Chapter 103: Arcade Battle (6k)

Standing before the claw machine at the shop's entrance, waiting for Senior Cuique to return from the counter, Xia Liang unconsciously leaned closer to the glass case, gazing at the blurred reflection of her own face within it.

To her, the arcade was a place both deeply familiar and strangely alien.

As a former school-renowned "delinquent girl," Xia Liang had, under the influence of her "friends," visited the arcade shops on Electric Street many times. In fact, among those "friends," aside from occasional "odd jobs," the arcade was one of their favorite destinations.

As the essential ATM of their small group, Xia Liang's main purpose for being brought here was to pay the bills.

They never asked for her opinion—only notified her in a commanding tone of their next itinerary. After she paid for them, they ignored her whereabouts entirely, often indulging in their own games and laughter as if unaware someone still trailed behind them.

Xia Liang knew this was deliberate coldness and exclusion, but back then, she didn't mind.

After all, she had no other friends; the fact that these girls accepted her and let her stay beside them was already enough.

Even inside the arcade, her focus wasn't on the games, nor could she understand their appeal—most of the time, she merely followed others, politely offering cheers and applause at appropriate moments.

Of course, the claw machine was an exception. Even then, when her friends brought her to the arcade, Xia Liang had noticed the claw machine at the entrance.

It stood in the most visible spot, yet despite the constant flow of people, few ever paused before it.

The dolls inside looked fairly cute, and each play cost only two game coins, yet this claw machine inexplicably failed to attract customers.

And now, months later, returning to the arcade and seeing this claw machine still unchanged, unmoved from its spot, Xia Liang felt as though she had crossed a lifetime. A few months was not actually long, yet those dark days already felt like a phantom dream.

Now, months later, returning to the arcade and seeing this same claw machine still in its original spot, Xia Liang felt a strange sense of dislocation.

Months weren't long, but those dark days already felt like a dream.

As she stared at the claw machine before her, she suddenly felt someone tap her shoulder.

For though the newcomer was an acquaintance of hers, it was not the Cuique she had expected. Instead, it was her own "friends."

Assuming it was Senior Cuique, she smiled instinctively and turned toward the source—but her expression froze when she saw who it was.

The person was familiar, but not the Senior Cuique she expected.

It was her "friends."

The other blonde girl following behind her laughed: "Heard you've started playing the good girl lately? Looking at your outfit, seems it's true?"

One of the flamboyantly dressed girls spoke up: "Why'd you suddenly come here alone?"

As soon as she brought up this topic, her several "friends" burst into laughter together. As if what she had just said was truly a very funny joke, paying no mind at all to the fact that Xia Liang herself stood right before them.

The blonde girl behind her laughed: "Heard you've started playing the good girl lately? Judging by your outfit, it's real?"

This silence was not because the other party's mockery was full of malice, but because she discovered that facing the provocation of these girls, no waves of emotion rose within her heart.

As soon as she mentioned this, the group burst into laughter, as if her words were a hilarious joke, completely ignoring Xia Liang standing right before them.

Surrounded by their laughter, Xia Liang stared at these familiar yet alien faces, unsure what to say.

This silence wasn't due to their malicious mockery—it was because she realized, facing their provocation, her heart felt no ripple at all.

If she had to name the strongest feeling, it was probably "boredom."

Ever since choosing to become a Magical Girl, she had severed ties with these friends. Now, to her, they were strangers—whether they appeared before her or not made no difference.

She didn't care what these girls said, how they viewed her, or what they intended—so she only felt boredom.

Rather than waste time with them here, she cared more about when Senior Cuique would return. After all, the woman had been at the counter for some time.

The girls finished laughing, saw Xia Liang's distracted expression, and instantly lost interest.

"We haven't even settled accounts for you ditching us last time!" the blonde delinquent said. "How dare you show up again? Li Yaqing told you—once you leave, don't come back."

The "Li Yaqing" she mentioned was the girl standing among them, clearly the highest in status. Now, she gazed at Xia Liang with quiet pride, saying nothing.

Xia Liang looked at the delinquent named Li Yaqing, then at the others, and after a long pause, offered an apologetic smile:

"Sorry, I'm waiting for someone. Could you move aside?"

One sentence plunged the small group into eerie silence.

"Huh?" Soon, one delinquent understood: "You're telling us to move?"

Reaching out to block the delinquent girls behind her, Huang Shiyi signaled them to be quiet. The girl called "Aqing" raised her eyebrows, seeming somewhat surprised by what Xia Liang had said, but soon grinned, stepping forward two paces: "If you're not here for us, then I'm curious, who are you here to find?"

The delinquent girls erupted in anger, their words laced with irritation.

"Never thought you'd say something like this now."

The girl called Li Yaqing raised a hand to halt her companions, silencing them, then arched an eyebrow—clearly surprised by Xia Liang's words—but soon grinned, stepping forward two paces: "If you're not here for us, I'm curious—who are you waiting for?"

"I have no obligation to tell you," Xia Liang replied, tilting her head as if slightly troubled. "Li Yaqing, when did you become so clingy?"

These words made Li Yaqing pause for a moment, then her smile widened: "Interesting. You're like a completely different person—you're far more interesting now than before."

"But it doesn't matter. Since you've reappeared before us, we need to settle old accounts."

"Last time you abandoned us and ruined our plans—shouldn't you make amends? For example, as a former friend, cover our expenses here?"

She smiled playfully, waiting for Xia Liang's reply.

Xia Liang, hearing this, slightly averted her gaze: "I don't think there's anything to discuss."

"What's going on, where did this brat come from?" The blonde delinquent girl nearby immediately moved to drive the intruder away. "Don't you see we're discussing serious matters? Go play somewhere else!"

——"What are you doing?"

Li Yaqing was about to continue, but her words were cut off by a voice from behind. She turned to see a plain-dressed, yet strikingly noticeable blue-haired girl standing there.

"What's this? Where'd this brat come from?" The blonde delinquent immediately moved to shoo her away. "Can't you see we're talking business? Go play somewhere else!"

"Xia Liang, when did you sink to playing with elementary school students?"

Before she could reach her, Li Yaqing stopped her: "Judging by this, this child is probably who Xia Liang's waiting for?"

The delinquent girls immediately joined in:

"Xia Liang, when did you sink to playing with elementary students?"

"Is she your sister? No—you don't have a sister, and you don't even look alike."

Senior Cuique held the basket in her hand, looked at Xia Liang, then at the group of delinquent girls before her, and immediately understood what little scheme Xia Liang was hatching.

"Doesn't this kid look a bit like the short girl from Class Three? I remember Xia Liang's been hanging out with that shorty lately."

They chattered endlessly, but this time, Xia Liang said nothing. She only looked helplessly at Senior Cuique, then gave a pitiful, pleading blink.

【61】 Senior Cuique, holding the basket in her hand, glanced at Xia Liang, then at the group of delinquent girls, and instantly understood Xia Liang's scheme.

【62】 She sighed inwardly.

【63】 Then, ignoring the chattering delinquent girls around her, she turned directly to Li Yaqing in the center and raised the basket slightly: "You want this?"

"Do you have any objections?" Li Yaqing narrowed her eyes at Senior Cuique.

"I could give them to you."

Senior Cuique pulled her raised hand back slightly: "But there are conditions."

"Acting all mysterious! Why should I negotiate with you?"

The blonde delinquent girl beside her, growing impatient, saw that Li Yaqing made no move to stop her, so she reached out to snatch the basket from Senior Cuique's hands—but as her wrist extended, Senior Cuique gripped it tightly.

The blonde girl struggled to pull free, but no matter how hard she tugged, Senior Cuique wouldn't loosen her grip; she gasped: "So strong… What's going on? This weird little brat!"

"Since this is an arcade, let's settle it with an arcade game."

Ignoring the girl's words, Senior Cuique held the blonde's wrist and swept her gaze across Li Yaqing and the group of delinquent girls: "If you win, I'll give you all the game coins in my hands; if you lose, you must apologize to Xia Liang for what you just did."

As soon as she finished speaking, several delinquent girls' expressions turned strange.

"Challenge Qing to a game… Hah, are you serious? Hey, Xiao Liang, haven't you told your little sister yet?"

"Qing, she actually dares to challenge you!"

The two girls turned to Li Yaqing and burst into laughter.

But as the true party involved, Li Yaqing maintained a haughty expression; after hearing Senior Cuique's demand, she shook her head: "Not enough."

This answer made Senior Cuique frown.

"... I don't know what your relationship with Xiao Liang is, but I'll assume you're her sister? Asking me to apologize isn't that easy."

Taking two steps forward, Li Yaqing looked down at Senior Cuique: "If you lose, I'll demand far more money."

Senior Cuique regarded her calmly.

If she had previously entertained thoughts of avoiding conflict, hearing those words had abandoned them entirely.

She had heard from Xia Liang about these delinquent girls' past, and knew they had tried to lure Xia Liang into unsuitable "jobs" for a girl her age; she had never held a good impression of them.

Now, seeing their frivolous attitude, she would no longer tolerate them.

As for their demand for money, that was secondary—never mind whether she had money or not, she had no doubt she would win.

"Fine."

She accepted their demand with decisive ease, calmly saying: "You pick. What game?"

"You want me to pick? Then let's play Dance Dance Revolution."

Li Yaqing slightly lifted her lips: "Challenging me? I'll make you regret it."

With the stakes and game settled, the contest naturally proceeded. The two stepped onto the same Dance Dance Revolution machine, each inserting coins.

In the arcade, Dance Dance Revolution matches were always eye-catching, especially when one competitor was a girl with striking blue hair; soon, many nearby players gathered around. Even without anyone organizing it, a crowd quickly formed.

Li Yaqing expertly navigated the menu, setting her preferences, then signaled to Senior Cuique: "2P." When Senior Cuique stepped up and fumbled with the interface, clearly unfamiliar even with the basic screen, Li Yaqing's face twisted with mockery.

When it came time to select the song, she confidently chose the hardest one: a track marked "Level 13."

As soon as the song was selected, even the ordinary onlookers gasped.

"This song? Even counting Qing, only a handful of players in this shop have ever achieved full combo."

The blonde delinquent girl in the crowd smirked at Xia Liang: "Watch. That brat's in trouble now."

"... Is that so?" Xia Liang watched the Dance Dance Revolution machine in the center with interest, smiling faintly, showing no sign of tension.

"Didn't you hear? What are you pretending?"

Xia Liang's casual attitude irritated the blonde girl: "Your fake smile is as annoying as ever. I hope you're just as quick to pay when the time comes."

This remark received no reply. Xia Liang merely glanced at her and said nothing. Or rather, she saw no need to say anything.

In fact, at that moment, Senior Cuique was thinking the same thing as Xia Liang.

—Don't bother with these immature, rebellious kids.

If they hadn't gone too far, and if their words hadn't completely disregarded Xia Liang's past kindness, she would never have done something so public.

Whether from an adult's standpoint or as a Magical Girl, confronting these delinquents was both degrading and boring. Left to her own preference, she'd rather ignore them entirely and walk away.

But such delinquent groups, if not shown strength, would keep buzzing like annoying flies—especially someone like Xia Liang, who had once been deeply entangled with them.

When a problem arises, and you have the ability to solve it, solve it. That was Senior Cuique's thought now.

Thus, the contest began.

From the very start of the song, the delinquent Li Yaqing displayed exceptional skill. Without even glancing at the dance chart, her feet moved ahead of the cues.

This was precisely why she chose this song: as the hardest track on the Dance Dance Revolution, no ordinary person could complete it fully on their first try.

At this moment, the dance chart displayed on screen—if viewed by a normal person—would instantly blur their vision, making it impossible to even read the notes.

To play this song well, one must first memorize every difficult section, then rely on memory as the backbone, using the screen's cues only to guide completion.

In Li Yaqing's eyes, the girl beside her was clearly a reckless novice, foolishly attempting this song—she would only rack up errors. And if she easily defeated this girl, today's expenses would be free; she couldn't help but smile again.

But as the song progressed, Li Yaqing, her eyes fixed on the screen, finally sensed something was wrong.

Because even after the song passed one-third, through several sections widely recognized as difficult, she had not seen a single "miss" or "good" on the girl's side—only "perfect."

With this confusion, she glanced sideways—and was stunned to see the girl staring unblinkingly at the screen, her feet moving with the precision of a machine, swift and agile across the dance pads.

The girl's short boots struck the surface with crisp, rapid sounds, rhythmic as galloping hooves; her hand movements were equally flawless.

If there was any flaw, it was that her motions held no dance-like beauty—she merely executed the chart with pure mechanical efficiency.

But even if this were her first time playing, achieving this level was astonishing enough.

For Senior Cuique, however, it was perfectly normal.

Using a Magical Girl's reflexes and coordination to play such a game was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—or rather, it would be strange if any dance chart could outpace her.

As the music entered its final stretch and difficulty surged further, when Li Yaqing could no longer guarantee full combo, the girl beside her remained calm, her movements steady and orderly.

She was going to lose. She finally realized it.

She knew her own weak spot in the climax's final section, and without warming up, she was not at peak condition—attempting that part now carried a high risk of failing full combo.

She might not complete this song successfully, but the girl beside her—would achieve full combo on her first try?

At the thought of this, Li Yaqing felt she could hardly accept it.

As the piece reached its climax and finale, she several times wanted to abandon her own completion and extend her foot to interfere with Senior Cuique's movements.

This plan was undoubtedly tempting enough. After all, in her view, the little girl beside her was in a state of single-minded focus, completely unguarded against her.

Then, as long as the current her—

—"Go for it!"

A somewhat familiar cheer suddenly rang in Li Yaqing's ear.

The cheer interrupted her original train of thought and made her, for an instant, feel as if she had returned to the past, to those days when Xia Liang was still her lackey behind her.

Was it Xia Liang? Was this completely non-conforming person again offering her such insincere encouragement?

She first thought so subconsciously, then realized it was not so; Xia Liang was cheering for the little girl beside her.

She and she were no longer "friends."

Rather, the two had never been friends at all.

Li Yaqing hated Xia Liang; this was actually no secret among the little circle of these girls.

Where exactly did this hatred stem from?

Was it because Xia Liang was more beautiful than her, stealing the gaze that originally belonged to her? Or because Xia Liang could always smile at anything, making her own irritable temperament appear especially ugly before her? Or perhaps because of how Xia Liang had provoked her?

It seemed none of that was the case.

She could still recall that afternoon when she and Xia Liang met; after school, she encountered that girl who lingered alone in the school courtyard. That quiet, pure smile, that cute and lively appearance, were so conspicuous, like a princess who ought not to appear here.

She had known Xia Liang since then; she knew this was the "child of a murderer" that everyone rumored.

What was wrong with being the child of a murderer? Didn't that sound pretty cool? It sounded more fierce than the crime of her own father's, and wasn't as hard to speak of, was it?

However, compared to Xia Liang, she was undoubtedly lucky; with elders in her family all being criminals, her shameful affairs had not become the joke of the entire grade.

She didn't know if it was out of such a psychology; she couldn't even say whether this feeling was called "empathy" or "pity," but by the time she noticed, she had already walked forward and struck up a conversation with that girl sitting alone in the courtyard.

What was she thinking back then? Why did she want to talk to Xia Liang? It seemed there was no other purpose; it was simply that the her of that moment wanted... to be friends with Xia Liang?

When this thought surfaced in her heart, even she herself felt so disgusted she wanted to laugh.

She led Xia Liang out of that courtyard; she introduced Xia Liang to her other friends; she taught Xia Liang how to put on makeup; she took Xia Liang to places she liked to play together; she told Xia Liang everything she liked; she showed her true self entirely to Xia Liang, including the things she did and the things she had become numb to.

Yet, to this day, she could not forget the expression on the other's face after she told Xia Liang all these things.

Was it a subconscious disgust?

"Maybe we shouldn't do this anymore, Yaqing."

The Xia Liang of that time, as if barely holding back nausea, restrainedly pushed her hand away: "I don't want you to do this. Don't continue doing those things."

At this moment, Li Yaqing stared blankly at her hand being pushed away, and only then finally understood that Xia Liang was different from all of them.

She was like the white swan in the story of the ugly duckling; not only was she more beautiful, but also because her temperament and character were different from a "defective product" like herself.

She deserved to be loved by others; her pitiable state now was simply because she had not yet met the right person.

And she herself did not deserve to be loved; her current situation was entirely self-inflicted; she was already a failure, trash-like.

Li Yaqing hated Xia Liang.

Because Xia Liang's existence seemed to tell her—"You could have not become like this."

It was just that she had already walked onto this path; she had no way back; she was long past being able to become as pure as Xia Liang.

With such a thought arising in her heart, she felt her mind as if swallowed by endless mud. Dark and ugly thoughts, like a torrent, destroyed all her reason, turning all her feelings toward Xia Liang into the most vicious jealousy.

She had already given up; why make her remember such a possibility?

She liked the other person very much; they could have been very good friends, yet they could not continue to draw closer, because the existence of the other person was, for her, a torment.

She very much wanted to openly request: Let's drop our prejudices together; let's be bad children together; let's sink into this quagmire together. Otherwise, what right did she, who had already stepped onto the wrong path, have to walk alongside her?

With such thoughts, Li Yaqing constantly tried to persuade Xia Liang to become the bad child everyone perceived.

However, Xia Liang would not agree no matter what.

She began to isolate Xia Liang; she began to insult Xia Liang; she began to bully Xia Liang.

Yet no matter how she treated Xia Liang, the other person still wore a smile on her face, still obeyed her every word, and even contributed the little money she had to cover the expenses of the small group's activities.

Li Yaqing felt her heart as if torn apart: she hated Xia Liang; she liked Xia Liang; she wanted to pull Xia Liang closer; she also wanted to push Xia Liang away.

She really wanted to question the other person: How much self-loathing do you want from me before you are satisfied?

She wanted the other person to leave, but whenever she saw the other's smile, she ultimately could not bring herself to speak.

Until one day, Xia Liang seemed to agree to her request to go together, yet just as the ugly joy in her heart had just bloomed, she lightly said to her:

"I suddenly have something to do; I might have to leave early today. Have fun playing!"

At that moment, although she didn't know why, Li Yaqing just had that feeling: her "friendship" with her had reached its end.

Like a kite whose string had snapped, like a horse that had lost its reins; although the other person had not yet left, they were merely united in appearance but divided in heart.

"Xiao Liang."

With feelings she didn't know how to describe, Li Yaqing said these words to Xia Liang: "If you leave today, do not come near me again in the future."

Xia Liang's reply was simple.

She said, "Okay."

From then on, Li Yaqing never saw Xia Liang again.

No one would cheer for her while she danced; no one would earnestly persuade her to stop; no one would forever wait for her with a smile, comforting her.

Everything was over.

This should have been a day she had long awaited, but when it truly arrived, it only made her feel so boring.

Everyone is insignificant in the world, but everyone holds a different weight for each other. After Xia Liang left, Li Yaqing's life had not changed, yet it seemed everything had changed.

Xia Liang had completely forgotten her, but she was still secretly keeping an eye on Xia Liang.

She heard that Xia Liang seemed to have made new friends, with the short one from Class Three named Lin Xiaolu, who seemed to be the class pet of Class Three; she heard that Xia Liang seemed to have a proper part-time job and had become quite wealthy; she heard that Xia Liang had started being a good child, no longer wore makeup, and her grades had become very good.

The traces of having spent time with her on Xia Liang were now almost gone.

Precisely because of this, when she saw Xia Liang again in the arcade, she must have been so excited, right?

She couldn't help but mock herself; she had actually thought Xia Liang had come here to find her.

The moment she heard Xia Liang's cheering, she completely understood that it was all over.

The noisy crowd around her, the clamor of voices nearby, felt as if separated by another world, having nothing to do with her.

Gazing at the flashing prompts on the dance machine screen and the impending high-difficulty storm, she finally let out a long sigh, then withdrew her foot.

Not for any reason, simply because she suddenly felt a bit bored.

Since it had come to this, at least leave some dignity; do not defile the few things she still liked.

"You have already left."

She murmured to herself, turning her head to look at the blue-haired girl beside her: "It seems, indeed, there is no need to return."

Her words were drowned out by the noisy music in the arcade, becoming whispers heard by no one.

As the singing gradually faded and the footsteps slowed, the two people on the dance machine stopped their movements, finally ending this match.

Li Yaqing's score was SS, missing the perfect score by only one mistake; Senior Cuique was SSS, all perfect, a perfect score without question.

A cheer erupted from the audience below, applause thundered, and the surrounding players shouted "One more match," as if what they had just witnessed was not a competition but a delightful performance.

Xia Liang also stood in the crowd, clapping gently.

In the past, she had stood in this position countless times, clapping and cheering for Li Yaqing as a simple spectator; but now, while Li Yaqing still stood on the dance pad, the one receiving her applause was not this "old friend," but the figure beside her.

In this match, the final victory was taken by Senior Cuique, who also broke the arcade's highest record.

The surrounding crowd was still cheering, but the delinquent girls were not happy at all. After Li Yaqing stepped down from the dance machine, she said nothing, so the blonde delinquent girl challenged Senior Cuique to the next event.

The result was equally obvious.

The result left the delinquent girls utterly despairing; no matter which game they chose, they could not defeat Senior Cuique in the end. Only after everyone had tried a round did they realize in shock that they had not won a single one.

Senior Cuique remained silent until all the delinquent girls admitted defeat with full conviction, then slowly walked to Li Yaqing's front.

"... What?" Her behavior made Li Yaqing feel somewhat confused; she looked up, only to see Senior Cuique pointing toward the corner of the arcade.

Burdened with worries, she did not ponder what this meant; simply carrying her confusion, she followed Senior Cuique toward the corner of the arcade.

Smack!

And just as she stopped standing, immediately following was a slap.

Smack!

Before she could react, another slap came from the other side.

The intense pain and dizziness made Li Yaqing feel her head buzzing; she could only instinctively cover her face, momentarily not even knowing what had happened.

"The first one is for your provocation today; the second is for the harm you caused that child in the past."

Senior Cuique's voice was calm as she looked at her seriously: "Xia Liang told me what you did. She can choose not to care, she can forgive, but that is not a reason for you to feel at ease."

"I am not your parent or elder, nor do I have the qualification or obligation to discipline you, but I must help that child, so I must give you corresponding punishment."

Covering her face, Li Yaqing looked forward in a daze, only to see Senior Cuique pull a notebook from her chest, open it, and place it before herself.

After the notebook was opened, she saw a somewhat conspicuous seal stamped below the portrait on the first page.

That was the seal of the Special Strategy Bureau.

This was the identity certificate Senior Cuique had commissioned the Special Strategy Bureau to create for her identity; although it carried no substantive position, the seal below was genuine.

Even if Li Yaqing was uneducated and incompetent, she could recognize this symbol, because in a certain sense, this symbol represented the government.

"You are..." She finally realized the seriousness of the matter and spoke somewhat hesitantly.

"Who I am is not important, but next, I hope to see the sincerity of your apology."

Senior Cuique put the notebook away, staring into Li Yaqing's eyes: "I can pretend I did not see you today, but I can also transmit some information to the police through the Special Strategy Bureau's channels. You surely do not want the Youth Guidance Office to come knocking on your door tomorrow, do you?"

Li Yaqing covered her face and nodded blankly.

"Then apologize to her properly."

Senior Cuique dropped these words and walked away without looking back.

And when Li Yaqing walked back with her somewhat red and swollen face, gradually recovering her ability to think amidst the concerned inquiries of the other girls, she looked at the still-complaining delinquent girls, lowered her eyes, and said softly:

"Stop talking. Apologize."

At this point, no matter how much one tried to argue, it was already meaningless.

After everything settled, at the entrance of the arcade, beside the claw machine, at the place where both sides first met, several delinquent girls hung their heads dejectedly.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry..."

The delinquent girls' apologies rose and fell.

Although their faces still bore expressions of unwillingness, they had no way to refuse; Li Yaqing had actively requested they apologize together. Pressured by the leader, they finally calmed down.

And the last one to apologize was Li Yaqing herself.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Liang."

Her apology might have contained elements of pressure from Senior Cuique, but it was not lacking in sincerity: "I, in fact, betrayed my promise in the end."

"I said I would become your friend, but because of my own jealousy, I chose to hurt you, to defile you. I know, no matter the reason, this is wrong."

"Perhaps from the very beginning, I should not have spoken to you. I wanted to be the savior, but in the end, I became the one who hurt you the most."

"I am truly very sorry."

After saying this, she turned her head to look at Senior Cuique, seeing only that Senior Cuique was looking at her expressionlessly, showing no sign of approval, so she had to lower her head again:

"I will find a way to return the money you gave me. If you resent me, you can curse me however you like. If you need it, then... then hit me. Anyway, vent however you want; I was wrong!"

"So, even though saying this might be a bit disgusting, and I have no right to say it, I still wish you well; I hope you can find what you are looking for!"

"Little Senior, what did you say to them?" Hearing Li Yaqing's words, Xia Liang turned her head and glanced at Senior Cuique with some confusion.

Senior Cuique shook her head expressionlessly: "Nothing at all."

"Then I don't seem to have anything I want to say either."

After a brief pause, Xia Liang lightly tapped her foot: "Since it's over, let's go."

"Don't you want revenge?" Senior Cuique asked.

"Revenge? There was never anything like that."

Xia Liang spoke indifferently: "Ever since I deleted them from my phone's contact list, they've just been strangers to me."

She looked at Li Yaqing and smiled faintly: "So you don't need to apologize to me. Who you are, what you're thinking—those are your matters. I don't care at all."

With that, she gently tugged on Senior Cuique's sleeve and turned to leave.

Senior Cuique already understood Xia Liang's meaning; she said nothing more, only lifted the basket of game coins in her other hand and placed it before Li Yaqing.

"This is…" Li Yaqing lowered her gaze, puzzled.

"Encouragement. And a reward."

"Huh?"

"Your apology was barely acceptable—you at least managed to explain where you went wrong. So these game coins are a reward for you holding back your petty moves at the end of the match."

She pushed the basket forward, then withdrew her hand, one hand on her hip as she studied the girl: "At that moment, you were about to act to stop me—but you didn't go through with it, right?"

Her words made Li Yaqing freeze.

"Is this really worth rewarding?"

After a long silence, she gave a self-deprecating smile: "You… you have such low expectations of me."

"So this is a reward—for having the courage to compete fairly and face defeat."

Her voice softened slightly, Senior Cuique spoke seriously to her: "If possible, no matter how you lived your life before, I hope you remember this choice of yours—remember this courage in facing defeat."

"You may have made many mistakes and missed many chances, but it's not too late to begin now."

"You're still children. Your lives have a long road ahead, and countless chances to 'restart the game.' Remember this courage—it might become the starting point of your new life."

"If I see you again in the future, I hope to see a girl who has changed for the better, not a delinquent still sinking into self-destruction. Otherwise, I may have to meddle a bit more."

With that, she turned and followed Xia Liang toward the crowd.

Only Li Yaqing remained standing, clutching the basket of game coins, staring blankly at the direction the two had vanished.

Only when Senior Cuique and Xia Liang's figures had disappeared into the crowd did she slowly sink to the ground, gazing at the basket in her hands with a complex expression.

"Is it really not too late to say this to me now?"

The initial draft of this chapter was 6,000 characters, but due to poor expressive effect, it was revised and expanded to 10,000 characters, causing misplacements in the chapter summary—please forgive this.

(End of Chapter)