Chapter Ten: Meet Elsewhere, Not in the Library

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Shining Yu sat on the sofa in the reading corner, having changed out of the plain sportswear she wore in the bike room into an oversized sweatshirt in shades of pink and white. The white pleated skirt was mostly covered, only a bit of the hem peeking out, making her legs appear even longer.

Her slender calves were clad in slouchy socks adorned with pom-poms, and her hair tie was a fluffy ball as well. Coupled with the cute animal print on the sweatshirt, she looked like a soft, harmless little creature.

Though she still wore twin ponytails and bore the same beautiful yet mischievous face, she appeared entirely different from the clumsy girl he had met in the bar’s restroom.

At the same time, she spotted Fu Lan and let out a small surprised “Ah,” then winked at him without saying much.

The woman in formal attire sitting opposite her glanced up, adjusted her glasses politely, paused over the documents in her lap, and waited until Shining Yu turned back to continue their previous conversation.

All this happened within seconds, but Fu Lan’s distracted demeanor had already annoyed his superior greatly.

Clearing his throat heavily, the leader barked, “Engineer Fu, what’s with that attitude? Didn’t you hear us talking?”

Fu Lan snapped back to attention and bowed his head apologetically. “Sorry, sir, I’ll fix it right away.”

He entered the conference hall, his mind racing over how Shining Yu could be here. He distinctly remembered never telling her where he worked now—must be a coincidence, right?

Who was that woman with her? Was she here for business? But that woman hardly looked like someone involved in the Magic Ember trade.

He quickly connected the projector, then was called into the office by his boss for a long reprimand. Half-listening, he paid little mind to the scolding but was quite bothered by the heavy smoke smell in the room.

The doctor had warned him not to smoke, and secondhand smoke surely counted too—his chest felt tight.

When he returned to the first floor, the woman who had been with Shining Yu had already left.

Shining Yu, wearing a mischievous smile, leaned close and said, “So you’re working here now, Teacher Fu. Being a corporate slave isn’t easy.”

Fu Lan was at a loss, realizing she must have witnessed the earlier scolding. Rubbing his forehead, he asked, “How did you end up here?”

“I came to see a friend.”

“A friend? That one just now?”

“Yeah, what’s so strange about that?” Shining Yu studied him. “What’s that look? Am I not allowed to have friends?”

Fu Lan relaxed a bit, cautioning himself not to be overly paranoid. Of course she had friends; Magic Ember wasn’t her entire life.

Shining Yu blinked, flashing her signature little devil smile. “You think I was here for business? Well, in a way, yes. But it’s unrelated to our trade—I just had some personal commissions to discuss with her.

“Come to think of it, this place is quite suitable for meetings.”

“In a library?” Fu Lan raised an eyebrow.

“Why not? No rule says people like us can only meet in bars or nightclubs. Don’t be so stereotyped.” She glanced around seriously as if considering it. “Wide views, multiple escape routes, and the security isn’t strict at all—perfect, really.”

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Fu Lan glanced back warily, whispering, “I warn you, don’t cause trouble where I work.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find another library. Can’t drag you into this.” Shining Yu grinned, whether joking or not, he couldn’t tell.

He had no reply, just sighed and changed the subject. “Tomorrow’s meeting won’t change, right?”

“No surprises, everything will go as planned.”

“Alright, I’ve got work to do. Suit yourself.”

Shining Yu poked a finger out from her long sleeve and waved obediently as he left.

Elsewhere, Fu Linxing and Zhong Zihao, having finished a patriotic lecture, were now enjoying free time at the exhibition, whispering in a corner away from the crowd.

Zhong Zihao said, “...If you were looking for someone, why bother with all that trouble? I’m a magic girl enthusiast—I’d know about these things.”

Fu Linxing replied, “That topic’s off-limits. Who knows your boundaries…”

Zhong Zihao eagerly asked, “Did you bring the artworks?”

“No way I’m checking them here. I’ll wait for a better chance. Mainly, I want you to see if those pieces are by the same person.”

Fu Linxing was out of options. After trying hard last night, he realized he couldn’t figure it out alone and finally enlisted Zhong Zihao’s help.

“Alright, I’ll take a look later.”

“Also, I want to ask…” Fu Linxing’s voice dropped even lower, “Why does she only have that kind of work?”

“No idea. I hadn’t paid attention before to characters based on real people having this issue. But I need to correct your view: even if she only has that kind of work, it doesn’t mean she’s like that herself...

“Magic girls are heroes who protect humanity. Even if they die in battle, they won’t willingly endure such humiliation. Those fan creations aren’t connected to them personally, and aren’t necessarily defamation—rather, they’re a... special form of emotional expression. You get me?” Zhong Zihao said solemnly.

“I get it, I get it… Ah, never mind, my dad seems to have finished talking.” Fu Linxing motioned for his classmate to continue exploring the exhibit while he hurried to catch up with a worried-looking Fu Lan. “Old Fu!”

Fu Lan was startled. “What are you doing here?” That was his second shock today.

“The school organized this visit today. Forgot to tell you. I saw you fixing the projector when you went on stage.”

He thought to himself with some embarrassment that he had been so preoccupied with magic girls yesterday that he forgot to mention it.

“Oh, I didn’t realize it was your school this afternoon.”

Fu Lan silently blamed himself for worrying about Shining Yu coming over while fixing the projector.

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Fu Linxing glanced at Shining Yu still watching them from afar and asked, “Who’s that girl talking to you?”

“An old student.”

“You taught at a tutoring center? I thought that was for middle schoolers—she’s been attending since elementary?”

Fu Lan chuckled inwardly but kept a straight face. “She’s eighteen now, just hasn’t grown much since then.”

Fu Linxing made a long “oh” sound but didn’t avert his gaze. Fu Lan looked back to see Shining Yu still standing there, and a strange alarm bell rang in his mind.

“Don’t stare. Thinking of chasing her?” Fu Lan waved his hand in front of his son. “Looking out for adult pleasures at your age? Impressive.”

Fu Linxing rolled his eyes. “You’re the one with the nerve. She’s twenty years younger than you. I remind you, your divorce isn’t finalized yet.”

Fu Lan punched his shoulder. “No respect for elders.” Both laughed.

After the laughter, Fu Lan saw Shining Yu finally leave and breathed a sigh of relief. He said to Fu Linxing, “You still have to write a reflection on the exhibition, right? Go enjoy the exhibit—I’ve got work.”

“Actually, I don’t.” Fu Linxing said, then fell silent. His smile stiffened. He wasn’t sure whether to ask about something.

Thinking that Zhong Zihao was close to some breakthrough, he decided not to escalate things further.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, just came to say hi.”

“Is that so…” Fu Lan pondered and decided to exercise his fatherly authority. “By the way, have you seen a copy of Faust in the study?”

Fu Linxing’s body went cold but he feigned innocence. “What’s that?”

“Faust. It’s a poetic drama.”

“Why would I read that? It’s not a required classic for school, is it?”

“Oh, I saw a lot of middle schoolers borrowing that book lately. Thought the school required it. Never mind then. I’m off to work.”

“Okay…”

Fu Linxing watched Fu Lan enter the elevator, wiped the sweat from his palms, and thought: This is it. He’s found out.

Fu Lan stared at the slowly closing elevator doors, clenched his fist, and thought: This is it. He’s found out.