My ex-girlfriend is a magical girl junior?

Chapter 137 Interview

After waiting for a moment, a light footstep came from inside the door, and with a soft "click," the door was pulled open a crack.

The rusty door chain on the door frame was taut, preventing the door from being fully opened, and through the slightly dim gap, the face of a somewhat haggard middle-aged man appeared.

The living room lights didn't seem to be on, so most of his face was shrouded in heavy shadow, making it impossible to see his expression.

I could only vaguely sense the undisguised scrutinizing gaze emanating from the crack in the door.

"Who are you?" The middle-aged man's voice was slightly hoarse, carrying a hint of wariness and impatience at being disturbed. "Did you come to the wrong place?"

Lin Che calmly met those eyes, his voice clear and steady: "Excuse me, you are Mr. Luo Hongyu, the father of Luo Bingli, right?"

Upon hearing the unfamiliar young man accurately call out his and his daughter's names, the middle-aged man behind the door, Luo Hongyu, was visibly taken aback.

The impatience in his voice dissipated slightly, replaced by an undisguised surprise: "—Yes, that's me. And who are you?"

"I'm her friend's brother, Lin Che," Lin Che calmly introduced himself and explained his purpose. "I apologize for visiting, but I hope to have a chat with you."

"Bingli's friend's brother?" Luo Hongyu's tone revealed a hint of surprise again, as if he found it very unbelievable that "Luo Bingli actually has friends, and her friend's brother would even take the initiative to come to her door."

He peered through the crack in the door and took another careful look at the boy outside who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, with a tall and handsome figure and delicate features. A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.

A moment later, the sound of metal chains rattling came from inside the door, and the chain was unlocked.

"Come in." Luo Hongyu's voice was devoid of emotion. He stepped aside, making way for the doorway.

Lin Che nodded slightly and stepped into the somewhat oppressive room.

Luo Hongyu didn't say anything, but walked straight to the back of the living room, reached out and pressed the switch on the wall. With a "click", the slightly dim living room was instantly illuminated by the soft light emitted from the chandelier overhead.

He casually sat down on the sofa, then gestured to the seat opposite him: "Sit."

Lin Che's gaze swept quickly around the living room. It seemed that the house had not changed much since the last time he came. It was still spacious and clean, but it also had a cold and lifeless feel to it.

The furniture was arranged meticulously, but this also made it seem somewhat rigid and impersonal. The return of Xiao Li's "father" did not seem to bring any warm changes to this "home".

However, the old wooden music box that was originally placed in the center of the coffee table was nowhere to be seen, and he could not sense the presence of the contracted spirit named Ruby.

Lin Che calmly withdrew his gaze, took a pair of guest slippers from the shoe cabinet next to him, put them on, and then walked to sit down on the sofa opposite Luo Hongyu.

With the bright lights in the living room, he could finally take a good look at this man he was meeting formally for the first time, yet who already harbored a lot of resentment towards him.

Between Luo Hongyu's eyebrows and eyes, one can still vaguely see some of Luo Bingli's delicate features. One can imagine that if he were ten or twenty years younger, he might also be considered handsome.

But at this moment, fine wrinkles had crept around his eyes, his eye bags were puffy, his hair was casually combed, and he was wearing a slightly loose dark-colored loungewear. He exuded the haggardness and fatigue unique to middle-aged men, worn down by life.

After sitting down on the sofa, Luo Hongyu subconsciously took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, skillfully shook one out and put it in his mouth. Just as he was about to take out a lighter to light it, his movement suddenly paused.

As if he had just remembered there were still guests in the room, he looked up at Lin Che and asked in a flat tone, "Do you—mind it?"

Lin Che shook his head slightly, subtly leaning back to create some distance between himself and the billowing smoke, and calmly replied, "Please feel free to do as you please."

Luo Hongyu nodded and said no more. With a "click," he pressed the lighter, and the orange flame licked the tobacco, soon sending up a wisp of white smoke.

He took a deep drag from the filter, then exhaled heavily, a thick cloud of white smoke billowing into the air, carrying a slightly pungent smell.

After doing all this, he casually turned his gaze to Lin Che and asked, "You just said—you're Bing Li's friend's brother? What did you come to see me about?"

At this moment, he didn't seem to care about the boy in front of him who still looked a bit immature. His tone and attitude were somewhat indifferent, as if he were dealing with an unimportant visitor.

Lin Che ignored the other party's slightly dismissive attitude. He straightened his back, calmly met Luo Hongyu's gaze, and said bluntly:

"Mr. Luo, not long ago, your daughter Bingli told me about some of her experiences over the years."

"This also includes quite a few things you did to her."

"I'm here today to ask you face to face, why did you treat her that way? In your heart, does this biological daughter, who is connected to you by blood, have even the slightest place in your heart?"

Lin Che's tone was calm, but every word carried undeniable weight. Hearing his almost merciless direct question, Luo Hongyu's lips, which were dangling from his cigarette, stiffened slightly, and a hint of anger flashed unconsciously deep in his eyes.

But he was someone who had been through the ups and downs of society for many years, and his composure was far beyond that of an ordinary teenager. That hint of anger was fleeting, and he quickly and perfectly suppressed it.

He slowly and forcefully pressed the half-burnt cigarette in his hand into the ashtray in front of him, extinguishing it completely.

When he looked up at Lin Che again, the expression on his face had subtly changed, and the previous casualness and disdain had disappeared.

Instead, there was a hint of surprise and a subtle delight, and their attitude towards Lin Che was noticeably better than before.

Luo Hongyu tentatively asked, "Since Bingli is willing to tell you about her unpleasant past, you must have a very close relationship with her, right?"

Lin Che responded calmly, "Just take it that way. More than that, I'd like you to answer my question right now."

Luo Hongyu had no idea that the young man sitting across from him was a person with the mind and experience of an adult, nor did he know that the other person was seriously questioning his qualifications as a father in the manner of an equal adult.

He was quite surprised and puzzled that a young man who looked like no more than a high school student would show such a direct, even somewhat aggressive, attitude.

But he quickly suppressed his surprise, a bitter smile tinged with deep regret and self-reproach appeared on his face, he sighed heavily, and then said:

"Sigh—Lin Che, you're right. Before—it was indeed a moment of confusion on my part that led me to do some things that really hurt Bing Li."

"Over the years, I've always regretted it. In the quiet of the night, I often reflect on my mistakes and think about how I can make up for the harm I caused her."

"As you know, my job is quite demanding, requiring me to stay away from home most of the year, and I rarely get to go home. This has indeed made me neglect to care for and spend time with Bingli."

"However, my love for her is absolutely genuine! I have never shortchanged her by a single penny in living expenses."

"And every time I come back from a business trip, the first thing I do is message her, wanting to ask her out for a meal and have a good chat, but she—she never replies to me, and she even deliberately avoids me, refusing to go home—."

At this point, he gave another bitter and helpless smile, like a father who genuinely loves his daughter but doesn't know how to communicate with his rebellious child.

Lin Che listened quietly to Luo Hongyu's seemingly sincere confession and explanation, but his heart remained unmoved.

His first reaction was not relief at the other party's sudden repentance, nor a sigh of relief at the other party's attitude, but rather—a deeper and more uncontrollable anger.

If this man had realized this long ago, and felt this remorse, how could Xiao Li have experienced so much pain and loneliness that she shouldn't have had to endure at her age?

There is a high probability that she will grow up healthy and happy, like an ordinary girl who is loved and cared for by her parents, and have a complete and happy childhood.

Instead of wrapping her heart in thick layers of ice, becoming wary and distrustful of everyone, as before.

He considered it extremely foolish for Xiaoli to try to make amends after she had already closed herself off emotionally.

If she hadn't met herself and Yuqing, this kind and brave girl would probably have chosen self-destruction long ago in the desperate battles against the Void Beasts.

Thinking about all this, Lin Che's dislike for the man in front of him called "father" grew even stronger.

But since the other party was, after all, Xiao Li's biological father in the legal sense, he couldn't fully express his disgust and anger. He could only forcefully suppress his surging emotions, nod expressionlessly, and say in a flat voice:

"I understand your thoughts, Mr. Luo."

Seeing that Lin Che didn't seem to have much of an emotional reaction, Luo Hongyu felt a little disappointed, but his expression remained sincere and expectant.

He looked at Lin Che and tentatively asked, "Lin Che, since you and Bing Li are so close, then—I have a favor to ask, I wonder if you could grant it?"

Lin Che's gaze remained calm and unwavering: "Please tell me first."

"You should be able to guess, right? I want to have a proper talk with Xiaoli in person, and tell her all the apologies and guilt that have been building up in my heart over the years."

"But as you know, she has a deep misunderstanding about me right now and doesn't want to see me at all. So, I was wondering if you could convey my thoughts to her on my behalf?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Che shook his head without hesitation, his tone decisive and resolute: "Mr. Luo, I think you may have misunderstood something."

"Xiao Li hasn't deleted any of your contact information. As far as I know, you've tried to meet her more than once, but without success. Do you think that simply having me relay your request to meet her will fundamentally change the situation?"

Luo Hongyu's expression stiffened slightly, seemingly not expecting Lin Che to refuse so decisively. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something more.

But Lin Che had already stood up from the sofa: "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

Seeing that this hard-won opportunity to mend his relationship with his daughter was about to slip away, Luo Hongyu became anxious and quickly stood up, stepping forward to grab Lin Che's arm.

As he pulled his wallet from his pocket, he said in a somewhat ingratiating tone, "Lin Che, don't be in such a hurry to leave! I know Bing Li has a deep misunderstanding about me right now, and it'll be hard for her to accept me anytime soon."

He pulled out several crisp 100-yuan bills from his wallet and tried to stuff them into Lin Che's hand without saying a word.

"If I'm not mistaken, Bingli is currently—living at your house, right? Sigh, that child has always been stubborn; she never tells me when she's wronged—"

"I know I'll be troubling you to take care of her these next few days. Here's some money for you. Consider it a favor to you. Please take good care of her, spend more time with her, and try to build a good relationship with her."

Lin Che looked at the few red banknotes that Luo Hongyu handed him and the "benevolent father" smile on his face, and felt nauseous.

He rudely pushed the other person's hand away and said in an icy voice, "Mr. Luo, I think you may have misunderstood again."

Taking care of Li is something my family and I are willing to do; we don't need you to "beg" us like this.

"I will consider what you said to me today and relay it to her as appropriate, but as for anything else—don't think about it anymore."

"Instead of wasting this time and energy, you should reflect on yourself and see what you have done to her all these years."

After saying that, Lin Che ignored the momentary unpleasant expression on Luo Hongyu's face, turned around without looking back, opened the door and left the house that Luo Bingli did not consider "home".

Behind him, Luo Hongyu's outstretched hand, which he had intended to exchange contact information with, remained awkwardly suspended in mid-air.

Hearing the footsteps fading away in the hallway, Luo Hongyu slammed the door shut in annoyance, muttering a complaint under his breath:

"That kid was pretty rude."

He walked to the refrigerator, took out a few cans of chilled beer, and gulped them down. The cold liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach, seemingly calming the resentment in his chest a little.

He then picked up the beer can, sat back down on the sofa, lowered his head slightly, seemingly lost in thought, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

"However, that Lin Che guy seems to have a very unusual relationship with Bing Li—"

"It seems like we could make good use of this—"

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