Magical Girl Heavy Dependence

Chapter 58, Chaos

"The most terrifying aspect of deception is not that it blinds others, but that it gradually erodes the deceiver's self-awareness. Once a person finds a noble excuse for himself, he dares to commit any despicable crime. Raskolnikov kept telling himself that his actions were for the ideal of the 'Superman'—yet this is precisely the most hypocritical of all deceptions: self-deception."

The art teacher stood on the podium, reciting excerpts from famous works in a deeply emotional tone.

Zhong Ai sat in the most conspicuous spot in the first row of the classroom, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone.

[Jingwei: How's it going?]

[Cang Qing: Everything is going smoothly as planned.]

When she reached the paragraph break, the teacher gave her a strange, even slightly worried look.

It wasn't because the top student hadn't been paying attention in class today, but because of that sharp gaze coming from behind, a gaze that everyone in the room could feel, piercing through the entire classroom.

Without turning around, Zhong Ai knew that Yan Xi was glaring at her.

"Fool."

After muttering something almost imperceptible to herself, Zhong Ai calmly turned her face to the side, gave the fierce-looking girl a sweet and polite smile, and then turned her head away from her.

Click.

The faint sound of a pencil snapping in two, and the cracking of knuckles clenching, could be heard from the back of the classroom.

Resentment was palpable.

Just as get out of class ended, Zhong Ai, who was packing up her stationery and books, was tapped on the shoulder. Yan Xi stood there with her hands in her pockets, her expression unfriendly, and said, "Hey, come out for a second, I have something to say to you."

Zhong Ai didn't get up, but remained seated: "Say what you have to say here, Yan Xi."

"I don't believe you," she said.

Zhong Ai blinked, looking puzzled. "What?"

"Stop playing dumb with me!"

She suddenly leaned down, placing her hands on Zhong Ai's desk. "I just ran away from the company... no, I took leave! It's been less than a day, and the producer hasn't even had a proper talk with me yet. In such a short time, you've appeared out of nowhere, not only gaining his trust but also taking my place."

Yan Xi looked down at her, his face icy. "What's your purpose?"

At that moment, Zhong Ai's heart was suddenly shaken.

However… judging from Yan Xi’s angry expression, did she really come up with these words herself?

She suddenly remembered meeting that fox-like colleague yesterday.

The thought flashed through her mind, and Zhong Ai refocused her attention on Yan Xi, her tone equally cold: "I don't understand what you're saying. If that's all you have to say, then we have nothing more to talk about."

"Whatever your purpose, if you dare to harm the producer, I will never let you off the hook."

"Yan Xi, my classmate."

Zhong Ai interrupted her threat without any politeness: "I have to remind you, it's you—your irresponsible behavior of running away that puts Yinfu Entertainment and my brother in a passive position, which is why he had to find a way to find me to replace you."

"elder brother?"

She looked at Yan Xi's suddenly contracting pupils and continued to sneer, "Do you think of yourself as a princess? That everyone has to obey you, that everyone has to coax you when you throw a tantrum? That he has to pamper you, love you, and tolerate all your whims? What exactly do you take him for?"

"Your brother is willing to put effort into you because you have value that he can invest in. If this makes you feel like 'I'm the most special person to the producer' or 'I'm important,' I suggest you wash your face with cold water to clear your head—you're the one who betrayed him first. Before blaming others, think about yourself first."

Yan Xi tightened her grip, her eyes turning icy: "What happens between him and me is none of your business."

Me too.

Zhong Ai did not back down.

A moment later, Yan Xi's expression darkened further, and she turned and left.

Zhong Ai withdrew her hand, her imposing aura vanishing instantly.

Actually... what she just said might not be out of place at all if applied to herself.

Yan Xi is not the only person who expects him to care for and love her.

Some classmates whispered among themselves. Zhong Ai frowned and then relaxed, resuming her expressionless face.

Just then, a round-faced girl who had finished eating a whole melon nearby came over and asked curiously, "What did you do to upset her?"

"President."

Zhong Ai greeted the person who had spoken to her.

Yi Shuangshuang is the president of the Love Research Club and also a magical girl. The club she introduced to Cheng Chen earlier was not a lie.

She has an older sister who works at the city's "Magical Girl Affairs Bureau" and has a good relationship with some of the association's deacons. She usually acts as a broker or middleman, scouting out wild magical girls from the academy and introducing them to the association or other magical girl organizations.

As for myself, I have never heard of any close relationship with any company.

"Yinfu Entertainment released an announcement across the entire internet this morning, welcoming 'Magical Girl Azure' as a trainee." Yi Shuangshuang winked. "Congratulations! Why don't you sign a few more autographs for me now? You can sell them for a good price when you become a big star."

Zhong Ai stared at her, and within ten seconds Yi Shuangshuang began to feel embarrassed and scratched her head.

"Let's get down to business. It really took me a lot of effort to track down Chu Junzhuo. I had to act cute and innocent in front of the fourth-year seniors, and even infiltrate his fan club and go crazy with the fangirls. Anyway... the result was good."

Like an information broker in a movie, she furtively pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Zhong Ai.

Zhong Ai took it, opened it, and read, "Yincheng Golden Auditorium Theater, tomorrow night at 7 pm."

"theater?"

Zhong Ai frowned and unfolded the note.

With lightning speed, Yi Shuang snatched it away and crumpled it into a ball.

"Shh!" The round face was full of mystery. "Chu Junzhuo is going to a concert tomorrow. It's by invitation only, and as far as I know, not many people have received invitations. But you'll definitely be fine. Just go to him and reveal your identity, and he'll definitely..."

Thanks.

Zhong Ai didn't let her finish speaking; she waved her hand and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

Yi Shuangshuang quickly jogged to catch up with her, "Just kidding, I thought you were interested in him, that's why you specifically asked me for information... Don't be angry."

Zhong Ai paused, hearing a voice behind her: "According to my investigation, Chu Junzhuo is just an ordinary person. Apart from being handsome and having a beautiful stepmother, he has almost nothing special about him. If you don't have those kinds of thoughts, why are you targeting him?"

"President, has anyone ever told you that you're noisy?"

Yi Shuangshuang shrugged: "Don't look at me like that. I was just gossiping casually. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."

She sighed, "Let's go, club activity. There are only the two of us in the Love Research Club now, and we're in a transitional phase. If we don't organize some serious activities soon, the club will really be dead in name only. We can't let the club passed down from our predecessors be ruined in my hands... Today we'll play the classic old game, 'A Thousand Charms'."

The Love Research Club is a club whose main activity is the research of visual novels (galgames).

Zhong Ai took out her phone and checked the time: "Not today, I have an appointment."

"An appointment? Who?" Yi Shuangshuang's tone suddenly turned playful, and she winked. "Could it be the guy you mentioned when you were arguing with Yan Xi earlier, bro~ bro~?"

Zhong Ai pushed Yi Shuangshuang's large face away and walked forward on her own.

"One last thing."

Yi Shuangshuang stood still and spoke from afar, "I heard that Yinfu Entertainment is preparing to replace Huiya with you as their next chief idol."

"Is there a problem?"

Chung Ai admitted it.

"I've known you for so long, and I never knew you were interested in idols."

Yi Shuangshuang muttered, shaking her head, "You should be aware of Yinfu Entertainment's current situation. It's a huge vortex. Xianmeng Group, Luoxia Interactive Entertainment, the municipal government, the association... both overt and covert, almost everyone in the Yincheng magic world is watching that side. If you rashly get involved, the only outcome will be being crushed to pieces."

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but you'd better stop before you get yourself into trouble—a piece of advice from a senior student."

Zhong Ai understood the underlying meaning in Yi Shuangshuang's words.

She nodded.

"Thanks."

……

After leaving the teaching building, Zhong Ai walked alone to the parking lot.

Throughout the journey, she absentmindedly pondered Yi Shuangshuang's words.

Yi Shuangshuang was her guide into the magical world. After she first transformed into a magical girl, it was Yi Shuangshuang who found her, who was at a loss, and taught her the basic common sense that everyone in the magical world should know.

However, she herself has no interest in punishing evil and protecting the world. She spends her days playing games in the clubroom and occasionally uses her connections to get exclusive news in exchange for pocket money.

The first person to shatter her beautiful imagination about "magic" was Yi Shuangshuang.

Zhong Ai was lost in thought, trying to distract herself from her anxiety and unease.

My phone rang before I arrived at the parking lot.

The caller ID showed "Dad," and seeing that name, Zhong Ai instinctively felt annoyed.

Calling at this time is either to remind her to be careful and come home early, or to continue the unpleasant conversation from yesterday.

They didn't meet this morning after their argument, and Zhong Ai wasn't in the mood to listen to his nagging.

In fact, the father and daughter rarely communicate in their daily lives.

They only pretended to be a harmonious father and daughter in front of outsiders. On weekdays, she would lock herself in her room to read, while Zhong Wenge would lie on the sofa watching TV. They would only have a brief conversation during dinner.

The conversation was incredibly boring, consisting of one person showing concern while the other offered only perfunctory responses.

Without any lubricant, Zhong Ai had no idea how to get along with Zhong Wenge.

This person was her mother when she was a child, and Cheng Chen filled the void after her mother died.

The thought of Cheng Chen intensified her inexplicable irritability.

Devil.

He had been away at Qiongcheng for six years, without making a single phone call or sending a single message during that time. Just when everyone thought he had completely disappeared from their lives, he suddenly returned, transformed into a demon.

But she is a magical girl, so wouldn't it be strange if she still clung to his arm and called him "brother" like before?

Why did he come back?

And suddenly she started playing the role of an idol producer?

We haven't seen each other for six years, yet we act as intimately as before. Doesn't that seem too fake? Even if there's a reason, shouldn't you explain it to me?

Zhong Ai walked along the road in a state of utter confusion, unable to distinguish whether she was doubting or complaining.

She walked into the parking lot and saw the conspicuous red Qimingxing X7 in the distance. Cheng Chen leaned against the car door and waved to her.

Zhong Ai quickly adjusted her expression, smiled slightly, waved in response, and quickened her pace to jog over.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, brother."

"I've only been here a little while, get in the car."

In short...

Chung Ai fastened her seatbelt in the passenger seat.

Have you had breakfast?

"no."

"Let's go eat at KMC. You used to always ask for the kids' meal, remember?"

"It was clearly my brother who wanted the toy in the package."

"I'm an adult, how could I be so childish?"

"How dare you say that! I still remember that summer when you took me to the amusement park..."

The conversation inside the car became lively.

Zhong Ai chuckled at his joke, gripping her phone tighter and tighter.

The last message before the screen went dark was from Jingwei.

[Jingwei: Keep going, good luck.]

……