After the afternoon’s Patrol Mission ended, Yu Hua dispelled his Transformation in the corner of a deserted alley.
The light faded, the skirt hem dissolved into points of light and vanished, and he turned back into an ordinary male college student in a plain T-shirt.
He rubbed his slightly sore shoulders, sighed, and headed toward that upscale Restaurant in the City Center he’d never dared to set foot in before.
The Restaurant’s decor was truly lavish—soft lighting, gentle music, even the air seemed tinged with the scent of money.
Yu Hua found a seat and sat down; there was still a while until the appointed time.
Bored, he took out his phone and opened the Encyclopedia, searching for the Magic Girl he’d seen yesterday.
As the page loaded, the first thing that caught his eye was an official promotional image, striking in its visual impact.
In the picture, the Magic Girl Liu Jin wore a magnificent battle dress of white and gold, her short golden hair sharp and energetic, holding a Sword of Light seemingly forged from pure radiance, her eyes keen and her posture proud.
Below were several high-definition video links of her early battles.
That overwhelming power, her effortless composure while fighting enemies, all showed her status as a top-tier powerhouse.
“Liu Jin… First Generation Hero, S-rank…”
Yu Hua murmured, his finger sliding over those astonishing battle records and titles on the screen.
He couldn’t resist his curiosity and searched his own name—Magic Girl Shui Hua—then compared his own pitiful “C-rank (Support Type)” evaluation and a handful of Patrol Mission records.
A surge of sourness welled up inside him.
“This guy… always so stingy in the Dormitory, even agonizing over whether to add Egg to a serving of Pork Trotter Rice, and in secret turns out to be such a big shot? How much money must he be making…”
Just as he was grumbling inwardly, a familiar figure hurried over at last.
Lin Ling, his roommate, arrived in plain sportswear, a sheepish smile on his face as he sat down opposite Yu Hua.
“Yu Hua, sorry, sorry, I got held up over there by something…”
Lin Ling’s tone carried a barely noticeable tension.
Yu Hua put away his phone slowly, deliberately drawing out his words:
“Brother Lin, you sure have some sway, making me wait here for over half an hour.”
“No, no, I wouldn’t dare ditch you!”
Lin Ling waved his hands quickly, leaning in and lowering his voice, “Something really came up, I rushed over as soon as I finished, didn’t stop for a second.”
“Tsk tsk, such a busy man.”
Yu Hua said sarcastically, “Care to explain, Magic Girl Liu Jin.”
Lin Ling’s face flushed red in an instant.
He glanced furtively around, like a thief, and only after confirming no one was paying attention did he whisper pleadingly:
“Don’t… don’t call me that, please?”
“You want an explanation, but what more can I say? You saw it yourself last night…”
“I just want to know a bit more,” Yu Hua leaned in closer, eyes sparkling with gossip and calculation, “Like, with such a high-profile title, how much do you earn?”
Lin Ling hesitated, held up three fingers, and replied softly, “A-a-around this much…”
“Three hundred thousand a month?”
Yu Hua guessed high.
“It’s… thirty million a year…”
Lin Ling’s voice dropped even lower, and after a pause, he added, “…base salary.”
“Hiss—”
Yu Hua drew in a sharp breath.
He thought of the Internship Contract he’d signed: four thousand a month during the Probation Period, barely breaking ten thousand after Official Promotion…
This guy’s daily base salary was more than Yu Hua’s annual hard-earned income.
A hard-to-describe bitterness and frustration welled up in him.
He stared at Lin Ling, tone complicated:
“Brother Lin, you’re so rich, but in the cafeteria the most expensive thing you eat is a fifteen-yuan Pork Trotter Rice without Egg?”
“I… it’s hard to explain where my money comes from…”
Lin Ling scratched his head awkwardly.
“What’s so hard to explain?”
Yu Hua nearly offered him advice, “Just say your family’s old house was demolished and you got tens of millions in compensation, who’s going to check?”
“Actually, it’s only this year that the pay’s gone up. Back in the years when fighting Anomalous Entities was at its fiercest, even the Department of Paranormal Abilities couldn’t pay this much, so I just got used to it…”
Lin Ling explained, his tone tinged with nostalgia.
“If you ask me, why bother with school?”
Yu Hua leaned back, gesturing at the elegantly decorated Restaurant, “Thirty million a year base salary, you could live off the interest for several lifetimes—just drop out and enjoy life.”
At these words, Lin Ling’s smile faded, his eyes growing serious:
“To be honest, I’m not fond of this job. When I first decided to become a hero, it was all hot-blooded passion, wanting to protect something. Now that things are stable, I’d much rather finish my studies and pursue my Academic Dream.”
Must be nice to have options.
Yu Hua griped silently.
The thought of his own ten-year, astronomical penalty Internship Contract left him feeling powerless.
Still, he couldn’t complain aloud in front of Lin Ling, so he could only tease a bit in resignation.
“Alright, great scholar.”
He let the topic go, grabbing the exquisite Menu beside him.
“At least you should treat me to this meal, right, Brother Lin? I’m going to milk you for all you’re worth.”
His eyes skimmed the Menu, and he let out an exaggerated gasp:
“Fifty yuan for a glass of Lemon Water? Ordering it!”
Seeing Yu Hua look as though he was about to eat him into poverty, Lin Ling could only smile helplessly, though a trace of tension lingered in his eyes.
Taking advantage of Yu Hua studying the Menu, he again lowered his voice in earnest:
“Yu Hua, about what I mentioned before… please, you must keep it secret. Not just from our roommates—don’t tell anyone, I’m begging you.”
“Brother Lin, you have to understand,” Yu Hua replied in a heavy tone, as if burdened by a great moral struggle, “human nature has its weaknesses. Greed, envy, laziness… all these sins weigh heavily on me, and I can’t always resist temptation.”
The words were barely out when Lin Ling leaned forward urgently, blurting out, “Then what if I give you ten million? I really don’t care about the money, as long as you keep my secret, I’ll do anything!”
“Brother, what do you take me for?”
Yu Hua slapped the table as if insulted, his voice rising enough to draw glances from a nearby table.
He quickly lowered his voice and put on a face of wounded innocence:
“Sure, I’m a bit jealous and wouldn’t mind getting rich without effort, but I, Yu Hua, am not the kind of guy who’d sell out my buddy for money… At most, if something comes up in the future, I’ll just ask for your help, that’s all.”
He spoke righteously, but even as he did, the memory of that ten-year, sky-high penalty Internship Contract surfaced in his mind.
Those cold numbers were like a bucket of ice water, instantly dousing his fleeting sense of “righteousness.”
His proud posture drooped, his straight back bent, all his earlier bravado vanishing.
When he finally spoke, his voice was smaller, tinged with an awkwardness he couldn’t hide:
“Ahem… well, actually, helping out and all that can wait… But, if you could maybe spare, say… nine hundred and eighty thousand…”