“I remember you saying you wanted a little sister, didn’t you?”

At the dinner table, Li Ming’s offhand remark nearly made Li Xinghe choke on his food.

Li Xinghe looked at his somewhat scruffy dad, at a loss for words. Suddenly deciding to get him a little sister was just too absurd. He’d lost his mother when he was very young, and his childhood memories were of just him and his dad.

“Cough, cough. Why do you ask?”

Li Xinghe picked up a piece of meat from the plate and stuffed it into his mouth with some rice. For a moment, the only sound was the two of them chewing.

He had told his dad before to find himself another wife, and that he wouldn’t mind having a stepmother. But that had been when he was little. If he was honest about how he felt now, after living together for so long, suddenly sharing a home with someone else would take some getting used to.

“Well, I recently met a new coworker, and we hit it off. I couldn’t help it—your old man’s got too much charm. She kept chasing after me, and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I had no choice but to agree to marry her.”

What kind of excuse was that???

Li Xinghe knew exactly what his dad was like. If his dad said she’d chased after him until he finally gave in, then pigs would be climbing trees.

“Seriously, Dad, aren’t you being way too casual about this? You didn’t even get to know what she’s like before making such a huge decision?”

Li Xinghe ladled a big spoonful of soup from the pot, rich with its mouthwatering aroma, and poured it over his rice. He stirred it with his chopsticks, then took a bite with a piece of crispy fried chicken. A deeply satisfied sound escaped him.

His dad casually lifted the plate and poured a generous amount of thick curry sauce over his rice, coating the steaming grains with a brown sheen. He opened his stubbly mouth and slowly ate from the edge of the bowl, then grabbed a drink that had already been opened and took a couple of loud gulps.

“Haha, I may be a slob most of the time, but I’ve still got plenty of masculine charm. She pursued me relentlessly for over three months. Once I got to know her and realized she was someone I could marry, I made my decision.”

By the way, he hadn’t told Li Xinghe yet that he and the woman had already registered their marriage—yesterday, in fact.

Li Xinghe looked at his vain dad with undisguised disdain. He wasn’t sure whether to compliment him or call him full of himself. Vanity was practically hereditary; Li Xinghe sometimes admired himself in his room, too.

“So, what, she’s a coworker with a daughter?”

If he had to find a fitting comparison for this situation, it’d be like a pig climbing a tree and giving birth to several piglets all at once.

No matter how he looked at it, it was impossible. How could a woman possibly chase after his scruffy old dad?

“You’ll understand when you meet her. Oh, right—in a few days, Qingxue and I are going out of town for work. It’s a company assignment, so we don’t know how long we’ll be gone. You’ll have to look after your little sister while we’re away.”

Huh? Why had they suddenly decided to go out of town?

Li Xinghe wanted to tell his dad not to go, but what if he was just using this as an excuse to get away with that woman named Qingxue for some time alone?

It seemed pretty likely. No, actually, that had to be it.

Li Xinghe didn’t call his dad out on his little scheme. He just answered in an especially halfhearted tone, then finished the last bite in his bowl and carried his dishes over to the sink.

“Listen, your new little sister is really cute. Girls are soft and smell nice, and she’ll call you ‘big brother,’ too.”

“Huh? A little sister won’t put food on the table. Besides, I’m not going to starve even if I live alone.”

Over the years at home, he’d picked up all kinds of life skills. Cooking a whole tableful of delicious food was just a matter of time.

After making more money than he could spend in a lifetime through investments back in college, Li Xinghe had been free to spend his time however he liked.

He usually stayed home and read manga or novels. Sometimes he’d look into different kinds of delicious food, too. Since he’d spent so much time practicing the dishes he liked to eat, he’d become a pretty good cook.

“You’re twenty-seven this year, right? And you’ve never had a girlfriend. When you were little, you used to follow me around, asking me to give you a little sister. Well, now you’ve got one.”

At that, Li Xinghe couldn’t help rolling his eyes.

“How could I possibly remember that? And what does that have to do with whether I’ve got a girlfriend?”

“Just don’t go clinging to her once you meet her. I haven’t got a photo, but I’ve seen her in person. She’s an incredibly cute girl. You’re bound to like her.”

“If she’s gentle and considerate, then I guess I can accept having a little sister.”

What was up with Dad today? He kept trying to get him to accept the little sister who was about to arrive.

He was probably just trying to cover up the fact that he was about to remarry. He’d decided to get married without even letting Li Xinghe meet his future stepmother, and now he was heading out of town for work without giving him any time to adjust.

That said, Li Xinghe wasn’t worried about his dad’s safety at all.

The monsters that appeared out of nowhere were dangerous, but the Magical Girls did a lot to restore people’s sense of security.

If he had to explain why he thought so, it was probably because the Magical Girls had become heroes in everyone’s eyes. Wherever they appeared, people knew they’d be safe.

“You’re going to have a really cute little sister.”

After washing his bowl, Li Xinghe turned and headed back to his room on the third floor.

As soon as he entered, he could see posters of all kinds of anime and novels. But the one at the very center—and by far the largest—showed a girl lifting her chin proudly as she gazed at the sky.

Her silver hair streamed in the wind, dancing with graceful beauty. Her red eyes looked straight ahead, as if declaring that she feared nothing. Her signature lotus ornaments sat neatly on either side of her head. She wore clothes conjured from magic, predominantly red, that greatly enhanced her defense and striking power. Her two long, perfectly rounded, pale legs drew the eye, and paired with her stunning face, it was hard not to wonder if she was an angel sent from heaven.

Li Xinghe lay on his bed, resting his head on one hand as he stared at the ceiling.

“A cute little sister, huh?”

Honestly, he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around the idea that he was about to get a little sister. What interested him more than the beautiful girl who’d soon be living with him was the woman who had Dad completely smitten.

Knock, knock, knock. Someone tapped on the door. It had to be his dad.

“Oh, right. I forgot to tell you—we’re meeting Bai Qingxue for lunch tomorrow at noon, on the third floor of the Gathering Restaurant. You can meet her and see what she’s like.”

Tomorrow at noon?

It looked like Dad had already arranged the time. Whatever. If she was after his money, he’d tell Dad to get away from her as soon as possible.

Back in college, Li Xinghe had made more money than he could spend in a lifetime. He’d set aside some of it to help with household expenses, so his dad wouldn’t have to work anymore, but his dad always used “You’ve got to find something to do with your life” as an excuse to keep working for that little bit of money.

Even after more than ten years, he still couldn’t bear to part with his few thousand yuan in monthly pay. If he quit and stayed home, he’d probably end up going stir-crazy.

There was nothing for it. His dad was the sort of person who couldn’t sit still.

“Got it.”

Tomorrow at noon, he’d get a good look at what kind of woman she was.