“Senior, I don’t want her to come in.”
“You think I want to come in?”
Seeing the tension between the two girls, Su Mu couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless.
“How old are you two? Aren’t you being childish?”
“Isn’t it all her fault!”
The two spoke in unison, each pointing at the other, making Su Mu break out in a cold sweat.
“Uh, well… calm down for a second. You two don’t even know each other yet, there’s no need for this…”
“It’s very necessary!”
‘Don’t be so in sync at such a weird time.’
“Aiya, anyway, don’t rush. Listen to me and let me explain.”
After using every trick she knew, Su Mu finally managed to barely pacify the explosive tempers of the big and small girls.
‘Come to think of it, is this what they call a jealousy spat? But I don’t feel any sense of being doted on at all. These two troublesome girls are just using me as a soccer ball to kick around, and I still have to coax them just to keep things peaceful. It’s just like taking care of kids in kindergarten.’
‘No, actually, looking after kids wouldn’t be this exhausting. Kids at least don’t have their heads full of such naughty thoughts.’
But compared to the already familiar Ye Wanqing, Lu Shan’s reaction was even more intriguing.
During this period of weakness, she had become much more “willful” in front of Su Mu, and the fact that she was now bickering with Ye Wanqing was a surprise.
Though she didn’t really want to admit it, Su Mu had grown quite curious about Lu Shan.
But before that, she had to protect this girl from ending up like a Hakimi grilled on an iron plate.
Su Mu cautiously leaned close to Lu Shan’s ear and whispered something, while using her ability to transmit her thoughts to Ye Wanqing, spinning tales for both sides at once, as skilled as a seasoned playgirl raising fish.
“She’s my roommate, the Magical Girl you fought with last time. I called her here to protect you. Don’t be fooled by her developed figure—she suffered severe trauma as a child, so her mental age has always been stuck at fourteen. Just don’t take her seriously.”
Lu Shan pouted, seemingly recalling the time Ye Wanqing had scorched her fur, but she still nodded reluctantly.
On the other side, Ye Wanqing’s eyes suddenly lost focus, because she heard Su Mu’s voice echoing in her mind.
“This is my little sister. She grew up cared for at home and isn’t very mature, but recently, for certain reasons, she’s been targeted by some weirdo. I’m worried I can’t handle it alone, so I thought since you’re so strong, I’d ask you to come help me.”
Hearing Su Mu’s not-so-genuine praise, Ye Wanqing accepted it quite happily, quickly letting go of her earlier frustrations.
She really is the easy-to-please type.
Now then, it was time to fulfill her promise to Ye Wanqing.
Definitely not because she wanted to write it herself.
“Senior, you’re writing that kind of thing again. Will this really boost traffic?”
Unable to contain her curiosity, Lu Shan, who had been silent on the side, poked her head over, but after reading less than three lines, she was blushing furiously at the contents that were too explicit for words.
“Good girls shouldn’t learn this stuff.”
Su Mu turned Lu Shan’s head away and calmly continued tapping at the keyboard.
This kind of thing was far too superficial for someone like her—a seasoned theorist and newly-minted practitioner.
Her words flowed effortlessly, drawing a steady stream of kindred spirits to her side.
This is what you call lofty and melodious…
But just after pressing the last character, Su Mu started to worry again as she looked at the finished draft.
Now, if she published this fanfic under Irina’s name, there was a real chance she’d be mistaken for one of those girls who seem gloomy on the outside but get up to all sorts of wild things alone at home.
That kind of impression would unconsciously affect Su Mu, making her seem at least more indecent.
That was bad.
Unless… someone else was willing to post it under their own name.
“Eh? My account? Actually, not many people follow me, but I guess it’s fine.”
Ye Wanqing pointed at herself and blinked, her crimson eyes pure and untainted.
What Su Mu needed to do now was add a touch of pink to that purity.
Maybe with the low traffic, it wouldn’t make a difference for a while.
But in a few days, something would probably change.
When the time comes… sigh, she’d worry about it then.
It shouldn’t get too out of hand, since this girl was never very proper to begin with.
At the same time, there was another thing urgently needing confirmation—the matter of Lu Shan’s safety.
After the group spent almost half a day passing the time with various activities, Lu Shan finally couldn’t help but bring up the issue.
“Um, Senior, there’s only an hour left before Justice’s livestream. Is something really going to happen?”
“Trust me, he’s definitely up to something. Stay alert.”
Su Mu said this to Lu Shan with utter conviction, then forked another piece of cake into her mouth.
On the other side, Ye Wanqing was noticeably more restrained with her cake, as if she’d suddenly matured several years.
But Su Mu wasn’t surprised; after all, Lu Shan’s father had come back, and he was the one who brought the snacks.
Ye Wanqing was just the type who couldn’t handle elders.
She instinctively froze up.
But this actually worked in Su Mu’s favor—if they could just get through this day quietly, all would be well.
But just as Su Mu finished her sentence, the once-bright living room lights began to flicker on and off, as if blocked by some unseen force.
Startled, Su Mu nearly choked to death on her cake; after struggling to swallow it down, she scanned the room with sharp, wary eyes.
As if to confirm her suspicions, the lights started flickering more violently after a moment.
Was it her imagination, or did she hear a noisy crackling, like mice gnawing on something?
That only made her anxiety worse.
This anxiety made her retreat, pulling Ye Wanqing to the front to shield her.
“It seems like it’s coming.”
Come to think of it, was an hour really enough time to kidnap Lu Shan and deal with everything else?
If this was Justice’s plan, wasn’t it a bit too careless?
Of course, Su Mu didn’t have the energy to worry about those details right now—her mind was fully focused on the dangers lurking in the darkness, hiding behind Ye Wanqing just like she had that time they went out together.
“Hey, hey, what’s going on?”
“Don’t talk. Something’s wrong—I feel something’s very wrong.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Wanqing’s gaze sharpened.
After all, Su Mu had scanning abilities—even at D Rank, she could provide considerable information.
While thinking, a few sparks flared beside Ye Wanqing, and the surrounding air instantly heated up, as if a bonfire had been ignited with Ye Wanqing at its center in the middle of the room.
So, in those few seconds as the temperature soared, the crackling grew louder, even turning into the sound of burning.
The next moment, the lights flashed violently, then the entire house was completely swallowed by darkness.
“Quack!”