Chapter 12: Openly flirting.

“No, no.”

Lin Xibai was forced to tilt her face upward. She immediately squeezed her eyes shut tightly, shrinking deeper into the shadows. Even her breathing became extremely cautious.

She didn’t dare speak loudly, nor make any gestures that might reveal her personal habits. All her senses were stretched to their limit, especially her hearing.

She heard it clearly.

Just one table away, Lin Yuan let out a sneer that he didn’t even try to hide.

“Teacher Ye, look. This is the so-called embodiment of justice.”

“While those missing children’s lives are still uncertain, they’re in the mood to play house and act lovey-dovey here.”

Lin Yuan’s tone was filled with bone-chilling coldness and disappointment. “Especially that white-haired one, acting all shy and reluctant. Who is she putting on that show for? Pretending to be so unwilling, so pure? Women like this are the most hypocritical. If all magical girls are like this, the world might as well just be destroyed.”

Lin Xibai’s tightly pressed lips twitched violently. She glanced sideways toward the aisle.

A massive wave of grievance, heartache, and absurdity surged up instantly.

To be evaluated so harshly and with such disgust by her own child right to her face, yet she couldn’t refute a single word, couldn’t even show any unusual reaction…

The turbulent emotions rampaged inside her chest, finally exploding in her heart as a mournful cry mixed with bitterness and rage.

That’s your dad doing all this to save you, you little bastard son!!!

“Oh my~”

Gu Ranying released the hand pinching Lin Xibai’s cheek. Her fingertips slid down to her chin instead, gently lifting it and forcing her to look at her again.

“Xier, you noticed it too~?”

Immediately after, a chilling red glint flashed through her pink eyes. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze passing over Lin Xibai’s shoulder as she swept a death-like stare toward the opposite table.

“The little boy at the neighboring table seems to have quite a big opinion of us.”

In that instant, the magic concentration in the air spiked sharply. The porcelain cups on the table emitted a faint vibrating sound.

“No, don’t!”

Lin Xibai was scared out of her wits. Completely ignoring everything else, she instinctively reached out with both hands and gripped Gu Ranying’s wrist tightly.

“We, we are magical girls!” She urgently lowered her voice, speaking so quickly she nearly stammered. “Don’t involve ordinary people! That’s the rule!”

She didn’t dare look directly at the other girl. She could only desperately use her body to block Gu Ranying’s line of sight, like a mother bird desperately spreading her wings to protect her chick.

Gu Ranying was momentarily stunned by her intense reaction.

The trembling touch on her wrist and the panic almost overflowing from Lin Xibai’s eyes caused the dangerous red glint in her eyes to fade rapidly. It was replaced by an intrigued, playful interest and a delighted smile that seemed to say “just as expected.”

“Since Xier has begged me, I’ll spare him this time.”

Gu Ranying smoothly flipped her hand and clasped Lin Xibai’s palm instead. Her other arm naturally wrapped around Lin Xibai’s slender waist.

She pressed her entire body closer, her movements intimate as if caressing a beloved yet fragile porcelain doll.

“However…”

Gu Ranying leaned close to Lin Xibai’s ear. The warm breath made Lin Xibai shiver as if struck by lightning.

She lowered her voice to a volume only the two of them could hear and whispered.

“I’m from the Flower Tower side. I’m a magical girl who exists outside the system. Headquarters’ rules don’t apply to me.”

The arm around her waist tightened slightly. “I only care about Xier… Whoever disrespects Xier, whoever makes Xier unhappy, I will kill them. This time I’m letting it go for your sake. Next time… it won’t be so simple~”

“Okay, okay, I understand.”

Lin Xibai only wanted to end this humiliating situation as quickly as possible. She nodded frantically. “Let’s… let’s order first…”

“Alright~”

Gu Ranying seemed to greatly enjoy Lin Xibai’s startled-rabbit reaction. She gracefully sat back in the booth, pushed the menu decorated with cat patterns toward Lin Xibai, rested her chin on both hands, and stared at her without blinking. “Xier, choose for me~ I want to drink whatever flavor you like. It’ll feel like we’re sharing each other’s lives.”

Lin Xibai unwillingly flipped through the menu. The cringeworthy lines made her scalp tingle.

“Just get a cappuccino and a strawberry cake…”

Her mind was in complete chaos. She had no idea what was written on it and simply wanted to order the most common items to end this segment quickly.

“Mhm! Whatever Xier chooses~” Gu Ranying smiled until her eyes curved into crescents, as if this were some incredibly intimate decision.

A moment later, the waiter brought over a cappuccino with cute latte art and an exquisite strawberry cake topped with bright red strawberries and powdered sugar.

Gu Ranying directly picked up the small silver cake fork, cut a neat small piece from the edge of the cake, elegantly speared it, and naturally brought it to Lin Xibai’s mouth.

“Here, ah~”

Lin Xibai’s face was full of resistance. She leaned back desperately, trying to avoid the overly intimate action.

“Gu… Ranying, I can eat by myself, really.”

“Eh?”

Gu Ranying blinked. The smile on her face deepened, carrying just the right amount of confusion and teasing. She didn’t deliberately lower her voice, making sure the keywords could be clearly heard by the person at the next table who was coldly watching with pricked ears. “When on a date, feeding each other and sharing sweetness—isn’t that a very normal and wonderful thing between girls? Or could it be…”

She leaned forward slightly, using a breathy voice only the two of them could hear clearly while ensuring her mouth movements could be caught in the other’s peripheral vision, and finished the sentence.

“…Xier is feeling shy in front of other people?”

“It’s not a date at all!”

Lin Xibai finally couldn’t hold back and raised her volume.

If they were alone, to avoid greater conflict and trouble, she might have endured the humiliation and obediently eaten it to quickly move on.

But not now.

Lin Yuan was watching right beside them.

Even though logic told her ten thousand times that Lin Yuan absolutely couldn’t recognize her current self, her pride as a father and her stubborn refusal to appear so wretched in front of her child made it impossible for her to accept.

Her gaze wandered. She saw Lin Yuan turn away in disgust and say something to Ye Zhining about “shameless.”

Lin Xibai steeled her heart. In order to stop Gu Ranying from saying anything even more shocking that might provoke the next table, she closed her eyes, abruptly leaned forward, and swallowed the piece of cake along with most of the strawberry in one gulp.

The cloying sweetness of the cream spread across her tongue, yet she only felt nauseous.

“…Finished.”

Lin Xibai said vaguely, her cheeks puffed out, looking like an aggrieved little squirrel.

She tried hard to maintain a cold and aloof expression and countered, “Why aren’t you eating? Didn’t you say you like the flavor I chose?”

She attempted to seize back some initiative this way.

However, from Lin Yuan’s perspective, this scene simply looked like two magical girls openly flirting in broad daylight.