Love, Gun, Cupid

"Let go!" Jasmine said angrily. "It's one thing at home, but don't lay a hand on Lin Jiade in public!"

"Hey, I've been working so hard for him lately, can't I just treat myself a little?"

As the leaves fell, three different feet stomped on them, each making the same crisp cracking sound. And so, Lin Jiade returned home, arms covered in red welts from their struggle. Ten days had passed, yet it felt like several months, a strange joy filling him.

He took the soccer ball off the frame, headed it, kicked it, and bent over to let it roll on his back. Jasmine was putting on her apron and was about to do the same when Du Juan nudged her elbow and pointed towards Lin Jiade's bedroom. The two of them watched the young man playing happily with them.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Lin Jiade dropped the soccer ball and went to open the door. A cold beauty stood outside. Her light golden hair was tied into three braids at the back of her head. Her icy blue eyes reminded people of a snowfield. Her skin was sickly pale. She was surprisingly tall and dressed like a capable career woman.

Korobochka, how could she?!

Knowing that Korobochka had been rebuilt by the Empire, Lin Jiade was not surprised by her existence. However, how did she find her way here?

He frantically reached into his pocket for his gun, but Korobochka preemptively grabbed his wrist. Her fingers were as cold as the dead man's, and Lin Jiade's heart had become just as cold.

The 2.17-meter-tall woman cast her shadow on Lin Jiade, and seeing the fear on his face, she chuckled. Her cold expression softened, and she spoke to Lin Jiade in a familiar voice, "Did you miss me?"

Lin Jiade exclaimed in surprise, "Glacial Orchid?! But how did you..."

The woman unbuttoned her collar and flipped it to one side, revealing a pink gladiolus blooming on her marble-like skin. This was the unbreakable pact between her and Lin Jiade, symbolizing her identity and the element that distinguished her from the pale woman and Korobochka.

Because of his height, when Lin Jiade rushed into Jianlan's arms, he happened to touch the flower on Jianlan's chest. The flower became hot from his kiss and swept over Jianlan's cold body.

She held Lin Jiade tightly with one arm, gently stroking the back of his head with the other, while her gaze fell on the glass behind them. There, she was still the Jianlan that Lin Jiade knew, but no longer just Jianlan. In the days to come, she would let Lin Jiade personally experience her transformation.

As for now, she said in a gentle tone that Lin Jiade loved: "I'm back, and I'm not going anywhere. We'll spend the rest of our lives together like this."

Chapter One: A Winter Story

On November 12th, a dreaded Monday, Lin Jiade was woken up by the alarm clock on his bedside table at 6:30. He sat up groggily, and the person in his arms reached out and put their arm around his shoulder, pressing him back onto the bed.

The period before heating begins, with temperatures steadily dropping, is the most difficult time of the year for residents of Fuxing City. For Miss Red Dragon, whose body temperature is higher than that of humans, winter is even more painful—the most direct manifestation of this pain is that Jasmine stays in bed even longer.

"Lin Jiade, you're cold, give me a hug."

Jasmine nestled against Lin Jiade's chest, unconsciously acting coquettishly towards him. She almost melted his heart, but the thought of Jasmine's math test score of only 97 out of 150 on Sunday night hardened his heart once more.

Learning is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind. There's no room for laziness. He didn't have time to supervise Jasmine lately, so he let her study on her own. As a result of her self-study, she scored 12 points lower than last time.

Lin Jiade calculated the score for Jasmine: if Jasmine wanted to be his junior, she would have to score at least 120 points in math, so she couldn't relax for a moment.

He got up and pulled back the covers, letting the cold air in. Jasmine reluctantly opened her eyes and said, "Today... I'll take the day off."

"no!"

Lin Jiade helped Jasmine up and helped her put on socks, a sweater, thermal pants, and her winter school uniform. Although Jasmine was unwilling, Lin Jiade quietly fussed over her, and she was wheeled out of the room with her hair disheveled.

At this time, he encountered Jianlan coming downstairs. Jianlan now has a physical body, but there is no place for Lin Jiade to live in her house. Theoretically, if Lin Jiade and Jasmine's beds are put together, the three of them can sleep in two beds, or if Jasmine and Lin Jiade sleep together, a bed can be freed up for her.

Having a physical body means having the ability to withdraw the current account deposits from Lin Jiade's body, and Jianlan's desire to have children makes Jasmine feel threatened that her current account deposits will be withdrawn by others.

Furthermore, when Gladiolus returned with the image of Korobochka, she pressed Lin Jiade against his chest and rubbed against him like a run-over, which made Jasmine's jealousy escalate from mild to intense.

Gladiolus felt guilty towards Jasmine and didn't want to provoke her further, so she moved into Jasmine's apartment on the 17th floor. Then, she used witchcraft to link the two apartments together. By injecting energy into the walls, she could activate a door, allowing her to move freely between the two apartments.

Jianlan takes over Lin Jiade's job, helps Jasmine get acquainted with the work, and dresses her up. She and Jasmine are rivals in love, but she also treats Jasmine like her own child, and Jasmine feels almost the same way about her.

"Doesn't it feel like a mother-daughter bowl?"

The voice behind him made Lin Jiade turn around. Du Juan smiled sweetly. He glanced at her guiltily. Jasmine sat obediently in front of the mirror. Her hair became smooth and straight in Jianlan's hands. Jianlan's eyes were full of tenderness, and her movements were patient and meticulous. At first glance, it did look like a mother dressing up her daughter.

"No, I didn't mean that," he said guiltily.

Du Juan pointed to Lin Jiade's House of Representatives. Lin Jiade lowered his head, embarrassed, and ran to the toilet. After calming down, he brushed his teeth and washed his face, tidied himself up, and waited for breakfast with Jasmine.

Soon after, Gladiolus used her energy to levitate the plates in her palm. She first handed one to Jasmine, then to Lin Jiade, and took off her apron to watch them eat—this was her pleasure.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Jasmine went out, and Lin Jiade saw her off, giving her the usual hug and kiss. Half an hour later, when it was his turn to go out, Jianlan straightened his clothes, smoothed out the wrinkles, and after she was satisfied, Lin Jiade was given a hug and a kiss.

“Jasmine and Lin Jiade, Lin Jiade and you, the hugging and kissing of those at home to those going out seems to have become a ritual,” Du Juan said. “Should I do that too?”

“No need. Even if you kiss me, my heart won’t feel any warmth. If you really want to help me, why not give up your room? After all, celestial observers don’t need sleep, right?”

Du Juan smiled and said, "That won't do. As Cupid, if I don't even have a room in my lover's house, wouldn't people laugh at me?"

"In the story, Cupid always shoots an arrow and then leaves."

"You know it's a story, a story that reflects a past era, and none of us can go back to the past."

Gladiolus didn't want to argue with Azalea, so as she went to put on her shoes, she casually asked, "Is the next one Kapok?"

"Who knows?"

Gladiolus's job is to observe cuckoos and exert influence on celestial observers through Lin Jiade. This can be considered a private commission from a pay-to-win female player, but ostensibly, her job has two parts:

First, she continues to operate as Korobochka and manages the witchcraft knowledge related to Korobochka. Of course, if anyone uses the related technology patents, Gladiolus will not receive a penny; she only obtains free use of the knowledge without having to pay any fees.

Second, she was transferred to the Special Tactics and Rescue Service of the Fuxing City Police Department to deal with crimes committed by individuals with superhuman abilities.

As for why a master of top-level sorcery would come to a third-tier city to do an ordinary job, the strange looks Lin Jiade received in the gang would provide the answer.

From the start of class, Lin Jiade felt that the people around him were looking at him strangely. Teacher Yang did, Lao Mu did, and his good brothers did too. In the club, people looked at him even more strangely.

"What's going on?" he asked Hehuan quietly.

When his voice reached Hehuan's ears, she trembled slightly, and her ears, not completely covered by her hair, flushed. She bit her lip and asked hesitantly, "Everyone's saying that the reason Ms. Jianlan (Korobochka's registered name is Jianlan) is so popular in Fuxing City is because she's dating you?"

Lin Jiade mumbled, "Ah, um."

Hehuan asked with some disappointment, "Where's Jasmine?"

"She is too."

Lin Jiade didn't understand Hehuan's gaze, but he had to admit that, whether it was to construct a reasonable excuse for Korobochka's appearance in Fuxing City and her close contact with him, or their actual relationship, Korobochka was one of his girlfriends...

Hehuan was completely unaware of the whole story, and even less aware of the existence of the sword orchid. Lin Jiade couldn't explain it to her directly, so he wanted to use the kapok tree as a roundabout way of explaining, to avoid Hehuan misunderstanding.

However, after the funeral, Kapok seemed to have vanished. She didn't appear before Lin Jiade, and he couldn't contact her. When he asked Hehuan, Hehuan also claimed not to know... Hehuan probably knew, but Kapok had probably asked her to keep it a secret, and she was just being loyal to her friendship.

Chapter Two: Weekend Plans (Bonus Chapter) (37→36)

Lin Jiade didn't want to put Hehuan in a difficult position, so he pretended to be persuaded and mingled in the club until the end. For him, who had only recently left the Mirror Realm, nothing happening was the best reward.

As he left, Hehuan quickly caught up with him from behind and asked, "What happened between you and Mumian?"

"I have some questions for my senior, but he seems to be avoiding me."

"Isn't it because you hate kapok trees?"

Lin Jiade was somewhat surprised: "How could that be?"

Hehuan placed her hand on her chest: "That's good."

Lin Jiade couldn't help but glance at it. As expected of the fullness of jasmine (+5 cup), azalea (+2 cup), and gladiolus (+1 cup), even though it was covered by clothes, it still had a huge destructive power on the male instinct.

They walked to the door. Lin Jiade went to take the bus, and Hehuan went to the nearby parking lot to get her car. As they parted, she looked at him with expectant eyes. When he looked back, she lowered her head to avoid eye contact.

Lin Jiade had become somewhat more adept at understanding women's hearts; he could roughly guess that Hehuan wanted him to spend more time with her. Hehuan was also his benefactor, and he was happy to repay her kindness in this way.

So he accompanied Hehuan to the parking lot. Hehuan was indeed happy. Just as he was about to say goodbye, Teacher Yang's car stopped nearby. She rolled down the window and looked at Lin Jiade and Hehuan in surprise.

Lin Jiade greeted her, which caused Hehuan to change her mind. She hadn't originally planned to send Lin Jiade back, but now, Teacher Yang's gaze made her feel rebellious.

The bigger predator was behind, as Gladiolus arrived in her car and said, "Jasmine has to go to evening self-study and eat out with her classmates, so let's go out and celebrate today."

Jianlan glanced indifferently at Hehuan and Teacher Xiao Yang. On a scale of 1 to 10, Jianlan rated her tolerance for Lin Jiade's harem relationships at around 7, indicating that she was the type to be open to new members and intend to build an unbreakable alliance.

However, Du Juan's attitude made her suspect that these people might be her accomplices, so Jianlan harbored some prejudice against them. Korobochka's temperament was already somewhat aloof, and this prejudice only made Jianlan's gaze seem like an iceberg.

Lin Jiade smiled awkwardly and obediently got into Jianlan's car. Jianlan gently pinched his ear and said, "Dual operation, good things come in pairs?"

Lin Jiade hurriedly explained, "No, no, we're just friends... Senior Sister Hehuan is a friend, and Teacher Yang is an acquaintance."

"Many acts of disloyalty begin with friends."

“But you are the same way,” Lin Jiade muttered. “At first I thought you really treated me like a son, but later I realized that you wanted to give me a son.”

Gladiolus flicked his forehead: "No matter how hard you try, it's no use. I'm dead now, and the dead can't have children with the living."

Lin Jiade was somewhat dejected. He was briefly happy for a while, and then became dejected again. Jianlan could probably guess what he was thinking and said, "There's no use being sad about this. I've learned to accept reality."

Moreover, the fact that the deceased cannot have children has one advantage: they no longer need to calculate dates and can instead devote all their energy to things that bring them fleeting moments of joy.

The implication was clear enough. Lin Jiade's breathing became heavy, and Jianlan reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. The cool sensation brought him back to his senses somewhat.

“I’m cold, inside and out,” Jianlan said. “Can you overcome your aversion to this? After all, it might remind you of a corpse.”

Lin Jiade hadn't even considered that possibility. Besides, before Du Juan got involved in his life, his Coron 2 and 3 were already dead, so he didn't care at all.

“You are not a corpse,” he said. “You are the one I love.”

“Good answer, but our only activity today is dinner.” Jianlan smiled. “I will wait until after Jasmine, as a sign of my respect for her.”

Lin Jiade had no objections, but considering that there were still 7 months until the end of the college entrance examination next year, and that he was living with high-value creatures... it seemed that he needed to make more efforts to arrange his life and consume those worldly desires through exercise.

Jianlan smiled, placed her hand on Lin Jiade's thigh, and said, "I've seen what you and Jasmine did. What she did, I can help you with. In return, you should help me."

Lin Jiade was happy to help others, so he readily agreed. Jianlan took him to a restaurant for a meal. Looking at the baked snails, foie gras, duck liver dumplings, sea urchin sauce with lobster meat, black cherry duck, and scallop and green bean soup, Lin Jiade was worried that his purine levels would be similar to those of gout patients.

“It must be expensive,” he said somewhat uneasily. “Don’t laugh at me, there are some dishes I’ve never seen before.”

Gladiolus blinked: "It's precisely because you've never tried it that I'm showing you around. As for the funds, don't worry. Although I'm not her, I can use some of her assets... She harmed us so badly, so it's only right that I make reasonable use of her assets, isn't it?"

Lin Jiade chuckled and dined with Jianlan, taking the opportunity to brush up on some table manners. As Korobochka's new "fiancé," there were some things he had to be more demanding of.

Although Gladiolus eats, her lich body means that the food she consumes is more of a burden than an aid; she needs to expend energy to break it down. But tasting the food of the living, especially sharing it with those she likes, brings her genuine joy.

"What are your plans for this month?" she asked, raising her large glass.

Lin Jiade also raised his glass, took a small sip of the pale yellow wine, and said, "The school's winter sports meet starts this Thursday, and I can't participate, so I'm planning to ask for leave to visit my parents... Ah."

"what happened?"

Lin Jiade covered his head in frustration: "I wanted to take Jasmine with me, but Jasmine has started school again and has to go to school on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays."

"There's no rush. Will they come back for the New Year?"

Yes, I will.

"When the time comes, have Jasmine move back to the 17th floor, and then you can introduce her to your parents. In the meantime, you can practice your lines with Jasmine."

"And you?" Lin Jiade asked.

The large glass distorted Gladiolus's appearance. Gladiolus stared at the bubbling liquid inside and replied, "I'm so much older than you. I look cold and domineering now, and I can't have children. Your parents wouldn't like a daughter-in-law like me... If I were in my mother's shoes, I would also refuse to let a woman like me marry my son."

Don't try to comfort me by saying I don't need to care about their preferences. Marriage isn't just about dating; the feelings of family members must be considered. Otherwise, the seeds of conflict will take root and may even bear the fruit of unhappiness.

Chapter Three: Replacement Plan