A person’s character really does need to be tempered.

In that regard, Ye Zhibai had gotten plenty of practice in her past life.

Just watch. If anyone else heard this, they’d surely start with a full-body shudder, then their eyes would practically pop out of their head. They’d be so shocked they wouldn’t know what to say!

But Ye Zhibai was different...

She’d had it rough enough in her past life. When it came to taking emotional blows, she was beyond what ordinary people could imagine—and could endure what they couldn’t.

So when she heard that she might be without a mom again in this life, her heart only gave a little lurch.

It’s fine... Even if reality doesn’t live up to your hopes, you still have to keep on living...

Ye Qinghe hurriedly gave them a couple more instructions, then left ahead of them.

It seemed he’d canceled an ongoing, extremely important business meeting at the company just so he could personally bring Ye Zhibai home.

He’d already been away for ages. If he didn’t go back and check on things soon, the company would be in complete chaos.

Ye Qinghe promised that once he was done, he’d come straight back, and the whole family would share a reunion dinner!

A reunion dinner...

It certainly sounded like a nice, complete family affair.

But now, it looked like they didn’t have a mom.

Good grief, Ye Zhibai was still thinking about that!

It bothered her... It really bothered her...

All right, maybe Ye Zhibai needed to revise that earlier thought.

The gap between her hopes and reality might not be enough to hurt her emotionally...

But it really did bother her, aaagh!

Why don’t I have a mom in this life?! And what did Yun’er mean earlier when she said Mom disappeared?

So, just before they went inside, Ye Zhibai stood behind the fence and gently pinched the hem of Ye Zhiyun’s clothes between her fingers.

“Sister...? Hhk...!”

Ye Zhiyun merely turned around... and was instantly overwhelmed by cuteness.

Her sister... Her sister was making this slightly confused, almost aggrieved expression!

Beneath her silver bangs, those melancholy eyes clung tight—not to Ye Zhiyun’s hem, but to her very soul!

No, Ye Zhibai wasn’t aggrieved.

She was just thinking things over, but she really did look aggrieved.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Zhibai distilled all her tangled thoughts into one quiet question.

“I don’t have a mom...?”

“!”

Ye Zhiyun was suddenly hit by two completely opposite emotions. She hurriedly covered the bridge of her nose with her hand.

Big Sis is so cute... so cute... Hhk... I think I’m getting a nosebleed.

But...

The other emotion made Ye Zhiyun’s heart ache.

—She felt sorry for her.

She’d wanted to put off bringing this up for as long as possible, so her sister could get some proper rest and hear about it after she woke up.

But since her sister had asked so directly, what else could she do?

She had to tell her the truth...

She might not have her memories, but she still had the right to know everything.

Ye Zhiyun composed herself and made up her mind. With her slender hands, she wrapped them around Ye Zhibai’s pale, slightly bloodless hands.

“Sister... All right. If you want to know... I’ll tell you.”

After a brief pause, a light flickered in Ye Zhiyun’s eyes. She gathered her thoughts and began.

“There’s no need for me to go into how Mom found you and brought you home. Please don’t overthink it. We may not be related by blood, but you’re my real big sister! Nothing could ever change that, even if the sky fell!”

Hhk...

Thank you, Yun’er.

But still, just stating the facts...

Found and brought home...

Aww... I’d already figured it out just now, but hearing it said so plainly—that I’m an orphan again in this life—still hurts.

Ahem. It makes sense, though. The ball of light said this body was made by a god. It got hit by a car and sent flying, yet only suffered some minor injuries. Clearly, it wasn’t born from a human.

Being found and brought home is fine, too. At least I had a mom...

As Ye Zhiyun spoke, tears even began to glimmer in her eyes.

“Mom... isn’t here anymore. No... like I said earlier, saying she’s gone isn’t quite right. She didn’t pass away. She disappeared when we were ten...”

“Disappeared...?”

“Yeah... I was little back then, too. I only heard that she went overseas on business and got caught in extreme weather. We lost contact with her, and she never came back after that... They said her chances of survival were slim. She’s been missing for almost eight years now, so...”

There was no need to finish that sentence.

After all these years, “slim chances of survival” was little more than something to comfort themselves with.

“I see...”

Ye Zhibai lowered her head and looked at the small hand Ye Zhiyun was holding. A chill settled in her heart.

She felt completely hollow inside.

In this life... I really don’t have a mom after all...

Perhaps sensing her sister’s sudden sadness, Ye Zhiyun quickly cut the conversation short!

“S-Sister! Please don’t dwell on those details! Don’t think about anything sad. Let me... show you around inside, okay?”

Ah...

Maybe after becoming a girl, Ye Zhibai really had become a little more sentimental than before.

Do I need a girl to comfort me?

Absolutely not!

Besides, to Ye Zhibai, that mother was someone she’d never even met.

But to Ye Zhiyun, she was the mother she’d lived with for ten years before she disappeared.

It was obvious who needed comforting more.

Ye Zhibai shuffled to the side, taking tiny steps as her silver hair swayed from side to side.

This girl, who struggled so much to put her thoughts into words, took ages before finally managing a complete sentence.

“All right... Yun’er, you too... If Mom isn’t here, you have to stay strong.”

“Big Sis...”

“Hm?”

“I love you so, so much!!”

She’s hugging me again!!

I only said one comforting thing. Did you really have to get this excited?!

I don’t understand!

.....................

That little episode at the entrance to the small villa ended with Ye Zhibai utterly exhausted.

Ye Zhiyun, on the other hand, was full of energy. She was determined to give her sister a proper tour of their new home!

New home... Well, not exactly.

After all, Ye Zhibai’s body had lived here for over a decade. It was only a new home to her soul.

Ye Zhiyun thought she was helping Ye Zhibai get reacquainted with the house.

But to Ye Zhibai... it was basically like visiting a museum!

“What’s... this?”

“It’s a coffee machine, Big Sis.”

“And this?”

“That’s an automatic water purifier. I’ll show you how to use it.”

“Then what about that...”

“Hm? That’s an ice maker. It’s connected to the fridge. You can keep ice cream in it during the summer! You used to love those little pineapple popsicles, Big Sis. Do you still like them? I’ll go buy some to stock up in a bit. Ah... I’d better get lots. When you weren’t home, the freezer was always empty.”

“N-No, I don’t.”

Ye Zhibai noticed one little detail. If all her old hobbies had been copied from Yun’er, then Yun’er must like those popsicles too, since she’d liked them herself.

But ever since she’d been hospitalized... the freezer had stayed empty.

Maybe your mood really can affect your appetite.

Also, sorry, but I’ve never had a little pineapple popsicle. The only thing I used to eat was an old-fashioned ice pop—the five-mao-a-stick kind.

No, no... The coffee machine is one thing, but is an ice maker really something people are supposed to have at home?!

Leaving aside all those fancy appliances that looked incredibly high-end to someone as poor as Ye Zhibai...

There was also the genuine leather sofa, the rosewood tables and chairs, and the marble walls.

The sheer smell of money hit her right in the face.

You’re seriously rich!!