Chapter 207: Talking about Barbeque

The next day, at noon.

In District D, inside an “Extreme Way Charcoal-Grilled Meat” restaurant near the university town.

“Zzz—sizzle—”

The sound of meat grilling.

“…That’s basically the situation.”

Lin Yu flipped the slices of pork belly on the grill while looking at his younger sister across the table with pleading eyes.

He recounted everything from Old Mei’s death-sentence-like verdict the day before to that tiny spark of hope called a “sub-journal paper,” holding nothing back.

“Xiao Bai checked it out.
That project’s core is regeneration under high-dimensional energy erosion.
If there’s anyone in this world who could deal with the mutated toxin inside me, aside from your mentor, I honestly can’t think of a second person.”

Lin Yu picked up the grilled meat and placed it into his sister’s bowl, his tone humble to the extreme.

“Xiao Xue, my good little sister, listen… could you help your brother make an introduction?”

Faced with her brother’s “pork belly bribery,” Lin Xue’s expression turned indescribable.

She poked the meat with her chopsticks instead of eating it, then let out a sigh.

“Bro, it’s not that I don’t want to help you.
It’s just that… this really isn’t something I can do.”

“Huh? Why not?
Aren’t you her star student?”

“A star student, my ass…”

Lin Xue rolled her eyes and pointed at herself helplessly with her chopsticks.

“Did you forget what happened last time, when you snuck into the lab using Lulu’s identity?
I completely wrecked all of her experimental samples, okay?”

“Right now, Dr. Reed’s attitude toward me is basically free-range neglect plus cold treatment.
I’m scared I’ll lose credits if I even breathe too loudly in front of her.
Whether I can graduate smoothly is already a problem, and you’re expecting me to pull strings for you?”

“T-This…”

Half of Lin Yu’s face collapsed instantly, but he still refused to give up.
He gritted his teeth.

“Then… then what about taking the ‘social route’?
We go apologize in person?”

He patted his pocket.

“You don’t know this, but your brother’s got a bit of spare cash lately.
We could buy some… uh… Wuliangye?
Or maybe a couple bottles of Flying Maotai to give the doctor?
They say you don’t slap a smiling face, right…”

“Huh?”

Lin Xue stared at him like he was an alien.

“Bro, did your brain short-circuit?
She’s a legit foreigner—and a top academic, at that.
You want to give her baijiu?”

“W-What’s wrong with baijiu?!
She’s been in China for so many years!
You can’t tell me she’s never toasted leaders before!”

Lin Yu flushed red and stubbornly doubled down.

“Didn’t they say it already?
If Hawking had been born here, he’d still have to stand up and toast the leaders!”

Lin Xue was amused—but it was a bitter laugh.

“…Alright, alright, I’m joking.”

Lin Yu softened his tone again.

“Then—then what should I give her?
Hermès?
Local specialties?
Or… just cash?”

“…Cash?”

Enough, bro.

Lin Xue suddenly cut off his completely directionless gift-planning.

“Do you really think she’s short on that bit of money from you?”

She picked up the slightly cooled pork belly, put it into her mouth, chewed slowly, swallowed, and only then set her chopsticks down.

Her clear eyes looked straight at Lin Yu.

“Instead of fussing over what gift to give…
Bro, have you ever thought that this might actually be… a good thing?”

“A good… thing?”

Lin Yu froze midair with the meat tongs in his hand, utterly confused.

“I’m about to lose my job.
How is that a good thing?”

“Precisely because you’re about to lose your job—that’s why it’s a good thing.”

Lin Xue’s expression grew more serious.
She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice.

“Didn’t I mention this to you before?
About Mom and Dad.”

Lin Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He fell silent.

“Mom and Dad are the most traditional kind of parents.
They don’t know you’re a white-collar worker at a big company right now.
If they found out you’re running around every day in a short skirt, risking your life fighting contaminants…”

“Ugh!”

Lin Yu shuddered, not daring to imagine it.

“Especially Dad—that old fossil.
He’d probably have a cerebral hemorrhage on the spot, then break your legs while cursing you for corrupt morals and disgracing the Lin family.”

“And now?
The opportunity is here.”

Lin Xue extended a finger and lightly tapped a rhythm on the tabletop.

“You can legitimately take that workplace injury certification, collect the compensation plus bonuses totaling several million, and then resign honorably.”

“Several million, bro.
Buying a small place in Xinhai City would be easy—no mortgage needed.”

“With the rest of the money, you could casually find a nine-to-five job, something relaxed where you just coast.”

“Drink tea, slack off a bit, go home after work to play games.
On weekends, Mom—or I—can introduce you to a blind date.
You date normally, get married, have kids…”

Lin Xue curled her lips, clearly satisfied with this arrangement.

“Isn’t this exactly the life you used to dream about?”

“Back on the right track.
A stable, wealthy man.”

“—Isn’t that wonderful?”

Lin Yu felt heavy.

Under his sister’s gaze, everything felt heavy.

She wasn’t wrong.

At its core, being a “magical girl” was just an absurd accident—a high-risk temp job.

One day, he would have to take off that skirt and return to this world of rice, oil, salt, and reality.

It was just that—

He hadn’t expected this so-called “graduation” to come so early, so suddenly.

“I… I understand what you mean.”

Lin Yu lowered his head, his voice muffled.

“But Xiao Xue… I don’t think I’m there yet.”

“What?”

“I mean… I’m still young!
I’m only twenty-six!
We can talk about this in a few years…”

My monthly pay is only two thousand seven hundred!

What kind of twenty-something guy takes a pension and lies flat already?

At this age, if I don’t go for it, don’t push myself harder…
how can I face the hundreds of times I died in the simulator?!

“Retirement? Graduation?
I think it’s way too early!”

He took a deep breath and began searching for the most defensible—and most vulgar—reason.

“And besides, a few million sounds like a lot.
But in a place like Xinhai City that eats people alive, is that really enough for a lifetime?
One serious illness, or one bad investment… and you’re broke again in minutes, okay?!”

“Give me another chance…
I want—
I want to build up a bit more security for myself!”

Lin Xue frowned helplessly at her brother, who had clearly fallen into the money pit.

“Since when did ‘a few million’ become ‘just this little’ in your eyes?
How big is your appetite, exactly?”

“Heh heh.”

Lin Yu scratched his head awkwardly and dry-laughed.

“I don’t know either…
Maybe I’ve just been poor for too many years.
If I don’t have a few ‘small targets’ saved up, I can’t feel at ease.
I don’t even sleep well.”

“So… you’ve made up your mind to keep going?”

“Yeah!
I want to earn enough money before graduating in style!”

As if to strengthen his case, Lin Yu started piling on arguments like a salesman.

“And Xiao Xue, think about it—I’m in a career upswing right now!
I’m already C-rank!
If I work harder, I might hit B-rank next year!”

“Do you know what happens at B-rank?
I’ll unlock the legendary 【Concept Contract Armament】!”

“…Concept Contract Armament?
What kind of chuuni nonsense is that?”

“It’s the magical girl’s second transformation!”

Lin Yu grew more and more excited, gesturing wildly.

“My current sailor outfit is basically a blank base—no special effects at all.
But at that stage… it’s a full-on flashy transformation with built-in effects!
Super cool!
Super awesome!”

“Oh?
Ah… I remember now.”

Lin Xue seemed to recall something and nodded thoughtfully.

“Like that senior from before…
What was her name—Su Xiaoli?
The one with the fox tail?”

“Exactly!
That level!”

Lin Yu grabbed his sister’s hand on the table, his eyes blazing with fervor.

“Xiao Xue, don’t you love drawing?
Don’t you love anime characters?
Once I have my own armament, I’ll give you full authority over the design!”

“I swear, my first transformation will be for you to see!
Only you!”

Hearing that, a faint ripple passed through Lin Xue’s cool eyes.

Exclusive customization…

A private transformation…

For a deeply hidden otaku girl, this was undeniably lethal temptation.

“Tsk… ahem.”

Lin Xue pulled her hand back awkwardly, covering the slight upward curve of her lips by taking a sip of water.

“Interesting…
I mean, after hearing your analysis, the logic does form a closed loop.”

“And yeah, retiring young and living off a pension isn’t exactly healthy for your career planning.”

“Young people should still have ambition.
Some pursuit.”

At last, she relented, a helpless yet indulgent smile appearing on her face.

“Even though things between me and my mentor are a bit awkward…
I don’t want to see my useless brother rot away like this either.”

“Fine.
For you, I’ll put my pride on the line and give it a try.”

Lin Xue raised her lemon water.

“Bro, wish me victory!”

“Heh heh!
I knew you were the best, Xiao Xue!”

Lin Yu was overjoyed and clinked his cola against it.

“There’ll definitely be good news!”

After eating their fill, the two parted ways at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant.

Lin Yu hailed a taxi, and before getting in, rolled down the window and waved eagerly at his sister.

“I’m counting on you, Xiao Xue!
Waiting for the good news!”

“Got it, got it!
Now scram!”

Lin Xue waved him off irritably.

Only after the taxi’s taillights disappeared around the corner did the smile on Lin Xue’s face slowly fade.

She let out a soft sigh, took her phone from her bag, and opened WeChat.

On the screen was an unread voice message from her mother, sitting there for half a day already.

She tapped it.
Her mother’s familiar, excited voice immediately played.

“Xiao Xue!
Mom’s got great news for you!
Your dad and I went to Dalian for an inspection trip.
They say the sea cucumber farming projects there are booming!
Don’t worry—your second uncle does this kind of thing.
I’ve checked everything.
Guaranteed profits!”

“We discussed it with your dad and invested all fifty thousand yuan of our savings!
If the harvest goes well this year, by the end of the year we can double it with principal and interest!”

“Oh right—don’t tell your brother about this yet!
That kid’s timid and worries too much.
Once we make big money, we’ll surprise him directly!”

Listening to the hopeful laughter in her mother’s voice, Lin Xue felt the phone grow scorching hot in her hand.

Fifty thousand…

That was her parents’ lifetime savings, meant for her brother’s marriage.

She had tried to persuade them.
Said they didn’t lack money.
That there was no need to do business.
That the risks were high…

She had tried.

But parents at this age were the most stubborn.

No matter how grown she was, in their eyes, she was still just a child.

Her fingers tapped and erased on the screen, again and again.

In the end, it condensed into a single, powerless compromise.

“Alright… I can’t talk you out of it anyway. Just… don’t go too deep, Mom.”

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