Initial Suspicions
In the room, Ling Feng teamed up with Zhao Ping and the others for a few more rounds of games.
Before Ling Xiaoyu and the others returned, Ling Feng had already turned off the lights and lain down in bed, ready to sleep.
Ling Feng had originally planned to stream, but then he remembered how slowly his computer booted up and decisively gave up.
He had made plans with Zhao Ping and the others to game at the internet café tomorrow, so naturally, he needed to get some proper rest first.
By the time Ling Xiaoyu and the others came back, Ling Feng had no idea how long he had been asleep.
Looking at the late-night snacks they had brought back,
Ling Wanqing felt that she should heat them up and give them to Ling Feng tomorrow, but then she thought it might affect the taste. In the end, with tears in her eyes, she forced herself to finish all the burgers and fried chicken.
Paired with a bottle of nerd soda, it was simply too blissful~
Tonight's moon was different from usual. It was exceptionally bright, draping the earth in a silvery veil and bringing people joy!
The bright moonlight shone upon the river, adding even more splendor to the sparkling Lin River.
After washing up, Ling Xiaoyu returned to her room and began sorting through recent affairs. She had originally planned to spend some quality time playing with Ling Feng and the others, and she hoped she would still have time afterward.
Ling Xiaoyu suddenly remembered how, a few years ago, she had been cornered by several thugs on her way home from school, only for Ling Feng to rush over and firmly shield her behind him.
The sight of blood everywhere was like a trigger, replaying those memories frame by frame. Only then did Ling Xiaoyu realize that he had always been complicated yet gentle, while she had never truly understood him before...
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Ling Xiaoyu had already made breakfast.
Even though it was already vacation, she still got up very early.
"Xiaofeng, Mom and Dad are coming back tomorrow night. Do you want to come pick out New Year's gifts with us? It's rare for them to come back after being gone so long. You wouldn't refuse, would you?"
"Gifts? Sure, sure! I love picking out gifts! I can pick gifts for Uncle and Auntie too!"
"Of course. Wan Qing should come too. The more people, the livelier it'll be."
Sitting in the living room, the three of them ate breakfast while watching TV.
Ling Xiaoyu and Ling Wanqing chatted and laughed, paying no attention at all to the Magical Girls on the morning news.
This time, it was even more outrageous. There were actually tentacles!
The moment he saw that thing, Ling Feng's body trembled involuntarily.
God knew why he had that reaction. He just found it disgusting.
As for Mom and Dad coming back?
Honestly, Ling Feng did not feel much about it. He was even a little indifferent. Maybe it was because he had not seen them in two years, and his feelings had faded somewhat.
It had been the same in the past. They only came back once every few years, always saying it was because of work, but was that really the truth?
Ling Feng's sixth sense was very accurate. He always felt that Ling Xiaoyu was hiding something from him.
"Sorry, I already made plans with someone today, so I can't go. You two can just go yourselves," Ling Feng said, sounding slightly helpless.
"Come on, Brother. You're not deliberately saying that just to make an excuse, are you? Aren't you happy to have two beautiful girls accompanying you?"
The moment she heard Ling Feng say he had something to do again, Ling Wanqing immediately pouted.
Ling Xiaoyu, however, fell silent for two seconds and did not say anything else.
Has Xiaofeng already found out?
That makes sense. If it were me, I probably wouldn't be able to accept it right away either.
But Ling Feng really did have plans. He had arranged to game with Zhao Ping, Yuwen, and the others today!
Found out about what?
What the hell do you know?
You had to pay attention to every detail in life.
Ling Feng did not take a taxi. Instead, he took the bus.
The Imperial Internet Café was actually only one street away from the Beishangyuan Maid Café, and the bus passed by it as well.
Ling Feng got there for just two coins, since Ancient City Street was not far from his home either.
After passing one of the stops, Ling Feng saw Lin Danyue outside the maid café, directing several employees as they wiped the exterior windows.
Whether it was fate or not, Lin Danyue saw Ling Feng too and promptly blew him a flirtatious kiss.
Ling Feng jolted, turned his head away with a red face.
Vixen!
"Sister Danyue, what are you laughing at?"
Beside her, Ye Qingya asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing. Let's continue. The president is coming tonight, so make sure we clean everything properly."
Lin Danyue spoke with a smile.
"OK, leave it to me!"
A Gamer's Daily Schedule
The internet café in the morning looked as though it had just woken up.
Several people emerged from the internet café with greasy faces, inevitably feeling a strange sense of guilt as the glaring sunlight scorched them.
It felt like enthusiastically playing mahjong all night, only to lose money in the end.
Walking against the flow of commuters, their steps and eyelids grew heavier, while "get into bed as soon as possible" became the only obsession driving their bodies forward.
With the health-conscious belief that "skipping breakfast is bad for the body," they ate half a bowl of noodles with their eyes closed before going to sleep.
As they endured the suffering of hovering between life and death, they secretly warned themselves, If I ever pull another all-nighter, I'm a bastard.
Yet after waking up, they would shamelessly forget the pain once the wounds healed. Just one instigating line from their bad friends—"There's an event in the game tonight"—was enough to ignite another all-night battle to the death.
After weaving through the crowd, Ling Feng arrived at Private Room No. 6, which Yuwen had booked for the day.
Because he knew that today would be another battle to the death.
"Ling Feng! Over here."
When Zhao Ping spotted Ling Feng, he quickly waved.
He was afraid Ling Feng had not woken up yet. He had probably done too much of that last night, so his mental state was not great. He should probably take some Pien Tze Huang to replenish his kidneys.
Ling Feng had no idea what Zhao Ping was thinking. Otherwise, he might have thrown a punch at him.
"Ling Feng, have you eaten? If not, I'll have Su Yun bring an extra portion," Yuwen said to Ling Feng as he adjusted his glasses.
"No, no, I already ate breakfast before coming," Ling Feng hurriedly waved his hands.
"By the way, Su Xiaoxiao is coming tomorrow, right? Then the five of us can train together. And she's so pretty, so you two had better seize the opportunity."
Thinking about how neither of his two brothers had girlfriends yet, Yuwen felt secretly delighted.
After all, he was the first of the three to get into a relationship. Wasn't that worth celebrating? It felt like taking first place in a competition. Damn, it felt good!
"Since when did you learn to joke around, Yuwen? That girl is pretty, but she's a loli and probably underage, right? Besides, judging from before, her background isn't simple. And anyway, I already have someone I like."
At that, Zhao Ping paused.
"You do realize it starts at three years, with the death penalty as the maximum punishment, right?"
"And I heard it starts at five years now."
"Uh..." After Zhao Ping put it that way, Yuwen suddenly felt enlightened.
"You're not still thinking about that Astral Mark Girl who saved you before, are you? Haha, maybe she just thought it was pitiful that you were lying all alone on the road and saved you while she was at it," Yuwen teased.
"If you don't know how to talk, then don't talk! ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ"
Bang! The door opened.
At that moment, Su Yun arrived as well, carrying three bags of breakfast.
When she saw Ling Feng, Su Yun froze for a moment, then looked a little awkward.
"Classmate Ling came too today? Yuwen, why didn't you tell me earlier? I would've brought an extra breakfast."
As she spoke, Su Yun pretended to tug Yuwen's ear, looking exactly like the girl next door.
Ling Feng and Zhao Ping laughed themselves silly. It looked like another henpecked husband.
"Haha, I'm dying! And you were making fun of us single dogs!"
"Sister Su Yun, I ate before coming."
Everywhere in life, there were details, even if they were only trivial little things.
The group chatted about some recent amusing events, but somehow the conversation drifted to Magical Girls and the Dark Girl from the latest news.
There was talk about shocking the entire country and battle scenes and the like. It was completely ridiculous.
Ling Feng was speechless.
But Zhao Ping and the others grew more animated the more they talked.
Shouldn't they be thinking about the series of problems this could cause? It might cause public panic.
At most, they should just come out and move around at night like before.
Playtime was playtime, joking was joking, but before long, they got down to business.
Around dusk, on Linzhou Ancient City Street.
Ling Xiaoyu brought Ling Wanqing to the Shangyuan Maid Café.
It was Ling Wanqing's first time at a place like this, and she was incredibly excited.
After hearing Ling Xiaoyu say that she worked part-time here, she became even more excited.
"The maid big sisters are so pretty!"
Ling Wanqing felt as though some strange new trait had awakened within her. She energetically changed into a maid outfit and looked unbelievably cute!
"Little sister, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask your big sister," Lin Danyue said. Naturally, she wanted to properly teach the girl Ling Xiaoyu had brought over.
"Mm-hm, mm-hm. Big Sister, you're so pretty. You must be very popular, right?"
"You're so cute and sweet-tongued, little sister. Big Sister likes you very much."
After saying that, Lin Danyue threw Ye Qingya a flirtatious glance.
Who knew whether Lin Danyue treated everyone this way? She completely gave off the air of a mature beauty.
The male customers at several nearby tables were practically drooling at the sight.
"Xiaoya, I'll leave this little sister to you~"
At a Loss
Ye Qingya and Ling Wanqing were around the same age and got along very well. Before long, they had hit it off.
Since night was approaching, the café began to get busy, with customers coming and going one after another.
Ling Xiaoyu changed into a maid dress as well.
Among these people, only Ye Qingya and Ling Wanqing were younger than her.
Ling Xiaoyu was only eighteen this year, right at the age of youthful bloom.
Normally, she looked no different from an ordinary girl, chatting and laughing with others.
In truth, Ling Xiaoyu had many matters to deal with. At the Magic Association, she gave the members beneath her the impression of being mature, steady, and meticulous.
But after interacting with her in private, they learned that Ling Xiaoyu was easy to get along with and often cared about each member's daily life.
Imperial Internet Café
Before you continue