Chapter 242
That was the only reason the boy initially stepped onto the battlefield, tainting his own soul.
The day after Chu Yuanqing awakened and received the blessing, she chose to commit suicide in public. In doing so, she proved her ability to be immortal, thus gaining the attention of the higher-ups and receiving the opportunity to inherit the torch. However, she also acquired the Silver Mirror, which had extremely severe side effects.
This is the fastest path to growth.
But the price was— Charlotte's tears.
Chu Yuanqing snapped out of her reverie. She looked at the brightly lit street corner and Charlotte, who had excitedly bought a giraffe balloon, and returned her a gentle smile, but inwardly she was asking herself a question.
"Charlotte, can you accept my death?"
Unable to find an answer, Chu Yuanqing took the childish giraffe balloon, brushed a few strands of hair from the girl's cheek with her fingertips, her smile unchanged, and leaned in to kiss the girl's lips, concealing the thoughts in her eyes.
Charlotte didn't react immediately. She blinked blankly, her jewel-like pupils rippling like a lake, and her fair face flushed with a lovely blush.
The girl quickly raised her chin, feigning maturity and reliability, as if taking it as a "provocation," and returned the kiss with a soft peck, concealing her shyness. She poked the girl's cheek and stammered softly:
"Although... although I've been really looking forward to my date with Xiao Qing, but... I can't just kiss her like that without making a good impression!"
The Pure White Witch successfully used her beauty to her advantage, using her charm on the Doomsday Diva A to cover up her acting flaws. Her expression was slightly innocent as she earnestly and honestly asked:
"But Charlotte did the same thing before, and she was even worse."
Unfortunately, this tactic was useless against the girl, only resulting in Charlotte's embarrassed and annoyed cheek-pinching attack.
Chu Yuanqing let herself be kneaded, but she breathed a sigh of relief. Charlotte knew her too well. If she kept spacing out because of the curse, her current situation would probably be completely guessed before long.
Chu Yuanqing did not intend to conceal the truth, but she was unwilling to let the other party know her exact death date.
Four months is too short and too cruel.
At least for now, she wants to spend more time with Charlotte in a more cheerful and happy atmosphere.
And with this idea in mind,
Chu Yuanqing tried his best to forget his worries and strolled around Vienna's old town with Charlotte. Both of them used magic to enhance their appearance, making them look like a pair of audacious fugitives. As the encirclement gradually closed, they abandoned all their concerns and fully enjoyed this short date.
"Xiao Qing, let's go to Disneyland next time? I heard there's a castle show during the summer festival!"
"Want some ice cream? Boss, one strawberry and one vanilla, please!"
"There are swans by the lake, and the riverbank is covered in graffiti. Shall we take a picture together here?"
Charlotte strolled around, stopping frequently to take photos with Chu Yuanqing. She was clearly overjoyed, as if she had forgotten all the elements that were out of touch with her daily life— the Calamity Beasts, the Disaster Tide, the apocalypse, and the Magical Girl —and was simply enjoying the warm Vienna afternoon.
As Chu Yuanqing gradually realized, Charlotte had probably already guessed a lot, so she didn't take the initiative to continue the previous topic. It was as if she was avoiding something, or as if she wanted to enjoy the joy of reunion a little longer before the atmosphere became heavy.
On this point, the two of them agreed.
Meanwhile, the Little Idol had already returned to their hotel with their equipment.
Kiriwake Yayoi took the camera from Chen Xiaoxiao, ignoring the assistant's gossipy gaze filled with curiosity. After a polite smile, she returned to her room to watch a video clip of a certain unfaithful Pure White Witch throwing herself into Charlotte.
Little Sakura felt a little melancholy and lost. Xie Qingxuan's words echoed in her mind. For the first time, she began to set aside the element of magic and look at the scattered memories that returned in her dreams. She murmured to herself:
"Did I... know everyone before?"
This is truly an absurd thing, yet it possesses a strange and persuasive power.
Kiriwake Yayoi sighed. She inexplicably felt that being jealous of Charlotte was pointless. She edited the mission recording on her computer to make sure it wouldn't cause a public outcry for Qing Bao, and then continued folding origami cranes.
In the next room,
Chu Wangshu lay on the soft bed. Perhaps it was the pull of blood ties, or perhaps it was the increasingly brilliant gem within her soul that allowed her to begin to discover the blessing from her mother. Her mind was filled with the scene of Qing Bao and Charlotte meeting, and she felt an inexplicable sense of warmth and familiarity.
The Little Cotton-padded Jacket rolled around on the bed, tossing and turning for a while, then lay on her stomach and sent a message to her Dad, who should be at work right now:
"Dad, although that sounds strange, I met someone in Vienna who looked like Mom."
"I'm so worried. Is it because I miss my mom so much? Can I see a picture of my mom when she was young?"
Chu Wangshu hesitated for a long time, then withdrew her second sentence. She didn't want to put her Dad in a difficult position. Feeling lonely, she hugged her pillow, stared blankly at the ceiling, and murmured:
"If... Xiao Qing were my mother, that older sister would be fine too!"
After the girl finished speaking, she felt a wave of shame. She buried her head in the blanket and calmed herself down for a while before she came to her senses. She sat up, patted her cheeks, and began her studies for the day.
However, during her studies, her thoughts would always drift to that older sister and Chu Yuanqing, who had left with her, which greatly troubled the very self-disciplined Little Cotton-padded Jacket.
Living room.
The Green Eyed Cat was lying on the sofa, feeling sad and depressed. The thought of Qing Bao going out with a strange girl made her head, overflowing with strange knowledge, conjure up countless terrifying CG side stories.
--A gasp for breath in the corner.
--An embrace under the shade of a tree.
--The rustling sounds from the fitting room of the clothing store.
These images, when unleashed by the imagination, are so vivid and real, as if countless minotaurs were galloping across the grasslands, bringing heavy whipping and trampling, making the mind increasingly tormented.
Tang Liuli was unusually angry. It was as if she had returned to the time when she was eavesdropping on the golden retriever's lewd behavior, feeling so comfortable that her eyes welled up with tears—no, so sad that her eyes welled up with tears—as she struggled to fight against the strange changes in herself.
Green Eyed Cat struggled to control the twisted emotions within her. She felt increasingly uneasy; why was she so happy to see Charlotte and Qing Bao meet?
Could it be... that I'm actually eager to see Qing Bao being intimate with other girls?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Tang Liuli refused to believe it was true. She roused herself and infiltrated the fan support group of "Qing Ci Li Qu," trying to find a pure love fanfiction to find spiritual redemption.
After browsing through seven or eight groups, Green Eyed Cat was shocked to discover that her CP fans were actually quite useless, with very few of them being serious content creators.
What's most ridiculous is that the few fanfics available are all extremely off-putting, making one suspect that they were plagiarized from neighboring "Qing Cheng Qing Guo" and "Wu Zhong Jian Qing" to fill a facade.
Tang Liuli was so sad that her face turned into a tearful cat head. She sniffled, then suddenly sat up, remembering something extremely important.
Today is her turn to replenish Qing Bao's Magic Replenishment power as a doctor!
Oh no! Could it be that Qing Bao has been kidnapped by that wicked woman and isn't coming home tonight?!
At this moment, in a clothing store in the old town.
"This dress is so beautiful!"
Backed into a corner, Chu Yuanqing stared at the light, fluffy skirt in Charlotte's hand with a look of dread, her serious yet adorable face filled with resistance.
Charlotte's cheeks puffed out slightly, clearly unhappy with the setbacks in the doll project's progress. She poked the Pure White Witch's waist, and seeing the smile that couldn't be contained on Qing Bao's face, she leaned closer, almost touching her face, and coaxed:
"Look, you've become a girl now, of course you should wear a skirt!"
The girl then protested, looking aggrieved:
"Besides, Xiao Qing has worn these on stage before. Are you willing to let the audience and others see them, but not me? I'm really going to be heartbroken!"
Chu Yuanqing, enveloped in Charlotte's alluring fragrance, was momentarily dazed. After hearing this accusation, she visibly wavered, feeling guilty and realizing how wrong she had been. She could only manage a final, feeble act of resistance.
"But the dress you're wearing is too... can you change it?"
Charlotte tossed aside her adorable tutu without a second thought. As if she'd been expecting this, she pulled out a short, modern Chinese-style cheongsam, flashed a radiant smile, and said:
"I know Xiao Qing is the best. Go to the fitting room and change. Remember, don't come out after you're dressed. If anyone sees Xiao Qing dressed like this, I'll be jealous."
Chu Yuanqing pursed her lips. She regretted refusing that puffy dress. Who knew why this store had a cheongsam made from a dress that was full of sexy style from top to bottom!
But after hearing Charlotte say that it was only for display in the fitting room...
The Pure White Witch felt a sense of relief. She was too embarrassed to break the contract, so after only a moment's hesitation, she innocently accepted the clothes and walked into the fitting room alone.
Chu Yuanqing had worn dresses a few times before. She took off the clothes Xie Qingxuan had chosen and awkwardly put on this cheongsam. She tugged at the hem of the skirt, which barely covered half of her thighs, and looked at herself in the mirror.
The girl wore a light gray cheongsam. Her delicate face had a cold expression. There were two hollowed-out designs on the sides of her waist, revealing her flawless white skin like windows. The extra half-circle of waist rope boasted her slender figure, and the Great Xia -like pendant hung on her bare skin.
The most alluring part is the design of the chest area. Unlike the golden retriever who is quite possessive and covers everything up, Charlotte, who only intends to show herself, mischievously chose a type that reveals part of her cleavage. In addition, the size seems a bit small, which makes the picture have a kind of overflowing beauty, like water overflowing and moonlight shining.
Well, to put it bluntly, it's somewhat "immoral and vulgar."
Chu Yuanqing's body curves were on full display under the dress's outline. She tried hard to keep her expression in check, feeling extremely ashamed. She made up her mind that no matter how much Charlotte coaxed her, she would not agree to let the other party take pictures!
The Pure White Witch mentally prepared herself before lifting the curtain slightly and whispering to the outside:
"... Come in."
After Charlotte entered, she was captivated by the beauty and admired the view for a while. Unable to contain her curiosity, she poked at the window with her fingertips and eventually slid inside, causing Qing Bao's eyes to well up with tears. She then sat down on the chair.
The Doomsday Diva, unusually a little guilty, began to give a serious compliment:
"I knew I had good taste. Xiao Qing is super cute now. Be confident, don't be shy."
"Hmm, get up and turn around. It would be even better with a pair of high heels; that would accentuate your curves."
"Wait a minute, it feels like something's missing."
Charlotte suddenly realized:
"Oh right, I chose the color of the cheongsam based on your eye and hair color."
So, at the other party's insistence, Chu Yuanqing reverted to his original form of white hair and golden eyes to satisfy the Saintess Maiden's fantasies, and only then did he change out of the shameful cheongsam five minutes later.
Unfortunately, this ordeal did not end easily.
Chu Yuanqing was treated like a doll, changing into more than a dozen outfits in the store before the Saintess Maiden was truly satisfied and left the clothing store refreshed.
Incidentally, someone bought the cheongsam, along with two other styles in smoky blue and black; it's hard to say what they'll use it for.
Chu Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. She felt that the current situation was somewhat different from the warm atmosphere of their reunion that she had imagined.
Although I was very happy, there were many strange things about it.
For example, in this scene, isn't Charlotte changing clothes for herself to see?
The Pure White Witch pondered this point and then seriously raised the question.
Upon hearing this, Charlotte first stuffed the gift bag in her hand into the spatial rift.
This Saintess's magical properties correspond to the three rarest types: spacetime, concepts, and rules. She is currently using spacetime magic.
The Doomsday Diva pointed to a shop in the distance. Mustering her courage, she leaned close to her ear, her warm breath like the fragrance of lilies of the valley, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes, and whispered a secret:
"I can satisfy Xiao Qing's needs there!"
Subsequently,
Chu Yuanqing's face turned bright red. She turned around and pulled Charlotte towards the opposite coffee shop.
Charlotte was led forward by her, feeling that all the courage she had mustered had been wasted. This blockhead was utterly useless. She was as angry as a pufferfish, and muttered her objections:
"Why don't we go to a lingerie store? Xiao Qing could easily pick out a style you like and let me wear it for you! This is a one-time, limited-time offer!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yuanqing walked even faster, his head practically steaming.
Although she has done many inappropriate things with others, it was ultimately passive. She has always been very innocent and can only accept kissing Charlotte on her own initiative. She hasn't reached the point where she can see... see that kind of scene!
Ten minutes later,
Chu Yuanqing sat in a corner of the coffee shop. She took a sip of her latte and looked at Charlotte, who was still sulking. She couldn't help but smile, finding Charlotte quite adorable.
But the thought of what I was about to say made me feel inevitably down.
Chu Yuanqing put down her coffee cup, glanced at the clear sky outside the French windows, her profile blurred by the backlight, and after a long silence, said softly:
"Charlotte, as I told you before, I only recently learned that the plan had failed."
The Pure White Witch reluctantly swallowed the truth that "I am about to die," pondering a more tactful way to put it. She took a deep breath, looked at Charlotte who was looking at her, and continued:
"The New Era is wonderful. I have been very happy for the past 17 years and have worked hard to raise our daughter to adulthood. I am already lucky enough to finally see you after you regained your memory."
Charlotte was stunned by what she heard. Her brain went blank from the overwhelming amount of information, and she even knocked over her coffee cup, spilling a large amount of brown liquid.
At that moment, the 17-year-old Saintess, disregarding her soiled skirt, slammed her hand on the table and stood up, the loud thud drawing the attention of the entire café. She asked incredulously:
"Huh? Xiao Qing and I already have a daughter? When did this happen?!"