She’s a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist’s Halo

After a while, Yan came back with a black-and-white manga-themed T-shirt, and Zhu Jue accompanied Chu Shen to the restroom to change.

“The one you were wearing earlier got stained with cooking oil. Remember to wash it separately when you get back,” she casually reminded him.

Chu Shen nodded repeatedly, secretly checking the affection points between the two. Thankfully, it remained at ten points and hadn’t dropped.

After handing the bag with the clothes to Chu Shen, Yan and Zhu Jue, whose plans had been interrupted again, glanced at him.

“Why don’t you go find Brother Xiao?” Zhu Jue suggested tentatively.

“Anyway, don’t go back to the food area,” Yan added.

Chu Shen’s appearance wasn’t particularly memorable, but once you noticed him, he was easy to recognize.

Especially since, by chance, a customer from the Chu Family Eatery had spotted him at the event. If Chu Shen got caught, he might have to endure a tearful tirade from the customer right then and there.

Earlier, Yan had also bought a colorful anime-themed face mask, which made Chu Shen look much more exaggerated when he put it on.

Chu Shen gave a thumbs-up. “I’ll head to an area far from the food section.”

After Yan and Zhu Jue left, he turned around and went back into the restroom.

At the fried rice station in the food area earlier, Chu Shen had unexpectedly triggered and completed a hidden mission from the Chef God System.

He had been dragged away by the two before he could take a closer look.

**[Hidden Mission: Astonish the Crowd]**

**[Mission Description: Amaze everyone with your cooking skills when they know nothing about you.]**

**[Mission Reward: Recipe for Braised Pork with Potatoes.]**

A new recipe! Chu Shen was thrilled.

Although “Braised Pork with Potatoes” seemed like a simple dish, fried rice was also simple, yet it had won over every customer.

Who would have thought he’d unlock a hidden mission at a comic convention? Today was definitely worth it!

To be honest, Chu Shen was getting a bit tired of fried rice himself, so this new dish came at the perfect time. Finally, he could switch things up.

“I think Yi Zhi mentioned potatoes among the ingredients,” Chu Shen thought to himself. He could use the new ingredients to test the recipe.

Braised Pork with Potatoes was much more convenient than fried rice. He could cook two large pots at once, sell out by noon, and be done. Unlike fried rice, which he had to cook plate by plate.

However, the recipe didn’t specify whether the meat should be pork, chicken, or beef. Could he use any of them?

Given the pricing at the Chu Family Eatery, beef was the obvious choice. But Chu Shen decided he’d try all three before making a final decision.

Meanwhile, Yan and Zhu Jue checked the situation online using their phones.

**#Bincheng Comic Con Shocked by the Appearance of a Modern-Day Xia Guo Cooking Prodigy! Golden Fried Rice!#**

The trending hashtag already had videos of Chu Shen flipping the wok and the mesmerized expressions of those who had tasted his fried rice.

“Oh my god, I literally exploded! Just one bite of that mysterious guy’s fried rice, and I couldn’t believe how good it was. Tears.jpg”

“Is this a publicity stunt by the organizers? Seems too over-the-top.”

“It’s not a stunt! I was there, and I can vouch for it! The host randomly picked people, and I was standing next to the guy. Everyone backed away, but he didn’t react in time and got pulled up. Turns out, he’s the real deal! I only got one bite, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. Where is this guy?!”

“Someone find that customer who dragged him up! Which restaurant does this guy own? They said his surname was ‘Chu,’ but I can’t find anything.”

Since the video captured Chu Shen’s face from multiple angles, and the tweet was quickly reposted, it soon spread to other platforms.

Then, a comment from a local Bincheng user on a certain video platform was screenshotted and shared back on Weibo.

“Isn’t that Boss Chu? His restaurant was closed today because he went to the comic con to cook fried rice! Traitor!!!”

Now everyone finally knew the mysterious fried rice guy’s surname was “Chu,” not “Chu.”

Bincheng local, Chu, fried rice, restaurant owner—these clues combined led to a wave of online sleuthing across various food review platforms.

“Guys, I found it!!! On Orange Review, search for Chu Family Eatery. It’s definitely this one!”

“Wait, am I seeing this right? 288 yuan per person, and they only serve fried rice?”

The Bincheng Comic Con was always a hot topic every year. During the event, not only did anime-related bloggers post about it, but even many marketing accounts jumped on the trending topics for clout.

At that moment, Yan noticed a gossip account clearly trying to ride the wave.

**[Brother Melon Online]:** #BinchengCG Carnival# It’s that time of year again! First, a wealthy fan spent 520,000 yuan on merchandise, and now a mysterious modern-day Xia Guo cooking prodigy has appeared, cooking golden fried rice. [LOL] The world of anime is truly wild.

The post included a few poorly cropped screenshots with watermarks still intact.

Yan and Zhu Jue silently forwarded the post to the two involved parties, especially Chu Shen. With the Chu Family Eatery exposed, getting a meal there would probably be even harder now.

The sudden surge in attention for the Chu Family Eatery might not be a “stroke of luck” for Chu Shen. With limited capacity and his studies, he could only open the restaurant one or two days a week, catering mostly to regulars.

The comic con on Saturday was packed with people. Parents brought their kids, some clearly clueless but tagging along anyway. Some parents dragged suitcases to help their kids shop, while others adjusted their children’s cosplay outfits.

“Excuse me, do you know where the Magic Girl performance is?”

While Yan and Zhu Jue were scrolling through trending topics on their phones, a slightly balding middle-aged man approached them, clutching a colorful A4 printout like a lifeline.

“My daughter said the Magic Girl would be performing and signing autographs today. She made me promise to get her a video and an autograph,” the man said, wiping sweat from his brow.

Yan glanced at his printout, then checked her own carnival map. “Uncle, the performance isn’t in this area. You need to go to…”

She paused, her eyes narrowing as she read the name on the printout. Wait, one of the Magic Girl group leaders was named “Yuan Ye”?

Seeing that name, Yan suddenly felt a weight in her chest.

It’s probably just a coincidence, right?

But considering Yuan Ye’s behavior earlier and how he refused to let them find him… the chances of this “Yuan Ye” being the same person were way too high.

Feeling resigned, she decided to guide the man to the performance area herself.

“Thank you so much, young lady and young man. You’re so kind. No wonder my daughter said that even though people here might seem a bit strange, they’re all good-hearted.”

With Yan and Zhu Jue’s help, the man successfully found the Magic Girl group his daughter had asked him to line up for.

“No problem, no problem. You’re too kind,” the two replied, waving off the compliment.

Yan looked up at the performance stage, checking the carnival map for the schedule of performances and signings.

Some specially invited cosplayers, actors, or voice actors would perform on stage and then sign autographs afterward.

“The Magic Girl performance starts in ten minutes. I need to get in line,” the man said, bidding them farewell.

“Magic Girl… which anime is that from? Or is it just a cosplay group?” Yan whispered to Zhu Jue.

After all, Magic Girls were a staple in shoujo anime, appearing in countless series.

Their casual attire made it clear they weren’t hardcore fans, and sometimes insiders could be dismissive of outsiders. Yan didn’t want to draw attention, so the two quietly looked it up on their phones.

Yan quickly found out it was a cosplay performance based on the anime *Yes! Magic Girl!*, which followed five high school girls with distinct personalities who were chosen by another world to transform into Magic Girls, juggling school life by day and saving the world by night.

“They’re coming!”

“It’s starting! My daughters!!!”

Yan and Zhu Jue stood facing the stage, but since they had arrived a bit late with the bald uncle, even though they tried to squeeze in, they ended up somewhere around the middle.

The front-row audience had already raised their phones and cameras, ready to capture the moment.

Accompanied by upbeat music, five girls of varying heights and styles, all wearing wigs, appeared on stage. They sang and danced in perfect unison, while the large screen behind them played the theme song.

"Ahhhhhh—"

"So cute, so cute!"

The five girls, each dressed in different colored outfits, took turns being the center of attention, performing signature transformations and moves straight out of an anime.

The one codenamed "Black" was a gothic-style witch in a long classical dress that revealed half her legs. The witch in a white floral dress smiled warmly, radiating kindness. The red-haired witch in shorts and a high ponytail wore fiery red gloves. The hooded, purple-robed girl holding a crystal ball wand murmured incantations with her head bowed. And the blue-haired girl sang with a voice as enchanting as a siren's.

To the fans in the audience, it felt like the characters from the anime had come to life.

Cold, mysterious, gentle, or cheerful—the girls on stage perfectly embodied their characters through their movements, expressions, and costumes. They didn’t wave or blow kisses, staying completely in character without any out-of-character moments.

But Yan's gaze kept drifting toward the tall figure with long black hair, a hood, and a crystal ball wand.

After all—

The words "Girls' Dress-Up Game" were impossible to ignore!

So much so that Yan couldn’t help but wonder whether the other four magical girls on stage were played by boys or girls!

The main stage offered a high vantage point. Even though Yuan Ye, playing "Purple," was the perpetually half-asleep, mysterious witch, he still easily spotted his roommate in the crowd below.

Zhu Jue, and his girlfriend, Yan.

The moment Yuan Ye saw them, his pupils contracted. Thankfully, he had trained himself to remain calm in all sorts of cross-dressing situations, and today’s costume covered most of his face, so no one noticed his momentary panic.

Why did these two suddenly show up here?

They shouldn’t recognize me, right?

When it was Yuan Ye’s turn to take the center stage, he remained composed, deliberately avoiding glancing at Yan and Zhu Jue.

But, but... he felt like they were staring right at him!

That prickling sensation on his back, especially with their intense gaze—could they really have recognized him?

No way, right? They didn’t know about his cross-dressing, and with today’s outfit, anyone would just see him as a magical girl. His face was mostly covered, after all.

Sweat dripped down Yuan Ye’s back as he suddenly remembered the promotional preview the organizers had sent him after confirming his appearance.

It featured his cross-dressing look and his online alias, "Yuan Ye."

At this moment, Yuan Ye wanted to scream at himself internally. Could Yan and Zhu Jue have seen that and come here to check it out?

Stupid lazy me! Why did I have to use such an obvious name? Even something like "Lemon Tea" would’ve been better!

"Yuan Ye" was now a well-known cross-dressing cosplayer, with many people even believing he was actually a girl.

The characters "Yuan Ye" had portrayed were too perfect—doll-like, snow princesses, villainous noblewomen, savage fox girls...

The widely circulated images of him weren’t from anime or novels but were actually based on character designs from a girls' dress-up game!

But when he appeared in these roles, especially with extravagant wigs or animal ears and costumes that looked straight out of an anime or game, Yuan Ye was simply seen as a "cosplayer."

Being called a cosplayer was better than being outright labeled a cross-dressing guy.

And so, thanks to the system’s tasks, Yuan Ye had inexplicably gained fame and amassed a group of loyal cosplay fans.

This was also why he had received ten free tickets to the annual Bin City CG Carnival.

"Yuan Ye" had truly made a name for himself.

Thinking about this, the manly Yuan Ye couldn’t help but shed a tear.

From the initial awkwardness of cross-dressing to now being completely natural, who knew how much he had been through!

Although he had come to accept his identity as a cross-dressing cosplayer, it would still be mortifying if his real-life friends found out about his online persona!

Even though his roommates were good people, Yuan Ye still worried.

If he were just a regular male cosplayer, people would accept him, but being a cross-dressing guy? That would definitely make him seem like a weirdo—like people might question his sexual orientation or something.

And his cross-dressing identity could even attract creepy people with inappropriate intentions! Yuan Ye had so many regrets.

Despite his internal turmoil, Yuan Ye flawlessly executed all the choreography and interactions with his fellow performers on stage.

The theme song and ending performances were coming to an end. Finally, it was time for the five magical girls to step forward one by one and deliver their signature lines.

Just then, Yuan Ye heard the voice of his idiotic system in his ear.

[System detecting host is currently in a stage PK...]

[System detecting host’s current outfit is "Magical Girl" and the number of PK participants is greater than 1. Automatically initiating forced PK match...]

Yuan Ye: I @#￥％&* you, stupid system! Stop, stop right now!

Yuan Ye froze. Damn this system!

Of all times to start a PK, why now? And it’s automatic? He was going to lose his mind.

There was no daily task today, so why did it suddenly initiate a PK? If he won this PK and transformed into a magical girl on stage, it would literally look like superpowers had appeared.

Yuan Ye had never wished so hard to lose a PK.

At that moment, the other magical girls had already stepped forward and delivered their lines. Yuan Ye suppressed his internal curses toward the system. Holding his crystal ball wand, he lowered his voice, adding a husky tone to his falsetto, making him sound even more mysterious.

"％……&*"

He muttered a magical incantation.

Translated, it meant: "Magic flows through my hands."

At that moment, Yuan Ye saw a series of indicators only visible to him.

[Magical] [Mysterious] [Sorcery]—tags appeared around him, each with a rating.

He forced himself to keep a straight face as he saw the words "PK Victory" flash before his eyes.

At the same time, the five magical girls reached the climax of their performance. They needed to chant a final spell together.

"*&％…"

"Magic will bless you—"

"Welcome to the world of magic—"

In that instant, everyone in the audience seemed to hear the whispers of the magical girls.

The mysterious incantation stirred an invisible wave of magic. Yan saw it.

Her eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly.

The wave of magic swept over the audience, leaving behind something intangible, yet nothing at all.

Because the PK victory and the chanting of the spell happened simultaneously, Yuan Ye couldn’t retract the magic buff he had activated.

In that moment, everyone seemed to fall into the same illusion, seeing a kaleidoscope of colors swirling before their eyes.

They saw the flow of magic!

The next second, the venue erupted in cheers.

"Ahhhhh—Oh my god, I think I saw magic!"

"Did my eyes just play tricks on me? Did you see it too?"

"Red, green, blue, white—wait, was that a reflection on my glasses?"

"Was it like streams of light, flowing?"

"Is this mass hysteria or something?"

"I don’t care, I definitely saw magic!"

As Yuan Ye retreated from the stage, he overheard the audience’s excited chatter, and his heart raced.

After chanting the spell, he had immediately deactivated the buff, but he hadn’t expected the incantation to actually give the audience a glimpse of the magical world.

This is bad, this is really bad. What if someone investigates this? Let’s just call it mass hysteria and be done with it.

Please, just pretend the organizers set up some lasers or rays or something.

Yuan Ye saw Yan and Zhu Jue standing in the middle of the crowd, their calm demeanor starkly contrasting with everyone else.

His heart, which had been hanging by a thread, leaped into his throat again.

Are these two so calm because they saw it, or because they didn’t?

Earlier, Yuan Ye had speculated that Yan and Zhu Jue might be involved in some kind of mystical, esoteric field.

The fact that they could remain unfazed even after seeing a female ghost, and now witnessing the appearance of magical energy without batting an eye—could it be because they’ve always been able to see it?

Yan and Zhu Jue are into Eastern mysticism, so if they have the ability to see spirits, wouldn’t magical energy and spiritual energy be essentially the same thing?

Sitting at the signing table, Yuan Ye, with a sullen expression (a character trait), signed his online name while wearing gloves, all the while stealing glances at the crowd and pondering.

The event schedule was tight—half an hour for performances and half an hour for signings. Despite having seen all sorts of otaku culture, Yuan Ye couldn’t help but sweat a little when a balding uncle happily received his autograph.

“This is great! My daughter will be so happy. I couldn’t find the place at first, but a young lady and her boyfriend helped me get here,” the balding uncle said to Yuan Ye.

“They’re really nice,” the uncle added, waving happily toward Yan and Zhu Jue in the crowd.

Seeing this, Yuan Ye’s eyelid twitched. “Was it the girl in the tank top with the little bun and her boyfriend who brought you here?”

“Yes, yes! They’re such good people,” the uncle replied.

Yuan Ye’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the balding uncle.

Well, well, old man, so you’re the one who brought the enemy—no, I mean, you’re the one who led them here!

No wonder Yan and Zhu Jue showed up here.

With a heavy heart, he asked, “Would you like me to write anything else for your daughter?”

“Oh, is that allowed? My daughter told me not to make any special requests,” the uncle said, pleasantly surprised and even more delighted.

Yuan Ye nodded solemnly. After the thirty-minute signing session ended, he changed out of his costume. With his duties for the day complete and having returned to his male form, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

Seeing Yuan Ye successfully exit the signing area with the other magical girls, Yan and Zhu Jue both breathed a sigh of relief.

Good, although there was a small unexpected hiccup, this one didn’t require them to step in as emergency helpers. With the workload split among five people, Yan and Zhu Jue were able to enjoy the show as mere spectators.

“Jue, we’ve been standing for so long. Let’s find a place to rest,” Yan said. The performance area only had standing room, and after half an hour, her feet were starting to ache.

The two found a spot nearby. Since new cosplayers were now performing and the lines were forming, Yan quickly spotted a bench in a corner where there weren’t many people.

With just the two of them there, they could speak freely.

Yan leaned her head on Zhu Jue’s shoulder, her little head swaying slightly. “Jue, you have to admit, Yuan Ye’s performance was really impressive and true to the character.”

The mysterious magical girl vibe was absolutely spot-on!

Just as Yuan Ye, now changed out of his costume, was sneaking out of the backstage area, he overheard this comment. He froze in place.

So, they really recognized me?

Could it be that Yan and Zhu Jue used their spiritual sight to identify me?

In those few seconds, countless thoughts raced through Yuan Ye’s mind.

Should I come clean? Do I have to? Is there no other way?

With heavy steps, he walked forward, lips pressed together, and approached the two.

Yuan Ye spoke awkwardly, “So… you guys know, huh?”

They must know, right? They must have seen me using magic, right? How am I supposed to explain this? Yuan Ye was internally panicking.

“Ah!” Yan was startled. What are the odds that Yuan Ye would overhear them?

Talking about his cross-dressing performance behind his back—Yuan Ye must be feeling mortified.

Yan felt awkward but tried to play it cool. The more she emphasized it, the more uncomfortable Yuan Ye would feel.

“Yeah, we know. It was amazing,” she said.

It takes real courage to be yourself and not care about what others think of cross-dressing. That’s really admirable.

“Amazing…” Was she referring to him using magic in public? Yuan Ye couldn’t tell if this was a compliment or sarcasm.

He sat down silently beside them. “I didn’t mean to hide it from you.”

“It’s just… this kind of thing isn’t exactly normal,” Yuan Ye added.

Suddenly turning into a magical girl—anyone would find that weird, right?

“True,” Yan nodded. It does take a lot of courage for an ordinary guy to cross-dress.

“Can you keep this a secret for me?” Yuan Ye pleaded, looking at them earnestly.

“Of course,” Yan and Zhu Jue nodded. Cross-dressing is a personal matter, and they weren’t the type to gossip about it.

In fact, the other roommates probably noticed too, but everyone had silently agreed not to bring it up.

“I’ll keep your secret too,” Yuan Ye said, relieved.

Yan and Zhu Jue were both confused. Wait, us?

Huh? ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍What do we have to keep secret? Are you misunderstanding something?