"Li Qing, want to go see a movie this weekend? I found a really good horror film called 'Zhenzi vs. Gourd Kids,' and I hear it's getting rave reviews lately! I really want to see it but I'm too scared to go alone. Can you come with me, please?"

"Sorry, I have to play Luke this weekend and can't go."

Li Qing looked sadly at his phone, at the woman he marked with a heart emoji, sending him a 'smile' emoji.

He had no idea what he might have said wrong for her to send him that deadly 'smile' emoji. Clearly, he was handling serious business, working hard to save money for a down payment.

He actually really liked this woman, even though she's three years older than him... But as the saying goes, 'A woman three years older is worth her weight in gold.' 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Sigh!"

He sighed deeply, then quietly opened his phone browser and skillfully navigated to a certain website, grabbing the tissues beside him...

To wipe off the grease from the corner of his mouth.

He watched the blood-boiling video clips on his phone from the small site and sighed again, this time exhaling a long breath of Qi.

Today was his thirtieth birthday; people say you establish yourself at thirty, but looking at himself today, it's just thirty, nothing more.

The cluttered rental room, the table beside him covered with leftover takeout, the walls adorned with old posters, clothes scattered randomly, and the computer monitor still glowing, broadcasting a live stream from a certain platform.

This was the most typical single man's apartment: chaotic, but with some semblance of order, with everything arranged so Li Qing knew exactly where everything was.

Looking back at the computer's live content, Li Qing touched his face.

"I don't look bad at all, so why can't I find a girlfriend, really..."

Truthfully, it was tough: from childhood, Li Qing could only exude two words.

Ordinary!

Despite his delicate features and fair complexion, which should count as a positive trait, even though his friends introduced quite a few, the spark of interest would always dissipate into thin air once conversations began.

Not even a trace remained.

Li Qing was troubled by this; he sought advice from many female friends, asked questions, even practiced scenarios.

The unanimous conclusion was that Li Qing's way of speaking was wrong; in other words, he was as tough as steel, comparable to the latest ultra-hard alloy.

His words killed invisibly, with a maximum destructive power for women.

Such that those well-meaning female friends, after simulating dialogue scenarios with Li Qing, stopped speaking to him for three days.

Whenever he thought about this, Li Qing was quite troubled, wanting to do something practical, but whenever he tried, it turned out a complete mess, full of mishaps.

At this thought, as he was about to pick up takeout for a couple of bites, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Li Qing paused, looking at the strange incoming call with some suspicion. Is someone calling late at night to remember his birthday?

No way, that's certainly not the case. His parents disappeared when he was fourteen and were never heard from again. Since then, he had been living alone, and to make life more comfortable in this super metropolis, he rented out his house and moved into a rented single room himself.

Besides all this, no one else would know today was his thirtieth birthday.

Maybe it's work-related.

With a trace of resignation, he answered.

"Hello?"

"Zzzzz..."

Listening to the electrical noise on the phone, Li Qing frowned and was about to hang up when suddenly a male voice came from the other end.

"Hello, hello, is this Mr. Li Qing?"

Hearing the playful, amused tone, Li Qing had an idea.

Probably someone's prank.

Li Qing replied flatly, "It's me, who is this?"

"Oh wow, congratulations, you really are the world's luckiest person, you know... Oh oh, first let me wish you a happy thirtieth birthday, and at the same time, it's your thirtieth anniversary of being single, hahaha..."

At this point, the male voice couldn't help but laugh, seemingly breaking character.

This left Li Qing with a sour face: "Does the fact that I've been single for thirty years really deserve your ridicule?"

"No, no, no, I just thought of something delightful."

"What's that?"

"My wife's having a baby..."

Li Qing couldn't bear it: "Do you think I haven't watched movies? Please don't bring those old jokes in here just to ramble, okay? Don't be too much, I suggest you drink some mouse tail juice!"

Just as he was about to hang up, the other voice hurriedly spoke: "Wait... I haven't finished talking yet; this call will change your life, wouldn't you like to take some time to hear me out?"

Li Qing hesitated, eventually suppressing his anger and said, "Go ahead."

The other person coughed twice, introducing himself: "My name is Zhuang Xu, and I'm an admissions advisor from Gray Magic Academy. Congratulations on qualifying successfully, you've been accepted into our school... um, I believe the acceptance letter will soon be mailed to your residence..."

"...What? Magic Academy?"

Li Qing was confused, thinking, this scam is saying normal things, right? Aren't these NT-level antics?

At hearing this, Li Qing became interested; it was the first time he'd received such a scam call.

"So tell me exactly what qualifies me to enter this magic school?"

Zhuang Xu's voice suddenly deepened: "Have you ever heard of this legend? If a man remains pure at thirty, he can become a mage and use magic."

Li Qing was stunned: "Wha... what?"

"It's true. If a male is still single by thirty, he can transfer to become a mage, studying various magic. Trust me, this is your life's turning point, make sure..."

Click!

Li Qing hung up expressionlessly. This nutcase, where did they get his number to call specifically to mess with him?

Knock knock knock!

Li Qing was slightly startled, turning to look at the window, shocked to find a shadow perched on the windowsill, staring at him with a pair of eerie green eyes.

Its head bobbing with a 'knock knock' sound.

A strange and eerie atmosphere suddenly flooded his mind, making his skin crawl, his legs trembling, almost unable to stand.

Gulp!

Li Qing swallowed hard, standing frozen for about thirty seconds, seeing the thing make no move, he summoned all his courage, stepping forward step by step.

Upon closer inspection, Li Qing breathed a huge sigh of relief and cursed: "Scared the hell out of me!"

It was an owl, but this owl's feathers were pitch black without any speckles, and its very human-like eyes resembled embedded black gems, staring at him with a contemptuous gaze.