Chapter 286 - Discerning Identities

Lei Xing scoffed as she leaned back and folded her arms, eager to hear this explanation. 

{...Okay, tell me how I'm wrong then.. I'm all ears~ ..}

{...*Well, I never lied to you is how you're wrong ( ￣^￣ )...I never said I couldn't talk to you when he's touching you, I only said it bothers me and gives me a headache, it's just annoying...Sure it disrupts the connection or whatever but I can talk to whoever I want when I want - most of the time. Anyway, I just tend to lose interest when things get bothersome is all. No one likes being the third wheel~ ( ￣^￣ )~...}

{...No, I could swear yo-...}

{...*Hehehe~ Best you don't, because I did NOT. I would tell you if I did~ Lying is pointless (￣3 ￣) ...}

Lei Xing sat there, frowning and blinking in confusion. She was sure he had said it, but on second thought, maybe he didn't? There were other things going on in her mind at the time as it was right after the whole announcement of her coronation. Not to mention, the complicated stuff the bracelet was telling her at the time. Her mind was pretty occupied, therefore, it was possible...

{...Okay, fine...That's mostly irrelevant anyway. How about the other thing? Say you're not the voice that talks to the Emperor? Not the one who told him to "Go find Xing Xing", yes, he told me...deny this one then ≖_≖)...}

Doctor Lou went silent again and Lei Xing tapped her foot as she narrowed her eyes at the bracelet on her wrist with a little smirk, waiting.

{...No point thinking up a lie, just say the truth an-...}

{...*I always speak the truth! ( ￣^￣ )...}

{...Great, hurry up and speak it then~...}

{...*Well...I never denied anything in the first place ( ￣^￣ )...}

Lei Xing paused and knit her brows in confusion.

{...You never deni- Wait, so it is you?! But you said it wasn't! You clearly lied!...}

{...*Didn't lie...It all depends what you mean by "you" ( ￣^￣ )...}

{...≖_≖)...And what the hell does that mean?!...}

{...*...}

Doctor Lou went silent again. Lei Xing let out a breath and massaged her temples. She honestly could not believe this old man, it was like he actually thought he could do no wrong AT ALL.

{...Hey, explain yourself!...}

There was another stretch of silence and Lei Xing felt the urge to hurl the bracelet across the room, but that would definitely not help her get answers. So she took deep breaths to calm herself as she irritatedly waited.

She was never someone with a temper, but this old man always managed to get under her skin. She could already sense that his explanation would greatly irritate her, just like the bracelet's hidden identity situation where he said, 'you never asked'.

{...I'm waiting, "Shifu-in-waiting".(≖_≖ )...}

{...*O_O) Shifu? hehehehe~ I will enlighten you then~...But first of all, I have two questions for you. Here's the first~..Did you go to law school?...}

Lei Xing knit her brows in irritation.

{...What does that have to do with anything! Can you just answer the question, please? -_-)...}

{...*You will know after you answer my questions~...}

{...And the reason you can't just tell me is because? -_-)'...}

{...*Hmph! Here I thought you were the inquisitive sort who liked to understand the process rather than to simply be told what is~...If I simply told you, you would not understand it so answer my questions~ It's just two little questions why can't you just answer them without complicating things ( ￣3￣ )...}

Lei Xing rolled her eyes.

{...You're the one who is always complicating things...But okay, Fine. Yes, I did. So what? (≖_≖ )...}

{...*Hehehe~ Good child!... Now, that's established. Here's the second question~...Did Empress Lei go to law school?...}

Lei Xing froze and frowned, and then scratched her head. 

{...*Answer the question~( ︶ ▽ ︶ )~...}

Lei Xing's frown deepened and she let out a breath and responded. 

{...Well...It's still technically a yes -...}

{...*But it's also technically a no...See, it depends on what the asker means by "you"?...}

Lei Xing knit her brows, she could see where he was trying to go with this. But no, it will not work here.

{...Bullshit! You clearly knew that I meant "you" as in "you" and you're not even a transmigrator so that logic doesn't appl - or are you? O_O)...}

Lei Xing knit her brows in thought, as she thought back to their conversation about her transmigration. She had asked him if he was an immortal and if he knew other transmigrators but she did not remember asking him if he was one. And this old man apparently does not even answer straight questions straight so there was no way he would have volunteered that information. 

{...Tricky like a freaking genie -_-)'...}

{...*No, not a transmigrator. Also not a genie either ≖_≖)...*sigh* Let me see how to make this clear to you...Okay, if the Emperor came right now and asked you if you went to law school, you would answer yes. BUT if a random minister or your even your favorite maid came up and asked you the same question, you would answer no...Understand yet? (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)...}

Lei Xing frowned and blankly stared at the opposite wall, processing. She finally groaned and leaned forward, put her elbows on her laps, and cradled her head. 

After waiting for a bit in Lei Xing's blank mind, Doctor Lou got impatient.

{...*Hey...you asleep?... Say something~...}

{...-_-)'...No...}

{...*Hehehe~ Was it that mind-blowing for you?...}

Lei Xing let out an irritated breath.

{...(≖_≖ ) Stupid is what it was...}

{...*Hey, you can't blame me your lack of comprehension skills...I told you that I, Doctor Lou was not the voice...that is a true statement. Have you met a doctor who can talk to people in their heads or who can even make a poison detecting bracelet? No, because they do not exist. I'm not actually a doctor, I thought you would have known that by now...Quite disappointed actually~...}

Lei Xing wished he was right in front of her so he could see the deathly glare she was sending across. 

{...Where I'm from not only doctors are called doctors...There's the whole Ph.D. thing and regardless, people give themselves whatever titles they want. I am obviously aware that you are not an ordinary doctor but I didn't care that you called yourself a bloody doctor! ≖_≖)...}

{....*Hmm, if you say so~....Anyway, the persona "Doctor Lou" can't do it, BUT I, the wonderfully gifted and talented Qi Ya- Lou! I mean, Lou, my name is LOU! LOU, Qi Lou - that's Lao Lou to you, can do it~...So see, you two simply had a gap in understanding, not my fault...I, never lied to you~ (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)...}

{...(╬≖_≖)...You -...*deep breath* Just go away...}

{...*⚆ _ ⚆)...Xing Xing, ah, Xing Xing~, you can't seriously be blaming me for this, are you? I was j-...}

{...Then what was all that nonsense about threatening the Emperor and other such bullshit you were saying that day!...}

{...*Correction, I never threatened him. I simply made him an offer and he refused. Not my fault if he unjustly felt threatened for no reason...Now I feel offended. I was trying to do something good and was labeled as an unscrupulous being!...}

{...-_-)...I'm not going to apologize to you...}

{...*Xing Xing~ Come on, don't be angry...I told you now even though it's none of your business... See, I'm showing you good faith as a Shifu~ So you should naturally reflect this good faith as a good little student~...}

Lei Xing shook her head and sighed as she leaned back in her seat again.

{...You know, it's not nice to play with people...I don't care about all this nonsense about having different personas...You knew what I meant when I asked that question and you intentionally gave a misleading answer...that you can't deny-...}

{...*But misleading isn't lying though...and you do it too („ಡωಡ„)...}

Doctor Lou responded in such a timid and accusing voice, that Lei Xing did not know what else to say to him.

All she could do was sigh and blame herself for being too stupid. But honestly that day she did not believe him. But that day, he had side-swiped her to focus on the more gullible Emperor and her own truths he made her tell boggled down her mind. 

After all, the Emperor's voice was truly not her problem when she was being confronted with all her own misleading statements and lies she had fed the Emperor all that time. Now that she thought about it, Doctor Lou must have made her bring up her past in order to throw her mind off of his issue.

Lei Xing sighed, it was as if this Doctor or Qi Lou or whatever he called himself was her karma in the flesh...or in the head. She was feeling too tired to continue to scold the old man.

{...* I knew you would understand~...}

Lei Xing sighed again and rolled her eyes.

{...You once said that you did not tell me all that crap about the similar energies stuff when I first told you about my transmigration because I did not have the capacity to accept it then...I have come to wonder about what other things you might be withholding from me...So I have one more question and I want the honest truth...}

{...*Of course, anything~...}

Lei Xing did not at all find his enthusiasm at all reassuring. It just sounded as if he was in the mood to play and she was really not in the mood for games today.

{...I will not be angry - I won't be enraged anyway. I won't do anything to your bracelet or you when we meet again. I just want to know...and I want a simple honest yes or no...Do you, Doctor - Qi Lou, Lao Lao or whatever the hell you want to call yourself (◔_◔)...Have anything to do with me being here, my transmigration?...}

Doctor Lou went silent again and Lei Xing quietly waited for him to collect himself.

Finally, he found his words and to Lei Xing's annoyance, he decided to answer in more words than one. 

{...*Well...It depe-...}

{...Yes or no? (≖_≖ )...}

{...*.Well ⚆ _ ⚆)...it's a bit complicated hehe...he...}

Lei Xing frowned, her irritation rising.

{...Simplify it. Yes or no?! ۹( ÒہÓ )۶...}

{...*Fine. Kind of ( ￣^￣ )...}

{...So that's a yes?...}

{...*Kind of ⚆ _ ⚆)...}

Lei Xing let out a breath. She was not surprised, after all, she had come to this conclusion already. Even if he denied it she would have had a very hard time believing him. Not with how pushy he was for them to be together on both sides and with everything that happened so far, it was all too abnormal.

Moreover, life was never really this coincidental. 

So she took a deep breath and asked the question that had been at the back of her mind, one she had withheld from the Emperor during their discussion. She was truly not sure how she would react to the truth of this...or if she truly wanted to know. But she could not help herself and asked with a bit of tears pooling in her eyes - whether they were of anger or sadness, she did not know.

{...Did you - did you kill me for your Emperor?...}

{...*NO! NOooo, Noooo, nooo, No. I did not kill you...technically (¬‿¬ )...}

Lei Xing immediately frowned, anger surging.

{...So technically you did?...]

{...*No, no, Don't make any assumptions. As I said it's complicated. Anyway, details are not at all important. Not important at all, nothing to worry about...Just forget it hehe~....}

Lei Xing took a few deep breaths to calm herself. It was one thing for her to randomly end up here and fall in love with some guy who was apparently her "pre-ordained" universal match but it was a whole different story if someone took away her life just to make that happen.

{...I am not worrying, I just want to know...Talk -_-)'...}