Chapter 22: Not qualified

Thinking this, Xia Che said in the most frivolous tone:

“Running away because of a small matter? Miss Hui Jin, you really are a coward…”

“I told you to shut up!!!”

Hui Jin roared and shoved him hard.

Magical girls have great strength.

He could barely resist and fell to the ground, his hands scraping against the pavement, burning with pain.

But that didn’t matter.

He had achieved the effect he wanted.

After realizing she had pushed Xia Che down, Hui Jin suddenly snapped out of it and stepped back two paces.

She looked at her hands, her voice trembling:

“No… I’m sorry, but…”

Xia Che felt he was being too sly, using this method to calm a girl down and make her listen to him.

But to prevent Hui Jin from running away, he simply sat on the ground to exploit her guilt.

“Can you tell me what happened? Miss Hui Jin.”

He said gently:

“Whether it was at the barbecue place or in the alley, if you tell me what happened, we can solve it together. You don’t have to face it alone.”

Hui Jin’s hands dropped weakly:

“That time… you really did see it, huh…”

“Yeah.”

Xia Che nodded slowly.

“I know Miss Hui Jin must have encountered something. But running away won’t solve the problem. If you speak out, not just me, but Xiao Chi can also help us think of a way.”

“Three people are always stronger than one, right?”

“No!”

At the mention of Xiao Chi, Hui Jin’s attitude became intense again.

“I can’t drag Xiao Chi into this…”

“Okay, I understand. Then just tell me.”

Xia Che stood up and lightly dusted off his pants.

“I’ll help you think of a way.”

“You…?”

Hui Jin let out a light laugh and shook her head.

“What can an ordinary person like you do? You can’t help me.”

“I can.”

Xia Che said firmly:

“I’m confident in my learning ability. The exam is coming soon. Even without relying on this mission, I can pass the exam with my own strength and become a dispatcher.”

“As long as it’s not over yet, there’s always a solution!”

Hui Jin frowned and stepped back:

“Don’t be stupid! You can’t understand what I have to face…”

“I understand.”

Xia Che answered.

“I can…”

Hui Jin interrupted him sharply:

“What could you possibly understand about me?!”

“I said I can understand!”

Xia Che stepped forward.

Hui Jin backed away repeatedly until her back hit the park wall.

“Then go ahead and say it…”

“It’s definitely something you can’t solve, and you’re afraid of involving Xiao Chi, so you ran away on your own!”

Xia Che pressed forward, looking down at Hui Jin, who was much shorter than him.

Hearing this, Hui Jin was clearly stunned for a moment.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the girl’s face.

Her hesitation, her evasion, her anger—Xia Che saw it all clearly.

“How can you say that…”

Hui Jin’s deep red eyes trembled.

She opened her mouth slightly, and the hand pressed against the concrete wall scraped a bloody mark from the force.

“Running away… has nothing to do with you, right?!”

The girl had no room to retreat, covering the tremor in her voice by speaking loudly.

“You’re just a student. Your job now is to study, take good care of Xiao Chi, and live your happy life. Stop worrying about me!”

After saying that, she tried to squeeze out through the gap between Xia Che and the wall.

“It has nothing to do with me…”

Yes, from any angle, Hui Jin’s problem had nothing to do with Xia Che.

He was the one who butted in on his own, who wanted to meddle…

But when he saw Hui Jin smiling as she said goodbye to Xiao Chi, his heart suddenly tightened.

He didn’t want to stand by and watch anymore.

He didn’t want such a thing to happen before his eyes.

You’re not allowed to run away!

The moment Hui Jin was about to leave, Xia Che reached out, grabbed the girl’s shoulder, and pinned her firmly against the wall.

“Ugh…!”

The girl grunted, disbelief in her eyes.

“Xia Che! What are you doing? Let me go! I don’t want to hurt you!”

Xia Che shook his head and pressed harder.

I won’t let you escape.

The girl’s shoulders were exceptionally small, feeling like cold jade in his hand, as if they would break with a light twist.

“I won’t let go. If Miss Hui Jin wants to hurt me, then go ahead.”

Xia Che said calmly, watching the small girl struggle uselessly.

“But I know you won’t hurt me.”

“How do you know I won’t!”

The girl, like a cornered beast, glared at him fiercely.

“With just a little bit of magic, I can break your arm! I’m not like Feizuan—you’re just an ordinary person!”

“That’s exactly why you won’t.”

Xia Che remained unmoved, watching Hui Jin’s deep red eyes gradually brighten as if flames were burning.

“I will, I definitely will!”

“You won’t.”

“Shut up! With a little magic, I can knock you over!”

“Then go ahead.”

“I…!”

Hui Jin opened her mouth but couldn’t utter another word.

The hand pressed against Xia Che’s chest slowly dropped, and her shoulders went limp.

She looked even smaller than before, like a cat soaked in water.

The flames in her eyes gradually died out.

When she looked up again, Xia Che couldn’t help but freeze.

The girl’s eyes were so tired and fragile.

The moonlight made her pale, bloodless face even whiter.

She spoke softly.

“Xia Che, I’m begging you, let me go…”

“Really, really… stop worrying about me. What good does helping me do you?”

“Helping others doesn’t need a reason, right?”

Xia Che’s tone was still unshakably firm, like a great mountain standing before Hui Jin.

He finally understood what kind of person Hui Jin was.

She was like a hedgehog, trying to keep people away by hurting them.

She was also like a rabbit, wanting to flee to her safe haven whenever danger arose, because that was the only place she felt secure.

But when the man’s words tore through her disguise and he restrained her from escaping back to her den, she entered phase two: landmine mode.

At that point, even the slightest stimulus would make her explode.

But even so, Hui Jin still wouldn’t choose to hurt others.

She truly was a qualified magical girl.

“So please tell me, Miss Hui Jin. I’ll listen carefully.”

He said softly.

“I understand…”

Hui Jin sniffled, her eyes red.

“Let me go first. The wall is cold…”

Xia Che hesitated, but seeing the girl in such a pitiful state, he chose to let go.

In his eyes, the girl had completely surrendered, showing him her belly.

Hui Jin followed him back to the main path, straightened her clothes, and asked softly:

“So, where do you want to start?”

“Hmm… how about from when you left the barbecue place?”

Xia Che smiled and turned around, then froze.

The moonlit path was empty.

The magical girl Hui Jin had already disappeared.

Retracting his previous statement—Hui Jin was not a qualified magical girl.