Chapter 36: Kidnapping the Young Lady in Distress

Staring at the filthy, chaotic room, Dongfang Cheng fell silent, as if choosing his words carefully in Hoshino Kirara’s eyes.

“You—”

“Hah.” Kirara cut him off with a cold, brittle laugh, her throat raw, voice scraping like sandpaper.

She lifted her still-exquisite but visibly worn face, chin tilted, eyes frosted with defiance.

“What, Dongfang Cheng—or should I call you Miss Zero now?”

“You came to this dump worse than a landfill just to see how pathetic I’ve become? Does it thrill you to watch the mighty Hoshino heiress reduced to a homeless mutt?”

She paused, her lips curling into a hollow, mocking smirk. “You’re just like the rest. You show up all high and mighty, claiming concern, but really, you’re here to confirm how hard I’ve fallen, to feel superior. Spare me your cheap pity—I, Hoshino Kirara, don’t need it.”

Dongfang Cheng watched her, fragile yet baring her fangs, and his lips curved slightly.

“Don’t bark at me. I’m not that bored.” To Kirara’s surprise, the delinquent’s tone was calm, without a trace of anger.

“What’s the point of mocking someone already in the mud? Besides, if we’re comparing tragic life plots, I’m probably neck-and-neck with you, Miss. I could turn into a woman permanently any day now due to transformation side effects. Believe it or not, I used to take out punks like those downstairs with a few punches. Now? I need a taser.”

Mentioning the taser, he pulled a pink anti-assaulter from his pocket and set it on the grimy coffee table.

“For emergencies. We’re both magical… uh, girls. This should handle normal thugs. Aim for the neck, not the heart.”

Kirara stared at the taser, dazed, before whispering, “What do you want?”

“I’ve got nothing left. The Hoshino family… it’s gone. I’m… not worthy of anything anymore…”

Her voice faded, her once-sparkling sapphire eyes dulled with ash.

“I’m not here to take anything,” Dongfang Cheng said, frowning. “I just think… ugh, why am I the one saying this?”

He ruffled his hair, annoyed. Counseling a broken heiress wasn’t his forte—he’d rather fight five more debt collectors downstairs.

Choosing his words, he continued, “At the campus festival, that Dan guy controlled you with his ability. You turning into… that wasn’t entirely your fault. His power manipulates hearts. You shouldn’t carry all the blame.” He paused. “What I care about is: what’s the deal with the Hoshino Group’s collapse?”

“Why are you digging into this?” Kirara’s wary gaze, laced with tears, turned sharp. “Collecting dirt to leak online for clout?”

“I’m broke, but not that shameless,” Dongfang Cheng cut off her paranoia. “A giant like the Hoshino Group collapsing overnight? That’s absurd. And you vanish as Meteor Yellow, only for Golden Needle Yellow to perfectly replace you days later. Don’t you think that’s too convenient?”

“What are you talking about…” Kirara’s voice trembled uncontrollably.

“I’m saying—” Dongfang Cheng stepped closer, looking down at her, each word a hammer to her heart, “you were set up. From your family’s failed investment to Dan’s manipulation, to you being vilified, to Golden Needle Yellow taking your place—it’s all likely part of someone’s plan.”

In that moment, Kirara froze, her defenses crumbling completely.

She opened her mouth, wanting to fire back a sarcastic retort, but all that came was a weary, tear-choked whisper: “Is that… true?”

Dongfang Cheng neither nodded nor denied. His calm, piercing tone—more cutting than pity, more terrifying than blame—struck her.

“Do you know, since that night… I can’t even close my eyes to sleep.”

Kirara spoke softly, as if murmuring to herself or confessing to the only person who still believed in her, unloading her unbearable fear and guilt. Her shoulders trembled, her eyes reddening, her facade finally collapsing.

“You say it like it’s easy… but that night, I really… almost killed someone.” Her voice broke, tears spilling. “I nearly killed Xiao Tao Gong… and could’ve gotten so many innocent classmates killed…”

“I don’t deserve to be a magical girl anymore.”

Dongfang Cheng was silent for two seconds. “So, you plan to rot in this trash heap?”

“I have no choice!” she screamed, voice raw. “Even if I don’t give up, Duhuang City won’t accept me! Who’d want a stupid woman who’d turn on her teammates for a man to protect them?”

She cried messily, voice cracking, cursing herself hoarsely—likely the first time Dongfang Cheng heard the heiress swear.

“You don’t want answers,” he said, cutting through her self-loathing. “You just want me to hate you too, so you can keep hating yourself without guilt.”

Kirara’s sobs hitched.

“That way, you don’t have to wonder if you were used, face your father’s failure, or take the next step—even if it buys you just one more day, one more hour. Hating yourself lets you avoid thinking about the future.”

“Asshole… shut up…” She collapsed to the floor, crying like a lost child, unable to form a full sentence.

Dongfang Cheng dreaded scenes like this—women bawling their eyes out.

He scratched his head, irritated, watching the curled-up, sobbing figure. The fire in his chest burned hotter.

“So,” he interrupted her cries, voice low, “is the Hoshino Group’s collapse tied to Ouroboros?”

Kirara’s head snapped up, red eyes glaring through tears. “Can’t you let me cry in peace?!”

“Nope.” His tone was unapologetic, firm. “I’m afraid you’ll cry yourself out and won’t talk.”

“You… you—!” Furious and flustered, she kicked his shin, only to wince and pull back her foot.

“Was the Hoshino Group’s collapse a coincidence?”

“Of course not!” she choked out, wiping tears and snot with her hand, heedless of her image. “You think the Hoshino Group was made of paper?! That kind of surgical strike and financial collapse doesn’t happen that fast, that thoroughly, without someone pulling strings!”

“So, Ouroboros?” Dongfang Cheng pressed, brows tight.

Before Kirara could answer, noises erupted outside—

“Someone fighting? Domestic violence?”

“Look downstairs! Who beat those black-suit guys? They’re out cold!”

“I called the cops! Hope no one’s dead—don’t mess up my son’s civil service exam!”

“Tch.” Dongfang Cheng frowned, sensing trouble.

“Not safe here. You, come with me.”

Before Kirara could react, he grabbed her slender arm with undeniable force, dragging her from the filthy apartment.

Ten minutes later, Lin Feng’s apartment.

“This is your ‘step aside to talk’—kidnapping Duhuang’s hottest ex-heiress to my place?” Lin Feng leaned against the doorframe, eyebrow raised, eyeing Dongfang Cheng with a teasing smirk as he settled Kirara inside.

Dongfang Cheng blinked, his clear black eyes—sharpened by his body’s changes—meeting Lin Feng’s gaze, and nodded.