Chapter 152

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Chapter 152: Only a Good Woman Can Marry Chu Yuanqing

Chu Wang Shu nearly jumped out of bed when she heard this.

Dad agreed? Hooray!!!

The girl’s eyes sparkled like bright, burning stars, and her pretty little face was filled with joy.

It seemed that her overwhelming emotions made the world around her sway, slowing down her senses, causing Chu Yuanying’s words to linger in her ears.

Chu Wang Shu didn’t have time to think about these strange feelings; she held her phone tightly, kept her emotions in check, and nodded repeatedly, happily replying:

"Yes, yes, I’ll work really hard, so Dad should also rest well. You must have energy on that day!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yuanqing couldn’t help but count the days on his fingers and thought about the increasingly realistic illusions lately, feeling a bit worried.

The curse of the Sea of Truth was getting worse, and it could strike at any moment. She had no means to fight back and couldn’t ensure there would be no accidents on performance day.

After all, she can’t just kiss Liuli, Miyuki, and Qingxuan for 15 minutes on the day of the second performance, using the magic recovery mechanism to stack three layers of positive buffs to prevent a curse outbreak, can she?

As soon as Chu Yuanqing thought of this plan, she felt as if she had touched something hot, and quickly suppressed the idea in shame. How could she bully those kids for her own desires? That was truly immoral!

Even if she set aside moral values, this absurd and awkward operation, like a playboy Don Juan, did have a bit of feasibility.

But for her, using the excuse of saving the world to recover magic and using personal desires as a reason were two completely different things and could not be equated.

Chu Yuanqing bit her lip in guilt and could only reply:

"Um, I will try to rest well."

"You too, just like I said last time, don’t push yourself too hard."

After that, the father and daughter exchanged a few words, and just before handing over the phone, they reluctantly ended the call.

Chu Yuanqing skillfully took out the SIM card and opened the WeChat interface for this identity. The list inside was empty, with only a few newly added little idols filling in some of the emptiness, yet it still felt hollow and lonely.

The girl paused for a moment, her delicate face showing a dazed expression. Memories intertwined like reflections in water appeared, and the lantern in front of her seemed to absorb magic, giving warmth to her skin. It was as if everything was saying, you have a chance to leave the past behind and start anew.

Indeed, by common sense, even with only six months left to live, it is better to ignore the heavy thoughts of fighting against the end of the world than to do something you do not like. Instead, one might as well embrace a carefree attitude, enjoying the beauty of life until the end.

Unfortunately, whether it was Chu Yuanying or Chu Yuanqing, they were both just one person.

Whether it was the duty of a savior or the obligation of a father, it compelled her to move forward and to create the future she desired.

Chu Yuanqing looked at the WeChat interface and her finger slid over her daughter’s profile picture. For a moment, she was lost in thought, her feelings complicated. Her eyes lowered, dim with sadness, and her youthful face showed a weariness, a sense of despair, and even a hint of world-weariness, blending into a unique mysterious charm.

This emotion, resting in the heart of a retired savior full of resilience and positivity, was undoubtedly rare.

"Time is running out."

Chu Yuanqing sighed softly, feeling a strange premonition deep inside. The chances of having happy conversations with her daughter as a father, like today, would likely become fewer and fewer.

So, even if not for Little Shu, just for herself, she wanted to make sure that she, as Chu Yuanying, would stand under the stage of the second performance to witness… the moment her daughter became the moon on stage.

Chu Yuanqing pushed down her negative feelings and replied to a few fan messages in the last few minutes before the internet cut out. When the device in the underground base activated again to disrupt the network, she tossed her phone aside, feeling a bit tired.

In a daze, the sound of cracking glaciers echoed far and wide.

It was the sound of the Sea of Truth still drowning the broken souls.

Chu Yuanqing quietly listened to the shattered symphony. She closed her eyes, emptied her mind, and lay on the soft bed, thinking of nothing—just like a girl sinking into the deep sea.

…

…

In the living room,

Tang Liuli was dropping little pearls and crying while hugging her knees. Since Chu Yuanqing had very little history, she spent an hour digging through Weibo, forums, and fan support groups and learned everything about her, becoming a true hero among the fans.

The green-eyed cat felt guilty. She had noticed before that unlike the other contestants who needed agents or staff to help carry their heavy luggage, Honey Qing’s bags were light. They contained no makeup, no seasonal outfits, and nothing that showed her personal style.

Simple and poor.

This is an obvious fact.

Even Liang Xiaoxiao, who is in the same ordinary situation, has a few outfits and cosmetics rented from the company, but Chu Yuanqing has nothing at all, completely unlike someone who should be appearing on a talent show.

That’s why she often gives Chu Yuanqing little bits and pieces, like a small rubber duck for the bathtub, the same brand of shower gel, a tiny hand cream, cute hair clips, and moisturizing face masks…

In fact, Xie Qingxuan is the same; somehow, she gifted Chu Yuanqing an unopened set of cosmetics.

Liang Xiaoxiao, like a hamster sharing stored food, often gives her some tasty but low-calorie snacks.

From this angle, the bedtime story sessions are not just the personal desires of these cooks.

After all, if a mutual exchange isn’t established, giving things can easily turn into pity and sympathy, which could lead to well-meaning actions causing harm.

For the reasons above, it makes perfect sense that "Dazzling Stage" portrays this dormitory as warm and full of chemistry, because these pretty girls truly get along well.

Tang Liuli’s eyes were filled with tears, feeling very sad.

She always thought Chu Yuanqing came from a poor family, but must have grown up in a happy and loving home. Otherwise, it would be hard to have such stable and mature emotions, along with a kind and graceful personality.

— There was no way to know; after all, the first thing Chu Yuanqing said to her was to ask for an autograph for her "niece." A normal person, upon learning this, could not have guessed that the other person was an orphan.

But who could have imagined that Honey Qing’s life was even worse? She grew up all alone in an orphanage without parents. At a young age, she had to take care of herself and started working to earn money for living expenses, planning for a future that seemed hopeless.

Looking back now, it was just like those Little Yuanxiao mentioned; Honey Qing was too kind-hearted, and could not bear to let others face the hardships she had faced. Her maturity came from the need to grow up quickly.

Tang Liuli now remembers how Chu Yuanqing cared for her, comforted her, treated her gently, and even tricked her into a kiss, almost committing suicide in front of her, and how she had asked for too much just a few days ago. She felt so guilty that she wanted to jump off a building.

Clearly… clearly, Honey Qing is the one who needs care and comfort the most!

But instead, she selfishly relied on Chu Yuanqing for her feelings, playfully acted like a child with her, and even took advantage of Chu Yuanqing’s kindness to do… to do such unfair things!

Is this what a person does? Only a truly wicked and shameless person would act like this!

And she, Tang Liuli, is really such a bad person?!

The girl was greatly shocked, unable to believe it, feeling sadder the more she thought about it. Her bright green eyes blurred with tears, making it hard to see the real world, and she began to get lost in an abstract fantasy.

At that moment, in her mind, there was a giant green-eyed cat causing terrible destruction in the city. It not only used its paws to steal all the cat food and cat cans from a big supermarket, but it also scared the people on the street, making them run away in fear, meowing wildly, and terrifying everyone in the city. It was as evil as a monster like Godzilla.

At the same time, many characters from comics, animations, and games appeared one after another, as if representing the main character’s guilt. Characters like Ashen Man, Undead, 2B, EVA, Altair, Yagami An, Spider-Man, and Superman all teamed up and used amazing special moves to make the green-eyed cat roll on the ground in pain.

When the green-eyed cat in her mind started to cry, the green-eyed cat in reality had already returned to its most basic state of social anxiety, gloom, timidity, and lowliness, writhing, creeping, rolling, twitching, and spasming on the couch, truly a genius of performance art.

When Kirimi Miyuki stepped outside and saw this scene, her mind short-circuited for a moment, and she immediately began to feel guilty, wondering if she had bullied it recently. She suddenly imagined that this cat had seen her and Honey Qing’s advertisement, and that it was too much of a shock, causing it to go crazy.

Chu Wang Shu was even more directly terrified. She hurried over, but didn’t dare to get too close, anxiously saying:

"Liuli, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Don’t be afraid, I’ll call the doctor right away."

Chu Yuanqing was the last to step outside. She was greatly shocked by what she saw, and quickly walked over to control the cat’s movements, confused, she pinched its tear-streaked face, and immediately connected the dots, realizing what had happened.

Yes, Little Shu and Miyuki both have family members they can call, but Little Liuli’s situation is special. This child must have called that terrible dad during the earlier atmosphere and was hurt badly, which is why she is crying so hard that she cannot control her actions. It is truly pitiful.

Chu Yuanqing felt a bit sad for her. She softly comforted her:

"Liuli, please stop crying, okay? We don’t need to pay any attention to that kind of person. From now on, don’t give him a single penny of the money we earn, and let’s always be happy. That is the best response."

As soon as she said this, the lovely daughter and Little Sakura suddenly understood.

They realized it was because of family issues and not just random outbursts. Thinking of this, both little girls politely and consciously moved to the other side of the living room to avoid any misunderstandings. They felt some sympathy for Liuli’s family situation and decided to treat her a little better from now on.

Tang Liuli’s sense of empathy was still open, and in her daze, she felt a gentle love that illuminated her heart, as if she were being washed away by a warm tide, floating among soft clouds, which broke her abstract state of distress.

But this brief joy, once she became aware again, turned into a painful knife that pierced her heart, cold and dull as it scraped into her flesh, creating a small but very painful wound.

— Empathy.

Tang Liuli had once proudly stolen moments of motherly love, reveling in this amazing talent, but now she felt bad and despicable, like a thief who selfishly uses others’ kindness, only knowing how to take.

Hmm, although she couldn’t control this passive skill in the "Cocoon of the Heart" game before finishing it, she can no longer view her actions objectively. Instead, she just keeps thinking negatively about herself and feels more and more self-hatred.

The green-eyed cat was overwhelmed. For the first time, she actively turned off her empathic gift and pulled away from that suffocating care, like a dark creature afraid of sunlight, hiding in her own little corner, crying and stumbling over her words:

"I’m sorry, Little Qing, boo-hoo, I’m… I’m a bad person."

"I… I didn’t understand your situation. I kept acting spoiled and being selfish. I’m sorry."

Chu Yuanqing listened, feeling confused. After a long time, she finally understood the meaning behind those tearful words.

So… it turns out she wasn’t crying because she got scolded for talking to her dad, but because she learned about my background and started imagining all sorts of things, beginning to blame herself?

What a silly little cat.

Chu Yuanqing thought it was kind of funny. She didn’t feel like she helped Little Liuli at all and didn’t think she had given much to this child.

Rather, if she thought about it seriously, it was always herself who gained a lot.

Even if she was caught there, the reason was that she had kissed Liuli for a long time, which was her own doing.

After all, knowing that someone likes you and still teasing them— even if it is unintentional— is truly an unfair thing to do.

Especially since behind all these events, she had relied on Liuli to complete the magic restoration, suppressing and even erasing the aftereffects of the curse.

However, there were many hidden reasons and pros and cons that she could not speak of, nor could she use this to comfort the other person and make them feel justified.

Chu Yuanqing could only patiently comfort her:

"It’s okay, you didn’t know before; ignorance is no crime."

"Besides, Liuli is very cute. I really like it when you act spoiled, and before you throw a fit, you always pay super close attention to how I feel, right? The moment I show even a little bit of dissatisfaction or unhappiness, you quickly run away."

"So, Liuli being a little willful with me is because you trust me, right? You believe you won’t get hurt with me, which is why you are willing to show your softest and truest self."

"I don’t think seeing you being honest is a troubling thing, and I don’t feel that your actions have hurt me. Similarly— right now, you have no reason to feel guilty, nor do you need to apologize to me."

Tang Liuli’s crying grew quieter. She sniffled and, with a worried frown, asked softly, "Is it true?"

"But I still did something very bad to Little Qing."

"I… I will try to make it right!"

The green-eyed cat said this, holding back her shame. It was hard for her to unbutton her shirt, wanting to accept the same punishment. But before she could unbutton the second button, Chu Yuanqing grabbed her little hand, stopping her movement.

The girl looked up at her with confusion, her eyes filled with tears, looking very cute.

Chu Yuanqing tapped her head, feeling both angry and wanting to laugh.

If this child really took off all her clothes, who knew what strange things Miyuki and Little Shu would imagine? Besides… being sucked is even more embarrassing, more wrong, and more frightening than the other thing for someone who is underage!

After feeling some pain, Tang Liuli regained a bit of her senses, realizing she had troubled Mother Qing again. She trembled, curling up on the sofa, worried the other might switch to a serious parent mode.

Chu Yuanqing found it hard to deal with the socially anxious cat. She sighed and said:

"In short, no crying, and don’t think too much about it."

After that, her expression changed slightly, and she warned in a soft tone:

"Also… forget about what you just said. You must not mention it again!"

Tang Liuli nodded repeatedly, feeling useless. She had cried because she felt sorry for Chu Yuanqing, but crying only made things worse. It seemed better not to cry at all.

How frustrating, and thinking about this made her want to cry even more.

The green-eyed cat sniffed, and she placed her phone on the table in front of the sofa. At Chu Yuanqing’s urging, she went to the bathroom to fix her appearance in the mirror.

After washing her face, Tang Liuli began to reflect seriously.

Although Mother Qing said she didn’t mind, that lack of concern was based on the other person’s kindness; it didn’t mean her actions were free of problems.

Now, thinking carefully, her goal was to make Mother Qing like her—specifically in a romantic way—but so far, there had been no change in that goal, and the reason for that was her own immaturity.

Even in a young girls’ comic, love between two people involves give and take, helping each other. But what about her past actions? Aside from the little gifts, she only took without giving and was lost in the happiness from the other person’s feelings, without realizing anything was wrong.

In this way of being together, she could only be treated like a pet.

After this moment of realization, she understood an important truth.

That is, a great performance on stage might make Chu Yuanqing see her differently, but it would not bring them closer together.

Tang Liuli knew that to move forward, she must return to the right path. She had to change her past way of only taking, not giving back. She needed to actively observe, care for, help the other person, and also find chances to let the other one ask for her help.

Only then would the attraction between them be positive, and there would be a chance for them to connect, creating sparks beyond just friendship!

The green-eyed cat looked at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes slightly red, with a serious but cute little face, and said confidently:

"Liuli, you must become a mature and good woman!"

"Only a mature and good woman can marry Honey Qing and take real wedding photos together!"