novelraw Chapter 1215: That Time of the Season Again
Chapter 1215: That Time of the Season Again
“In the human realm, amnesia is already a very tricky condition to treat. There’s no guaranteed cure, let alone for a Demon whose very life structure is completely different. If he were severely injured and dying, maybe I could save him—but memory loss? I’m powerless.”
“Ah, I see…” Bu Bugao’s face showed obvious disappointment.
Wang Hu, on the other hand, looked completely indifferent, as though it had nothing to do with him.
Long Xiruo said calmly, “But this kind of problem is actually treated much the same way as with humans. You take him to places that might stir his memories, talk about the past—maybe all he needs is one trigger, and everything will come back.”
Since even the True Dragon of Divine Land admitted helplessness, Bu Bugao couldn’t press further. Still, when it came to “bringing him to familiar places” or “talking about the past”… who knew where to even start?
“Alright, just make sure to keep him in check,” Long Xiruo continued. “After all, humans and Demons are different. The Management Bureau operates in the gap between both sides—maintaining balance is crucial.”
As one of the Bureau’s top consultants… well, when facing a newcomer, the True Dragon of Divine Land didn’t mind showing her more dignified and radiant side.
“Bu Bugao understands.”
…
“Tsk tsk, the mighty strongest White Tiger reduced to the Bureau’s lowest-ranking support staff.” Watching the two figures leave from her window, Long Xiruo’s lips curved into a mischievous smile.Bu Bugao and Huang Baifu—Wang Hu—such a combination, not even the brightest minds in the divine land or the Daoist and Demon realms could have imagined it.
What kind of chemical reaction would such a pairing create in the end?
Long Xiruo’s mind wandered with amusement… The unexpected encounter with an amnesiac Huang Baifu today oddly swept away her gloomy mood, lifting the fatigue that had been weighing on her for days.
She suddenly thought of Pianxian. It had been nearly an hour since she’d returned, and that little one hadn’t made a single sound—quite unusual.
But she could clearly sense that the little butterfly Demon was still inside her room.
“Pianxian, I’m back. What are you doing in there?” As usual, Long Xiruo pushed open the door without knocking—little butterfly Demon rarely locked it, and had zero sense of privacy. Long Xiruo had nagged her countless times about that.
The door opened—and she was immediately greeted by piles of books stacked high on the desk. A headache came on instantly. This butterfly really had the heart of a top student.
“Pianxian?” Her gaze swept over the room and finally landed on Luo Pianxian, who was curled up in the corner between the bed and the desk. A bad premonition struck her. “What happened!”
Long Xiruo quickly walked over and crouched beside her.
The little butterfly Demon’s face was flushed, her temperature higher than usual. Her colorful wings were fully revealed but tightly folded, trembling slightly.
Her eyes were hazy—sometimes dazed, sometimes burning bright—and two coiled antennae had sprouted from her forehead… She seemed barely able to maintain her human form.
“What on earth happened?”
“Sister Dragon… is that you…” Luo Pianxian lifted her watery eyes, foggy and unfocused. “I don’t know what’s wrong… I just feel so strange… so hot… like I want to hug something… Am I sick?”
Long Xiruo froze, realizing what it was. She pressed her hand to the butterfly’s forehead and asked, “Do you also feel your heart racing, your body becoming sensitive, and even a light touch makes you weak?”
“Sister Dragon… how did you know…”
“Of course I know!” Long Xiruo rolled her eyes. “It’s obviously that time of the season again… You’re not sick—it’s just your mating period.”
“Mating… period!”
The little butterfly’s already red face flared an even deeper shade of crimson. Even with only a literal understanding, she got the meaning—and panicked.
Her mother had died when she was a child, killed by a mantis Demon. She was raised by an old tree Demon who had become a spirit. Of course, the old man would never bring up such “delicate” topics… so she had absolutely no idea what to do.
“It’s fine, just a small issue.” Long Xiruo waved it off. “Drink more cold beverages. If your thoughts start to run wild, soak in cold water. If that’s not enough, grab some dry ice from the basement. And whatever you do, don’t go out—or meet any male creatures. It’ll pass in a few days.”
The little butterfly Demon nodded obediently. “Sister Dragon, you’re amazing—you even know this!”
“Of course. After all, I—cough, cough. Anyway, I’ll go get you some dry ice.” Long Xiruo cleared her throat and walked out calmly.
That was close… almost spilled the truth.
…
…
“…The suspect seems to have an extreme case of obsessive cleanliness. But why kill for that reason?”
At the elevator of the office building, Ren Ziling waited while flipping through her notebook, studying the information she’d pried out of Nan Xiaonan, lost deep in thought.
She had promised Luo Qiu she wouldn’t go barging into crime scenes again, but when a major case like this came up, Auntie Ren simply couldn’t suppress her reporter’s instincts.
Lost in thought, she entered the elevator, pressed the button for her magazine’s floor, and bit her pen as she drifted back into her “deduction” mode—though her reasoning skills were… famously terrible.
Ding—!
The elevator doors opened. Still looking down at her notebook, Ren Ziling walked into the magazine office—and was instantly greeted by a burst of sound.
“Congratulations, Sister Ren!” everyone shouted in unison.
Ren nearly jumped out of her skin. Ribbons flew, confetti and gold powder burst through the air in a glittering spray.
All her colleagues stood in a row, holding party poppers and streamers.
“Wha—what’s going on?”
Li Zi walked up with a bright smile, grabbing her hand. “Sister Ren, congratulations! You’re officially our new Editor-in-Chief!”
Ren Ziling rolled her eyes. “You all that bored, huh? Nothing better to do than prank me?”
She was already an Editor-in-Chief—well, an assistant one.
“No, no!” Li Zi shook her head. “This time you’re the real Editor-in-Chief—not the one with parentheses that say ‘assistant’!”
“Huh?” Ren Ziling blinked.
A male colleague chimed in, laughing, “It’s true. The big boss called this morning—starting today, you’re officially the Editor-in-Chief! The old one’s been demoted to assistant!”
Ren blinked and instinctively looked toward the Editor-in-Chief’s office—only to see a balding, skinny middle-aged man clutching a cardboard box, his expression dark and gloomy as he walked toward the “assistant” office.
“What the heck…”
“That’s the boss’s decision,” Li Zi said with a shrug. “Here—this is your promotion document!”
Ren Ziling looked at it and immediately showed a strange expression. “It really is…”
Completely bewildered, Auntie Ren was surrounded by colleagues offering their congratulations as she was ushered into the Editor-in-Chief’s office. And sure enough, someone had already moved all her belongings from her previous office.
Looking at the imitation world-famous painting her son had mailed her from abroad, Auntie Ren rubbed her chin, then picked up the phone to call the magazine’s big boss.
Speaking of this boss—he was quite a character. When he first founded the magazine, it didn’t make much profit. Later, encouraged by his friends, he jumped into the stock market. What was supposed to be a naïve newcomer ended up becoming a “mutant leek”—managing to short the market through several financial crises, he made a fortune and never looked back.
Having no idea how much he was even worth, this boss eventually became a hands-off owner, traveling the world with women. Since joining the company, Auntie Ren had only ever seen him once—at a company year-end party.
“Hello, who is this?”
“Big Boss! It’s Ren Ziling!”
“Ren Ziling? Oh, Ren Ziling… so, you received the promotion letter?”
“I did, but why so suddenly?” Auntie Ren found his tone strange—it sounded like he barely remembered who she was. So why promote her?
“Oh, that. The previous Editor-in-Chief was too conservative. I felt he wasn’t suited to our magazine’s style.” The boss’s voice was calm and smooth. “As for you, I’ve read a few of your articles—they really fit my taste. I want to make the magazine trendier and younger, and I think you’re the right person for the job. What’s the matter? Don’t want it?”
“It’s not that…” Ren Ziling’s eyes drifted a little; she hadn’t expected such good fortune to land on her head.
“As for the salary,” the boss continued cheerfully, “you’ll get a fifty percent raise compared to the previous Editor-in-Chief. You’ll also have one month of paid vacation every year and full discretionary use of your travel and research funds—anything under a hundred thousand yuan, you can approve yourself without needing me.”
Listening to the endless list of benefits, Auntie Ren couldn’t help feeling uneasy… Could this guy be hitting on her or planning something shady?
Until—
“Work hard! No need to call me unless it’s important. I’m in the Aegean Sea right now, and I’ll be heading to Spain soon. Not coming back this year! The company’s yours now! Hahaha!”
Click—
“…I’m not dreaming, am I?”
——
On a private yacht drifting across the Aegean Sea, a man in his thirties wearing a plaid short-sleeve shirt and sunglasses, his dazzling teeth gleaming as he grinned, held a phone.
“Hello… Miss Song, I’ve done as you asked. Yes, I understand. Since you paid such a high price to acquire my magazine, I really don’t get why you’d still let me keep the ‘boss’ title, though—the company’s already yours… Fine, fine, the price was good anyway, so I don’t mind. Don’t worry, I won’t say a word—our contract clearly states confidentiality…”
——
Zhang family residence.
“I don’t think this counts as interfering in her life, right?” Song Ying casually set her phone down.
This arrangement was partly to honor Luo Qiu’s request, but also for the Song family’s sake. After all, how could a legitimate wife of the Song family—second marriage or not—be made to suffer humiliation at work?
Besides, this could serve as a small act of compensation. After all, Song Ying had once tricked her way into Luo Qiu’s home.
Remembering how, upon learning the truth, Ren Ziling hadn’t gotten angry but instead clutched her chest in heartbreak on the sofa, Song Ying couldn’t help but smile faintly. That “auntie” was truly one of a kind.
“Their relationship is really something…”
Song Ying murmured to herself, then recalled the terrifying look in Luo Qiu’s eyes that night. For some reason, it stirred a strange irritation in her chest. Propping her chin on her hand, she stared blankly at the clock on the wall, slowly drifting off in thought.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Zhang Qianrui entered with a gentle smile. “Am I interrupting?”
“It’s me who’s intruding.” Song Ying smiled casually. “I’m already freeloading a stay here, and now I’m using your place as an office. But don’t worry, I’ve found a new office space—it’s move-in ready. Once I set it up, I’ll relocate.”
“It’s really fine if you stay,” Zhang Qianrui replied softly. “It’s usually just me and my grandmother at home. Having one more person makes the place livelier.”
“Relax, I’ll still come mooch meals from you even after I move.” Song Ying grinned. “After all, we’re officially working together now—I plan to make a big splash here.”
Zhang Qianrui walked over and sat down gracefully. “I heard from Grandmother that Old Master Song’s investment this time is meant to give your family’s young man some training?”
“What do you mean your family’s young man? Just say Luo Qiu.” Song Ying huffed. “Grandfather does plan to let him gain experience, but if it doesn’t work out, he won’t force it.”
Zhang Qianrui smiled in admiration. “Your family’s way of education really is unique.”
“And yours isn’t?” Song Ying sighed. “Even my grandfather said you’re a rare classical beauty—he hardly ever praises anyone.”
Zhang Qianrui covered her mouth with a laugh. “Alright, let’s stop complimenting each other. From here on, I’ll be counting on your cooperation.”
She extended her hand. Song Ying understood and shook it lightly.
As Zhang Qianrui withdrew her hand, a fleeting thought crossed her mind—
I wonder if he’ll be coming to work often…
(End of Chapter)
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