# Chapter 27 (VIP Notice) The Magical Shop (Fifteen) (Bug Fix)
The young man was wearing the same loose, ordinary school uniform as Qi An, but his back was slightly hunched—a self-protective posture of enclosure. Like always, he carried a sense of inferiority that most people wouldn't display.
Yet at this moment, the boy's hands beneath his sleeves were clenched tightly. It seemed he was trying to give himself some strength through this action.
Qi An remained silent, studying the young man with a slight frown. The other person seemed lost in some emotion and hadn't noticed them yet.
A trace of deep thought flickered across his gaze. Qi An gently pushed Gu Wang, who was still holding him close. Once the other's hands left his waist, his expression returned to its usual state.
"It's you." Gu Wang pretended to feel embarrassed as he released Qi An, but a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes as he looked at Fang Delian. A dark glint flickered in his pupils. He waved his hand without a trace of emotion, and an ethereal voice drifted down from the rooftop.
"Yes, it's me." Fang Delian seemed to summon all his courage as he raised his head to look at the rooftop, repeating his earlier words. "I want the academy to return to normal!"
"You know the rules of our shop's transactions." The voice continued. "Even if you will disappear from this world, you wish to make this exchange?"
"The ones you love, the ones who love you—after you complete this transaction, you will never see them again. The ones you hate, the ones who hate you, might欢呼雀跃 in response. The university life you've always yearned for will turn to bubbles, your former ideals will crumble to ashes. And even your existence will gradually be forgotten."
"Even so, you still wish to complete this transaction? Are you certain you don't want to take another look at this beautiful world? Don't you want to..." The voice paused. "...see what kind of person you'll become in the future?"
"So this time it's this exchange condition." Fang Delian seemed startled. His wide eyes drooped for some unknown reason. The boy reached up to prop them back in place. After a moment of silence, he said, "I thought you would be especially hoping I complete the transaction, like last time."
"I'm certain I want to do this." The boy's face lifted slightly, revealing the ordinary features he had always instinctively wanted to hide. Then, rarely, he smiled.
"...Why?"
"Because, well, I don't want to become someone I despise." Fang Delian's voice carried an inexplicable tone. His head lowered again—this gesture had become his instinct.
"I hate this world because I'm too poor. I've raged before, wondering why I wasn't born into a wealthy family." The boy's voice carried a trace of nostalgia. "Why do I only have a drunkard father? Why is my family so broke we have nothing."
I, I hate this world.
When others can freely act spoiled toward their parents and throw tantrums, I can't, because if I do, my drunk father will definitely beat me. He'll say, "A poor family's child must grow up fast. Do you really think you were born into some good family?"
I never say what I want, not because I truly don't want anything, but because I can't afford it.
When others ask me what I want, I always act indifferent, because I'm worried, scared. I'm afraid it will crush my only remaining dignity.
Others hate the school-mandated uniforms that never change, but I don't, because I know—this uniform will hide the fact that I don't have nice clothes.
But no matter how much I try to hide, I can't fool myself. Deep down, I know I can't be like everyone else. I'm... inferior.
"Since you resent your origins, why didn't you make a transaction with me last time?"
"I don't know." The boy stared at the floor with his head bowed.
He wanted money—wanted it so badly he was going insane.
So the boy wearing ragged clothes went to the shop that no one else could see for the first time. The shop owner told him he could grant his wish—give him endless money to spend, grant him the wealthy birth he desired—as long as he agreed to one exchange condition.
Make his drunkard father die.
He wouldn't need to lift a finger. As long as he simply nodded, he could... have his wish.
The boy in tattered clothes stood before the shop. The scene he'd imagined countless times appeared in his mind—he could撒娇 to his parents, easily express what he wanted, spend time with his classmates without any psychological burden.
But...
He couldn't do it.
The boy walked out of the shop, completely forgetting everything about this shop.
Until he, who had become a victim of school bullying, encountered the supernatural incident at school. He watched as his classmates lost their senses one by one.
"I hate everyone in this world. Actually, when Pei Ying was being bullied by the other students, I felt nothing inside—some part of me was even pleased. Finally, there's someone as unlucky as me. I watched it all indifferently. When she asked me for help, I chose to stand by..."
"Perhaps it was karma. Pei Ying's fate suddenly changed. The boys all started liking her. But having tasted the fun of it, they still wanted someone to bully. So I became the replacement..."
"I hate them—not just the bullies, but the bystanders too..." The boy lifted his head. "I keep thinking, why didn't anyone bother to help me? How could they remain completely unmoved while I was being maliciously humiliated?"
"You know, as long as someone had been willing to speak up, they wouldn't have been so rampant..." The boy seemed to smile self-deprecatingly. "Unfortunately... no one did. And I realized for the first time how disgusting the me who stood by was..."
"When the supernatural incident happened, my memories gradually clarified. I should have been happy—those people got the punishment they deserved. They all lost their senses..."
The boy's waist slowly straightened. "But I wasn't happy. It was so strange. I actually didn't feel the joy I imagined..."
"I suddenly realized that watching them lose their senses one by one—I was just another indifferent bystander..." The boy smiled again. "In the end, I really don't want to become someone I despise..."
"So please, make this transaction with me! I want the academy to return to normal, even if... the cost is my disappearance..."
The girl behind the crimson gate behind the door trembled. Her almost flawless face contorted in pain. She had never let her expressions fluctuate so dramatically, but at this moment, her emotions were written plainly across her face.
She was confused, in pain, and grieving.
The girl collapsed to the ground as if she'd lost all strength. Memories of what she'd been through flooded her mind. The girl whose secret crush was maliciously exposed was publicly criticized by the school for forbidden romance. She became a negative example, pointed at and whispered about by the entire student body.
The teachers were dismissed, and everyone first suspected the authenticity of her grades. She became someone who would do anything to achieve her goals.
The boy she'd secretly loved transferred schools. Everyone said she'd driven him away with her disgusting behavior.
And then, there was the ridicule and hostility from those around her.
The girl filled with hatred came to this shop. She finally obtained a beautiful appearance, gained everyone's attention, and successfully took her revenge.
But...
So it turns out she had become someone she despised too.
The girl cried again, just like that rainy day. Tears flowed uncontrollably.
Some students in the classroom who were mid-lesson suddenly froze. Their僵硬 and blank expressions became animated once more.
"Why was I like I was under a spell before? How strange. It feels like I've been unable to control my own body for such a long time. My whole spirit was foggy." A boy suddenly frowned. "And I think I saw a boy standing inside a shop."
"I heard what he said... suddenly I feel so awful..."
"Is that so? Me too..."
[Side Quest 2: Save Those Children (Quest Complete)]