I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I stood up and made my way over to Fei’s table.

She was still in the restroom, and with Rinka and Xiao Lei there, she was in good hands. I figured I’d come here instead and try talking to Huangfu Jing—see if I could break through that rebellious shell of hers.

Besides, Aunt Huaying was in the loop. Talking to her shouldn’t be too difficult.

“Good morning, Madam Huaying. I’m a friend of Rinka’s.”

She looked slightly surprised, but gave a polite nod. “Ah, you must be Miss Lingmeng, right? Rinka told me you were breathtakingly beautiful—and I see that wasn’t an exaggeration.”

“Oh, no, no! That’s way too much praise!” I waved my hands quickly, trying to deflect the compliment. A simple bumpkin girl like me couldn’t possibly live up to something like “breathtakingly beautiful.”

Also—why “Chang Lingmeng” and not “Chang Kai”? Did Rinka introduce me to her aunt already assuming I was a girl…?

I turned toward the girl across from me, the one with the skull pins on her baseball cap. “You must be little Jing?”

Huangfu Jing glanced up at me and replied, “Hi, big sis Lingmeng.”

Huh. I didn’t expect a response. With kids in full-on rebellion mode, I thought she’d just ignore me. But this was a good sign—it meant her first impression of me wasn’t bad. Sometimes, being good-looking really is a cheat code.

I slipped around the table and sat down beside her, taking the seat Fei had vacated.

“So, can you tell me what you said earlier that made your big sis Fei so upset?”

“I don’t know…” she mumbled, pulling the brim of her cap lower and slumping back in her chair. Aunt Huaying looked just as troubled.

Well, this was our first time meeting, so there wasn’t enough rapport to expect total honesty. But it wasn’t hard to guess—she must’ve brought up Old Feng.

“Do you like your big sis Fei?”

“Of course I do!” she blurted out, her voice full of emotion. “When Mom suddenly told me that I had an older sister out there somewhere, I was really, really happy.”

Whoa—plot twist! So she wasn’t just some honorary goddaughter—Aunt Huaying actually treats Fei (a.k.a. her ex-husband) as her real daughter?!

I pressed on. “Why were you so happy? That time, you hadn’t even met her yet, right?”

“You don’t get it, big sis,” Jing muttered, lifting her head a little and shooting a glance at her mom. “It’s just… having another family member is something to be happy about on its own. It’s always been just me and Mom all these years. If I had a sister, the house wouldn’t feel so empty anymore.”

“…What if—just what if—your dad came back someday? Would you be okay with that?”

“Oh? So you know about our situation too?” Her eyes instantly went dull, like a dead fish, and her attitude toward me shifted to icy indifference. “Of course I wouldn’t accept that. This is all his fault.”

“Jing, don’t say things like that,” Aunt Huaying scolded, but the girl didn’t even flinch. She just kept radiating negativity.

“He must’ve killed someone and left us with all that debt. That’s why Mom divorced him, right? Otherwise, why wouldn’t our family have faced it together?”

Her words made my chest tighten. I pushed back.

“Your dad was falsely accused.”

“Falsely? Who can prove that? He’s never even come to see us once in all these years! Isn’t that basically a confession of guilt?”

“You’re Feng Jingsheng’s daughter. Anyone else might give up on him, but not you… Your father is not a murderer.”

That struck a nerve. Jing’s patience snapped and she snapped back, “Who even are you to lecture me?!”

I realized I was getting too heated. I took a breath, softened my tone, and tried a different angle.

“I really do know your dad. Back when he was down and out, he was running a little stir-fry stall near where I lived. But he never forgot about you and your mom.”

“Do you remember a crayon drawing? About this big? It showed three people—a family of three.”

Jing blinked. Her eyes flickered with something complex.

“So you do remember. That drawing? He’s kept it this whole time. It’s one of his most treasured things.”

She lowered her head, covered her face with her hands, and fell silent. Aunt Huaying’s eyes were misting up too.

If you’re going to cry, then stop saying how much you hate your dad, alright? Ugh, adolescence is such a pain.

At that moment, Rinka returned, helping a calmer-looking Fei back to the table. Xiao Lei followed close behind, giving me a subtle shoulder nudge. I quickly got up and gave Fei her seat back.

She’d clearly composed herself, but anyone could see the lingering sadness in her eyes. Rinka met my gaze and shook her head slightly. She’d tried her best.

“I’m sorry, big sis Fei. I didn’t know you and Dad were so close…”

Even if she didn’t know the whole story, Jing had started to sense something. She immediately leaned toward Fei to apologize. Her affection for this “big sister” was real—just as real as her resentment toward her father.

“It’s okay. If you don’t like him, then… just think of it as if he doesn't exist.”

Was she giving up?

We couldn’t tell what Fei had gone through in her heart to say something like that—to completely sever her identity as his child. What kind of sick joke is that?

Aunt Huaying, who had been quietly listening the whole time, couldn’t hold back anymore and started to cry.

Xiao Lei tugged at my sleeve.

She whispered, “Sis Fei didn’t want to change back in the bathroom. She’s giving up on being male again. Does that mean she’s accepted her identity as a woman now? Does this count as completing the quota?”

“No. I can’t accept this. Even if it does count, I won’t accept it!”

I was firm. “Even if Sis Fei is okay with this ending—how is this happiness? Our whole goal is to help people find real happiness, isn’t it?”

What Fei was doing now… was just carrying all the weight herself again. Just like how Old Feng always used to do.

And that’s wrong.

“I can’t accept it either!” Rinka had somehow joined us at some point—she startled me. “I don’t know what ‘quota’ you’re talking about, but Kai-chan, do you have another idea?”

“I do. One last-ditch, all-or-nothing plan!”

…

…

When I explained it, Rinka’s face went pale. “Wow. That really is all-or-nothing. If it fails, they won’t even be able to be sisters anymore.”

“Exactly. Once this starts, failure isn’t an option. So our goal now is to make sure the odds of success are as high as possible—and I’ve already got some ideas for that.”

Xiao Lei asked hesitantly, “Will Sis Fei even agree to a plan like this? One with no backup?”

“We’ll make her agree!” Rinka said, matching my resolve. Her eyes darted mischievously before lighting up. “Wait, I get it now—Kai-chan, you’re saying we need to include Sis Fei in the plan!”

Atta girl. She really does understand me. I nodded. “Exactly. Right now, Sis Fei has completely withdrawn into her shell. She wouldn’t have the courage to go through with this plan on her own. So until the final step… we keep the details hidden from her.”

Xiao Lei added, “Should we tell Madam Huaying, then?”

“Actually, don’t worry about that—because I heard everything,” came a voice behind us. “Of course I can’t accept it if it ends like this, thus I agree for you to carry out your plan.”

Wait—Aunt Huaying had been eavesdropping this whole time?!

Seriously, what is it with the Huangfu family and the silent approaches?

Even Rinka jumped. “Wah! Auntie?! When did you start listening?!”

“Probably around the part where Miss Lingmeng said, ‘I’ve got one last-ditch plan!’”

“Wait—that’s basically everything! You heard the whole thing?!”