Despicable Old Qian (1)

Raging Flame: “Senior Tidal, oh Senior Tidal!”

“Why did you have to be born those ten-odd years before me?”

“Deny your identity, abandon your family. From this moment forth, swear to be my lover! And I, in the name of the magical girl Raging Flame, vow to grant you all the joy and pleasure this world has to offer.”

Tidal (internal monologue): Should I keep listening… or speak up now?

…

Tidal: “Raging Flame, oh Raging Flame. My husband and child—they are not your enemies. Whether I am married or not is irrelevant, for I am still me. Before you, I am only the magical girl Tidal. So what does my name or identity in the real world matter? It is neither hand nor foot, neither arm nor face, nor any other part of the body. Ah, abandon your thoughts! They are meaningless!”

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Raging Flame, even if you were not a high school girl, your beauty and perfection would not diminish by even a fraction! Raging Flame, forgive me, accept me! I cannot abandon my husband and child, discard my current life. But apart from that, I will offer you my entire body and soul, to atone for the tiny thorn in your heart!”

Raging Flame: “Senior Tidal, I will listen to you. If you cannot abandon everything, then let us flee together into this forbidden love. Before the heavens descend their punishment, I shall be rebaptized—I will redeem the sins we have committed ahead of time.”

Tidal: “What will you do!?”

Raging Flame: “I will take your place and abandon everything! From this moment, I have no identity, no name. My home no longer exists in this world. I am no longer a high school girl, nor am I called ‘Raging Flame’.”

Tidal: “Then who are you, hiding in the shadows, eavesdropping on private words?”

Raging Flame: “Beautiful one, I cannot tell you my name. For I have already cast it aside, torn it to pieces. Now, you need only call me… Love.”

****

“Haaah~”

Chen Xi paused, lifting her fingers from the keyboard with a long sigh.

“That’s enough for today!”

She stood, pulling open the curtains of her floor-to-ceiling window. Instantly, the dim room flooded with daylight. Basking in the warm sunlight, Chen Xi stretched luxuriously.

A few days ago, on a whim, she’d posted a fanfiction about Tidal on the magical girl forum—Shooting Down the Ice Queen: My First Intimate Encounter.

Though the story had received glowing praise—over 999 likes—it was, in modern terms, pure “deranged” content: a first-person, unhinged fantasy where she obsessively imagined every aspect of the magical girl Tidal.

But Chen Xi, with higher artistic ambitions, wasn’t satisfied. So she began her second fanfiction—Raging Flame and Tidal.

Though a typical magical girl yuri story on the forum, it had a provocative twist: Raging Flame was a teenage high school girl, while Tidal was a thirty-something mother. The vast gap in age and social status created intense dramatic tension.

Could Raging Flame’s young heart endure her family’s disapproval and society’s scorn? Could Tidal abandon her husband and child to elope with a girl nearly young enough to be her daughter?

All this and more awaited in Raging Flame and Tidal.

After uploading the latest chapter, Chen Xi shut her laptop and began scrolling through her phone.

Her wallpaper still showed the candid photo of Tidal. Every time she saw it, the thought arose: I want to see her again…

How could she meet Tidal again? How wonderful it would be to sit across from her at a table once more…

Recalling their first encounter, Chen Xi naturally thought of You Xi.

You Xi clearly knew Tidal. What was their relationship? Could she possibly be Raging Flame—the magical girl who fought alongside Tidal that day?

She’d had this suspicion before but never pursued it.

Now, she opened her WeChat, found You Xi’s contact, and tapped into the chat.

After a long pause, she sent one message:

【Xiao Xi. The Tidal you were with that day—she’s a magical girl, right? How do you know her? Are you… a magical girl too?】

Seconds after sending it, Chen Xi regretted how blunt she sounded.

Many magical girls didn’t reveal their identities. Raging Flame was likely one of them. If You Xi was Raging Flame, no sane person would just admit it like that.

Soon, her phone buzzed.

【Xianjie!】

A giant begging emoji filled the screen.

【I am a magical girl, but please don’t tell my uncle! If he finds out, he’ll definitely make me quit!】

…This kid’s just as clueless as her uncle.

Chen Xi thought to herself. Then, a slightly underhanded idea surfaced.

【I won’t tell your uncle. But Xianjie has a favor to ask…】

She typed and sent the message.

【Nightmare Fiend Returns!? Multiple Victims Reported in Fifth Ring Area!】

You Dong sat on a hospital waiting bench, scrolling through his phone. While waiting for his number to be called, he saw the news headline.

Multiple victims in the same area—did that mean the Nightmare Fiend was hiding somewhere in the Fifth Ring?

You Dong closed his eyes, recalling the memory from two nights ago—when he and Lao Lin had searched the apartment complex where Raging Flame’s app had once detected the aberration.

They’d found nothing. No alerts. No traces.

Where was it hiding? You Dong concluded a thorough, detailed search of the Fifth Ring was necessary.

As he mentally drafted the search plan, his pocket vibrated.

Not his regular phone—but the magical girl communication device. Only Lao Lin, Raging Flame, or Huangxing would contact him on this line.

Who could it be?

【Senior. Are you free this afternoon?】

【We haven’t gone on a mission together in days. I really miss seeing you… Can we meet?】

It was Raging Flame—his niece, You Xi.