Three huge question marks seemed to pop up over Mo Xiaoxiao’s head. She had no idea what that meant.

What did those words have to do with each other?

Um...

Maybe I’d better start from the beginning.

Mo Zhiyuan explained what had happened in fairly simple terms. The whole thing wasn’t actually that complicated; she just felt like it was a long story.

......

Mo Xiaoxiao looked over the words on the cardboard again and again, then let her gaze drift back and forth between them and Mo Zhiyuan. Her expression never changed.

She was as quiet as a doll, never showing any emotion on her face.

Instead, she poured all her feelings into the words on the cardboard.

“Big brother, you’re so cute now.”

Pfft!

Mo Zhiyuan nearly spat blood.

Sure, she was cute—but hearing someone else say it dealt 9,999 damage to Mo Zhiyuan’s manly heart.

“And you’re so soft.”

Mo Xiaoxiao leaned against Mo Zhiyuan. In her arms, it felt like she was holding a fluffy wad of cotton fresh from the sun, with a lovely scent like cream candy. She wanted to gobble it up in one bite.

It’s decided. From now on, I’m sleeping cuddled up with Big Brother...

Mo Zhiyuan lifted a lock of her daughter’s silver hair with one hand. It felt impossibly smooth beneath her fingers. Sunlight streamed in, and the air was filled with a lazy warmth.

“Xiaoxiao, you trust me just like that?”

“Mm.”

A quiet, affirmative hum came from her.

She couldn’t mistake it. Even if the person looked completely different, that scent—and the feeling of being with him—couldn’t be faked.

Xiaoxiao!

Mo Zhiyuan was so moved she nearly burst into tears. Sure enough, the only one in this world who understood her was the sweet girl right in front of her!

“Grrr...”

Her stomach’s protest made Mo Zhiyuan’s cheeks grow a little warm.

Oh, right. She hadn’t eaten anything since coming back from that failed mixer yesterday, and now she was so, so, so, so, so hungry!

Was it because she’d turned into a girl? Didn’t they say girls had a second stomach? That had to be it!

But she’d just lost nearly ten thousand yuan. She wasn’t in the mood to treat herself to a proper meal—and there were still a few raw eggs in the fridge.

Suddenly, Mo Zhiyuan seemed to realize something. Her face brightened, and she blurted out happily:

“Xiaoxiao, I’ll show you a magic trick.”

Mo Zhiyuan pointed at the table beside her and said, “Breakfast.”

“...”

Nothing happened.

H-Huh?

Wasn’t it supposed to be a Word Spirit? Why didn’t anything happen when I said it?

Was I being too vague?

Then how about...

“I want bacon, fried eggs, and grilled sausages!”

As it turned out, she’d shouted for nothing.

This is driving me crazy!

Mo Zhiyuan was about ready to lose it. What the heck was she supposed to do to make this work? She’d made a complete fool of herself in front of her daughter!

She could only pretend none of it had happened.

“Ahem. Xiaoxiao, get up for a bit. I’ll fry some eggs from the fridge.”

“Heave-ho!”

Mo Zhiyuan hopped out of bed in a flash. The moment her pale, tender feet hit the floor, her balance went haywire. Feeling top-heavy, she pitched forward and fell flat on the ground.

“Itai! Itai! Itai! Itai! Itai!”

That fall really hurt. Like stubbing your little toe on the corner of a table, it was so painful that Zhiyuan clutched her forehead and rolled around on the floor, curled up in a ball with tears welling in her eyes.

Mo Xiaoxiao hurried out of bed and helped her brother—her brother from before—up. She tenderly rubbed Zhiyuan’s reddened forehead and blew on it gently.

Wah... I’ve never been this embarrassed in my life...

How the heck are you supposed to use this stupid Word Spirit?

Itai...

Thinking she might as well give it another try, Mo Zhiyuan murmured, “Stop hurting.”

The burning heat in her forehead vanished at once. The sudden contrast was so strange that for just a moment, it felt like her forehead didn’t even belong to her.

“I-It worked?”

She touched her forehead in disbelief. Sure enough, it didn’t hurt at all anymore.

She turned to look in the full-length mirror nearby. Even the redness was gone, leaving skin as soft and pale as a newborn’s.

Mo Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened slightly. She’d watched her brother’s bright-red forehead return to normal in an instant, as if by magic.

“Big Brother, does it still hurt?”

“Ah, I’m fine now. It really worked—but why didn’t it work just now?”

Mo Zhiyuan couldn’t figure it out.

Think about it. What was the difference between asking for “breakfast” and just now saying “stop hurting”?

Could it be...

As she pondered this, Xiaoxiao tugged at her sleeve again.

“One word, a hundred?”

Big Brother had just explained why she couldn’t speak, but she was still talking normally now?

“Heh heh~~ Xiaoxiao, you’re still too young.” Mo Zhiyuan smugly wagged her right index finger in front of her daughter.

“Can you still see any trace of who I used to be?”

Mo Xiaoxiao shook her head.

The person her big brother was now had nothing in common with the one he’d been before—like the sun and moon compared to a tiny flame, or heaven and earth compared to an ant.

She was sure that no one but her could recognize the girl in front of her as her big brother.

“Exactly! I’m Mo Zhiyuan now, and I’m a girl. The bank card is under Mo Yuchuan’s name. He’s a real macho man.”

After praising herself, Mo Zhiyuan reached her conclusion: “Mo Yuchuan’s gone now, so it doesn’t matter if they take the money! It’s not like the bank can make someone who doesn’t exist pay it back, right?”

“Basically...”

“Mo Yuchuan’s the one who owes the money. What’s that got to do with me, Mo Zhiyuan?”

“......”

Mo Xiaoxiao didn’t quite understand, but it still sounded pretty amazing.

Hm? Chotto matte yo...

Zhiyuan suddenly blinked her bright eyes, as if she’d realized something.

Back in college, one of her teachers had brought up a few topics outside the curriculum. Legally speaking, children didn’t have to take on debts their parents had incurred on their own after the parent died—but only if the children didn’t inherit any of the parent’s estate.

As she recalled, this house was registered under Mo Yuchuan’s name, which meant it was his personal property.

So if she spent too much money, the house wouldn’t belong to her anymore. The bank could seize it and sell it off...

Mo Zhiyuan’s face went deathly pale, and her teeth started chattering.

This house was the only thing her late parents had left her. If she lost it, where would she and Xiaoxiao live?

Yabai. Seriously yabai.

How many words did I say just now?

She figured her account might already be in the red.

Why didn’t I transfer the money out first before going wild?!

With a trembling hand, she opened the page on her phone and checked the balance again. The amount displayed nearly made Mo Zhiyuan faint.

Big Brother?!

Xiaoxiao hurriedly steadied her. Zhiyuan’s eyes had gone glassy, and she was mumbling incoherently.

Mo Zhiyuan held the cardboard up in front of her chest, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Xiaoxiao, we might have to eat dirt for a while...”

H-Huh? Huh?!

Does eating dirt mean... we’re out of money?!

Before Xiaoxiao could react, Zhiyuan quickly wrote something else on the cardboard:

“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you! I still have one commission that can keep us going for a while. I’ll go ask my boss for an advance right now!”

Besides her main job, she also had a side gig. It didn’t pay much, but at least it could keep them afloat for a little while.

“Big Brother, you’re like this now. Advance your paycheck?”

Uh.

Mo Zhiyuan froze.

That’s right. Looking like this, how was she supposed to go ask her boss for an advance?