Fei’s face turned pitch black—like a Zambian miner who’d rolled through a pile of coal.

Honestly, given how serious Jing looked just now, it didn’t feel quite right to laugh. But the way she spun that entire tragic backstory of Fei just from digging through one old suitcase, and then killed off her own dad in the process… It was way too much.

“Pfft—mghff! Hahaha!”

Rinka was the first to lose it. She tried to stifle her laughter with both hands, but a few giggles still slipped through.

And laughter is contagious.

First Rinka, then me, then Xiao Lei—and even Aunt Huaying was covering her mouth with a small chuckle. The only one looking totally lost was the little girl herself.

Meanwhile, Fei—the alleged “deceased”—was very much not laughing. In fact, she looked like she was about to cry.

“Mama? Why are you all laughing? That’s so mean! Did I get it wrong? Auuu…”

That final wail was because Rinka had flicked her on the forehead. She said, “Of course you got it wrong. Your dad’s not dead.”

“Eh?” Jing clutched her forehead, confused. “Then why did Sis Fei bring Dad’s clothes with her?”

Rinka gave us a look. Dinner wasn’t technically over yet, but the timing felt right. It was time to cue the final act.

I got up and walked over behind Jing. Leaning down slightly, I asked gently, “I’m going to ask you something seriously. Do you really want to see your dad again? This time, think carefully before you answer.”

Maybe it was because of the two false starts before, but she instinctively turned to look at Fei, who just stared back with a complicated expression.

“I really hate my dad… for running away from me and Mom.”

Fei’s head dropped immediately.

But that wasn’t the end of what Jing had to say. She stood up on her chair, looked down at all of us, and declared loud and clear: “But I still want to see him! I miss my dad! Every single day I wish he’d come home!”

Fei raised her head, tears silently rolling down her cheeks.

So in the end, all that “I hate my dad” stuff—just words, huh?

I mean, what kid deep down doesn’t want their father to come back?

“That’s a great answer!”

Rinka led a round of applause. Jing, now a bit embarrassed, sat back down—only to be swept up into Aunt Huaying’s arms.

“My sweet Jing’er’s grown so thoughtful.”

“I’m sorry, Mama. I’ve been too stubborn sometimes. I know I’ve made things hard for you…”

Everything that happened today clearly hit her hard. The rebellious teen had gone soft, curling up quietly in her mother’s embrace.

Off to the side, Fei looked like she desperately wanted to join the hug too, but wasn’t sure what role she should play. She fidgeted back and forth, uncertain, and the whole scene was kind of… ridiculous.

I leaned toward Rinka and whispered, “So… what now? Should we just tell her?”

“No need,” she said. “We’ll leave the explaining to Auntie later.”

Once the dishes had mostly been cleared, Rinka turned to Fei, took her arm, and smiled.

“Alright, Sis Fei, would you come with me for a moment? Time to get everything ready.”

She stood up and pulled a very confused Fei toward the back room. Aunt Huaying followed after them, leaving me, Jing, and Xiao Lei—who was still shoveling food into her mouth—at the table.

“What are Mama and the others doing?”

“It’s a surprise~ So just be patient and wait here, okay?”

To keep the little gremlin from sneaking a peek, Xiao Lei stepped in for Aunt Huaying and locked her arms around Jing in a very firm hug. Just a hug… allegedly. Jing clearly wasn’t thrilled.

“Xiao Lei-jiejie, your ribs are so hard! They’re poking me! It hurts!”

Kids are delicate, huh? They’ll call out in pain just by getting hit by an iron board.

Xiao Lei didn’t look too pleased being compared to an iron board, but I figured she wouldn’t take it personally. That is, until her arm accidentally brushed against the thirteen-year-old’s chest and…

Yep. Xiao Lei started crying.

From the bottom of her heart, she shouted to the heavens, “Why, God!? Why!?”

Apparently, she’d just lost to a middle schooler… in a very specific category.

Honestly, if you averaged out my and Xiao Lei’s bust size, I think we’d both be pretty happy.

“Xiao Lei, if you’re done, can you help me bring out Sis Fei—wait, are you crying!?”

Rinka came back alone from the back room. Looked like Fei and Aunt Huaying were all set.

“It’s no big deal. I’ll leave this radiant ball of hope”—she shot a pointed glance at Jing’s chest—“to you. Commander, we’re off.”

With a pat, Xiao Lei pushed the still-clueless Jing toward Rinka, then took my hand and dragged me into the bathroom. Of course, I brought my bag with me—since when it came to turning pretty girls back into grown men, Notebook-sama was never particularly motivated. Might not even teleport over.

“Uh… why are you bringing Kai-chan in with you?” Rinka asked.

“She’s an important sacrifice!” Xiao Lei replied, using her usual excuse.

Just before the door closed, I heard Rinka muttering, “Sacrifice? What does the god need Kai-chan’s sultry body for?”

…This girl’s thought process is something else.

Inside the bathroom, Xiao Lei started chanting and waving her hands around like a fake priestess. I pulled out the notebook and wiped off the name Feng Jingsheng. It only took a moment—so quick that when we came back out, Rinka looked surprised.

“That’s it? You’re done?”

“Yep. What are you doing?”

On the sofa, Rinka had Jing in her lap, tickling her mercilessly. The kid was laughing so hard she was crying, and Rinka showed no signs of stopping.

“I just wanted to cuddle her, but she said my ribs were poking her!”

“I’m joining in!” Xiao Lei, naturally, joined forces and dove right in to help torment the loli.

At this point, Jing’s face was flushed, tears and drool were everywhere, and her eyes were unfocused… For a thirteen-year-old, that expression was way too questionable. You’d never guess they were just tickling her.

“Hahaha~ Stop, I’m gonna pee!”

“Hey!” Rinka quickly let go, leaving Jing looking thoroughly wrecked as she flopped bonelessly onto the couch.

“Seriously, why are you two taking this so seriously with a kid?”

I sat down next to her and pulled her into my arms. “Rinka, go check how Sis Fei is doing.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going. I’ll leave her with you—Soft Pillow Extraordinaire!”

She trotted off to knock on the door to the inner room, while Xiao Lei rubbed her belly and wandered back to the table to finish off her rice.

After resting a bit, Jing seemed to calm down. Her wide forehead leaned softly against my chest.

“Sis Lingmeng’s hugs are so comfy~”

Her head brushing against me made me feel a little ticklish.

“Do you still remember what your dad was like?”

“Yeah… The whole left side of his face was covered in burn scars. He was blind in his left eye, and his beard was all prickly. But he made really yummy food. He didn’t talk much, but he was really kind to me and Mama.”

She wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Sis Lingmeng… I don’t get it. Why did Dad divorce Mom? Did he stop loving us?”

Given the timeline—Uncle Feng starting his street stall in the village—she must’ve been younger than ten when the divorce happened.

A kid under ten wouldn’t understand something like that. All she’d remember is that one day, the dad she adored left and never came back. That huge emotional gap must’ve planted resentment deep in her heart.

“Of course your dad still loves you. He just didn’t want you two to suffer with him. Your grandma… she would’ve never accepted a man who had nothing to his name.”

In the end, the root of all this mess was that old lady, Huangfu Yuehua.

“I actually know all that already,” she said. “That’s why I hate Grandma. That’s why I don’t want to go to her school either. I just want Dad to come back…”

So she wasn’t resisting Biyang Girls Academy because of discipline—it was resentment, pure and simple.

“That’s nice, though… You still know your dad. You can say clearly why you’re mad at him.”

She looked up at me, surprised. Her broad forehead reflected the overhead light.

“But me? I’ve never even met my mom… I hope she’ll come back someday, but I don’t even know if I like her or hate her. I don’t know her at all.”

“Did your mom and dad get divorced too?”

“She just disappeared. But it’s been so long, it might as well be the same.”

“It’s okay! Your mama will definitely come back someday!”

There was no basis for that optimism, but it was warm. And I wanted to believe it too.

“Alright, girls! That’s enough heart-to-heart time!”

Rinka bounded out of the back room, skipped over to the couch, and pulled a black cloth from her pocket.

“Now then, my dear little cousin Jing, it’s time for your big cousin to perform a magic trick! Quick, close your eyes!”

As for the name of the trick?

Let’s call it: The Grand Transformation.