Chapter 162: Outburst
As the sales assistant beat a hasty retreat, Xiu turned to Xiaoyuan with a slightly raised eyebrow. "What was that about?"
"Her eyes," Xiaoyuan muttered, looking away, a hint of irritation still lingering. "The way she was looking me up and down, judging... It was annoying."
Xiu chuckled softly. "That's just part of the job, Xiaoyuan. Standard sales tactic. Assess the customer's style and potential budget to make recommendations." He tried to lighten the mood. "Come on, let's find you something nice. Then we can head back."
"Can we just get this over with?" Xiaoyuan replied curtly, clearly still preoccupied. Buying clothes felt like a frivolous waste of time when critical business decisions were hanging in the balance. Xiu's insistence on this leisurely pace grated on her nerves, especially knowing the clock was ticking on their potential Viridian venture.
'He can be so infuriatingly calm sometimes,' she thought, wishing they were back in the room, strategizing, coordinating with the team back in Fuchsia.
They wandered through several more clothing stores, Xiaoyuan showing little genuine interest. Eventually, mostly to placate Xiu, she picked out two simple, practical outfits. With the shopping task finally complete, Xiu suggested another stop.
"We've seen the streets, the shops... now for one of Viridian's main festival attractions," he announced. "There's a special three-day exhibition at the city museum." He relayed what Sachiko had told him earlier about the diverse exhibits, including a supposed highlight piece called the 'Heart of the Galaxy'. "Even the Pokémon Center staff were excited about it, said it was worth seeing." If it impressed a local like Sachiko, it might actually be interesting.
The Viridian City Museum was a grand, older building. Inside, the halls displayed a wide range of artifacts and art pieces, reflecting the region's history and culture. While Xiu lacked any deep understanding of art history, his general knowledge from museums visited in his past life allowed him to feign appreciation reasonably well.
They made their way to the second floor, where a central, circular glass display case stood under focused lighting, drawing a small crowd despite it being later in the day. Most onlookers seemed to be younger people, captivated by the object within. Xiu gently guided Xiaoyuan closer for a better look.
Inside the case rested an exquisite necklace. While the chain and setting were finely crafted, adorned with small, glittering gems, all attention was drawn to the centerpiece: a stunning gemstone, roughly the size of a large pigeon's egg. Its beauty wasn't just in its size or clarity, but in its mesmerizing internal structure. As light struck it, the gem seemed to contain a miniature nebula – swirling patterns of deep blues and violets, dotted with tiny, star-like points of light that seemed to shift and flow as one watched.
Even Xiu, generally unmoved by such things, felt a genuine flicker of aesthetic appreciation. "Damn," he murmured involuntarily. "That's... actually beautiful." Then, his pragmatic nature immediately reasserted itself. '...I wonder how much something like that is worth?'
Beside him, Xiaoyuan, who had also been staring intently at the necklace, seemed to echo his thought process, murmuring almost unconsciously, "...It must cost a fortune..." She blinked, then rolled her eyes slightly at their shared, instinctive reaction.
Leaving the museum, Xiu took Xiaoyuan back to the old food street from the previous night, ordering some of the dishes he knew were local specialties, wanting her to experience something authentic during her brief 'holiday'.
But as they ate, he noticed Xiaoyuan was distracted again, picking at her food, her gaze distant. The earlier discussion clearly weighed heavily on her mind, overriding any attempt at casual enjoyment.
Later, as they walked back towards the Pokémon Center along a quiet street under the fading light of sunset, Xiu tried again to maintain the pretense of a relaxed outing. "So? Enjoy your day off? Tomorrow, if you like, I can show you more of the city..."
"Is playing around all you ever think about?" Xiaoyuan suddenly snapped, stopping abruptly and turning to face him. Her voice was sharp, laced with frustration.
Xiu halted, surprised by her sudden outburst. "What?"
Seeing his seemingly nonchalant expression inflamed Xiaoyuan's pent-up stress further. "Have you given any thought to the company?" she demanded, her tone escalating, shedding her usual composure. "You just drop huge problems in my lap, disappear for weeks or months, and expect me to handle everything! Do you have any idea the pressure I've been under?"
Having vented, she fell silent, turning away, her face flushed, breathing heavily.
Xiu stared at her back, momentarily wrong-footed. He hadn't anticipated this intensity, this sudden explosion of accumulated stress. He slowly shook his head, his voice calm, measured. "Do you truly believe I haven't been paying attention? That I don't understand the situation?" He sighed. "I didn't expect you to travel all the way here just for this, Xiaoyuan."
He paused, his tone softening slightly. "Honestly... I saw how exhausted you were. The only reason I insisted on wandering around today was to give you a chance to decompress, to clear your head before diving back into stressful decisions. If you didn't want to, you could have just said so. Why wait until now to explode?"
His words seemed to deflate her anger, replaced by a wave of embarrassment. She knew he was right. She had been near breaking point. The sudden decision to cut most of the piracy profits, the struggle to keep the legitimate network afloat, the pressure from unknown forces targeting their bookstores, the internal theft she'd been dealing with... it had all piled up.
Xiu's absence during this period, his physical distance, had amplified her feelings of isolation and stress. Running to Viridian had been an impulsive act, driven by a desperate need for reassurance, to reconnect with the person she ultimately relied upon.
Hearing his plans for Viridian had offered hope, but the stress hadn't simply vanished. 'Solely blaming him for not understanding was unfair,' she realized, especially when she hadn't communicated the depth of her struggle. Calming down, she felt a pang of guilt.
Seeing her silence, Xiu spoke again, his voice gentle but firm. "You're right about one thing. I have piled a tremendous amount of responsibility onto you, perhaps unfairly. Managing the entire operation... it's a complex, demanding job. If it's too much..."
"No!" Xiaoyuan interrupted quickly, turning back to him. "It's not that! I can handle it! I just... I shouldn't have lost my temper..."
"If you're tired," Xiu continued calmly, as if she hadn't spoken, cutting across her apology, "you can always step back. Take a break. We can find someone else to manage the day-to-day, shift you to a less demanding role. Or," he added, his tone becoming almost distant, "if you truly don't want this life anymore, you have enough personal funds now. You could retire. Travel. See the world. Live comfortably."
His words landed like ice water. Xiaoyuan stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. 'Retire? Step down? Is he... trying to get rid of me?'
Xiu seemed oblivious to her shock, continuing his musings. "I hear the Orange Islands are nice this time of year. Or perhaps Hoenn? Sunshine, beaches..."
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Xiaoyuan finally found her voice, cutting him off frantically. "What are you talking about?!"