My Superpower Is Kind of Cute

Chapter 5: The Gift

As usual, I used the excuse that there wouldn’t be any business in the morning anyway to stay in bed, sleeping groggily until a little past 1:00 p. m. Sunlight filtered through the curtains and cast patterns on my sheets. I opened my eyes, feeling utterly hopeless, and stared at the ceiling. Recalling the strange events of yesterday, it all felt like I was living in a dream. My subconscious told me that none of it was real—that it was just a hallucination caused by too much stress… It wasn’t until I got out of bed and saw Qi Yun standing in the doorway that my heart sank again. I nodded with difficulty and greeted him. “Mengmeng, you don’t look too good,” Qi Yun said, looking at my face. “You seem really listless.” I shot him a resentful glance and blurted out some nonsense while getting dressed, “Maybe it’s because I’ve been smoking, drinking, and getting my hair permed too much lately.” ” But inside, I was cursing under my breath: The damn reason I’m so run-down is that I didn’t sleep well—and the only reason I didn’t sleep well is because you were glued to the TV all night watching *Barala Little Fairy*. My head’s still a complete mess, but the only phrase that keeps echoing in my mind is ‘Guna La, God of Darkness—Hula Hula—-Transform’ is stuck in my head like crazy, echoing over and over.” Qi Yun nodded, looking somewhat puzzled, and pointed at the TV still playing outside. “The content in here is pretty interesting. Some of the moves are strikingly similar to the skills we use on the Hezhong Continent.” I shot him a glance and said nonchalantly, “So your other world really loves this kind of superficial, five-mao special effects stuff, huh?” If anyone found out my family was watching this at home, they’d definitely think I was a total otaku—and one with really terrible taste, at that. “Are you going to that party Zhao Leichuan’s throwing tonight?” Qi Yun ignored my remark, giving me a slightly lecherous look. “I’m actually pretty interested in it.” “You old pervert.” I shot him a glance; just looking at him now, I could tell he wasn’t exactly a respectable person in his previous life. Without answering Qi Yun’s question, I took a couple of steps to the kitchen, boiled a kettle of water, and got ready to make some instant noodles. —I don’t live with my parents; instead, I’ve taken out a mortgage on a bachelor pad. Living alone gives me more freedom, but there are downsides too: I mostly order takeout or eat instant noodles, and occasionally cook by reheating leftover takeout from the night before… That’s when the upside really shines through. After all, if I were going back to my parents’ place with Qi Yun, there’s no way I’d let him watch that kind of stuff all night long. Seeing that I wasn’t paying him any attention, Qi Yun didn’t get upset. Instead, he asked with a grin, “You don’t have to go out and sell smiles and tickets this morning, do you?” I slurped my noodles and mumbled, “It’s all your fault.” Before I knew it, I’d already shifted the blame onto Qi Yun—and I was eating with even greater peace of mind. With breakfast and lunch taken care of, I headed out to wander the nearby streets, looking for a birthday gift for Zhao Leichuan. When it comes to choosing birthday gifts, there’s a big difference between men and women. Women are very particular about gifts for their best friends—the closer the relationship, the more elaborate the gift. But among male friends, there’s none of that fuss; often, a casual “Son,Happy Birthday’ is enough to get them drinking and celebrating all night long. I’m not saying all this to imply I’m gay—the main reason I’m picking out a gift for him is that last year, that bastard gave me a maid outfit for some reason, and this year I’ve got to teach him a lesson… In the end, I picked out a “magic cup”—one meant for use only in the bedroom or bathroom—from a discreetly located adult store. I wrapped it up and tucked it carefully under my arm, afraid someone might see through me. Feeling like a guilty thief, I quickly left that den of iniquity, while that kid Qi Yun seemed a bit reluctant to leave. The trip back and forth went by pretty quickly. It was now work hours, and there weren’t many people on the streets. I was lazily strolling down the street when I glanced at my watch, feeling a bit torn about whether to open the shop this afternoon. Qi Yun kept walking beside me, ogling girls and whistling in a sleazy way—the problem was, I was the only one who could hear that whistle, which was driving me crazy. Feeling annoyed, I really didn’t want to go to work anymore… Just as I was lost in my thoughts, a slightly girlish female voice broke the silence of the street. “Ah, my wallet—” The sound reached my ears, and I instinctively looked up. A short man was running toward me, holding a pink wallet in his hand. His expression was fierce, and he kept waving his arms, signaling for me to get out of the way. “A thief?” I furrowed my brow. The world really is going to the dogs—I ran into one just yesterday, and now I’m encountering another today. As a model young man of the new era, I had to step up and do the right thing. As if possessed, I shifted a step to the side, mentally noting his appearance, and silently pulled out my phone to call the police, thinking that was the extent of the help I could offer—who knew if that short guy was hiding a knife between his legs? “Tsk, tsk, tsk—and she’s a beauty, too.” Qi Yun’s thoughts were completely at odds with mine. I was focused on the short guy in front of me, while his attention was entirely on the girl shouting in the distance. Finally, he gave me a nudge. “Mengmeng, aren’t you tempted? Hurry up and lend a hand!” I shot him a glare, pressed the phone to my ear, and whispered, “Aren’t I already helping?” “Sigh.” Qi Yun shook his head in exasperation, as if disappointed in a student who wasn’t living up to his potential. Suddenly, he stuck out his big foot beside me to block the short guy’s path, muttering something under his breath. I scoffed at his antics. No one else could touch him—he must’ve thought it was fun letting people pass right through his body, right? But the very next second, a miracle happened: as the short guy walked past me, he was actually tripped by Qi Yun’s foot. It was the first time I’d ever seen anyone other than myself able to touch him. The short guy fell flat on his face, and while he was dazed, the others on the street snapped to attention. Outnumbering him, they swarmed him and subdued the thief. I immediately put my phone away, ducked to the side, and asked Qi Yun in a hushed voice, “How did you do that?” Qi Yun’s face was deathly pale at that moment. He forced a smile, shook his head, and said, “I used my spiritual energy to materialize my soul—but I didn’t expect the spiritual energy here to be so sparse. It actually took such a huge toll…” I listened with a blank expression, completely clueless about what he was talking about, though I vaguely realized that besides memory retrieval, Qi Yun must be capable of other unorthodox techniques. “Thank you…” Just then, the girl whose wallet had been stolen came up to me and thanked me softly. I took a look at her—and sure enough, just as Qi Yun had said, she was a beauty. She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, with black hair in twin ponytails, fair skin,delicate features, and eyes as clear as water. Because she’d just been running, her cheeks were flushed with a healthy glow, she was glistening with sweat, and her chest rose and fell rhythmically with each breath. For a moment, I was completely mesmerized. “Y-you’re welcome,” I said, lowering my head in embarrassment. This really wasn’t my doing. Faced suddenly with her sincere gratitude, I was caught off guard. Seeing my flustered state, the girl thought I was just shy; she smiled slightly and didn’t say anything else. In contrast, the short guy who’d been subdued was glaring at me with a resentful look—a mix of anger and sorrow—an expression straight out of a palace intrigue drama. Sensing that unusual gaze, I glared at the short guy, handed the pink wallet on the ground to the pretty girl, and said sternly, “In broad daylight, in the open, you actually have the nerve to steal a wallet and still think you’re in the right? Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll beat you up.” “I didn’t steal it,” the short guy retorted with great conviction. “When I saw it, the wallet was already on the ground. I picked it up—I was just being kind and planning to turn it in to the police.” I looked at him in astonishment. “Oh my, you’re getting pretty bold, buddy. Why don’t you just say the wallet grew legs and ran right into your hands?” Faced with such a shameless little thief who spouted nothing but nonsense, I felt it was my duty to stand on the moral high ground and deliver a scathing rebuke.