Showing your face doesn't mean exposing your backside.

André, who had been standing silently behind Zhi Wei, took a moment before softly inhaling. Then he understood.

Slowly, he began to applaud, his voice filled with admiration: "Even children are captivated by your charisma, Commander. You were born to be the chosen deity."

Zhi Wei was speechless. The child cursed her, and even the little bear did too!

"I'm actually eager to buy the starship now," Zhi Wei said, staring at André with clenched teeth. "Once we have the starship, you can sit in the pilot's cabin while I pick a bedroom in the back to sleep in—then I won't have to listen to you."

André came from a noble family and was used to politicians showing different faces in public and in private, so he was not surprised. Instead, he was somewhat puzzled by Zhi Wei's nonchalance.

"Weren't you moved and touched before?" André asked with curiosity.

"Don't you ever feel like the world has shattered, your heart clouded with despair, wanting to curl up and cry for days, refusing to speak for weeks? Then, even after adjusting, your mood remains gloomy, unable to stand seeing those hypocritical faces?" Zhi Wei's gaze sharpened as she looked at him.

Her expression was complex. "You speak so specifically... have you ever cried like that?"

André hesitated and said nothing.

Zhi Wei smiled. "Actually, people judge by actions, not hearts. If you can pretend continuously, it might as well be real."

"But if you stop pretending halfway, you become neither inside nor out—hurting others and yourself. Isn’t that right?" she said.

André nodded. "Exactly. You're different, Commander. You're naturally noble; you don't even have to pretend. No one can fake it better than you."

Zhi Wei was silent for a moment. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, surprised yet sincere. "Your judgment is really... ordinary! Damn it!"

She was at a loss. Turning back to André, their eyes met. The noon sunlight shone brightly, haloing his long, curled lashes and accentuating his deep, clear blue eyes like a cold, still pond.

He looked serious, uttering awkward words to please you—how could that be unforgivable? Wasn't he deserving of forgiveness?

Zhi Wei tucked the bouquet into his arms.

André was momentarily stunned, not quite registering it, but obediently embraced the flowers.

A large bunch of orange blossoms filled his entire chest. Looking down, his golden hair fell past his temples, more radiant than the flowers.

Zhi Wei no longer felt annoyed. What fault did he have? He meant well after all. Why be angry? Better to eat quickly and get on with things.

They casually had a meal in the satellite city.

During the meal, André kept an eye on the fundraising website. Donations kept rising, and by the time they finished eating, they had reached 6.5 million.

André was delighted, repeatedly saying they were lucky. "Having money just when you need it—that's the greatest luck!"

Zhi Wei thought: Your luck is all my misfortune.

In the afternoon, they shopped around a bit. By evening, they returned to the secondhand trading shop.

Zhi Wei toured the starship’s interior again.

It wasn’t much—worn and shabby—but thankfully, a diligent robot kept it clean and orderly.

The retrofitted suites and bedrooms were quite suitable; the mattresses were bouncy. Zhi Wei sat on one to feel it.

The mattress was made of some unknown material, almost like slime, sticking to her when she got up.

If she slept here, she’d surely sleep until five in the afternoon!

André went to check the starship's cruise system. Since piloting starships was a mandatory skill cultivated by his family, he had learned it but was only average in ability.

Fortunately, the auto-navigation and driving systems were well-developed.

When it came time to pay, Zhi Wei stayed inside the ship, watching the kitchen robot cook, while André went to settle the bill.

After a while, he returned with a puzzled expression.

"They said we don’t need to pay, Commander," he said, happily but dumbfounded, "Someone else already paid—it’s a donation for us!"

Zhi Wei was stunned. What did that mean? Wait, the payment didn’t go through, so they didn’t spend money, yet they got a starship for free?

Having failed so many times, Zhi Wei felt a strange, absurd delight—the kind that says, "Haha, failed again."

She really needed to pray to the gods—not just the ones you can run for—but true gods who grant her some luck!

Why was everything so unlucky? Why was misfortune everywhere?

Zhi Wei suddenly turned and looked André deeply in the eyes.

"You really are..."

André looked confused. "What’s wrong with me?"

He hesitated, then shyly leaned toward Zhi Wei, whispering, "Are you mad at me?"

He seemed instinctively ready to be angry but forced himself to hold back, stiffening his neck. "You don’t want me as your deputy anymore?"

Zhi Wei already knew he had so many extra functions; she didn’t necessarily need him as deputy anymore!

She had expected him to mess things up to get her eliminated faster, not to help her improve!

"What’s going on?" she asked.

André replied, "I don’t know. You should talk to the boss. I’m the deputy; I can’t speak for you."

Zhi Wei was exasperated. "You’ve already done so many things on my behalf."

"Those were behind-the-scenes supportive tasks, which deputies can do. But anything public must be done by the candidate," André insisted.

He was quite traditional!

But that didn’t work for Zhi Wei, who had switched from running for idol to running for deity—was that even a matter of showing face? This was crossing eras!

Zhi Wei closed her eyes, looking miserable. "Who wants to be in the spotlight? Do I want to be in the spotlight? I do, but how come it’s my butt that’s exposed?!"

André was shocked. "Really?"

He immediately took off his uniform jacket, grabbed it by the shoulder, and tried to wrap it around Zhi Wei’s waist like an apron.

Zhi Wei roared, "What’s wrong with you? No! No!"

She hadn’t really exposed her buttocks, you stubborn nobleman!

Adjusting her mood, she prepared to confront the boss.

Her main point was that there was no way she could accept such a huge starship for free.

If the boss was a friend of André’s family, looking out for the son of a business partner, she wouldn’t want to benefit from it and would refuse immediately.

But she didn’t even have that chance.

This had nothing to do with André or a single golden hair of his.

The boss refused to take money, saying, "This is a donation from your supporters."

Zhi Wei: "...Wow."

Besides donations, giving other things counts as contributing too?

The woman who paid stood nearby.

She approached and greeted Zhi Wei: "Candidate Zhi Wei, hello."

Zhi Wei had the battle instincts of a seasoned idol, with excellent recognition skills.

She prided herself on never forgetting a fan’s face; second encounters always warranted one-on-one attention.

So she immediately recognized this woman.

She was the older lady with slightly graying temples who, when Zhi Wei first crossed over and spoke nonsense on stage, had taken her arm and was the first to try to transfer funds to her neural implant.

Zhi Wei had thought she looked like a scholar.

The woman introduced herself accordingly.

"My surname is Xu. I am a professor at Lanmeng Academy."

Zhi Wei tried to decline the donation.

"Professor Xu, we’re buying the starship for future convenience. You really don’t have to donate to us."

She sincerely added, "I want to pay for it myself, please."

Professor Xu’s tone was gentle, somewhat ethereal.

"If you don’t accept it, I worry you’ll think it’s too shabby."

Zhi Wei shook her head, skilled at words. "It’s not shabby—that’s just the mark of time and history."

The little ship she had her eye on—what did it matter if it was a bit worn? It wasn’t just any boat; it was an interstellar vessel!

Professor Xu’s gaze was vacant; she seemed to float, her voice wavering with every word.

Zhi Wei spoke to her, but Professor Xu only looked deeply at her once, then turned to stare at the starship.

"I saw you comforting the child at the noon gathering," Professor Xu said softly.

"Others shake voters’ hands only when the cameras are on, but you took her to meet the candidate she liked, comforted her without boasting—simply following your heart."

Zhi Wei hurried to belittle herself. "I just said it casually, Professor Xu, you know? I didn’t do anything, and I even got a bouquet for free!"

She tried hard to explain herself, but in Professor Xu’s eyes, this stubborn denial was because she loved doing real work and disliked praise.

Professor Xu smiled. "You are a kind person. It’s already difficult to remain kind on the path to becoming a deity."

She spoke enigmatically, not fully explaining.

Staring at the starship, she said, "This starship looks worn, but its systems are intact. It can confront ships ten times its size. The heart matters far more than the appearance."

André, standing behind Zhi Wei, quietly interjected, "Commander, you’re beautiful on the outside too."

Zhi Wei replied, "That’s not the point."

Professor Xu said softly, "Exactly—the point is the heart."

Zhi Wei replied earnestly, "The point is, I don’t need you to pay for me, thank you."

Professor Xu was a little surprised but insisted, "Many start running for deity treating themselves as gods, receiving offerings in money or goods. Naturally, you can accept the starship I offer."

Zhi Wei: ...Offer? She’s not dead yet!

Who accepts secondhand little wrecks as offerings?

Zhi Wei decided quickly, "No, no, no, André! I’ll stop her. You go pay! Hurry!"

André: "Huh?"

"If you say 'huh' again, I’ll pull out all your pretty golden hair! Go!"

André dashed off.

Only then did Professor Xu turn back to look at Zhi Wei. She hesitated, then asked, "This is not a small sum."

Zhi Wei sincerely said, "So you keep it—it’s more useful with you than with me. You’re a professor, after all."

A faint smile appeared on Professor Xu’s lips.

Looking at Zhi Wei seriously, she said meaningfully, "I’ve always wondered where the world’s way out lies. But life is fleeting, and human effort is limited. I really don't know."

Yet she saw a strange possibility in Zhi Wei.

When people run for gods, abandoning humanity to approach divinity, could a candidate who insists on retaining kindness and closeness to humanity be a new path?

Professor Xu took Zhi Wei’s contact information and left.

Zhi Wei watched her slow, drifting figure and thought the professor was quite enigmatic.

She wondered what she taught.

André returned after paying.

Zhi Wei suddenly asked, "Did you notice her at noon?"

André racked his brain. "No."

Embarrassed, he said, "Our campaign team is too small. We need a security officer. They could guard the surroundings and warn us in situations like at noon."

Zhi Wei looked up and met his deep blue eyes.

They were like glass beads, as clear as the ocean, reflecting her silhouette.

"Let’s name the starship 'Ji Lan'."

André blinked, not understanding. "What?"

Zhi Wei smiled faintly. "This starship will be called the Ji Lan."

A memorial to the Earth she could never return to, the blue planet forever out of reach.

Still, Zhi Wei thought that once eliminated, she would find a way home.

Taking a deep breath, she rallied herself and called out, "Let’s go, André. Let’s check out of our room."

"Where to after checking out?" André asked, puzzled.

His sudden question caught Zhi Wei off guard.

Where to? Leave the sanctuary? Hold rallies? Wander for a month until February 1st to return for the elimination tournament and get knocked out?

"I don’t know," she admitted, a little lost, but quickly grew resolute.

As always, she could summon courage in any danger, never giving up.

She patted André’s shoulder. "Let’s go on an adventure! Ready, my deputy?"