446: Bribery from a Childhood Playmate

Meng Xian's words left Bai Yiming somewhat amused and a little helpless. Meng Xian naturally saw that Bai Yiming was interested in Xiao Xiao. Young people, after all, even if they had taken a wrong turn, Meng Xian had seen Bai Yiming's later efforts with his own eyes.

Giving Bai Yiming a vacation was just to give him a chance. As the daughter of a god, Xiao Xiao was not someone just anyone could hope to match.

"You rascal, you're over thirty now. No matter what, you have to give it your all. Uncle Meng is rooting for you, go for it!"

Upon hearing Meng Xian's words, a warm current surged through Bai Yiming's heart. He knew that Meng Xian genuinely cared for him; although his words carried a hint of jest, the concern was real.

"Uncle Meng, it's impossible between Xiao Xiao and me. Uncle Lu doesn't think highly of me, and besides, Xiao Xiao is immortal; everything is effortless for her."

"That's not like you, is it? You haven't even tried, how do you know if you can't do it? Immortality isn't necessarily good. With our current technological capabilities, we can also make you immortal. Living too long can make emotions numb. Everyone wants to have beautiful memories, right?"

Bai Yiming didn't know how to respond, so he just nodded slightly.

"Go on, kid, don't disgrace your father." Meng Xian patted Bai Yiming's shoulder.

Bai Yiming looked at Meng Xian gratefully, then turned and left the office.

......

"Ah, finally home!"

Xiao Xiao pushed open the door to her house. Ten years had passed since she last returned, and everything here still looked as it did when she left, yet it always felt so warm and inviting.

The nanotech armor on Xiao Xiao's body directly transformed into an ordinary hoodie, and she flopped onto the sofa. Over the past decade, she had had enough of her parents' public displays of affection, witnessed different kinds of alien creatures, and even seen some black technologies that could only be described as miracles.

Even if the outside world was exciting, in the end, home was still the most comfortable place.

During these ten years, Xiao Xiao's abilities were expanded with her father's help. She herself was equivalent to a demigod, not only capable of full elemental control but also having studied in alien civilization academies.

Xiao Xiao's return had its own mission: to lead humanity towards a stellar civilization. Not a forced, unnatural kind of leadership, but a steady, step-by-step growth for the entire civilization.

However, Xiao Xiao had her own plans. She was only thirty years old, by her own reckoning, and her future life was infinite. She still wanted to complete the human journey before becoming a god.

At this moment, the doorbell rang. Xiao Xiao waved her hand, opening the door remotely.

"Sister Xiao Xiao, you're back!" A girl's voice came in.

The person who arrived was Jing Wenqian, the daughter of Gouzi. She was now over thirty, with four children, two sets of boy-girl twins.

Wenqian and Xiao Xiao had not had much interaction after growing up. They used to go to school together when they were young and were very close, but Xiao Xiao skipped grades directly after finishing elementary school, and they had not kept in touch since.

Xiao Xiao sat up from the sofa and looked at Jing Wenqian walking in, a smile appearing on her face: "Sister Wenqian, why are you here?"

Jing Wenqian walked over and sat beside Xiao Xiao, smiling as she said, "I heard you were back, so I came to see you. I heard my dad say that you'll be in charge from now on."

Xiao Xiao smiled slightly: "Uncle Gouzi's news is so well-informed. How could a little girl like me be in charge? It's still Uncle Meng who manages things. Like my dad, I'm just a hands-off boss."

Jing Wenqian's expression changed slightly, but it quickly disappeared again: "You've been gone for ten years; we've missed you terribly."

Xiao Xiao looked at Jing Wenqian and said, "Sister Wenqian, if you have something to say, just say it. If I can help, I definitely will."

Hearing Xiao Xiao say this, Jing Wenqian smiled somewhat awkwardly. She knew her thoughts couldn't be hidden from this friend who had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood. She took a deep breath, deciding to get straight to the point about her visit.

"Xiao Xiao, actually, I came here this time to ask for your help." Jing Wenqian said with some embarrassment.

"You know, my husband and I have always been worried about our children's future. The Space City is developing better and better, but my good-for-nothing child didn't pass the youth class test this time, and the quota for the Space Administration University..."

Xiao Xiao was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. She hadn't expected Jing Wenqian to make such a request, but then she thought about it, and it was reasonable. After all, every parent hopes their child can have a good future.

As Wenqian spoke, she took out a points card from her pocket and said, "This is a small token of our appreciation. I know you don't care for these things, but I didn't know what else to give you."

Xiao Xiao let out a wry laugh and quickly said, "Sister Wenqian, for this kind of thing, it depends on the child's own effort."

"Sister Xiao Xiao, I know, it's just a word from you. My child isn't bad; he was only 4 points short, just an off day. He should have been able to get in, please give him a chance!"

Xiao Xiao looked at Jing Wenqian's earnest gaze and sighed softly.

"Sister Wenqian, I understand how you feel. However, the selection standards for the Space Administration University are very fair and strict. I cannot break these rules because of personal relationships. Moreover, even if I were to speak up, the child himself must be capable of adapting to the learning and life there."

Jing Wenqian's face showed disappointment upon hearing Xiao Xiao's words. She knew Xiao Xiao was speaking the truth, but she was still unwilling to give up just like that.

"Xiao Xiao, I know you're in a difficult position."

Jing Wenqian whispered, "But this is my only wish, can you think of a way? You might not know, but the children in the youth class can get the opportunity for test-free consciousness backup. My grandfather originally didn't want me to come, but I just couldn't give up."

Xiao Xiao looked at Jing Wenqian, who was almost in tears, and comforted her, "Life doesn't necessarily have to be long; it's enough to live splendidly. With the excellent medical conditions and advanced biotechnology in Space City now, living over a hundred years is not a problem at all. Why must one insist on consciousness backup?"

As Xiao Xiao said this, Jing Wenqian already understood that she would not let her use this backdoor.

Your father is already a god, so of course you can talk without feeling the pain. Jing Wenqian's expression was not good. After a few short sentences, Jing Wenqian left with a dark expression.

For ordinary people, the highest reward from the Space Administration was consciousness backup. However, the quotas were extremely rare, only available to those who had made significant technological contributions or possessed extensive experience in other fields, to qualify for consciousness backup.

Such a decision also provided the entire populace with a goal to strive for; otherwise, if everyone were immortal, the entire community would fall into decadence and lack of initiative.