Chapter 1: The Dry Underwear Conundrum

“Congratulations! For keeping your underwear dry for a thousand consecutive days, you’re about to receive a mysterious prize from our organization.”

“What are your thoughts on this?”

Questioned thus, Ye Qing silently adjusted his pants.

He then issued a warning to the woman in the mascot suit, who had intruded into his home, holding a soft, mysterious prize.

“Whatever that’s about, I don’t care,” he stated. “But if you don’t leave now, I’m calling the police.”

“A calm assessment,” the woman replied. “But I wouldn’t advise you to do that.”

With an air of composure, the woman pulled off her mascot head.

This revealed a languid, mature face framed by a cascade of purple hair.

Her actions aside, she was undeniably a beauty.

However, what truly captured Ye Qing’s attention was the vanished mascot head.

One moment it was in her hand, the next it had vanished into thin air, as if by magic.

“Surprised?” she purred. “I can make more than just the head disappear; this entire mascot suit can vanish too, you know.”

Ye Qing’s gaze traveled down the woman’s unveiled, elegant neck.

He swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat.

If his suspicions were correct, the mascot suit likely concealed a fiery, unclad body beneath.

Should he actually call the police, he feared they might just arrest him first.

“I understand,” Ye Qing conceded. “Let’s discuss terms. What do you want?”

Observing Ye Qing’s anxious demeanor, the woman offered a playful smile.

“Then first, answer my question,” she began. “As a teenage boy, how have you managed to maintain such a lack of interest for so long?”

Confronted once more with this troublesome question, Ye Qing let out a helpless sigh.

“If you, too, were dumped by your childhood friend on her fifteenth birthday, and subsequently lost all luck with women, then you’d understand,” he explained.

The woman raised a delicate eyebrow, studying Ye Qing with keen interest.

“Is that so? But you don’t look bad at all,” she mused. “And… shouldn’t this situation provoke a desire for revenge?”

“That’s precisely why you don’t understand,” Ye Qing stated.

Feigning deep thought, Ye Qing turned his back.

Subtly, he began searching his phone contacts for his childhood friend’s number.

In the past few minutes, he had largely pieced things together.

‘It seems I’ve been targeted by an evil organization,’ he thought.

Calling the police was indeed useless.

Professional matters required professional solutions—for instance, his childhood friend, the magical girl.

Yet, perhaps due to their long estrangement, he couldn’t immediately find her contact information.

As Ye Qing grew increasingly anxious, the woman quietly drew near.

She gently pressed his hand, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a mischievous smile.

“It’s quite rude to be distracted while someone is speaking to you,” she chided softly.

She had noticed Ye Qing’s subtle actions long ago.

Instead of stopping him, she calmly withdrew her hand, gesturing for him to continue.

Ye Qing cast a sidelong glance at her slightly upturned lips, a faint unease stirring within him.

Still, his fingers did not pause.

With another swipe of the screen, Ye Qing’s gaze sharpened, locking onto a familiar name.

Gu Xuanyu.

Even after such a long separation, the girl’s name remained vivid in his mind, its presence undimmed.

Without a moment to spare for further thought, Ye Qing moved to dial the number.

Yet, his fingertip hovered blankly just above the screen.

Having not spoken to her in three years, the act felt profoundly unfamiliar, leaving him hesitant to press the button.

Seeing this, the woman chuckled softly.

“What are you hesitating for?” she prompted. “My time is precious. If you don’t make a move, I might just…”

Before she could finish, Ye Qing dialed the number.

One second, two seconds.

Ye Qing’s mind raced through countless possibilities: would she maintain her distance, or suddenly turn warm?

However, all he received was a gentle, digitized female voice.

“Hello, the number you have dialed is not in service. Please try again later…”

“Heh, it seems our little Ye Qing was dumped quite thoroughly,” the woman remarked with a chuckle.

She smiled sweetly, then, taking advantage of Ye Qing’s dazed state, snatched his phone.

In its place, she slipped another soft object into his hand.

“My name is An Yueying,” she introduced herself. “I’m the mascot and supreme commander of the evil organization, and I’m currently looking for a successor. Are you interested?”

Ye Qing fell silent for a long moment.

“I am, actually,” he finally said.

Then, he squeezed the mysterious prize in his hand, his tone slightly pained.

“But I’m really not interested in this,” he added, gesturing to the prize. “You should take it back.”