Stepping out of the fortune-teller’s shop, Ye Wen was still pondering the reading. Was it mere coincidence… or real? If time could rewind, supernatural abilities existing in this world wouldn’t be so strange after all…

The pedestrian street stretched long, its shop windows displaying a dazzling array of goods. This time, it was Ye Wen’s turn to get excited.

She’d spotted a discontinued figurine—the Cardcaptor Sakura piece she’d once dreamed of owning. She never expected to find it here!

Without hesitation, Ye Wen bought it. The price was slightly higher than Lu Yu’s Barbie doll earlier.

"Ye Wen, are you still a kid? Obsessed with anime models?" Lu Yu clearly knew Cardcaptor Sakura too.

"The Barbie buyer has no room to talk," Ye Wen shot back, rolling her eyes.

Thrilled to have the figurine, Ye Wen had no complaints about the rest of the shopping trip. Finally, under her urging, Jin Jing bought a sailor uniform with an ultra-short skirt.

"How can I wear such a short skirt outside?" Jin Jing asked hesitantly.

"Don’t worry! There’ll be cheerleading squads for the sports day anyway!"

"The sports day’s after National Day break… won’t it be cold by then?"

"Nah! Just wear thermal pants underneath!" Ye Wen knew these things well—she was practically drooling already.

*Heh… the days before safety shorts existed…*

Near the end of the street, Ye Wen’s eyes lit up. A promising outfit caught her eye—a cosplay set labeled "Arctic Bear Suit." It included fluffy bear-paw boots and gloves, a white hoodie, gray skinny pants, and a headband with polar bear ears.

Ye Wen figured she must have a collector’s obsession. Without a second thought, she bought the set—*I’ll gift it to the little maid.*

"All done shopping~ What should we eat?" Ye Wen chirped, satisfied with her haul.

"Yay!" Lu Yu cheered, hoisting her Barbie box overhead.

"Hmm… what to eat…" Jin Jing was far more reserved. Sometimes Ye Wen felt *she* seemed more like a wealthy young lady than herself…

They ended up at a snack stall, slurping beef-and-vermicelli soup—real slices of beef floating in the broth, not the sparse meat scraps common later.

Ye Wen sighed again at how the world had changed. People grew darker, hearts colder. *Back then… everything was so pure.*

After dessert, they parted ways. Ye Wen watched Jin Jing leave with reluctant eyes, then returned alone to the school gate. Wang Hui’s car had just arrived.

…

Wang Hui usually reached the gate an hour before dismissal, so Ye Wen got home earlier than usual today.

Steward Liu sat on the living room sofa, reading a newspaper over the coffee table. He hurriedly stood when he saw Ye Wen.

"No need, no need—go about your business," Ye Wen waved him off, gently pushing him back down before heading upstairs alone.

*Thump-thump-thump—* the sound of footsteps on wooden floors.

On the third floor, a maid in uniform was crawling on the floor, pushing a rag forward. She accidentally knocked Ye Wen over.

"Ugh!" The little maid gasped, eyes wide at the face suddenly close to hers. "Young Miss! Sorry…"

She flicked her tiny tongue against Ye Wen’s cheek.

"Stop that," Ye Wen pushed Shuizishi (Xiao Shi) away and stood up.

"I’m sorry, Young Miss…" The maid bowed her head.

"It’s fine," Ye Wen brushed her uniform. "Come to my room after cleaning, okay?"

"Is Miss going to punish me…?" Shuizishi gazed up with tear-filled eyes.

Ye Wen *did* want to discipline that body somehow—but her "tools" had all been confiscated. "What’s going on in that little head? Just come later, alright?"

"Okay," Shuizishi replied, then resumed "mopping"—more like playing a game of pushing the rag forward.

In the corner of Ye Wen’s room stood a bookshelf against the wall. It held only a few scattered books. Ye Wen cleared the shelves, moving all books to the bottom tier. She unboxed her new figurine and placed it on display.

Watching her collection grow—this was pure bliss for a figurine lover.

Rich households truly had everything. Ye Wen dug a digital camera from a drawer, snapped photos of the new figurine, and uploaded them to a model-collector forum. It would explode in popularity a decade later but was barely known now.

Reading the envious replies flooded her with pride. With few posts on the forum, her photo thread was instantly pinned by the moderator.

*Knock-knock-knock…*

"Miss, I’m here." Shuizishi’s voice.

"Come in." Ye Wen never locked her door.

Shuizishi looked at her with watery, pleading eyes. Even if Ye Wen had planned punishment, she couldn’t bear it now.

"Stop looking so pitiful," Ye Wen rolled her eyes, handing her a paper bag. "Here. New clothes I bought for you. Try them on sometime?"

"Waaah~! Young Miss is the best!" Shuizishi pounced, hugging Ye Wen’s neck and shaking her vigorously.

"Stop! My neck’s gonna snap!"

After venting her excitement, Shuizishi pulled out the outfit. "Wow~ So cute! So fluffy!"

"Glad you like it," Ye Wen smiled. She really did adore this sweet maid.

"Yep! I’ll try it now!" The maid began stripping off her uniform right there.

"Eh?!" Ye Wen yelped. "Changing here?!"

"Can’t I…? Does Young Miss hate me?"

"No, it’s just—" Ye Wen’s face flushed crimson, ears burning. She couldn’t explain *why*.

Seeing no reaction, Shuizishi kept undressing. Ye Wen froze, watching as the maid stripped down to pink-white bra and panties.

*Thank goodness I’m used to seeing her naked…* Ye Wen’s tolerance for girls’ bodies had grown—but she still whipped her head away, though a tiny part of her stole a glance.

"All done!" Shuizishi changed quickly. The outfit looked incredibly cute, not bulky at all. The gray skinny pants perfectly outlined her legs.

She posed before the full-length mirror. "Miss~ How do I look? Pretty?"

"Adorable! Absolutely adorable!" Ye Wen nodded vigorously, then remembered something.

She’d always wanted a little sister to dress up in cosplay daily, photographing her to make others envious online. Now, with this maid, that dream could finally come true!

Without another word, Ye Wen grabbed her camera. "Let’s take some photos!"

"Okay!" Shuizishi agreed readily, posing obediently as Ye Wen snapped dozens of shots.

*My wish is finally fulfilled!* Ye Wen screamed inwardly.

*Maybe… being a girl isn’t so bad after all?*

…