Chapter 13: The Person I Like

They were already about to eat at Lin Ciwei’s place, but Jiang Zhu still hadn’t found a good opportunity.

Lin Ciwei had made a few home-cooked dishes.

Everyone sat down at the table.

Lin Ciwei and Jiang He talked about everything from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to high school.

They occasionally mentioned Jiang Zhu and reminisced about the past, making the atmosphere increasingly ambiguous.

Lin Ciwei even served him food a few times.

Each time, she would sneak a glance at him, as if confirming he wasn’t disgusted.

Jiang He sat across from them, her gaze drifting between the two, holding back a smile.

Her expression said, “I know everything, but I’m not saying anything.”

Even Jiang Zhu was affected by the mood.

He stopped thinking about how to annoy Lin Ciwei again.

He stopped talking and simply immersed himself in the environment, enjoying this long-awaited reunion.

This atmosphere lasted until Jiang He said she had something to do in the afternoon and needed to go back.

Only then did Jiang Zhu wake up as if from a dream.

He pushed Jiang He out of Lin Ciwei’s door.

This time, he was completely defeated.

Not only had he failed to lower his affection level with Lin Ciwei, but he had also made himself recall all those little moments from childhood.

The images he thought had long been blurred by time were dug up today by Jiang He and Lin Ciwei.

They lingered in his mind, impossible to shake off.

That cute, clingy childhood friend gradually broke free from the cold label of Lian Ge in his mind.

She turned back into the Lin Ciwei he knew.

‘How come… it feels like my own affection level has increased?’

The image of Lin Ciwei’s dependence and trust in him from childhood to now emerged in Jiang Zhu’s mind.

The evil plan he had been concocting vanished into thin air.

Even his desire to cut ties with Lin Ciwei began to waver.

The idea of giving up on shedding his Magical Girl identity and forming a Magical Girl Squad with her for life quietly surfaced.

‘…It wouldn’t be so bad to just admit I’m Feng Ling. The income from being a Magical Girl isn’t enough to live lavishly, but as long as I’m with the people who love me and whom I love, wouldn’t it be alright to live a warm life with Lin Ciwei like this?’

“Bro, what are you spacing out about? Push faster. Sprint, sprint.”

Jiang He noticed the wheelchair’s speed drop significantly.

She elbowed Jiang Zhu in the waist and urged him impatiently.

“I’m tired.”

Jiang Zhu replied to Jiang He with a blank face.

But inside, his thoughts were churning, and his back was covered in cold sweat.

‘…That was close. I almost fell into this woman’s gentle trap.’

As expected of a Captain-class innocent Magical Girl.

Even a hard-hearted miser like him almost got taken in.

Lost in his fantasy, Jiang Zhu almost forgot his original ambition.

He only thought about spending the rest of his life this way.

He was a man meant to become a8.

How could he let a mere childhood friend hinder his path and be content to be poor with her for life?

Jiang Zhu immediately drove these fantasies out of his mind.

His eyes became firm again.

It was normal to have such random thoughts—he had to admit that.

Just like the night before last, when he had rushed to save Lian Ge without regard for his own safety.

It was an irrational act driven by emotion, a product of adrenaline and dopamine working together.

This kind of emotional impulse was indeed unavoidable.

After all, he wasn’t a soulless robot.

But being unavoidable didn’t mean it couldn’t be overcome.

After calm reflection, he quickly came up with a plan.

Jiang Zhu pushed Jiang He to the subway station.

Just as he stopped at the ticket gate and let go to scan the QR code, Jiang He rolled her wheelchair forward two steps on her own, escaping Jiang Zhu’s control.

“You can leave me here. Bro, hurry back and keep your wife company.”

She turned her head, winked at him, and smirked with ill intent.

“Wife? Don’t talk nonsense, okay?”

Jiang Zhu casually retorted.

But Jiang He didn’t care.

She just gave Jiang Zhu a thumbs up, stuck out her tongue, and rolled away.

Jiang Zhu walked out of the subway station and stood once again on the scorching afternoon street.

He retraced his steps and soon arrived at Lin Ciwei’s building.

After rehearsing the plan in his mind a little, Jiang Zhu walked up determinedly and knocked on the door.

“Jiang Zhu-ge, why are you back?”

“I want to talk to you about something.”

“What is it…”

Lin Ciwei stepped aside.

The two entered the living room and sat down on the sofa.

The chessboard on the coffee table was still spread out, with pieces carelessly placed to the side, forming a small pile of red and black.

“Xiao Lin, what do you think is the most important thing in a marriage?”

“Why did you suddenly start talking about this…”

Lin Ciwei’s fingers touched the ends of her hair, a little at a loss.

“After all, we’re in a blind date right now. It’s always good to understand each other’s values.”

“Th-that’s true.”

Lin Ciwei nodded and straightened up.

“The most important thing is definitely love. If a family is formed solely for money, then it can’t be called a family at all.”

“I think so too. Love comes first.”

Jiang Zhu followed her words smoothly.

Hearing Jiang Zhu’s reply, Lin Ciwei breathed a sigh of relief.

“Do you love me?”

Jiang Zhu asked.

“Th-this… How would I know…”

Lin Ciwei had completely not expected Jiang Zhu to ask so directly.

Her mind went blank for a moment.

“Why wouldn’t you know? Just tell me how you see me.”

“To be honest, I don’t know what love feels like… But I think Jiang Zhu-ge is a trustworthy person. Although there are some… um, flaws, and he seems very particular about money…”

Lin Ciwei spoke seriously and sincerely.

“But I believe that the two of us can slowly get better.”

Seeing Lin Ciwei like this, although Jiang Zhu felt a pang of pity, he also understood the principle of cutting losses quickly.

He hardened his heart and said, “Xiao Lin, I’m sorry.”

“Why are you saying that?”

“Because I don’t like you.”

“Don’t… like me?”

“That’s right. I’ve never felt happy being with you.”

Lin Ciwei nodded blankly.

Jiang Zhu continued.

“You should know, when a man says ‘don’t like’ to a girl, he’s actually under more pressure. By rejecting you, I can’t explain it to my parents either. That’s why I was waiting for you to reject me first.”

“I’m bringing it up now because I think dragging it out is a waste of time for both of us. Raising it earlier is better for everyone.”

A brief silence fell in the living room.

Jiang Zhu expected Lin Ciwei to react—maybe hysterical shouting, maybe crying regardless.

But Lin Ciwei remained in that dazed state, nodding stiffly.

She nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“I understand.”

“About tomorrow’s blind date, just pretend I showed up, okay?”

“Mm.”

“Don’t be so down. We’re still childhood friends, aren’t we? You can come to me if you have any trouble. It’s not like we have to cut ties and never see each other again just because we’re not getting married.”

“R-right… that’s true.”

Lin Ciwei recovered a bit and waved at Jiang Zhu as he was about to leave.

“Then it’s settled. Make sure to cover for me about the blind date, okay?”

“Okay.”

The plan went more smoothly than expected.

But actually saying it left him a little melancholic.

He had let down a girl who loved him.

“Then… Jiang Zhu-ge, is there someone you like?”

At this point, answering “no” would be the safest option.

Telling her that he simply didn’t like her, not that he was choosing between someone else, would leave no way back.

But Jiang Zhu didn’t do that.

An option popped into his mind.

He said to it:

“I like the Magical Girl, Feng Ling.”