Love, Gun, Cupid

"Yes, as for other things, about what we do with my sisters, the prize money, the right to challenge the King of the Forest (reserved or auctioned), and... your legs."

After glancing down, Kapok said, "I'll come talk to you again once Hehuan is more settled, okay?"

Lin Jiade shook his head: "We can talk about these things later. I've just figured out how I should handle our relationship. I hate you, Mian, but I also love you."

Kapok was stunned. Lin Jiade pulled out his revolver and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Kapok in the chest. In a burning sensation, pain was etched on the spot where the bullet struck.

Then came the second and third shots, and the marks of submission and joy appeared on Kapok's chest. Lin Jiade wanted to fire a fourth shot, but there were no bullets left in the magazine.

"If my affinity with Kapok is only 20, I can't even fire a single shot, but I have three bullets in my gun. This proves that our affinity is between 50 and 59."

Lin Jiade looked at Kapok: "Cheer up, Jasmine has the mark of happiness, Gladiolus has the mark of submission, you have more than both of them combined."

Your sister Momo gave me some advice that I think is very reasonable, so I'm going to do something that will cause you pain, force you to submit, and then bring you pleasure—”

Kapok wanted to escape; Lin Jiade's changes frightened her. But with the imprint harboring the power of the cuckoo, how could a mere mortal like her possibly stand against the celestial observer?

So she was forced to stand still and listen to Lin Jiade's first instruction to his new "lover"—

"Kapok, for my sake, become a woman again."

Chapter 1 Falling Flat

When Lin Jiade returned, perhaps to cheer him up, Jasmine and Jianlan also wore smiles on their faces, even though they weren't truly happy. Lin Jiade himself had two important matters to deal with: surgery and the subsequent promotion exam, so he couldn't attend to anything else.

That evening, after he had satisfied Jasmine and Sword Orchid, and they had satisfied him in return, Sword Orchid got up and heated up a cup of milk for Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade drank it all in one gulp, leaned against her, and asked, "What's going on with the Hehuan?"

"Her parents are said to be involved in cult activities."

Lin Jiade was shocked: "With the Celestial Realm controlling the minds of the Empire's inhabitants, how could there be a cult in the Empire?"

Gladiolus explained, “Most of the Imperial’s worship is directed toward the Celestial Observers, but some worship aliens that are neutral or hostile to us.”

Infiltration at the level of belief is one of the methods used by various interstellar civilizations to deal with potential adversaries, and within the areas controlled by the Celestial Realm, they tacitly allow competition among their various vassal races.

"So, believing in a cult is almost equivalent to treason?" Lin Jiade gasped. "Now we really have to exterminate them all."

Lin Jiade's backers are Gladiolus and Kapok, who in turn are allied with the Hehuan family to consolidate their influence in District 18. If the Hehuan family falls, the remaining members of the family will likely face dire consequences.

"Before the empire falls to that point, the power struggles within the empire will end with murder, exchanges of benefits, and other means. But the struggles among the chosen fathers have a bottom line: everyone can engage in illegal underhanded tactics in private, but they cannot use legal means to do things that are ruthless and annihilating."

A senator and his associates could die accidentally, but they were rarely prosecuted for crimes and then executed.

Lin Jiade pondered, "Is this to safeguard the authority of the elders?"

"Yes."

Lin Jiade sighed and got up to go back to his room to sleep. Jasmine was still waiting for him, but Jianlan suddenly grabbed him. Her hand was as cold as ice.

"gladiolus?"

The woman released her grip and shook her head: "Go ahead, you really should keep Jasmine company."

"If anything happens to you, be sure to tell me. Don't keep it to yourself."

"I'm just so uncomfortable..." Jianlan said softly, "and I still have to endure it for several more months."

Lin Jiade felt a chill run down his spine. Jasmine's desire was burning, and it seemed that Gladiolus was not to be outdone. Once Jasmine finished her college entrance exams and their marital life was unrestricted, he would be in for a world of fire and ice.

The low pressure seemed to be contagious; Jasmine and Gladiolus were sullen. At school, Teacher Yang also had a melancholic blues look—she had dyed her hair again, turning it blue, making her stand out among the lecturers and recognizable from a distance.

As the end of the semester approached, Lin Jiade was naturally asked by her to help out again, to print out the biology department's math exam papers at the print shop. Lin Jiade scanned the contents of the electronic exam paper and knew that the biology department boys were in big trouble.

Teacher Yang asked Lin Jiade about her trip, but Lin Jiade brushed it off. When she was going up the steps, her heel hit a pebble, and Lin Jiade quickly caught her. Teacher Yang seemed surprisingly... light.

"Um, I'm sorry."

Teacher Yang supported herself by holding onto Lin Jiade's shoulders, and Lin Jiade asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Ms. Yang forced a smile and said, "I haven't been getting enough rest, and I've been having nightmares lately. But thankfully, the semester is almost over, and once I finish grading your papers, I'll be able to rest for a while."

"Hmm, teacher, please take care of yourself. I think you've lost too much weight. Have you been eating properly?"

The female PhD student longed for care, and when she heard Lin Jiade ask that question, her tone unconsciously became a little coquettish: "Ah, um, I eat with my colleagues at noon, and sometimes I eat in the cafeteria before leaving in the evening, and sometimes I order takeout... I'm not a picky eater, it's just that I don't sleep well, so I don't have much of an appetite."

"That's because you're under too much stress. Have you considered listening to ASMR, or buying some fragrance to help you relax? Or, you could try exercising more."

Teacher Yang shook her head: "I'd rather not exercise. I'm afraid I'll develop muscles, which won't look good."

You're clearly a lazy dog, what excuse are you making? Lin Jiade thought.

Of all the low-pressure situations, Teacher Yang's problem was the easiest to solve. Lin Jiade went back to Gladiolus and DIYed a fragrance with calming and sleep-inducing effects to improve Teacher Yang's sleep quality.

There weren't many people at the print shop, so they finished printing quickly. When Ms. Yang came out, she shivered. The daytime temperature had been around 0°C recently, and she had just come out of an air-conditioned room.

Lin Jiade glanced at her, reached out and pulled her scarf, wrapping it tightly around her. Teacher Yang and Jasmine were the same height and similar in build, and Lin Jiade didn't feel anything amiss when he reached out.

If his previous actions could be described as caring, then his gesture of tidying up Ms. Yang's scarf, brushing aside the hair by her ear, and pinching her earlobe could only be described as ambiguous.

Lin Jiade only let go when he felt something was wrong. He had done this to Jasmine so many times that it had become muscle memory, so he could do it to anyone with a similar build in one go.

Ms. Yang looked up at him, her cheeks and earlobes flushed. Lin Jiade took a step back and explained, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take advantage of you, I was just joking."

However, women are particularly shrewd at this point, and she said, "Actually, you've been doing too many flirting moves with your girlfriend."

"No."

"Exactly!" Teacher Yang stamped her foot. "Since you have a girlfriend, cherish her and don't do things that could be misunderstood."

"I'm sorry, you're right... Teacher Yang, what have you misunderstood?"

"What could I possibly misunderstand? I'm your teacher! I'm just worried you might misunderstand, and I'm worried your girlfriend might misunderstand. Let's go, let's go!"

Ms. Yang walked very fast. Today was destined to be unlucky for her. After taking a few steps, she tripped and fell again. Lin Jiade caught her from behind. She grabbed Lin Jiade's shoulder in distress and stood up. She tried to take a couple of steps, and immediately put on a mask of pain.

"No, it seems like I twisted it," she whispered.

"I'll carry you to the clinic."

"But we..."

"Or do you prefer being carried in a princess carry?"

Ms. Yang was speechless. Lin Jiade's aggressive demeanor left her no room to refuse. So, she hung herself on Lin Jiade's back. Because she had test papers to carry, she was forced to cross her arms and hug Lin Jiade's neck, adding a touch of ambiguity.

"I...I'm not heavy, am I?" she said shyly.

"On the contrary, I think you should eat more. Teacher Yang, remember to find a husband who can cook to support you."

Teacher Yang slapped Lin Jiade's down jacket, making a loud noise, and she couldn't help but laugh. Her foot still hurt, but the pain had lessened.

Chapter Two: Cupid's Warning (10→9)

Lin Jiade carried Teacher Yang to a nearby clinic, and to his surprise, he saw his classmate Lao Mu flirting with the female doctor. If Lao Mu wasn't a cheating scumbag, then this meant that the girlfriend Lao Mu had never introduced was this one.

Old Mu stood up and was somewhat surprised and dazed when he saw Lin Jiade and the woman on his back. Then his expression changed to "I see." Teacher Yang was afraid that he would misunderstand, so she turned her head away, which made Old Mu think that the teacher was "shy."

"What's wrong?" Old Mu asked.

Lin Jiade replied, "I was helping the teacher print test papers when she accidentally twisted her ankle. I brought her here to see, and I never expected... it would be such a coincidence."

Old Mu looked slightly embarrassed: "It really is a coincidence."

Lin Jiade carried Teacher Yang to the bed. Old Mu's girlfriend checked him over and confirmed that he was fine, but just to be on the safe side, she still took an X-ray of Teacher Yang to check the condition of his bones.

No wonder the clinic was so well-furnished; it had an X-ray machine. Lin Jiade thought.

When the diagnosis came out, Ms. Yang only had a contusion. She applied ointment, wrapped herself in gauze, frowned, and called to ask for leave. Lin Jiade returned the exam paper for her and brought her personal belongings back. He saw Ms. Yang trying out crutches.

"My vacation has come early." Teacher Yang said with a double meaning, "Thank you for your hard work, Lin Jiade. See you next semester."

"There's one more thing before that; I need to take you home."

His tone was firm, and Ms. Yang found herself quite liking his way of being considerate of her, so she complied with Lin Jiade's wishes and got into a taxi.

She glanced cautiously at Lin Jiade, then looked down at her knees, and finally looked out the window, pretending to look at the scenery, but actually looking at Lin Jiade's profile reflected in the window.

"It's just a minor injury, no need to be so worried," she said.

“I just remembered something, Teacher Yang. I will also need to have surgery on my left leg soon.”

"What's wrong?" the woman asked curiously.

“I have some problems with my knee,” Lin Jiade replied.

"And then what about you..."

"I chose this sport because I want to exercise freely. So, teacher, please take good care of your body."

They remained silent after that. The taxi stopped on the outskirts of the city, where Lin Jiade could see rows of beautiful two-story villas, separated by trees and fences, each with a spacious courtyard.

"Where is this?" Lin Jiade asked.

"My family, since the holiday started early, I went home to stay."

Ms. Yang walked with difficulty, leaning on her crutches, while Lin Jiade followed closely beside her, carrying her bag. After opening the door, she invited Lin Jiade to sit down, but he declined.

"Oh no!" Teacher Yang realized, her expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. "I forgot to bring my cat back from the dormitory."

"cat?"

"I recently adopted a black cat, here it is."

Teacher Yang leaned against the door, took out her phone and opened the photo album. A proud little black cat appeared in Lin Jiade's field of vision. It was a beautiful little guy, but as Lin Jiade looked at it, he vaguely felt a little uncomfortable.

"She is quite cute." Lin Jiade nodded. "Then I'll go back."

"Take care on the road. I'll give you the travel expenses in a red envelope."

"It's okay, I still have this much money."

Teacher Yang recalled the tall, curvaceous, and aloof woman he had seen in the parking lot. She was probably Lin Jiade's older girlfriend, exuding an air of high society. Lin Jiade was certainly not short of money with her.

Thinking of this, the female PhD student felt a pang of sadness and, like a steadfast rock waiting for her husband, watched Lin Jiade disappear from her sight. She closed the door, turned around, and saw the black cat gracefully emerge from the flowerpot, saying to her, "That boy is a good sacrifice. Offer him to me, and I will have the ability to kill about ten people."

"No!" Teacher Yang's tone hardened. "I don't know what you are, but I won't let you harm people. You'll live obediently in my sight as a cat!"

"Do you want love?" the black cat asked. "When you were talking to him just now, I smelled the scent of heat."

"?!"

"I can do that, it's just that I don't like doing it. But if you can provide high-quality offerings, I don't mind doing some good deeds."

"No way! I have no designs on my students!"

Is it fun to lie to yourself?

Ms. Yang was so angry that she threw her bag at the woman, but the woman cleverly jumped onto the windowsill and disappeared in the blink of an eye.