Chapter 52: Xu Panfeng’s Hesitation (Part 2)

Xu Panfeng hesitated, sinking once again into deep thought.

Although his rational mind told him that for the sake of A City’s peace and for the future of Miss Sapphire and the others, he shouldn’t interfere with the work recommendations given by his superiors.

Back in the era when the Idolization Legalization Era was still in effect, there were plenty of cases where Magical Girls ended up hospitalized from overwork.

Even Baixue, the legendary Magical Girl from D City who was incredibly rare for possessing Healing Ability, had once fought eight battles in a day and then performed at a concert that night, only to fall ill and be hospitalized the next day.

If even Baixue couldn’t withstand the pressure of such a grueling schedule, then what hope was there for other Magical Girls who lacked any Self-Healing Ability?

For instance, there was a Magical Girl in D City who, overwhelmed by psychological stress, eventually suffered a mental breakdown and couldn’t even show up for her stage performance the following evening, forced to rest in the hospital instead.

So, for the sake of Miss Sapphire and the others, and to prevent any possible Monster Crisis that might occur in A City later on…

It was better to just give up…

“…Tch.”

“Ah!!”

Xu Panfeng let out a muffled grunt through his nose, feeling utterly trapped in this moment.

His head was spinning, aching like that of a miserable worker who had worked forty-eight hours straight and then only slept five hours before heading back to work early the next day.

At this moment, he envied those passionate Magical Girls immensely, and at the same time envied those criminals who took delight in doing bad deeds.

If it were them making this choice, they wouldn’t hesitate this long—they would decide in minutes, or even seconds.

He didn’t see himself as a benevolent person who delighted in helping others, nor was he a pure villain.

He only wanted to do what he loved and obtain what he desired.

If it were possible, he hoped to get promoted without forcing the department’s special talents to become idols.

That way, everyone would be happy, and no one would get hurt.

But unfortunately, he couldn’t make that happen.

And because of this, Xu Panfeng felt like he was about to lose his mind right then and there.

Why did the promotion opportunity he so desperately craved come with such a bitter choice?

Xu Panfeng was not short of money; when he was younger, following a friend’s advice, he had bought a lot of virtual currency, which was now quite valuable.

He had a house, a car, a compatible wife, and good health.

His life could be described as quite fulfilling—there was nothing he lacked.

The only thing he wanted was a higher position.

He had been diligent for years, had done so much, and had never made any major mistakes.

Wasn’t all of this just for a chance to look upward?

Why now did he have to face such an embarrassing situation?

Xu Panfeng didn’t believe in gods, but at that moment, he felt like a Divine Marionette in the hands of some supreme Divinity.

The gods high above were mocking him from the clouds, throwing the most lethal temptation his way, yet telling him that if he touched the temptation, he would have to give up what he cherished—asking if he was willing to make the trade.

“Haa… haa… haa…”

A sharp pain stabbed at Xu Panfeng’s heart as he closed his eyes, unwilling to look at the printed papers in front of him.

He breathed heavily, like a child who had just done something wrong and feared punishment.

He really, really wanted to see the scenery from higher up…

“Sorry…”

Xu Panfeng whispered softly, unsure who he was apologizing to.

……

Meanwhile, inside the lecture hall of A City Third University.

“Wuhu~ No classes this afternoon! Let’s go! Ren-ge! Let’s head back to the dorm to play games!”

When the bell rang to signal the end of class, Xu Wenxing flailed his arms excitedly like a hyperactive monkey, swaying his body beside Lu Ren.

“You’ve finally lost it? Congrats, congrats, that’s not easy,” Lu Ren smirked, clapping hard as if celebrating.

“I’m not crazy! I’m totally sober! I’m just super excited!”

Xu Wenxing hurriedly defended himself, but because of his earlier odd behavior, his words didn’t seem very convincing.

“What are you so excited about anyway? No new game releases today. You’re just going to play your old games when you get home, right?” Lu Ren teased.

“Ren-ge, you really don’t get mobile games at all. Today there’s a new event, a new event! Don’t you understand what a new event means?” Xu Wenxing asked eagerly.

“I do. New event means new characters, new stages, new storylines, new skins, new gift packs to make money, right? I know that,” Lu Ren said with a smirk.

“You’d be better off saving your money for skins and buying more games. At least that way, you can play hundreds of hours more and it holds value.”

“That’s why you don’t get it at all! If you knew what this new event had, you’d be shocked,” Xu Wenxing said proudly, lifting his head to prompt Lu Ren to ask more.

But Lu Ren looked at Xu Wenxing as if he were an idiot and thought there was no point continuing the conversation, so he grabbed his textbooks and headed for the classroom door.

“Ren-ge, wait up!”

Seeing Lu Ren walk off without looking back, Xu Wenxing quickly gathered his things and hurried after him.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Lu Ren glanced back at the chasing Xu Wenxing, then after a moment, said:

“Let me be clear from the start—I have zero interest in mobile games. If you want to talk about game storylines, forget it.”

“No problem. I skip all the storylines anyway. I’ve never watched the story of the mobile game I play,” Xu Wenxing readily agreed.

“…You’re not going to start talking about skins, are you?” Lu Ren suddenly understood.

“Bingo! Ren-ge! That’s right—the new version has idol costumes!” Xu Wenxing nodded eagerly.

“Idol costumes… You really love the idol thing that much?” Lu Ren pondered for a moment before asking.

In Lu Ren’s impression, Xu Wenxing seemed especially fond of idols.

If he remembered correctly, Xu Wenxing’s second favorite manga was the full-color one about Sapphire, mainly because it featured Sapphire wearing the Idol Costume.

His first favorite was the rumored full-color manga about Meteor becoming an idol.

“Yeah, on stage, all eyes on you, and off stage, you’re all shy and bashful. That kind of contrast is just amazing, okay?” Xu Wenxing said from the bottom of his heart.

Lu Ren glanced at him without replying.

He felt Xu Wenxing was like a pervert, lost in his own world.

Noticing Lu Ren’s slightly disgusted expression, Xu Wenxing coughed twice and quickly composed himself to speak seriously.

“Ahem, Ren-ge, I have something to ask you. I wonder if you have any insider info.”

“What insider info? Go ahead and ask,” Lu Ren said casually.

“Do you think Meteor and the others might become idols?”

Xu Wenxing asked.

“Huh?”

Lu Ren looked confused.

Magical Girls had been banned from becoming idols eight hundred years ago, and anyone who dared to violate that was banned.

Who in their right mind would risk letting Sapphire and Meteor become idols?

“I saw a discussion on a forum a few days ago about Magical Girls in A City. Some minor account said Meteor and the others would soon become idols, and then another new minor account even said Meteor had the venue ready.”

“I’m just curious and wanted to ask if you had any accurate rumors.”

Xu Wenxing explained his reason for asking.

After a moment of thought, Lu Ren gave a straightforward answer.

“I don’t know. Ask someone else.”