“You’re called Qiuli, right? An autumn chestnut… That’s a lovely name. Do you like eating chestnuts?”
Qiuli: “……”
Wange Yue stubbornly continued using a handkerchief to clean Qiuli’s face. This time, Qiuli didn’t refuse.
She just lowered her eyelids, mechanically repeating the same words from before.
“Just kill me.”
As someone at death’s door, Qiuli didn’t even bother reacting anymore, nor did she care what this woman in front of her was scheming.
She had done so many wicked things; dying now would hardly be an injustice.
People who have lost both desire and hope are the quickest to disregard their own lives. At that time, that was exactly how Qiuli felt.
Her past life had been numb and meaningless. After helping Bounty Hunters steal so many things as a Corpse Collector only to get caught, the future looked hopeless.
Anyway, for someone like her, nothing really mattered anymore.
Qiuli hadn’t noticed that trace of genuine sorrow in Wange Yue’s eyes then, just as it would be a long time before she understood why Wange Yue always dragged her and Silver Bell out to have fun, no matter how shamelessly persistent she was.
For her, it was to help Qiuli rekindle a passion and hope for life. As for Silver Bell… maybe it was to help her overcome her social anxiety?
Anyway, at that time, Wange Yue let out a gentle sigh. Qiuli didn’t reply, so she just kept talking.
“I really do like chestnuts. It’s a shame that, even though the flesh is soft and sticky, the shell is always so hard and difficult to peel. But later on, I realized…”
Wange Yue used both hands to gently pinch Qiuli’s thin cheeks. “As long as you use the right technique, like this—‘crack’—even the hardest chestnut shell can be opened easily…”
“So—how about you join the Magical Girl Association? I’ll help take care of the paperwork for you.”
The sudden turn in the conversation made Qiuli shake off Wange Yue’s hands and stare at her in shock.
“What do you mean? Don’t you know I’m a Corpse Collector for the Bounty Hunters? Why would you…”
“When judging a person, I trust my own eyes more.”
“Ridiculous. Even if you can break the Bounty Hunters’ hold on me, we only just met, right? What kind of person do you think I am?”
Wange Yue stood up, drew a cross in front of her, and lightly placed a kiss on Qiuli’s forehead.
“May the Father above bless you, poor child.”
Qiuli stared at Wange Yue in disbelief. This woman actually thought someone like her was pitiable? Was this some kind of mockery?
Before leaving the cell, Wange Yue paused at the door. “Joining the Association is mandatory. You have no right to refuse. Since you also think you’re guilty, then atone for your crimes with real action in the Association.”
“So, until your sins are atoned for, you’re not allowed to mention dying again. After you’ve paid for your crimes, you can think whatever you like.”
Wange Yue walked away, her footsteps fading as her voice echoed faintly from the stairs.
“If you die before your sins are atoned for, you’ll go straight to hell…”
……
By the time lunch was nearly over, Qiuli’s little story had also wrapped up.
Ye Xinglan listened attentively, a french fry still in her mouth, looking just like a little hamster absorbed in a melon.
“So in the end, Wange Yue and the Silverflame Dragon Princess both vouched for me so I could join the Association, and that’s how it is up to now—that’s the story.”
“So, has that satisfied your curiosity about why a Corpse Collector like me was able to join the Association?”
“What the hell, so she actually kissed you?”
Xiaoxi thumped Ye Xinglan on the head with a “bonk.”
Fortunately, Qiuli didn’t seem to mind the remark, and after lunch, as agreed, she waved and left by herself. Xiaoxi watched her back, lost in thought.
After hearing all that, it was no wonder Qiuli would say she stayed in the Association to repay Wange Yue’s kindness. That kind of debt could never truly be paid back.
Xiaoxi didn’t think Qiuli was lying about this. She could easily confirm it with Silver Bell or someone else from the Association, but…
Wange Yue’s kindness shouldn’t be the sort to blindly indulge people.
Even if she did feel pity for Qiuli, she shouldn’t have been so soft-hearted as to give a newly met, notorious Corpse Collector such a huge chance, right?
Xiaoxi felt like Qiuli had deliberately left something out of her story just now.
Still, this was already quite the harvest. Xiaoxi pulled her thoughts back and watched the flow of shoppers in the bustling mall.
For a moment, she almost felt like she really was out on a date with Ye Xinglan.
Really, there was nothing about this lively mall that felt dangerous, and they’d just eaten a whole meal at the crime scene without anything strange happening.
Xiaoxi didn’t think the Association’s bait-and-observe tactic would uncover much this time.
Who knows where Qiuli had run off to, but Xiaoxi planned to visit the clothing stores upstairs one by one next.
Besides, one of the missing persons cases had taken place in a clothing shop.
Ye Xinglan looked quite excited: “Perfect, we can pick out a few new outfits! Today, let’s—”
“What’s up?”
Ye Xinglan’s serious expression made Xiaoxi feel, just for a moment, like this little rich lady was about to discuss business.
“Couple’s outfits! All this time, we’ve never even worn a single matching set out together! This is a serious issue!”
“…Forget it, Xinglan. I already have enough clothes.”
Xiaoxi didn’t actually mind the idea of buying couple’s outfits with Ye Xinglan. The issue was, the Magical Girl department didn’t have a uniform dress code, and once they’d bought them, the little rich lady would definitely pester her to wear them out together every day. How embarrassing!
“The stuff you wear every day isn’t cute at all, you know? This is a great chance to pick up some more little dresses for you to wear~ I’ll pay for everything!”
Xiaoxi sighed, helpless: “I don’t really lack money for clothes anymore. The Association pays me plenty each month…”
Ye Xinglan pouted. She suddenly realized that ever since Xiaoxi started earning her own money, she wasn’t as easy to spoil as before.
Turns out, Xiaoxi was best when she relied on her!
Of course, she couldn’t win against Ye Xinglan’s persistent coaxing, so Xiaoxi ended up shopping for clothes with her anyway.
Besides, they needed to investigate this area, too.
Just as expected, Ye Xinglan only picked out cute outfits for her, even grabbing two or three sets of couple’s clothes at once.
If Xiaoxi hadn’t used the excuse of “I can’t carry anymore,” there was no telling how much this little rich lady would have bought today.
But just as Xiaoxi thought she could finally take a break, Ye Xinglan suddenly fixated on a plain dress that she clearly wouldn’t like.
“Oh, right, don’t you think I should buy myself a couple of proper outfits to wear when I go meet your mom at home?”
Most of Ye Xinglan’s clothes these days had been bought for her by Mo Lan’er. They were all expensive and had a strong domineering vibe.
Ye Xinglan knew how important first impressions were.
She was worried that if she showed up in those clothes, she’d give Xiaoxi’s Mother the idea that she was just chasing fashion and not at all the virtuous type.