“Auntie, I’m home… I’m back… What’s wrong? Why do you look so upset?”
As soon as Luo Zining stepped into the house, she was struck dry-mouthed by her aunt’s aura of a woman wronged.
Heavens! Her aunt looked so grave—was there some huge crisis with the Realm Sea?
Or did something happen again with Xingyue, Manzhu Sahua and the others?
All she knew was, for her aunt, who was already one of the Ten Seats, to wear that expression, it had to be something enough to shake the balance of the world!
When Ji Yue saw Luo Zining return, her expression—like she’d swallowed a fake little ghost—finally eased a bit.
“Zining, how are things going with your team?”
“Uh, I think, they’re improving.”
“Good, keep working hard.”
“Auntie, I—”
“Oh, right, Youyou came to Jiuming Sea. Tonight, let’s have dinner together, with Mengmeng too.”
“Eh? She’s here?”
First came surprise, then a barely suppressed smile at the corners of her mouth.
Ahhhhhhhhh—!
Ji Yue glanced up at her niece, then couldn’t help but lower her head and sigh loudly again.
“Auntie?? Did I do something wrong?! Just tell me, please!”
“No, it’s my own issue….”
How could she possibly say it out loud?
She’d already asked Ji Meng, and after a bit of forceful questioning, Ji Meng had confessed the truth when Liyun wasn’t around.
But, at Ji Meng’s request, for now only the two of them knew about it, and they still couldn’t tell Luo Zining and Liyun—mainly to prepare Liyun’s mental state.
Ji Yue also needed time to digest and accept this harsh reality, so the two sides reached a very smooth consensus…
The difference was, Ji Yue agreed to take it slow mainly because she was afraid Xingyu couldn’t handle the truth.
After all, just a few days ago, Erella nearly gathered the three nieces together for a silver party…
But the most, most, most, most, most, most, most important thing—
***
Ji Yue did not want her and Liyun’s experience of being forced by Erella to Pu Dian Ying to be exposed!
Thinking of that incident, Ji Yue wanted to die!
When filming, she actually…!
Ended up with her long-lost niece…
Though Erella forced them all to follow the script, no excuse could beautify the fact that they’d trampled the “family” relationship.
At first, Ji Yue had considered just telling the two nieces that Erella was actually Luo Youyou, but the shame of having Pu Dian Ying with them made her slam the brakes just in time.
After all, the silver party sounded wild, very Xingxian, but in the end it never actually happened, right?
But the filming—Pu Dian Ying—actually happened!
Aunt and nieces, forced by circumstances, did things they never should have done!
Because of this, Ji Yue didn’t even dare confess to Ji Meng that she herself was a magical girl.
Now, Ji Yue knew all of Liyun’s forms, but Liyun only knew that the one who filmed with her was Ji Yue in her ordinary human form; she didn’t know Ji Yue was also a magical girl.
If she and Liyun met face to face, Liyun would recognize her instantly.
At that time…
“Sigh—”
“Auntie!? You’re really scaring me like this! What is it? Tell me, I can help too.”
Luo Zining was genuinely frightened now.
She even felt that her aunt’s sighs weren’t just breaths, but the countdown of life itself!
“No, really, it’s nothing. This is my private matter, you don’t need to worry.”
“Ha… Auntie, you really don’t need to be polite.”
“It’s fine, really.”
Ji Yue looked at Luo Zining again, her gaze growing even firmer.
[I absolutely can’t let Zining know her mother is Erella…]
But would Erella really not lay a hand on her own daughter?
Ji Yue planned to use tonight’s dinner to find out for sure.
***
By now, Luo Zining had already retreated into her own room.
“What did Old Deng come to Jiuming Sea for? Probably to seduce more magical girls!”
She pulled out her phone, thinking to call Old Deng, maybe she’d stumble onto some “unexpected surprise.”
But, which magical girl in Jiuming Sea would even be worthy of Old Deng’s attention?
Recently, she’d dug up plenty of intel about Erella and knew that Erella’s standards had gotten high—ordinary magical girls no longer interested her.
In Jiuming Sea, aside from Auntie, there shouldn’t be any magical girl who’d suit the Aurora Witch’s taste.
Unless… it’s Wadaxi?
Ha, Luo Zining was mostly just daydreaming.
If Old Deng was actually interested, after living together for so long, she’d have already made a move.
[No, I can’t keep having these twisted thoughts!]
Luo Zining slapped her own cheeks.
This kind of thinking was unhealthy!
How could a daughter have those weird thoughts about her father or mother’s body?
If anyone heard, they’d spit on her!
If any daughter in the world ever had improper designs on her father or mother, Luo Zining would be the first to scorn her!
Now, whenever those delusions crept in, Luo Zining would think back to her happy family, calming her dirty little heart.
She opened her phone again to check out the “Famous Jinsheng Bozhu” mother-daughter business posts.
Luo Zining was absorbed.
Before, the famous Jinsheng Bozhu only posted racy solo shots, but ever since starting mother-daughter posts, the blogger somehow radiated a “motherly” vibe!
“If Dad and I posted like this, I wonder what would happen?”
Luo Zining imagined it for a moment and couldn’t help but snort with laughter.
It would definitely be hilarious.
“Come to think of it, Auntie is really obsessed with Erella. If she knew Erella was actually my dad…”
Suddenly Luo Zining realized, she’d only ever thought about Auntie breaking down if she couldn’t handle the truth, but never considered another angle.
What if Auntie didn’t break down at all, and instead chose to walk right into the tiger’s den, knowing it was dangerous?
“No, no, no! That’s Auntie we’re talking about! Even I can control myself, how could Auntie not control herself?”
Luo Zining hurriedly gave herself a few light slaps.
It wasn’t right to imagine her aunt and father like this.
Not just Auntie—even if all her family members were magical girls, even if Erella slept with all of them, surely they could all restrain themselves!
That’s just how magical girls should be.
Otherwise, wouldn’t all her hard work in suppressing her urges make her look like a clown?
“Oh! No, I’m getting off track! During Old Deng’s time in Jiuming Sea, I have to keep an eye on her! I can’t let her corrupt my companions!”
****
Meanwhile—
Luo You had just left her hotel when she got a call from Zhizhi.
“Hello? Youyou, you sold your house? Seriously? I’ve gotten so used to hanging out at your place. If you sold it, how can I be a proper moocher?”
“How did you know I sold… Oh, right, the posts.”
“Answer my question! That’s my house! How could you not tell me you were selling it!”
“Shut up, you brat!!”
Maybe she should just sell the current place too, so Zhizhi could never find her house again?
“Ah, you’re in Jiuming Sea? Then I’ll head over too.”
Zhizhi had seen Luo You’s location tag on her post, and before Luo You could chase her off, she’d already hung up.
“Block her number! Leave the phone at the hotel too!”
Luo You definitely didn’t want Zhizhi showing up in front of Auntie, Xingyu, Liyun, or Luo Zining—the scene would be too chaotic, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
So she hurried back, left her phone at the hotel, and headed downstairs to get a cab to Auntie’s house.
Since she had Auntie’s keycard, she got in without any trouble at all.
“Hello! I’m here! Huh? Auntie, why do you look so pale?”
Ji Yue looked up, her lifeless face giving Luo You quite a shock.
What’s going on?
She should have satisfied Auntie, shouldn’t she?
Got it!
Auntie must have bottled it up these past few days without coming to the hotel, and now she’s about to explode!