Jiang Ya and Lin Jiayu's Secret Feelings

"I didn't just awaken the Lightning Element. I awakened the Light Element too!"

What? The Light Element? Wasn't it supposed to be the Fire Element?

Mo Xie froze for a moment. His usually impassive expression finally shifted.

Seeing Mo Xie stunned, Mo Fan assumed the news had shocked him and went on proudly.

"Bro, you have no idea. Nothing happened when I put my hand on the Awakening Stone. I thought it had failed and nearly scared myself to death! But a few seconds later, it lit up purple. I'd barely started celebrating when it lit up gold too..."

Mo Xie frowned. He had thought Mo Fan would awaken both Lightning and Fire without a hitch, but something had gone wrong.

Was it because Mo Fan had awakened two months early, instead of at school?

A butterfly's fluttering wings would eventually stir up a storm.

Still, Mo Xie did not feel particularly guilty about the unexpected result of Mo Fan's Magic Awakening.

Mo Fan had successfully awakened two Elements and gained two more months to cultivate than everyone else. He was already far ahead of his peers.

Besides, who said the Light Element was inferior to the Fire Element?

Mo Xie felt that rather than cultivating Lightning and Fire together, having one Element for offense and one for defense was more practical.

At the Beginner Level, the Light Element was admittedly useful for little besides support. But once it reached the Intermediate Level, it gained defensive magic that could protect its caster.

At the Advanced Level, it underwent a complete transformation and gained area-of-effect attack magic. It was no longer the useless Element most people believed it to be.

Then there was the Light Element's Super-Level spell, the Demon-Subduing Sword, widely recognized as the strongest single-target attack spell.

Who would dare call the Light Element useless after taking a Demon-Subduing Sword head-on? Would they still be talking then?

Every Element had its uses at different stages, and every one could hold its own at the Super Level.

No school of magic was weak. The differences between mages came down to their cultivation levels and the Spirit Seeds and Soul Seeds they possessed.

Although Mo Xie had awakened the Lightning, Fire, and Ice Elements, his combination had one fatal weakness: he had neither defense nor mobility.

Thunder, Fire, and Ice had tremendous destructive power, but what would he do if someone hit him with destructive magic in return?

Without defense or mobility, he could only answer force with force—or rely on magic equipment.

Once he broke through to the Intermediate Level, Mo Xie intended to awaken either the Wind Element or the Light Element. One offered mobility; the other, defense.

So Mo Fan had actually come out ahead. Thunder and Light made a perfect combination.

"Not bad."

That was Mo Xie's response.

"Right? Bro, should I cultivate Lightning first but show everyone my Light Element? Then, when they've written me off as useless, I'll reveal my Lightning Element, blow them away, and make them eat their words."

Mo Fan spoke excitedly. He was already imagining himself playing the fool to catch everyone off guard, and he could hardly wait.

Mo Xie shook his head. He disagreed with that plan.

"There's nothing wrong with cultivating Lightning first, but I don't think showing off Light first is a good idea. Revealing Lightning would prove you're more talented than the people around you. Once the school sees that, it'll direct as many resources your way as it can."

That was how Mo Xie saw it. Mo Fan had both Elements anyway, and revealing Light would bring him no benefits. He might as well choose Lightning: it had a greater advantage early on and would earn him far more resources.

"All right. I'll do it your way, Bro."

Mo Xie and Mo Fan stepped outside. The black sedan that had brought them there was waiting by the entrance.

A security guard in black opened the rear door and stood respectfully to one side. Once the two of them got in, the sedan slowly pulled away from the building.

During the ride, Mo Xie explained the steps of casting magic to Mo Fan.

"There are only three simple steps to casting magic: first, meditation; second, control; third, release. Meditation, as the name suggests..."

Mo Xie spoke quickly throughout the ride, and Mo Fan listened intently.

Now that Mo Fan had awakened his magic, building a solid foundation was crucial. Mo Xie had already given him a head start; the rest of the journey was up to Mo Fan himself.

The sedan stopped outside their home, and Mo Xie and Mo Fan got out.

Not far away, a large truck was parked by the roadside. Several workers were carefully unloading boxes.

Mo Xie knew the materials had arrived. He headed toward the truck, but first gave Mo Fan a reminder.

"Cultivate properly at home. I've still got some things to take care of, so I won't be home for dinner. Let Dad and Xin Xia know for me."

After sorting out the materials, he still had to return to the company to deal with some documents. He had no time to stay home.

Meanwhile, not long after Mo Xie left, back in the awakening hall.

Jiang Ya stood in the middle of the hall, staring blankly at the closed elevator doors.

"Come on, Jiang Ya. The boss is long gone. Snap out of it!"

Lin Jiayu wrapped an arm around Jiang Ya's slender waist and teased her in her ear.

"Jiayu, what are you talking about?"

Jiang Ya shot her a reproachful look.

"You practically couldn't take your eyes off the boss, and you're still denying it."

When Jiang Ya continued to protest, Lin Jiayu chuckled and went on.

"You know what the boss is like after all these years. Quietly doing things for him won't get you anywhere. You have to make the first move so he understands how you feel."

"I'm not working this hard for the boss. I'm doing it for myself..."

Jiang Ya lowered her gaze, her eyes growing distant.

She could still clearly remember that night of pouring rain. Her previous company had just laid her off because she lacked experience.

Back then, she had so little experience that losing her job had robbed her of her confidence and drive. She was like a little bird with broken wings, not knowing what to do.

Then a large umbrella had sheltered her from the rain. Like a ray of sunlight, it had drawn her back from the abyss.

From that day on, Jiang Ya had resolved to help Mo Xie manage his company well.

At first, she had always thought of Mo Xie as a younger brother. But as time passed, she found herself wanting to lean on him and depend on him. Her eyes kept seeking him out, and being near him made her feel comfortable and warm.

Jiang Ya had known since then that she had fallen for Mo Xie. She just could not bring herself to admit it.

She glanced aside and found Lin Jiayu watching her with a wicked grin. Jiang Ya hurriedly pulled herself together.

"Enough about me. What about you, little temptress? You wear a qipao every day to seduce the boss. What, are you giving up?"

Jiang Ya gave Lin Jiayu's shapely bottom a swat, turning the question back on her.

"Of course I'm not giving up. It's just... sometimes I feel like I might not be good enough for the boss, and I hate that."

Lin Jiayu held Jiang Ya around the waist and rested her head on her shoulder, her voice subdued.

Moved by her tone, Jiang Ya reached up and stroked her head.

In their society, mages held a higher status than ordinary people.

Other factors aside, powerful, influential mages generally looked for a partner of similar standing—another mage.

Even an ordinary mage would want to marry another mage. Their children would then be more likely to become mages too, rather than end up as ordinary people.

"My mom brought it up again recently. She said I'm getting on in years, my career's going so well, and I should hurry up and find a good man to marry. But I'm not ready to give up."

"I know."

Jiang Ya held Lin Jiayu close and stroked her glossy, silky hair, soothing her like a younger sister.

"I'm only ten years older than the boss. It's not like I'm the kind of woman who can't stick it out and wait. Worst comes to worst, I'll spend the rest of my life with you, Jiang Ya."

Lin Jiayu buried her face against Jiang Ya and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Jiang Ya, it's so hard being an older woman chasing a younger man!"

Jiang Ya could not help laughing at that.

"Mm. It really is."

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