Lin Zihan widened her eyes and stared blankly upward at Little Bai’er’s outstretched snow-white arm.
Her small hand had already landed on the top of Lin Zihan’s head, and it began to stroke with effortless grace, without a hint of reluctance.
The fingers danced like dragons and fish through water—divine, masterful, utterly transcendent.
This was Ye Zhibai’s head-patting technique!
Ye Zhibai herself had no idea why her head-stroking skills were so refined.
It was as if her body had memorized the motion, making it second nature.
In truth, the answer was simple.
Ever since they were young, Ye Zhiyun and Ye Zhibai had shared a pact: in the mornings when their spirits flagged, they’d pat each other’s heads to show they cared. That simple gesture would let them greet the new day refreshed and renewed!
Even back then, without a soul of her own, Ye Zhibai had mimicked Yun’er’s motions every day. Conditioned reflex or not, she had honed it to perfection!
Her soulless body had long since memorized every nuance of the technique.
In short: practice makes perfect!
At first, Lin Zihan had wanted to say, “No need,” but as Ye Zhibai’s touch grew ever more skilled, the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back down.
A little… just a little more head-patting…
It felt like it might become addictive.
It was terrible, but she couldn’t resist the sensation at all.
Before she knew it, Lin Zihan had even narrowed her eyes.
Like a big golden cat, she basked in the gentle trails across her scalp, a soft “purr, purr” rumbling unconsciously from her throat.
Her slender legs, with their graceful lines, slowly settled back onto the flat floor, easing from tension into complete relaxation.
She was sprawled on the cold, hard floor, yet Lin Zihan felt like she was lounging on a bed of fluffy clouds, utterly content.
For a moment, Ye Zhibai wasn’t sure whether to keep going or pull her hand back!
She was… purring!
This didn’t feel quite right—and besides, petting the head of a girl she’d only just met seemed impolite if she kept it up.
Ye Zhibai tried to slide her palm away from Lin Zihan’s head.
But Lin Zihan grabbed it and yanked it right back!
Forcibly pressing it down onto her own head again!
You’re pretty bossy, aren’t you?!
Not bossy at all.
When Lin Zihan cracked open her right eye, the look in it was nearly pleading, leaving Ye Zhibai momentarily stunned.
“Little Bai’er… just a bit longer… just a little while…”
“…”
Ye Zhibai had never been stingy.
Head-patting didn’t cost a thing, after all.
Guang Yu sat cross-legged nearby, watching the bizarre scene unfold before her. She stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt.
Ye Zhibai held the pose for a long time.
Until her hand started to go numb!
Lost in the bliss, Lin Zihan forgot herself completely.
She had no idea how many more minutes passed.
Suddenly, without warning, Lin Zihan parted her cherry lips.
She even forgot to keep her voice down.
In a soft, milky tone, utterly dazed, she murmured,
“Mama…”
The coquettish lilt melted straight into the bones, reverberating with sweetness.
“!”
Who are you calling that?!
Don’t say weird stuff! I’m not your mom!
Don’t go messing up the family tree like that!
The sound jolted Ye Zhibai into lifting her hand away.
Lin Zihan, realizing she’d been babbling in a haze, snapped her eyes open. Her little face flushed crimson!
Oh no—she’d remembered those blissful childhood moments when Mama patted her head!
It was all Little Bai’er’s fault—her touch was too gentle, too relaxing!!
“Sorry, Little Bai’er, I didn’t mean to…”
“Zihan?”
“!”
That “Zihan” hadn’t come from Ye Zhibai.
Nor from the invisible Guang Yu.
The voice drifted up from downstairs.
From the gap in the lifted floor tile.
Elsa must have heard Lin Zihan calling for her.
Lin Zihan moved like lightning, hastily sliding the tile back into place to half-cover the floor!
But downstairs, Elsa glanced around, then tilted her head back, fixing her gaze on the ceiling.
Her somewhat weathered face creased with a frown, the wrinkles etched deeper by the years.
Her voice penetrated the unsealed floor tile, reaching Lin Zihan’s ears.
“Zihan? Are you upstairs? Zihan?”
“…”
Ye Zhibai was utterly baffled.
This was the first time she’d seen such an expression on Lin Zihan’s face.
Fear. Worry. Anxiety.
On a face that could summon a smile at any moment, such emotions were nowhere to be found.
Yet now, there they were.
She was panicking.
“Little… Little Bai’er, you need to hide—but there’s nowhere to hide here… No… Mama might not even come up. If we stay quiet, it won’t get any worse…”
“Zihan, you’re upstairs, right? Why aren’t you answering Mama? Say something if you’re back!”
“!”
Things had just gotten worse!
Elsa’s footsteps rang out on the first step of the stairs leading to the second floor, the sound signaling her ascent.
There was only one staircase between the first and second floors, and it was one-way.
If she came up, there’d be no escaping for anyone upstairs.
Lin Zihan’s mind raced, her sharp intellect simulating solutions.
It’s fine… it’ll be fine.
If we can’t run… then just come clean. Tell Mama that Little Bai’er is my friend—she means no harm to our family, won’t disrupt our quiet life.
If I explain it right, and Little Bai’er nods along, Mama will understand.
She has to.
She won’t. She’s not the same Mama anymore… the one who’d listen to my explanations and smile with a nod.
She stopped listening to me long ago.
After all those years together, Lin Zihan knew better than anyone: when it came to Mama, the worst thing to do was confess.
Confession meant pain.
Elsa’s hysterical sobs, the image of her smashing things, flashed relentlessly through Lin Zihan’s mind.
That would be Mama tonight.
No.
I don’t want that.
It’s fine on ordinary days, but today was supposed to be happy. I finally got to see Little Bai’er again—I’m in such a great mood!
Why?!
Ye Zhibai didn’t fully grasp Lin Zihan’s troubles.
But she didn’t need to. People’s eyes never lied.
They were windows to the soul—expressions might vary, but the light in one’s eyes revealed every true thought.
The helplessness in Lin Zihan’s eyes right now, that frantic panic—it was all plain as day to Ye Zhibai.
She had no idea why Lin Zihan was so terrified.
But simply put: she didn’t want her mom to see me here, right?
No need to ask why.
Elsa’s slow footsteps continued up the stairs.
In about ten seconds, that second-floor door would swing open.
They had to do something, fast.
Ye Zhibai whipped her head around, scanning up, down, left, and right.
She quickly confirmed it: the flower shop’s second-floor storeroom was cavernous and empty. No hiding spots whatsoever.
Duck behind the flowers? Unrealistic—the blooms were dense enough, but too sparse to conceal a person.
Ruling out every possible option…
In the end…
Ye Zhibai’s gaze landed on the adorably dazed Guang Yu.
Their eyes met in midair.
One look was enough—no words needed from Ye Zhibai.
Over these past days, she and Guang Yu—this pair of bickering love-hate rivals—had forged a rare rapport through endless high-stakes clashes and tugs-of-war.
Guang Yu put her hands on her hips, grinned with relief, brimming with confidence.
Got it! Say no more—just watch!
You mean that trick, right?!
Ye Zhibai nodded, her eyes resolute.
Exactly—that one!
Ye Zhibai’s plan was simple: have Guang Yu use Instant Teleportation, the skill she’d shown before. Slip me out in the blink of an eye while Lin Zihan wasn’t looking!
Once they dodged Mama’s search, they could claim they jumped out a window or snuck down the stairs unnoticed. At least then, they’d have the chance to explain on their own terms.
Running gave them the final say!
Guang Yu got it instantly—perfect sync, utterly reliable.
She gathered the divine power from ten osmanthus cakes, her eyes swirling with starry rivers.
In the span of a single blink, she unleashed Instant Teleportation!
It activated, no doubt about it.
But Ye Zhibai looked around in confusion.
Lin Zihan was still standing right beside her. The flowers were still chilling peacefully behind the trickling water in the sink.
“…”
Why am I still standing here?!
And where the heck did you go, Guang Yu?!
Teleporting yourself is useless!
You’re the invisible one—no one’s looking for you!
But strangely enough…
A few seconds after Guang Yu vanished, Elsa’s ascending footsteps halted.
Not just halted—they reversed, heading back down much more urgently than they’d climbed!
Along with the shifting footsteps came a crisp clanging crash from downstairs!
And accompanying it was Guang Yu’s heart-wrenching wail—a little girl’s cry of agony that sounded utterly devastating!
It was as if the little girl had accelerated at full speed and slammed straight into a tree!
“Ow!!!”
“Little girl?! What’s wrong? Are you all right?!”
Hearing Elsa’s startled exclamation, Lin Zihan was equally surprised.
Regaining a measure of her calm, she quickly pulled away the obstructing panel once more and peered down at the scene below.
Zihan was astonished, and so was Ye Zhibai!
Zhibai sidled up beside Lin Zihan. The two of them squeezed in a little closer, peering together.
It was better not to look.
But the moment Ye Zhibai did, her heart swelled with emotion.
Guang Yu had concealed her tail and ears, dropped her invisibility to become visible once more, and slung on her backpack—the very same setup she’d used earlier when buying drinks.
From the flower shop’s entrance, she charged forward in a diving slide, hurtling straight into a sturdy decorative stone vase!
That earlier sharp crack had been the thunderous impact of her skull colliding with the stone!
Truth be told… Guang Yu’s divine power was now only enough to teleport herself.
She couldn’t bring Ye Zhibai along.
To shatter the deadlock and guarantee Elsa would immediately turn her attention downstairs,
Guang Yu had no choice but to lead with her head!!
Simply strolling in after entering and casually saying she wanted to buy flowers? That lacked any real shock value.
Elsa might very well tell the Guang Yu downstairs to hold on a moment while she dashed upstairs first to check things out.
No, that wasn’t reliable at all.
If a normal entrance didn’t pack enough punch, then go big!
I’ll smash right in with my noggin!
That way, who’d dare ignore it? Everyone would rush over first to check if I’m dead or crippled!!
Ye Zhibai was truly moved to tears.
Guang Yu… even if she came off as unreliable on the daily,
When it really mattered,
She stepped up without hesitation!
