"The 302 is across the hall. This is 301."
After several minutes of explanation, Xia Chuan finally understood why they were here. Their utterly irresponsible landlord had given the wrong keys. With no room numbers on the building, it was no wonder this black-haired girl had gotten lost.
Only now did Xia Chuan properly observe the girl. Undeniably stunning, she had gem-bright eyes and porcelain skin. Silky black hair cascaded over her shoulders, tied at the back with a blue ribbon that amplified her cuteness. Yet the teardrop-shaped mole beneath her left eye lent her an air of maturity. To Xia Chuan, she felt like a woman in a girl’s body.
Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"I’m so sorry! So sorry! So sorry—" Realizing her colossal blunder, the girl kept apologizing.
Seeing her panic, Xia Chuan waved his hands. "Don’t be like that. It’s not entirely your fault. Blame that dumbass landlord—"
*Thwack!*
A sharp rap on his head cut him off.
"You got a problem with me, kid?" A threatening voice hissed behind him, mingling with Xia Chuan’s yelp.
His body trembled slightly. He turned stiffly.
A young woman stood there, glaring daggers.
"Sis Wang! What a surprise!" Xia Chuan backtracked desperately. "Just careless words—please don’t take it to heart!"
"Oh, no trouble at all," Wang Yin sneered, ignoring his plea. "I’m just a dumbass landlord. Come to my room later. Let me *show you some love*."
Xia Chuan slumped like a robot with dead batteries.
Wang Yin switched to a gentle tone for the girl. "Sorry, little sister. My mistake giving you the wrong key. You almost... almost..." Her voice choked. She dabbed fake tears from her eyes.
*I’m the victim here!* Xia Chuan screamed internally.
"It’s okay, sis. I’m fine," the girl whispered, her own eyes glistening.
*You too?!* Xia Chuan facepalmed inwardly.
"Kidding aside." Wang Yin straightened up, pulling out a keychain. "Here’s the real key for 302."
"Oh—Qian Yu’s here too?" She spotted a baby crawling at her feet. Scooping her up, Wang Yin pinched the chubby cheeks. "So adorable..."
Her life felt complete.
The baby’s lips twitched. "Auntie!"
Wang Yin froze. Her face darkened.
"Auntie! Auntie! Auntie!" The baby giggled at her expression.
Wang Yin’s scowl deepened to volcanic levels.
Sensing trouble, the girl clamped a hand over the baby’s mouth and pulled her close, offering an apologetic smile.
Xia Chuan patted Wang Yin’s shoulder from behind. "Sis... this is reality."
*Whoosh!*
Wang Yin yanked him up by the collar. The black-haired "demon king" was dragged bodily out the door.
At the stairs, she paused, twisting back with a chilling smile. "Little sister... you *really* should teach Qian Yu not to... *lie*."
The girl shivered, clutching her baby as she watched Wang Yin drag Xia Chuan upstairs. His helpless gaze made her wonder if she’d have nightmares tonight.
---
An hour later, Xia Chuan trudged downstairs, utterly drained. *Women in their thirties were fierce as tigers.* He felt hollowed out.
(No, not *that*. Just a foot bath. Perverts, face the wall.)
Wang Yin’s legendary foot odor had been a chemical weapon. Sniffing his hands made the room spin. He dropped them fast, avoiding further contamination.
Back home, the hallway boxes were gone—finally cleared. After scrubbing his hands raw with dish soap, the stench faded. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the couch.
*Thump thump!*
The knock came too soon.
Xia Chuan opened the door to find his new neighbor—the girl from 302.
*Great. Thanks to her sister, I just survived a torture session.*
"What do you want?" he grumbled.
"Really sorry about earlier," she said brightly. "You haven’t eaten, right? Come have dinner at my place?"
*Not a fan of freeloading.* "No thanks, I—"
*Gurgle...*
His stomach betrayed him.
"Still coming?" She covered a giggle.
"...I’ll trouble you."
---
Her apartment was minimalist: just a low table and TV. Colorful dishes sat ready—likely for the baby’s height. Adults would sit on the floor.
The moment Xia Chuan sat, the baby crawled onto his lap and hugged him. "Daddy!"
*You little monster. Because of you, I got thirty extra minutes of foot-soaking hell.*
He pried her off gently, placing her behind the girl serving rice. "I’m not your dad."
The baby’s eyes welled up instantly. Xia Chuan snatched her back. "Okay! Okay! I’m your fake-daddy!"
She beamed. *That switch was terrifyingly fast.*
"Qian Yu really likes you," the girl said, setting down bowls.
"Qian Yu?"
"My daughter. Mo Qian Yu." She paused. "I don’t even know your name."
"Xia Chuan."
"Mr. Xia Chuan? I’m Mo Yao." She murmured his name softly.
"Don’t ‘mister’ me. I’m still in high school. Just Xia Chuan."
"Alright... Xia Chuan." She yielded easily. "Eat up!"
He speared a chicken wing—glossy, fragrant.
One bite.
A wave of saltiness flooded his mouth. He spat it into his bowl, but the assault on his taste buds continued. He gulped the water she’d poured. *Maybe just this dish...*
He tried another.
Fiery spice.
Sickly sweetness.
Vinegar-sharp sourness.
"Can you even cook?!" he choked out.
"N-no," Mo Yao admitted weakly.
"Then why invite me?!" The flavors clawed at his throat. *Is this how I die?*
"Fine. I’ll cook."
Xia Chuan dashed to his room, returning with eggs, tomatoes, and a cucumber. In the kitchen, he moved with practiced ease—six months of solo living on a tight budget taught him basics. Simple dishes came together fast.
He set down tomato stir-fry and smashed cucumber. "Try it."
"Delicious!" Mo Yao shoveled food into her mouth, clearly starving.
Pride warmed Xia Chuan—until he saw her eating speed. He grabbed his bowl before the dishes vanished.
Full and lazy, Xia Chuan slumped back.
"Sorry. I meant to treat *you*," Mo Yao apologized sincerely.
"Just... don’t do that again." He sat up. His gaze drifted to Qian Yu, still chewing rice under Mo Yao’s spoon. "Your sister’s adorable."
"Sister? Who?" Mo Yao paused, spoon halfway up.
"Her." Xia Chuan pointed.
"She’s my daughter."
The words hit like lightning.
*Daughter.*
*My daughter.*
*Daughter.*
He stared. Impossible. Mo Yao radiated youth—prettier than Liu Yixia, looking younger than him. And her daughter’s age...
*She had a baby in middle school?!*
Reality crashed down. "Y-you look so young," he stammered, slipping into formal speech.
"No need for ‘you’ formalities. I’m barely older than you," she mumbled.
Hearing her confirm it shattered him.
"I’m... tired. Going home." Xia Chuan staggered to his feet and fled to his room.
As soon as he returned to the dorm, Xia Chuan collapsed fully onto the bed, staring at the clean ceiling with a trace of bewilderment.
So much had happened today that he felt utterly overwhelmed, unable to sort it all out.
First, a young mother had become his neighbor. Then, that clueless landlord asked him to wash his feet. And that baby kept calling him Dad.
He had a vague sense that something was slowly starting to change.
Too exhausted to dwell on it, Xia Chuan soon drifted off to sleep.
