When it came to singing, Lei Meow Meow was a natural-born talent. Her vocal range was wide and flexible—she could easily shift from a soft, sweet girl’s tone to a deep, boyish sound, all without missing a beat.

That versatility stood out even more during a cappella performances. I still remembered her mini concert at Lose Moonlit Bar, where she dazzled us by flipping between those two distinct voices. If she was already impressive back then, rough around the edges as she was, after some serious training, her rendition of her new song “Restart” was nothing short of breathtaking.

Like a flawless piece of jade, finally carved by the hands of a master craftsman.

I had no idea who composed the song, but it felt tailor-made for her. A one-man choir—cheerful, gentle, fiery, playful, and composed. Five vocal tones seamlessly weaved together in a single performance. Even without any background music, her a cappella sounded vibrant and full, like a meteor breaking through the atmosphere, bursting into five radiant fragments as it blazed across the sky.

“If you liked that song, please look forward to the official release!”

With just one song, Lei Meow Meow lit the place up. The swimsuit pageant had become her personal showcase. With a voice like that, how could the crowd not become her fans?

Even Yan Liuzhuan praised her. “It’s like the Muse herself descended to bless us.”

Clearly, Lei Meow Meow had gone through some intense idol training to achieve this level in such a short time. Hard to believe she was still just a scrappy gang leader hanging out in KTVs a couple weeks ago. Fate really does work in strange ways.

“Aiyaa, Meow Meow just played her ace card. Looks like Qiaojue doesn't stand a chance now... Ahh, Tangerine, you’re still so nice to cuddle~”

Haitang stood up and glomped Tangerine from behind, rubbing her cheek affectionately. Tangerine clearly didn’t agree with her assessment but couldn’t find any faults in Meow Meow’s performance either. She pouted in silence, grumpy but adorable.

My little sister, pouting like that... man, I really wanna hug her too.

Speaking of little sisters, another one was here too—Xiao Cangyu, who’d been dragged around all afternoon by Haitang and Yang Qi. Her energy bar was completely drained, both her console and herself. Even Meow Meow’s electrifying song hadn’t revived her. She flopped onto Brother Feng Wu’s back like a dead fish, practically radiating saltiness.

With her showstopping number done, Lei Meow Meow struck a playful pose and winked at Qiaojue, her ruby-red eyes sparkling with uncontainable joy.

Qiaojue sighed, a helpless smile on her lips. She glanced at the host, then shook her head.

“No doubt about it—she’s definitely a rising star. I withdraw.”

She reached behind her back and, to everyone’s astonishment—including Meow Meow’s—pulled out a white cloth, a set of rainbow ribbons, a conductor’s baton… and even a live white dove. She was wearing a black bikini the whole time. Did she have, like, a Doraemon-style pocket back there or something?

Finally, she produced a bouquet of nine red roses and handed it to Meow Meow.

“Then beautiful idol, does our little promise from before still count?”

“Of course! I’d be happy to!”

The Aqua World staff were scrambling to catch the now-loose dove.

“Ahem… Since Miss Bei Qiaojue has withdrawn, there’s no need to vote,” the female host finally managed to squeeze in a word, trying to regain control. “I believe both the judges and our lovely guests would agree—Lei Meow Meow is our swimsuit contest champion!”

Then, a balding old man who’d been even unnoticed ran up from the edge of the stage and crowned Meow Meow with a shiny golden tiara.

Apparently, that was the championship prize. Real gold or not, Meow Meow loved the sparkle.

“Little Chang Kai,” came a sudden voice beside me, “you better move fast. That girl looks like some serious competition.”

Sis Yuanyue startled me. I hadn’t even noticed her approach in all the noise—how did she sneak up like that?

“Move fast with what?”

I kind of knew what she meant but played dumb.

“With my daughter, of course. Don’t you want to be my son-in-law?”

“Since when did I say I wanted to be your son-in-law?!”

Onstage, the speeches wrapped up. Qiaojue took Meow Meow by the hand and led her offstage. Meow Meow looked genuinely happy. Wait, what?! Did that yuri-loving Beiqiao Jue just snatch Meow Meow away?!

“It’s fine. Even if she’s cold to you now, she used to speak pretty highly of you,” Sis Yuanyue said. “Besides, both her father and I are on board with you becoming our son-in-law, so go for it. Any other pesky flies? We’ll swat them for you.”

Flies? But flies only go after that! You know, that!

“I’m telling you, I’m not going for her...”

“Oh? Even with such a lovely girl—and an idol to boot—you’re not tempted? Don’t tell me... little Chang Kai has a thing for boys?” she said, casting a suspicious glance at Rinka.

“No I do NOT!”

I do want a girlfriend, okay? Just… not Meow Meow. Maybe our vibes don’t match. Or maybe, deep down, I still feel weird about someone who transformed into a girl.

Yuanyue definitely knew what I was thinking—she was just pretending not to. Still, she seemed serious about wanting me to pursue her daughter. Funny how the “toughest boss” is usually the mom, and here she is, practically begging me to date her kid.

“It’s getting late. The park doesn’t run night sessions during soft open. You guys also should head home.”

She glanced at her phone—probably Meow Meow texting her—gave Haitang a quick goodbye, and left in a rush.

As if cued by the contest’s end, the crowd that had packed the area just minutes before now started to thin rapidly.

Not long after Yuanyue left, Haitang received a message and frowned.

“Ugh, Qiaojue really did run off with Meow Meow, huh? I invited her out today and barely even saw her. Next time, I’m gonna make her pay!”

And Qiaojue walked away with a 5,000-yuan shopping voucher on top of that. I figured it was best not to mention that right now.

“Let’s head back too,” Haitang suggested. “We’ll grab dinner at a place in Tianping, then call it a day.”

“No problem. We’ll leave it all to Haitang-sama~”

After a full day of playing, I was exhausted. Even though we had loads of meat at the BBQ at lunch, I was starving again—turns out water activities burn more energy than you think.

We showered, changed, and as I stepped out of Aqua World, the evening heat hit me like a wall. Even though the sun was setting, it was still stifling. My shower already felt like a waste.

We followed Brother Feng Wu back to the parking lot. Little Cangyu, running on zero battery, was out cold the moment she got in the car—curled against Yang Qi’s shoulder, her kelp-like hair bouncing gently with every bump.

Since Qiaojue had left with Meow Meow’s crew, Haitang took the backseat and chatted around with Yang Qi. Tangerine sat by the window in the second row, I took the middle, and Rinka sat by the door.

Yan Liuzhuan had somehow synced up with Brother Feng Wu over the course of the day. Even though he was silent in the front seat, the two of them gave off a vibe like they’d known each other for years.

The day’s activities drained every ounce of my energy. I dozed off against the seat, and when I woke up, we were already in the parking lot of Tianping Commercial District.

We had dinner at a nearby restaurant, and afterward, Brother Feng Wu dropped us off on Mifeng Street before driving off with Xiao Cangyu.

As we passed the edge of the village, I thought I caught a whiff of home-cooked stir-fry in the air. I looked up but saw nothing. A strange pang welled up in my chest. Even though Master Halliluya had assured Old Feng was safe, I still wondered… where had she gone?

I didn’t want to be the guy cursed with misfortune either.

“Hey, Commander...”

Haitang suddenly stopped and turned, chin in hand, thinking hard.

“Did we forget something?”

“Huh?” Tangerine and I looked at each other.

“Hmm... I can’t remember. Oh well, it probably wasn’t important.”

The moment she said it, I felt that weird off-balance sensation—like something wasn’t quite right...

“Wait—I know what we forgot!”

I slapped my forehead in realization.

“That wooden sword you bought!”