Love, Gun, Cupid

"pain?"

Wei Ying glanced casually at the shadow of the sword orchid falling on Lin Jiade and Jasmine, her face bearing a serene smile, showing no sign of pain.

“However, you really stayed out of it this time, sister.” Wei Ying was a little surprised. “I thought you would try to match up Mu Mian and Lin Jiade, so I originally planned to make Lin Jiade stronger and defeat Mu Mian, and then make it a fait accompli to help you achieve your goal.”

"How thoughtful of you, my dear sister! And then what happened?"

"Later, when you didn't mean it that way, I changed my goal to getting the two of us on the right path. This wasn't a childish statement of mine."

Wei Ying glanced at Lin Jiade again: "Both he and Mu Mian are going down the wrong path. Admittedly, their opportunistic tactics helped them eliminate the favorites among the contestants and increased Mu Mian's chances of finishing in the top three, but luck doesn't always work."

“I know,” Du Juan said.

"You knew this and still let them get away with it?"

“Pain will make them remember longer than words. Failing in the qualifying rounds is just gaining a bitter memory. Compared to becoming a high-level magic researcher and getting involved in things related to the Empire’s operations, I think the former is a huge win,” Du Juan said.

“Sister, you shouldn’t laugh when talking about the failure of an acquaintance. Lin Jiade respects and trusts you. In his heart, you are a goddess. If a goddess gloats over the misfortune of her followers, it would probably chill his heart.”

"Are you jealous? And Reed Warbler, aren't you laughing too?"

The Celestial Observers are powerful, beautiful, and capricious, yet they are utterly merciless, devoid of empathy, and lacking in compassion. Although both the Cuckoo and the Reed Warbler are fond of Lin Jiade, when they realize that mistakes and the pain of wrongdoing will allow them to better control him, they will not hesitate to inflict pain on him and will find pleasure in it.

On the other side, Lin Jiade felt a chill spreading down his back, but he assumed it was just from the cold. So, after confirming that Jasmine was alright, he took her home and sent a message to Mian, but Mian didn't reply.

He experienced the dilemma once again, but he would choose to side with Jasmine, because Jasmine was his girlfriend, while Kapok was not. If he offended Jasmine, he would have to sleep on the sofa tonight, but whether he offended Kapok or not, he couldn't fall asleep holding her.

Completely unaware that he was becoming increasingly adept at being a scumbag, Lin Jiade embraced Jasmine and peacefully drifted off to sleep.

Italy 2-1 Belgium (Bonus Chapter)

Chapter Sixty-Two: Jianlan's Thoughts

When she saw Kapok again the next day, Kapok was indeed somewhat unhappy, but she held back. Soon, a major event caught her attention.

Cui Mufenglian somehow obtained Mumian's private account and added her as a friend, asking if they could exchange information. Mumian didn't know what her direct competitor meant, and since she didn't want to leave any clues, she replied, "Let's talk in Fuxing City."

Kapok didn't take it seriously, but on Monday night, Emerald Curtain suddenly sent a message saying that she had arrived in Fuxing City.

To prove she wasn't lying, Cui Mufenglian posted a picture in which a cute-looking girl with black hair and a bob haircut, wearing a beige down jacket, black thermal pants, and a brown scarf, is making a peace sign at the huge screen in the train station.

Regardless of whether the person was real or not, or why they came, Kapok wanted to show hospitality, so Sword Orchid drove to the train station. Green Curtain gave the other person a surprised look: "I am truly flattered that you personally drove to pick me up, given your status."

"You know me?"

“My father worked in the Second Mobile Section of the Special Transport Bureau, and he mentioned the departure of his colleague, Ms. Korobochka.”

"I imagine there's nothing nice to say," Jianlan said.

"Haha, a father is a father, and I am me. Ever since I learned that you gave up your career to come here for love, I have become your staunch fan. I also have someone I like, but I don't have your courage!"

Cui Mufenglian appeared very enthusiastic. She was over 1.7 meters tall, which was hard to tell from the photos, and was wearing high heels of about 8cm. Jianlan recalled that her clothes seemed to be from top brands.

"So, before I go to see Miss Kapok, may I meet your Prince Charming?"

"He acted together with Kapok."

"So it was him!" Cui Mufenglian exclaimed in surprise.

"You know him?"

"I've also studied our next opponent. In the photos of Mu Mian that have been taken in public, he's been in the same frame with her the most, so they must be quite close. So I... uh, sorry, after all, he's your boyfriend."

Gladiolus said nothing, focusing solely on driving, much to the disappointment of Emerald Curtain, who had hoped to glean some interesting gossip. Nevertheless, she remained talkative, displaying an naive enthusiasm; by the time they got out of the car, she was already discussing bra brands and styles.

Jianlan dealt with him politely but perfunctorily. After leading him there, she found Lin Jiade, dragged him away from the scene, and brought him to the shower room of the martial arts classroom that Lin Jiade knew very well.

"I'm jealous," she said coquettishly, hugging Lin Jiade. "You and Mu Mian have been getting along too well lately. What's this? Have you forgotten your old love for a new one?"

Lin Jiade was speechless, unable to speak even when he opened his mouth. He could only pat Jianlan's arm, and she let go of him. Looking at her angry expression, Lin Jiade couldn't help but smile.

"So it turns out that Lady Gladiolus can be quite adorable when she's jealous," he said.

"You are my first love, and my eternal love. In front of others, as an adult, I can't act like a little girl. I must be composed, gentle, and virtuous... But my jealousy is no less than Jasmine's. Every time I see you coaxing her, I feel a pang of jealousy."

Lin Jiade coaxed her like a teenager—even though he himself was a child. Desire arose from their friction, and Jianlan embraced Lin Jiade, stroking him repeatedly, saying, "Having to endure another six months...it's truly torture."

"I'm still a child, and those who love can always endure."

“Silly boy,” Jianlan nuzzled Lin Jiade’s cheek, “Love without sex and sex without love are both pathological. Happiness in a relationship is when both love and desire are satisfied.”

Otherwise, why do you feel uneasy when Jasmine hears about you spending time with other women? It's because she knows you're being hypocritical, she knows you're easily tempted, especially by things she can't give you, but mistresses can.

"So, the person she should be most wary of is you, Jianlan."

Gladiolus blinked: "We're on the same side."

“Poor Jasmine,” Lin Jiade said sadly, “her two favorite men are having an affair right here, three rooms away.”

"Speaking of which, I should ask you what your intentions are: would you like Kapok to join our family?"

"miss you!"

Lin Jiade answered immediately and then added, "I meant the female kapok tree."

"Where is the mimosa tree?"

"What does this have to do with the mimosa tree?"

"If you don't keep looking at a certain part of her body, I won't make that connection. And Hehuan is always secretly looking at you, so don't tell me you don't know she has feelings for you."

"Who wouldn't like a beautiful woman with long legs, big breasts, and who plays music? But as I think, given Hehuan's family background, if her family knew she was with a man who had legitimate relationships with multiple women, they probably wouldn't bless me right away, but would instead spend a lot of money to hire a hitman to kill me."

Moreover, Hehuan is going to pursue her musical dreams, while I am rising higher on the path of the extraordinary... Our life trajectories are slowly diverging, becoming more and more distant.

That's a bit shameless, but it's my honest opinion: I'd only build a harem within circles involving supernatural powers.

“You’re quite self-aware,” Jianlan released Lin Jiade. “Kapok is pending, and Hehuan is out. I can understand it that way.”

"What do you mean?"

"Of course, we're preparing for the arrival of a new family member."

Lin Jiade was still a little embarrassed by Jianlan's point, but he tacitly accepted the underlying meaning of Jianlan's words, namely that new members need to be discussed and agreed upon by all current family members before they can join.

For Gladiolus, introducing kapok can strengthen its resistance against azaleas, while also diluting Jasmine's influence with Lin Jiade, achieving two goals at once.

She admitted that her thoughts were not without utilitarian calculations, but from the moment Lin Jiade formed his harem, their relationship could no longer be described as pure love, because pure love cannot tolerate sharing or betrayal; it can only be 1 vs 1.

Since it's no longer pure love, the only thing that can fill the thinning emotions in the harem is self-interest and personal feelings. It's likely that Jasmine, Kapok who's already halfway in, and Du Juan who's been instigating her sister to stir up trouble all have their own ideas and interests. And within this framework of tug-of-war and compromise, Lin Jiade's words and actions are shaped.

Azalea is the enemy that must be defeated at present, but Gladiolus has a premonition that Azalea is not the final enemy. There is still someone coldly watching the development of events while she is around, waiting for the right time to intervene.

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Transaction of the Emerald Curtain and Wind Curtain

Lin Jiade's first girlfriend is doing her homework, his second girlfriend is having an affair with him three rooms away, and his potential third girlfriend is facing shocking news—

"How much money are you willing to pay for my failure?" asked Emerald Curtain.

The other person's statement challenged Kapok's common sense, so much so that it took her several seconds to squeeze out, "You're not kidding, are you?"

"I flew and took the train from District 13 all this way just to joke with you?" asked Emerald Curtain.

“If you’re serious, then you have to undergo more rigorous scrutiny,” Mu Mian said. “We all know that the gamblers behind us are increasing their stakes on us, and they are trying to control us. Your kind of deal, which challenges common sense and unspoken rules, makes it hard for me to trust you.”

“I refuse,” said Emerald Curtain.

“Then there’s nothing to discuss,” Kapok said.

Emerald Curtain raised her chin: "You really want to beat me with your own skills? Come on, I guarantee that while you defeat me, you will also reveal all your trump cards to your opponent in the semi-finals."

Why not just buy a victory? You've done this more than once before, and you two had a pre-arranged agreement before the match against Tianlong, right?

"?!"

The air grew tense, and some people had already gripped their weapons, but Mu Mian remained calm. She said, "Your intelligence capabilities are excellent."

"Besides being grateful to have a good father (Jianlan has already shared the information with Mumian, and Mumian knows the background of Cuimu Fenglian's self-narration), I also want to thank my own abilities."

"Hyperthymesia?" Kapok said.

"It seems you've studied me too, but I'm different. I'm a beneficiary of the Artificial Hyperthymesia Project. In theory, only the chosen fathers who maintain the Empire's operation can undergo such modifications, but privilege is never a rightful power; it is inherently meant to break the shackles of the rules."

"It's a pity. If you had stayed in Brilliant City, you would have had the opportunity to undergo similar modifications."

“I don’t need it,” Kapok said.

"Getting back to the main point, in my opinion, studying an opponent is like falling in love. You have to investigate his background, pay attention to his every move and expression, delve into his heart, and try to share all his thoughts."

At least when you were still my opponent, I observed you, investigated you, analyzed you with a heart full of longing… Ah, I got aroused.

Emerald Curtain's eyes were moist, her cheeks flushed, and she swayed from side to side, her hands resting on her thighs. More than someone in love, she seemed to be in a state of frenzied madness. Extraordinary power can induce madness, so Emerald Curtain's behavior, by the standards of this world, was still within a reasonable range.

"Then, I discovered that you were rigging the match. No matter how well you acted, you couldn't avoid one question: Tianlong was able to defeat you at least three times, but he missed the opportunity every time."

Of course, you can argue that it was due to fatigue, and I have no concrete evidence to prove that, but I believe you threw the game... after watching the replay 40 times.

This makes me think you're someone I can trade with, and since my most admired idol is here, I naturally came immediately. If you have someone you admire, you can understand the feeling of eagerly wanting to see them.

Mu Mian understood, but she just didn't understand Cui Mu Feng Lian's motives. If she had recorded what Cui Mu Feng Lian said to her tonight, it would have been enough to threaten the other party into withdrawing from the competition. Yet the other party said it without any precautions and didn't ask for the use of secrecy spells or oath-keeping spells.

If you can't understand, you can't trust. So Kapok replied, "If you're only pursuing profit, wouldn't it be more profitable to defeat me all the way and win more championships?"

"Well, it's not exactly something to keep secret. My dad and I made a deal: if I win the championship, I'll be free; if I lose, I'll have to follow his plan."

“So for freedom… wait,” Kapok realized, “why are you the other way around?”

"Freedom sounds wonderful, and you can do whatever you want after becoming a senior magic researcher. But it's very difficult for mid-level players like me who are stuck between free-to-play, monthly card, low-spending, and big spenders. We're stuck in the middle, and we're fighting tooth and nail for the top-level title."

It's better to rely on family connections, stay in a mid-level professional position for life, and get a safe and well-paying job. The older generation worked so hard, wasn't it all so their descendants could be successful?

My dad doesn't want me to be complacent, so making it to the quarterfinals is for his pride. But I want to be complacent, so I want to put on a show in the quarterfinals or semifinals to shut my dad up. My failure has to bring some results.

"If I put it this way, would you be willing to pay me a sum of money to guarantee your advancement?"

At the scene, Hehuan and Cuimu Fenglian resonated with each other, after all, she was also someone who gave up on taking a further step on the path of the extraordinary and instead earned W in the mortal world.

If what Cui Mu Feng Lian said was true, spending money to buy advancement was not a bad option, but He Huan was uneasy: what if it was some new type of fraud, hiding a conspiracy that was detrimental to Mu Mian?

After considering for a few minutes, Mu Mian said she would think about it and decided to use all available intelligence to investigate Cui Mu Fenglian, while arranging accommodation and surveillance for the guests. Faced with this initial probing, Cui Mu Fenglian showed no reaction. Instead, she asked Mu Mian's assistant about the situation of the prince charming in Korobochka.

Kapok naturally wouldn't tell Emerald Curtain Wind Curtain, who left with a hint of regret. As they went out, they encountered Sword Orchid, whose face was radiant, and whose cold features had softened.

After the emerald curtain of wind disappeared at the school gate, Kapok looked at Gladiolus: "What do you think?"

"We have to be careful. If she's the kind of person who's carefree and unguarded, then she won't even qualify for the qualifying rounds."

"That's what I thought too, but it's too unusual. If she wanted to harm me, why would she go to all this trouble?"