Sparkle froze on the spot. "Huh? Why are you here?"
Welt Yang instantly understood everything. "So it was all the Masked Fools' doing! I thought it was just a prank by little March and the Trailblazer… Urgh!!!"
"Ahahaha…" March 7th couldn't hide her embarrassment, her face flushed red. "How could that be possible, Uncle Yang!"
The crowd closed in on Sparkle. "Hand over the photos!"
"I-I'm warning you, don't come any closer!" Sparkle raised the clock high. "Otherwise, I'll invite you all to dance the 'Rabbit Hole'!"
At those words, everyone immediately stopped in their tracks.
Seeing this, Sparkle burst into unrestrained laughter again. "Hahaha, hahaha…"
At the same time.
The Clockie who had been sent flying began plummeting downward at extreme speed.
And he crashed precisely onto Sparkle's head.
"Sea Bull yo~"
The clock was knocked loose along with him.
Seizing the rare opportunity, Bronya directed everyone. "For the photos and our honor—everyone, charge!"
Watching the crowd rushing toward her, Sparkle accepted her fate like a calm Tom teacher. "Sparkle me… I'm totally done for this time…"
She even struck a playful wink.
Followed by thanks to Teacher Tom for the friendly voice acting.
"Flame Lance, charge!"
March 7th immediately pressed the shutter. In the shot, Caelus grabbed Sparkle and launched into a dynamic "Anse Flower Drum" performance!
——
Inside the café.
Sparkle's face was beet red as she endured the cold mockery and sarcasm from the people around her.
Even so, she didn't let anger cloud her judgment. She quietly slipped behind Su Chen and pulled out the pair of handcuffs she had just swiped from Yuma.
"You're not righteous, so don't blame me for being unrighteous!"
——
"Phew~"
Caelus wiped the sweat from his forehead and set down the baseball bat. "This was way too much fun!"
But beside him, March 7th frowned, glancing at the photos in her hand. "Eh, did I forget something?"
The camera cut away.
Back in the Divination Commission on the Xianzhou.
Fu Xuan had transformed into Qingque's appearance and finally drew the tile she wanted.
"There! Self-draw! How's that, Qingque? Now you know how powerful this seat is!"
"Not bad, not bad." Qingque remained perfectly calm. "That's exactly how you self-draw in mahjong. Now you've learned it."
The camera slowly pulled back—revealing that Qingque was now sitting in the Divination Commission's Diviner seat.
The room was plastered with her photos.
"I've won for a whole day. The Divination Commission belongs to me now! Little Fu, remember to come learn mahjong tomorrow."
Only after the reminder did Fu Xuan snap back to reality.
She stared wide-eyed in disbelief as the tune that forces one to face reality played in her ears.
Qingque cracked a whip. "Boss me… can be very strict, you know!"
"Y-Yes… Diviner!"
With Fu Xuan's expression of finally accepting reality, the video came to its end.
Even at the very last moment, it didn't forget to add the closing caption: "Recognize danger, stay away from gambling," elevating the theme.
""End"!"
——
"It's finally over." Fu Xuan secretly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Fu sir, don't be sad. This is all just fan content. I know that's not really you." Qingque comforted her from the side.
"Yeah, Qingque." The next moment, Fu Xuan's tone shifted. "Have you finished your work? Have you completed your report?"
Hearing those words, Qingque's mind went buzz. "Fu sir, how can you repay kindness with enmity?! Turn the spear on me—the real culprit is right there!"
She pointed toward Su Chen and Sparkle.
Su Chen was rummaging through Sparkle's bag. "Where's the key? Why did you handcuff me?"
"It's all your fault! You should've just let me cuff you obediently—why did you suddenly turn around? Now we're cuffed together too!" Sparkle frantically patted her own pockets. She had to find the key, or she'd die in the most humiliating way!
Suddenly, Sparkle felt a chill. She turned her head—only to see the people from the earlier fan edit video slowly approaching them.
"No good—they're coming! Run first!"
Su Chen shot Sparkle a glare. "Today they're after you, not me! Why should I run?"
"If we don't run, we're both dead here!"
"Sigh…" Su Chen let out a long breath. "Fine. I didn't want to use this. It's the ultimate move I mastered after getting beaten up every single time after team-building. I'll tell you what to do!"
He immediately leaned close to Sparkle's ear and began explaining the plan.
...
"Have the two of you finished chatting?" Acheron stepped forward first, her tone ice-cold.
Su Chen and Sparkle exchanged a glance.
"Clang clang~ Actually, I'm the real Sparkle." Su Chen suddenly pitched his voice higher.
"Clang clang~ I'm the real Sparkle too." Sparkle wasn't about to be outdone.
Everyone froze. "What's wrong with those two?"
"Oh my~ Don't be so mad, okay? Actually, the mastermind behind all this is Su Chen—he's the one who commissioned the fan edit video." Su Chen winked at the crowd. "Me? Sparkle is innocent."
Sparkle chimed in from the side. "Yeah, yeah! I can totally testify to that. Just go after Boss Su Chen—there's no need to bother Director Sparkle~"
Himeko rubbed her chin. "Could it be that Su Chen is Sparkle in disguise? If he's the real Sparkle, then who is the current Sparkle?"
Welt Yang analyzed seriously. "It might just be a smokescreen. If Sparkle truly had no part in this, we shouldn't wrongly accuse either of them."
"Hmph~ Haven't you all noticed yet? Actually, I have a way to prove I'm the real Sparkle." Su Chen dragged Sparkle over to the bar counter. "You all should know that I—Director Sparkle—have already developed powerful resistance to coffee. Now I'm going to drink a cup of Himeko's coffee to prove myself."
Before he even finished speaking, he had already picked up a cup radiating an aura of death.
He lifted the coffee cup, took a deep breath, and muttered, "Here I fucking go!"