hand.
He began fabricating a large amount of information about Lin Xuan and Cheng Xin, and sent it to the Trisolarans one by one through Zhi Zi, making them more convinced of this.
As for Cheng Xin, her memory has been successfully erased, so she naturally doesn't remember the truth. As long as Zhi Zi whispers in her ear and adds some irrelevant information, Cheng Xin will soon believe everything.
Trust Lin Xuan; this is part of Lin Xuan's plan.