"Eh, Little Meng, why are you here?"
Just as Cipher and Silver Wolf were busy dealing with their fanatical fans...
Meng Xingyao, who had finally managed to find a moment of leisure, suddenly heard a familiar voice.
Turning her head to look, she saw that the other person was a friend she had met at the Canglan City Ability Bureau.
"You are... Ye Chen? What a coincidence!"
Ye Chen walked up to her and smiled.
"I should be the one saying that! By the way, why are you here?"
"To attend the anime convention, of course."
As Meng Xingyao spoke, she deliberately struck a playful pose to show herself off, her eyes sparkling with a hint of pride.
Seeing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but be slightly stunned, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer.
Although she wasn't as breathtaking as Firefly, her pure and ethereal temperament was enough to place her among the top ranks of beauty.
"What about you? Ye Chen, are you also here for the anime convention?"
"No, I'm here on a mission."
Ye Chen shook his head in denial. After his gaze swept over the scattered crowds around them, he quietly leaned close to Meng Xingyao's ear, seemingly having something to say.
Noticing this, Cipher's face unconsciously flashed through Meng Xingyao's mind.
Consequently, she instinctively avoided his approach.
This action left both of them momentarily stunned.
To ease the awkwardness, Meng Xingyao took the initiative to explain.
"Men and women should keep a proper distance. Besides, how long have we even known each other?"
Hearing this, Ye Chen was dazed for a good while before awkwardly scratching his head.
Realizing he had been a bit too hasty, he immediately tried to smooth things over.
"Sorry, I just wanted to tell you something, but the surroundings..."
Scanning the ordinary people around them, Meng Xingyao understood Ye Chen's meaning.
However, in the end, she only moved slightly closer to him and stood on her tiptoes, signaling him to lower his voice.
Seeing this, Ye Chen could only helplessly accept it.
Following that, Meng Xingyao learned about the Ability Bureau's current mission from Ye Chen.
Supposedly, traces of the Church had been found nearby.
They suspected the other party was either hiding in the vicinity or plotting something.
Therefore, the Ability Bureau had deployed quite a few people.
At this point, Ye Chen couldn't help but give a word of advice.
"Little Meng, it's best if you go back early today. Otherwise, it might become very dangerous here later."
"Oh? What's this interesting thing? Why are you whispering behind Big Sister's back?"
Before Meng Xingyao could respond, Cipher appeared quietly like a ghost.
A fair hand unexpectedly landed on her shoulder, causing her to tremble all over and nearly scream out loud.
"Eh? With so many fans, Cat Sister, you've finished dealing with them all!"
Compared to this Magical Girl, this Cat Girl and the other white-haired girl seemed to be even more popular.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Meng Xingyao to be free right now to chat with Ye Chen.
To this, Cipher gave a playful wink.
"How could such a small matter stump the exceptionally clever kitty? I just sped up a little and shook off the crowd."
In reality, she had left behind a clone to lead the crowd elsewhere.
However, Meng Xingyao, looking at the departing crowd, was unaware of this.
"Alright, alright, that's not important. Won't you introduce this little brother to Big Sister?"
As the topic was brought back on track...
Cipher also curiously sized up Ye Chen in front of her.
She thought to herself: His appearance is decent, but his name... is also okay.
At the same time, Ye Chen was clearly surprised by Cipher's sudden arrival.
He once again hadn't reacted at all.
But this time, realizing she knew Meng Xingyao, he assumed she must also be an Ability User.
He just wondered about those ears and tail...
Meng Xingyao: (ꐦÒ‸Ó)
Cipher: (๑òᆺó๑)
While Cipher was sizing him up...
Meng Xingyao suddenly blocked Cipher like a protective mother bird.
This left both Cipher and Ye Chen stunned.
Only then did Meng Xingyao belatedly realize what she had done.
This made her neck feel slightly hot, but since she had already done it anyway...
"You're not allowed to just look around. It's very rude to keep staring at a girl."
"Ah? No, no, no, Little Meng, don't misunderstand! Your friend is exceptionally talented and drop-dead gorgeous; I was just momentarily stunned by her beauty. Besides, with her looks, it would be even stranger if no one looked."
Worried about being misunderstood, Ye Chen hurriedly waved his hands to explain.
And his reasons were all quite reasonable.
After hearing this, Meng Xingyao stopped questioning him, and a hint of pride flickered in her eyes.
As if she were the one who had just been praised, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved upward.
"Alright, I misunderstood you."
Even so, Meng Xingyao still didn't move an inch.
When she first noticed Ye Chen staring straight at Cipher, even she couldn't say what kind of impulse had driven her sudden protective stance.
At this moment, Cipher also looked down at the "Cat Mama" in front of her with a face full of curiosity.
She clearly hadn't said anything, so was this girl's protective behavior for real?
To shift the focus...
Ye Chen once again emphasized that they should leave this place as soon as possible, which naturally included Cipher.
However, Meng Xingyao didn't seem to intend to let it go at that.
"No need. It's rare to come with friends, so I don't want to leave easily. Besides, when the time comes, we might even be able to help you guys."
Yes, among the four of them...
One was the strongest in Dragon Nation, and another was the strongest in her heart.
She simply didn't know how to spell the word "fear."
Seeing that the Little Princess insisted on staying, Cipher was also quite interested.
"Rest assured, I will protect myself and this girl."
Hearing this, Ye Chen didn't insist further.
At worst, he could just pay more attention to her during the process.
This way, he could even increase their favorability toward him.
Following Ye Chen's departure...
Silver Wolf finally escaped the encirclement and arrived late.
"Yo, you guys finished talking."
Cipher calmly glanced at Silver Wolf, whose expression showed no sign of anything unusual.
She thought to herself that the other girl definitely knew about the conversation just now and might even know Ye Chen.
After all, her reaction was too calm, lacking even the curiosity or alertness one would normally have toward a stranger.
To be honest, Cipher actually wanted to ask something directly.
But seeing her "exhausted" look after dealing with the fans, she probably wouldn't answer for the time being.
"It seems this anime convention won't go too smoothly."
Meng Xingyao couldn't help but say helplessly.
But with Liu Xiyue and Cipher around...
There was no need to worry about safety.
At this time, Cipher suddenly turned to the Little Princess and asked how she and Ye Chen had met.
Meng Xingyao didn't hide anything, stating directly that they had met by chance at the Ability Bureau after arriving in Canglan City; the process was as normal as could be.
Hearing this, Cipher nodded thoughtfully.
After pondering for a moment, she abruptly advised,
"If possible, you should have less contact with him in the future."
It turned out that during the gaps in their conversation...
Although Ye Chen's gaze was hidden very cleverly, it was still keenly captured by Cipher—it was a faint yet thread-like entangling gaze.
Thinking of this, Cipher slightly furrowed her willow-like brows.
She didn't reject the gaze of others out of arrogance, but...
Cipher (눈_눈): If I'm not mistaken, this Ye Chen is probably not as simple as he appears.
After thinking this, Cipher spoke seriously again.
"In short, my advice is to have less contact with him. Of course, if you insist on befriending him, I won't object."
This was by no means due to Cipher being possessive or anything of the sort.
Meng Xingyao was too naive; too much contact with this type of "protagonist" could easily lead to getting burned, or even dragged into unnecessary trouble.
Although there was no concrete evidence, as a Demigod of Deception, Cipher relied on the experience and intuition accumulated over a thousand years.
Cipher firmly believed in her judgment of people.
So as a friend, she would try to pull her back if she could.