Chapter 33: Why Are You Wearing My Father's Clothes?

The girl’s voice echoed through the living room, making Fu Linxing’s head spin.

Xian Xinshi stood up, seething with rage and hurling insults. Fu Linxing, dwarfed by her towering presence, instinctively stepped back and nearly tripped over a chair.

"Why do you have to be so aggressive with your words?" he mumbled.

Seeing his cowardly demeanor, Xian Xinshi’s eyelid twitched, and her anger flared even higher. Just as she was about to continue her tirade, his phone rang at the perfect moment.

Fu Linxing watched her reaction nervously. When she turned away and let out a cold scoff through her nose, he cautiously pulled out his phone. He glanced down to see it was a call from Fu Lan. Swallowing hard, he pressed the answer button.

"She already told me the situation. Are you both at home right now?" Fu Lan asked from the other end, his voice unusually calm.

"Y-yes, we are," Fu Linxing replied.

"Did she hit you?"

"Ah? That... no, she... she didn't..."

"Alright, don't do anything for now. Don't provoke her, and let her do whatever she wants. I'll be home soon."

"Oh, okay. Should I—" The line went dead. Fu Linxing sighed at the phone screen. It seemed the elder Fu was quite familiar with the magical girl’s explosive temper.

Come to think of it, that glare she gave him earlier was absolutely terrifying.

He wondered if he would actually die if she really decided to take action. Although the Magic Affairs Bureau always claimed that magical girls could not use magic directly against ordinary people, after seeing how she had dragged him with her tennis bag earlier, he figured it wouldn't be hard for her to strangle him with the bag strap or toss him out the window.

Xian Xinshi, however, couldn't be bothered with the thoughts racing through the boy's mind. As soon as he hung up, she walked into the bedroom, pulled a hooded cardigan from the closet to wear over her outfit, and then draped a long trench coat over that to hide the overly conspicuous white dress.

Fu Linxing, peeking from outside, realized for the first time that as a magical girl, she was about his height, given that she could fit into his father’s long men's trench coat.

He shuffled to the doorway from a distance, watching her struggle to tuck her long hair into the hood, and asked tentatively, "What are you doing?"

"Leaving. I'll return the clothes." She looked down at her fluttering hem, pulling the oversized coat tight around herself. "I hope I never see you again."

"Wait, aren't you going to wait for my dad to get back?"

Xian Xinshi curled her lip and pulled her hood lower before walking out of the bedroom.

Fu Linxing quickly ducked out of the way, watching as she slammed the door on her way out. It was then that it suddenly hit him: Xian Xinshi was wearing Fu Lan’s clothes!

Why was she so practiced at this? How many times had she been to this house to know exactly where to find the clothes she wanted in the closet?

*No, stop thinking about that.* She was right—his perspective was too narrow, too sordid.

Wearing the long trench coat, Xian Xinshi walked quickly out of the residential complex. As the sky grew dim, she found a secluded spot and deactivated her transformation.

Back in his original form, Fu Lan took off the trench coat and hoodie, draped them over his arm, and checked a new message on his phone.

"How was it? I told you it would come in handy someday, didn't I? You were so against me becoming your 'puppet' earlier, but I'm glad I didn't listen to you."

He simply replied with "Thanks for the help," deleted the record, and put his phone back in his pocket.

That said, the puppet had indeed been a huge help. Yes, that phone call had been made by the puppet; as for minor tricks like forging caller ID, they were nothing to Black Coral.

But the thought of his own puppet remaining by Black Coral's side sent a chill down his spine.

Things had veered slightly off track. In his transformed state, he hadn't been able to control his anger or clearly explain things as planned. But perhaps he could leverage this loss of control...

Besides, everything he said was the truth; the way that kid Fu Linxing thought was truly infuriating!

Calculating the time, he walked back to the complex, reviewing the whole process. As long as his son didn't check his outgoing call logs, there shouldn't be any flaws.

Walking into the house, Fu Linxing, who had been carefully inspecting a teacup, stood up from the table. "Dad, you're back? Aunt... Xian has left."

Fu Lan nodded, gesturing with the clothes in his hand.

"So you two met downstairs, then," Fu Linxing said, scratching his head.

The two fell into a silence.

Fu Linxing coughed a few times. "You really are something, not saying a word about such a big deal..."

"I'm sorry. It's just that the less you know about her, the better. You should understand the danger involved."

Fu Lan draped the clothes over the back of a chair and sat down. Fu Linxing followed suit.

"Don't tell your mother," Fu Lan said earnestly. "It's not about our relationship. I haven't betrayed her; I can guarantee that much."

"I can understand that, but Old He certainly wouldn't let you keep a secret like this for so long. And this secret is also..."

"That's why I'm asking you not to tell her. Consider it a favor." Fu Lan folded his fingers, looking uneasy. "Can you do that?"

"I won't tell, I won't tell," Fu Linxing promised.

Seeing his father so humbled and pleading with him for once, a sense of camaraderie in sharing a secret stirred within him.

"Now, can you tell me what’s going on between you two?"

Fu Lan rubbed his forehead. "You dare ask? Haven't you had enough of how violent that woman is? By the way, what did you two talk about?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"She didn't tell you?"

"Sigh, I didn't actually see her. She left right away and just told me where to find the clothes."

Fu Linxing had no choice but to recount the situation, his face turning red. He didn't hold anything back, though Fu Lan felt he was exaggerating in some respects.

Was he really that terrifying after transforming?

"She was right to scold you," Fu Lan commented vengefully. "The fact that she held back from killing you shows her restraint."

"Talking about my death so casually? I really am your own son, aren't I?"

"It’s just a figure of speech; she wouldn't actually kill you. She might be impulsive and quick-tempered, but she wouldn't harm an ordinary person. Regardless of what the Magic Affairs Bureau says, a magical girl's principles never change. And besides, put yourself in my shoes—being accused of cheating without cause, I wouldn't be happy either."

Fu Linxing wailed, aggrieved, "Any normal person would jump to the conclusion of cheating in a situation like that!"

"And now? After seeing her in person, do you still think so?"

Fu Linxing paused, falling into deep thought. His expression shifted several times before he finally understood. "I believe you, Old Fu. You couldn't possibly fall for a crazy woman like that, let alone have an affair with her. You'd be asking for an early grave."

Although the phrasing left Fu Lan unsatisfied, he nodded anyway.

"You must have been coerced by her!" Fu Linxing said indignantly. "She forced you to do things for her, didn't she?"

Fu Lan felt awkward. "It's not quite like that..."

Fu Linxing said sympathetically, "Then it must be that you made the wrong friends when you were young, and by the time you realized something was wrong, you were already in too deep."

He then suddenly grew excited. "But Old Fu, are you a member of some underground organization? Helping magical girls in secret, reversing the image the Bureau has smeared, like some kind of resistance movement? That's awesome!"

Based on his understanding of his son, Fu Lan had already guessed what kind of conspiracy theory he would concoct.

He sighed. "Stop guessing. She and I are just ordinary friends. We've known each other a long time, and our relationship isn't close enough to be flagged by the Bureau, which makes me suitable to act as a custodian."

"No underground resistance?"

"No."

"Just helping her as a storage manager?"

"Yes."

Since it had come to this, Fu Linxing still wouldn't give up on his theory. "If you're mixed up with a magical girl, even as a storage manager, shouldn't you know some magic?"

"If I knew magic, I would have been arrested by your Aunt Xiaohan a long time ago."

Fu Linxing couldn't hide his disappointment; he couldn't accept that his father’s "extraordinary" encounters were so mundane. He frowned, deep in thought.

"Alright, that’s all I can say on the matter. Don't ask again; don't make things difficult for everyone." Fu Lan said sternly.

Fu Linxing nodded obediently, making a gesture as if sewing his lips shut.

Fu Lan leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Your opinion on magical girls is quite surprising, though. You think the Bureau smeared their image?"

"I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks so. Even though the official propaganda is what it is, and the past accidents weren't fake, it feels like they haven't done anything truly wrong. Compared to their contribution in eliminating magical beasts, it's... I just feel like the Bureau does it to elevate themselves."

Fu Lan narrowed his eyes. "Even after seeing Xian Xinshi, you still think that?"

Fu Linxing hesitated, causing Fu Lan's heart to sink slightly, though he maintained a calm exterior.

Fu Linxing remained silent for a few seconds before offering an awkward smile.

Fu Lan knew exactly what he meant. "Don't hold back; speak your mind. Don't act like I'm going to defend her—that actually makes me angry."

Fu Linxing finally relaxed. "How should I put it... she really is a far cry from the stereotypical magical girl. She’s like a powder keg, ready to blow at any moment, and despite how good she looks, her mouth is full of vulgarities...

"But I feel like she’s not a bad person at heart?"

Fu Lan gave a soft "hmm" and said nothing.

"So, is she a good person or a bad one?"

Fu Lan gave him a look reserved for the dim-witted. "Even children's cartoons know how to give villains a glimmer of humanity."

Fu Linxing corrected himself. "Let me rephrase. From your perspective, setting aside her social danger and general morality, and discussing only the impact she has on our family, do you personally consider her a good person or a bad one?"

As expected, he didn't care about the grand themes of magical girls; he was always going to circle back to this.

Fu Lan thought for a moment and said solemnly, "She is a bad person, but she has nothing to do with the divorce."

From the expression on his face, Fu Linxing could tell the answer was sincere.

"That's enough. I've given you a direct answer, and this is the last time I'll discuss this with you," Fu Lan said, sounding weary. "You're a smart kid; you should know that many things are beyond one's control. Even if it's painful, sometimes choices have to be made."

Fu Linxing nodded helplessly.

"I haven't even asked why you suddenly came over tonight. Is your mother on another business trip?" Fu Lan asked, deliberately trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, same old. Sigh, Old He, she really is something, still running around at a time like this."

"A time like what?"

Fu Linxing realized he had made a slip and felt a surge of dissatisfaction. Why did it feel like he was the one in the wrong?

He retorted, "A time like what? At the time of a divorce! You don't actually plan on going to the Civil Affairs Bureau the day after tomorrow, do you?"

Fu Lan looked visibly annoyed. "Didn't I just explain this? You didn't understand?"

"I understood. You said the divorce has nothing to do with the magical girl, and I believe that's true. But if it's just a problem between the two of you, doesn't that mean there's still room for reconciliation?"

Fu Lan stared at him for a long time, then gave a bitter laugh and lowered his head. "You think having her involved is the biggest obstacle to this? Heh, you're wrong, Little Fu... It is precisely because there are no external factors that your mother and I are destined to divorce."

"Why?" Fu Linxing asked persistently.

"When I told you before, you didn't have any objections, did you? Why, after the incident with Xian Xinshi these past few days, have you suddenly changed your mind?" Fu Lan suppressed his emotions and tried to persuade him gently. "Think about it calmly. What’s making you unwilling to accept this is just an imagined obstacle; you mistakenly think that if you eliminate it, you can save this marriage.

"But in reality, that possibility never existed, and our marriage doesn't need you to save it.

"Sometimes, divorce is not a bad thing."

Fu Linxing insisted, "I know I can't change your decision, I just want to know the reason."

Fu Lan stared at the crack in the teacup handle and finally said, "Because I can no longer pretend, and your mother noticed that a long time ago."

Fu Linxing looked at him, puzzled. "Pretend what?"

"Everything," Fu Lan said. "For instance, I never once enjoyed playing games with you."

He looked at the reflection of Fu Linxing in the cold tea, horrified by his own cruelty.

There was no familiar ache in his chest. He wasn't sad; there was even a shred of relief. But it was precisely that absence that he feared most.

He patted Fu Linxing on the shoulder and, leaving his son dumbfounded, returned to his study.

Night had barely fallen, and yet he had already destroyed the entire evening.

...

...

In the command center, Li Xiaohan and Lily stood before the map, observing the corrected positioning results.

After discovering the burial site, the task force had dispatched tracking hounds in batches to follow the magical traces and trace Xian Xinshi's path, finally uncovering a suspicious location.

Not only did the residual magic of Xian Xinshi point to the site, but the magical tracking of the ball-beasts also overlapped there. Based on the concentration of the residue and the rate of dissipation, they deduced that the creatures taken were alive.

In other words, after that slaughter, Xian Xinshi had captured some ball-beasts alive.

"What does she want with live ones?" Li Xiaohan asked, frowning. "Is it that killing them wasn't enough, and she needs a batch of live ones to take back and continue the abuse?"

Lily shook her head. "Although she is heavy-handed when clearing out magical beasts, she doesn't have the habit of abusing living creatures."

"Then is she taking them back to breed, just so she has a constant supply of targets to vent on?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out." A flicker of unease crossed Lily's face. "But if that's the case, her state is even more concerning."

Hearing this, Xiaohan’s expression turned grave as well.

She was starting to understand why Long Yushu had such an assessment of the "Stranded." Compared to other magical girls, these Stranded ones seemed to suffer from more severe mental issues—it could even be called a status quo.

She hadn't expected Xian Xinshi to have such an intense desire for slaughter.

According to Lily's recollection, even before she disappeared, she had a morbid obsession with massacring magical beasts. She had repeatedly intervened in other jurisdictions after wiping out the beasts in one city, which inevitably led to conflicts with other magical girls. That was exactly how Lily had met her.

Lily expressed confusion over how Xian Xinshi had managed to suppress this desire for 20 years.

However, based on the current signs, once Xian Xinshi returned to action, it was unlikely she could overcome this bloodlust in the short term.

What would happen if all the killable magical beasts were gone?

Li Xiaohan dared not think about it.

She looked at the garage marked on the map and called over a subordinate. "Prepare for an operational deployment meeting. We need to confirm the situation at that location as soon as possible."