Chapter 4: Finding a Job

Yu Hua pushed open the door.

In the dorm room, the other three each occupied their own spot.

Wang Zeqi and Liu Shixing were huddled together, yelling at the computer screen as the mouse and keyboard clacked noisily.

Lin Ling wore noise-canceling headphones, engrossed in the English journal articles on his computer, completely ignoring the chaos of the other two.

“Yu Hua, where’d you run off to again? Why are you back so late?”

Liu Shixing seized a break while his character was returning to the city, glanced up at him, and asked offhandedly, his eyes quickly glued back to the screen.

Yu Hua sat back in his own seat, feigning a helpless tone, “Sigh, don’t even mention it. Some girl insisted on going on a date with me this afternoon. But I really don’t feel anything for her, so after thinking about it, I decided it was more reliable to come back and hang out with my brothers.”

“Lie to us all you want, just don’t end up lying to yourself.”

“I’m telling the truth, really. When I was about to leave, she even held my hand and said: ‘If there’s no Yu Hua-oniichan, then watashi…’”

This part Yu Hua wasn’t making up; that cutesy act Xing Li put on this afternoon had been almost exactly like that.

“Stop it, Yu Hua, come on, this game’s almost over,” Wang Zeqi called out without even turning his head.

“Not playing,” Yu Hua pulled up his chair and sat down, opened up the Recruitment App he’d just installed on his phone, and put on a serious face, “I’m busy, I’m job hunting.”

“Job hunting?”

That single sentence instantly caught the attention of everyone in the room.

Wang Zeqi and Liu Shixing paused their actions and turned to look at him.

Lin Ling, even more surprised and anxious, subconsciously took off his headphones, his eyes almost asking:

Didn’t you just get 980,000? Why are you job hunting already?

“Yeah, job hunting,” Yu Hua repeated.

“Now? Isn’t it a bit early?”

Wang Zeqi asked, confused.

“Early? We’re already juniors,” Yu Hua slumped in his seat, Recruitment App open on his phone, “Time flies, brothers.”

“Yeah, we’re already juniors…”

Wang Zeqi echoed, realization dawning late.

“That’s right,” Yu Hua picked up the thread, beginning to spread his anxiety.

“Junior year is the critical overtake period in college. If you don’t hurry up and find a summer Internship and build experience, by the time autumn recruitment rolls around in senior year, all you can do is watch other people get their offers.”

As he spoke, he calculated silently: once he landed a good job, he could finally say goodbye to his Magical Girl identity for good.

His words struck right at the soft spot of his two roommates.

Wang Zeqi and Liu Shixing exchanged glances and saw the same urgency reflected in each other’s eyes.

The game that had been so absorbing moments ago lost all appeal.

As soon as the round ended, both of them quit the game at almost the same time and silently opened up their unfinished Resumes.

At that moment, Yu Hua’s phone screen lit up—Lin Ling had sent him a QQ message:

“Bro, just how much debt are you in out there? (shocked emoji)”

So this guy thought he’d borrowed from loan sharks, and that 980,000 before was to plug the hole.

The corner of Yu Hua’s mouth twitched, and he replied:

“No debts, just planning ahead and thinking about future employment.”

After replying, Yu Hua looked up and swept his gaze around the dorm room, finally letting it rest deliberately on Lin Ling.

With a mixture of envy and mockery, he stretched out his words:

“Sigh, but when it comes down to it, there’s always someone in our dorm who’s comfortable and doesn’t have to worry about job hunting at all.”

“Who?”

Liu Shixing and Wang Zeqi were instantly hooked and followed Yu Hua’s gaze, both turning their eyes to Lin Ling.

Lin Ling froze up instantly under three pairs of eyes, his gaze flickering as he stammered, “Me… Me… How am I not supposed to worry? I… I have to worry too.”

He tried his best to explain, terrified Yu Hua would spill the beans about some “S-Class Magical Girl, thirty million a year” bombshell the next second.

Seeing Lin Ling’s tense posture, Yu Hua figured it was enough and finally revealed the “mystery” in a slow drawl, “Aren’t you going straight to grad school? Of course you can relax and keep shining in the Academic Community. You don’t have to face the harsh realities of society as early as us…”

“Oh, right, Lin-ge is going to grad school.”

Wang Zeqi and Liu Shixing suddenly realized, and all their doubts vanished in an instant, replaced by the everyday envy for a top student.

Lin Ling finally let out a long sigh of relief, his back soaked in cold sweat.

He glared fiercely at Yu Hua, who just responded with an innocent yet infuriating smile.

“So, what kind of jobs are you guys looking for? I need some ideas,” Yu Hua changed the topic, sliding his finger over the touchpad as he scrolled through the dense Recruitment postings.

“Me,” Wang Zeqi spoke first, leaning back in his chair, “I’m not picky. As long as the pay is enough to spend, the main thing is less work, more days off. I want to clock out on time and not get bothered on weekends.”

Liu Shixing pushed up his glasses and chimed in, “I want something with a permanent post—stability above all. Best would be an Iron Rice Bowl I can keep until retirement. Maybe the money isn’t great, but at least I’ll have peace of mind.”

Yu Hua listened and gradually felt that something was off.

This description… why did it sound so much like his own job as a Magical Girl?

Five-hour workdays, weekends off, permanent post, stability…

He quickly shook his head to rid himself of this terrifying thought and pressed further, “Don’t you guys want to find a job that matches your interests? Doing what you love is motivating.”

“Interest?”

Wang Zeqi scoffed, “I feel like actual working hours and salary are more important.”

“Exactly,” Liu Shixing agreed, “Dreams are fat, but reality is skinny.”

“Sigh,” Yu Hua exaggerated a sigh, pointing at them, “You two are typical ox-horse people, ox-horse thinking, ox-horse logic. Haven’t even left campus and already got schooled by society.”

He joked like that, but deep down he couldn’t help feeling lost.

He used to be passionate about being a Hero, but that passion had long been worn away by endless patrols, propaganda, and tedious reports.

With only a C-Class Ability, he was destined never to charge into battle like those high-level Heroes; most of the time, he was just a decorative flower.

His gaze involuntarily drifted toward Lin Ling again.

Both were Magical Girls, but Lin Ling was a true Hero who guarded a whole region, while he himself… What was he?

Just a Mascot, it seemed.

Even he couldn’t tell if it was self-mockery or jealousy surging inside.

He curled his lips, glanced over Wang Zeqi and Liu Shixing, and finally back at Lin Ling, teasing:

“By your standards… you two are pretty well-suited to being Magical Girls.”

Lin Ling’s nerves, which had just relaxed, tensed up instantly.

He shot his head up and glared at Yu Hua, his eyes full of warning:

“What are you up to now?”

“Becoming a Magical Girl, huh?”

Wang Zeqi was amused by Yu Hua’s wild train of thought, “If I could really pick, I’d actually want to try it out.”

“Yeah,” Liu Shixing chimed in, totally missing Lin Ling’s suddenly stiff expression, “If I could, I’d become a white-haired, golden-eyed lady, and maybe start a Magical Girl band while I’m at it.”

Of course, they had no idea there was a seasoned—and even top-tier—Magical Girl sitting right next to them.

Yu Hua felt Lin Ling’s gaze that was almost murderous, and his smile grew even brighter.

He deliberately met Lin Ling’s eyes and added slowly, “Yeah, now that’s the kind of job everyone truly wants.”

Lin Ling couldn’t take it anymore.

While the other two weren’t looking, he shot Yu Hua a threatening hand gesture, silently mouthing a warning.

Yu Hua just shrugged, turned back around contentedly, and refocused on the Recruitment App on his phone.