Chapter 363: Have You Ever Regretted It?

The next day.

In the early morning, soft light filtered through the branches of the banyan tree, falling on a few fluffy little birds. They huddled on the windowsill, peering through the old screen at the cute daughter inside, her face lit by the dappled sunlight, tilting her head and chirping excitedly.

Chu Wang Shu sleepily turned to the side as sunlight slipped through the tiny blood vessels into her eyes, blurring into a rosy hue, bringing a strange sense of comfort and warmth.

The girl sleepily sniffed the pillow that smelled so nice, her hair a bit messy, but very adorable.

After a while, her eyelashes fluttered, and she blinked her big eyes open, gazing at a few little birds that seemed to be chatting among themselves. She then lifted her eyes to peek through the curtain’s gap, catching a glimpse of blue.

Today, the sky seemed especially blue.

Chu Wang Shu sat up, looking at the empty space beside her in bed. She instinctively touched the sheets, as if she could still feel a little warmth left behind—that was… the warmth her mom had left.

After watching the movie yesterday, where those magical girls her age bravely sacrificed themselves and faced a tragic fate, she sorted through some feelings and no longer felt upset with Charlotte.

Time is precious, especially the time spent with family.

Moreover, she had waited for this day for a full 17 years.

Although Mom was indeed very late, anyone who saw a young mother of the same age could not complain to her.

Furthermore, after the world reset, Mom had no memories from the past. Before reuniting with Dad, she was just a pretty girl of the same age, more mature and a bit quirky, so it was unreasonable to blame her.

Yesterday, Chu Wang Shu wasn’t really throwing a tantrum; rather, she was too mixed up and embarrassed to act normally with Charlotte.

So after watching the movie, she began to reflect on herself, holding back her embarrassment. With the encouragement of Pure White Witch watching her, she mustered the courage to call Sister Charlotte “Mom.”

Because of this, Charlotte immediately joyfully picked up her lovely daughter and hugged her high, showering her with kisses, which attracted the attention of passersby and created quite a scene.

If it weren’t for the cognitive impairment charm set by the three of them, she would have lost all her dignity as a student council member and a little idol!

So afterward, she seriously made some rules with Charlotte to prevent a public embarrassment crisis where they might be lifted high, squeezed, kissed, and cuddled while out shopping together.

But once they got home, her lovely daughter was sweetly coaxed and pulled into bed by Charlotte, and they began to chat quietly like mother and daughter who had just met.

Chu Wang Shu also forgot how long it took her to fall asleep last night; she only remembered that Mom told her many stories from the old days.

Talking with Chu Yuanqing about the big picture is very different from the cruelty shown in the fight against the Calamity God.

Charlotte was talking about the City of the Sky built by humans, the fun of playing hide and seek with Sister Ellie when she was young, the joy of pulling her young father around to find things in the ruins and make toys, and more colorful, exciting, cute, and interesting things.

If her father showed her a cruel world, then her mother added a fairy tale filter to this cruel world. From her mother’s perspective, even in the darkest times, one could find beauty and hope, with sunshine everywhere.

Chu Wang Shu also vaguely understood why her father, after enduring so much cruelty, continued to demand so much of himself and held onto the dream of creating an ideal world until the end of the world, all by himself.

Because even in such a dark and cruel time, her still-young father met many people like her mother who could see the beauty and hope, making him fall in love with the world and view the stars as his homeland.

So, even for them, he was willing to sacrifice himself to fulfill everyone’s wishes.

“Little Shu, are you awake?”

“Your mom is almost done with breakfast; get up and wash your face and brush your teeth.”

Chu Yuanqing’s voice came from outside the door, and faintly, you could still hear sounds from the kitchen.

The little girl felt a bit dazed. In the past, her dad would only knock on the door at the right time, and meals and cleaning would be done quietly. The house was often very quiet.

But Sister Charlotte… After Mom came back, this morning was especially lively, filled with a warm and cozy atmosphere that made people feel nostalgic.

Chu Wang Shu hurriedly got out of bed, slipped on her fluffy slippers, and went to wash her face and brush her teeth. Mom would surely go back to participate in the competition, so she couldn’t waste time sleeping in; she had to make the most of this week’s vacation.

After getting ready, the three of them sat at the table.

Charlotte made a European-style breakfast, but since she had been traveling in Austria for a long time and spent six months in the western-influenced Ideal State, her lovely daughter was very accustomed to it.

Unfortunately, she had already tasted Charlotte’s cooking before and did not get to enjoy the freshness of tasting her mother’s food for the first time. Instead, it felt like being struck by the taste of memories from the past.

As for the reason?

Because some Miss Saintess usually cooked to prevent her femininity and motherly instincts from being outdone by the pesky Pure White Succubus.

So looking at it now, this young mother was probably secretly jealous of her dad.

But there was nothing to be done.

After all… even if she knew Chu Yuanqing’s true identity, she would sometimes unconsciously call her Honey Qing.

Every time her adorable daughter said it, seeing Chu Yuanqing’s cool and serious but actually shy and charming appearance, she felt guilty but also thought that her dad was really too cute, which was why her mom didn’t mind at all about the changes in the other’s body.

Last night, when she learned the shocking truth, she couldn’t fully combine her dad’s image with Honey Qing, but by this morning she had basically accepted and understood the surprising contrast of her dad becoming Honey Qing.

This led to…

“Little Shu, is there something strange on my face?”

The Pure White Witch lifted her golden eyes, looking at her adorable daughter who was occasionally glancing at her face, chest, and waist, showing a hint of confusion with her beautifully refined features blessed by the stars.

Chu Wang Shu quickly blushed and lowered her head, took a sip of milk, mumbled that it was nothing, her legs unconsciously formed a slight bow, struggling to hold back the impulse to hug and cuddle like before.

Charlotte looked down at her adorable daughter, understanding in her heart.

Little Shu wanted to be closer to Honey Qing. After all, when he was a boy, Little Qing always had a cold face, and after turning into a middle-aged man, he looked even harder to approach. But now, he had changed into someone that girls liked even more.

Charlotte thought of this and immediately snuggled up to the innocent Honey Qing, hugging his soft and fragrant body. She took out her phone, looked at her daughter with a shining smile, and said:

“Little Shu, come here and hug your dad with me. Let’s take a picture together.”

Chu Wang Shu hesitated for a moment, but when she saw her dad didn’t mind, she sweetly moved closer, pressing against his soft body. She smelled a cool fragrance mixed with a rich scent and blushed as she smiled at the camera.

Charlotte happily captured the scene, gently pinching her daughter’s cheek, and looking at her clueless but adorable expression, she said with excitement:

“After dinner, we will go to the mall, and Mom will help you pick out some clothes.”

Chu Wang Shu didn’t think much and agreed right away. They had already promised to go shopping for clothes together before bed last night.

Chu Yuanqing looked at her lovely daughter with a sympathetic gaze, thinking that if there was enough time, Charlotte would surely treat this girl like a doll and try on every piece of clothing in all the malls in Sea City.

It was hard to imagine how much “trouble” Little Shu would face in one day.

But considering that she and the girl had many different thoughts, perhaps Little Shu would enjoy it, so she didn’t remind her.

And…

Since they had the blue-green modifier and the reason of a mother-daughter reunion, of course, she should spoil her daughter in a more ordinary way.

For this, she and Charlotte had Dream Weaver Rabbit help them use advanced technology to build a suitable villa in Sea City, close to shelters, safe spots, and various facilities, initially meant for storing clothes to solve the problem of the old house being too small and lacking a closet.

As for living arrangements, they would stay here for now.

After all, Little Shu must have imagined many times what it would be like to have her mother at home; this place held many of her childhood memories, and living together would be cozier, so there was no need to move.

The only problem would be that it might be a bit awkward to meet neighbors when going out.

Chu Yuanqing thought about these little matters and looked at her daughter, who was livelier than ever, her face filled with expectations for the future, her eyes sparkling like water under a gentle spring breeze. She gently straightened Little Shu’s collar with her fingertips and said softly:

“Make sure to think carefully about where to go with Dad and Mom over the next few days. The holiday goes by quickly, and after the three performances, there won’t be many chances to relax like this.”

This was actually information that had been made public about all the magical girls.

The bishops of the Church of the Gods, who had endured for many years without action, all moved at once but suffered several losses, even causing some sects to be completely uprooted. They lost a lot of power in the Ideal State and achieved nothing, so they would not easily give up.

The cultivation of magical girls in “Dazzling Stage” was now completely public and officially recognized. It seemed strange that such large events bringing together many contestants, like the three performances, did not face attacks from the Church of the Gods.

Therefore, this week’s holiday for the magical girls, as Lin Baor complained, had a bit of a “death row meal” nature.

Chu Wang Shu nodded in distress; there were too many places she wanted to go with her parents. Not to mention a week, even half a year or a year wouldn’t be enough to visit them all, so it was really hard to decide on just a moment.

But it was also a happy worry!

The lovely daughter read this with shining eyes and a smile, opened her phone, scrolled through Weibo, and excitedly uploaded a photo of her breakfast, adding a happy message and a smiley face emoji.

Chu Yuanqing followed suit and posted on Weibo as well. With more and more fans, she could feel that the revival of the next special trait was not far away.

Moreover, with traits like “Mercury Blood” and “End of Utopia,” completely different from normal witches, there was something a bit beyond reason, so she had reason to suspect that reviving one or two more traits might lead to a perfect conclusion.

At that time, as the magical realm rose again, only the Original Witch—Esther—reached the realm of the Sea. She might have a chance to fully unleash the complete power of the Pure White Witch when needed.

After finishing breakfast, the three of them went out together.

Chu Yuanqing set up a spell for cognitive impairment.

This way, even without weaving a magical shell, she would still be seen by passersby as a middle-aged father like “Chu Yuanying,” slightly fulfilling the broken image of a father through others.

Charlotte just made herself a bit older, while Chu Wang Shu’s cognitive impairment completely made her unrecognizable as a well-known idol; everything else remained unchanged.

So, while shopping at the mall, passersby and store clerks would naturally see the three of them as an ordinary family of three, not three close friends out for a stroll.

This really increased the sense of immersion and gave the adorable daughter a strange yet magical feeling.

There’s no way around it—being with a father who looks like a beautiful girl with white hair and golden eyes, aged 17 but is actually 37, alongside your young mother of the same age, makes it hard to get feedback from others that this is a family of three out having fun, which takes away some charm of a family outing.

And this looked like three magical girls deliberately playing house with spells; it was a bit silly, but it was indeed very effective.

Esther, using her authority and her skills, made it easier for the three to go out and play, while silently watching this strange yet warm scene, commanding the mini camera to take pictures.

Yesterday, when Chu Yuanqing revealed the truth, she didn’t hide it from her; she even placed her phone on the table and opened the app with the logo of Dream Weaver Rabbit.

How can I put it? Even though I had guessed that Chu Yuanqing was Chu Yuanying, neither she nor the others at the top ever imagined that the origin of “Pure White” was a result of their failed plan to save the world.

Even less did they expect that this planet had gone through a future much darker than it is now.

So, without exception, after the AI determined that the related information involved the survival of humanity, she followed the alliance rules and reported all the gathered information, resulting in the reopening of the Supreme Council.

This news shocked all the high-ranking officials and frightened everyone, causing them to break out in cold sweat.

Because…

If it weren’t for this middle-aged savior losing his job and accidentally participating in “Dazzling Stage,” realizing that he hadn’t truly defeated the Disaster group, what would the world look like now?

Not to mention the future, just considering the past, Xie Qing Yu would have sacrificed Violet during the Nightmare’s attack at the performance, using up the first “Full Power Mode,” and might not even have been able to protect the audience and contestants afterward, let alone defeat the Nightmare.

Next, in the [Disaster Relief] event, the plan for “Dazzling Stage” would be revealed, and the number of victims could rise from less than a hundred to millions, making it hard to control negative opinions and greatly affecting the future rescue plans.

In the end, the Ideal State had no emperor, and they could not use the resources of the entire empire to train magical girls. The Church of the Gods’ conspiracy was beyond anyone’s ability to break. Forget about training; being able to urgently stop everything and bring all the magical girls back to reality would be the best outcome.

It could be said that these past six months would definitely be wasted, and there would surely be victims.

The layers of cause and effect led them to a very different situation now, which directly affected the final direction of the future.

The reason for all this came down to a flyer and a few tens of thousands of dollars that were missing. If Chu Yuanying had won a lottery back then, he certainly would not have chosen to become a magical girl.

But if he hadn’t transformed, without the magical girl’s essence helping to prolong life, the funeral would have already been held, and that lantern pendant gifted by the planetary consciousness would fade away forever, along with the brilliance buried in the void.

Of course, it’s also possible that it reached Chu Wang Shu, but that is another story.

After the upper council finished their discussions, everyone felt a shiver of fear. Even if they believed that the stars and the will of the world would guide humanity to the best outcome, Chu Yuanqing’s experience still frightened them.

“I represent the Pure White Sect and am grateful for everything she has done for humanity.”

“Even if it is just one person’s word, if it were not for the ‘past life’ connection, it is really hard to imagine that the Holy Maiden would believe in the other person so completely.”

“I believe in Charlotte and in Chu Yuanqing, who has that special Heart Flow, and because I trust the truth of the news, we need to ask more about the Disaster group.”

“So… does she still have to participate in the three performances, continuing as the Lighthouse, to carry out the final plan of Dazzling Stage?”

“Esther asked, and she said… there is no need to withdraw.”

These words taken from the council were all recorded in Esther’s main brain. She was a cold machine and had gradually become unable to understand human hearts, but for someone like Chu Yuanqing, she still held the highest respect.

But it was a shame that, even knowing the other person’s past, humans could not provide any compensation.

Chu Yuanqing did not need to hold power; the resources and wealth she wanted could also be obtained through her position as the Lighthouse.

The upper council only applied for the pact, putting Chu Wang Shu on the protection list of various Fire Seed Programs unconditionally.

But even this could not be considered compensation; with the potential this magical girl had shown so far, she would soon be able to achieve it and become a captain-level.

So…

The leaders decided to always remember this savior who would eventually leave, by writing it on paper, recording it in think tanks, and engraving it in history, to make all of humanity, the planet, and the earth remember her, just like the Ideal State treated the Divine Emperor.

Esther stood behind this special family, holding an imaginary camera, capturing the warm everyday moments that would be seen by people many years later, stepping forward, she walked to stand beside the other person.

This super AI, standing in for many people from the present, past, and even the future, asked her a question:

“Chu Yuanqing, have you ever regretted anything?”

The Pure White Witch did not look at the silver-haired, red-eyed individual. She quietly gazed at Charlotte, who was in front of the fitting room, holding up clothes and comparing them to her adorable daughter, her eyes sparkling, lips curling up, and naturally replied:

“A little, but never.”

This was truly a contradictory and strange answer, so strange that Esther and many others afterward would spend their lives trying to understand it; contradictory enough to be placed on a future exam as a reading comprehension question, and it would never have a standard answer.