Chapter 200: On Duty

The night of the New Year's Eve, the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau was far quieter than usual.

In response to the request of Lin Yun, the current Director, a considerable portion of the staff had to stay behind on duty this year, but Lin Yun was not the type of leader who couldn't bear to see his employees idle; ultimately, more people were able to take their normal holidays and return home for the New Year.

Among the employees staying behind for duty, most were combat personnel; even if they were not high-ranking Magic Users, they all possessed a certain ability to use spells, supplemented by a small number of administrative staff to ensure minimum operations, thereby achieving the effect of preventing trouble before it arises.

Of course, to serve and to some extent compensate these hardworking employees, staying on duty for one night on New Year's Eve not only allowed them to receive wages equivalent to a week's pay, but also enabled them to enjoy a quite lavish dinner in the cafeteria, making up for the regret of not being able to eat at home.

As for whether this compensation could truly eliminate the employees' complaints, or whether they would grumble in their hearts, Lin Yun simply could not worry about it.

After all, he himself was also eating dinner at the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau right now.

With a expressionless face, he picked up a piece of fish meat from his tray, took a bite, and then pondered the plan for tonight.

According to his idea, he should first patrol the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau in his capacity as Director, confirm that all departments were operating normally and that personnel were all at their posts, while also indicating that he himself was also on duty.

After that, he would have to temporarily leave the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau and return to the Magical Girl base in Fang Ting City in the identity of Senior Cuique, to ensure that "Senior Cuique normally attends the New Year's Eve gathering."

Then, he would have to rush back without stopping, to spend midnight at twelve o'clock in his own office in the identity of Lin Yun. There was no other reason; it was simply because Lin Xiaolu was still here, and he was destined not to be able to leave for too long.

Yes, he ultimately failed to think of an excuse to refuse Lin Xiaolu.

Or rather, he was actually happy deep down about Lin Xiaolu's proposal, regardless of what the reason behind it truly was.

After finishing dinner, Lin Yun handed the tray along with the cutlery on the table to the cleaning window, then returned to the food pickup counter and received several stacked lunch boxes from the smiling chef. Putting these lunch boxes into a handbag he had prepared in advance, he left the cafeteria without stopping.

Along the way, passing employees occasionally nodded and greeted him, and he responded to each one; this process also included an employee he was already quite familiar with—Tian Sheng.

Compared to when he first joined two months ago, the Tian Sheng of now showed almost no trace of the greenhorn naivety of a newcomer; moreover, probably because he had been participating in high-intensity combat continuously, he now carried a certain aura of bloodshed.

This was not a bad thing; working in such a dangerous post, ultimately, those who could adapt to combat could go further.

After briefly exchanging a few words with Tian Sheng, which took about half a minute, Lin Yun parted with him, walked quickly into the elevator of the office building, and pressed the button for the Director's office floor.

Several minutes later, he finally pushed open the door of his office, carrying a heavy takeout bag.

In the room, a girl wearing a down jacket was sitting half-reclined in a chair, holding her mobile phone high up, her thumb constantly tapping on the screen. Her cheeks were slightly puffed out, as if she still had something in her mouth, so she occasionally made a few indistinct murmurs.

Even upon hearing the sound of the door opening, the movement in her hands did not stop; only when Lin Yun placed the bag in his hands on the desk, making a "thud" sound, did she finally reluctantly shift her gaze from the screen.

"So slow." And the very first sentence she spoke was quite merciless.

Seeing her speak like this, Lin Yun also unceremoniously placed his hand on her head and slapped it hard: "I've already moved very fast. Eat quickly, or it will get cold later."

Just as Lin Yun had said to Lin Xiaolu at home before, in order to avoid appearing at the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau together with family members as much as possible, he did not take Lin Xiaolu directly to the cafeteria, but chose to bring the meal back to the Director's office.

There were three reasons for doing this; besides being prepared for any eventuality and preventing another infiltrated spy within the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau, it was also to prevent the rumor of "the Director spending the New Year with his daughter at the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau" from spreading among the employees.

More importantly, it was because a considerable portion of the employees in the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau had, before that, seen Lin Yun's "daughter"—a quiet girl with shoulder-length short hair who looked like she was still in elementary school.

Yes, the matter of Bai Jingxuan having nothing to do and running to the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau, calling Lin Yun "Dad" without holding back, had ultimately spread on a small scale.

Even though all the employees who knew about it had repeatedly warned each other when leaking this matter, telling the other party "absolutely do not spread it outside," the next employee would often pass on the rumor they knew to the few people they were most familiar with in exactly the same way.

This actually violated the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau's regulation that employees should not bring family members inside, but in fact, no one could stop Bai Jingxuan from breaking into the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau; even Lin Yun, after Bai Jingxuan's birthday, had no way to deal with her openly, so over time he just turned a blind eye.

And this led to a very serious consequence: if Lin Yun took Lin Xiaolu in and out of the Heterogeneous Strategy Bureau, then anyone with eyes could see that the Director's daughter was not the same person as the usual daughter, and strange misunderstandings might arise.

To avoid this headache-inducing situation from appearing, Lin Yun had let Lin Xiaolu stay properly in the office; if she wanted to go out to tour, she had to wait for him to arrange a special guide.

Ultimately, this formed the current situation.

Taking the lunch boxes Lin Yun brought back, Lin Xiaolu turned off the screen of her mobile phone, placed it aside, but just sat there without starting to eat immediately.

"What's wrong? No appetite?" Lin Yun asked.

"No, I'm eating candy." Lin Xiaolu answered with indistinct speech, while pushing the piece of candy in her mouth to her cheek, probably wanting Lin Yun to see clearly.

"Where did you get the candy?" Lin Yun couldn't help but feel strange.

"I took it from the drawer."

Lin Xiaolu replied with righteous indignation: "I quite like this brand of candy; a teammate from our squad often brings this kind for me."

"Bai Jingxuan?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Her candy was taken from me."

"Oh, so it was taken from you... what?"

Lin Xiaolu looked up in some surprise: "Why was it taken from you?"

"Isn't it because I have a good daughter? Before, she didn't know who she was coaxing me to adopt her teammate every day? You've forgotten?"

Lin Yun said expressionlessly: "She just found her way to me."

He felt there was no need to conceal this matter; after all, it was Lin Xiaolu who had started it before, and Bai Jingxuan herself had already let it slip.

"Ah... that matter... I haven't forgotten..."

Upon hearing Lin Yun mention this, Lin Xiaolu also remembered herself frantically spreading "Senior Cuique and my dad are having an affair" within the Fang Ting City squad before, and was instantly so embarrassed that her toes curled, and her voice naturally became quieter.

At that time, she was also bewitched, firmly believing that the reason Senior Cuique was so good to her was because she wanted to be her stepmother, thus generating a series of absurd deductions; now, thinking about it calmly, it was indeed untenable.

After all, a perfect Magical Girl like Senior Cuique was indeed noble and cold like a Princess, with no reason to be a love-struck fool who sacrificed herself for love.

Rather, looking at Senior Cuique's usual expression as if everyone owed her money, Lin Xiaolu found it hard to imagine what it would really look like if she truly fell in love with someone.

And what reason would such a Magical Girl have to stay for her...

Thinking of this, Lin Xiaolu immediately became visibly much more depressed.

On the other side, seeing that his daughter didn't know what she was overthinking, and that her temperament suddenly became melancholy after a moment of silence, Lin Yun couldn't help but tap the lunch box: "Thinking about what again? I said, if you don't eat, it will get cold."

"... Oh."

Only then was she forcibly dragged out of her own thoughts; probably because the things she thought of indeed had a great impact, Lin Xiaolu rarely retorted, just stared blankly at Lin Yun for a moment, and then nodded.

She reached out to touch the lunch box in front of her, while grinding her back teeth, chewing up the candy she had been holding in her mouth in two bites.

Crack.

A faint crisp sound rang in her mouth; the shattered candy pieces left a slightly prickly texture on her tongue, but were quickly swallowed down the throat. Savoring the last aftertaste of the candy lingering in her mouth, Lin Xiaolu's slightly scattered gaze gradually focused.

She suddenly thought of something.

"This candy... Bai Jingxuan brings it back every couple of days," she couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"Yes, after all, she comes once every few days," Lin Yun replied quite bluntly.

"Huh?"

Lin Xiaolu's voice instantly rose several decibels: "Comes once every few days?"

"Mm, after all, although I didn't adopt her, it's fine to discuss some Magical Girl matters with her in my capacity as the Director of the Anomaly Strategy Bureau and offer some life advice."

Lin Yun nodded: "That child is quite polite most of the time; chatting with her isn't a problem."

"Wait, are you my dad?" Lin Xiaolu looked at Lin Yun in disbelief.

"I am your dad, so what?" Lin Yun looked at Lin Xiaolu, utterly baffled.

"I haven't even been able to come to the Anomaly Strategy Bureau once every few days!"

Lin Xiaolu picked up the chopsticks beside the lunch box and forcefully tapped the table: "You said you'd try not to bring family members into the Anomaly Strategy Bureau, yet she comes running over every day to act spoiled with you? Has she latched onto you?"

"... That statement has a bit too much subjectivity."

Lin Yun slightly turned his gaze aside: "That child just comes over occasionally to chat with me; calling it 'acting spoiled' or whatever..."

"Don't you know what kind of things she's capable of?"

Lin Xiaolu widened her eyes, staring at Lin Yun: "That little girl is just like that at the base every day; she constantly sticks to Senior Cuique's side saying things that make people envious, then hugs and cuddles, and even frequently has the nerve to call out a few 'Mamas,' simply making people envious to the point of... making it unbearable to look! Anyway, isn't it the same routine when she comes to find you?"

This time, Lin Yun completely turned his face away.

Lin Xiaolu's words were rough but the logic was sound; although her speech was quite emotional, she was indeed stating a fact.

As the person involved, he actually fully felt how clingy Bai Jingxuan had been recently.

Usually, when Senior Cuique was at the base, she liked to follow behind Senior Cuique, wanting to help with a little bit of everything; occasionally, she would very obediently request some intimate interactions, like having her head patted or getting a hug... If no one was at the base and she didn't need to patrol, she would run to the Director's office of the Anomaly Strategy Bureau and pester Lin Yun, talking about small things she encountered in her daily life.

If this behavior didn't count as acting spoiled... then that would indeed be speaking against one's conscience; one had to admit Lin Xiaolu was stating a fact.

But Lin Yun also knew that the main driving force behind this was still himself.

After all, considering Bai Jingxuan's physical and mental health, he also hoped the other party could establish bonds with more people, and had even made certain declarations, wanting to become someone Bai Jingxuan "cared about."

Precisely because of his declaration and promise, both Senior Cuique and Lin Yun were viewed by Bai Jingxuan as "targets one can act spoiled with," thus evolving to the current situation.

"... If you want, you can come too."

Thinking of this, Lin Yun really felt embarrassed to say anything contradictory, so he could only speak somewhat stiffly, trying to change the subject: "I just didn't know you were interested in the Anomaly Strategy Bureau before."

"I have no interest in the Anomaly Strategy Bureau; rather, I don't have time to run over to your place every day like that girl."

Lin Xiaolu said with slight dissatisfaction: "Besides working as a Magical Girl, I also have to go to school; how could I be so free?"

"Then during holidays or when you're free..."

"Holidays? If I have that time, I'll definitely stay at the base."

Lin Xiaolu widened her eyes: "You don't know that if this continues, Senior Cuique will definitely have her attention completely drawn away by her! By then, there won't be any place for me in the squad!"

"Cough, cough, cough..." Lin Yun coughed repeatedly upon hearing this.

What Lin Xiaolu said was not false; he indeed should have known about this matter.

Because this was the "fact" Lin Xiaolu told him a few nights ago under the guise of seeking consultation.

In Lin Xiaolu's view, Bai Jingxuan had become a substantial threat, constantly drawing Senior Cuique's attention away, causing Senior Cuique to pay her far less attention than before.

Regarding this matter, her sense of crisis had existed for a long time; she had felt it as early as when Bai Jingxuan joined the team, but only recently had she become completely unable to sit still.

It wasn't just because Bai Jingxuan's ability cultivation speed far surpassed her own, but also because the other party possessed a huge advantage compared to her—she could demand more love without any restraint.

Compared to Bai Jingxuan, who could often act spoiled and use various methods to deepen their intimate relationship, Lin Xiaolu, although substantially very envious, dared not imitate her at all.

Because she was always worried about one thing: whether Senior Cuique's care for her was a legacy from her mother.

This point, after she won the competition against Bai'an City, made people care even more.

If the truth was really so, then it would mean Senior Cuique's feelings for her were more about responsibility; the more she demanded care like Bai Jingxuan, pressing step by step, the more she would push Senior Cuique away, until finally even the current relationship could not be maintained.

Rather, if the other party truly cared for her because of her mother, perhaps she should instead show herself to be stronger and more independent, because that would be more like Mother Anya's personality, and would actually satisfy Senior Cuique.

She threw this question to Lin Yun, but obviously, Lin Yun had no way to solve it either.

After all, he couldn't tell his daughter, "Your thoughts are completely groundless worries; you don't need to worry about such things at all, because only you are my biological child."

Unable to say such words, he naturally could only pretend to be an onlooker, smoothing things over on one side while offering some harmless suggestions on the other.

Like saying, "Perhaps you should go confirm it with her personally," or "You should have more confidence in yourself," but no matter how one said it, it was no different than scratching an itch through a boot; it simply couldn't hit the real pain point.

"It's the New Year; talking about this now is useless. You eat first."

In the end, he could only continue to change the subject in this way.

Of course, although he said so, in fact, regarding this matter, Lin Yun did have some room for maneuver; it's just that these things could probably only be accomplished by Senior Cuique.

In his view, the most important point of the whole matter was to help his daughter build up self-confidence.

If Lin Xiaolu herself lacked self-confidence, then even if he used Senior Cuique's identity to go and tell her personally, saying "how special you are," it would probably be of no use.

After all, Senior Cuique hadn't failed to say such words.

The victory in the competition against Bai'an City was a very good start; rather, it was precisely because of this victory that Lin Xiaolu had the courage to bring this matter to the table and face her own needs.

And next, letting her gain more confidence would be what allowed her to believe she deserved to be treated differently.

What should be done, and how to achieve it? This was the problem Senior Cuique had to think about in the next stage.

Thus, the Director's office returned to silence for a moment; Lin Xiaolu, burdened with worries, silently ate her rice, while Lin Yun remained silent, thinking about future plans; the silence of the two became a tacit understanding.

This atmosphere continued until Lin Xiaolu finished her meal; the two stayed together wordlessly for a while longer before it was Lin Xiaolu's turn to break the deadlock first:

"Where is the restroom?"

While asking this, she stacked all the lunch boxes in her hand together, looking as if she intended to take these things with her.

"The restroom? The nearest one should be: go out, turn right, walk to the end, turn left, walk forward a few dozen meters, and look to your right," Lin Yun answered subconsciously.

"Oh." Having received her answer, Lin Xiaolu didn't delay; she picked up the lunch boxes and stood up: "I'll take these things out to throw them away on the way."

As soon as her words fell, she had already walked out the door; shortly after, the sound of footsteps fading away came from the corridor outside.

Only then did the solemn atmosphere enveloping the Director's office become much more relaxed.

No longer needing to discuss those embarrassing questions with his daughter, Lin Yun felt a slight relief in his heart and unconsciously let out a long sigh. Sitting still for a moment, he tidied the desk before returning to his own office table.

The evening duty was not without extra work; at the very least, he could now process another batch of documents.

—Thump, thump.

Just as he picked up a stack of papers, as if deliberately denying him any time to catch his breath, the door to the Bureau Chief's office was suddenly knocked upon.

Had Lin Xiaolu returned? Was that too soon?

Such a thought flashed through his mind, but Lin Yun did not ponder it further. He merely used a thread of magic to sense outside the door; detecting no abnormal fluctuations in magic, he turned and said, "Come in."

Thus, the door to the Bureau Chief's office was pushed open from the outside. Entering the office along with him was a guest who was neither familiar nor entirely unfamiliar to Lin Yun.

Undoubtedly, the visitor was not Lin Xiaolu, and this person's appearance seemed both unreasonable and against regulations.

"Ah, Happy New Year, Bureau Chief Lin."

The visitor was none other than Scar, a Claw Mark cadre who had met Lin Yun and Senior Cuique on several occasions before and even clashed with them once.

(End of this chapter)