When little Rinka told me that Jing’er and Xiao Kai had been kidnapped, my vision drained of color. My nerves were so tight I couldn’t think, and even my hands and feet went cold.

What made it worse was that I couldn’t do anything about it. I didn’t even know where to start looking for them. Wasn’t this my fault? If I’d kept a better eye on Jing’er, they wouldn’t have been taken by those local thugs.

Fortunately, Rinka and Kai had dependable friends. They managed to bring both girls back safely in the end.

“If I hadn’t let go of her hand, Jing’er wouldn’t have wandered off down that alley… and Kai wouldn’t have gone after her. None of this would’ve happened.”

“You shouldn’t think that way. This wasn’t your fault.” The one who said that was Huaying.

I was sitting on the edge of the bed in the bedroom, and she was behind me, perched on the mattress, carefully tying up my hair. She gathered the long strands at mid-back and began wrapping them with a white satin ribbon borrowed from Rinka.

Part of it was to keep my hair from interfering while I cooked. The other part was to protect it from oil and smoke. Honestly, Huaying took better care of this hair than I ever did—she said it was the most precious gift the god had given me.

But to me, the true blessing from the divine was getting to see them—her and Jing’er—again.

“All done! It really suits you.”

Huaying clapped her hands together with a satisfied smile as she stood up. I turned to look at the floor-length mirror, and my face grew a little warm.

She’d tied the excess ribbon into a big snowy-white bow at the back of my head. Honestly, it looked adorable—but for someone with the mental age of thirty-seven, it was hard to accept this kind of look.

Even though Rinka was always reminding me that I’m seventeen now, my lived experience hasn’t vanished. There’s still a distance between me and kids their age… more than just the way we talk.

“Huaying… isn’t this bow a little too girly?”

“What are you saying? You are a girl now, my sweet—daughter~”

Daughter… huh?

Even if we could be reunited, we could never return to what we were—husband and wife.

The best years of Huaying’s life, her youth, her womanhood… it all slipped away because of me. After our divorce, she never remarried. She raised Jing’er alone. That, too, was my responsibility. And yet here I was, useless as ever, reborn at seventeen and given another chance to do things right.

I wouldn’t waste it this time.

“You’re brooding again, aren’t you?”

In the mirror, I saw Huaying gently wrap her arms around me from behind. Her breath brushed my ear as she whispered:

“I think about it too, Jingsheng. Sometimes I wonder… if I hadn’t agreed to the divorce back then, would things have turned out differently?”

“Wouldn’t it have just made life harder for you?”

If she’d given up her life as the daughter of the Huangfus to follow a penniless man like me, she and Jing’er would’ve suffered for it. That’s one decision I’ve never regretted—even if it was painful, I don’t regret it.

She tightened her embrace, as if trying to melt me into her warmth.

“But if I had… then I could’ve held you like this. I could’ve kept you close. I’m sorry, Jingsheng… You and Jing’er, you both deserved better from me. That’s why I swear—I’ll make sure Jing’er calls you ‘Dad’ again one day.”

I froze. It felt like all the wind had gone out of me. Jing’er hates me so much… what’s the point of even trying?

“I’ve already given up on turning back and facing her. Even if I live the rest of my life as Huangfu Fei, I can still care for the both of you.”

“No… that’s not the same.”

“Enough,” I said, gently patting her arm to cut her off. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. I should get started on dinner—it’s getting late. The kids must be hungry.”

“Pfft~” Huaying suddenly stifled a giggle. When I gave her a puzzled look, she teased, “You are one of the kids now, you know? Fei’er~”

“F-Fei’er?!”

That was the first time she’d called me that. Coming from someone who used to be my wife, it was honestly a little embarrassing.

“Fei’er, you should just accept it already.”

She finally let go and gently turned me to face the mirror again. Holding my head in place, she urged, “Look closely. This is you now—seventeen, a girl.”

In the reflection, I looked so young. But the woman behind me… she was already aging.

“I’m sorry.”

“What for? I’ll always love you.”

“Huaying, I…”

She pressed a hand over my mouth and looked toward the bedroom door.

…

“Oh come on, you two! Are you just going to sit there? Shouldn’t you be kissing right about now?”

That little imp Rinka had poked her head into the room, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She goaded us: “The mood’s perfect—you might as well go for a home run, right?”

Home run? What’s that supposed to mean?

I didn’t get it, but judging by Huaying’s red face, she definitely did. She scolded, “Shoo! You little brat, where are your manners? What are you even doing in here?”

“What do you mean? This is me and Sis Fei’s boudoir! Of course I can come in! If Auntie wants to share the bed too, I don’t mind… Ow! That hurts!”

Because Rinka only rented a one-bedroom place, I slept on the couch at first. But eventually, we got used to sharing the bed. Two girls sharing—nothing strange about it… really.

“I really should get dinner started.”

While Huaying twisted Rinka’s ear, I stood up with a sigh. Thanks to the two of them, my heart felt a little lighter again.

Out in the living room, Xiao Kai and Miss Xiao Lei were sitting on the couch watching TV. When they saw me come out, they waved. Whether that whole “blessing from the gods” thing was real or not, they really had given me a new life.

“Sis Fei looks super cute in an apron!”

The moment I stepped into the kitchen, Jing’er ran in after me. She wasn’t wearing her usual cap today. Her golden hair was parted neatly down the middle, her wide, shiny forehead showing through—just like Huaying’s.

She was so attached to me now—maybe even more than to her mother. But that’s only because she doesn’t know I used to be her useless father. If she ever found out… she’d probably hate me again.

So in front of her, I’ll be Huangfǔ Fei. That’s enough.

“When you grow up, you’ll be even prettier than your big sister. Now go wait in the living room—big sis is going to start cooking.”

The moment I mentioned cooking, something shifted in her expression. Just for a second, her eyes turned distant. She must’ve been reminded of the man I used to be—Feng Jingsheng.

After Jing’er left, Huaying came in holding an apron of her own.

“It’s been ages since I cooked properly. I hope I haven’t gotten rusty. Want me to help out?”

“No need. You should go relax with the others.”

But she insisted. “It’s been so long since we cooked together. Let me be selfish, just this once.”

“Alright, but this kitchen’s small. Be careful.”

She tied on her apron and rolled up her sleeves with a determined gleam in her eye.

“Don’t worry. After all those years as a single mom, my cooking’s on a whole different level now.”

…A whole different level, huh?

“Yeah. We’ve all changed a lot…”

“But some things haven’t changed, Jingsheng. Me, and the kids—we’ll show you.”