The Magician of Clow

Chapter 1489 Places Never Before Visited and Places Already Visited (Part 1)

Chapter 1489 Places Never Before Visited and Places Already Visited (Part 1)

Beijing, Dongjiang District

The midday sun in winter is clear and bright. In the distance, white cruise ships float on the shimmering river, while closer by, the banks, lined with bustling buildings, are filled with the sounds of cars and people.

As the area with the most wealthy people in Beijing, Dongjiang is home to finance, private clubs, luxury goods, upscale shopping districts, and more. Today, it remains incredibly prosperous.

In this scene, a black Bentley is speeding through the passing traffic.

Its body moved so smoothly without the slightest ripple that it was driving from outside the city towards the riverbank.

Finally, it stopped in front of an elegant building.

Leifina Restaurant

Even in a prime location like Dongjiang, where land is incredibly valuable, this restaurant boasts a prime riverside location and, as one of Beijing's most prestigious restaurants, has hosted countless wealthy and powerful individuals.

But at that moment, the restaurant manager was nervously guarding the entrance, because half an hour earlier, he had received a call from the boss.

A very important person is about to arrive.

When the restaurant manager saw a black Bentley pull up, he immediately tensed up. Judging by the time, this should be the person he was waiting for. Just as he was wondering what kind of important person it could be…

He saw a young man get out of the car. The man was dressed in very ordinary clothes, but there was something about him that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Is this the important person who's coming?

"Hello, are you Mr. Fang?"

At that moment, he smiled and stepped forward to greet them. Upon seeing the other person nod, the restaurant manager quickly bowed slightly and gestured with his hand.

"We are honored that you have chosen our restaurant, and your table has been arranged for you."

Based on his years of professional experience, he noticed the figure in the passenger seat and was about to open the door for him when the young man gently raised his hand to stop him and then opened the car door himself.

The next second, the slender heels of her shoes touched the ground beneath her gown, and a delicate, almost ethereal face lowered slightly.

The moment the woman with calm, light-gold eyes stepped out of the car with her head bowed,

Under the sunlight, everything else seemed to lose its color in an instant.

Even having met numerous celebrities and socialites, I had never encountered such a person, not only because of her stunning appearance, but also because of the inexplicable, invisible pressure emanating from her.

The restaurant manager was startled and instinctively lowered his gaze:

"You two, please come this way."

He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the two enter the restaurant. Just as he was about to signal someone to park the car, he was astonished to see the Bentley's hazard lights flash and drive itself to the parking space.

Unaware of the restaurant manager's surprise at Il, he followed two waitresses upstairs to a window seat.

A snow-white tablecloth, a crystal chandelier, silver cutlery and neatly folded napkins, the faint scent of pine in the air, and a grand piano playing soothing jazz music.

The view of the river from the window is expansive, offering a perfect view of the magnificent night-moored hotel.

Fang Ran breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the elegant environment where he would not be disturbed.

This place wasn't actually the one he chose.

Upon leaving the underground training grounds and hearing Ling's sudden decision to go out for dinner, Fang Ran was certain that she wasn't referring to the Night Bureau's canteen. He had no choice but to contact Yelena to help arrange something.

After all, he knew nothing about high-end restaurants in the capital, and secondly, he was looking at the magnificent adult queen in her gown before him.

Fang Ran simply couldn't imagine taking Ling to eat Haidilao hot pot or barbecue.

Incidentally, that Bentley was one of the young master's luxury cars parked at the nightclub. Before he could even go to the garage to get it, Ling raised her hand and swiped Il to bring it to the two of them.

As for why it was this particular car, Fang Ran guessed that other brightly colored sports cars would look like will-o'-the-wisps in the eyes of A-level tech enthusiasts.

He then took the menu from the waitress beside him, and after hearing about today's special ingredients and dishes, he glanced at the Queen across from him, who was simply watching casually without saying a word.

Fang Ran nodded to indicate that it would be so, and then bowed slightly and stepped back.

A quiet silence fell over the room after a casual glance at the menu.

The figure with light blonde hair turned to look at the river view outside the window, observing the capital city of this era with the same scrutinizing gaze as on the way there.

Faced with this figure, Fang Ran didn't know what to say, and the two remained quiet and alone, just like they had been in the car earlier.

However, this quiet didn't last long. Perhaps because it was prepared in advance, the meticulous waiter quickly served the appetizers.

A small dish rests quietly in the center of a porcelain plate; its exquisite color and shape reveal the high quality of the ingredients and the complexity of the preparation.

At that moment, I saw the Queen pick up her knife and fork, her eyelashes lowered as she held the blade, the silver fork lightly touching the porcelain plate with a crisp sound, as elegant as cutting moonlight.

Fang Ran couldn't help but steal glances. Before, whether leading the way or in the car, he had mostly only caught glimpses of Ling's profile, only a fleeting glimpse when her eyes turned.

Now that they were sitting face to face, he was finally able to see that face up close.

Her mixed-race features remained exquisitely beautiful, her eyes a pale gold, clear as gemstones, her swan-like neck with skin as smooth as jade. Even in her youthful form, Ling was already very beautiful.

As an adult, Ling possessed an even more mature beauty, breathtakingly beautiful like a flower in full bloom.

But the girl in the black and white dress has transformed into a tall, elegant woman in a gown. Especially the image of the innocent, adorable young girl who traveled with her in a carriage—now a strange, aloof beauty.

Fang Ran always felt something was off.

"What are you looking at?"

Perhaps her peeping was too obvious, Ling took a small bite of the dish and spoke softly.

Hearing her speak again, Fang Ran immediately looked away, embarrassed to admit he'd been too engrossed in Ling's stunning beauty. He blushed slightly and then offered an excuse that wasn't exactly a lie:

"Uh, it's nothing, it's just that seeing Your Majesty eat is a bit of a novelty."

She had noticed his gaze from the beginning, but ignored it and let him look. Hearing Fang Ran's words, she forked a small piece of foie gras and put it in her mouth.

Ling, her eyes lowered, asked calmly, "Haven't you and 'me' been to a place like this before?"

"Well, no, after all, Your Majesty, you didn't need to eat anything in your previous soul projection state."

Slightly taken aback by the question, Fang Ran realized that, excluding the little queen, this was the first time he had ever seen Ling eat.

He was currently in a place he had never been before, accompanied by the unfamiliar queen.

Eating with Ling at a restaurant like this felt incredibly novel to him.

"Is it."

After the question was asked in a way that was unclear, the aloof adult woman still gave a vague and ambiguous response.

Then only the sounds of their knives and forks clinking against their plates remained. The waiter appeared at the opportune moment, clearing away the plates and bringing the appetizer. He bowed slightly and withdrew again. After a brief silence,

Then Fang Ran heard Ling in front of him suddenly ask a question in a calm tone.

How did you and 'me' meet?

Upon hearing this question, Fang Ran's heart was instantly stirred.

First, Ling herself was actually asking him how they met, which he found a bit strange. Secondly...

(д；) If I said that Ling ran over by herself and then things went wrong, would I get beaten up?

At this moment, Fang Ran felt a pang of shame, suddenly realizing that he was facing a severe test. He looked at the aloof and dignified Queen before him.

I have a feeling that if she were to reveal her embarrassing history of being trapped inside a power bank, she would be blown away by a tech-savvy person at their peak and thrown into the river to be silenced.

"It was you, Ling, who came to find me. I had just awakened my powers then, and you probably saw my abilities in them."

"But later, it seems that he was temporarily trapped next to me because of his weak condition."

I didn't lie. I didn't lie. I didn't lie.

While silently repeating this in his mind, Fang Ran gave a serious answer.

Seemingly without doubt, Ling Qianjin's eyes remained calmly lowered on her plate, and she asked casually:

"How long have you been awakened?"

"Um, about half a year or so."

Upon hearing this answer, she paused in her grip on the knife and fork, then looked up to confirm seriously:

"Half a year?"

"Um... what's wrong, Your Majesty?"

Seeing the young man's somewhat hesitant question, Ling lowered her eyes again, her tone returning to its usual cool and calm:

"No, it's nothing."

Lost in thought, he remained silent, and the atmosphere returned to quiet.

During this time, the waiter reappeared and brought the main course. Fang Ran then noticed that Ling had only eaten a bite or two of each dish. Although she had just awakened from hibernation after merging with the new body, she didn't seem to need to eat much.

Coming here, it seems, is just about finding a place to be with myself.

"and after?"

When my thoughts were interrupted, I heard Ling's clear, cold voice, like a flowing spring, again.

After a second of processing her question, Fang Ran was momentarily lost in thought, recalling the memories of his first encounter with Ling.

"later."

Then, the next second, Ling saw the black-haired young man in front of her chuckle softly, his expression one of nostalgia.

"Later, Your Majesty, you taught me what night combat was and what abilities were,"

"It taught me how to become a participant."

At this moment, memories of what happened after meeting Ling kept surfacing in his mind, stretching back to the end of that grand summer vacation.

Fang Ran's eyes were fixed on the magnificent night-moored hotel in the river view outside the window.

"And every time I encountered a crisis afterward, it was Your Majesty who helped me, which allowed me to protect everything around me,"

"It was also Your Majesty who prevented me from giving up in the end."

And in the instant she saw his gentle smile, she was slightly lost in thought, and a strange feeling suddenly touched Ling's heartstrings.

A mix of emotions—special, nostalgic, and cherished—surfaced, a blurry, fragmented imagery swirling in my mind.

Ultimately, it transformed into a vague memory spoken softly by a young man.

If you help me

Ughhhhh!!!! I didn't get to the intended point (sigh). I originally planned to finish with a transition, but firstly, the later plot seemed a bit too long, and secondly, attending a classmate's wedding took up three days of my time (yes, another classmate got married). This coincided with the beginning of my writer's block, meaning I couldn't finish writing in four days after returning from the 15th (headache). So I had to stop here. The Queen's storyline has already put me on writer's block for 13 days, and I absolutely don't want to break that number again. Consider it my ugly struggle (but stopping here seems to have some advantages). Firstly, the later parts are too long and crammed into one page, making it bloated. Secondly, I intuitively feel that the eating scene could have more interesting dialogue, but I just can't think of anything. Stopping here allows me to think and write more, otherwise, it would be difficult to add more if I went straight to the transition. [So, I'm asking for interesting topics related to the Queen] (ps: I was so stuck at the beginning of the month that I even got the chapter number wrong and forgot to complain. Why did Arknights lose again this year?!!!!)