Chapter 231: Visit

The next morning.

Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the curtains and fell onto his face.

With hair like a bird’s nest, still damp, he crawled up from the bed.

Throwing off the blanket, dragging his slippers along, he staggered toward the sink like a wandering ghost.

He twisted open the faucet and scooped up a handful of cold water, splashing it hard onto his face.

The icy sensation made him shudder, finally waking him up a bit.

He raised his head and looked at the face in the mirror.

Years of staying up late gaming had left his skin slightly yellow and oily.

Below his left cheek, those stubborn acne scars were still clearly visible.

There was also an unhealed pimple mark near the upper right corner of his lips.

Good.

That’s right.

This is the original body.

Not a dream—today he had finally turned back into a real man!

By all logic, this was the moment he should be throwing his head back in laughter and shouting three times, “I’m finally free!”

But…

Even though it was his own face, the more he looked at it… the more uncomfortable he felt instead?

Lin Yu touched his somewhat rough cheek, feeling a sense of loss.

He had clearly turned back, clearly returned to normal life—no more wearing that short skirt that let the wind leak up his legs, no more constantly worrying about accidental exposure.

But why did his heart feel so empty?

Was it because that Magical Girl face was just too perfect?

Was it because that feeling—being watched by everyone, being treated gently—was too addictive?

If he could stay in that state a few more days…

“Smack—!”

A crisp, loud slap echoed in the bathroom.

Lin Yu showed no mercy to himself, giving himself a heavy slap, the right side of his face turning visibly red.

“Snap out of it! What the hell are you thinking?!”

He pointed at himself in the mirror, cursing through gritted teeth.

“Lin Yu, Lin Yu—you’re a grown man with balls! A leftover shell played with by businessmen, and you’re treating it like treasure… you’re about to disgrace eighteen generations of the Lin family ancestors!”

After forcibly clearing out the nonsense in his head through physical means, Lin Yu quickly washed up and changed into a clean set of casual clothes.

He was just about to head downstairs to grab a quick breakfast when the contract bracelet on his wrist suddenly vibrated.

Caller ID: [Little Sister].

Lin Yu pressed accept.

“Hello?”

“Huh?!”

On the other end, Lin Xue was clearly startled.

“Wow! Bro, you… you’ve changed back?”

Her voice dropped deliberately toward the end, as if someone else was nearby.

“Yeah. After toughing it out for a whole day and night, it finally passed.”

Lin Yu rubbed his sore neck.

“What’s with that sneaky tone? Are Mom and Dad next to you?”

“Yeah. They took the high-speed train last night and just arrived in Xinhai City. They’re at the hotel they’re staying in right now, eating breakfast at the buffet in the restaurant outside.”

“Oh? What hotel?”

“All Seasons. It’s okay, about 500 yuan a day—fairly clean, I guess.”

There was a hint of helplessness in Lin Xue’s tone.

“I originally wanted to book them a Hilton or InterContinental so they could enjoy themselves, but the moment they heard the price, they absolutely refused and said I was wasting money.”

Hilton…

InterContinental…

Hearing those names, Lin Yu couldn’t help but click his tongue.

His little sister usually kept a low profile, but her spending level might not be any lower than his now.

Thinking about it, though, it made sense.

Even though he now earned forty thousand a month plus a million in bonuses, that was literally risking his life—and required no academic qualifications.

But Lin Xue was different. She was a genuine top student, a graduate researcher working under a big-name figure like Dr. Kant.

Higher salary and project bonuses for a graduate student—wasn’t that perfectly justified?

This wasn’t the old China from decades ago anymore, when graduate students only got a few hundred yuan as basic subsidies—it was practically poverty relief back then.

In today’s Xinhai City, where technology ruled everything, knowledge was the most expensive productivity.

“I’ve sent you the hotel location on WeChat. Do you want to come see Mom and Dad now?”

Lin Xue asked.

Lin Yu opened the map on his phone and checked.

“Hmm… forget it, it’s a bit far from here. The subway’s packed to death during rush hour.”

He thought for a moment.

“Let’s just meet directly at lunch.”

“Alright. I’m planning to take them to Zhongshan Street near the hotel around noon. It’s a tourist street, and there’s a pretty big church there—good for photos, quite interesting.”

“Okay, discuss with them what they want to eat and book a place. Just send me the location.”

At this point, Lin Yu suddenly straightened his back, his tone carrying a nouveau riche kind of swagger.

“But let’s agree on this—you’re not allowed to fight me for the bill! Your brother’s got money in his pocket now, no worries in his heart. Mom and Dad finally made the trip, so I’m definitely treating!”

“All these years, you’ve been worrying about me—today it’s finally my turn to show off… ahem, my turn to host and show some filial piety!”

“Alright, alright, Boss Lin, we’ll let you pay today.”

Lin Xue chuckled softly on the other end.

After hanging up, Lin Xue let out a long breath of relief.

As long as her brother didn’t show up in that silver-haired loli Magical Girl shell, today’s “meeting the parents” situation would be half-secured.

However, before she could fully exhale, she suddenly noticed two figures had silently approached behind her.

“Eh… Dad, Mom? When did you… come over? Were you eavesdropping?”

Lin Xue jumped, quickly stuffing her phone into her pocket.

“Haha, what eavesdropping? We just finished eating and came over to see if you were done with your call.”

Their mother, Zhang Lihua, smiled kindly, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes full of joy.

“You were talking to your brother, right?”

“Mm.” Lin Xue nodded.

“That kid… how’s his job? Pretty stable?”

Their father, Lin Jianguo, stood with his hands behind his back. Though his eyes were fixed on the crystal chandelier in the hall, pretending it was just a casual question, his perked-up ears gave him away.

“My brother’s job… is pretty good, very stable.”

Lin Xue answered calmly, not batting an eye. To support her brother, she decisively started embellishing.

“He’s making a lot of money now, highly valued by his company’s leadership. I heard he even got a big bonus at the end of the year. Just now on the phone he was even fighting me to pay the bill, saying he must treat you both at lunch to welcome you.”

“Hahaha… I knew it!”

Zhang Lihua beamed with delight, lightly punching her husband’s shoulder.

“You old stubborn man, you were worrying before we came, saying this and that. I told you our son has made something of himself, but you wouldn’t believe it—always looking down on your own son! Xiao Yu works at a big company under Celestial Dome Group now! A proper high-earning white-collar worker!”

“Ahem… well…”

Caught on the spot, Lin Jianguo’s old face flushed red as he coughed awkwardly, trying to save face.

“I always said that kid had some ability deep down. He just hadn’t met the right mentor and opportunity yet!”

He puffed out his chest, looking proud as if he had seen it all along.

“As the saying goes, a child of the Lin family is no ordinary fish—once the wind and clouds gather, he transforms into a dragon!”

“Tch—you weren’t saying that last New Year. Back then you called him a useless freeloader…”

“What nonsense! That was… that was motivational tactics!”

Watching her parents bicker so affectionately, Lin Xue silently wiped a cold sweat in her heart.

If they ever found out that their “high-level white-collar” son actually spent his days wearing a skirt and working as a Magical Girl…

Her dad’s blood pressure would probably shoot straight to 280!

Just as Lin Xue was secretly celebrating getting away with it, Zhang Lihua suddenly stopped arguing.

She turned her head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lin Xue.

“Oh right, Xiaoxue! I suddenly remembered something.”

“Ah… what is it, Mom?”

“I remember when you first started grad school, your father and I visited your biological research institute, right?”

“Ah… yeah, you did.”

Lin Xue nodded, a bad feeling suddenly rising in her heart.

“Then that settles it!”

Zhang Lihua slapped her thigh and turned to Lin Jianguo, proposing excitedly,

“Old Lin, since we’ve already visited our daughter’s school, and we’ve got nothing planned this morning with several hours before lunch—”

“Why don’t we drop by your son’s big company and take a look at his workplace?”

“It’s a major company under Celestial Dome, after all—let’s broaden our horizons!”

“Ah????”

At that moment—

The smile on Lin Xue’s face completely froze.