Chương 39: Luo Bingli

Hearing Su Yuqing's familiar voice behind him, Lin Che instantly recognized the short-haired, petite girl in front of him as the magical girl Ruri.

Among the people his sister knows, it's hard to find another with such a cool and aloof demeanor, but...

However, upon closer observation, Lin Che noticed some interesting differences—compared to her prickly appearance when she transformed into a magical girl, the girl at this moment, while still maintaining a sense of distance, seemed to be within the social sphere of ordinary people, without that sharp aura that kept strangers at bay.

"Hey! Are you engrossed in watching?" Su Yuqing suddenly jumped out from behind and slapped Lin Che on the back, startling him.

The girl's gaze swept back and forth between the two, finally settling on Su Yuqing's face: "Who is this person? Do you know him?"

Her voice was soft, but Lin Che keenly caught the subtle fluctuations within it—ripples of confusion and unease.

"Yes!" Su Yuqing naturally took Lin Che's arm, a bright smile spreading across her face.

"This is my brother, Lin Che!"

"He's your brother?" Luo Bingli's fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of her uniform, her eyes widening slightly.

"Why... why have I never heard you mention having a brother before?"

Lin Che immediately understood the emotions hidden in the girl's voice—for a child like Liuli who lacked a sense of security, the sudden appearance of an "important family member" from her friend was tantamount to a betrayal to some extent.

"We only became siblings the day before yesterday because of our parents' remarriage," Lin Che explained at the right moment, pretending to be meeting her for the first time, his tone gentle and restrained.

"It's normal that she didn't mention it before."

He maintained a polite smile, looking sincerely at the other person, "Little sister Yuqing, aren't you going to introduce her? This is...."

"Oh right!" Su Yuqing finally realized, and affectionately took the girl's hand.

"This is Luo Bingli, Xiao Li, my best friend! The cutest girl in the whole school!"

Lin Che silently recited the name in his heart—Luo Bingli—which indeed suited the other person's temperament very well.

"You just became siblings the day before yesterday?" Luo Bingli raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping back and forth across Lin Che's face as if assessing a suspicious item.

Lin Che could sense that she was trying to understand what was so special about this boy who had only known her for two days but whose importance her friend placed on him. Of course, she could never have guessed that the two people in front of her had a connection from their past lives.

"Hello, Luo, nice to meet you." Lin Che coughed lightly and extended his hand in a friendly manner.

Just then, his expression suddenly turned a little strange—Ruby, the contracted spirit that looked like a white cat, was peeking out from the girl's collar and making faces at him.

Seeing Su Yuqing trying to suppress her laughter, he immediately realized that ordinary people couldn't see the contracted spirit. So he quickly adjusted his expression and perfectly concealed his surprise at that moment.

Luo Bingli looked down at the outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, then quickly withdrew it after only lightly touching Lin Che's fingertips, as if she were touching something dangerous.

This subtle movement made Lin Che's heart tremble—what kind of trauma had she experienced to be so resistant to contact with strangers?

"Xiao Li, let's have lunch together?" Su Yuqing invited warmly.

Luo Bingli shook her head and took a half step back: "No, I... have something to do."

Her gaze drifted to Lin Che once more, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only whispered, "I won't disturb you anymore."

As she turned around, her back looked as thin as a fallen leaf, and she quickly disappeared into the noisy crowd in the cafeteria. Lin Che noticed that even in the crowded flow of people, she was able to skillfully avoid all possible physical contact.

"She's more wary than I thought..." Lin Che thought to himself as he looked in the direction Luo Bingli had left.

"Xiao Li is just shy~" Su Yuqing had already sat down with a bowl of ramen piled high with char siu.

"She's actually super cute! Like a wary little kitten, but once she gets to know you, she'll roll around at your feet."

"If it were that easy to get to know her, she wouldn't only have you as a friend now," Lin Che sighed inwardly.

He sat down opposite Su Yuqing, scooped a spoonful of curry rice into his mouth, and then asked, "How did you two meet?"

Su Yuqing's chopsticks paused in mid-air for a moment, her eyes darting around: "It's... a school activity."

This clumsy lie almost made Lin Che burst out laughing. Of course he knew they met for the first time as magical girls, but now was not the time to expose it.

"She seems to be bothered by my sudden appearance?" Lin Che continued to probe from a different angle.

"Well..." Su Yuqing poked at the soft-boiled egg in the bowl, "Xiao Li... isn't very good at accepting changes, like... um... a sudden change in the furnishings of a room makes her very uneasy."

She looked up, her eyes suddenly becoming very serious: "So, A-Che, can you do me a favor and try to be friends with her? She's actually a very lonely child, but she just doesn't know how to express herself."

"I will," Lin Che readily agreed.

The idea popped into his head the moment he confirmed the other person's identity. The other person clearly had a strong aversion to "seniors," and approaching her as "Xingshuang" might make it difficult to get closer to her.

This unexpected encounter now offers a better opportunity—approaching her as "Su Yuqing's brother," a peer, might allow me to bypass her psychological defenses and avoid excessive rejection.

After all, to help this wounded junior, the first thing to do is to get her to open up.

"But she seems a bit unapproachable, you'll have to help me out."

Lin Che immediately realized that when she was Xing Shuang, she still had a reason to fight against the Void Beasts together, but as herself, deliberately getting close to her seemed like she was plotting something against her junior...

"Anyway, tell me some things about her first. If you want to get closer to her, it's always good to know more about her." Shaking his head to clear those strange thoughts, Lin Che said with a sigh.

"Of course! What do you want to know about Xiao Li?" Su Su Yuqing immediately perked up, her eyes sparkling, looking very confident.

"If A-Che wants to know, I can tell you anything, from her height and weight to her zodiac sign and measurements. As for when she comes... well, never mind that."

"Stop, stop, stop! What nonsense are you spouting?" Lin Che's face darkened.

"I'm talking about her preferences, personality, and other normal information!"

Su Yuqing wore a sly smile: "Just kidding, A-Che, you're so easily teased. How could I possibly tell you those things?"

She paused, a sudden blush rising to her cheeks, and said in a low, mysterious voice, "But if you want to know those things about me, it's not impossible to tell you..."

"Not interested, next." Lin Che interrupted the girl's flirting with a blank expression.

"You!" Su Yuqing pretended to lose her temper, raising her chopsticks as if she wanted to poke him.

"Alright, let's get down to business." Lin Che sighed, his tone softening.

"You wouldn't want her to only have you as a friend, would you?"

"I understand." Su Yuqing gritted her teeth. Although she looked dissatisfied, she obediently put down her "weapon" and began to seriously recount the matter concerning Luo Bingli.

From the girl's narration, Lin Che gradually pieced together another image of Luo Bingli—not the cold and aloof magical girl on the battlefield, but a kind and lonely ordinary girl.

She loves sweets, especially crème brûlée. Every time she goes to a dessert shop with Su Yuqing, she orders a large portion. When she gently taps the caramel on the surface with a spoon, her eyes will unconsciously squint, revealing a rare expression of satisfaction.

She also loves orange juice and buys a bottle from the vending machine every day. She takes small sips after inserting the straw, with an expression of enjoyment on her face, as if it were the most delicious drink in the world.

She was always alone, sometimes in a sheltered corner on the rooftop, sometimes in an empty classroom. Even though she could listen to music on her phone, she always carried around a chipped music box.

She also loves cats and always carries cat food with her. She patiently takes every stray cat she encounters to be spayed or neutered, and she doesn't give up even when she is scratched several times, saying that this is the best way to protect them.

Although she looks cold, she often helps others. She once helped a younger student drive away some thugs who were trying to extort money from him, but warned them not to say that she was the one who helped. She just silently made sure the child got home safely from a distance.

The more Lin Che understood the other person, the stronger his feelings of pity became. He wanted to get closer to that lonely figure and melt the invisible wall of ice around her.

He was just a child who hadn't grown up, yet he had to bear so much. The sense of responsibility of an adult surged within him, and he couldn't allow this situation to continue.

"Why does she always... go alone?" Lin Che carefully chose his words before asking the question he most wanted answered.

Su Yuqing traced circles on the table with her fingertips, her eyes dimming: "She only mentioned it once, saying it was related to her family."

She sighed, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "I dare not ask any more questions, for fear of touching her wounds."

"About family matters..." Lin Che sighed, a pang of sadness rising in his chest.

Such a description almost certainly indicates that there were problems with his parents, and having lost his mother at a young age, he clearly understands the impact of the absence of one of his parents in a child's development.

That empty feeling, like there's always a piece missing from my heart.

Lin Che's gaze drifted to the window, and he seemed to see that cold and lonely figure. When he turned around, he had already made up his mind to try to understand what the other person had been through without hurting him.

"It's a sensitive thing to pry into someone's deepest wounds," he murmured to himself, "but to help her, this action seems necessary, just like a doctor must see the wound clearly in order to prescribe the right medicine."

This time, however, the treatment wasn't for physical wounds, but for a carefully wrapped, scarred heart.