My ex-girlfriend is a magical girl junior?

The sound of running water filled the small space as Lin Che closed his eyes, letting the warm water wash over his body, trying to cleanse away the fatigue accumulated throughout the day.

Today's experiences were complex and intense—including the awkward yet heartwarming interactions with Luo Bingli, the information shock brought by the trip to the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs, and the stronger sense of crisis and responsibility that arose from it.

However, just as Lin Che was lost in his thoughts, the door to the room next door was carefully opened. Su Yuqing peeked out, and after confirming that no one was in the corridor, she took a deep breath and walked out of her room.

Her heart was pounding, as if it would burst out of her chest, and her fingertips trembled slightly with nervousness. This was the first time she had done something against her will—sneaking into Lin Che's room while he was taking a shower to check his phone.

She knew perfectly well that what she was doing was wrong. She trusted A-Che, she loved him deeply, and she shouldn't taint that relationship with suspicion.

However, what she saw at the mall that afternoon, his vague "I met a friend" when he returned, and the uncontrollable, burning unease in her heart were madly devouring her reason.

She had to, absolutely had to seek a truth that would put her at ease, even if that truth might leave her utterly devastated.

Su Yuqing gently pushed open Lin Che's door. The room was dark, with only the faint light from the streetlights outside filtering through the light blue curtains.

She slipped in like a thief, groped her way to the bedside, bent down and felt around where Lin Che usually kept his phone. The cool metallic touch came from her fingertips, and she picked up the phone.

The screen lit up, prompting for a password. Su Yuqing stared at the numeric keypad that appeared on the screen, her fingertips lingering in the air for several long seconds.

Of course she knew what the password was; it was her own birthday. This password was set for her by A-Che in his previous life; it was his silent promise and proof of their intimate relationship.

She bit her lower lip, her heart churning with intense struggle, but ultimately, the desire to know the truth overwhelmed all hesitation, and she entered those familiar numbers.

The phone is unlocked.

The screen displayed a chat interface from a social media app, and the sender of the top message was none other than Luo Bingli.

Su Yuqing's pupils widened suddenly.

Just a dozen minutes before she saw that message and felt as if the world had collapsed.

Luo Bingli sat in her quiet home, holding the old music box in her arms, her fingertips unconsciously stroking its edge.

She was alone in the room. The furniture was neatly arranged, but it still couldn't hide the emptiness that lacked any sense of life. The occasional noise from the city outside the window seemed unusually distant.

She held her phone in her hand, the screen displaying Lin Che's contact information and a draft message that she had repeatedly edited, modified, and deleted, but still didn't have the courage to send.

Although she had been looking at the screen for a very long time, carefully considering each word as if she had dug it out from the bottom of her heart, her finger remained hovering above the send button, as if it were welded to the ground, and she hesitated to put it down.

"Xiao Li, how much longer are you going to do this?"

Ruby floated beside her, her fluffy little face showing a hint of helplessness and confusion. "You've been staring at this screen for almost twenty minutes now, are you going to say something or not?"

Luo Bingli stiffened slightly, startled by her partner's sudden voice. She subconsciously glanced down at her phone and whispered, "Right away."

"Right away? This is the fifth time you've said 'right away' tonight!" Ruby's voice was filled with obvious complaint. "It's just a message, is it that hard?"

"It's difficult." Luo Bingli raised her head, a hint of struggle flashing in her eyes. "This is different..."

Sending messages to Yuqing is such a natural thing. They are best friends, partners who fight side by side, and each other's support. There is no need for any worries or pretense.

But when Lin Che sent this message... he wasn't Yu Qing, not a senior, just... someone who made her feel a long-lost warmth, melted the ice in her heart, showed her a glimmer of light, and was someone she had just started to try to get closer to.

Sending such a message is her way of reaching out to a new world, to a warmth she longs for yet fears to lose. She is naturally afraid of being rejected, afraid of being neglected, and afraid that this faint light will be extinguished again.

She thought of Lin Che's powerful words, "You deserve it," and his heartwarming words, "The door to this home will always be open to you." She also thought of his patience, gentleness, thoughtfulness, and even a little clumsy kindness when he took her shopping.

That warmth made her no longer feel as cold as ice. The feeling of being cared for and included made her feel that she was not worthless. It made her think that perhaps, perhaps she could try to have a "home", to have "friends", and to have a "normal" life.

She wanted Lin Che to know that she felt that kindness, and that she was willing to try, as Senior Xing Shuang hoped, to take a step out into the world, to stop living alone, and to rely on and trust like a real child.

How can these complex emotions be expressed in a single, simple sentence?

She stared at the screen, piecing together words one by one, wanting to express her gratitude, her inner feelings, and to reciprocate his previous encouragement and promises. But she worried that saying too much, too harshly, would scare him away, or cause her to be…

Finally, she took a deep breath, her body trembling slightly, as if gathering all the courage to fight her inner fear. She closed her eyes, her fingers trembling, and with a do-or-die determination, finally pressed the send button.

"call out--"

The message has been sent.

Luo Bingli suddenly opened her eyes, her face showing a mixture of relief and annoyance. She tossed her phone aside as if it were a hot potato.

She didn't look at the message she had sent, nor did she look at Ruby. Instead, she buried her face in the pillow, trying to suppress her shyness and the anticipation of a response with the soft fabric.

Little did she know that this heartfelt yet clumsy thank-you message, which held such great significance for her, would trigger a completely new storm of misunderstandings in another place, catching both her and Lin Che off guard.

Back to the present, Su Yuqing stared at the message Luo Bingli had sent on her phone screen, her body stiffening abruptly, as if all the blood in her body had frozen.

It was a very short message, yet it carried an intimacy she couldn't believe and... a declaration:

"Lin Che, thank you so much for today. Because of you, I was willing to try. I've remembered what you said, and I hope to see you again in the future."

"Thank you for today," "Because of you, I'm willing to try," "What you said...I've remembered"—these words were like knives, stabbing deeply into her heart.

She couldn't help but recall the scene she saw at the mall that afternoon: Lin Che holding Luo Bingli; she remembered Lin Che lying about where he had gone that afternoon; she remembered Luo Bingli's stunningly beautiful outfit today, and the shyness she had never shown to any "adult".

Everything came together in the most brutal way at this moment, forming an undeniable "truth" before her eyes that left her breathless.

Lin Che, her A-Che, the one who separated from her in her past life due to misunderstandings and the helplessness of reality, and who promised to stay with her forever in this life and never leave her again, actually... actually really had a... a new beginning with her best friend!

He not only spent an afternoon with Xiaoli, but also said something special to her that made her willing to "try" it. Xiaoli is even starting to look forward to seeing him again!

Moreover, A-Che lied to her! He didn't tell her the truth about where he went that afternoon! He's still hiding it from her!

The pain of betrayal, the grievance of being kept in the dark, and the fear of being abandoned engulfed her like an out-of-control tide, and she felt that her world had collapsed once again.

Su Yuqing gripped her phone tightly, her fingers turning white from the force, her eyes instantly welling up with tears, her vision completely blurred by the blurry tears, but she still stared intently at the glaring information on the screen.

Just then, the door to the room was pushed open again.

After rinsing himself clean, Lin Che grabbed a towel to dry himself, thinking about his magic training plan for tonight as he walked into his room.

He habitually walked towards the wardrobe, about to get a change of clothes, but suddenly stopped in his tracks. In the darkness, he saw a figure sitting by the bed.

"Yuqing?" Lin Che was a little surprised. "What's wrong? Why did you sneak into my room again so late at night?"

He assumed that Su Yuqing was just trying to squeeze into his bed again, or simply wanted to chat with him, completely unaware that the atmosphere in the room had changed, becoming oppressive and heavy, as if a storm was about to break.

The answer to him was silence.

An unusual tension filled the air. The figure in the darkness was tense and motionless, even breathing very softly, like a frightened little animal trying to hide its presence.

Lin Che's heart leaped into his throat, a strong, ominous premonition gripping him: "What's wrong now? You were fine at dinner, weren't you? What happened?"

Su Yuqing suddenly looked up at Lin Che, her eyes filled with anger and pain, her face as pale as paper, and her lips trembling slightly.

"Where did you go today...?" she finally asked, her voice soft and trembling with obvious tension and repression. She stared intently at Lin Che, as if trying to find a trace of guilt or a flaw on his face to confirm what she thought was the "truth".

"Didn't I tell you? I went to the mall... um, I went to pick out a gift with Xiaoli, and then I went to see a friend."

Lin Che thought she was still struggling with where she was going that afternoon, so he tried to step forward, reach out and hold her hand, wanting to comfort her and let her know that he was here and that he was alright.

However, Su Yuqing suddenly shook off his hand with an astonishing, unprecedented force. She was completely blinded by what she thought was the "truth," regarding all his caring actions and any explanations as further deception and cover-up.

"Lying!" Her voice suddenly rose, then immediately fell back down, a suppressed, near-collapse sob escaping her throat.

"You're still lying to me!" She held up her phone, trembling, the information on the screen glaringly bright in the darkness.

"I saw it all! The messages on your phone! What did you do to Xiaoli?! What did you two do?! Why are you still lying to me?!"

"What did you see?" Lin Che was completely stunned. He didn't understand why Su Yuqing would suddenly act like this, and he had no idea what information on his phone could cause her so much pain and such a breakdown.

Su Yuqing was no longer willing to listen to any explanations. Looking at Lin Che's confused yet innocent face, she felt that he was continuing to act and deceiving her.

The pain and disappointment spread through her like poison, making her feel that she could no longer face him. So she pushed Lin Che away abruptly, staggered, and rushed towards the door without looking back.

"Yuqing! Where are you going?!" Lin Che didn't expect her to have such a strong emotional reaction. He was pushed back two steps, but he didn't care whether he was standing still. He hurriedly shouted, his voice filled with undisguised worry and panic.

However, he was met with a loud bang as the door slammed shut, separating the two and leaving Lin Che alone in the dark room.

He stood there blankly, his hand still in the gesture of trying to hold on, completely unaware of what had happened.

He bent down and picked up the phone that Su Yuqing had knocked to the ground when she bumped into him. The screen lit up, showing the message he had just received.

Lin Che stared at the message, his gaze sweeping over each word. All his confusion vanished in an instant, replaced by a heavy, heart-wrenching realization.

Everything makes sense now... damn it... a reasonable explanation: the misunderstanding wasn't resolved, it was just replaced by a new, more fatal one.

He looked up towards Su Yuqing's room. The walls blocked his view and sound, but he could almost hear broken sobs coming from the other side, desperately suppressed.

It's a kind of repression where even on the verge of complete emotional collapse, even when you believe you've been hurt by the person you trust most, you still stubbornly protect something.

A deep sense of pity welled up in her heart. Even at this moment, she was still worried that what had happened between her and her husband would affect their newly formed family. She carefully protected what she thought was "normal" and this hard-won warmth, even if the price was to bear everything alone.

And isn't he the same? To protect this ordinary happiness, to put his family at ease, he silently bears the secret of being a magical girl, faces the threats of the Void Realm and the Shadow Tide, and endures the loneliness of being misunderstood.

They were so similar, both striving for the same goal, yet his methods inadvertently caused her new and deeper wounds.

No, he couldn't let her bear this pain alone, couldn't let her think she had been abandoned again, couldn't let the sense of security she had worked so hard to build be completely destroyed by his unintentional actions.

He gripped his phone tightly in his palm, a determined glint in his eyes. This misunderstanding, this wound, had to be healed by him personally, thoroughly and carefully.

Tonight.

This is the responsibility he must fulfill as an older brother, as a lover, and as a guardian who knows everything.