Chapter 358: You Are the Last Son of Mankind, and the Stars Crown You

Sea City, Rainbow District.

Wutong Street, Building 1, Phase 3 of Luowanyuan.

Li Peipei sat at the front desk, sitting up straight and seriously looking at the computer screen. She skillfully browsed the gossip on Weibo, and whenever she heard footsteps nearby, she quickly and quietly switched screens, demonstrating that she had mastered the art of slacking off.

“Excuse me, Miss, could you please tell me which floor Chu Yuanying’s office is on?”

The girl had a youthful and beautiful high ponytail. Her figure was great, and her simple sportswear accentuated her lovely curves. Her small face was covered by a mask, and her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. Her clear and soft black-and-white eyes sparkled, and her voice was pleasant and easy to recognize.

Li Peipei felt that the other person looked strangely familiar and was very cute. She lowered her guard, hesitated for a moment, and then replied:

“Are you looking for Brother Chu? Unfortunately, he was fired a few months ago.”

Chu Wang Shu seemed to be struck by lightning; her mind went blank, and she froze in shock.

This unexpected news shattered all the hope, joy, and excitement she had inside, piercing her heart like a sharp blade and leaving a cold and bitter feeling that made her feel lost for a moment.

The girl’s throat was dry. She took a deep breath and asked:

“Fired? When did that happen?”

Li Peipei thought for a moment, felt the question wasn’t very important, and recalled a rough date. She then glanced around to make sure no one was nearby and quietly said:

“Brother Chu is a really nice guy. He was the top seller before, but during that time he wasn’t feeling well, and his spirits were low, plus he didn’t know how to handle things well, so the new supervisor made up a reason to let him go.”

Chu Wang Shu murmured:

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I think it’s a pity too.”

Li Peipei sighed, missing the times they had spent with him at the company.

After all, in this building, Chu Yuanying was one of the most charming types.

This isn’t a talent agency; where can you find someone so ruggedly handsome and melancholic, with a tall and fit build, who’s also older?

To be honest, Brother Chu has a distant charm, with cool eyes and an air of storytelling around him. He feels a bit worn-out and has a mature, husband-like appeal that makes wealthy women want to protect him and explore his world.

Unfortunately, she had seen many rich women and beautiful girls try to approach him, but all had failed, bringing no more gossip stories to her.

But speaking of which, if he were the type to rely on others and easily wooed, his charm wouldn’t be as strong.

After Chu Yuanying was let go, she didn’t want to go to work for a while. She even lost all reason to put on makeup at the company, and since then, she had gone to work without makeup every day, completely giving up.

When talking about him, it was hard not to poke fun a little.

“But Brother Chu must be doing well now; his daughter is very popular online. Have you heard of ‘Dazzling Stage’?”

“Chu Wang Shu from the Sea City competition is his daughter, and she has over ten million fans on Weibo now. She should be financially free soon.”

Li Peipei said this with a hint of nostalgia; she had almost forgotten about Chu Yuanying since they were not very close.

However, the popularity of ‘Dazzling Stage’ made many people in the company notice a certain live broadcast from the show. She didn’t know who shared it in the company group, but it got hundreds of people to watch the video of Chu Yuanying and his lovely daughter at an art exhibition.

Now everyone knows that Chu Yuanying’s daughter is going to become a big star.

Because of this, many people in the company complained about the manager who fired him. If Chu Yuanying was still working here, it would be nice to get his daughter’s autograph, and to listen to the gossip.

Recently, after the news that “Dazzling Stage” was directly related to magical girls came out, this gossip, which had quieted down for a while in the company, was brought up again by the employees, continuing to discuss it passionately, making it hard for anyone to forget.

After all, whether it was a little idol or a big star, it didn’t really affect everyone’s life. But when it came to magical girls who hunted down disaster beasts, there was a subtle feeling of having fired the father of a future superhero from one’s own company.

Of course, from her perspective, what shocked her the most was not how beautiful Brother Chu’s daughter was or how much money she could earn in the future, but…

Brother Chu was only 37 years old, and his daughter was almost an adult!

Well, considering that he had been single for many years and raised his daughter alone, it always made people feel like his wife was a very terrible person.

This gave her a unique perspective on the matter; she thought that Chu Yuanying really had it hard. After so many years, he finally received some relief and no longer had to work late for his daughter’s future.

Chu Wang Shu’s gaze was unfocused, her mind wandering, filled with thoughts about her dad’s resignation date, and she couldn’t help but replay that day in her mind.

The day Dad was fired was also Mom’s memorial day, and it was the same day she had a fight and a cold war with him, taking her suitcase back to school.

So, Dad didn’t go to pay his respects that day because of work? Was he fired because he was too headstrong?

Chu Wang Shu felt very confused. She didn’t blame Dad for not telling her, only herself for being too slow to notice his stress.

If it weren’t for the unexpected visit here, and the kind receptionist, she feared she might never know this news for a long time.

The girl felt guilty and sad, her nose tingled, and she bit her lips. She asked:

“Sister, can you tell me more about him?”

Li Peipei hesitated upon hearing this, instinctively wanting to refuse, but before she could answer, the little girl took off her mask, showing a beautiful and familiar face.

The woman recognized Chu Wang Shu almost instantly; her pupils shook, her heart trembled, and unable to hold back her excitement, she lowered her voice and asked hesitantly:

“Are you… Brother Chu’s daughter?”

Chu Wang Shu nodded and acknowledged it, putting her mask back on. She simply placed her ID on the front desk for Li Peipei to see, and then she politely asked, “Can I sit there?”

Li Peipei nodded without hesitation, deciding to take the risk of losing some pay and enjoy a little break.

Just joking, to be practical, even if they deducted a month’s salary, it wouldn’t be as valuable as getting Chu Wang Shu’s autograph. If she waited until Chu Wang Shu truly became a magical girl, it might be worth a lot.

Furthermore, even without any benefits, setting aside the curiosity that comes with fame, she was very interested in chatting with Brother Chu’s daughter.

There was no helping it; pretty girls were just so likable.

Chu Wang Shu walked around the front desk and sat next to Li Peipei, looking both sweet and adorable.

Li Peipei honestly said,

“I’m not very close to Brother Chu either. I can only say he stands out, so I often hear his gossip. So, the things you want to know, I might not be able to answer.”

Chu Wang Shu had high expectations for this. In her memory, her dad was a person who rarely socialized, had no good friends to go out and drink or eat with, and no romantic interests who could be a stepmother. He lived a simple life, without much connection to others.

It was hard to imagine that the boy who saved the world, burning brightly like fire, giving people redemption, would spend his youth in such a dull, ordinary, and even frustrating way, living through a whole 17 years.

Even after six months at Ideal State and asking Charlotte many questions about her dad, she still did not understand what he was avoiding or waiting for.

Sister Charlotte said, “Pure White” is the high wall that Dad built for humanity. It suppressed thirteen Calamity Gods that could destroy this galaxy.

In other words, Dad snuffed out the spark before the crisis even began. So how did mom die?

Chu Wang Shu believed that the Countermeasures Bureau was not Dad’s enemy; otherwise, Sister Charlotte would not have joined. The two seemed more like parallel lines that did not interfere with each other.

Therefore, there must be a deeper and more complex reason behind this.

Chu Wang Shu wanted to know the answer.

For this,

“I want to know him better.”

The girl continued,

“So, you can tell me anything about Dad.”

After that, the two talked intermittently for more than an hour.

At the request of the receptionist, Chu Wang Shu took a photo with the other person and left her signature before leaving the company building with her bag. She walked under the bright blue sky, looking at the busy traffic in the steel city, and felt a little lonely.

Even though she got the WeChat contact for the HR of the company through the receptionist, the other person did not know where Dad was working now.

“Anyway, he should still be in Sea City, right?”

Chu Wang Shu felt a bit unsure. She sighed and decided to visit her old school first.

Even though she really wanted to go straight home, she had promised her homeroom teacher and good friends at school that she would visit the school first.

The girl decided that after finishing her work, she would buy groceries and cook at home, wondering if her dad would come back.

As for texting the other person…

A tempting option popped into the little girl’s mind, but she quickly decided against it; she knew that if she told her dad, she would surely see him that evening.

But she was even more curious about how things had changed at home during her absence and how the other person had been living.

So, she took a bus that was going her way, briefly spoke in her class group chat after a long time, changed lines on the subway three times, and arrived at her destination after half an hour.

Sea City Foreign Language Private School was quiet because summer vacation had started, and the “Dazzling Stage” sign in front had been taken down with the end of the event, making the surroundings feel a bit empty.

Chu Wang Shu wasn’t wearing her school uniform, but the guard at the gate clearly recognized her face and let her in without hesitation.

The lovely daughter first went to peek into her homeroom teacher’s office.

Since it was a private school, the teachers also had apartments in the school, and to her surprise, there were quite a few people in the office. She received a warm welcome shortly after she walked in.

“Teacher Jiang, the star of your class has arrived.”

“Little Chu, why are you back at school? Isn’t the show still filming?”

“Girls change a lot; after finishing ‘Dazzling Stage,’ this child has become even more beautiful.”

“You have to give the teacher an autograph; my child really likes you.”

The girl’s lovely face turned red, obviously embarrassed by all the attention. With her homeroom teacher’s help, she quickly responded to the teachers and finally got some relief to talk about important matters.

What the homeroom teacher wanted to ask was whether she would allow the school to print her photo in the next recruitment advertisement to attract more new students.

In the past, she would worry about her idol status and feel that it shouldn’t mix with school, but recently, the exposure of the magical girl concept made her realize that in the public’s eyes, the magical girl label might soon be more prominent than being an idol.

So, this question was no longer an issue.

As for her father’s advice, the homeroom teacher had already asked him, and the result was that the ball was kicked back to her.

Chu Wang Shu thought for a moment, and without much hesitation, she agreed. After saying goodbye to her homeroom teacher, she walked through the empty campus, skillfully making her way through the long corridor to the teaching building on the other side. In the dance studio where they practiced ethnic dance, she saw familiar younger girls practicing.

The girl looked out of the window for a while, and before long, she was successfully caught.

“Wow, it’s Senior Chu!”

“Little Shu, quickly give me your autograph!”

“Waaah, how sneaky! How could you sign up for ‘Dazzling Stage’ quietly? Do you know? Everyone in the school is talking about you.”

“Senior, you are so amazing! I went to audition that day, but unfortunately, I got so nervous on stage that I completely messed up.”

“Senior, can we post the photo together on social media?”

“Little Shu, is being a magical girl real? Can you fly now?”

Chu Wang Shu was surrounded by the little girls, listening to their chattering voices. She patiently explained and answered their questions, showing a nostalgic smile.

The enthusiastic question from the younger student brought her back to her high school days in an instant.

It’s strange; even though just a few months have passed, the memories seemed to fade quickly, becoming blurry and unfamiliar deep inside her, so that hearing everyone’s voices felt warm and joyful.

Thinking this way, maybe deep down, she was never really ready to become famous and be known as an idol.

Well, I guess it could be seen as a kind of happy trouble?

Chu Wang Shu never forgot how many talented trainees were eliminated from “Dazzling Stage.” If it weren’t for an accident and her pairing with Sister Miyuki, she might not have reached the “Heart Flow” field or advanced at all.

The girl stayed there for half an hour, exchanged WeChat contacts with all the younger students present, and then left the dance room under the reluctant gazes of everyone, joining her good friends from her old dorm.

After a long time apart, there was a bit of awkwardness among them.

But the beauty of student life lies in its simplicity; even if classmates had transformed from ordinary overachievers to famous idols who were destined for wealth, they were still the same inside.

However, after a few words about past fun stories, the atmosphere became relaxed and cheerful. They had lunch together and then visited the Bund for a while. They promised to meet again in a few days and parted ways under the sunset.

Chu Wang Shu watched the silhouettes that stretched out in the afterglow and slowly vanished, feeling a bit sad inside. She knew that after this week, they might not see each other again.

“Dad, I think I understand a bit why you work so hard now.”

Whether it was being a magical girl or an idol, both were special kinds of jobs. She might not see everyone again in her lifetime.

But isn’t that how people always are?

Most friends in life are temporary; every meeting means one less.

But even so, that’s okay. Because it isn’t forever and because we meet less, we cherish the present more and feel more grateful for our happiness now.

Chu Wang Shu didn’t think she was greater than her dad; she was just an ordinary person, but even the most ordinary people had things they wanted to hold dearly in their hearts.

Even if the heart was small, too small to hold much, it was still enough to be a reason to open your palms.

“Dad, I will grow up to be able to protect you.”

The girl looked down at the sparkling waves by the bridge, where the dancing light broke into pieces like gold in the spray. The river, like the scales of a giant dragon, rose and fell with each breath. She heard the collapsing sound of the “Cocoon of the Heart.” Her hair was gently blown by the wind, and she felt calm.

The rush of magic roared in whispers, building up for half a year in the Ideal State. Now, back in Sea City and meeting her old friends again, it sparked the hazy buds to turn from dreams to reality. The cocoon cracked loudly, and shining colors twirled and danced away.

Then, the tall and straight tuber sprouted. Its rough but strong leaves spread out, and a daisy-like flower head began to form. Deep yellow petals piled up in a bunch, creating a special kind of sunflower.

Sunflower, sun bloom, turning day flower.

This bouquet in her heart symbolized childhood and good luck. It was a sign deeply connected to her father. Its flower meanings were faith, brilliance, pride, loyalty, and affection, symbolizing silent love.

And that last little part represented her father.

“Dad, I don’t want to be the moon in your heart anymore. I want to be a hotter, warmer, and stronger sun. I want to… shine bright enough to light up your world.”

At that moment, the blessing of flower meanings was made.

At the same time, different from the others, “Fully Blooming.”

The magical colors of Chu Wang Shu, just as she was breaking free from her cocoon, changed dramatically, symbolizing the blue-green blessed by Charlotte, gradually shifting towards a deep yellow, becoming hotter and hotter, blending into gold.

In the end, every magical particle turned into a vibrant golden color, beautiful and warm, like sunflowers blooming all over the hills under the sun.

Chu Wang Shu was lost in thought. She lowered her gaze to the blooming Flower of the Soul and, after half a year, finally caught a glimpse of the hazy Patronus Magic.

—[Son of Mankind].

—The songs of the end, the savior saint, you are their last gift and the final blessing of the world.

—Last Son of Mankind, the blessings of all humanity once shone for you. The Disaster group, which destroyed countless galaxies, also celebrated for you, and now… the stars crown you as well.

This complex and obscure whisper echoed in her ears amidst the remaining blessings of the flower language, then quickly faded from her consciousness, transforming into simpler words.

—[Son of Mankind].

—Effect 1: Final Blessing, when the sword is drawn against you, the power of the funeral rises briefly for you.

—Effect 2: Blessing of the Brave. When facing a disaster, your well-trained skills will light the way ahead.

—Effect 3: Gifts of the Stars. When magic is low, the endless universe will open its arms to you.

—Effect 4: Disaster Group’s Care. When encountering a disaster beast not part of the Calamity God series, you can intimidate and tame it.