Binhai City.
A private racetrack at the Gui Car Club.
A silver Lamborghini raced along the track, each sharp turn making the rear tires screech against the ground and spew clouds of blue smoke.
In the front seats sat a man and a woman. The man wore a jacket and sunglasses, short black hair slicked back, a glass of Ice Wine in his hand.
The woman wore knee-high boots and an oversized shirt, which faintly revealed her slender legs and delicate, beautiful collarbones.
“So…this is your two-and-a-half years abroad, womanizing tale?” Chen Chenyu glanced at his friend at the wheel. Well, now it should be said—his girlfriend.
“Or what else?” Xu Yinsheng rolled her eyes at him. She steered the car single-handedly, grabbed the High-Stemmed Glass placed on the dash with the other. Chen Chenyu quickly picked up the wine bottle and filled her glass.
Xu Yinsheng downed the Ice Wine with relish and stepped harder on the gas. Her driving was masterful; each S-curve was taken with thrilling precision, leaving only two lines of blue smoke behind.
“Did you all really think I died young? If it hadn’t been for some health problems, I wouldn’t have gone abroad to lay low for two years.”
“It’s just surprising, after all, back then you were the famous Xu Shao of Binhai’s circle…” Chen Chenyu rubbed his chin.
He and Xu Yinsheng weren’t exactly close confidants, but they had some connections, not quite brothers, but not distant either.
Two and a half years ago, when he’d heard she’d died in a fire, he’d sighed a few times. But three months ago, she suddenly returned to Binhai, not only high-profile, but even her gender had changed!
If she hadn’t revealed several of his little secrets in a row, and shown her ID, he wouldn’t have dared to believe this attractive young lady was his friend from two years ago.
“Mixed Gonadal Dysgenesis.” Unconsciously, he muttered the term.
Xu Yinsheng glanced sideways at him, more or less guessing what was on his mind.
Not just this somewhat-distant friend, even her parents had been shocked at first meeting her—though only for a moment.
After getting her ID reissued, the two went off to show off their affection around the world.
“You think I wanted this? If I hadn’t had surgery, I’d be dead!” Xu Yinsheng let out a sigh, repeating the pre-prepared lie. “I was a man for over twenty years; I dated, maybe not hundreds or thousands, but at least enough to fill a reinforced squad.”
“I always thought long legs in fishnet stockings were my thing, but who knew the heavens would mess with me like this!”
Angrily, the girl tossed the High-Stemmed Glass out the car window, smashing it to pieces. Gripping the wheel one-handed, she floored the accelerator.
The already barely-stable sports car suddenly surged forward like a wild horse breaking loose, racing at full speed around the track.
“I like long legs in fishnets, but I never wanted to be the one wearing them myself!” she wailed.
Then she turned to her friend, who had buckled his seatbelt.
“At first, I couldn’t accept it either. I even thought about ending it all. But as the old saying goes, time is a sly little fairy—eventually, you have to accept reality.
So, I spent over a year abroad, getting surgeries, seeing therapists, taking meds, going through a second puberty… It wasn’t until everything settled that I came back to Binhai.”
“When you get back, just be my messenger and tell my gang of rascals, save me from explaining to each one. And tell them, if anyone tries to rip open this wound, I’ll split their heads with a crowbar!” Her beautiful eyes shot a cold, warning glare at Chen Chenyu.
Under that terrifyingly cold gaze, Chen Chenyu’s scalp tingled and he shivered. His hair stood on end; he dared not pursue the topic any further.
Only then did Xu Yinsheng withdraw her Pressure with satisfaction. It had been half a year since she left Zhao Yicheng—six months—and during this time, she’d unlocked three forms, of which “Pressure” was a power of one.
Chen Chenyu, recovering from his sweat-drenched panic, hurried to change the subject.
“Xu…bro, have you heard about the recent Magical Girl Warrior?” “Yeah, it’s been all over the place lately.” Xu Yinsheng nodded.
About a month or two ago, a strange rumor had begun spreading among the Underground Gang lowlifes: when the city falls into night and gangs and thugs rob innocent passersby, a Magical Girl Warrior would descend from the sky, vanquish evil, and uphold justice!
“But are you sure it’s not just a publicity stunt by some influencer, or maybe the city’s drumming up a new tourist attraction?” Xu Yinsheng gave him a look that seemed to say: Almost thirty and you still believe in something like a Magical Girl Warrior?
“I used to think so too.” Chen Chenyu’s face was deadly serious. “But that night, I saw with my own eyes the Magical Girl Warrior descend from the sky, punish evil, and I even took pictures and video.” “So where’s the footage? Show me.”
At this, Chen Chenyu’s face turned a little awkward. He rubbed his nose.
“I shot a video that night, but for some reason, it won’t play no matter what I try. If I force it, all I get is a bunch of Mosaic.”
“Then what did she look like? Describe her.” This made Chen Chenyu even more embarrassed.
“Ahem, for some reason, after that night, my memory of her keeps fading, as if erased by some invisible hand. But I can never forget those soul-captivating eyes. Just thinking about them makes my blood boil, my heart itch. She’s simply my Goddess!”
“I used to think stone gambling was the only meaning in my life, but now, Goddess and stone gambling are tied for first place in my heart! I want to hold her in my arms, just like a jade stone!!”
“Hmm… Well, as your friend, congratulations. I used to think you’d spend your life with nothing but stones, but now it looks like that thug did you a favor, helping you find true love—even if it’s one-sided.”
“No, I was that thug robbing people.”
Xu Yinsheng: …
Seeing her odd look, Chen Chenyu quickly waved it off: “Sure, I’m addicted to stone gambling, losing millions now and then, but I haven’t sunk to robbing people for a living.”
At this, his face turned infatuated, eyes full of worship and longing—as if looking at his Goddess. He spoke excitedly, “That night, I was the one who hired those guys, just on a whim, and that’s how I met my Goddess. Oh! My Goddess!!”
Xu Yinsheng’s lips twitched. “I thought you were a sigma male, but you’re basically a lovesick fool. Your Goddess—no, that nameless Magical Girl Warrior—if she saw you acting like this, she’d probably want to kick you into next week.”
At the mention of the Magical Girl Warrior, Chen Chenyu’s face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead as he argued, “The Goddess wouldn’t kick her Green Leaf. The Goddess is the Goddess—even if she doesn’t love him, he’ll always be her Green Leaf.”
Then he started in with even stranger lines: “I don’t envy mandarin ducks or immortality,” “She’ll be moved by my sincerity,” “All I want, through this life and the next”—leaving Xu Yinsheng’s pleasant laughter echoing around the track.
After racing for a while, Xu Yinsheng originally wanted to pull her friend out of the trap of infatuation, but it was hopeless, so she gave up.
Not only was he lovesick, he loved to fantasize: she’s eighteen, trained in martial arts since childhood, rids the world of evil, upholds justice, looks tough outside but really needs a man inside.
At this moment, who has sent worry to the lonely mountain? The setting sun’s return brings infinite blue.
Xu Yinsheng drove her silver Masquerade, swiped her access card, and under the respectful salute of the security guards, drove into the garage and parked in her own spot.
Carrying the fresh groceries she’d just bought, she greeted a familiar face from the same villa community on the way home.
“I’m back.” She opened the door and said.