Something's off about this magical girl.

Chapter 35 1 hour

Chunheng seemed unable to calm down.

Now she's sitting here, her target is right across from her, the distance is perfect, the lighting is perfect, there's no one else in the consultation room, and the timing is perfect.

"Please conclude, conclude—"

She spoke.

"Knot," she emphasized the word, paused for a moment, took a deep breath, "Knot—"

There was a light knock on the door twice.

Before the person inside could respond, the door opened.

Dong Chun walked in, her gaze first falling on Gu Bai, then shifting to Chun Heng's face. She paused for a moment, then casually strolled over to the wooden chair next to her and sat down, straightening her back and placing her hands on her knees, as if she intended to stay there for a long time.

Chunheng stared at her.

Dongchun glanced back at her, her expression calm, even gentle: "Chun, just pretend I'm not here."

Chunheng cursed inwardly, "Dong, you're a real bastard!"

Finally, she lowered her head, swallowing back the half-spoken word that was still on her lips, along with the sentence she had been holding back for days. She cleared her throat again, adjusting her voice back to its usual professional gentleness:

"Anyu Medical Industry recently expressed its desire to further advance cooperation with various departments of Qixin Academy. As the person in charge of psychological counseling, we believe there is considerable room for collaboration between us in the research on the correlation between student status assessment and the adjustment of related magical supplement dosages. Therefore, we hope to conclude an exclusive agreement with you."

It seems like this guy wasn't actually going to say that...

Gu Bai picked up his teacup and took a sip of water, thinking that it was probably because the winter jasmine had just arrived.

Chunheng then began to elaborate on the advantages of Anyu Medical Industry, as if introducing a magnificent and resplendent building.

But for Gu Bai, this topic was not as appealing as asking why Dong Chun had arrived early today.

Dongchun sat beside him without saying a word. She simply unzipped the bag she had just brought, took out a small jar, unscrewed the lid, and placed it on the low table. It was a light-colored, paste-like substance with a faint herbal scent.

Then she zipped the zipper back up, placed her hands on her knees, and calmly looked at Chunheng, just looking at her.

Chunheng's voice paused slightly. She was a little confused about what was in Dongchun's indifferent red eyes—was it scrutiny? Supervision? Or something else? But whatever it was, it was actually making her feel uneasy.

"...That's roughly it. We can discuss the details later. What do you think, teacher?"

"Hmm, I can consider it." Gu Bai put down his teacup and replied politely, "I appreciate An Yu's sincerity."

"Well, teacher, you're busy, I'll head back now."

Chunheng stood up, her hand clenching in her pocket. She had been holding something since she came in, but she hadn't taken it out until the very end.

"bye."

"And Dong," Chunheng turned her head before leaving, her tone casual, as if she were just asking casually, "What brings you here today?"

"I come here often," Dongchun replied, but feeling a little strange, she added, "For psychological counseling."

"……good."

Chunheng pushed open the door and left.

The footsteps faded away in the corridor. Gu Bai turned his head and looked at Dong Chun's face, waiting for her to speak.

Dong Chun pushed the small jar towards him: "The ranking rewards have been distributed. This is the relevant ointment. Please give it to Tao Zhuo in your name, teacher."

"Okay." Gu Bai didn't ask further questions: "Give it to her if she comes later."

"Thank you for your help." Dong Chun nodded calmly, then took out another exquisite octagonal gift box: "This one is for you."

"That's a bit unnecessary. I should have brought you something on this trip." Gu Bai didn't reply.

"If you're not here, neither the strange beasts of my hometown nor the insect magical girl's problem can be solved."

Dongchun carefully crafted her words, adding a touch of legitimacy to her gift: "Besides, this is something you need, so please open it and take a look."

Gu Bai lowered his head, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it to Dong Chun, who then took it.

Dongchun took it, but didn't drink it immediately; she just held it, waiting.

Helpless, I gripped the side edge of the lid with my thumb and gently pushed it open.

Inside, there was a layer of plain-colored velvet, and in the center of the velvet lay a small white flower.

The petals are an extremely thin, translucent white, with five petals spread out, and the center of the flower has fine, light gold veins. The edges are not dull at all, as if it had just bloomed.

Gu Bai recognized him—Yi Xiang Bai, but that couldn't be, could it?

"For objects, I can rewind time and freeze time to achieve this effect."

Dongchun held the teacup in her hand, her tone calm: "The people who appeared there and the things that happened there have all left some traces, but my control over magic is not precise enough right now, so I can't distinguish the more specific ones."

"Therefore, I have preserved a moment of white within it, leaving it here. Perhaps one day when my magic becomes stronger, I will be able to let you see it clearly."

"Thanks."

Gu Bai spoke last, and his attitude was much stronger than when he spoke to Chunheng.

Dong Chun looked up, met his gaze, paused for a moment, and then took a sip of water from her teacup: "Then I'll go cultivate."

"Take care on the road."

She nodded, walked to the door, pushed it open, and turned back before leaving. Her gaze lingered on Gu Bai's face for less than a second, and without saying anything, she closed the door.

The sound of even footsteps echoed in the corridor, then faded into the distance.

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After Dongchun left, the consultation room became completely quiet.

Gu Bai leaned back in his chair, not moving immediately, and went through the recent events from beginning to end.

Pray for Heart, Luoshui Heavy Industry, Anyu Medical Industry, Ximing Cult.

The cards from all four factions were laid out on the table for him to see, each one beautifully arranged, each with its own hidden agenda.

But there was one thing he understood.

Of these parties, Xi Ming undoubtedly has the deepest grasp of Mo Xin's clues. Others might be able to rely on Dong Chun, but waiting for her to recreate the scene would be too passive and too slow.

Gu Bai didn't plan to wait.

Guanlan left a message saying that Ximing would contact him, but she didn't say when.

Immediately take your phone out of your pocket, open your contacts, and find the text message contact information that Guanlan left for you last time.

She said it was for the convenience of communication. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I realize that she may have already thought that I would come to her in the future.

Gu Bai opened the chat box, thought for a moment, and finally typed only one line:

I'd like to visit the main area's outpost; could you please show me the way?

No salutations, no formalities, just sent it out.

The reply came faster than he expected; he only needed a sip of water before the other end responded.

Okay, the day after tomorrow afternoon?

Tomorrow afternoon.

The chat window showed that the other person was typing, but it paused for a longer time than usual before a short message popped up.

[Lord Gu Bai, you're in a hurry. Should we go upstairs to greet you?]

【Okay, I'll send you the specific location later, tomorrow.】

Gu Bai put his phone back in his pocket, stood up, and casually opened the window a crack. The autumn breeze came in, changing the stagnant atmosphere in the room.

On the low table, the octagonal gift box sat quietly, its dark green lacquer reflecting a calm color in the light from the window.

Anyway, there's more and more good news.

I really hope I can find you soon.