Even though Uncle Lei Luo cheerfully told us to “Go back and keep eating!”
After everything that just happened, who could still have the appetite?

Well... someone could.
When we returned to the private room in the Sichuan restaurant, Xiao Lei had nearly cleaned off the entire table.

“I’ll take Xiao Xi home first. Let me treat you another time, Miss Divine Emissary.”

Lei Meow Meow and Tian Xi were heading out early.

Maybe she'd finally dismissed her doubts, Meow Meow even patted Xiao Lei on the head before leaving.

Seeing Sis Xi still looking shaken, I spoke up to comfort her.
“You should be smiling now, Sis Xi. This is all good news, right?”

She looked up and forced a bitter smile.

Her emotions were still a mess.
Uncle Lei Luo had taken down that loan shark gang, and Sis Yuanyue had even helped pay off her debts.
All good things, sure—but the kindness felt too heavy.

Now she didn’t know how to face Meow Meow.
She’d always been the type to hold grudges... but that went both ways—she remembered kindness too.

Let’s hope Meow Meow can talk some sense into her when they get back.

Once the two of them left, it was down to five of us.
The room felt a lot emptier all of a sudden.

“Is this... the kind of happiness you get from a god’s blessing?”

Out of nowhere, Fei spoke up, staring at the table full of leftover food, chopsticks laid down.

She was talking about Tian Xi’s situation.

I thought for a second, then replied,
“Maybe. But blessings are such a vague thing. Like—if you get a random ‘buy one, get one free’ on your drink, is that a blessing too?”

Rather than saying she got lucky because of the blessing, I’d say she got lucky because she turned into a kind-hearted girl.

Not that I judge people by appearances or anything, but if Sis Xi had still been that mohawked chubby guy from before...
Let’s be real—he probably would've disbanded from the gang like the others after the incident. That petty personality didn’t help either.

“Kai-chan, I feel super happy every day now~”

Rinka cut in with a grin, then turned to Xiao Lei, who still hadn’t put down her chopsticks.

“Hey, Miss Divine Emissary~ Can’t you help Senior Li Jianlian too?”

Xiao Lei looked up from her bowl, snuck a glance at me and replied slowly,
“I’ve actually been thinking about that.”

I’d love to finish another quota, too—but Li Jianlian’s situation is... complicated.

“I already talked with her about this, but it’s not a simple fix. Let me give you all the short version and see what you think.”

I slid my empty cup in front of Zhao Zhao, and he got the hint, topping it off with cola.

I took a sip to wet my throat, then continued:

“From what I’ve gathered, he has seven siblings—actual full siblings—and he’s the second oldest. His dad’s seriously ill in bed, and his mom and older sister are the only ones holding the family together.”

I’d mentioned this to Zhao Zhao before, so neither he nor Xiao Lei looked too surprised. Fei kept a calm expression, but Rinka looked genuinely shocked.

“Seven?! And he’s the oldest boy? No wonder he breaks school rules to take on jobs—he’s basically both big bro and dad.”

I let out a sigh.
“If only that were the end of it. His mom actually wants him to go straight into the workforce after high school.”

Sis Fei chimed in, “But he wants to go to college?”

“Yeah. So he’s been working while saving up for university.”

Everyone at the table went quiet.

“If he leaves town for college, his family might—”
Rinka started to say, clearly realizing the implications.

“—might fall into an even tighter spot, yeah.”
I nodded.
“It might sound selfish, but he’s trying to secure his own future. Is it really wrong for him to pursue a better life through education, even if it means not being able to support his siblings immediately? He’s already given so much.”

The guy’s incredibly competent. No matter the job, he does it well.
If he gets through college and enters society with a degree, he’ll absolutely take off.

“You can’t just say that though! Family’s important too!”
Xiao Lei unexpectedly disagreed with me.

I guess that makes sense. With her own education basically hopeless, she probably sees family as the priority.

Speaking of which, Sis Xi came to mind again.

“Actually, he does value family a lot. Sis Xi spoke to him before—she told him to consider leaving home temporarily to finish school. But judging by the look on his face, he has no intention of abandoning his family.”

“Abandon his family? That’s terrible!”

“Leaving a sick dad and all his siblings behind? That’s not right at all! Senior’s a real man.”

Xiao Lei banged her bowl, and Zhao Zhao quickly backed her up.
The two of them were totally in sync.

Tch. These two... easy for them to say when they’re not in that position.
Every family’s got its own mess¹.

If Sis Xi hadn’t been beaten half to death, she never would’ve thought of running away either.

Just then, a server brought in a plate of watermelon. On the house, apparently.

“Anyway, the big question is: how can we help him? I don’t think the power of the God of Bishoujo is of much help here.”

“What about his grades?”
Sis Fei jumped in again. She might not show it, but she was clearly invested.

Rinka thought for a moment.
“I never really paid attention to the upperclassmen rankings, but I’m pretty sure he’s at least in the top ten. I’ve seen his name a few times.”

Whoa. Working all those jobs and still top ten?

Another overachiever. Between Sis Fei and him, Zhao Zhao’s really the only one here keeping things relatable—
“Eh? Why’re you looking at me like that, Commander?”

Sis Fei nodded after hearing Rinka’s reply. A plan seemed to be forming in her head.
“If his grades are solid, that makes things easier. He should cut down on work and focus on studies. Aim for a good university in next June’s Gaokao². Not only could he save on tuition, top universities offer great scholarships—he might even have enough left over to send money home. Plus, he can still work part-time in college. That’s what he should tell his mom.”

Wait, going to college can earn you money?

Xiao Lei tilted her head, half-understanding:
“So... we don’t need the deity’s blessing here?”

“No, it's still useful. He’s probably already tried reasoning with his mom. But if she won’t budge, that’s when we move to Plan B.”

“Plan B?”

“I’m not too sure about the details, but this transformation thing—it can be undone, right?”

“Wait... don’t tell me—!”
Rinka instantly caught on to her meaning.

I was starting to get it too.

Only Xiao Lei and Zhao Zhao were still munching watermelon with blank expressions like 0v0.

“You want him to live as a girl during college and tell his family he’s working out of town, right?”

Each time he came back to this city, he’d revert to male and visit home. That way, the family wouldn’t suspect anything, won’t receive any word from the college, and he could still study in peace.

“Exactly. The only problem is, after graduating, he’d have to keep living as a woman. The certificate would list his gender as female.”

Sis Fei’s Plan B was bold but carefully thought out.
But maintaining the ruse for four years? That’s a whole operation.

Still... if we go this route, I can’t use him as one of my quotas. That’s kind of a loss for me...

“If he’s going to college as a girl, then he’ll have to take the Gaokao as a girl too, right?”

“Leave that to me.”
Rinka waved her hand with confidence.
“Took me one day to transfer to the girls' campus. With the right connections, forging a whole new identity is no big deal.”

She’s gotten so down-to-earth lately, I almost forgot she’s a genuine rich girl.

We discussed a few more details, and by the time we called a cab home, it was past 8 p.m.

Dad gave me a good nagging for being late, but I didn’t stay downstairs long—I kicked my legs up and headed straight upstairs.

When I opened the door, Xiao Lei was already inside, still in her girls’ school uniform.
She must’ve climbed in through the window.

She was kneeling in front of my wardrobe, digging through her two sets of clothes.
From the looks of it, she was getting ready to shower.

“Jeez, you’ve got the curtains shut tight—what are you, a vampire now?”

“There’s a reason for that—wait, why are you alone? Where’s Zhao Zhao?”

“He didn’t come up. I sent him home. I’m staying here tonight.”

“Huh? You guys split up?”

...That came out weird.

“I’ll merge back with him in the morning. Just let me have one more night of freedom, okay?”

“But I need the bookmark too!”

“W-what are you trying to do?”

“Wipe off.”

“Leave that to me, obviously!”

...This could be bad. Especially for my chastity.