Chapter 47

Randy could sense Carrie's inner agitation but chose to ignore it.

It was best for the mother and daughter to resolve their issues themselves. If he intervened, he might accidentally push Carrie back towards Margaret.

His task was to keep up the pressure, wearing down Carrie's defenses while preventing her from slipping away.

Randy glanced at the cabinet behind him.

"Sorry for not noticing earlier when I squeezed in. Do you need me to help you tidy up your clothes?"

The wardrobe still had many private garments. The thought of someone being inside there just now made Carrie want to crawl under the bed.

"No, no need."

As she spoke, Carrie instinctively used her magic. Randy felt a breeze and the cabinet doors closed on their own.

He complimented her, "Cool."

Carrie, however, was flustered and explained in a panicked tone, "Randy, I…"

"It's a great ability."

Randy comforted her, "Just keep it to performing in front of me. If others saw it, it would scare them."

Randy slowly approached Carrie, sat beside her, and reached out to touch her bare shoulder. At the first touch, Carrie flinched as if shocked but didn't resist violently, only turning her gaze elsewhere.

It seemed her inner boundaries had been lowered significantly.

Carrie could accept any request from her mother, and now she could also accept unreasonable demands from a friend.

Moreover, Randy felt that he was more than just a friend in Carrie's eyes.

The weak Randy from before was seen as an equal by Carrie. Now, with his transformation, he might appear as a role model or even an idol to her.

An idol is a prerequisite for faith.

"Carrie, I'm glad you found yourself and discovered your uniqueness. You're not a freak at school, nor a puppet controlled by your mother, nor just one among the millions of believers in God."

Randy changed his grip to hold Carrie's shoulders with both hands and then moved the small table beside the bed with his legs.

On the dark wooden table, Randy laid out a layer of water. Under the light, their reflections were faintly visible on the water's surface.

Was this summoning water out of thin air?

Carrie looked at the water's surface in surprise, then glanced at Randy.

It was the first time she had been so close to someone, so she quickly looked down, her words stuck in her throat.

"You haven't guessed wrong. We are indeed kindred spirits. I've always been looking forward to your awakening. Even if your classmates bully you and your mother betrays you, I will still stand by you."

Randy smiled and then looked at their reflections while holding Carrie's shoulders.

"Look at you. You're really beautiful. You shouldn't be treated like this by the world. Trust me, when you go back to school next week, you will definitely be welcomed by your classmates."

In reality, with Chris's arrangements, she would face even higher levels of isolation and bullying. After another disappointment, she would cherish her only friend even more.

Or rather, Randy thought of another couple from the original film—Chris's friend Suzy and Suzy's boyfriend Tommy.

If the saintly Suzy saw Carrie being bullied, she might feel guilty and have her boyfriend actively befriend Carrie, even inviting her to the graduation dance.

Even if she herself was pregnant, she would want to help them and silently pray for them.

If Tommy still wanted to get close to Carrie, Randy wouldn't mind letting the fool entertain him and placing the blame on Carrie, seeing if Suzy would still be close to Carrie after her boyfriend's death.

Carrie didn't know Randy's inner thoughts. She just felt touched.

Her life rarely saw praise.

She looked at Randy with gratitude, holding her gaze a little longer before looking down.

"Okay, I'll turn off the light."

Randy felt he couldn't continue the conversation. Otherwise, the initiative would fall to Carrie, and he didn't want to act too soon.

"By the way, Carrie, does your mother check your room at night?"

Carrie accepted Randy's statement and just shook her head.

"No, she won't. She just bought new sacred objects from the church today. She firmly believes that with these things here, you won't be able to get in."

Carrie pointed to the cross faintly visible behind the curtain, indicating it was one of them.

"Sacred objects?"

Probably the items kept in a wooden box.

Randy reached out and touched it but didn't find anything extraordinary.

"By the way, Carrie, which priest officiated the church mass today?"

Carrie didn't understand why he was asking but answered honestly since she would answer anything Randy asked now.

"It was Father Glenn. He is someone my mother respects very much. He was already a priest in the town when he was young, and later became a bishop at around thirty, but only served for a year before returning to the town."

Randy continued, "Did he speak to you today at the church?"

"No, but he talks a lot with my mother."

Randy nodded. This Father Glenn was definitely an ordinary person. If he truly had healing magic, he wouldn't miss the supernatural signs on Carrie.

Carrie felt somewhat resentful, not understanding why Randy was asking these questions, since he was quite opposed to religion.

Carrie now felt hot all over, with some agitation and fear, but didn't know how to express it.

"Randy, what was that Lettuce Girl you mentioned earlier?"

"Oh, the Lettuce Girl."

That was the story of the long-haired lettuce girl. Randy went to the door, turned off the light, and the moonlight outside would add to the ambiance of the story.

Randy told Carrie the general plot of the clichéd fairy tale, which made Carrie listen with great anticipation.

Under his coaxing and persuasion, they both lay down in bed together, snuggling under the covers.

With two people on a small bed, it was difficult to turn around, and they could hear each other's breathing.

To accommodate Carrie, Randy also removed his outerwear. The rough fabric would make Carrie uncomfortable against her skin.

Aside from that, Randy didn't do anything further.

He was clear that his purpose today was to seek refuge.

Carrie, immersed in the hazy atmosphere, wanted to snuggle closer but didn't know how to proceed.

"Randy, in China, is it unnecessary to follow the teachings of Christianity?"

"As far as I know, this policy hasn't been implemented yet."

Randy casually explained, though all church staff were required to undergo a review.

"Oh."

Carrie nodded, then asked softly, "Will you leave America and go back to China in the future?"

"Back to China?"

What a joke!

This took Randy aback.

How could he develop his business in China?

He would probably be chased by a flying sword at the first sign of success!

Randy remembered an incident from his past life. After making a name for himself in South Korea, he had indeed thought about returning to China.

But as soon as he landed in Qingdao, two little Taoist priests were waiting at the airport.

Upon meeting, they spoke with a clam-like accent and asked Randy what he was doing in Qingdao. Could it be that he came for beer and snacks?

The two Taoist priests weren't very powerful, but their strong aura frightened Randy. He quickly said he was there to buy cabbage from Laoshan to make pickles.

Their expressions immediately became friendly, and they eagerly offered to take Randy to inspect Laoshan and even invited him to their Taoist temple to exchange views on Taoism.

Randy hurriedly declined, feeling his minor outside skills were not worth flaunting. After signing a large procurement order, he turned and flew back to his own small patch of land.

He never went back to China again.

"Not considering it."

Only if he became strong enough would he choose to tackle that nightmare scenario.

Carrie wasn't good at chatting and spoke whatever came to her mind. As she was about to bring up a new topic, she suddenly felt a chill and propped herself up to look at the window.

Randy also noticed the anomaly and turned to look in the same direction as Carrie.

A red balloon was floating outside the window, tapping against the glass.