Lu Liang saw Bai Wanqing home late at night.
The sky was dark, and Bai Wanqing’s house was pitch black.
If it weren’t for the streetlamp shining faintly, she probably wouldn’t have even known where the lock on her front door was.
“Your parents still aren’t back?”
Glancing at his watch, Lu Liang saw it was already 11 PM.
This hour wasn’t really late for a high schooler, but for an adult, it was definitely a bit late.
“Not yet.”
Bai Wanqing seemed oddly embarrassed by the question.
“They’re still working.”
She opened the door and turned on the light.
The bulb flickered with a low hum before finally casting some light on the darkness inside.
Lu Liang thought about how tough a job it must be to still be working at this hour—even in this city, it was considered rough.
Curiosity got the better of him:
“What do your parents do for work?”
A soft, sweet voice came from inside.
“They… work at the Renfu Group.”
Renfu Group?
Lu Liang vaguely remembered the company’s name.
It was a large enterprise with branches in three neighboring provinces. Its founder, Jia Furen, was a distinguished and respected entrepreneur.
Their company seemed to cooperate with the Magical Girl Association officially, making Jia Furen quite an influential figure.
But that was as far as Lu Liang’s knowledge went.
Since it was late and Bai Wanqing had returned home, Lu Liang prepared to say goodbye and leave. He waved to Bai Wanqing.
“Bai Hanhang, I’m heading out first!”
“Eh?” A surprised voice came from inside.
“You’re… leaving already?”
She emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron.
The loose garment was slightly stretched by her modest chest, and her hair was tied up in a high ponytail that fell over her fair neck.
The simple kitchen outfit somehow gave her the pure aura of a wholesome cook.
“Then… see you next time.”
Lu Liang caught the slight regret in Bai Wanqing’s voice and suddenly didn’t feel like leaving.
He thought Lu Xiaoling probably hadn’t finished school yet and maybe he could stay a little longer.
“Wait, I’ve changed my mind. I’m not leaving yet.”
With a roguish grin, Lu Liang pushed into Bai Wanqing’s room.
“The porridge you made last time was pretty good. I’ll eat that first, then leave.”
“Oh, okay.”
Despite Lu Liang’s persistent “begging” manner, Bai Wanqing was secretly glad to see him.
With her parents not at home, she was often alone, and although she knew she should be more mature, looking around the empty house, a certain loneliness inevitably crept in.
Having someone to keep her company already made her happy.
“Well then, take a seat.”
Lu Liang instinctively sat down where he had before and looked around.
The living room was cramped and cluttered.
In the limited space, there were just a few chairs and a small table used for meals.
The old table was covered with a cloth, washed so many times it had faded, but carefully ironed to be perfectly smooth.
The walls showed signs of peeling paint, but it was hard to notice clearly—because Bai Wanqing had plastered the walls with certificates and awards she had earned throughout her childhood.
Lu Liang could tell that although Bai Wanqing’s family was poor, her parents must be very proud of their daughter.
Just as he was observing, Bai Wanqing brought out a bowl of porridge.
She carefully placed the vegetable porridge in front of Lu Liang, blinking her pretty eyes fixedly at him.
After Lu Liang took a bite, Bai Wanqing shyly and expectantly asked:
“Is it… good?”
Like a little bunny waiting for praise.
“It’s good.” Lu Liang raised an eyebrow, thinking that with Bai Hanhang looking like this, it’d be a shame not to tease her a little.
Before she could react, he pinched her cheek.
“But since you made something this tasty, I’m afraid I can’t repay the favor. You won’t want money, so… how about I dedicate myself to you?”
Bai Wanqing blushed a deep red.
Even though she knew Lu Liang was joking, as an innocent young girl, she had zero resistance to his teasing.
She pushed him hard and muttered softly:
“Stop, stop joking.”
Lu Liang chuckled but let her go, then continued to savor the porridge.
Joking is fine, but there’s always a limit. Cross that line, and people get annoyed.
Lu Liang clearly knew Bai Wanqing’s limit.
Released by Lu Liang, Bai Wanqing returned to the kitchen and started preparing another meal: dinner for her parents and breakfast for herself.
After finishing the porridge, Lu Liang said goodbye and left—this time he truly meant to go.
But before leaving, he said two things to Bai Wanqing.
The first was: “Are you still short on tuition?”
Bai Wanqing pretended not to hear.
After Lu Liang asked several times, she finally covered her chest and said no.
Lu Liang knew she was still short on tuition, but her poor pride made her lie.
He thought that if the chance came, he would help Bai Wanqing out later.
Of course, Lu Liang wasn’t some benevolent saint helping everyone indiscriminately.
He wanted to help Bai Wanqing not only because he’d eaten a few meals at her place but mostly because her stubborn pride reminded him of himself.
In short, she was a treasure girl who still preserved the dignity of the poor in this harsh world.
If Bai Wanqing had accepted his money without hesitation that first night they met, Lu Liang would have still given her a substantial amount—but then, that would have been the end of their contact.
After asking about tuition, Lu Liang said the second thing:
“If anyone bullies you at school, you have to tell me.”
His tone was a bit like a domineering CEO, but it wasn’t empty bravado. Lu Liang could see that Bai Wanqing was very pretty.
While good looks combined with other qualities were an advantage, beauty alone could be a disaster.
Today’s incident with Xu Qing was no exception.
Bai Hanhang was so naive and unguarded that she was bound to be bullied mercilessly in the future.
Fortunately, Lu the big bully planned to step in.
“Oh?”
Bai Wanqing looked at Lu Liang with a puzzled kitten expression.
She didn’t quite understand what he meant, thinking oddly and even a little sadly:
The one who usually bullies her isn’t anyone else but Lu Liang himself.
“Did you hear me?”
Seeing Bai Wanqing zoning out again, Lu Liang gave a fierce warning.
“Y-yeah, I heard.”
Bai Wanqing replied weakly.
Satisfied, Lu Liang left Bai Wanqing’s home.
By now, it was nearly midnight. On his way home, Lu Liang began to imagine his plans for the next day.
Even with pressure from the Police Department and the Magical Girl Association, the number of Scavengers in the sewers wouldn’t drop significantly.
After all, being a Scavenger is all about the motto: “If you’re scared, don’t do it; if you do it, don’t be scared.” The bigger the storm, the more fish there are.
The stricter the authorities got, the more these people would defy them, following the idea that the bold survive, while the timid starve.
But when Lu Liang made his move, those bold ones probably wouldn’t be so lucky.
He had recruited Lu Ansheng and his group with the plan to form a team to block the sewer exit manholes, setting a trap for those Scavengers.
In short: Lu Liang wanted to block the manhole.
Heheh.
People really do laugh out loud when plotting mischief.
Just thinking about the end of the good times for the Scavengers filled Lu Liang with genuine joy.
However, as he laughed, he suddenly shivered.
He had a bad feeling—was it just a hallucination?
To avoid any unexpected trouble, Lu Liang decided not to roam around anymore and head home early to sleep.
The pitch-black night was like spilled ink.
On the rooftop of a tall building unnoticed by anyone, a petite girl dressed in a Magical Girl combat suit held a katana and solemnly surveyed the nightscape below.
As a Magical Girl, she was undeniably elegant in appearance, but what stood out most were her beautiful legs.
Her calves, wrapped in the combat suit, looked supple and elastic.
Her thighs were full and firm, and her knees didn’t protrude awkwardly.
From every angle, her legs had balanced and graceful lines, as if perfectly natural—almost like a poison for anyone who had a thing for legs.
If Lu Liang saw this girl, he would surely exclaim in surprise—because she was his sister, Lu Xiaoling.
Recalling her experience becoming a Magical Girl, Lu Xiaoling felt a strange sense of surreal absurdity in her heart.
That very day, after discovering that her brother might have fallen into a bad path, she had cried bitterly in her room.
Her intense emotional turmoil attracted the attention of a magical creature from another world.
With its help, Lu Xiaoling became an unlicensed Magical Girl without graduating from the Magical Girl University, gaining the Miracle Power that many could only dream of.
“Xiaoling, I’ve sensed the presence of a monster.”
Suddenly, a voice sounded beside her.
It came from a small black fairy with a cat-like appearance.
A crescent moon was drawn on its forehead, giving it a mischievous aura.
This was the otherworldly magical creature Lu Xiaoling had met that day.
“Bini Ke, I think I’m ready to hunt monsters now.”
Lu Xiaoling said resolutely to the fairy.
She needed to earn money to keep her brother from falling deeper into trouble.
She swore to use this hard-won Miracle Power to make lots and lots of money!
“Wait a moment, Xiaoling!”
Bini Ke flew anxiously to Lu Xiaoling’s hand. Lu Xiaoling thought it was about to warn her to be careful, and she was about to say she’d be careful, but instead, Bini Ke rummaged around and produced a headgear, handing it to her.
“Here, Xiaoling. Put this on.”
“A… headgear?” Lu Xiaoling took the headgear and examined it. It looked like a very ordinary mask.
She couldn’t help but ask:
“Why do I have to wear it?”
“Xiaoling, I told you I snuck out, right?” Bini Ke said with a tone full of worldly wisdom.
“Strictly speaking, my identity as a Magic Apostle is illegal. You also don’t have a Magical Girl certificate. When we fight monsters, we have to be careful of the Magical Girl Association because…”
It said sorrowfully:
“You’re a Magical Girl Black Account!”
“Eh?”
Realizing she was a black account, Lu Xiaoling let out a belated wail.