At this moment, the contents of that small box were far more terrifying and despair-inducing to Jiang Lingwei than even a billion demons or a billion magical beasts.
Though she did not shout out loudly in public, her mind kept echoing her own voice nonstop.
(Ah! That scared me to death!)
“What’s going on?”
On the other side, hearing Jiang Lingwei’s shout, Jiang Cheng immediately vaulted over the counter without caring how many model machines he smashed in the process and charged straight over.
At the same time, the clerk at the phone counter, as well as the cashier, all froze as if they had seen some horrific apparition. Some crouched down, others collapsed to the ground.
No—this analogy was inaccurate.
In truth, they hadn’t seen anything at all.
Except for the one who had just been introducing things to Jiang Cheng, who had at least glimpsed a shadow flash before her eyes, the rest were completely unaware of what had happened.
It was just a feeling—an ancient, primal human instinct that touched the soul and sparked pure terror, compelling them to fear.
In the blink of an eye, when they opened their eyes again, they were already kneeling on the ground, showing postures of submission or fright.
“Chengzi!”
Jiang Lingwei’s hand trembled as she hurriedly threw the box aside and reached out to block Jiang Cheng.
At that very touch, she surprisingly felt something hard beneath Jiang Cheng’s body.
His abdomen had already been wrapped in a layer of black armor, evidently having entered battle mode.
“Calm down, I’m fine!”
She quickly scanned the surroundings and found no one looking their way. The closest person, an Otto phone store clerk, dared not and had no ability to look this way.
Her heart settled slightly, and she continued:
“It’s nothing, retract the armor.”
With a concerned gaze fixed on Jiang Lingwei, Jiang Cheng’s peripheral vision caught sight of the box that had caused her outcry.
“What is this… eh? Eh?!”
Upon seeing the item, his entire aura instantly slackened, and the armor that had only covered his abdomen but was beginning to spread across his body vanished instantly.
Though his memories were fragmented, many common-sense things remained intact.
Therefore, upon seeing the box, Jiang Cheng immediately understood what it was.
“This… Xiao Wei… is this yours?”
Jiang Cheng was stunned.
“It’s really not! Don’t ask me!!!”
Jiang Lingwei covered her face in despair.
At that moment, a voice cut through the silence:
“Ahem, Xiao Jiguang, sorry, we’ll talk about your matter later.”
It was Wen Yanquan!
Although only slightly and invisibly trembling—her legs weak in a way only she knew—she was not subdued or conquered by fear like the ordinary people around her.
She stood firmly, her voice steady without a hint of tremor.
Then, Wen Yanquan stepped directly in front of Jiang Cheng, the man who had just unintentionally released some powerful magic force.
“Are you the father of Xiao Jiguang’s child?”
Looking into his black and bright pupils, Wen Yanquan asked.
The question sounded awkward, but Jiang Cheng had no objection and simply met her gaze steadily:
“Yes.”
The two stared at each other like that, leaving Jiang Lingwei standing awkwardly to the side.
In her heart, a ridiculous and panicked thought arose.
(At this distance, are these two about to fight? Or kiss? Either way, no, don’t!)
As the saying goes, when two people are this close, they’re either going to fight or kiss—but whichever it was, Jiang Lingwei didn’t want either.
She just watched the petrified Wen Yanquan and Jiang Cheng, then quietly moved over and, with the fastest speed a remote magical girl could muster, picked up the box containing the underwear and quickly stuffed it into her bag.
Wen Yanquan handed each of them a cup, then dropped several ice cubes inside.
Finally, as she spoke, she poured cola into the cups for both of them.
The incident in the shopping street had already been dealt with by her, so now was the perfect time for a proper conversation.
Without looking at Jiang Cheng, she went straight to the core of the three—Jiang Lingwei.
“Xiao Jiguang, what do you plan to do next?”
“Next…” Jiang Lingwei sipped her iced cola contentedly. “Of course, rest for a bit and then go home.”
“…Xiao Jiguang.”
Hearing Wen Yanquan’s helpless voice, Jiang Lingwei knew she couldn’t avoid it.
Just joking to lighten the somber mood, and never intending to escape, she put down her cup and fell silent for a few seconds.
Those seconds weren’t hesitation, but contemplation over whether to reveal what came next.
“…”
Finally, Jiang Lingwei said:
“I’m leaving. I’m going to find everyone.”
At this, Wen Yanquan opposite her suddenly asked:
“Is it worth it?”
“What?”
“I asked,” Wen Yanquan’s expression grew serious; she was definitely not joking, “Is it worth it?”
“This!”
Jiang Lingwei exclaimed incredulously:
“Sister Xiaoquan, how can you ask such a thing!”
She was a bit angry:
“I can’t just give up on what Sister Yunxia entrusted to me! How could I—”
“Because I care about you.”
“…”
Jiang Lingwei wanted to say more but was stopped by Wen Yanquan’s simple words.
“You’re my last companion.”
At this moment, Wen Yanquan seemed to unload something. She leaned back in her chair, speaking wearily.
“I don’t want to lose you anymore, and more importantly, I don’t think this is a good thing for you.”
She casually pointed at Jiang Cheng—an extremely rude gesture even for Wen Yanquan, who rarely did so.
But today, she didn’t avoid it at all, smiling as she pointed to the man sitting beside Jiang Lingwei.
“This man, this guy… even I can feel his love for you.”
Wen Yanquan held that pose, still smiling. The wrinkles that formed on her already aged face only deepened the impression of her youthful boldness shining through her words.
“Xiao Jiguang, I’ve only had one man in my life, but I have a very sharp eye for men.”
“I know this man is someone who would die for you at any moment.”
“!”
Without a word, Jiang Lingwei instantly turned to look at Jiang Cheng, nearly dropping her cup.
“Hm.”
Jiang Cheng gave Jiang Lingwei a soft glance, uttered a small sound, then turned to glare fiercely at Wen Yanquan.
Her words clearly irritated him.
His love did not need anyone else to express!
“So.”
Ignoring Jiang Cheng’s sulky expression, Wen Yanquan asked again:
“You already have a man who loves you and a sensible child.”
“Although your man is extraordinary, and your child is a magical girl.”
“But after the explosion of the dark forces in Mudong City, and even in the whole Sky Province, it will take at least ten years to recover. And after that? Even if the lights shift, there won’t be much valuable left here. The dark side isn’t stupid—the city won’t attract any major enemies.”
“With you here, your whole family could live quietly here for a lifetime, enjoying the peaceful retirement life we’ve dreamed about so many times.”
“Since that’s the case…”
Wen Yanquan wanted to say more but couldn’t find the words.
She couldn’t make the decision for Jiang Lingwei and could only leave this difficult choice untouched, handing it over to her best friend.
Without any adult tactics, without any complicated or dirty thoughts—just with the regret of being unable to bear it for her—Wen Yanquan lowered her eyes from Jiang Lingwei’s gaze and looked down at her own hands.
She softly said:
“[Aurora], no, Jiang Lingwei, are you still going to embark on this path destined to be full of thorns, hardship, and an uncertain future?”
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