Chapter 156
Rudolf's symbolism: Though I am old, my arrows are still sharp (drawing a bow).
Miura Bourbon: Main engine started, Miura Bourbon ready, ready to ignite.
No, the absurd running style and the obstructive skills are one thing.
You're still planning to take your teammates with you, huh?!
Book Title: <Losing Money Raising Horse Girls, But What the Heck is Breathing Technique?>
Volume 1: 152. Only a good woman can marry Chu Yuanqing. (5K)
Upon hearing this Chu Wangshu nearly jumped out of bed.
Dad agreed? Yay!!!
The girl's eyes sparkled like burning stars, and her pretty face was filled with joy.
Perhaps due to overwhelming emotions, the world before his eyes seemed to sway and undulate, slowing down his senses as if time were being frozen, allowing the lingering echoes of Chu Yuanqing's words to resonate in his ears.
Chu Wangshu had no time to pay attention to these oddities. She gripped her phone tightly, suppressed her emotions, nodded repeatedly, and responded happily:
"Okay, I'll try my best, so Dad needs to rest too, and don't be tired on that day!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yuanqing counted the time on his fingers and, thinking of the increasingly realistic illusions that had appeared recently, felt somewhat worried.
The curse of the Sea of Truth is intensifying, and it could strike her at any moment. She has no way to counter it, and she can't guarantee that there won't be any unexpected events on the day of the Public Performance.
After all, she couldn't possibly kiss Liuli, Yayoi, and Kiyohime for 15 minutes straight on the day of the second Public Performance, using the Magic Replenishment mechanism to stack a triple positive buff to prevent the curse from activating, could she?
The moment the plan popped into Chu Yuanqing's head, she was immediately ashamed and suppressed it, like a small animal that had been burned. How could she bully those children for her own selfish desires? It was simply too immoral!
Even setting aside moral considerations, this absurd and lewd, Don Juan-esque, outrageous act by a playboy does have a degree of feasibility.
But for her, Magic Replenishment under the guise of saving the world and Magic Replenishment under the guise of personal desires are two completely different things and cannot be generalized.
Chu Yuanqing pursed her lips guiltily, and could only reply:
"Yes, I will try my best to get some rest."
"You too, like I said last time, don't push yourself too hard."
Afterwards, the father and daughter exchanged a few words, and reluctantly hung up the phone just before the handover of the phone.
Chu Yuanqing skillfully pulled out the SIM card, opened the WeChat interface of this identity, and found the list empty except for a few newly added Little Idol, which filled some of the blank space, but it still seemed empty and lonely.
The girl hesitated for a moment, her delicate face showing a dazed expression. Memories, layered with cause and effect, surfaced like reflections in water. The lantern in front of her chest seemed to absorb magic, transmitting warmth to her skin. All of this seemed to be saying, "You have the chance to let go of the past and start over."
Indeed, logically speaking, even if one only has six months to live, it's better to know nothing and travel around with a carefree attitude than to do things one dislikes or rack one's brains trying to figure out how to fight against the end of the world.
Unfortunately, both Chu Yuanqing and Chu Yuanqing were ultimately the same person.
Whether it was her duty as Savior or her obligation as a father, she had to move forward and create the future she hoped for.
Chu Yuanqing looked at the WeChat interface, her fingertip sliding to her daughter's profile picture. For a moment, she was lost in thought, her feelings complicated. Her eyes were lowered, her pupils were dim, and her youthful face showed the weariness, decadence, and even world-weariness of a mature woman, mixed with a unique mysterious charm.
Such emotion is extremely rare in a retired Savior who possesses both unwavering will and overflowing positive feelings.
Time is running out.
Chu Yuanqing sighed softly. She had a strange premonition that opportunities like today, where she could chat happily and relax with her daughter as a father, would probably become increasingly rare.
So, even if it weren't for Xiao Shu, but only for herself, she wanted to be Chu Yuanqing herself, standing below the stage of the second Public Performance, to witness... the moment her daughter became the moon on stage.
Chu Yuanqing suppressed his negative emotions and replied to a few more fan messages in the last few minutes before the internet was cut off. Only when the network jamming equipment in the underground base was activated again did he put his phone aside, feeling somewhat tired.
In a daze, I heard the faint, continuous rumbling sound of the glacier cracking open.
That was the sound of the Sea of Truth still drowning out the shattering of souls.
Chu Yuanqing listened quietly to the symphony of devastation. She closed her eyes, emptied her mind, and lay on the soft bed, trying not to think about anything, just like... a girl falling into the deep sea.
In the Living room,
Tang Liuli started crying, hugging her knees and sobbing. Because there were very few historical traces of Chu Yuanqing, she spent an hour digging on Weibo, Tieba, and fan groups and learned everything about him in detail. She can be called a hero among the followers of the Qingmen.
Green Eyed Cat felt guilty. She had noticed before that, unlike the other contestants who needed their managers or staff to help carry their heavy luggage, Qing Bao's luggage was very light and thin. There were no cosmetics, no seven or eight outfits for the season, and not even anything that could reflect her personal style.
Simple and poor.
This is a fact that is visible to the naked eye.
Even Liang Xiaoxiao, who was in a similarly ordinary situation, had several outfits and cosmetics rented from the company, but Chu Yuanqing was completely bare-chested, not at all like someone who should appear on Talent Show.
That's why she always gave Chu Yuanqing little odds and ends, like a rubber duck toy in the bathtub, the same brand of shower gel as her own, a small tube of hand cream, cute hair clips, moisturizing face masks...
Actually, Xie Qingxuan was the same in this respect; the other party, under some pretext, gave Chu Yuanqing a set of unopened cosmetics.
Liang Xiaoxiao is like a hamster sharing its food stash, often giving the other person some delicious and low-calorie snacks.
From this perspective, the bedtime story segment isn't entirely a personal preference of these fans.
After all, without establishing a reciprocal exchange formula, stuffing things into someone's mouth can easily become a way to evoke pity and sympathy, thus turning a well-intentioned act into a bad one.
For the reasons mentioned above, it's only natural that <Flash Dance> could edit this dormitory scene into something so warm and romantic, because these pretty girls really do get along very well.
Tang Liuli's eyes were brimming with tears, looking incredibly emo.
She always thought that Chu Yuanqing's family background was poor, but he must have lived in a happy and well-mannered family. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to have such stable and mature emotions, as well as a generous, intelligent, and gentle personality.
--There's nothing we can do about it. Chu Yuanqing's first conversation with her was about getting an autograph from her "niece." Once a normal person gets to the point that they've accepted this information, they can't possibly conclude that the other person is an orphan.
But who would have thought that Qing Bao was even worse off than her? She had no Dad since she was a child and could only grow up alone in the orphanage. She had to shoulder the burden of taking care of herself when she was just a few years old, and when she got a little older, she had to work to earn a living and start making plans for a future with little hope.
Now it seems, just as those Little Yuan Xiao deduced, Qing Bao was too kind, so she couldn't bear to see others get wet in the rain she had been in, and her maturity was also because she had to mature.
Tang Liuli now recalls the times Chu Yuanqing took care of her, comforted Chu Yuanqing, and treated Chu Yuanqing gently. She even remembers how she tricked him into kissing her recently, how she almost committed suicide in front of him, and how he took advantage of her and made excessive demands a few days ago. She feels so guilty that she wants to jump off a building.
Clearly... clearly Qing Bao is the one who needs the most care and comfort!
But she recklessly placed her affections on him, shamelessly flirted with him, and even took advantage of his gentleness and kindness to do... do such outrageous things!
Is this even human? Only the most heinous, despicable, and utterly wicked villains could do such a thing!
And she, Tang Liuli, is actually such a villain?!
The girl was deeply shocked and incredulous. The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Her emerald green eyes were blurred with tears, making it impossible for her to see the real world clearly. She began to immerse herself in abstract fantasies.
At this very moment, in the world of consciousness, a gigantic Green Eyed Cat is wreaking havoc on the city. It not only steals all the cat food and canned cat food from the large supermarket with its claws, but also scares people on the street into running away in all directions. It begins to meow wildly, terrorizing the entire city. It is extremely evil and a terrifying monster comparable to Godzilla.
At the same time, a host of characters from comics, anime, and games appeared one after another, seemingly symbolizing the protagonist's guilt. Ashman, Undead, 2B, EVA, Altaïr, Yagami, Spider-Man, and Superman all joined forces, unleashing a bunch of incredibly cool special moves, beating the Green Eyed Cat to a pulp.
When the Green Eyed Cat in the mind's eye is beaten until it cries, the Green Eyed Cat in reality is as if its health bar has been emptied, returning to its most primitive extreme state of social anxiety, gloom, timidity, and humility. It twists, wriggles, rolls, twitches, and spasms on the sofa, which can be described as a genius of performance art.
When Kiriwake Yayoi came out and saw this scene, her brain went blank for a moment. She immediately began to feel guilty and reflect on whether she had bullied the other party recently. She also instantly imagined that the cat had seen the advertisement featuring her and Qing Bao, so the shock was too great and it went crazy.
Chu Wangshu was terrified. She quickly went over, but didn't dare get too close, and could only anxiously ask:
"Liuli, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Don't worry, I'll call the doctor right away."
Chu Yuanqing was the last to walk out the door. She was shocked by what she saw and quickly walked over. She controlled the cat's movements, pinched its tear-streaked face in confusion, and immediately filled in a series of causes and consequences in her mind, and suddenly realized.
Yes, Xiao Shu and Yayoi both have family members they can call, but Little Liuli's situation is quite special. This child must have been in a bad mood just now and couldn't help but call that scumbag father, only to be severely hurt, which is why she cried so hard and couldn't even control her behavior. It was truly heartbreaking.
Chu Yuanqing felt a pang of sympathy and whispered words of comfort:
"Liuli, don't cry, okay? We don't need to pay attention to someone like your Dad. Don't give him a single penny of your earnings in the future. Just live happily. That's the best response."
Upon hearing this, the Little Cotton-padded Jacket and the Little Sakura next to her suddenly understood.
It turned out that it was a family matter, not a sudden, inexplicable outburst. Realizing this, the two girls politely and consciously moved to the other side of the Living room to avoid suspicion. They also felt some sympathy for Liuli's family situation and decided to treat the cat better in the future.
Tang Liuli's empathy was still active. In her daze, she could feel the gentle love that was like holy light purifying her soul. It was as if she was submerged by a warm tide and wandering in the soft clouds, which abruptly interrupted her abstract madness.
But this fleeting pleasure, once sobered up, becomes a knife that pierces the heart and lungs, coldly and dullly scraping into the flesh, carving out a small but extremely painful wound.
--sympathy.
Tang Liuli had used this talent to steal maternal love several times, taking pride in it. But now she felt that she was bad and despicable, a thief who took advantage of others' gentleness and only knew how to take.
Well, although this was an uncontrollable passive skill before [Cocoon of the Heart] was completed, she is now unable to objectively view her own actions, only endlessly vilifying and degrading them, and further hating herself.
The Green Eyed Cat broke down. For the first time, she voluntarily shut down her empathy talent, pulling herself away from that suffocating care. Like a dark creature afraid of the sunlight, she hid in her sewers, stumbling and crying as she said:
"I'm sorry, Xiao Qing, sob sob, I'm... I'm a bad person."
"I... I didn't know your situation. I was always acting spoiled and willful with you. I'm sorry."
Chu Yuanqing listened in a daze, and after pondering for a long time, he finally extracted the corresponding meaning from the words that were full of sobs.
So... it wasn't because she cried after being scolded by her Dad on the phone, but because she imagined all sorts of random things after learning about my background, and started to berate herself?
What a silly cat.
Chu Yuanqing found it somewhat amusing. She didn't think she had helped Little Liuli in any way, nor did she feel she had done much for the child.
In fact, if you really take it seriously, you always end up getting the better deal.
Even if she was sucked there, the cause was that she had forcibly kissed Liuli for a long time, so it was her own fault.
After all, knowing that someone likes you, and still flirting with them—even if it's due to unforeseen circumstances—is truly going too far.
In particular, behind all these events, she used Liuli to Magic Replenishment, suppressing or even erasing the aftereffects of the curse's outbreak.
However, she couldn't voice many of the hidden reasons and pros and cons, nor could she use this to comfort the other person and put their mind at ease.
Chu Yuanqing could only patiently comfort him:
"Alright, you didn't know before either. Ignorance is no excuse."
"Besides, Liuli is so cute. I love it when you act cute and affectionate. And before you throw a tantrum, you're always super careful to read people's expressions, right? As soon as the other person shows even the slightest dissatisfaction or unhappiness, you immediately run away."
"So, Liuli is capricious with me because she trusts me a lot, right? You believe you won't get hurt with me, which is why you're willing to show your most vulnerable and authentic side."
"I don't find it bothersome to see you being so honest, nor do I feel that your actions have hurt me. Similarly, you have no reason to feel guilty, and you certainly don't need to apologize to me."
Tang Liuli's sobs subsided. She sniffled, and asked hesitantly, her lips pursed.
"Really? But I still did something very bad to Xiao Qing."
"I... I will try my best to make it up to you!"
As the Green Eyed Cat spoke, she suppressed her shame and guilt, and awkwardly began to unbutton the buttons on her chest, intending to receive the same punishment. However, before she could even unbutton the second button, Chu Yuanqing grabbed her little hand, arrested her on the spot, and stopped her from doing so.
The girl looked up at the other person in confusion, her eyes brimming with tears; she was quite adorable.
Chu Yuanqing tapped her on the head, so angry he almost laughed.
If we really stripped this child naked, who knows what bizarre things Yayoi and Xiao Shu would imagine? Besides... being sucked is far more shameful, criminal, and terrifying than being sucked on, sucking on a minor's private parts!
After the pain subsided, Tang Liuli regained some consciousness and realized that she had caused trouble for Qing Mom again. She trembled and curled up on the sofa, afraid that the other party would unleash her imposing parental mode.
Chu Yuanqing was at a loss with the Social Anxiety Cat, and she sighed:
"In short, don't cry, and don't overthink it."
Then, her expression changed slightly, and she warned in a low voice:
"And... forget about what you just mentioned, and don't bring it up again!"
Tang Liuli nodded repeatedly, feeling utterly useless. She had cried because she felt sorry for Chu Yuanqing, but her tears only caused him more trouble. It would have been better if she hadn't cried at all.
Damn it, just thinking about this makes me want to cry even more.
The Green Eyed Cat sniffed, placed her phone on the table in front of the sofa, and, urged by Chu Yuanqing, went to the bathroom to tidy her appearance in front of the mirror.
After washing her face, Tang Liuli began to seriously reflect on her actions.
Although Qing Mom she didn't mind, this lack of mind was based on the other person's gentleness, and did not mean that her own behavior was without fault.
Now that I think about it carefully, my goal was to make Qing Mom like me—the kind of liking that comes in the traditional sense—but so far, the distance to this goal has not changed at all, and the reason for this is that I am not mature enough.
Even in shoujo manga, the romance between two people is reciprocal and mutually redeeming. But what about her previous actions? Putting aside the small material gifts, she only took and was happy and proud of the emotions given to her by the other person, without realizing that something was wrong.
This kind of relationship naturally only gets you the pet's place.
After this realization, she understood a crucial issue.
That is, while an excellent performance on stage might make Chu Yuanqing look at him with new respect, it still wouldn't bring the two of them closer.
If Tang Liuli wants to move the progress bar forward, she must get back on the right track. She must change her previous way of getting things done without giving anything back, and she must also take the initiative to observe, care for, and help the other person, and find opportunities to be asked for things by them.
Only in this way can the attraction between the two be positive, and only then is there a chance that they will collide and spark a flame beyond friendship!
The Green Eyed Cat looked at its reflection in the mirror, its eyes reddening at the corners. Its cute little face turned serious, and it declared with unwavering conviction: