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Qiongjiu/Profile
| Qiongjiu | Story | Profile | Quotes |
"I can't sleep yet, I still have work to do..."
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Journals
Record 1
She used to go by "No. 9" as her personal codename. When Griffin was reorganizing, being a Doll with outstanding battle accomplishments granted her an invitation to stay from Helian, and she gladly accepted it. Her choice to stay in the new Griffin meant that she had chosen to face the changing situation. Griffin's standing in the industry was changing, the focus of the management was shifting, and "No. 9," who was in the midst of it all, chose to change along with the trend. The carefree and unrestrained female knight of the past might have had difficulty shouldering all of this, so in order to be able to help Helian gain the clients' trust, she became more steady and reliable. Taking off the overly cute "rabbit ears," swallowing back inappropriate jokes, no longer making rash promises and instead submitting carefully considered plans...
To appear more mature and reliable, she went back to using a name she had used a long time ago - Qiongjiu. "Qiong" for the jade-like beauty, and "jiu" for the stone resembling jade. Having gone through a critical period of survival, polished with responsibility and pressure, the brilliance of this jade-like stone finally saw the light of day. The Frostfall Squad she leads, consisting of Tololo, Cheeta, and Lind, will surely condense into a new shining edge for Griffin.
In the eyes of her teammates, Qiongjiu is fair in reward and punishment alike, strict with herself, and has a great sense of responsibility. And in the eyes of the Commander, unbeknownst to outsides, the steady and capable Qiongjiu still retails the free spirit of a knight-errant.
Record 2
Qiongjiu deeply believes that, "If the plan is not determined yet, but the troops are deployed, the battle will naturally be lost."
However, plans can't keep up with changes, and not all clients believe in the power of planning like Qiongjiu. The variables introduced by the employer's whims can appear at any moment, such as every single day after winning a project bid, or in the middle of the night when there is only five hours left until the planned implementation.
Every night, the lights in Qiongjiu's room stay on. Whether she's on the way to the mission site, in a bumpy vehicle, caught in a trap, or in the mouth of a giant ELID creature, the hands and mind of Leader Qiongjiu have not once faltered in making a plan.
"I have to be prepared until the mission begins. The obstacles encountered before that can be overcome."
With this determination, Qiongjiu finally submitted the newest version of the plan before the mission officially began.
The client recognized Qiongjiu's dedication, but they also had their own considerations - "I just gave it a second thought, and I feel that the initial version was quite good."
Qiongjiu's smile didn't change in the slightest: "No problem, then we'll go with the initial version." Emotional stability, after all, is also a manifestation of professionalism. Only the teammates closest to Qiongjiu could hear her faint sobs and see her slightly clenched fists behind her back.
Record 3
"Alert! Alert!! The Leader is about to come in! Beginning countdown - 59, 58, 57 ..."
The members of the Frostfall Squad nervously straightened their clothes, and the atmosphere was as tense as during combat. After all, passing Qiongjiu's strict dress code is no easier than dealing with a large number of illegally modified machines.
The armor can have slight scratches, but the whatever is intact must be shiny. Doesn't matter if the combat uniform is brand new or old - not a single stain is allowed. Combat boots, weapons, equipment, face, hands, hair!
"Frostfall Squad Appearance Standards Manual - this is too thick! It's over, I won't make it in time... 3, 2, 1!"
The meticulous Qiongjiu entered right on time: "Progress on tidying up, everyone?"
Cheeta let out a desperate wail: "Why do Dolls have to look like humans? Wouldn't it be easier to clean if we looked like a cannon platform on wheels?"
Qiongjiu smiled and gave the team members a bright look.
"This is our first meeting with a new client, so we must present ourselves most professionally."
Qiongjiu nimbly smoothed Tololo's long hair, tucked Cheeta's shirt collar back into her jacket, and finished by swiftly taking away Lind's lollipop: "No more sweets until the client leaves, Lind."
Record 4
"No! Roast duck is out of the question!" The state of the new Griffin can no longer accommodate roast duck jokes!
Qiongjiu suddenly wakes up, her senses still drowsy amidst the silent night.
For some reason, she saw the hectic times of Griffin's reorganization during hibernation. After verifying she was back in reality, Qiongjiu let out a sigh of relief. Her mind quickly calmed down, and she took out a thick booklet she kept under her pillow - it was a handbook of the lessons she had learned.
No Doll can change their personality overnight. The past is recorded in the neural cloud, shaping a unique self. It is not something that can be erased with a wave of a hand or a blink of an eye. Even Qiongjiu could not have transformed into what she is now immediately.
From carefree and lively to steady and serious, from no knowledge about clients to being familiar with their psychology - Qiongjiu spent a lot of time and waded through the swamp of many mistakes.
Rule One: Don't compare a crisis to roast duck in front of a client. The same goes for wraps and soy milk.
Rule Two: Don't grin during negotiations and control your excitement when shaking hands.
Rule Three: Don't put any special beacons on your head and don't wear overly cute accessories.
Rule Four: If you encounter a familiar Doll during a mission, don't rush over and say "Hey, old pal!", especially if that Doll is hostile.
Rule Five...
Behind each clause lies a history of some lost orders and troublesome complaints. Qiongjiu's fingers gently stroked every clause written, as if this way, every lesson could be engraved on her heart.
The past cannot be changed, but the future Qiongjiu will never repeat the same mistakes.
Record 5
This is a story that happened at the beginning of Griffin's reorganization, before the formation of the Frostfall Squad.
The immature Qiongjiu led a temporary Doll squad to face the most difficult mission Griffin could accept.
"...Leader... I can't move anymore..."
The air of this stuffy and humid underground cave was filled with the smell of gunpowder from the intense firefight.
In the recent encounter, the squad led by Qiongjiu managed to win, but everyone's bodies sustained heavy damage. Various negative emotions spread among the squad, and their despair was like a rampant virus.
"Give up, hand over the goods, and maybe the opponent will let us go. At least we won't have to pay for replacing our bodies."
"Speaking of budget... Now that even body repairs are prioritized by urgency, there's no way you're getting on that list if you can still move. Everyone's combat performance is deteriorating. Can Griffin really hold on? I should have chosen to leave Griffin back then... (Sigh)"
"I don't want to work either. Rather than blaming us for the failure, why not ask what kind of courage allowed the higher-ups to accept a mission despite such low combat efficiency?"
"It's not courage, it's desperation," said Qiongjiu to herself.
Now's not the time to be picky with the jobs. There's already a significant decrease in the amount of orders. If we start being picky again, the budget will become even tighter, and it's going to be even more difficult to repair and maintain the Dolls.
"Leader, say something too. Give us orders!" said one Doll, turning to Qiongjiu.
Qiongjiu came back to her senses and stood up. "Everyone, don't panic. Actually, I still have one final backup plan that we haven't tried—plan 6. Although it's a risky plan rejected by the client, I believe it's the most suitable one in the current situation."
Qiongjiu's tone was firm. "This is the last operational plan for this mission. I have full confidence in it."
But the Dolls were mired in doubt. "What good is confidence? What if the plan fails?"
"Then, I won't force everyone to proceed this mission anymore. This is our final trump card. Please believe in me."
The squad narrowly made it through their predicament with the help of "Plan 6" and successfully completed the mission objective. As the Dolls were celebrating this victory with high-fives, Qiongjiu was staring at her notebook in a daze.
The last filled page of the notebook contained Plan 5. Plan 6? It was a blank page.
There was a lesson learned, though. For future missions, there will most definitely be plans 6, 7, and 8.
If the building is about to collapse, then become a new pillar. If a single pillar can't support it, then construct more and grow stronger.
Because what if those who left would want to come back someday? If Griffin is no longer here, where will they go to pick up the times they spent together?
Record 6
The day after working overtime, I was shaken awake from my sleep.
"Commander, please wake up, Commander." It was Qiongjiu's voice.
I opened my eyes. The black hair in front of me swayed slightly, almost brushing my nose, then tickled across my neck and chest.
"According to your schedule, now is the deadline for waking up. You have a meeting with a major client in half an hour, and I will be your bodyguard. Do you remember?"
I managed to shake off the drowsiness. Work has been piling up recently, so a situation where one thing is sacrificed for another is inevitable.
"I know you worked late into the night. It must have been very tiring. It's just that the upcoming events are equally important, so please be sure to stay alert. Also, learning from today's lesson, in the future I will remind you to rest early the day before important matters."
Qiongjiu looked serious.
"Commander, please put on your shirt."
"Commander, please put on your jacket."
"Commander, here are your cufflinks."
With Qiongjiu's help and supervision, I got dressed properly.
"Everything is sorted out now. You look very professional. Please take a look at me as well and see if there's anything improper."
"Your hair..." It had been brushing against me and got messy.
Perhaps this reminded Qiongjiu that she inadvertently got too close to me earlier. Her cheeks turned slightly red for a moment, but she quickly regained composure. "Sorry, please wait a moment."
"Alright, let's go. With you here, Commander, we will definitely be victorious.\
Record 7
On a rare leisurely afternoon, Qiongjiu came over with a tea tray and snacks.
"Commander, would you like some afternoon tea? Please allow me to prepare it for you."
Qiongjiu's bright eyes betrayed her eagerness to give it a try. It was a rare display of elegance.
I took a sip from the teacup Qiongjiu handed me, and an indescribable bitterness immediately filled my mouth.
"It's brewed very well. Don't brew it next time."
Qiongjiu's smile deepened a little. "Commander, do you find it bitter?"
"Was it accidental or on purpose?"
Qiongjiu's smile looked a little fishy to me.
"It was on purpose."
Qiongjiu passed me the snacks, and the slightly sweet taste dispelled the bitterness.
"Commander, I deliberately extended the steeping time and increased the water temperature to achieve this particularly strong tea flavor."
"Why did you do this?"
I didn't understand.
"The client we are meeting tomorrow has delayed payment for the third time already. If this continues, it will become a bad debt. I wanted to tactfully remind the client to pay attention to overdue bills. Aren't a delay in payment and a delay in pouring tea a perfect match?"
"What a way to go about it..."
Qiongjiu poured me another cup of tea. I brought it to my lips, pondering whether this one was drinkable.
Qiongjiu was a bit amused by that. "Commander, please don't hesitate to enjoy it. Of course, your afternoon tea has just the right flavor. After all... your preferences, your tastes—everything about you is top-priority intel to me."
Record 8
On the first day of a vacation, Qiongjiu invited me to her dormitory.
She led me to the storage area and opened her wardrobe. It contained lots of Chinese-style clothes—all neatly sorted.
"Commander, there will be a celebration on the Elmo next week. Would you like to help me choose a dress for the occasion?"
"Sure, but why don't you choose for yourself? You might not like what I pick, and it might not fit the others' sense of aesthetics."
I didn't have much experience in picking clothes.
Qiongjiu gave me an insistent look. "I only keep things I like in my dorm. As for others' aesthetics... what does that have to do with me? I only care about your tastes and preferences."
"In that case, try this one, this one, and that one... oh, this one works too."
I hesitantly picked a few dresses. She'll have to try each one on. Would this be too much?
"Only these? No problem, I'll try them on. Please wait a moment, Commander."
Qiongjiu readily agreed.
After a few more rounds, we finally settled on her attire for the event.
"Commander, wait a moment..."
I wanted to go to the table to pour water, but Qiongjiu grabbed my hand. In her other hand, there was a bundle of soft measuring tape.
"Commander, please allow me to take your measurements. With precise data, I can sew some clothes for you to match with the dresses you selected."
"This is my first time sewing clothes. I've prepared well in advance, so it should be a success. I want to do more for you, Commander, not just something work-related..."
"Although they won't be ready in time for the celebration, there will be opportunities to wear them in the future, right? When it's just the two of us, Commander, would you like to join me... in matching outfits?"
Memories
Polished Refinement 1
Late one night, the Commander finds Qiongjiu working in her room. As the Doll who kept Griffin & Kryuger afloat after its restructuring and the leader of Frostfall Squad, she takes on a lot of extra work to prepare for the future. In fact, she factors no sleep time in her schedule since she doesn't want to waste even the time needed to start up, instead planning to take a vacation once all of her tasks are done. She does get sleepy when her low-power mode activates, and she makes some time to hear the Commander speak about their life during their decade of exile. But she interrupt them at 15 minutes on the dot to return to work, and asks them to visit later so she can hear the rest of their story.
Polished Refinement 2
During her vacation, Qiongjiu asks the Commander for help to procure the materials to fix her jade bangle. She made the bangle herself using a piece of jadeite the Commander gifted her after receiving it as payment for a commission, but it was broken during a surprise attack. Qiongjiu intends to apply a jade repairing technique known as gold joinery (漆缮) with gongbi engravings to make the incident part of the jade's story, and she asks the Commander what subject she should engrave. But the Commander notices the crack is quite unique and rare, and suggest that Qiongjiu keeps the two pieces separate, which Qiongjiu embraces as a symbol of mettle and adaptability.
Polished Refinement 3
After receiving the gold joinery materials, the Commander delivers them to Qiongjiu's dorm, where she's hard at work in the new bangles. She shows the Commander the collection of jade soldiers she carved herself, which represents the Commander, Helian and the rest of Frostfall. She also owns many carefully picked (and perfectly organized) clothes, a perk of a more settled life compared to her errant ways in the past. She's also kept her signal beacon "ears", which she always found embarrassing and took the opportunity to stop wearing because Griffin's new clients were prejudiced against Dolls with non-human attributes. Qiongjiu tries to keep the blueprints for her new bangle a secret, but a bump on the Elmo's path makes them fall in view of the Commander. Noticing the many revisions, the Commander teases Qiongjiu about how she's suddenly less inflexible about changing her plans, and she admits she did because the Commander suggested it.
Polished Refinement 4
Having completed her carving work, Qiongjiu offers one half of the broken bangle to the Commander in the form of a pen rest, while she wears the other half as a hair pin. The Commander's side is engraved with plum tree motifs as a reference to the Shijing (Odes of Wei section) poem “Quince” (木瓜), a poem about the bond between two people, which Qiongjiu quotes as "She gave a plum to me, I paid her back in jade" (“投我以木李，报之以琼玖”, with 琼玖 being read “Qiongjiu”). Qiongjiu preserved the break to signify how the two halves will always remain close, though she can't shirk her other responsibilities to be at the Commander's side, as she could have done when she was No. 9. The Commander promises to care for the gift as they do for Qiongjiu.
Translation notes: The English script consistently mistranslated the original 木李 (plum tree) to "quince" (木瓜), probably by confusing different parts of the poem. The Commander's final quote "Repayment it can't be, but as a sign of love it won't fade" is also not in the original script.
Separation Anxiety
Private Meeting Logs
Commander, a lot of things have happened recently...
I want to prepare several handmade gifts for the Dolls to reward them for all the hard work they've put in recently.
I'll work out the exact details with you in a bit.
However... I'll need to cover the cost of the materials, no matter what kind of gift I choose to make.
Commander, can you help offset some of the expenses?
Thank you for your generous assistance! "Operation Gift" can now officially take place.Romantic Connection I
Romantic Connection II
Romantic Connection III
Romantic Connection IV
Tea Time
About Work
Is it just me, or have you been working around the clock recently?
Actually, I've been forcing myself to rest. After all, my neural cloud cache also needs some downtime for clearing.
You, on the other hand...To my knowledge, you work at least as hard as us Dolls, and we're literal machines. Please maintain a proper work-life balance.Hahaha, yes, I'm well aware of that. Thank you for your concern.
About Her Hobbies
What do you normally do during your break time?
If I have a big block of vacation time, I usually spend it on carving jade.
Sounds pretty technical. Are you self-taught?
Yep. I read some books and tutorials and picked up carving techniques on my own. On the whole, it turned out pretty well...I think.
About Fashion
I just realized that I've never seen you wear western-style clothing before. Do you wear things like qipaos at formal occasions?
It's true that I prefer outfits with classical elements to them. These styles have been established for over a century and they put my heart at ease.
But if you'd rather I try western-style clothing, I can take that into consideration.Just wear what you like. You're fine just the way you are.
About Changes
The client suddenly changed our mission timeframe and now I'll have to restart the pre-mission prep work...
Do you hate surprises like these now? In the past, you struck me as the sort who welcomed variables.
Well, yes...my attitude toward these "variables" mainly lies in how much they benefit Griffin.
I can hate them for the sake of a glorious future, but I can end up liking them again for the same reason.About Her Teammates
How's everyone in Frostfall doing?
Hmmm? Commander, why do you ask? Did Cheeta or Lind cause you trouble?
No, I was just curious.
That's good to hear. As their squad leader, I am responsible for their actions, so feel free to find me at any time if you have something to say about them.
About the Past
If I'm not wrong, you chose to stay with Griffin after their restructuring for all these years, is that right?
Yes. When the restructuring first began, everyone was in a pretty bad place.
However, I'm very happy with my initial decision to stay with Helian and walk the path I chose to where I am now.It must have been hard, and I can clearly see how you've grown, Qiongjiu.