Chapter 14: The True Meeting

Tao Fangyi had never quite understood what kind of personality this man named Ren Ying really had.

But he gradually figured it out.

This guy seemed… a bit slow.

Tao Fangyi worried he was misjudging, so he asked Wang again.

“Slow? More like stupid,” Wang said. “Someone like you—that’s what I’d call slow.”

“He basically never read much. I noticed long ago. He always uses handwriting input on his phone, and when he posts comments, they’re incoherent, without a single punctuation mark.” Wang cared more about the adults in this household than Tao Fangyi did.

He had a huge problem with these two adults. When they ate, their chewing sounded like clacking bamboo clappers. When watching videos, they never used earphones, just blasted audio at full volume.

They paid no attention to hygiene. Wang had even eavesdropped on their conversations.

This man had no opinions of his own. In daily life, he seemed incapable of thinking at all.

And the woman seemed to be the backbone of the household.

But as for this woman… how to put it…

“I think she’s a bit anxious. She never loses her temper in front of Li Yao, but she gets irritable over trivial little things that slip out of control.” Wang lowered his voice so Li Yao wouldn’t hear. “Do you think it’s because of her ex-husband’s death? Shouldn’t she see a psychologist?”

Tao Fangyi didn’t answer.

“Seriously, I think they’re not suited to having another kid together. They’re both weird.” Wang also found Ren Xinxin’s personality strange—a reckless kid who, for some reason, was terrified of her mother finding out she’d escaped from kindergarten.

【You actually observed all that?!】 Tao Fangyi hadn’t paid much attention to the adults; his mission target was the child, and the adults were just background.

“I’m searching for the reason their behavior is so disgusting.” Wang still couldn’t stomach this family’s ways. When he disliked someone, he’d observe them minutely, pick out every single annoying thing about them, and then confirm that person was loathsome from head to toe.

Wang put his hands on his hips. “Did you know Yang Hongling is the second child in her family?”

【You investigated her family?】 Tao Fangyi was even more shocked.

“Not an investigation. I eavesdropped on her phone call,” Wang explained. “Yang Hongling is the second child in her family, with an older sister above and a younger brother below. Do you know what that means?”

Without waiting for an answer, Wang spoke up. “Her parents most likely valued her the least. She harbors resentment toward them.”

【How do you know?】

“Oh, she once secretly cried alone. I saw it. She cursed just about everyone around her at the time.” Wang concluded, This was a thoroughly deformed family.

Wang pointed at Ren Ying. “He’s also a second child, with an elder brother above and a younger brother below. Also the least valued.”

【That must be so hard.】 Tao Fangyi said quietly.

Wang corrected, “It’s deformed.”

Tao Fangyi could imagine it: Yang Hongling’s ex-husband died, and she had to bear the burden of life alone. Her natal family probably couldn’t help her.

She was most likely exhausted, mind and body. But an adult with a family isn’t allowed to stop. She didn’t even have time to break down. She had no choice but to keep moving forward.

So the start of her relationship with Ren Ying must have been complicated, probably not pure love.

She was just deathly tired, wanting a chance to catch her breath.

But her panicked emotions hadn’t disappeared, and Ren Xinxin, who later lived with her, had picked up on them.

【So it’s not that she isn’t sad or has moved on; it’s that she can’t afford to be sad. She must move on.】 Thinking of this, Tao Fangyi also felt a bit upset. 【Because in this world, there is no embrace to give her comfort.】

Wang: …

Is she really that pitiful?

【So hard.】 The very first emotion Tao Fangyi sensed upon seeing Yang Hongling was exhaustion.

Ren Ying stood dumbfounded for a long while. He first realized he needed to apply medicine to Ren Xinxin, but after discovering Li Yao had already done so, he asked if Li Yao had eaten dinner.

Li Yao said she had eaten and added that she was tired, then turned and returned to her room to rest.

She wanted some quiet time alone.

Ren Ying scratched his head and looked at his daughter. “Did Big Sister get angry?”

Ren Xinxin gave an “Mm,” and said, “Big Sister got angry at me.” She tugged at Ren Ying’s pants, a little at a loss.

Ren Ying pondered his daughter’s personality, then his eyes widened. “You didn’t lay a hand on Yaoyao, did you?!”

“No,” Ren Xinxin shook her head. “I… I just said that Sister Yaoyao had no mom or dad.”

Ren Ying: “You said what?”

Just as Li Yao entered her room and sat down, she heard a howl. She hurriedly pushed the door open to see Ren Ying spanking Ren Xinxin’s bottom.

Ren Xinxin’s cries were pitiful, but after one howl, she suddenly rammed her head into Ren Ying’s arm.

“Pity she doesn’t have ox horns,” Wang remarked regretfully.

【Why on earth do they resort to hitting at the slightest disagreement?】 Tao Fangyi, being squashed by Ren Xinxin, had the whole doll flattened.

“Apologize!” Ren Ying hauled Ren Xinxin up after seeing Li Yao.

Ren Xinxin obediently said sorry to Li Yao, but she glared fiercely at Ren Ying, as if she wanted to engage him in a duel.

“Who taught you to say that?” Ren Ying’s expression was stern.

“No one,” Ren Xinxin said, clutching the doll in her hand tighter.

Ren Ying’s tone grew harsher. “Speak!”

Ren Xinxin glanced at Li Yao, then lowered her head. “You all said Sister Yaoyao was born from Mom, but I’ve never seen that.”

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded.

“I haven’t seen Mom give birth to Sister Yaoyao.” Ren Xinxin didn’t understand why her own mother was also Li Yao’s mother, yet her own father wasn’t Li Yao’s father.

Something was off.

Ren Ying covered his face.

Tao Fangyi: 【Oh… a four-year-old kid. Normal.】

Ren Xinxin could barely speak fluently. She probably thought Li Yao was born bigger than her, so because she was larger, she was the big sister, and she herself was the little sister.

“Your big sister was born before you,” Ren Ying explained.

“But I only got to know Big Sister after I was born.” Ren Xinxin thought her dad was wrong.

So she thought that before she knew Li Yao, Li Yao never even existed.

【It’s already impressive for a four-year-old to distinguish fantasy from reality.】 Tao Fangyi was actually relieved. That had just been Ren Xinxin’s whimsical imagination, not something she’d been goaded into saying.

“Your big sister calls your mom ‘Mom’ at home all the time,” Ren Ying reminded her.

Ren Xinxin of course knew that.

But she hadn’t seen her mom give birth to Li Yao; her mom’s belly had never even been big.

Li Yao used to have a dad and a grandmother. Now Li Yao had neither.

So Li Yao went wandering, and they quickly brought her back, and in the end, her own mother became Li Yao’s mother.

Ren Xinxin used toddler language that most people couldn’t quite follow to explain the whole sequence of events.

Ren Ying had previously reminded Ren Xinxin not to bring up Li Yao’s dad, because Li Yao’s dad had passed away.

After blurting out “no mom or dad,” Ren Xinxin realized she had hurt Li Yao’s feelings.

Once Ren Xinxin finished explaining, everyone finally understood.

She thought that Li Yao originally only had a dad, but then the dad was gone. Coincidentally, Li Yao had no mom, so Yang Hongling seized the position and successfully brought Li Yao back to be Ren Xinxin’s big sister.

“So she thinks Li Yao is a captured wild elf?” Wang was astonished.

【Kids this age have so many whimsical ideas.】 Tao Fangyi wasn’t too surprised. 【That’s why when we eat their chaotic drawings, they have flavor. Once they grow up, they can’t do that anymore.】

Objects imbued with a child’s imagination sold for a high price on the Nineteenth Level. Besides flavor, these items often allowed one to experience the pure joy of a child.

For children this age, when they closed their eyes to sleep, the world disappeared. When they opened them again, the world turned back on.

Ren Ying was still trying to convince Ren Xinxin that Li Yao had been born first.

But Ren Xinxin thought Ren Ying was lying to kids.

Ren Xinxin also believed that her parents had snatched Li Yao because she wanted a big sister so badly.

Li Yao smiled helplessly, but it looked a bit bitter.

She accepted Ren Xinxin’s apology, then returned to her room.

Once again, she had no reason left to be angry.

Ren Ying then grilled Ren Xinxin about which teacher had beaten her.

He planned to go to the school the next day.

The child had gone missing, and until now, that teacher hadn’t contacted him or Yang Hongling.

He was going to see what kind of explanation the other side could offer.

Ren Xinxin hugged her grimy doll and went back to her own room.

Wang followed Tao Fangyi. “I think this family has a pretty big hidden flaw, and it’s bound to blow up sooner or later.”

【I’m about to start working.】 Tao Fangyi’s response was completely unrelated to what Wang was talking about.

“Working? What work do you have?”

【I’m a horror doll, remember.】

“Ah…” Wang had almost forgotten.

【Scaring this kid can’t be a straight-up jump scare, otherwise she’ll violently destroy the toy.】 Tao Fangyi said.

As soon as he spoke, the lights in the room began flickering wildly.

Ren Xinxin let out a cry, but not a kettle-boil scream—her voice was hoarse.

Countless fear value poured into Tao Fangyi.

“… She just got beaten by an unscrupulous teacher. Isn’t this a bit unfair?” Wang thought Tao Fangyi was being rather unprincipled.

Wind howled outside the window, and Ren Xinxin grew even more frightened.

She clung to the culprit and shuddered for a moment, then shut her eyes and bolted out.

She ran to Li Yao’s room.

“Huh? She’s not going to her dad?” Wang was quite surprised.

【She wouldn’t go to her dad.】 Tao Fangyi had figured it out. Ren Xinxin’s father was definitely not a bad person, but he didn’t communicate calmly with Ren Xinxin.

Ren Xinxin was afraid of her mother finding out she’d run back in the middle of the night. She seemed subconsciously afraid of worrying her mom.

Ren Xinxin jumped up, grabbed the door handle, and dashed into the room.

She stopped by the bedside and didn’t dare move rashly.

Li Yao had already turned off the light. She sensed Ren Xinxin’s arrival but didn’t understand what she wanted.

Ren Xinxin’s trembling hand touched Li Yao’s face, confirming she was a living person.

“What’s wrong?” Li Yao asked.

Ren Xinxin burst into loud sobs. “C-Can I sleep with you?”

Li Yao was puzzled.

Wang, standing nearby, helpfully explained, “She was just scared by Tao Fangyi.”

Li Yao: …

She had nearly forgotten Tao Fangyi was a horror doll.

Li Yao made room and let Ren Xinxin climb up.

The pain and bitterness in her heart was her own affair. Li Yao wouldn’t hold too much against a four-year-old.

Ren Xinxin squeezed onto her bed, or rather, she tried to squeeze into her embrace.

The feeling of a child was quite miraculous. Li Yao had never held Ren Xinxin before, but when the girl snuggled up, it reminded Li Yao of the first time she ever picked up a kitten.

She was truly such a tiny, tiny person.

“Sister Yaoyao, have you ever seen a ghost?” Ren Xinxin couldn’t sleep. She tried to strike up a conversation with Li Yao to seek a sense of safety.

Li Yao glanced in Wang’s direction.

Ren Xinxin asked again, “I’ve never killed anyone. What about you, Sister Yaoyao?”

Li Yao: “…Neither have I.”

“I wouldn’t dare kill.”

“If you dared, that would be a big problem.” What on earth was going through this kid’s head?

“Why?” Ren Xinxin didn’t understand.

While explaining to Ren Xinxin why daring to kill would be a big problem, Li Yao also wondered what exactly she was doing with her life.

Ren Xinxin’s head was full of so many whimsical thoughts, her questions seemed endless.

After answering countless questions, Li Yao, who had originally intended to put the earlier unpleasantness behind her, suddenly posed her own question: “Don’t you think I shouldn’t have come to your family at all?”

“No, I don’t.” Ren Xinxin said, hugging Li Yao.

“Why? Mom was originally only your mom. You must have not wanted her to be my mom, right?” Li Yao said.

“I want her to be your mom.” Ren Xinxin still didn’t understand why Li Yao had been born before her.

“Why?” Li Yao didn’t understand.

“Because I like Sister Yaoyao.” Ren Xinxin said quietly.

Li Yao: …

Ren Xinxin hugged Li Yao even tighter.

“Is it because I can take care of you?” She didn’t like taking care of others at all.

“I don’t know.” Ren Xinxin didn’t get it. “But ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to bring Sister Yaoyao back.”

Li Yao really wanted to remind Ren Xinxin that she was only actually four years old, not old enough to talk about “when I was little.”

“Sister Yaoyao isn’t that tall,” Ren Xinxin blurted out inexplicably. “I’m not tall either.”

“And then Sister Yaoyao can see me,” she said.

What did that mean?

“Tao Fangyi asked me to tell you,” Wang suddenly spoke.

“He said the kid means she doesn’t really understand her parents’ pain. No matter how sad you are, you’re still a kid too, just a slightly bigger kid. Ren Xinxin feels more understood by you.”

Ren Xinxin was indeed too young; she didn’t even know exactly how people were born or what time was. She could feel pain, but she couldn’t comprehend it.

The agony of losing a spouse? A blended family? Getting her to understand why a man and a woman were needed to have a baby was a struggle.

She only knew her parents were very, very busy, so busy that sometimes she had to stay overnight at kindergarten.

It felt like she was too short, and her parents rushed by without seeing her darting about.

Ren Xinxin of course didn’t know what the burdens of life were—after all, she was still learning how to be a “person.”

Her parents also couldn’t really understand her. Mom was always exhausted, Dad was always fierce.

But Li Yao was different. Li Yao wasn’t that tall; in her line of sight, there was room for a short kid.

Ren Xinxin could also clearly see Li Yao’s face. Compared to her taller parents, Li Yao, the older sister, was the adult Ren Xinxin looked up to more.

“I like Sister Yaoyao because Sister Yaoyao is a middle school student!” To Ren Xinxin, elementary schoolers were already impressive, let alone a middle schooler!

Anyway, the reasons were all sorts of bizarre and inexplicable.

Li Yao fell silent again, but this time she felt a bit more at a loss.

It was a bit like walking home from school when suddenly a small dog starts following you.

The puppy followed her without permission, decided on her without asking, regardless of what she thought.

Building a relationship was troublesome, especially when Li Yao wasn’t in the best state.

But the other party simply couldn’t understand that kind of reasoning and blurted out “I really like you” without permission.

The two of them clearly had nothing in common.

Though both were reincarnated demons, their past lives had no connection; they’d just happened to become half-sisters by a twist of fate.

They each had a story of their own. Logically speaking, their lives should have been parallel lines.

But they collided, as if starting a new predestined bond.

Many tangled thoughts swirled in Li Yao’s head.

Gradually, these thoughts grew murkier, and drowsiness slowly washed over her.

Just before falling asleep, she seemed to hear Tao Fangyi’s voice: “Congratulations. By the end of this lifetime, there will be one more person who cries for your departure.”

Li Yao fell asleep.

The grubby Tao Fangyi could finally move.

Fortunately, Ren Xinxin was hugging Li Yao at that moment, not using Tao Fangyi as a body pillow.

“Wang, come here.” Tao Fangyi beckoned to Wang.

Wang approached, confused.

Then Tao Fangyi reached out and touched Wang, infusing some spiritual power. “This way, you can see what they looked like in their past lives.”

In Wang’s vision, the two children lying on the bed disappeared, replaced by a seven-tailed white fox and a small ox.

Two creatures with no connection snuggled together, waiting for the night to pass.

Tao Fangyi was very pleased. He pulled Wang and asked, “Isn’t it heartwarming?”

Wang watched silently for a while.

Then he clicked his tongue. “Not bad.”