Combat Power Is the Key to Love

"What?! Heath wants you to be his third lover?!" The moment the words left Feili's mouth, a bystander wearing a hat and mask suddenly leaped out from nearby, gripped her shoulders, and said, "Feili, you're a good girl! You deserve a better love! Whatever you do, don't let a scumbag like him deceive you!" Feili froze for a good while before reaching out to take off the bystander's hat and mask. A helpless expression immediately appeared on her face. "I knew it was you, Senior Liya. Why are you here?" "Why I'm here isn't important." The senior said with deep heartache, "What's important is that you can't fall for a two-timing piece of trash like that! You're so naive—when the time comes and you've borne his child, you'll still be making excuses for him!" Feili didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Yaxiu isn't that kind of person." "See! You're already defending him! After you have his child, you'll definitely turn into one of those blissful fools who post baby photos on Moments to show off!" "I would never—and I don't even use Moments!" "You two," Dimi'er sighed. "Since we're just about done eating, why don't we find somewhere else?" Everyone else in the dessert shop had gone quiet; even the clerk forgot to process the bills as they all pricked up their ears to listen to the conversation. Feili bowed in embarrassment to apologize to everyone, her face flushing red as she hurried out of the dessert shop, only to be dragged shortly after by the senior into an open-air cafe. "Dimi'er, come over here." "It's girls' talk—there's no need for me to butt in, is there?" Dimi'er said with a wry smile. "No, Feili is easily swayed. Two of us talking sense into her will be much more effective than just me," Liya said. "She's mob mentality incarnate—whichever side has more people, that's the side she believes." "Hey!" Feili sat down, puffing up her cheeks. "I'm not that stupid! I'm an adult with my own mind!" "An adult with their own mind wouldn't fall for a guy who already has two wives." The senior sat down and gestured for Dimi'er to go buy coffee. Feili mumbled, "...They aren't wives." "Then just bedwarmers with a purely physical relationship?" the senior muttered. "In that case, it wouldn't be totally out of the question..." "It's not an impure relationship like that at all! They're just mutually in love!" "...That's even worse than bedwarmers. If it were bedwarmers, at least you could learn how to conquer him in bed, but if they're mutually in love, wouldn't you have zero chance?" The senior tilted her head. "Then again, if he can be mutually in love with two women, adding one more shouldn't be a problem, right?" Just then, Dimi'er sat down holding three cups of coffee, his expression somewhat subtle. "Liya, as I recall, before I walked off, weren't you planning on persuading Miss Feili to give up?" "Ah, right. Feili, just give up! You don't stand a chance, so stop wasting your time on Heath!" The senior picked up her latte and said, "There are plenty of good men in this world. So what if Heath is a bit successful, a bit wealthy, a bit young, pulled strings behind the scenes to win you an award, promoted you to his assistant to manage his massive entertainment empire, and brought justice for Dimi'er? What's the big deal?!" After speaking, she took a sip of coffee, thought for a moment, and added, "Or you could tell us about your love rivals. We can help brainstorm ways to crush those little vixens standing in the way of your happiness!" Feili: "Weren't you just calling him a scumbag a second ago?" "I just felt your first love shouldn't be tackling such a high-difficulty target," the senior shrugged. "But since the rewards are so bountiful, it's not like it can't be considered." Truth be told, Feili had also longed for someone to share her troubles with. She had even thought about posting anonymously on a forum, especially during that time each night before going to sleep, when she would listen to music and sink into the self-pity of 'I love you, you love her.' An unrequited crush was a form of politeness, quietly building a castle in secret. "I actually don't know much either," Feili murmured, twirling the coffee cup between her hands. "The two women he loves are friends and comrades who have been by his side for a long time, having weathered countless storms together. Whenever he encounters anything good, his first reaction is whether he should save it for them. In front of me, he never hides his longing for them. Even their love stories make me yearn... If only I were the protagonist in them..." "Longing?" The senior sharply caught the key word. "Are they not by his side?" They were actually in a parallel world and not in this world at all... Naturally, Feili couldn't say that, so she had to explain, "They're both out of town, and they won't be able to meet for a very long time." "Wait, I remember Yaxiu Heath has two women following him around. Isn't it them Yaxiu likes?" "No." Feili smiled and shook her head. "Miss Rose and Miss Vichy are just Yaxiu's assistant and maid." The senior blinked. "But they both seem to be stunning beauties. Are they really not in that kind of relationship?" "No, definitely not. Although Miss Rose caters to all of Yaxiu's needs around the clock, and Miss Vichy wears black-stocking maid outfits all day to seduce Yaxiu, Yaxiu would never cross the line," Feili said earnestly. "Yaxiu is a very devoted and faithful man!" The senior looked toward Dimi'er. "Can she not hear herself? Does she not realize what ridiculous nonsense she's spouting?" Dimi'er chuckled. "Miss Feili understands Mr. Heath far better than you or I. And if he can win Miss Feili's affection, Mr. Heath must have dazzlingly radiant qualities." "He really does." Feili took a sip of coffee, the corners of her mouth curling slightly upward. "Yaxiu is a wonderful, wonderful person—kind, gentle, full of a sense of responsibility. Even toward a stranger like me, he shows respect and care..." "Yet the one he likes isn't you," the senior landed a critical hit. "I don't need him to like me anyway," Feili pouted. "Just watching from the side is enough." "Is it really enough?" The senior blinked. "What if there were a way for you to squeeze in? To make you someone he can't bear to let go of too?" "I would never squeeze in and ruin their happiness!" Feili said with supreme conviction. "Though if you insist on telling me, Senior Liya, I suppose I can't stop you." "The method is simple: aren't Heath's lovers both far away?" The senior chuckled slyly. "As an adult man, he's bound to be brimming with feral desires, and you're a mouthwatering little lamb. When a dark and stormy night comes, find a way to cook the rice—make it a done deal—and then make him take responsibility. Wouldn't that do the trick?" Liya had expected Feili to blush or even angrily berate her, but Feili merely curled her lip, putting on a disdainful 'is that all?' expression. "Didn't I just say? Miss Vichy seduces him every single day," Feili said. "To prevent Miss Vichy from launching a night raid, his bedroom has three heavy iron doors. When he isn't in his bedroom, Miss Rose accompanies him at all times, and even the restroom and bathroom have alarm buttons. There isn't the slightest security loophole left." Liya was utterly speechless. "Does he treat his chastity like some kind of sacred treasure?" "Besides, I wouldn't want to do that anyway," Feili said, lowering her head. "I don't want to be the kind of bad girl who intrudes on someone else's relationship." "Yet you hope he'll become the bad man whose heart wanders?" Liya accurately pinpointed the little lamb's double standards. Feili's head dipped almost to her chest. That was indeed what she was thinking. In that sense, she was truly lazy—she even wished that if any moves were made, Yaxiu would be the one making them. "I'd like to ask a question." Dimi'er suddenly inquired, "Those two women Mr. Heath loves... don't they mind?" "What?" "Don't they mind sharing a man?" Dimi'er said. "If Mr. Heath is, as you say, someone worthy of admiration, then the people he loves should also have self-respect and dignity." "...They probably mind very much." Feili thought about it. "Yaxiu said he was very afraid." Liya: "Afraid that scumbag self of his will get dumped by both of them together?" "No, afraid he'll be split up—in the literal, physical sense," Feili said. "He was dead serious." Even the carefree and outspoken Liya chickened out. "Feili, you'd better back off. If they play that hard, I'm afraid the next time I see you, it'll be one fraction of you on the news." Fortunately, the Sword Princess and the Witch were in a parallel world. If they had been in this world, Feili wouldn't have dared entertain the slightest thought, feeling as though she were coveting a treasure guarded by two evil dragons. "If you're unwilling to give up on this romance," Dimi'er pondered, "it's not entirely hopeless." "According to what you said, this long-distance separation is actually cooling down the emotional crisis between Yaxiu Heath and his lovers, but when they meet again in the future, they will still have to face it. If, before that moment arrives, you can become someone important to him—encouraging him, comforting him, and keeping him company at his side—you could at least become a third option." "Though I strongly advise against it," he sighed. "It feels far too humble." "The one who falls in love first is always humble," Liya said. Feili twirled her coffee cup, then suddenly smiled and shook her head. "Senior, what you said earlier was very true." "Hm?" "The people Yaxiu loves are bound to have self-respect and dignity," Feili said seriously. "If I compromise myself to cater to him, it will only make him pity me, not love me. My late mother would surely want me to be someone with self-respect and dignity as well." Both Dimi'er and Liya nodded in approval. "That's why I must become someone important to him, encouraging him, comforting him, and keeping him company at his side!" Feili declared with a clenched fist. Liya nearly spilled her coffee. She looked up blankly. "Can you actually hear what you're saying?" "I'm not doing it to cater to Yaxiu, but to become a better version of myself," Feili said with total confidence. "It just so happens that while I'm becoming a better version of myself, I can also become someone important to Yaxiu! "Right now I'm still too weak, unable to even fight alongside him shoulder to shoulder. So I must study hard, so that in the future he can trust me just like he trusts his lovers. "I want to become someone qualified to have him!" At first glance, Feili's words sounded outrageous, but on closer thought, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with them; it was essentially just another way of saying she wanted to make herself more appealing. Liya wiped the coffee stain off her sleeve with a napkin and asked, "Then what do you want to study? Business administration? Financial accounting? Operations? Secretarial work?" "Swordsmanship." Her seniors were left somewhat baffled, wondering if they had missed some critical piece of information. "Why swordsmanship?" "Because... because one of the women he loves is skilled in swordsmanship," Feili said in all seriousness. "I'm afraid when the time comes, I won't be able to beat her in a fight for him!" Liya and Dimi'er almost spat out their drinks—they had thought the key to this love quadrangle was feminine charm, but from the very beginning, the decisive factor had actually been combat power?!