Xiao You touched her lips, her mind flashing back to the moments just before.

“I… I think I was giving Luo Ling mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and then… and then…”

Her cheeks flushed at the thought.

Back then, it was an emergency—she hadn’t noticed. But now? It hit her: she’d just given away her first kiss…

“W-What am I even thinking?! It was to save a life—it was unavoidable!”

Even as she said it, Xiao You covered her slightly warm face with both hands. Her shy, flustered expression was pure innocent maiden.

She glanced around cautiously. Confirming no one had seen her embarrassing moment, she let out a tiny sigh of relief.

“Wait… something feels off. *I* was the one giving mouth-to-mouth—why did *I* pass out?!”

She tried to recall—

“I was blowing air into Luo Ling’s mouth… mouth-to-mouth…”

Just picturing it short-circuited her brain. Coherent thought? Impossible.

Stuck in confusion, she suddenly noticed something she’d missed—

“That little demon’s back!”

Xiao You looked toward a nearby building.

Ever since declaring war on the little demon that night, she’d gained a faint, flickering sense of its location—not quite an ability, more like an instinct. Unreliable, yes, but following it had always led her to the demon, letting her block contract after contract.

She’d vowed to stop her. No slacking now.

Xiao You hurried toward the building.

But when she saw what it was, her feet froze.

“B-Boys’… dormitory…”

After hesitating outside the building, she finally turned away. No way could a proper girl like her storm the boys’ dorm.

“Damn you! Only a shameless demon would dare go in there!”

Her phone chimed. Xiao You checked—it was Ning Shuang.

“Hey, Wuyou! Where’d you vanish to? Hurry up and get to the meetup!”

“Ah! O-Okay! I’m coming right now!”

After hanging up, Xiao You shot the dormitory one last glare and jogged off.

Inside Room 305 of the boys’ dorm—windows and door shut tight—Ling Luo, who’d just ended a call with Shi Wuyou, suddenly sneezed.

“Ah-choo! Who’s badmouthing me?! Ugh… first someone cares, then someone curses me? So unfair…”

*Gurgle…*

Her empty stomach growled again, melting away her irritation.

Slumped over the desk, Ling Luo muttered shamelessly: “Ugh… so hungry… need spiritual energy… Someone fill my stomach—girl, boy, human or not, I don’t care…”

After tasting that first blissful meal, dignity felt pointless. Food > morals.

(Though truthfully? She’d bolt the second things got real. Decades of modesty don’t vanish overnight.)

After lazing face-down for a while, she finally roused herself.

She opened her locker, pulled spell materials her mom had packed from her suitcase, and tucked them into her bag.

Ready, she cast invisibility and flew out the balcony—destination: library rooftop.

“Please… let some spiritual energy come today. Or this really *is* all or nothing…”

…

Afternoon training resumed as usual: Wu Bu Quan practice. Only this time, someone was absent.

“Senior Hao Lin,” Pei Lin approached immediately. “Luo Ling isn’t feeling well. He asked me to request leave.”

“Got it. Is he sick?” Hao Lin asked gently.

“Not sure. He went to see a doctor.”

“Hope it’s nothing serious.”

Meanwhile, Luo Ling—or rather, Ling Luo—was fast asleep on a library sofa.

Preparations done, she was just waiting. Starving and dizzy, napping felt like the only option. (She hadn’t slept at noon anyway.)

Just as she drifted deeper, noise swirled around her.

“What…?”

She pried open heavy eyelids. Faces. Dozens of them. Phones pointed straight at her.

“Why so many people?! Wait—my hat?!”

She’d covered her face before sleeping to avoid attention. But she’d rolled over… hat fell off… and her 100%-guaranteed-to-turn-heads beauty was fully exposed.

“Ooh! She’s awake!”

“Those eyes! So pretty! She was cute asleep too!”

“Quick—more pics!”

Shutters clicked nonstop. At the center, Ling Luo spiraled.

“Don’t shoot! You can’t! Stop!” She flailed, blocking lenses. If these went online, she’d never show this face in public again.

“Please… stop…” she begged, voice trembling. One or two lowered phones. Others kept snapping.

“You leave me no choice!”

Persuasion failed. Ling Luo activated her Demon Eye. She seized control, forcing every phone to delete the photos—every trace gone—then wiped their memories clean.

She gathered her things and slipped away.

But the spell burned half her remaining magic. Hunger roared. Walking felt impossible. *Crawling* sounded better. Caterpillar-style.

Safe at last, she sighed, rubbing her sunken stomach. *Life is hard.*

She checked the time. Earlier than planned—but her body wouldn’t wait. Time to move.

…

5:30 PM. Hao Lin finished his duties and headed out.

“Huh. Jing Hua didn’t come today. Feels weird.”

Truth was, they hadn’t talked much since yesterday evening. He figured she was busy. Space was healthy—he believed that.

*Ring.*

He checked. Jing Hua.

“Haha! Speak of the devil. Hey, Jing Hua—did you miss me today?” he answered cheerfully.

“Sister Jing Hua misses you *sooo* much~”

But the voice wasn’t Jing Hua’s.

“Y-You?!”

“Long time no see… Big Brother Hao Lin.”