Chapter 89
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Chapter 89: Chu Yuanqing’s Choice, Gate God
Zhelong Town
Behind Chu Wang Shu was a cluster of old buildings, some of which were set up as film and television shooting locations. She gazed at a Parisian-style antique shop in the distance, next to a pristine white church of English design.
As soon as they stepped off the bus, Dream Weaver Rabbit handed out mobile phones to all the participants, announcing that they were free to wander the film and television base until 10 o’clock in the evening.
The young girl nervously bit her lip, her gaze fixed on the number flashing on her phone screen. She had intended to muster up the courage to call her father, but had hoped to do so with her good friend by her side.
Little Qing said she had some errands to run, and Liuli appeared preoccupied, leaving her feeling awkward about disturbing them. After considering it for a while, she decided to go on her own.
Chu Yuanqing’s phone rang with a Japanese song, its melody faintly drifting in the warm summer breeze. The call, however, remained unanswered:
“Even if you gather up the fragments of the shattered yesterday one by one, you know the interrupted page…”
[Yesterday’s memories are broken into pieces. Even if we try to put them back together, we know our story has already ended.]
Dad, will you answer the phone?
…
Clatter.
The phone slipped from her hand, falling to the ground.
Chu Yuanqing looked down, her trembling fingertips stained with sticky blood. She endured the sharp pain as the images in her mind wavered violently.
—This was the price of that performance.
Whether through the highly efficient imitation learning of “Heart Flow” or the self-hypnosis of imagining herself as Charlotte, she could never truly replicate the world’s top idol’s charm.
These methods could enhance the fluidity of her dance and immerse her further into the mood, but they would not fundamentally alter her strength as an idol. They could not conjure any truly powerful style.
Simply put, unlike the other contestants who expressed special abilities through strong desires, she—forever battling against curses—was limited to the most superficial level with “Heart Flow,” devoid of any supernatural qualities.
Right now, only the “Heart Flow” ability developed by Tang Liuli held the potential to simulate Charlotte’s allure.
Thus, Chu Yuanqing took a different route.
She chose to extract a few strands of Charlotte’s blessing and embed them into a lantern, as a manifestation of the soul.
This was a parting gift from The Last Diva, encapsulating some of Charlotte’s emotions and memories.
When this blessing merged with the lantern, it created a fleeting moment of beautiful azure light, inevitably altering her own personality.
In such circumstances, simulating Charlotte’s charm with “Heart Flow” became possible, truly embodying the idea of “channeling the gods.”
However, this method was akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Charlotte’s blessings, like many of her remaining ones, were now used to stave off the curse of the Sea of Truth. Drawing from these blessings might not shorten her life, but it would exponentially increase the pain caused by the curse in a short period of time.
Additionally, the lantern’s excessive absorption of magic contributed to the tragic consequences she faced.
Chu Yuanqing had a high tolerance for pain, yet she now battled physical tremors and moments of unconsciousness brought on by her shattered and slowly mending soul.
The girl stood, dazed and lost in thought for a while, until her gaze fell upon the dirty phone at her feet, still vibrating with the answer button flashing. It seemed as though the phone was urging her to pick it up.
She wiped her red-stained hand on her pristine white skirt and struggled to suppress a cough.
Nearby, the phone continued to ring with a soft, ethereal female voice singing in the background, filling the air with haunting beauty:
“From a freezing season, I dreamt of taking only you away, dreams spilled over, memories telling lies…”
[In the season almost frozen, I took only you away, encountering drifting and falling dreams, our memories are lying.]
Chu Yuanqing’s ears buzzed, the sweet melody shattering into disjointed fragments, striking her heart with discordant phrases. Ignoring it all, she finally picked up the phone with her clean hand and pressed the answer button.
The music stopped.
The bathroom fell silent.
After a moment, Chu Wang Shu spoke on the other end, her voice hesitant:
“Dad, did you see that text message?”
Chu Yuanqing’s mind went blank. She was speechless.
A text message? Which text message?
Could it be the one Little Shu had sent before the game?
Chu Yuanqing vaguely recalled receiving a message from her, but after getting off the car, she quickly excused herself from her lovely daughter and Tang Liuli and went to a quiet coffee shop. It was there that she had continuously coughed up blood, leaving her no time to check her messages.
Now, she felt flustered.
From her daughter’s perspective, this message had been sent over a week ago. Despite being busy, there was no excuse for not seeing it.
Chu Yuanqing looked at the bloodstains on the screen, her retina still not fully recovered, and the images before her flickered and trembled. Even wiping the screen with her sleeve didn’t help. She could barely make out the message. All she could do was use magic to adjust her voice, nervously speaking:
“I did see it.”
Chu Wang Shu sounded skeptical:
“…Really? You’re not just listening to me now and then going through the message history, are you?”
Chu Yuanqing coughed a few times, wiping the blood from her lips in silence. The lantern hanging around her neck was overheating, and with the magic rejecting her body, even adjusting her voice was a strain.
Her senses twisted, and a cruel illusion of torture filled her mind—like an endless cycle of agony.
She was used to it.
With a strained smile, Chu Yuanqing spoke, her golden eyes filled with gentleness:
“How come? Oh right, you have a performance today.”
“I saw a bit of the live stream. You were standing in the third row on the main stage, and you danced wonderfully. But the theme song dance… it looked quite different from the ethnic dance you’ve been learning. Did you find it difficult to adjust while learning?”
“And in the first episode, I saw the contestants eating vegetarian… cough cough, with such intense training, it would be better to eat more nutritious food, especially since it’s free anyway.”
Chu Wang Shu’s eyelashes fluttered, her heart racing with confusion. These words seemed so ordinary, but they carried a warmth and attention she hadn’t felt in years.
The little girl felt as if fireworks exploded in her head, a slight smile tugging at her lips. She shook her head to shake off the dizzying happiness but also felt a mix of relief and unease.
Lately, Dad seemed different.
The money he gave her before coming to school, the casual greetings during their phone call—all these things had never happened before.
Was he trying to make up for something?
Chu Wang Shu’s mind swirled with thoughts, and she suddenly realized a possibility—an unsettling thought that sent a chill down her spine.
Could it be… that Dad was looking for a stepmother for her?
It seemed entirely possible.
A single father’s mental state often changes dramatically when entering a new relationship, reigniting hope in life.
She couldn’t hold back any longer and carefully asked:
“Dad, has the landlady talked to you recently?”
Chu Yuanqing tried to recall but couldn’t remember much. Her vision had mostly returned to normal now, and she was reading through her daughter’s text messages.
“We didn’t talk much. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, just curious. What about the lady next door who paints and runs a yoga studio? And the charming junior colleague who always brings you coffee—how are things with them?”
“Just ordinary acquaintances.”
“The client sister who came to thank you last time, and the one who loves cosplaying…”
Chu Yuanqing responded absently, still focused on her messages, not noticing the crooked reality around her.
Suddenly, Chu Wang Shu woke up from her thoughts. The purpose of her call was to ask her father to come visit. She eagerly returned to the main topic:
“Dad, are you free now?”
“The program group said that players are allowed to move freely here today, and can also meet their family.”
I want to see you.
The daughter’s words subtly conveyed this sentiment.
After a brief moment of silence, Chu Yuanqing, accustomed to the backlash of the curse, nearly coughed up blood. Rather than enduring the agony of a meeting, she was more concerned about… whether she should respond to her daughter’s expectations as Chu Yuanying herself.
If she responded, Little Shu would be happy.
But if they became closer, would all of her efforts in teaching her daughter to be independent—living without him, without expectations—go to waste?
But if she didn’t respond, could Little Shu accept her own death?
For years, Chu Yuanqing believed that if she kept their relationship cold, her daughter wouldn’t be too saddened when she was gone.
But now, she began to question that belief.
Because…
The text message from Chu Wang Shu seemed to confirm her mistake.
Dad, I’m going to record ‘Dazzling Stage.’
Well, I actually wanted to discuss with you before deciding whether to audition or not, but because you forgot Mom’s anniversary that day, I impulsively decided to audition and unexpectedly got through.
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when you came to see me at school that day.
But it’s never too late now. I know that even if I had told you, you would have said to go do what you really want to do.
Didn’t you say last time that you wanted to know about topics related to people my age? Then go take a look, even though I probably won’t be featured in the show, but you never know.
Lastly… if, I mean if.
If I could debut through this show and become the moon on stage, I would surely earn a lot of money. I could buy a big house in Sea City then, and you wouldn’t have to work hard all day.
Dad, we haven’t had a good chat in a long time. If that day really comes, let’s find a place to sit down, whether it’s a café, an aquarium, or a bench in the park. Let’s have a good talk.
Chu Yuanqing couldn’t stay indifferent.
Over the years, her daughter, who had gradually grown rebellious and increasingly distant, not only overcame her misunderstandings, but even without knowing the full truth, chose to forgive her years of numbness and alienation.
And the final sentence was nothing short of an invitation to release past grudges.
Chu Yuanqing thought she knew her daughter well, but the emotions in her message were like a dagger to her heart, forcing her to confront her own pride and ignorance.
Chu Wang Shu is a top student in her grade, hardworking, and obedient.
She finishes all the food she cooks, never wasting anything.
She willingly wears an apron, washes dishes, and handles most of the housework.
She doesn’t own a computer, is very thrifty, and her wardrobe mostly consists of clothes from discount stores. She avoids any social activities at school that involve money.
She’s not particularly rebellious—just lonely and kind. She saves her pocket money to buy cat food, sits on the roadside to feed small animals, and daydreams without many friends.
But…
Chu Yuanqing still thought her daughter might secretly hate her.
Or perhaps, she even hoped her daughter would hate her—maybe to the point of being indifferent to the news of her death, or even feeling relieved by a large insurance payout.
Unfortunately, as her father, Chu Yuanying was too clumsy, numb, and slow. It wasn’t until now that he realized his initial choice might not have been the right one.
So, while Chu Wang Shu waited for an answer, the other person’s voice slowly came down:
“I have work today, I can spare some time, but not for long. Is that okay?”
The young girl’s eyes sparkled with joy. She nodded, suppressing her emotions, and responded calmly:
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Alright, it will take me about an hour to drive over. I’ll call you when I arrive.”
Chu Yuanqing hung up the phone. Struggling to stand, she looked at her messy reflection in the mirror.
Her knees were scraped on the tiles, her clothes and hem stained with bright red blood. The blood on her palms had dried, vibrant, almost too vivid against her white hair and golden eyes, giving her an ethereal, broken appearance.
The scene in the bathroom was grotesque, resembling a postmodern abstract painting—thick layers of blood staining the sink, flowing across the floor, like a crime scene untouched by its perpetrator.
But luckily, as a magical girl, her blood was made of magic. By washing it with magic, she could clean it all away with a steaming effect.
Likewise, the bloodstains on her face, hands, and clothes could be easily removed using the same method.
Even the smell would be replaced by a pleasant scent like roses.
In fact, instead of the sharp odor of blood, the room now smelled of flowers.
Thus, one hour was enough for Chu Yuanqing to stabilize the rejection phenomenon inside her body, reestablish her magical power source, and get rid of all traces of the incident.
The only thing to figure out now was how to meet Little Shu.
Chu Yuanqing had chosen to bear this high price not only to avoid holding the rest of her team back, but also in preparation to meet her daughter.
Though the eyes of the live audience could be distracting, the magical energy generated by their positive emotions was incredibly powerful—almost as strong as millions of online viewers tuning in for a live broadcast.
Two thousand live audience members, compared to millions of online viewers.
It felt like she was being urged to hold a concert for 100,000 people, as if it would propel her to the sky in one go.
Let’s not think about the reasons for that now.
Anyway, after experiencing such a strong rejection, the magical power of her lantern pendant had expanded nearly tenfold, transforming her from an ultimate loser magical girl to a slightly less loser magical girl!
The Magic Clone, once considered an “advanced magic,” could now be used normally for up to two hours.
Chu Yuanqing had a plan: while the “Chu Yuanying” clone talked to Little Shu, she would also appear, creating evidence of both their presences at the same time. This would completely sever any suspicion that Chu Yuanqing was her father.
Sacred Separation Spell!
Just as Chu Yuanqing felt secure, she coughed again.
The faint sound of a lock turning reached her ears.
Chu Yuanqing was caught off guard when her gloomy, beautiful sister entered the bathroom without a word.
Tang Liuli froze. In the mirror, she saw an overwhelming image that reminded her of a terrifying scene from her past, a shadow her mother had left on her.
But then, as if a gift from the gods, someone appeared and helped her break free from those memories.
The golden depths of Chu Yuanqing’s eyes shimmered like sunlight on Walden Pond. Her white cascading hair symbolized the first snow on mountain peaks, her delicate features and pale skin resembling dew-kissed petals.
In that moment, her dazzling charm dispelled the shadows in Tang Liuli’s heart, replacing them with deep sadness and fear.
Because…
A drop of blood from the girl’s lips trickled down her chin, symbolizing the fading of life, shattering on the tiles like a mermaid turning into foam as it reached the land.
Nullparadox
It hurts to see that I caught up QAQ but I’m sort of glad that she true appearance has been seen:>