Love, Gun, Cupid

Lin Jiade licked his lips: "Tell me more about what happened between when you were 16 and 18. I love to hear it and I can't wait to know everything about you."

"16 to 18?" Kapok thought for a moment. "It's pretty... boring. Because of my previous escape, they've increased their surveillance on me. All the people I associate with are people they've chosen, and my teachers are all private tutors like Korobochka."

The only exception is Hehuan. She is the second person after you to treat me as a human being, even though I don't have those functions, she still considers me a friend.

When I left Fuxing City, my hair was shoulder-length. When I returned to Brilliant City, I cut it like a boy's, wore boys' clothes, and imitated their rude tone of voice.

Hehuan, however, became even more obedient and virtuous, like a princess. But when we secretly slipped out at the party and sat by the pool laughing out loud together, I knew she hadn't changed at all.

I recounted my adventures in the surface world that lasted over half a year, and Hehuan listened with great interest, especially the part about you and me. She really liked these kinds of stories and always took the liberty of pairing people up. When she asked me if I was her first love, my world changed.

You said I was your sexual awakening, Lin Jiade, and you were also my sexual awakening. I treated you as a man... but I am a sword, but our identities are vastly different, and we live in different worlds, so this feeling has been accumulating in my heart.

I can't show you any feelings, otherwise you might be killed, or used by my parents to threaten me... I've been holding back, holding back, until the moment they slip up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to apply to university through Kapok, I chose to attend the same university as my best friend. I launched a blitzkrieg that I had been preparing for for two years, and by the time they realized what was happening, we had already arrived in Linhai City.

Both the acacia and I were freed. We sang and danced, ignoring the stares of others, celebrating our wonderful new life like madmen.

After settling down in Fuxing City, I made plans for my life. I went to the familiar neighborhood and saw unfamiliar people. I could no longer see that 14-year-old boy with dreams in his heart. You are taller and stronger than before, and your skin is a bit lighter, but your eyes have no spirit, only drifting along and being in a daze.

How ridiculous! I came to me with dreams, but you've become just like I used to be. Time has switched our positions.

I once considered getting involved in your life, but I backed down, especially after seeing you following Jasmine up the stairs. The way you looked at her was the same way you looked at me... So, I decided to withdraw.

Even without me, you can find your happiness. It's fine if we just remain strangers; at least in this segregated society, I won't hurt you again. But two years later, you reappeared before me... as a superhuman.

This is something I regret. If I had known that someone would eventually interfere in your life and drag you into this world, I should have intervened sooner.

So I made a promise with Hehuan: to pretend I don't know you, to meet you again, and to do everything I can to help and protect you, even if you don't want to. This is my atonement.

That's what I thought in September, but I changed my mind in October. Your displays of affection with Jasmine already ignite my anger, but when you, Jasmine, and Gladiolus show off your affection, my anger doubles.

If the red dragon can stay by your side, if the lich can stay by your side, then can I, a being that is neither human nor sword, also stay by your side and seek peace of mind?

“Impossible,” Lin Jiade replied. “The closer we get, the more passionate and turbulent we become. From the very first compromise you make, we will end up in this kind of relationship—a relationship between a man and a woman.”

I love you as I love Jasmine and Gladiolus, and I will try my best to love you both equally, even though our relationship is not equal.

So, please give me a chance to take responsibility for you. We can go back to the summer when we were 14, even though that memory is full of illusions, I find happiness in those false and incomplete memories, and that's enough.

Kapok fell silent, shrinking back slightly, trying to escape Lin Jiade's embrace. Lin Jiade grabbed her, flipped her over, and pinned her beneath him, saying, "Don't try to escape until you give me an answer!"

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Bonus +1?

Given Mu Mian's physical condition, she should have been the one riding on top, but the energy released by the emotionally agitated Lin Jiade made Mu Mian dizzy, and Lin Jiade also had a pink chain connecting her body in his hand.

Damn cuckoo!

Kapok didn't have a deep understanding of magic and oracles, but she could roughly guess that the chains Lin Jiade used to control her were a low-end copy of the ones Du Juan used to control Lin Jiade.

Is the contract between the Celestial Observer and humanity considered a divine oracle? Mu Mian didn't know. All she knew was that this damned thing was like an insurmountable rule, leaving her to suffer under Lin Jiade's control.

"After the elimination rounds are over, I first want to apologize to Jasmine. If she and Gladiolus both agree... I'm willing to become, to become a part of this family," Kapok said softly.

Lin Jiade pressed his advantage: "What kind of identity you assume is very important!"

"That's enough!"

"I'm not a pervert, how could I be lustful towards a sword? I love you as a beautiful woman! Just like how I first lusted after Jasmine and Gladiolus, and then developed feelings for them!"

Lin Jiade, why do you say such scumbag lines with such a nonchalant expression? Is it because of Cupid?

Kapok's regret continued to grow. Lin Jiade's aggression and fanaticism frightened her. Two months ago, he wasn't like this. Would he continue to transform in the future and become some kind of monster that was both familiar and unfamiliar to her?

No, absolutely not!

“I promise you,” she found an excuse for herself, “I will try to become a woman again, but… I haven’t lived as a woman since puberty, so what should a woman be like?”

Lin Jiade breathed a sigh of relief at Kapok's submission. He lay down on Kapok, his cheek pressed against hers, kissing her reddish-brown hair, and said, "Men and women, there are no standard answers. Senior Kapok, just live according to your own ideas."

"If it were up to me, we wouldn't be a man and a woman, but rather a swordsman and a sword, a sword and a swordsman," Mu Mian said softly.

Lin Jiade shamelessly said, "Uh, well... but, Senior Mumian... no, Mumian, you actually want to do that kind of thing, to experience the pleasure of being a woman, but it's not possible in your current state."

He was so ashamed after he finished speaking that he rolled off Mu Mian's body. The chains disappeared, and Mu Mian took control of his House of Representatives, startling him so much that he almost sat up.

"Wait, Kapok! This is a savings bank that concerns the happiness of three people and the offspring of a football team! Attacking a bank is a crime!"

Kapok exerted a slight pressure with her index finger, silencing Lin Jiade. She asked, "Which clients has your unscrupulous bank provided services to?"

"Do you care a lot?"

"Do you expect me not to care?" Kapok asked back.

"Uh, Jasmine and Gladiolus, yes, these are my two current clients. Jasmine is a major client, while Gladiolus is showing signs of catching up."

"Where are Cupid and her foolish sister?"

"Shh, they have very sharp ears, don't talk nonsense," Lin Jiade whispered. "They are celestial observers, how could they possibly be interested in me?"

"Really?"

“They are energy beings, they don’t have the same desires as carbon-based beings, and their way of reproducing is also different.”

Lin Jiade was actually lying. The history of human intercourse with celestial beings can be traced back tens of thousands of years to the emergence of the first generation of divine protectors. In human mythology, gods are always depicted as promiscuous, which reflects the promiscuity of celestial observers.

The cuckoo and the reed warbler's parents transformed into birds to mate and give birth to the sisters. This kind of perverted thing is unimaginable to Lin Jiade. It is not hard to imagine that celestial observers transforming into humans and having intercourse with humans is also within their moral sphere.

The reason this hasn't become the norm is that mating between humans and celestial beings inevitably produces Oracles, and the celestial realm controls the number of Imperial Oracles, so celestial observers cannot easily mate with humans.

To humans, they are powerful beings, almost like gods. Their aura often carries an aura of impotence and barrenness, making it impossible for humans to feel desire. They only feel respect and distance, so humans cannot easily mate with gods.

Therefore, the possibility of them having sex exists, but they "cannot" do so for various reasons. Lin Jiade restrains himself with various excuses, but Du Juan's constant temptations make him realize that he will eventually fall at her feet.

But will Dujuan accept it?

Like many people who have romantic interests but are still single, Lin Jiade felt that the other person was too high-class and was afraid of being rejected, so he dared not confess his feelings.

However, there's no need to elaborate on the details to Mu Mian. Even if Lin Jiade is confused, he can see that Mu Mian and the two sisters don't get along.

So he just looked at Kapok, who gave up her idea of ​​robbing his bank, sat up, glanced at the time, and said, "I should go back. Hehuan is still waiting for me."

"Oh, you're with her?"

Mu Mian found it somewhat amusing: "What, you get jealous of women too?"

"You two...don't have that kind of relationship? To be honest, I'm a little bothered. I'm not some blond guy, I don't make a move on women who are already taken."

"What are you thinking?!" Mu Mian slapped Lin Jiade. "She and I are friends, there's nothing more than that between us. What are you always fantasizing about?!"

"But Senior Hehuan said that you were her first love."

"...That was just a joke. You know, I could never like women."

"I will make it up to you, and I will also make it up to Senior Sister Hehuan," Lin Jiade said.

Kapok said sarcastically, "Do you mean repaying kindness by holding someone accountable? Do you intend to treat Hehuan the way you treated me?"

"May I?"

"If you dare to bully my friend, I'll castrate you and then live as a widow for the rest of my life. I mean it!"

Lin Jiade felt a little aggrieved: "You said before that finding a girlfriend like Hehuan is a good choice."

"Sure, dump Jasmine, Gladiolus and me, and live a good life with Hehuan, then I'll agree to you dating."

Lin Jiade clearly wouldn't give up a whole forest for one tree; in that respect, he'd always been a scoundrel, never truly devoted. So he raised his hand and said, "I never meant it that way... So, shall we keep our affair a secret until after the elimination rounds?"

"Well, if we talk about it now, it might have unpredictable consequences. To be on the safe side, let's complete the primary task first and then carry out the secondary task. You and I have been waiting for a long time, so there's no need to rush."

Lin Jiade patted his cheeks: "You're right. For our common cause, for my future peaceful and tranquil life, I have to get you a senior professional title and then live the life of a gigolo supported by his wife."

Chapter Sixty-Eight: A Secret Meeting

The kapok tree didn't stay overnight; it quietly disappeared before the snow fell. Lin Jiade slept alone that night, pretending nothing had happened, but the cuckoo and warbler's gazes made him uncomfortable.

Lin Jiade might feel a little guilty in front of Jasmine, but he was quite tough in front of Weiying and Dujuan. When he walked past them, Dujuan grabbed his arm, while Weiying stepped on his foot.

Lin Jiade cried out in pain, "Ouch! What did I do to offend you all?"

“You haven’t offended me, but if you don’t let Weiying vent her anger, she’ll explode and blow your house up,” Dujuan said.

Lin Jiade was filled with regret: "Ah, I forgot that she was a demolition genius."

"I'm sorry, my sister has caused you trouble. She feels like you gave away that autographed soccer ball you cherish in your bedroom to the neighbor's kid, and that kid is showing off his terrible skills with that autographed soccer ball in front of you."

Just from Du Juan's description, Lin Jiade's blood pressure had already risen, but he quickly realized: "You mean... I'm useless in the eyes of the reed warbler?"

"Anyway, I'm sorry, but if you really dislike her, I can send her back to the Heavenly Realm..."

Lin Jiade smiled and said, "Ah, it's not to the point of being particularly disgusted. It's more like... my younger sister is going through a rebellious phase. She says one thing but means another, she's neither too close nor too distant, she might throw a tantrum for no reason, but she'll also do things for you without saying a word."

“You treat my sister as your sister.” Du Juan’s eyes sparkled. “You’re being naughty, Lin Jiade. You know I’ll overthink it.”

Lin Jiade's heart raced, and he couldn't help but think about it. Fortunately, Jasmine passed by from behind and forcefully separated them.

Jasmine said to Cuckoo, "You're already in heat this early in the morning, you're really something!"

“We were just discussing whether Wei Ying is my sister or whether she is Lin Jiade’s sister.”

"Didn't you say she went home to reflect on her actions for a month because of bombing the school? There are still a few days left until the month is up, so it's about time she packed up and went back home."

Du Juan's eyes were full of laughter: "It seems that someone is even more anxious than Wei Ying's older brother and sister."

Jasmine looked at Lin Jiade: "What do you think? Never mind, you're just lusting after her beauty and wish she would stay."

This statement is somewhat unfair to Lin Jiade. He kept Wei Ying for the first reason: Wei Ying's powerful strength could be used by him. The price was only to provide her with food and drink, play with her, and endure some of the trouble caused by her willfulness. It was a great deal.

Secondly, the relationship between Reed Warbler and him gave him a novel and interesting feeling, making him want to continue experiencing it. As for appearance, Reed Warbler didn't care much about human opinions, so the appearance she created was not as good as Azalea's. It was exquisite and pleasing to the eye, but not the type that would make Lin Jiade lose his mind.

"Are you talking about me?" Wei Ying poked her head out. "Ah, I'll be going back in a few days. If you have anything to ask me to do, contact me as soon as possible."

Lin Jiade was filled with regret. He meant well, but Wei Ying slapped him on the buttocks without any politeness. Lin Jiade dodged slightly. Nine times out of ten, when Wei Ying touched him, she was aiming for his buttocks, to the point that he suspected she was interested in them.

On his way to school, the thought of her disappearing in a few days made Lin Jiade's various opinions about Weiying vanish. He suddenly remembered how good Weiying was, so he bought her her favorite hamburger on the way.

"What are you doing? You're pretending to be a good person again now that you know I'm leaving soon." Wei Ying tore open the package. "After I leave, you'll be all lovey-dovey with Kapok. You really value romance over friendship."

"Thank you for your help these past few days. Without you, I wouldn't have made such great progress... just for today. How about we go somewhere for fun?" Lin Jiade asked.

"No need. This amicable parting is a choice based on your common sense, not your own heart."

Lin Jiade's true intention was to cling to Wei Ying's coattails for a while longer, so he followed his heart and used Wei Ying, taking her hand and heading to the club as soon as get out of class was over.

"You..."

Wei Ying watched as Lin Jiade took her hand, and swallowed the words that were about to come out. In the unfolding virtual space, while Kapok was warming up, she first tested Lin Jiade.