“Where were both of you when you were holding me just moments ago? No one thought to help me? You just wanted to see me embarrass myself, didn’t you?”

Face burning, I ran back to the waiting area. Fueled by shame and rage, I gave both Rinka and Xiao Lei light thumps on their heads.

Rinka was doubled over, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Xiao Lei caught my hand mid-swing and tried to explain. “Okay, okay! Don’t hit us! You just looked so into that red carpet moment! Our big movie star!”

“You’ve got some nerve! I—I’m gonna pound you!”

Ugh. I was mortified.

It was only 10:30. We’d arrived way too early. There was no way a fancy buffet like this would be packed before lunch, so the waiting area wasn’t crowded. Lots of sofas were still open, but I still squeezed myself between the two of them, arms crossed in a pout, assuming my ‘spoiled harem protagonist’ posture.

“By the way, if the place isn’t open yet, where’s Sis Fei?”

She wasn’t anywhere in the waiting area.

“They’re still downstairs shopping. They’ll be up here later.”

The three of them out shopping together, huh? If only Fei were back to being Uncle Feng, that would really complete the family picture.

But it doesn't matter. Today’s mission was all about helping Fei’s wish come true.

That’s right—I will be the one to change her fate!

As time passed, more guests came up from the elevators—stylishly dressed people who were clearly loaded.

That young woman draped all over the chubby balding guy? Definitely some bigshot’s mistress. The old man with the monocle? Either a corrupt official or a shady businessman. And that girl with hair trailing all the way to her heels—wait, that’s Fei.

Just as I was getting lost in my rich-people-hating thoughts, Fei arrived. The older woman beside her was none other than Old Feng’s ex-wife—Rinka’s aunt—Huangfu Huaying, the woman strong enough to reclaim her ex-husband as her daughter.

I always look people in the eyes first. The way Aunt Huaying looked at Fei was full of gentle regret.

She was wearing that blue dress Fei had picked out earlier. As she walked, the translucent outer chiffon fluttered behind her like a fairy’s wings.

Based on Old Feng’s age, Aunt Huaying had to be in her forties. She was holding up well, but if compared to someone like Sis Yuanyue—who seemingly achieved eternal youth, it was clear time had left its marks. Makeup could hide wrinkles, but it couldn’t quite erase the slight sagging of skin and muscles.

Looking at Old Feng who was granted another youth, the contrast was striking.

Wait—what if writing a woman’s name in the notebook also reverses their age to 17? I’ll have to ask Master Halliluya about that later.

Walking just behind them was their daughter, Huangfu Jing. She actually looked quite a bit like Fei. That suggested the "notebook-given beauty" wasn’t completely conjured from divine imagination—there must have been some DNA reference.

Jing was thirteen, right in the middle of her adolescent growth spurt. With Fei’s elite genes, she was filling out fast—in fact, she’d already outpaced the two ironing boards flanking me. Hmph. The youth really are terrifying…

Suddenly, I got a twin boob-poke from both sides—pinched by Rinka and Xiao Lei simultaneously.

“Wah! What was that for?!”

Neither of them answered. They just turned their heads and ignored me… Wait—can they read minds now?

I’ll say it—sure, she’s got potential in the chest department, but that brat is not cute at all.

Her eyes were dead and disinterested, like a zombie. She looked like she was glaring at the whole world. Her hoodie was loud and obnoxious—looking like a third-rate rapper. She wore a baseball cap pinned with two hyper-realistic skull pins that were straight-up creepy.

In short, she looked like trouble.

Oh, and her hair? Blonde. Peeking out from under the cap like she was Lei Meow Meow 2.0.

Was it natural?

…No way. Definitely dyed. There’s no chance Fei would sign off on that.

“Your little cousin’s got quite the delinquent vibe,” I remarked.

Rinka sighed. “Yeah… Auntie can’t really control her. Single-parent households tend to end up like that, right? There’s only so much one person can handle.”

“Hey, I was raised by a single parent too, and I turned out great, thank you very much. That excuse is way overused. Even Meow Meow’s dad used the same line back then. Stop blaming everything on family.”

“Yeah, yeah, Kai-chan’s a good kid.”

“Hands off the head!” I batted her hand away. “Anyway, the solution’s simple. Just transfer her to Biyang Girls’ Academy. If Meow Meow can’t whip her into shape, no one can.”

“We’ve tried suggesting that. But little Jing’s no fool—she knows once she’s enrolled, her free-spirited days are over. She refuses. And Auntie won’t force her.”

Xiao Lei chimed in thoughtfully. “Discipline is important when raising kids. A childhood without a few spankings isn’t complete.”

…Coming from Zhao Zhao’s standpoint, who was raised on daily beatings by his mom, she kind of has a point. Even if that did turn him into a total twisted pervert.

Rinka blinked. “Wait—Xiao Lei, you got beaten all the time?! Isn’t that too harsh for a girl?”

I quickly explained, “She’s talking about her cousin.”

To sum up: this Huangfu Jing brat’s rebellious streak came from a lack of strict authority. That role should’ve been Old Feng’s to play. Hopefully, once Fei switches back, she’ll give her a proper spanking.

The restaurant finally opened, and the three of us followed behind Fei’s group. After paying the not-so-small entry fee, Rinka went to rejoin them, leaving Xiao Lei and me to find seats on our own.

The buffet area was more like a rooftop garden, decked out with fresh flowers, music fountains, and tall mist sprayers to keep things cool outdoors.

The seats along the outer edge offered a great view of Tianping’s maze of elevated walkways—a total vibe, and obviously the most popular. They filled up fast. Clearly, the early birds were here to snag those premium spots.

Fei’s group sat near the center of the terrace. Xiao Lei and I found a two-person table nearby… unfortunately, it was under a big awning.

“She won’t be heading to the bathroom right away,” I said. “Let’s grab food first.”

Before we entered, Rinka had passed the bag containing Old Feng’s clothes to Xiao Lei.

“She’s not gonna go that soon, right? What do you want to eat, Commander? I’ll go get it for you~”

“Well, considering how much we just paid, go for the fancy stuff. Sashimi, lobster… maybe some juice too. No soda.”

“On it!”

Since Xiao Lei volunteered, I didn’t bother getting up. I rested my chin on my hand and pretended to zone out, all while spying through a gap in the plants at Fei’s table.

The place was big, but sparsely seated, so I couldn’t hear anything from this distance.

But one thing was clear: Huangfu Jing really liked Fei. She was clinging to her and chatting away, clearly more attached than she was to Rinka or even her own mom.

Rinka and Aunt Huaying had gone to get food, leaving Jing glued to Fei. But the latter seemed totally overwhelmed—withdrawn and unsure how to deal with someone who was, at least nominally, her “younger sister,” yet also her “daughter.”

Xiao Lei returned, balancing two fully loaded plates.

“Sashimi, lobster, and there’s abalone soup—though I couldn’t carry that last one. If you want it, you’ll have to grab a bowl yourself.”

I looked around. Most guests had just a small plate or two.

“Isn’t it kinda tacky to pile on food like this at a high-end buffet?”

“So what if I’m uncultured? Since this is already paid for—I have the right to eat my fill.”

With that, she chomped right down on half a lobster shell. Crunch crunch.

Honestly, she and Zhao Zhao are equally thick-skinned. But in situations like this, it might actually be an asset.

“Hey, your lip gloss,” I reminded her.

One bite and it was already smudging.

“Ah… I’ll get Rinka to touch it up later…” Huh. She actually cares? That’s surprisingly girly of her.

About twenty minutes into the meal, Fei finally stood up and headed toward the restroom. But something was clearly off—she covered her mouth halfway there. That classic move to stop yourself from crying.

Rinka noticed too and hurried after her. As she passed our table, she signaled subtly to Xiao Lei.

Got it. Xiao Lei picked up the bag with the clothes and followed along.

Huangfu Jing, confused and stiff-faced, looked like she wanted to chase after them too—but Aunt Huaying gently pulled her back into her seat with a sigh.

It wasn’t hard to guess—she must’ve said something hurtful without even realizing.

I hesitated for a moment… and then stood up.