Chapter 29: The Actor
The development of things and man's knowledge of the world often goes through four stages: "affirmation", "negation", "negation of negation", and "you lose if you get serious". The great philosopher Hegel discovered the first three stages and wrote them into his work "Logic".
For example, Ade's understanding of Lacus is like this, he went through the four stages: 1, Lacus is so cute! She is my waifu; 2, Lacus is just a politician without integrity; 3, She is a complex three-dimensional character and everything is the producer's plot; 4, Why did I get serious with a cartoon girl? She is not even a real person!
Now the fourth stage was cruelly rejected - she appeared in front of his eyes, as real as anyone else - he had to silently return to the third stage.
Lacus went back after greeting him and took a shower and changed into a loose housecoat, but even such plain clothes could not conceal her natural beauty. Even with Ade's discerning eye from years of dealing with C.C., he had to admit that the young girl beside him was really pleasing to the eye.
The two were walking side by side in the garden. Lacus's hair was still not completely dry, and the tiny droplets of water on the tips of her hair were faintly visible in the reflection of the light. According to the experience of dealing with C.C. all year round, this kind of long hair is very troublesome to take care of. Lacus did not let Ade wait long, she came in a hurry with her hair half wet.
Ade is not good at talking, especially not good at talking to an unfamiliar girl. When he was with Alice, he was free to say whatever he wants; when he was with C.C., he could also say anything, although sometimes C.C. would sneer at him; but when he is with Lacus, he really doesn't know what to say.
Luckily, Lacus is the one who leads the conversation from the beginning to the end, and when there is almost nothing to say on one topic, Lacus will move on to the next one naturally. The conversation was so smooth that even created an illusion of intimacy, but when Ade thinks about it, it actually kept a certain distance. Ade himself, though he would not, knew that this was a masterful social skill.
"Is there anyone else Dr. Lingus likes to listen to besides me?" Lacus's voice was ethereal in its sweetness, a miracle that can only be born once even in genetic adjustment, "I remember you once said that music is the best catalyst for inspiration."
"Well, Miss Lacus, there's no need to keep using honorifics, is there?" It's not to draw closer, it just sounds uncomfortable, "We're kind of the same age, there's no need to address me like that."
"Doctor is a man that Father-sama and I both respect, so I don't see any problem with honorifics. But if you wish-" Lacus tilted her head slightly in a thoughtful manner. Her long hair sliding down one side of her face, and she reached out her fingers to tilt it behind her ear and curled her mouth slightly with a wink, "Ade-san, it's a pleasure to meet you ~"
Ade pretended to nod indifferently and silently recited pi to resist this "sugar-coated bullet".
"If possible, please call me by my first name as well." Lacus kept a closer but not constricting distance from Ade, "So does Ade-san have any other favorite musicians?"
"No. You're the only one I know in the whole entertainment industry." He thought that sounded too awkward, almost like a line only a closet fan would say, but unfortunately, it was true.
"Ade-san, don't make fun of me." Lacus smiled coyly and casually cited a few names, "They have a style close to mine, maybe they're your type? What does Mr. Ade think of them?"
"I don't recognize any of them." He shook his head helplessly, "Not to be polite, out of all the stars I really know just you."
Lacus's eyes widened in surprise and her small mouth opened slightly, then she quickly covered her mouth with her fingers as if she had discovered her rudeness and lowered her head in embarrassment. After a few seconds, she lifted her head to give Ade a bright smile, and her sincere tone was unquestionable, "I believe Ade-san is telling the truth!"
False, it's all false. He doesn't remember pi, so he began to recite the natural constant, Euler's number.
Lacus did not continue to talk, walking silently with a smile on her face, occasionally glancing sideways at Ade. In a short time, they had turned around in the small garden and the two found a place to sit face to face. Lacus poured a cup of black tea for each of them.
There were seven or eight Haros around the seat while rolling around and calling Lacus's name in an electronic voice. They are not something like C.C.'s Haro pillow, but the real Haro produced by the entertainment department of Anaheim Electronics Industry. Lacus leaned down to pat this and touch that, looking very happy. Ade also bought one out of curiosity before, but he canceled the order after one day because he felt it was too noisy.
I must also occasionally take the initiative of the topic! He thought a little and found a possible topic, "Lacus, you just said that music is the best catalyst for inspiration, I remember that was a sentence I wrote in a paper. Do you read scientific papers?"
"Normally not, but I've read all of Mr. Ade's papers." Lacus pushed Haro away and turned her attention to the person across the table, "I don't understand the content, but I like to read the preface. The philosophy and discernment showed in it make me think that Mr. Ade is not a scientist but a thinker. You like to quote famous remarks before the universe century, and thanks to Mr. Ade, my reading scope has expanded a lot."
She was right, Ade likes to write strange things in all the important papers. The content was various, basically, he wrote everything he thought of. But… from Lacus' tone, if she had not really read them all, she must have a team of staff to make the summary for her.
"I'm not a thinker. It's just spontaneous gibberish. Just like famous painters leave unique marks on their work, I'm just doing something similar."
"Mr. Ade, I think you think too little of yourself." Lacus looked straight into Ade's eyes, "Maybe to Ade-san, those are just gibberish to make the paper less boring, but to me, that is thinking about science, about the world itself. Many of the ideas in the early papers were not very mature, and many of the later papers even overturned previous ideas, but in my eyes, these were practical steps of exploration and advancement."
Ade didn't know what to say. Did this team of staff put so much effort into reading my papers? All of these pieces of stuff were actually doing the same thing. The same thing he tried to say to C.C. a million times -
"Are you trying to interpret the world with your own worldview?" He saw his expressionless self in Lacus' sapphire eyes. No, it was just whining, "You especially like to use expressions like 'this world' and 'this kind of world' in your papers, it's like from a person who has jumped out of the perspective of the whole human race."
"Lacus, you're kidding. How can people just out of the perspective of their own race? We're so bound by language that we don't even have a concept for the things that aren't in the language, and it's a fool's errand to set aside the limitations of race." Ade picked up his cup and took a sip of tea to cover his embarrassment, "Don't forget that I'm about your age. I was just making a fuss about an imaginary illness. Don't care about it."
"Only the weak would make a fuss about an imaginary illness. But Ade-san is the one with the power."
"What power do I have?" He remembered Turn A and what C.C. had been saying about himself, and smiled, "I'm just a man who knows how to design robots. It's nothing rare."
"I don't know which one made that comment, but it's definitely very wrong. Just like the father of Coordinator changed the entire social structure of humanity, the Ade-san in my eyes is a person who has a similar great power. Not an appendage of some creed, but a person with his own independent worldview. Such a person is able to change the world."
Lacus and Ade looked at each other for a while, and suddenly she lowered her head in embarrassment, picked up her teacup and took a sip, drinking with the grace of a swan and the cuteness of a small hamster.
Ade understands. Acting, they're all acting. The more beautiful the woman is, the more complex her heart is. He thought of C.C., thought of Diana, maybe Haman also counted. Why can't they just be silly sweet girls of this world? Sigh, only Alice is a good girl.
"Sorry, I'm talking to myself a bit, I guess. It's just that I was interested in Ade-san's thoughts when I was reading the papers before, and I got a little carried away for a moment."
"No, no at all. It's nice to hear someone praise me." He smelled a fresh fragrance as he leaned over to put down his tea cup. Lacus and C.C. probably don't use the same shampoo, "Mr. Clyne has an excellent daughter. Some of the media is too blinkered to describe you as a flower vase that only sings."
"Even if it's praising me as a vase, I'll be happy. I really put a lot of effort into singing too." Lacus put her hands together in front of her chest and slightly tilted her head, "I have a concert in three days, I wonder if Ade sir is interested?"
…
"He agreed?" Siegel Clyne relaxed against the back of his chair, enjoying his daughter squeezing his shoulders.
"Yes." Lacus spoke with no less force in her hands, "And asked me for an autographed picture, saying he was going to give it to his friend's sister."
"What do you think Dr. Adrien is like?"
"He was always a little guarded and seemed a little prejudiced against me. And he pretended to be my fan, but his acting was too bad. He doesn't even remember my birthday! But… he is an interesting person." She recalled the daytime session and couldn't help but smile heartily, "The most interesting thing was that he really only knew one star, that was me, and I was really surprised at that time. Even Senator Aznable or Uncle Zala know a few stars, right? It's simply unimaginable that a man doesn't have any entertainment in his life. He should be a very lonely person…"
"… Now you have met with the three people. How does he compare with Patrick's son? How about compared to Aznable?"
"Athrun's worldview is not yet formed and his character is too weak. Compared to him, Ade-san is more like an adult. As for Senator Aznable…" Lacus put away her smile and pondered for a moment, "Both of them are people with unique worldviews. They probably will never be friends. For us-"
"Lacus." Clyne let out a long sigh, "You are my heir, my like-minded companion, but you are also my daughter after all. There is no need for you to be so-"
"I understand, father-sama." Lacus interrupted his explanation, "For the sake of the ideal, we must sacrifice something. I understand it a long time ago. It's not only Father-sama's ideal, but it's also mine."
"I wouldn't want to sacrifice my daughter's happiness if I could." A hint of guilt passed through Clyne's voice, "You were born in such a family. As Siegel Clyne's daughter, it was something that could not be helped. I can't give you the choice of freedom, but at least, I want to give you the freedom to choose."
"… father?"
"Last month, I found my suit was too old, so I was going to go buy a new one." Clyne closed his eyes as if talking to himself, "There are many suits in the store, some are cheap but simple in style and easy to match. Some are expensive but unique in taste, each with its own style. I hesitated for a long time, and finally figured it out. Although I don't have the choice of not wearing a suit in the meeting, our family is not short of money, I have the freedom to choose my favorite suit."
"Father-sama …" Lacus's voice trembled slightly.
Clyne closed his eyes and did not reply.
Lacus was silent for a moment, and then spoke again, with a hint of relief in her tone, "Please don't talk about a politician's daughter as if it were some kind of curse, okay? Maybe your daughter is lucky enough to have the cake and eat it? My mother would have blessed me if she had known."
"And which cake does my daughter prefer?" Clyne finally laughed out loud, "The old one? Or the tender one?"
"Father!" She pouted at her father, then made a somewhat bewildered sound, "… I don't know, it's too far and extravagant for me, and making a decision without weighing the pros and cons is like rolling the dice with your eyes closed."
"Don't analyze, use your gut." Looking at his daughter, Clyne remembered his wife, "It's okay to be capricious in this, it's the only compensation I can do for you."
"… If I may," A figure flashed through Lacus' mind, "I'd like to have another chat with Ade-san. He is really an interesting man."
