Chapter 169: Returning Home

It was nearing eight in the evening when Senior Cuique, carrying two large plastic shopping bags, crossed the night and returned to the secret base. Yet as she found the key and opened the front door as usual, she suddenly felt something was missing.

Beyond the door lay an empty entryway; Lin Xiaolu was not there.

For nearly a month, whenever Senior Cuique returned to the base, Lin Xiaolu would come out to greet her immediately. Sometimes warmly, sometimes calmly, but always initiating conversation. This slightly intimate behavior initially made Senior Cuique a bit awkward, but over time, she grew accustomed to this mode of interaction.

However, it now seemed today was the exception.

The time was already late; by all rights, Lin Xiaolu should have finished her patrol. Moreover, Senior Cuique had heard a few days ago that Lin Xiaolu was taking half a day off today, so there was even less reason for her not to be at the base. Yet the girl had not come out to greet her, leaving Senior Cuique feeling a momentary sense of regret.

This feeling of regret did not last long, for she also knew that children are independent individuals with their own affairs; it was impossible for them to revolve around her all day long. It was perfectly normal to be busy with something and thus not answer the door. So she soon returned to her usual composure, calmly changed into her slippers, and stepped quietly into the living room.

What met her eyes was Xia Liang sitting on the sofa watching television, and Bai Jingxuan, who was rarely down in the basement training but was accompanying her in the living room.

"Have you had dinner?"

She bent slightly, preparing to set the shopping bags in her hands aside: "I stopped by the supermarket before coming back and bought some extra ingredients."

"Ah, Junior Senior is back? We've already eaten."

Hearing the commotion behind her, Xia Liang immediately sat up, ran out from the living room, and took the shopping bags from Senior Cuique: "Wow, so heavy! Let's put these things in the fridge first!"

"I want to help too!" Hearing her say that, Bai Jingxuan quickly stepped between the two and snatched the other shopping bag.

"There's no need to be so urgent... but thank you both."

The two bags in her hands were snatched away in an instant, the heavy burden vanishing at once, making Senior Cuique blink slightly in a moment of helplessness: "By the way, where is Bai Mei?"

Then, she saw the two people in front of her pause simultaneously.

"... As for my sister, she said earlier she wanted to go home, so she left alone." Bai Jingxuan's voice dropped slightly in a subtle tone.

"We went out together this afternoon, but due to certain matters, Xiaolu did not return with us."

Xia Liang then let out an awkward dry laugh: "I wanted to persuade her, but... well, I simply couldn't, haha."

"Did something happen?"

The loaded responses from the two made Senior Cuique realize there seemed to be more to the story; she instinctively wanted to raise an eyebrow. However, to avoid putting pressure on the children, she deliberately maintained a calm expression: "There was a study session scheduled for tonight; why did she suddenly go home?"

"... Junior Senior."

"Hmm?"

"Whatever I say next, you must remain calm after hearing it." Putting down the plastic bag in her hands, Xia Liang extended her hand flat and pressed it downward, making a gesture that presumably meant "calm."

"Is it something serious? Did she encounter danger?" Senior Cuique's expression tightened.

"No, it's not something dangerous; her life and safety are certainly fine. But serious... well, it is indeed quite serious. How to put it... um, this afternoon we went out together for certain reasons, then decided to go out and play, so in the end we went to the shopping plaza near the Hetero Strategy Bureau."

Xia Liang forced a smile on her face:

"Then, in the evening, we saw Uncle Lin and Sister Hong together."

Because Bai Jingxuan was nearby, she chose a somewhat roundabout way of speaking, using a more objective phrasing, yet Senior Cuique could still understand the meaning of that sentence:

That she and Hong Siyu had been seen acting together.

— "Mom! Dad is having an affair!"

Seeing Xia Liang reveal the truth, Bai Jingxuan nearby immediately spoke up as well, though her understanding of the matter clearly existed on another dimension: "That's why sister wanted to go to her own home; she said she was going to confront Dad!"

Confront?

The moment Bai Jingxuan uttered that word, and after its brief transmission through her brain, Senior Cuique's thoughts fell into a momentary blank.

She exerted some effort to accept this fact. Coming back to her senses, she first looked at Bai Jingxuan, found no useful information on the child's face, and then turned her gaze to Xia Liang.

And Xia Liang, as if understanding what she was thinking, nodded with an awkward laugh.

Thus, Senior Cuique understood exactly what the situation was: In Lin Xiaolu's understanding, although her father was busy with work, he still returned to their home every evening, so she chose to wait for "him" at home.

This also meant that she herself now had to go back immediately.

Taking a deep breath and then slowly exhaling, she remained silent for a long time before speaking: "... I may need to leave for a while; I might not return tonight."

After saying this, she pointed to the plastic shopping bags in Xia Liang's hands: "You two might have the trouble of tidying these things up in the kitchen. Thank you for your trouble."

"Is Mom angry?" Seeing her expression tense, Bai Jingxuan asked in a small voice, "Should we not have mentioned this?"

"You two are overthinking things at such a young age; the matter isn't necessarily that complicated."

Reaching out to rub her head, Senior Cuique softened her tone: "Don't worry too much. I'm not angry, nor am I going to argue; I simply have some things to do."

"So, Junior Senior, do you know exactly what happened?"

Pretending to know nothing while actually implying something, Xia Liang asked: "Uncle Lin and Sister Hong were together, even went shopping together; isn't it true that... their relationship has developed?"

Senior Cuique couldn't help but glare at her.

"From my current standpoint, the answer I give would be untrustworthy and meaningless, wouldn't it?"

Finally, she sighed helplessly: "But the answer I can give is no."

Seeing the two girls still look unconvinced, she did not wish to continue dwelling on this topic, so she waved her hand: "In any case, I can tell you quite definitely: I, Zhao Yan, and... Lin Yun have no intention of changing our relationship with each other, whether becoming closer or more distant; this is not something we will consider at this stage."

"Then will you be coming back tonight?"

Xia Liang put down the bag in her hands, smiling brightly: "Is the evening study session cancelled?"

"It is cancelled, but I have already placed the assigned exercises in the study."

Knowing what she was planning, Senior Cuique did not wish to waste further words on this matter; instead, she walked toward the front door without looking back: "Bai Mei has her own things to do and cannot attend, so you must complete the corresponding exercises yourself. I will correct them when I return tomorrow."

"Eh? Do I still have to do problems like this!" Xia Liang immediately cried out in complaint.

"After all, your mind seems a bit restless."

Having changed her shoes in the entryway, Senior Cuique glanced back at her: "Study hard; adults' matters are not for children to meddle in."

Thus, leaving Xia Liang's "unfair" cries behind, Senior Cuique walked out of the secret base, found an empty spot, and soared directly into the air. She chose to fly back to her home to avoid wasting time on the road.

Traveling through the night sky, it took only a few minutes for Senior Cuique to arrive near the apartment. This time, to maintain the stance of an ordinary person, she had to specifically transform back into the appearance of Lin Yun, then obediently take the elevator back up.

Their family apartment, even when left unoccupied, would have hourly cleaners come to tidy it up on schedule, so even though Lin Yun had rarely returned recently, the home should have maintained a reasonable level of cleanliness, preventing Lin Xiaolu from noticing anything amiss.

Inside the elevator, facing the reflection in the elevator doors, Lin Yun adjusted his clothes, ensuring he did not look dusty or travel-worn, then put on an expression of nonchalance and naturally returned to his home.

As soon as he entered, he saw a chair.

For some reason, this chair had been placed directly in front of the living room door, facing outward, and Lin Xiaolu was sitting on it, with a small blackboard of unknown purpose standing beside her. She kept her head down, wearing headphones, completely focused on her phone.

Lin Yun glanced casually and saw she was playing a game.

"Ahem, ahem."

Clearing his throat, he spoke: "Little Lulu, what are you doing?"

The moment these words left his mouth, Lin Xiaolu looked up following the sound. Seeing her father standing at the door watching her, she instinctively tried to turn off the game on her phone, but her movements were uncoordinated in her haste, causing her hand to hit the volume button and crank the sound all the way up.

Loud music accompanied by the game character's shouts immediately burst from Lin Xiaolu's ears; even standing where Lin Yun was, it could be heard clearly.

Almost instinctively shrinking her neck, Lin Xiaolu quickly yanked the headphones off, flustered for half a day before remembering where the phone's volume button was. After turning the sound off, she turned off the phone, stuffed it into her coat pocket, adjusted her sitting posture, and composed her expression into a serious look... only then did she consider all preparations complete, sitting up straight there once more.

Lin Yun watched the entire process unfold before him, finding it at once amusing and ridiculous, but still managed to keep calm. Glancing at the small blackboard beside her, he asked as if he had seen nothing: "Why did you suddenly decide to come home today?"

Lin Xiaolu said nothing, simply sitting in the chair and looking at him with a serious face.

"... What's wrong?" Lin Yun had to ask again, forcing patience.

"I saw it!"

Lin Xiaolu blurted out: "You were shopping with that woman!"

"Saw it?"

Lin Yun pretended to have just learned of this, acting truly surprised as he said: "What are you talking about?"

"Don't hide it, I saw it with my own eyes, right at the shopping plaza near the Yice Bureau, you were talking and laughing with that woman!"

Extending one finger, Lin Xiaolu pointed sharply at Lin Yun and shouted: "You can't have your foot in two boats!"

When she spoke these words, she was utterly serious and proper, her momentum fierce, looking entirely like she had come to demand an accounting. If it were another matter, it might truly have made the atmosphere feel solemn.

Unfortunately, what she said was, in Lin Yun's view, purely wild speculation. And more regretfully, before Lin Yun could even answer after she finished speaking, Lin Xiaolu's own stomach rumbled first.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

In the entryway with only two people present, this sound was especially clear and grating, and the source of the sound was too obvious, causing the finger Lin Xiaolu had just extended to immediately curl down.

Watching his daughter suddenly fall into embarrassment, Lin Yun sighed helplessly: "It's past eight already, haven't you eaten?"

"No, don't change the subject!"

Pulling one hand back to cover her stomach, Lin Xiaolu's ears grew hot: "I'm talking about your two-faced behavior!"

"Did you eat at noon?" Unfastening the tie at his chest, Lin Yun walked toward the dining room.

Her gaze followed Lin Yun as he moved, and Lin Xiaolu instinctively spoke: "Didn't eat much... no, that's not what I'm talking about!"

Lin Yun took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the dining room chair: "The house usually doesn't keep fresh ingredients on hand, but I happened to buy some vegetables today. Want to eat meat for dinner?"

"Eat meat... it's eight o'clock, let's forget it." Lin Xiaolu pondered.

"It's only eight. Gaining a little weight is fine."

While speaking, Lin Yun took out two plastic containers used for packaging meat: "I feel you haven't grown much this past month."

"It's not that I want it that way; my body just won't grow."

Mumbling, Lin Xiaolu stood up from the chair and followed him into the kitchen: "No need for meat; I'm on a diet recently."

"On a diet? You only have a few ounces of flesh, you're as thin as a bean sprout."

Lin Yun washed his hands and began processing ingredients in the kitchen: "Besides, you're only fourteen, still in the growing stage. How did you suddenly think of dieting?"

"I've been eating a bit too much recently."

Following Lin Xiaolu to the sink, her expression complex: "I've gained four jin."

"How much?" Lin Yun turned to look at her.

"... Four jin." Lin Xiaolu went through a mental struggle before saying these words, "The food at the secret base was too good."

Looking closely at Lin Xiaolu, Lin Yun finally noticed that in these past days, Lin Xiaolu's face had indeed become slightly rounder. It was just that because they spent day and night together, this change was so subtle that it had been overlooked until now.

"It's fine, gaining a little weight is good."

Thinking for a moment, his hand picked up the plastic container and then set it down again, but in the end, he tore open the packaging film: "You're still growing, it's fine."

Even after noticing this change, he didn't mind at all if his daughter gained a little weight; in fact, Senior Cuique also followed this principle when cooking at the secret base. From a father's perspective, his daughter's height development was clearly more important.

Opening her mouth slightly, Lin Xiaolu probably realized she couldn't persuade her father on this matter, so she took several boxes of instant food from the nearby refrigerator: "... I'll prepare the side dishes."

During this time at the secret base, she had gradually gotten used to helping in the kitchen. Although she still couldn't be of much use, she had at least come to understand what her abilities could do, so naturally, there was no reason to sit idle now.

Father and daughter stood side by side at the kitchen stove; Lin Yun handled the meat in his hands but still didn't forget to keep talking: "So, why did you put a chair at the entrance? And why sit there playing on your phone?"

"It's not that I was sitting there playing on my phone."

Lin Xiaolu immediately looked up and refuted: "I was waiting for you there!"

"Waiting for me for what?"

"I want to tell you I saw you with your foot in two boats and give you a warning!"

Lin Xiaolu spoke seriously: "I have to say it the moment you return to have any shocking effect!"

"... How did you come up with such a strange trick?" Lin Yun was somewhat speechless.

"I saw it on TV." Lin Xiaolu argued with conviction.

"Fine, let's just say that's the case. Then what about that small blackboard? If I remember correctly, it was used for tutoring at home? Why move it to the entrance?"

Lin Yun soaked the meat in water: "If you don't want it, throw it away; don't just leave it there like you're discarding large trash."

"That's not throwing away trash either."

Lin Xiaolu was somewhat dissatisfied: "I originally wanted to write a slogan on it!"

"What slogan?"

"A slogan opposing having your foot in two boats, to severely criticize it!" Lin Xiaolu fiercely tore open the packaging film of the instant food box.

"... Putting aside whether what you say is right or not, where is your slogan?" Lin Yun asked somewhat strangely.

"I couldn't think of anything good, so I erased it." Lin Xiaolu said gloomily.

"After erasing it, you stopped writing?"

"No, I wanted to search online to see if there was anything good."

Lin Xiaolu looked at the packaging box in her hand, her voice growing quieter: "I just searched for ages and found nothing, then suddenly remembered I haven't done today's game quest yet."

"So?"

"Just, played it on the side." Lin Xiaolu shifted her gaze away.

This finally explained what she had been up to at the door; yet, compared to the absurdity at the door, knowing the truth made a layer of hidden worry rise in Lin Yun's heart:

Did I give birth to a fool?

"I'm not a fool!" Lin Xiaolu immediately refuted.

"I didn't say anything." Lin Yun glanced at her and continued handling the ingredients in his hand.

"Not saying anything just means you want to call me a fool!"

Lin Xiaolu felt somewhat ashamed and angry: "These were just accidents!"

"Alright, alright, they were all accidents." Lin Yun nodded and surrendered.

"So, what I wanted to say isn't that! Don't change the subject! What I want to say is about you going shopping with that woman!"

"Don't use such an impolite term as 'that woman'. Call her Auntie, or Sister, or at the very least, Senior."

Lin Yun lectured: "She is, after all, a senior in the magical girl line of work, and she is from Fang Ting City; you have no need to be so hostile toward her."

"She was even imitating my mother; how could I not be hostile toward her?"

Lin Xiaolu glared: "And don't take her side! She was imitating my mother's speech before; don't tell me you didn't notice!"

"... That is true, but her intentions are not bad."

"How do you know her intentions aren't bad? What if she likes you, so she acts especially gentle in front of you, but is actually a bad woman?"

Lin Xiaolu mumbled: "Then the bad woman becomes my stepmother, maybe she'll say 'Your mother stole my man back then, now I will take revenge on you', then abuse me, not give me food, make me wear ragged clothes and sweep chimneys... or something."

"Where did you see that?" Lin Yun asked in surprise.

"On TV." Lin Xiaolu argued with conviction.

Later, I must ask Xia Liang to help keep an eye on this girl; I can't let her watch strange programs every day.

Lin Yun calculated in his heart, but showed not a trace of emotion on his face: "Our family has no chimneys."

"It's a metaphor, a metaphor!"

"Even if it's a metaphor, such a thing won't happen; I can guarantee you, she is not a bad person."

Pausing slightly, Lin Yun spoke earnestly: "And I know what you mean; I miss your mother just as much as you do, so I will not do anything to betray her."

"I said, I don't care whether you find me a stepmother or not."

Lin Xiaolu was gloomy: "Your love life is your freedom; I am just giving you a reminder. But no matter if you plan to find a new one... being two-faced is not allowed."

"Where am I being two-faced?"

"How are you not being two-faced? You are clearly dating Senior Cuique!"

Lin Xiaolu reached out and grabbed a corner of Lin Yun's shirt: "And then you went behind her back to go shopping with that... Hong Siyu; do you think you have no extra thoughts?"

"Are you sure what you saw was me?" Lin Yun attempted one last struggle.

"How could it not be? The clothes were the same set! And Hong Siyu too; she even used her magical girl form to seduce you!"

Lin Xiaolu widened her eyes: "Men just like the young, right? As soon as she turned young, your heart fluttered?"

"You child, really..."

Throwing the meat onto the cutting board aside, Lin Yun drew a kitchen knife and lightly sliced it once: "First, I have already said I will not do anything to betray your mother, so I do not plan to find you a stepmother."

"You don't plan to find a stepmother?"

Lin Xiaolu blinked, thought for a moment, then revealed a somewhat terrified expression: "You plan to be irresponsible, start something and then abandon it... Ah!"

"At your young age, what do you know."

Unable to resist, Lin Yun gave his daughter's head a tap, withdrew his hand, and re-gripped the kitchen knife: "Don't learn to speak like people in TV dramas; reality doesn't have so many messy things."

"... Then what does that count as?" Rubbing her forehead, Lin Xiaolu said gloomily: "You and Senior Cuique already have feelings; do you just plan to leave her hanging like this?"

"That is the second point."

Lin Yun sighed: "Who told you that Senior Cuique and I are dating and planning to get married?"

"... Mose."

As soon as Lin Xiaolu gave this answer, Lin Yun nearly choked on his own saliva; he exerted great effort to adjust his breathing, but still forced himself to appear calm: "Who is that?"

"A bad person." Lin Xiaolu glanced at him sideways, "The person from that night of the Full Moon Festival."

"... Oh."

Knowing his identity shouldn't comment much on this, Lin Yun continued as if nothing happened: "So? A bad person told you, and you believed it?"

"She said this to Senior Cuique! And the evidence is clearly conclusive!"

Lin Xiaolu's voice grew louder: "That night, Senior Cuique originally said she wouldn't return to Fang Ting City, but suddenly came back; wasn't that you who notified her?"

"Where did you hear this?"

"I saw it myself; you weren't in the room that night!" Lin Xiaolu spoke with righteous indignation.

So that was it.

Lin Yun suddenly understood.

Only at this moment did he solve this puzzle that had persisted for a month, knowing exactly where he had gone wrong.

Because he rushed out on the night of the Full Moon Festival without considering the possibility of his whereabouts being exposed, plus Mose had rambled nonsense based on his own subjective speculation at the time, causing Lin Xiaolu to be completely led astray.

Thinking this way, when he fought Mose, because he didn't want to expose extra information, he didn't explain clearly; in the eyes of the children, this also became a kind of implicit "admission". Many coincidences gathered together, leading to the misunderstanding existing now.

Then, is it necessary for me to explain clearly? And exactly how far should I explain?

Lin Yun thought in his heart, speechless for a moment.

Continuing to let Lin Xiaolu misunderstand Bai Jingxuan like this is undoubtedly an awkward thing. Especially recently, Bai Jingxuan calls Senior Cuique "Mother" every day; although it was acknowledged by me, every time she says it, Senior Cuique feels a headache.

But it must be said that this also seems to be an explanation that covers up the issue of his and Senior Cuique's identities. The tenuous connections and contradictions between the identities of Lin Yun and Senior Cuique in many matters could all be brushed aside with this explanation.

It's just that if he were to admit this explanation with his own mouth, it would only make it harder for him to confess his true identity to Lin Xiaolu.

Weighing the pros and cons repeatedly in his heart, Lin Yun's silence lasted a full half-minute. Just as Lin Xiaolu was starting to wonder if she had said something wrong, he finally spoke again:

"You're right. That day, it was indeed me who called her back."

"Really?"

Lin Xiaolu immediately curled her lips into a smile: "I knew it! So you and Senior Cuique..."

"But not because we have any romantic relationship."

Lin Yun narrowed his eyes slightly: "The true connection between her and me is actually you."

"... Me?" Lin Xiaolu was instantly stunned.

"Yes. The reason I can contact her is that I am your father, and she is your senior, and happens to be your mother's friend."

Lin Yun nodded: "She didn't return because of me, but to protect you, to protect all of you."

"Then, then how did you know so many things about the Magic side..." Lin Xiaolu said in a low voice.

"Because I am actually a member of the Special Strategy Bureau."

With a blank expression, Lin Yun made a decision in his heart and finally decided to lay this fact out on the table: "I have been an internal member of the Special Strategy Bureau for a long time, and I have now returned to work for the Special Strategy Bureau."

However, he slightly modified the facts, hiding the truth that he was "parachuted in" (an outsider directly placed in a position), and instead adopted the version created by the Golden Green Cat's Eye for his fake resume.

And this fact was obviously heavy enough for Lin Xiaolu that she momentarily forgot to speak.

"You... are a member of the Special Strategy Bureau?"

After a long while, she finally spoke, somewhat belatedly: "How is that possible? I went to your workplace when I was little; that place was definitely not the Special Strategy Bureau..."

"Because back then I was just an external staff member, registered only to assist your mother's operations."

Since he had already started lying, Lin Yun might as well make things up on the spot: "Later, the Director of the Special Strategy Bureau had some issues. My qualifications happened to be sufficient, so I returned to the Special Strategy Bureau a few days ago and am now the current Director."

"... Director?"

This word obviously made Lin Xiaolu even more confused, because she had never seen an official that high in her entire life.

"Dad, you are the Director of the Special Strategy Bureau?"

Then, she let out a deafening shout.

"Keep it down! Do you want the neighbors to hear?" Lin Yun quickly reached out to cover her mouth. "This is not something that can be said to just anyone!"

"But, isn't it... the Special Strategy Bureau, the Director?"

Lin Xiaolu said in a daze: "Am I actually the child of a high-ranking official?"

"No, you aren't. Our family has no power. I am just me, and you are just you."

Lin Yun tapped the cutting board: "And I think you need to understand clearly that compared to the position in the Special Strategy Bureau, the identity of a Magical Girl is actually more important..."

— "So that's how you knew I became a Magical Girl?" However, Lin Xiaolu interrupted him first.

"That's right." Lin Yun might as well continue fabricating along this logic: "I am a member of the Special Strategy Bureau, so Hong Siyu came to me immediately and told me everything related to you."

"Then, then is that why you never cared about what I was doing all this time?"

"Yes, because even the secret base you are living in now is a venue provided by our Special Strategy Bureau."

"The few days when I thought I was acting secretly from you, were you actually fully aware of my movements?" Lin Xiaolu's expression was complex.

"Actually, not that clear, but I knew you were fighting for this city."

Lin Yun spoke vaguely: "I don't have such severe control issues; I wouldn't monitor what you are doing every moment."

"But since you are the Director, why does our family still have no money?"

Lin Xiaolu was somewhat puzzled: "Shouldn't you be able to drive a luxury car and live in a villa just by accepting a little bribe?"

"Your dad is an honest official; I don't accept bribes."

Unable to resist, he tapped his daughter's head again. Lin Yun lectured: "Specifically monitoring your news and giving the green light to your activities already counts as me abusing private power. How could I possibly do something like accepting bribes?"

"... So that's how it is."

Lin Xiaolu suddenly sighed: "I thought..."

"Thought what?" Lin Yun looked at her sideways.

"I thought you and Senior Cuique were dating, so that's why Senior Cuique told you all these things."

For some reason, after the brief shock passed, Lin Xiaolu actually seemed a bit disappointed: "So it's because you are in the Special Strategy Bureau."

"Rather, it is precisely because I am in the Special Strategy Bureau that I came into contact with your Senior Cuique and Hong Siyu."

After finishing chopping the ingredients, Lin Yun lit the stove and started pouring oil into the pot: "Including what you saw this afternoon; that was indeed me, but not because I was being ambiguous with someone, but because I was accompanying Hong Siyu to pick out clothes."

"Picking out clothes doesn't count as being ambiguous?" Lin Xiaolu immediately widened her eyes.

"Work attire. Don't overthink it; it's normal interaction between friends."

Lin Yun averted his gaze, feeling somewhat guilty: "Anyway, there is no other meaning in all of this."

"So that woman really is Hong Siyu, not her daughter or niece or something?" Lin Xiaolu asked next.

"Yes, that was indeed her."

Lin Yun nodded: "You can ask her or Senior Cuique for the specific reasons, but this is indeed her appearance after she regained her Magical Girl powers."

Lin Xiaolu inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. I was thinking of the worst-case scenario before; what if that was your illegitimate daughter?"

She patted her chest: "If a sister suddenly appeared out of nowhere, I wouldn't know how to get along with her."

Lin Yun raised his hand. Lin Xiaolu instinctively dodged to the side, but found that her forehead wasn't tapped; instead, an open palm was held out in front of her.

"Salt." Lin Yun said concisely.

"Oh." Lin Xiaolu then realized she was still helping in the kitchen and picked up the salt bag from the shelf nearby.

"In any case, neither Senior Cuique nor Hong Siyu have the kind of relationship with me that you think."

Taking the salt bag, Lin Yun lightly measured it with a spoon before sprinkling it into the pot, then concluded, "These are all necessities of the job. In reality, whether it's me or Senior Cuique, many things are done for your sake, so stop guessing blindly."

"But..."

Lin Xiaolu hesitated again: "If you really have no relationship at all, why would Senior Cuique do things for my sake?"

"... Because she is your senior."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yun finally spoke: "The senior-junior relationship between Magical Girls lasts ten years unless something changes. Such a long-term bond of comrades often surpasses that of family and friends."

This answer shouldn't really have come from him, since the matter concerns Magical Girls; he shouldn't show too much understanding. Even though he had already confessed to working at the Extraordinary Strategy Bureau, "Magical Girl" remains the main dividing line between his and Senior Cuique's identities, and he ought to have avoided the topic.

However, tonight things had already been spoken to this extent, so clarifying the situation and resolving the misunderstanding was the most important thing. That is why Lin Yun chose to say it after thinking.

Of course, this was only the surface reason. Although what he said sounded honorable and seemed to make some sense, it wasn't entirely convincing.

Just from Lin Xiaolu's expression, it was already clear that she wasn't very satisfied with this answer.

In fact, Lin Xiaolu wasn't unaware of Senior Cuique's previous favoritism; rather, it was precisely because Bai Jingxuan had taken away Senior Cuique's attention these days that she gradually realized she had been favored before.

However, regarding the source of this favoritism, even though Senior Cuique had explained it repeatedly, she didn't believe it was because of herself.

In her subconscious, she still felt this favoritism stemmed from her parents' lingering influence. Among them, perhaps her mother's role as a teammate played a part, and even more so because Senior Cuique had an unusual relationship with her father.

But now, her father had told her very directly that none of that was the case, and that he and Senior Cuique had no romantic or dating relationship.

This not only meant all her previous guesses were wrong, but also that she had voiced those wrong guesses, even directly stating them right in front of Senior Cuique herself, and shamelessly started calling her "Mom"...

If she really had misunderstood, just thinking about it made Lin Xiaolu's toes curl involuntarily.

Yet, as she thought this, if all of this was wrong, what was the true answer?

The favoritism she felt wasn't an illusion, yet her father and Senior Cuique both denied having any deeper connection; who should she believe?

Was there perhaps another answer beyond these opposing facts?

She was destined to get no other answer from Lin Yun, so after finishing dinner and helping with the dishes, Lin Xiaolu fell into deep thought alone.

She thought while taking a shower, thought while brushing her teeth, thought while changing clothes, and thought while lying down on the bed.

Then she thought while opening her phone, thought while tapping the game on her phone, and thought while finding the game character named "Shu Cao," who should be modeled after her mother.

"When I asked Senior Cuique, she also said it was because of me."

Recalling a late-night conversation with Xia Tian one night, Lin Xiaolu murmured, "What exactly is special about me? My talent isn't good, my personality isn't good, I'm not even cuter than Xia Liang and the others, and I'm even starting to fall behind her in studies..."

"Mom, what exactly is your relationship with Senior Cuique?"

"If it really has nothing to do with Dad, then what caused the dream that night? Why did I dream of Senior Cuique holding my younger self?"

The virtual character on the screen could not possibly answer her question.

No matter how many times Lin Xiaolu flipped through and tapped the game character's voice lines, she could only hear some trivial greetings and battle-related shouts.

Amidst her increasingly confused thoughts, she finally gave up trying to consider this question further and turned to playing other game levels.

In recent days, her gaze had finally gradually shifted away from "Shu Cao," turning toward other characters in the game, and she began cultivating other Magical Girls.

And during the character cultivation process, personal storylines for the characters would occasionally be triggered, symbolizing a deeper bond between the game characters and the "Fairy" played by the player.

Just like that, Lin Xiaolu casually tapped open a character's personal storyline, flipping through it at a glance. Just as she felt the story was somewhat boring and wanted to fast-forward through it all at once, she was suddenly caught by a particular plot segment.

The reason was that the two Magical Girls in the story had a misunderstanding; one mistakenly thought the other had a preference for the same sex, leading to an absurdly funny dialogue.

Light teasing and jokes related to same-sex preferences weren't considered very important plot points. They were merely mixed into the story as simple comic relief, but to Lin Xiaolu's eyes, they seemed to become the only key to the lock.

It was this completely trivial scene that suddenly unlocked all her thoughts, allowing her in that instant to connect all the questions together and arrive at a brand new answer.

Yes, why hadn't she thought of this before?

She stared blankly at the screen, savoring that new answer, her inner turmoil refusing to settle for a long time.

— Why couldn't it be that Senior Cuique likes my mother?

10,000 words to make up for yesterday's meow

(End of this chapter)