“Xinglan, cut it out! And recharging your magic power doesn’t have to be done this way… Pull your tentacles back, don’t put them in!”
Ye Xinglan’s tentacles were flexible and slippery. Xiaoxi’s face was flushed red.
For a moment, she couldn’t grab the slick tentacle and couldn’t pull it out.
“This method is just more efficient for magic power replenishment, isn’t that common knowledge? You write those palace dramas and don’t even know this?”
“Common knowledge my foot! No, no, I still need to make dinner. At least wait until tonight…”
Ye Xinglan ignored her, as if she was convinced that as long as she used “recharging magic power” as an excuse, Xiaoxi would have no way to refuse. Her actions were wild and bold.
“Not in the kitchen! At least wait till we’re back in the bedroom, mmph…”
Maybe if she touched these tentacles more often, she wouldn’t be so resistant to them anymore?
That thought suddenly popped into her mind, and Xiaoxi’s waist went soft as she gave up resisting.
This time, Ye Xinglan listened. Her tentacles firmly supported Xiaoxi and lifted her up.
Just like a primitive man grabbing a wild boar, Ye Xinglan gave an excited “woohoo” and carried her prey back to the bedroom.
It looked like a cruel battle was about to unfold.
“Xinglan, we still have business to attend to tomorrow, don’t go overboard… And don’t extend so many at once! Retract them, all of them!”
Inside the bedroom, Xiaoxi’s voice was half-scolding, half-frightened.
———
The next day, in the underground facilities of the Magic Girl Association of Xiahai City.
Xiaoxi’s slouching posture and panda eyes formed a stark contrast to Ye Xinglan’s energetic appearance.
When Miss L rode the elevator down with them and saw this scene, she almost burst out laughing—fortunately, her professional demeanor kept her in check.
There were already plenty of facilities beneath the Association, just as Ms. Black Rose said last time.
The Association was like a great tree with tangled roots underground.
Departments like Research and other confidential projects were never handled above ground.
However, this time the place Xiaoxi and the others were going wasn’t as deep as the Hidden Bone Hall where Black Rose went.
After just half a minute, the elevator stopped.
The corridor was dull and plain white. All of the Association’s underground facilities seemed to follow this style, without the slightest bit of decoration.
At the moment, Xiaoxi was pacing back and forth in the corridor, waiting.
The Council was going to talk to the two of them separately.
Right now, Ye Xinglan was in the conference room on the other side of the wall, talking with the Six Seats.
Even though Xiaoxi knew there was no danger in this meeting, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.
But before Ye Xinglan came out, another unexpected guest appeared at the end of the corridor—Mo Lan’er.
When she saw Xiaoxi, she clearly froze for a moment, then greeted her in a calm and friendly manner.
Xiaoxi was also observing Mo Lan’er. Only after learning Ye Xinglan’s true identity did she realize that the housekeeper Miss was actually Alanbel [Mo Lan’er].
Thankfully, Mo Lan’er had the sense not to tell her her real name; otherwise, Xiaoxi probably would’ve guessed long ago that Ye Xinglan was the Blood Moon Witch.
Mo Lan’er in front of her was dressed impeccably.
Aside from a medicated patch on her right wrist, she looked… perfectly fine. Xiaoxi knew it sounded weird, but that was exactly how she felt.
Because she suddenly remembered: on the day Ye Xinglan lost control, Alanbel fainted not far away.
Logically speaking, the crimson storm from that not-fully-lost-control moment should have swallowed Mo Lan’er up without a trace.
“Maybe I just got lucky,” Mo Lan’er volunteered an explanation.
“The spot where I fainted was actually inside a shop. When the young lady lost control, the ruins collapsed a second time, and I happened to fall into the shop’s basement.”
“Then, a huge slab that fell from above just happened to block the hole. So I wasn’t affected at all, only sprained my wrist when I fell.”
Xiaoxi fell silent. She suddenly envied Mo Lan’er’s kind of ability—snapping up luck at the right moment, it was really mysterious and useful, with incredibly high potential!
“As for the young lady, I must apologize to you. I misunderstood you before, Miss Xiaoxi… The young lady doesn’t have any major faults, she’s just a bit spoiled in daily life. Please be patient with her, Miss Xiaoxi.”
As they shook hands, Xiaoxi couldn’t help but feel like she was meeting her girlfriend’s parent.
Although Mo Lan’er called her “young lady” with every other word, her role felt more like a doting father, wary that Xiaoxi might be the brat who’d snatch his cabbage away.
Now that Xiaoxi still stood steadfastly by Ye Xinglan’s side, it proved a lot.
Mo Lan’er’s attitude had shifted to that of a devoted father-in-law entrusting his daughter to her son-in-law.
Mo Lan’er was a bit surprised that Xiaoxi accepted the young lady’s identity as the Blood Moon Witch so quickly.
She’d thought ordinary people would be more wary of the Blood Moon Witch.
Now Xiaoxi knew where Ye Xinglan’s little rich-girl attitude came from… Mo Lan’er was the real rich woman here, and it looked like she’d spoiled Ye Xinglan rotten.
Perhaps guessing Xiaoxi’s thoughts, Mo Lan’er spoke up,
“The young lady really is innocent and cheerful by nature, but she’s never used my resources to do anything tyrannical or wasteful. Up to now, she’s only asked me to use my resources to help her once.”
Xiaoxi pouted. Innocent and cheerful… This was the first time she’d heard someone use that to describe the Blood Moon Witch, but she politely continued the conversation.
“What did she ask you to help with?”
“I’ve been using my resources to help the young lady search for Eternal Star, but there hasn’t been much progress so far. That person’s really hidden deep.”
“Ahem… So, Housekeeper Miss, are you here to talk with the Council too?” Xiaoxi quickly laughed awkwardly and changed the topic.
“Well, snatching the Blood Moon Witch away from Hidden Bone Hall is a big deal, the Council would surely trouble you about it. Are you alright?”
“Mm… Miss Xiaoxi, actually the young lady wasn’t rescued from Hidden Bone Hall by me.”
“Eh?”
Xiaoxi was stunned. Mo Lan’er had the strength and the motive, so she’d always assumed Mo Lan’er was the one who pulled Ye Xinglan out of Hidden Bone Hall.
“To be honest, I always wanted to rescue the young lady,” Mo Lan’er lowered her voice, “But I didn’t have a thorough plan ready before someone else rescued her from Hidden Bone Hall.”
“The young lady herself doesn’t know how she was rescued either. That person just delivered her to me, and I’ve just been helping to keep her identity hidden ever since.”
Xiaoxi frowned. If Mo Lan’er was the one who did it, it would be easier to deal with, but now there was a mysterious person with unclear motives, powerful enough to pull someone out of Hidden Bone Hall—this was troublesome.
“In the end, I’ve just been helping the young lady hide her identity, which isn’t a big deal. Besides, my Group and the Association have a lot of collaborations. The Council won’t make things too hard for me. But if the Council gives you trouble, Miss Xiaoxi, you can always ask me for help.”
Now Xiaoxi understood—the most effective way to deal with the Council was to be filthy rich…
Thinking about it, it was wild: old enemies who fought to the death on the battlefield now willingly offering a helping hand.
She’d never dreamed that Alanbel and the Blood Moon Witch would one day become her father-in-law and girlfriend!
At that moment, Ye Xinglan finally finished her conversation and came out of the meeting room. Both of them hurried over to her with concern.
Xiaoxi had always treated today’s talk as a verbal spar with the Council, expecting the atmosphere to be tense.
But strangely, Ye Xinglan didn’t look troubled at all—on the contrary, she was blushing, wringing her hands, and looking rather shy.
The moment she came out, she impatiently pushed Xiaoxi toward the meeting room.
“Hey, Xinglan, stop pushing… What’s got you so eager for me to go in and talk!”
Ye Xinglan said nothing. After shoving Xiaoxi in, she gave Mo Lan’er a “shush” gesture and pressed herself to the door, clearly trying to eavesdrop.
The door closed behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, Xiaoxi saw Ye Xinglan’s pose and was completely baffled… Wait, what exactly did the Six Seats talk about with Ye Xinglan?
Inside the meeting room, the decor was as plain and white as the corridor.
Across from the empty chair was a row of screens standing like mirrors, giving off a heavy, oppressive feeling.
The figures on the screens were intentionally pixelated and blurry.
The Six Seats really knew how to play mysterious. In fact, only the Astrologer was actually present.
Although the Astrologer hid her face, Xiaoxi still noticed the upward curve of her lips and the smiling eyes directed at her…
Wait, what exactly did the Six Seats talk to Ye Xinglan about? This atmosphere was nothing like she expected!
The Six Seats didn’t introduce themselves much, just exchanged a few polite greetings with Xiaoxi before starting the interview.
The mood was much more relaxed than she’d imagined.
Xiaoxi wasn’t sure if it was thanks to the Astrologer mediating, but she strongly suspected it had something to do with Ye Xinglan’s earlier conversation.
As for the questions, they were pretty much the same as what the Astrologer had told her to expect: mainly verifying whether Xiaoxi could reliably supervise Ye Xinglan and clarifying Xiaoxi’s stance…
Honestly, even if the Astrologer hadn’t told her, her answers wouldn’t have been much different.
The meeting ended much quicker than Xiaoxi anticipated.
She and the Six Seats confirmed the basic terms of supervising Ye Xinglan, and after about twenty minutes, all the Astrologer’s leaked questions were answered.
Yet, everything going so smoothly actually made Xiaoxi a bit uneasy.
The questions for her and Ye Xinglan were basically the same, but Ye Xinglan had stayed in the meeting room for nearly forty minutes before coming out!
“Heh, looks like our negotiation went very smoothly. That’s a good thing,” said an old voice. “Now, the final question—”
Xiaoxi tensed up. Wasn’t that all the questions? Why was there another? Was the Six Seats about to give them a hard time after all?
“Miss Xiaoxi, why do you like Ye Xinglan? Or, what do you like about her?”
Xiaoxi: “???”
What was this? Wasn’t this supposed to be a Council interview? Why did it turn into a dating show?
“Do I have to answer this question?”
A mechanical voice replied affirmatively: “Of course. In fact, this is the most important question of all. Miss Ye Xinglan also answered this just now.”
In that moment, Xiaoxi understood why Ye Xinglan had eagerly pressed her ear to the door to eavesdrop. So that’s how it was!
Wait—did that mean Ye Xinglan had spent all that time in the meeting room just answering this question?
“I…”
Only then did Xiaoxi realize she couldn’t instantly say why she liked Ye Xinglan.
And having to answer something so embarrassing in front of others was way too much!
Why did she like Ye Xinglan?
Words still couldn’t quite sum it up, but flashes of memories with Ye Xinglan kept popping into her mind—not any earth-shattering events, just a series of trivial little things.
Why did she like Ye Xinglan…
……
A little while later, face still red, Xiaoxi finished answering the question and left the meeting room.
Ye Xinglan, who had been eavesdropping at the door, instantly straightened up with a “whoosh” and pouted in dissatisfaction.
Hmph! Why was this stupid meeting room so soundproof? Even her tentacles couldn’t pick up a sound! And why did Xiaoxi come out so fast?
Xiaoxi had also made a few requests during the meeting, but the Six Seats didn’t give her any direct answers.
Apparently, they still needed to discuss it privately. Xiaoxi wasn’t in a hurry for an answer.
Once Mo Lan’er finished, she dragged Ye Xinglan off and left the Association.
Mo Lan’er drove the two of them home. Along the way, Ye Xinglan was clearly itching to speak. She suddenly asked,
“By the way, that big sister from the Council said there might be things she’ll need my help with in the future. I guess that means I’ve joined the Association, right? Does that make us colleagues now?”
“…If you want to call it that, I guess. Why?”
Xiaoxi figured the “big sister” Ye Xinglan mentioned was probably the Astrologer.
She herself had just brought this up with the Council—that she and Ye Xinglan could help, but only if she confirmed what the task was before agreeing.
“So does this mean we’re now an office romance? Just thinking about it feels so spicy…”
Ye Xinglan hugged Xiaoxi’s waist and whined, “Sirius Senior, if I run into anything at work I don’t understand, can I ask you for guidance?”
Xiaoxi: “…”
Good grief, Ye Xinglan really only ever thinks about these kinds of dirty jokes, huh? If a setting makes it easier for you to be lewd, you’ll just accept it right away!
Xiaoxi knocked Ye Xinglan on the head.
“Then as a junior at work, shouldn’t you listen to your senior? Not that I’ve seen you be that obedient. Like yesterday, when I was making dinner and you—”
“Not at all!” Ye Xinglan wagged her finger,
“There are lots of types of office romance, okay? I want to be the kind where I’m meek and submissive at work, getting scolded by my boss, then after hours, I turn the tables and pounce on my cool older boss in the office!”
Mo Lan’er, driving up front, looked conflicted and seemed like she wanted to say something, but Xiaoxi beat her to it.
“Housekeeper Miss, you don’t need to say anything. I’ll make sure she cuts down on that kind of stuff once we get home.”
And she meant it. That night, instead of letting Ye Xinglan drag her into some workplace play, Xiaoxi slipped away under cover of darkness to the Black Market to find the Astrologer.