Ch. 74 - Manager: Double Good News

“What? You knew about this and didn’t tell me right away?” Xia Li finally exploded, her face going red enough that I could feel the heat from where I stood.

“We didn’t have a chance… and we did pull Yuehan into the club as soon as we found out,” Tang Yihan’s Senior replied, trying to explain.

“Exactly!” Ying Shiqian chimed in, conveniently ignoring her earlier meltdown on the floor when she first heard the news.

“Manager, it’s not that big a deal—no need to overreact. Don’t be mad at the Seniors,” I said, stepping forward. The room’s attention was on Tan Han, and barging in would have been socially tone-deaf, so I tried to smooth things over.

“What do you mean ‘it’s not a big deal’?” Xia Li cut in, her tone snapping like she was holding back excitement.

“No—this is worth celebrating properly. Two new club members and Yuehan’s first successful meditation—this calls for a party!” Xia Li declared, voice firm.

I couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of my mouth. How many celebrations had she organized in the last few days? Did anything need only the tiniest reason before Xia Li pulled out a party plan?

“Manager, if we’re throwing another celebration, maybe let’s skip eating out this time…” I offered.

“Yeah—we already went out a few days ago,” Ying Shiqian added.

“You—you two are impossible! Fine, then we’ll go somewhere else!” Xia Li looked half-annoyed, half-ecstatic.

She was furious they hadn’t listened, but honestly, the news felt like a blessing from the sky—so good it nearly knocked her over.

Originally, Xia Li had been planning how to comfort the “kidnapped little genius” the school had somehow roped in. After all, the top student of the year had to come with her fair share of pride.

But to Xia Li’s surprise, Tan Han took it all remarkably well. After being talked to by several Seniors in turn, she just… accepted the situation without much fuss.

Truth be told, Tan Han shouldn’t have ended up under Xia Li at all. A student like her would normally cause a full-on bidding war among clubs. Her arrival had even complicated the class placements—teachers were practically fighting to get her.

Yet Tan Han stayed calm through it all. Sure, she hadn’t been given much of a say in being “brought” to the Witch School, but now that she was officially enrolled, everyone was bending over backward to show respect.

Eventually, after being swarmed by eager Seniors from every direction, Tan Han lost patience. She chose Xia Li—mainly because Xia Li was the one who’d dragged her into the school in the first place. If anyone was going to take responsibility, it had to be her.

Plenty of club leaders grumbled that Xia Li had just gotten the luckiest break of her life, but Xia Li didn’t care. A win was a win. The moment the opportunity showed up, she dragged Tan Han straight to the bakery, desperate to make it official before the girl could change her mind.

And even if Tan Han did regret it later, she’d still have to go through the withdrawal process—and in that time, Xia Li could probably use her name to recruit a few more members.

But now, here they were, and Xia Li had just learned that the random new hire she picked up earlier turned out to be a natural-born prodigy.

Who was going to believe that?

While Xia Li and the two Seniors were busy arguing, Tan Han, for once, dropped her usual cool and walked over to me.

Her change didn’t really surprise me, and I could see what she was doing. She wanted to get on my good side now that she’d heard about the meditation thing.

Not that I minded. Having the school’s top student chat you up was definitely something worth bragging about.

Not that I expected anything deeper. I knew my place—people like us didn’t exactly move in the same orbit. Friendships like that usually only lasted as long as the other person cared to maintain them.

To put it bluntly, it always felt like their generosity was keeping it alive, and that made me… uncomfortable.

Still, she smiled slightly and asked,

“Books?” I paused to think. “Honestly, not that many. But there’s one I borrowed from the library that helped me a bit. I haven’t returned it yet—I can grab it for you.”

I pulled the slim, worn-out book from my bag. It was a pretty standard title—something most students would recognize. It gave a decent overview of the basics: how to prepare, what to expect, and a few beginner-level techniques. Nothing groundbreaking, but it did the job.

I handed it to her. “Here—this is the one I used.”

“This one?”

Tan Han took the book, her brows lifting in mild surprise.

“You’ve read it?” I asked, catching the look on her face.

She shook her head, “Not really. A Senior told me it’s just an introductory guide to Witch Meditation—nothing too in-depth. Still, thank you for the recommendation. I’ll take a good look at it.”

“Oh—um, right. Well, don’t feel like you have to stick with it,” I replied awkwardly. “What matters most is finding what works for you. Senior Ying Shiqian once recommended some books that connect meditation with ritual practice—you could try those too.”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected the book I picked to be considered “basic.” I’d thought it was clear and easy to understand—way better than those convoluted ones full of jargon. Maybe my comprehension really was that bad?

For a moment, I nearly spiraled into self-doubt.

Just to play it safe, I decided to pass along Ying Shiqian’s suggestion anyway. At least that would make my recommendation sound more legit.

Truth be told, my success with Witch Meditation had little to do with any book from the library. What actually mattered was my Psi-Vision—though of course, that wasn’t something I could tell anyone about.

In a way, Psi-Vision was my cheat code. Then again, everyone who brushed against transcendence had one—mine was just a little more… overpowered.

Still, I really should drop by the library again and look up what Psi-Vision and Supra actually meant.

“Come on, my precious club members!” Xia Li’s voice snapped me back to reality. “Let’s go eat something delicious!”

Sounded like they’d finally made up their minds. I didn’t really care where we went—anything beat staying in the bakery eating bread all day.

This time, though, since both Tan Han and I were coming along, we had to trouble Seniors Ying Shiqian and Tang Yihan for help.

As for our fearless club president, Xia Li—her broomstick flying was still way too intense. At least, that’s what Tan Han said when she swore she’d never experience that again.

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