My wife is a witch princess.

He felt that living to be a hundred or two hundred years old would be enough.

But now, he truly wants to live longer. Long enough to spend more time with Xia Li, long enough... perhaps to see the day she truly understands "love".

He didn't dare ask Xia Li how she had spent those hundred years, or how she had been repeatedly swindled out of the gold coins she had painstakingly accumulated. He was afraid that if he asked, he would reveal his most vulnerable and helpless side to her.

He didn't want her to see it.

The hundred years Xia Li spent searching for him were equivalent to him living another lifetime.

He always verbally berated her for not repaying her debts, but deep down he no longer cared. Death is like a lamp going out; the moment he closed his eyes, he let go of everything. He never even considered asking her to repay those thousand gold coins.

...She's such an idiot.

But that's just how Xia Li is. Even though she was once ignorant and mischievous, it couldn't hide the pure persistence in her bones.

Song Che glanced at the phone on the bedside table, and suddenly tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a self-deprecating smile.

The moment he saw the phone, he absurdly wanted to ask this thing that Xia Li called the "magic mirror" for help: What should I do if I fall in love with a girl whose lifespan is almost infinite?

I doubt anyone has ever encountered such an outrageous problem.

Before meeting Xia Li, Song Che had also imagined the difficulties he might encounter in future relationships.

For example, if a family is of modest means and the man is afraid that the girl will suffer with him, he may cruelly push her away.

For example, long-distance relationships often involve the pain of longing and separation.

Another example is when parents strongly oppose it.

He felt he could solve all these problems. If he didn't have money, he could work hard to earn it; he could study hard and find a good job, and he wouldn't let those who followed him suffer too much. Long-distance relationships? He'd find a way to move in together. His parents disagreed… well, he could always elope.

The problem now is that Xia Li has lived much longer than him. Unless he turns into a turtle—the thought itself seems ridiculous.

Damn it, he even decided to become a turtle, but he found he still couldn't survive as long as Xia Li.

He discovered that humans are like that—contradictory and complex. They can be brave, yet incredibly weak; seemingly resolute, yet actually indecisive. He spent his days teaching Xia Li this and that, but in the end, he himself became trapped first.

This is him, Song Che.

He suddenly developed a kind of "illness," and whenever he thought about the high-sounding words he had said to Xia Li, he felt waves of belated shame.

In the end... it's still my own fault for not being pure enough.

……

What is he thinking?

In the next room, Xia Li gently pressed her forehead against the cool wall, tucking a few strands of silver hair behind her ear. Her face was expressionless, but her slightly widened blue eyes and focused posture revealed a cautious, probing intent.

Xia Li was actually a little guilty.

"He said the time for prohibiting eavesdropping was last night. So... listening in today shouldn't be a problem." She justified her actions in her mind.

Actually, she hadn't rested at all; she'd been waiting for Song Che to wake up. But after waiting and waiting, there was still no movement. She was even prepared to wait until nightfall. If he still didn't wake up by then, she'd wait until tomorrow—tomorrow Song Che had his human exam, and he'd definitely wake up. Because he always studied so diligently, and he'd said he'd get into a good university and earn money to buy her delicious food.

Even if he doesn't wake up, she plans to go and wake him up.

Xia Li adjusted her posture, searching for the best angle to receive the message. Like spoken words, thoughts become more indistinct with distance, and through walls, they even sound muffled.

She listened intently, repeating the snippets of words she had caught.

“…She’s an idiot.” Xia Li pursed her lips.

"So they were secretly cursing me."

I barely heard any good words, but I heard the word "idiot" very clearly.

However, she wasn't very angry.

Being scolded by Song Che is nothing new. Back in the castle, he probably had even more complaints in his heart.

She continued to listen attentively to Song Che's thoughts, and finally tried to piece together what Song Che's chaotic feelings were using her own straightforward and simple logic.

"The research on potions... needs to be accelerated. Ordinary life-enhancing potions won't work, maybe... forbidden potions? But that seems to go against normal morality, unfair to others... Song Che has some mental issues... but he praised my determination, praised my courage... I'm a little happy... He said he won't let me pay back the money... I'm also a little happy... He's afraid of death... not afraid of death itself, but afraid of someone dying... so if he dies this time, I'll die with him, commit suicide." Xia Li took out her phone and started searching.

She thought very directly: if it's suicide, how can it be done so easily? Death is generally not a pleasant experience.

She searched for a long time, but there was only one answer on the screen.

She read it aloud, word by word: "This world may be imperfect, but there will always be someone protecting you. Nationwide 24-hour free psychological counseling, phone: ###"

She looked at the string of numbers and remembered that Song Che had taught her that it was a phone number and had even left her a small card with the number written on it.

She held up her finger and dialed the number.

The call was quickly connected, and a voice came from the other end.

Xia Li spoke up, "I have a friend... he's terrified of dying. What can I do to help him?"

Xia Li's question was actually a bit problematic, but it turned out to be a lucky coincidence.

"Hmm... I understand." She listened for a while, then hung up the phone.

……

Song Che didn't leave his room all afternoon.

It wasn't until evening that there was a knock on the door, and Xia Li's voice said, "Song Che, dinner is ready. I cooked porridge this time."

"Okay, sure," Song Che replied, only then realizing that half a day had passed.

Xia Li cooked the meal all by herself again.

Xia Li had already removed her makeup and was placing the porridge on the table, next to a small dish of green vegetables and a slightly overcooked fried egg. However, the green vegetables looked much better than last time; they were still green and not as oily.

"Try it." She handed him the chopsticks as well.

"Ah."

"Does it taste better than last time?"

"good to eat."

Xia Li sat down opposite him, picked up her spoon, but didn't start eating immediately. She paused for a few seconds, then looked up at him: "Song Che, I have a question for you."

"Ask away." Song Che picked up another fried egg. Although it was a bit overcooked, the saltiness was just right.

"You say, if killing one person can save a thousand people, but conversely, killing a thousand people can save that one person's life... what should you choose?"

The problem came as abruptly astounding, even strangely.

Song Che was stunned for a moment.

"The trolley problem," he said, glancing up at her. "Something you read in a magazine?"

"What is the trolley problem?" Xia Li's eyes showed genuine confusion. "No, I just suddenly thought of this, it's not a trolley problem."

"Oh..." Song Che put down his chopsticks, thought for a moment, and then explained, "Your question is very similar to a famous thought experiment. It goes something like this: A runaway train is heading towards the first track, where a thousand people are tied. You can choose to switch tracks and divert the train to another track, but that track has one person tied to it. The question is, would you switch tracks, sacrificing one person's life for the lives of a thousand?"

He didn't know why Xia Li suddenly asked this.

No matter which side you choose, once you become the one making the choice, everything changes.

He didn't really want to discuss this cruel hypothetical scenario with Xia Li.

"Then...can you operate the switch?" Xia Li pressed.

"I... I wish I weren't the one making the choice. If I had to choose, I probably... wouldn't have made the switch." Song Che's voice lowered, carrying a sense of self-analysis. "There's a saying that goes something like this: I wouldn't pluck a single hair from myself to benefit the world; I wouldn't take a little benefit from the world for my own benefit either. So, 'I won't pluck a single hair, I won't take a single penny.' Maybe I'm a rather selfish person, and I don't quite agree with the idea that one must sacrifice oneself for the collective good... Of course, neither harming others for personal gain nor harming oneself for the benefit of others is a good thing. So, Xia Li, don't worry too much about this kind of issue."

"Not a hair's breadth, not a single penny's worth..." Xia Li repeated the sentence, a thoughtful light flashing in her blue eyes. She didn't continue the topic, but simply said, "Song Che, after dinner... I want to go out and play."

……

Meanwhile, in a cold corner of the stairwell, Tao Yao was irritably slapping the cement with her claws, cursing and using very vulgar language.

"Sister, do you think that crazy woman is insane? All she talks about is 'enlightenment' and 'not giving a single hair, not taking a single penny.' What does that even mean?"

"I don't know..." Tao Xiang answered softly, "Can we go back and eat first? Sister Xia Li seems to have cooked porridge, it smells so good... glug glug..."

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating! Didn't we agree to starve to death together to prove our resolve? And what are you gurgling about?"

"My stomach is growling, and I'm afraid you won't hear it, so I'm making it rumble so you can hear it..."

"...You're only allowed to eat a tiny bit!"

"Sister," Tao Xiang suddenly thought of something, her eyes lighting up, "Have you noticed? That wicked woman hits really hard, but she seems... to lack a real body? She feels cool to the touch and is somewhat transparent. Could she be a ghost or something? Let's go find Brother Song Che! Let him help us find a Taoist priest to exorcise that wicked woman, okay?"

"I'll allow you... to eat a little more." Tao Yao pondered for a moment, then reservedly agreed to her sister's suggestion, before raising her head again, "Actually, I already thought of this idea!"

Chapter 84: Maximum of Three Children (3k)

On a winter evening, the cold air condenses into white mist, which dissipates with each breath.

The streetlights came on early, casting a dim yellow glow in the cold, hard air. Xia Li kept her hands in her coat pockets, her fingertips fidgeting with each other.

She didn't actually want to "go out and play," but the person on the other end of the magic mirror said that taking someone who was in a bad mood out for a walk might help, and also said to "keep a close eye on them," find an opportunity to ask clearly, or ask friends, teachers, or parents for help.

“Winter… is cold,” she said softly.

"Hmm." Song Che exhaled a puff of white breath. "If only it were summer. We could go to the amusement park, go swimming... there are so many things to do in the summer."

“Summer…” Xia Li silently memorized the word. She didn’t have any particular feelings about the seasons before, but after losing her magic, she found that she hated winter. Except when she was in a well-heated house, the cold air felt like needles seeping into her bones whenever she went out to do anything. When she returned to the warm indoors, her frozen skin would feel a stinging, itchy sensation.

They walked side by side, neither too close nor too far, just close enough that their sleeves would occasionally brush against each other. In the winter night, unknown insects chirped intermittently in the corner, rising and falling in waves. Their hearts, though not far apart, each carried heavy burdens of their own thoughts.

"It's getting dark, let's walk around for a bit and then head back," Song Che said, looking at the increasingly dark sky.

"Mm." Xia Li responded, but slowed her pace slightly and suddenly said, "I want to... go see Aunt Lan."

She had her own agenda.

When Song Che goes to see Aunt Lan, he'll definitely visit his parents as well. She noticed last time that this aunt has an "ultimate" level of control over Song Che. Having Aunt Lan come will surely help her discover his problems.

"Okay." Song Che didn't ask any further questions.

When Song Che arrived at Aunt Lan's place, he greeted her and planned to visit his parents on the way. However, Xia Li said she wanted to chat with Aunt Lan, so he went to his parents' place by himself.

I was planning to just take a quick look and leave, but as soon as I walked in, my mom caught me with her sharp eyes.

Song Che felt that his smile wasn't actually that fake; at least it was more natural than Xia Li's tried-to-imitate "gentle" smile. But he didn't realize that his brows hadn't truly relaxed since the afternoon, making his forced smile look particularly awkward.

As soon as I sat down on the bench, Zhang Shushu's scrutinizing gaze swept over me.

"Tell Mom, what's on your mind?"

“It is a bit…” Song Che did not completely deny it.