The taxi stopped at the entrance of the residential complex.
Lu Yuan paid the driver and hurried toward the apartment building.
The night wind brushed against her face; her makeup hadn’t been removed yet, making her skin itch slightly.
The elevator stopped on the sixth floor.
She didn’t know when the hallway lights had gone out, but only the green glow from the emergency exit sign cast faint light onto the floor.
Lu Yuan stood in front of her door, clutching the key in her hand.
The cold metal felt sharply distinct against her palm.
She stared at the lock for a few seconds, inserted the key, but didn’t turn it right away.
After hesitating, she pressed her ear against the door, trying to catch any sound from inside.
But she heard nothing.
Her right hand gripped the door handle tightly, sweat pooling in her palm.
What if she opened the door and found nothing inside?
If Qianqian wasn’t there, that would mean she was truly losing her mind—maybe the card was written by someone else, or just a cruel prank.
Lu Yuan took a deep breath and turned the key.
Click—the lock disengaged.
She pushed the door open.
The entrance hall was pitch black.
Her fingers fumbled for the light switch on the wall and pressed it.
The light flickered on.
The living room was empty, just as it had been when she left that morning.
A coat lay tossed on the sofa, and on the coffee table was a half-finished glass of water.
“Qianqian?”
No answer.
Lu Yuan stepped inside and checked every room—bedroom, bathroom—everything was exactly as usual.
She stood in the middle of the living room, the crumpled card still clenched in her hand, battered beyond recognition.
Maybe it had all been an illusion.
Maybe she had just been too desperate to see her sister.
She sat down on the sofa, placing the card on the coffee table.
Her eye makeup was smudged, and her eyes stung.
Rubbing them, she sighed.
Had she been too tired lately?
At that moment, the dripping of a faucet came from the kitchen.
“Drip, drip, drip.”
Lu Yuan snapped her head up.
That faucet had been fixed long ago—it couldn’t be leaking.
***
In the backstage rest room, Lin Wan frowned tightly.
She didn’t understand why Lu Yuan had panicked and fled the moment she saw that piece of paper.
If she could, she wanted to leave with Lu Yuan too.
But there were still some post-performance duties she had to handle, so she couldn’t leave just yet.
Chen Lianxue handed her phone to Lin Wan.
“Lin Wan, sister, look at this…”
The screen displayed a photo taken by a fan—Lu Yuan rushing out of the venue in her performance outfit.
In the picture, Lu Yuan looked disheveled, her skirt torn open, revealing half her thigh.
“Damn it! Running off like that is bound to cause trouble!”
“Where’s Lu Yuan?”
The rest room door was pushed open, and Captain Su Li walked in.
She glanced around, ready to congratulate Lu Yuan on her stellar performance, but now found no one.
“She saw a piece of paper and rushed off,” Lin Wan scratched her head.
“A piece of paper?”
“It said something like ‘I’m waiting for you at home’…” Lin Wan made a small square gesture in the air.
“Could it be some fan’s prank?” Su Li frowned.
Lu Yuan had just debuted; it was unlikely she already had extreme fans.
“But… judging by Lu Yuan’s reaction, I don’t think so,” Chen Lianxue said quietly.
The three fell into silence.
After a moment’s thought, Su Li couldn’t shake the feeling that Lu Yuan had been hiding something from her lately.
“Ring, ring—”
Su Li’s phone suddenly rang, an inappropriate sound for the tense moment.
She pulled it out.
It was a call from Tian Aixing.
“Captain Su Li, I have something to report.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve detected a faint B-level calamity magic power in the city… It should be a residual beast left from your last battle with Rose.”
Now…?
“I’m busy and can’t leave. Have another Magical Girl squad handle it,” Su Li said.
A B-level residual beast was manageable for an ordinary Magical Girl.
“No…” Tian Aixing hesitated. “The source of the calamity magic… comes from Lu Yuan’s house.”
“What?!” Su Li froze.
“Captain Su Li!!” Lin Wan suddenly shouted, holding up her phone to Su Li’s face.
The screen showed surveillance footage.
In it, Lu Yuan stood blankly, and in front of her was a blue-haired little girl.
Su Li immediately recognized the girl.
“Lu Qian…?” Su Li was dazed. “Isn’t she dead?”
“That’s right.” Tian Aixing interjected. “Detection confirms she is the B-level calamity’s residual beast.”
“Is this Rose’s doing again?!”
Su Li spun around and headed for the door, ready to rush to Lu Yuan’s house.
“I’m not sure… but I can no longer sense Rose’s magic power at all. She’s most likely no longer in Tongmen City,” Tian Aixing replied. “Still, it is definitely Rose’s unique mimetic calamity type.”
“No matter what calamity it is, just kill it!” Su Li snapped, then ended the call.
“Wait!” Lin Wan grabbed a Transformation Crystal. “I’m going too! As for the media—”
Lin Wan originally wanted to say Chen Lianxue should handle the media, but Chen was just a child; it wouldn’t be responsible to dump that on her.
“To hell with the media! I don’t care!” Lin Wan grabbed Chen Lianxue’s hand. “Let’s go!”
“Ah… okay!” Chen Lianxue responded.
As the three dashed into the underground garage, Su Li’s tablet buzzed again.
Tian Aixing sent a second message:
【Warning: Mimetic Calamity detected mimicking human emotional fluctuations】
【Current mimicry target identified as: Lu Qian】
“Why is it mimicking Lu Qian?!” Lin Wan asked in the car.
Su Li pressed the engine start button; the sports car roared to life.
“There are two ways to make a Magical Girl give up her Transformation Crystal.”
Su Li pressed the accelerator hard; the tires screeched as the car shot out of the garage like an arrow.
Chen Lianxue clutched her seatbelt tightly, struggling to fight off motion sickness.
“One: like Rose, corrupt the Magical Girl so she willingly surrenders her crystal.”
“Two: like me, have the crystal willingly transferred through emotional appeal.”
Lin Wan was stunned. “You mean…”
“Exactly. It’s trying to play the heartstrings, to make Lu Yuan willingly hand over the Transformation Crystal,” Su Li ground her teeth, flooring the gas, shifting gears.
The sports car raced through the city streets like a bullet.
She even ran red lights, forcing other drivers to curse.
“Driving this fast—are you in a rush to die?!”
Lu Yuan…
Su Li swerved sharply, turning onto a narrow side street that would cut the journey to Lu Yuan’s building down to ten minutes.
Ten minutes was all she needed to reach Lu Yuan’s doorstep.
She absolutely could not let her hand over the Transformation Crystal.
***
Lu Yuan stared blankly at the figure before her.
Blue dress, pigtails, clutching that old soccer ball—every detail matched her memories of Qianqian perfectly.
Water droplets kept falling from the ends of her hair and the hem of her skirt, pooling into a small puddle at her feet.
“Qianqian?” Lu Yuan’s voice trembled as she reached out to touch her.
A cold chill shot straight to her brain.
The icy temperature made Lu Yuan shiver.
Qianqian tilted her head slightly and gave her a stiff smile.
“Sister.”
It couldn’t be wrong… that was definitely Qianqian’s voice.
An overwhelming joy instantly shattered the last of Lu Yuan’s doubts.
She suddenly pulled her sister into an embrace, tears streaming down her face, mixing with her stage makeup and leaving streaks on her cheeks.
“So good… really good… you’re still alive…”
Qianqian, caught in the hug, was first stunned, then slowly raised a hand and clumsily patted Lu Yuan’s back.
“Sister.”
That was the only word she could say.
Lu Yuan released her and carefully cupped her face.
“What’s wrong? Can’t speak? Are you hurt anywhere?”
She noticed water constantly dripping from Qianqian’s body from the moment she appeared.
“Did you fall somewhere? Are you cold?”
Qianqian didn’t answer but looked at her and repeated softly, “Sister.”
Then she took Lu Yuan’s hand and led her to the coffee table.
Using her wet fingers, she wrote on the condensation:
【Thirsty.】
The handwriting was shaky and soon faded away into the moisture.
“Water? Okay, wait here!”
Lu Yuan dashed into the kitchen, flustered, and poured a cup of warm water.
She carefully tested the temperature with her finger before handing it to Qianqian.
Qianqian took the cup and sipped it slowly.
When she finished, she began writing on the table again:
【Tired.】
“Right, right, you should rest first.”
Lu Yuan quickly led her to the sofa and grabbed a dry towel.
She carefully wiped the dripping water from her sister’s hair and arms.
But no matter how much she wiped, the water never seemed to dry.
Qianqian stayed quiet as Lu Yuan tended to her.
Her deep blue eyes never left Lu Yuan, occasionally calling out “Sister,” each time twisting and softening Lu Yuan’s heart.
Finally, she took Lu Yuan’s hand again and began writing in her palm.
This time, the words were:
【Crystal.】
Below was a smaller line:
【Give me, okay?】
Crystal?! The Transformation Crystal?!
Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment, lowering her head to look at her own Transformation Crystal.
Her shoulders trembled slightly as if caught in a fierce internal struggle.
“Okay…” Her voice was filled with pain and reluctance.
“As long as you come back, I’ll give you anything…”
***
She tore the crystal from her neck and, trembling, stretched out her hand to offer it to the still-dripping sister.
Qianqian’s small hand eagerly reached forward, about to grasp the Transformation Crystal.
But the instant her fingertips brushed it—
Lu Yuan twisted her wrist, and the crystal in her hand instantly transformed into a jet-black pistol!
Qianqian froze, lifting her head to look at Lu Yuan.
A gust of wind swept by.
In an instant, Lu Yuan’s performance outfit shifted into her Combat Suit.
The sadness and fragility vanished from her face, replaced by cold eyes and bone-deep fury.
She stomped her high heel onto the coffee table and pointed the gun down at Qianqian’s forehead.
The tears had dried, but her smeared makeup still left two streaks on her face.
“I’m not a fool.”
Her hand holding the gun trembled slightly.
“You’re a terrible actor too.”
“Si… Si… Sister?”
Qianqian knelt on the floor, her face full of shock and confusion.
Her hand, which had reached out to take the crystal, stopped mid-air—just a bit more, and it would have touched the dark barrel.
“Lin Wan may be an idiot,” Lu Yuan said, her finger hovering over the trigger,
“But she’s loud and persistent—confessing, declaring war—she dragged me out of the past a long time ago.”
Lu Yuan’s eyes were pained but painfully clear as she stared at the monster wearing her sister’s face.
“You’re not Qianqian, are you?”