Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 56: A Farce

With a scream, Lin Xiaolu spun around. She stumbled backward with a quick "thud-thud" of her steps and bumped into the railing behind her. Then, in a moment of misstep, her foot slipped, and her head smacked straight into the glass panel beside the railing.

"Ah!"

A sharp pain shot through the back of her head, and she couldn't help but cry out. The next moment, she lost her balance and was about to fall to the ground.

Fortunately, Lin Yun had quick reflexes. Just before she hit the floor, he bent down and grabbed her arm, lifting her back up on the spot.

"You okay?"

Seeing Lin Xiaolu grimace in pain, he instinctively reached out and rubbed the back of her head. Finding no visible wound, he let out a relieved sigh. "Lulu, you really need to watch where you're going."

— "It's all your fault for scaring me!"

Lin Xiaolu straightened up and swatted his hand away from her head, sounding indignant. "Don't sneak up on people like that!"

"I saw you two sneaking around here, so of course I had to ask what you were up to," Lin Yun raised an eyebrow. "Standing on the third floor and spying for so long, you really thought I wouldn’t notice?"

Truthfully, he hadn't noticed at all. Most people wouldn’t expect someone to be watching them from the upper floors of a shopping mall. But since he had now caught them, he needed to come up with a plausible excuse.

Under normal circumstances, his reasoning might have sounded flimsy. But given that the two girls had been following him first, they felt a bit guilty and didn’t question his words.

"Sorry, Uncle. I was wrong."

Xia Liang reacted the fastest, immediately putting on an innocent, well-behaved act. "I didn’t mean to, I was just curious."

"Who’s sneaking around? I was standing here fair and square!" Lin Xiaolu was much less polite. On top of that, her head still hurt from the bump. She pressed a hand to the back of her head and huffed, "Can’t I take a look at what you're doing?"

"Then why are you two here?" Lin Yun locked eyes with her.

Lin Xiaolu averted her gaze in silence.

She didn’t answer, but as always, she was terrible at hiding her emotions. Her guilty expression was all too obvious, and Lin Yun quickly figured things out.

"You were following me, weren’t you?"

"I was just a little curious, that’s all," Lin Xiaolu muttered.

"You? Curious?"

Lin Yun almost laughed. "You two went through all this trouble and stared at me for so long just because of that?"

"So what? And what about you? Why are you dressed up like this and going out alone on your day off?"

Now that she was exposed, Lin Xiaolu decided to just go all in. A bit frustrated, she admitted, "You’re dressed so formally—I thought you were… planning to…"

Lin Yun finally understood why she was here.

He glanced at Xia Liang, who gave him an awkward, apologetic smile and lowered her head slightly, clearly realizing that following someone like this wasn’t exactly the right thing to do.

Well, what was the point of getting mad at kids?

With that thought, Lin Yun let go of the little bit of frustration he had left and turned back to Lin Xiaolu to confirm, "You thought I was out looking for a stepmother for you?"

"What else could it be?" Lin Xiaolu looked up at him, clearly confused.

"How could that be possible? Even if I ever did, I’d talk to you about it first."

Lin Yun shook his head and sighed, "You probably just forgot—today is your mom and my wedding anniversary."

Lin Xiaolu’s eyes widened.

"Our wedding anniversary?"

She repeated the words, stumbling over them. "But… last year and the year before, you didn’t—"

"Because this year is our fifteenth anniversary. The last time your mom and I marked this day was our tenth anniversary—you were only nine years old then."

Lin Yun continued, "Besides, you know we’re visiting her next week. I need to prepare a gift for her."

"Ha…" Lin Xiaolu exhaled in a daze.

She slowly lowered her hand from the back of her head, staring blankly at Lin Yun before looking down, murmuring, "So that’s what it was… And here I thought…"

For some reason, she suddenly felt relieved.

Her father wasn’t out dating another woman—he was simply commemorating her mother.

Of course, this didn’t mean that he had no connection to Hong Siyu or that he didn't know Veronica. But at the very least, it proved that all those wild thoughts she’d had earlier…

Lin Xiaolu felt her face heat up.

Beside her, Xia Liang chuckled and nudged her arm. "See? I told you it might not be what you thought, but you wouldn’t believe me."

Lin Xiaolu shot her a glare, fully aware that she had just embarrassed herself. But she wasn’t the type to back down without a fight, and she instinctively wanted to snap back.

However, before she could say anything, she caught sight of the distant, sentimental look on Lin Yun’s face. It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her, and she swallowed her words.

"…Fine, I was wrong."

She admitted it honestly, mumbling under her breath, "If that’s the case, then I’ll just go home later."

"What’s the point of going home now?"

Lin Yun sighed and forced a small smile. "Since you’re already here, why don’t you help me pick out a gift? Consider it something we’re doing for your mom together."

"I…" Lin Xiaolu hesitated. Now that she knew she was in the wrong, she suddenly didn’t know what to say.

"Come on." Lin Yun patted the railing and pointed at the atrium below. "Or do you not plan on going to the grave visit next week?"

"Of course I’m going!"

At the mention of this, Lin Xiaolu immediately perked up, mumbling, "Even if you don’t go, I will."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Lin Yun took a few steps toward the elevator before glancing back at her. "Or do you want to stand up here and play commander?"

"…Like I have a choice?"

"Then hurry up."

"Alright, alright."

"What do you want for lunch?"

"…Ice cream."

On the side, Xia Liang watched the father and daughter gradually settle into a more harmonious rhythm and smiled in relief.

Maybe she felt a tiny bit of envy—maybe even a little jealousy—but those emotions were secondary. More than anything, Lin Xiaolu was her friend, and seeing her bond with her father made her genuinely happy.

"Well then, Uncle, Xiaolu," she waved at them with a bright smile. "Since that’s the case, I’ll head home on my own."

"You—" Lin Xiaolu frowned, about to say something.

But before she could finish, Xia Liang cut her off. "You should focus on picking a gift for your mom. She’d be really happy."

She didn’t give Lin Xiaolu a chance to say more, even if they both knew her words might have been a way of asking her to stay.

But in Xia Liang’s eyes, this was a rare moment for father and daughter to truly connect. There was no need for her to stand here like a third wheel, making things awkward for everyone.

So, after finishing her sentence, she turned and walked toward the crowd at a quick pace, as if trying to escape.

Yet, before she could disappear into the bustling shopping mall, a voice called out from behind her.

— "Hey, you over there."

The man’s voice stopped her.

"If you’re not busy, why don’t you come along too?"

"…It’s okay, Uncle. Thanks, but I can get home just fine." She turned back, smiling as she declined.

"There’s no need to be so polite. You’re Xiaolu’s friend, right?"

Lin Yun kept his tone warm. "Thanks for keeping her company through all this, so let me thank you in return."

She hesitated.

"Come on, I’ll treat you both to lunch and drive you home after."

For a moment, Xia Liang didn’t know how to respond.

"Stop overthinking it," Lin Xiaolu huffed, crossing her arms. "Didn’t you say you wanted us to be like family? Now you're backing out?"

Xia Liang glanced at the two of them, both looking at her with genuine concern.

Her rational side told her she was just an outsider, but deep inside, she yearned for the kind of relationship they had.

…Forget it. Just this once, she’d be selfish.

So she nodded and smiled, a little helpless but truly happy.

"Alright then. I won’t hold back."