“How do I look today? Do I seem a little different?”
‘A little different? Not just a little!’
Su Mu pursed her lips, momentarily at a loss for where to begin.
Right now, the most important thing was, of course, Ye Wanqing’s safety, but Luo Jialan’s transformation still shocked her so much that she had already begun to complain subconsciously.
The elegant woman before her, dressed in a long gown, was like a complete stranger unrelated by blood to Luo Jialan.
Not only her figure, but even her aura and tone of voice were vastly different from before.
‘Could it be Tang Nai in disguise? Even if not, it must be connected to that bastard somehow.’
‘Damn that bastard!’
“Yeah, but now’s not the time to talk about this. Miti is in serious danger right now…”
Anxious Su Mu still hadn’t noticed that the light in Luo Jialan’s eyes was slowly fading away.
“Hey, I’m saying, why are you so focused on her? I came all this way just for you.”
Her almost flat tone caused Su Mu to freeze, unable to believe what she’d just heard.
“What are you talking about…?”
“Since you kept saying you wanted to go to G City with her, I’ve been holding back and struggling, wondering why it’s her and not me who gets to go with you. Haven’t we been through more together? I’m the one who likes you, the one who always cares about you. So why am I not the one in your arms right now?”
Luo Jialan spoke quietly but didn’t hide the dissatisfaction in her heart—almost bordering on jealousy.
Still, she placed a hand on Ye Wanqing’s shoulder, preparing to absorb the Dark Magic Corruption inside her together with Su Mu.
Whether it was because she still remembered her duties as a Magic Girl or simply because Su Mu hoped so, she went ahead with it.
“Wait, don’t absorb the Dark Magic Power like I am.”
Seeing Luo Jialan’s reckless behavior, Su Mu hurriedly intervened, ignoring all the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind.
The Dark Magic Corruption was deadly to Ye Wanqing, and it was no less dangerous for Luo Jialan to touch casually—even someone like Su Mu, who had dealt with Dark Magic Power before, had almost died.
“Why? You’re doing the same thing.”
“I’m not like you, because I…”
In her panic, Su Mu nearly lost her words, but Luo Jialan, whose gaze never left her, noticed the subtle panic and immediately narrowed her pale purple eyes.
“What’s the difference between us? Are you hiding something from me?”
With each word, Luo Jialan’s voice rose, her aura suddenly swelling, towering several heads above Su Mu, making her involuntarily feel the tension she’d first experienced upon meeting Lando.
Sweat unknowingly soaked her palms.
Though the damp riverside environment masked the discomfort, Su Mu clearly felt the moisture and her heart beating faster.
She sensed something was off.
Luo Jialan still carried the shadow of her former self, but she was missing a crucial element—restraint.
To outsiders, Luo Jialan was always the type to keep others at arm’s length.
It wasn’t that she was fierce or cold, but she habitually played the aggressive role, so even when speaking normally, there was a sharpness to her tone.
Yet after growing closer to Su Mu, she had almost completely shed that facade, always showing her gentler, more considerate, and empathetic side—a side that made her more lovable and difficult for Su Mu to refuse.
But this Luo Jialan felt so unfamiliar, as if they had reverted to their former roles—her once trembling mouse in the corner, and Luo Jialan, the cat craving her.
Normally, when Su Mu said no, Luo Jialan would respect her wishes.
But this time, having forgotten how to restrain herself, Luo Jialan obeyed only her own desires.
“Su Mu, come home with me.”
Without reason, Luo Jialan said this suddenly, startling the silent Su Mu.
“Miti can stay with Tang Nai. We’re going home.”
Without waiting for an answer, Luo Jialan grabbed Su Mu’s wrist—the grip so strong it hurt, forcing her to loosen her hold.
“Splash.”
Ye Wanqing fell into the water, and the numbness caused by the Dark Magic Power suddenly faded from Su Mu’s nerves, her eyes instantly filling with shimmering tears, which stirred a pang of sympathy in Luo Jialan, clearing her expression somewhat.
Feeling the weakening grip on her wrist, Su Mu immediately struggled free, glaring angrily at Luo Jialan, her eyes full of confusion and resentment.
After a deep stare, Su Mu turned and rushed after Ye Wanqing, who was almost swept away by the current.
Her figure gradually shrank and sharpened in Luo Jialan’s view.
“Why restrain yourself because of others?”
The whispered words from that fanfic, where the Desire Witch lured Magical Girl Lando, began to echo in Luo Jialan’s ears, dripping with temptation.
“No, she’ll hate me if I do.”
“Afraid of being hated? Afraid of being isolated and abandoned? Why care about their opinions? In any of our worlds, among those who play the roles of friends or parents, who can truly empathize with us?”
Luo Jialan wanted to refute the invisible voice but was too hoarse to speak a single word, as if no effort could produce words to convince the other.
No—she couldn’t find words to convince herself.
She had already fallen into the mire of desire.
“The pain of others, at most, is a hoarse scream for us—something we can ignore by plugging our ears and closing our eyes. But when indulging, the joy of satisfied desire truly appears in the depths of the heart, doesn’t it?”
At these words, Luo Jialan’s pupils contracted slightly.
Her body trembled unconsciously, as if trying to shake off nonexistent tentacles binding her limbs.
These tentacles couldn’t do to her what they had done to Lando in that other world, but they gripped her heart with even greater strength.
“Your perseverance as a Magic Girl is commendable, but you who restrain yourself like this only make me feel pity.”
The instant Su Mu turned away, Luo Jialan struck like lightning, grabbing Su Mu’s arm and pulling her back.
“What are you doing? Let go…”
Su Mu could feel Luo Jialan’s abnormality but couldn’t abandon Ye Wanqing—not now.
Whether because Ye Wanqing had saved her or due to their so-called friendship, she had to make her well again.
Recalling Ye Wanqing’s face, torn apart by corruption, Su Mu’s heart clenched painfully.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t outmatch Luo Jialan, whose Bu Mo Index was close to 50%.
“Forgive my roughness. I don’t want to see you get close to anyone else anymore.”
Luo Jialan said each word with heavy possessiveness toward Su Mu, reaching its peak at this moment.
Beneath the same delicate face and soft water-blue long hair stood the Luo Jialan who once said, “I’ll be gentle.”
But now, only the new Desire Witch remained here—Luo Jialan, who had forgotten the name Magical Girl Lando.