episode_0020

Xu Nian’s star mark wasn’t on her limbs, so it had to be on her torso.

Unfortunately, given the current circumstances, she had to set the matter aside for now.

Xu Nian’s face was still flushed, not yet recovered from what had just happened.

The soles of her feet felt sticky, and that sensation stubbornly refused to fade.

This idiot!

A complete and utter idiot!

Even she herself wasn’t this perverted.

Eating ice cream like that…

Just how did Su Qingya manage to do something like that with such shameless confidence?

Su Qingya, however, was quite satisfied.

Eating ice cream was just a means to an end.

The real goal was…

[Fear Value: 61%]

It had dropped significantly.

Ah, if this continued, it wouldn’t be long before it hit rock bottom.

Then maybe that strange sense of dissonance would finally disappear.

In truth, Su Qingya could already guess.

Was it possible that Xu Nian’s so-called “breakup” was because she had been constantly unsettled? If she could just lower the fear value to its lowest point, perhaps that uneasiness would fade away too.

So…

“Nian Nian, let’s go to the haunted house at the amusement park tomorrow.”

“Why a haunted house?”

“I want to absorb my own fear to grow stronger. Also, you mentioned a date yesterday.”

Beyond that, Su Qingya had another idea—waiting for Xu Nian to get scared by the haunted house staff so she could swoop in and protect her. She knew full well that Xu Nian was afraid of ghosts.

Not only could she feed off Xu Nian’s fear, but she could also grow closer to her and reduce her fear value toward herself.

The higher the fear value, the lower the actual fear.

A win-win!

“R-really? Will that actually make you stronger?”

Xu Nian usually avoided such things like the plague.

“It will. Before reaching three stars, as long as you generate the corresponding emotions, you’ll grow stronger.”

In other words, Su Qingya’s way of growing stronger was to make herself feel fear.

Then Xu Nian’s method was probably to make herself happy.

Watching comedies, horror movies, playing exhilarating games, horror games, going on dates with Su Qingya, visiting haunted houses together…

These were the surface-level methods for them to enhance their emotional power.

“I-I see. Then let’s prepare today, do some research, and set off tomorrow.”

“Okay, okay, okay!”

Seeing Xu Nian didn’t object, Su Qingya quickly repeated “okay” three times, laughing cheerfully as she resumed feeding Xu Nian.

But as she fed her, Su Qingya’s expression shifted again.

“Nian Nian, actually… there’s one more thing I wanted to tell you.”

“Go ahead. No secrets between us, okay?”

“Mmm, I didn’t get a chance to say it earlier, but I just remembered… I think I’ve found my birth parents.”

“Birth parents?”

Xu Nian’s beautiful fox-like eyes flickered slightly.

She immediately understood what the other was getting at.

The main plot of the manhua—the true and false heiress storyline.

Though it was a short story without a detailed narrative, making it unlikely for something like “world consciousness” to influence the plot, the setting was still fully fleshed out.

Su Qingya still didn’t know about Xu Nian’s family or background.

She only knew Xu Nian’s family was somewhat well-off and hadn’t pried further into her personal affairs.

Xu Nian, too, had no intention of revealing anything and immediately feigned surprise.

“Birth parents? But I thought your parents had already…”

“Ah, well… it seems there was a mix-up when I was born.”

Su Qingya scratched her cheek. “Back then, both sets of parents… got the wrong egg—you know what I mean, right? They mixed up the babies. I’m not actually my current parents’ biological daughter. Their real daughter is someone else.”

The matter was quite serious, and as someone involved, Xu Nian naturally treated it with gravity.

But for some reason, she was struggling to hold back laughter.

[Joy Value: 57%]

“W-what are you laughing at?”

“N-nothing, nothing. So that’s what happened. Then… what next?”

“After that, the man who’s apparently my father found me. He wants me to return and ‘acknowledge my ancestors.’ Originally, he planned to discuss it with my current parents—whether to swap us back, take me home, or find some other solution. But after finding out my current parents had already passed away, he just decided to take me back directly.”

“I… don’t know how to feel. I’m kind of lost about the future.”

“Oh? I see. That’s only natural.”

Xu Nian gently patted Su Qingya’s back.

For some reason, she couldn’t stop the corners of her lips from twitching upward.

“Then… what exactly are you uncertain about? Isn’t finding your birth parents something to be happy about?”

“But I’m not sure if they’ll really treat me as their daughter. And, to be blunt, there’s still the person who stole eighteen years of my life living in their house.”

“After raising her for eighteen years, of course they’d have feelings for her. They can’t just neglect her because of blood ties. I don’t expect them to treat us equally, but I at least hope I won’t be treated coldly when I go back.”

“But what if they’re afraid of me? Afraid that I’ll go back and take her place, like… shattering her dream, making her fall from heaven into the abyss? That’s just too cruel. But I don’t know if I’ll end up clashing with her, so… do you get what I mean?”

Hearing this, Xu Nian finally understood what was troubling her.

She was worried about the family dynamics.

She didn’t want to conflict with the false heiress.

But the contradiction was unavoidable.

That was why she felt so lost about the future.

In the end, she couldn’t escape it.

But…

The very person you’re worried about is right beside you.

And she’s your girlfriend now.

So what exactly are you fretting over?

You’ll probably be so excited you’ll faint when you find out.

Xu Nian coughed a few times, keeping her thoughts to herself. “Don’t worry. I promise you’ll get a satisfying outcome when you go back.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Just trust me, you fool. No more questions.”

“Hmm… Speaking of which, my birth father’s surname is Xu too. Does that mean I’ll be called Xu Qingya from now on?”

“Changing surnames is pretty common in these situations.”

“Wait, Nian Nian, your surname is Xu too, right? You don’t mean…”

“H-how could it be such a coincidence? You’ll find out when the time comes.”

“Mm, alright. I was supposed to go back yesterday, but I postponed it for you. After our date tomorrow, I’ll be in a better mood, and then the day after, I’ll finally be ready to ‘acknowledge my ancestors’ properly.”

“Pfft—well, good luck with that.”

And with that, the meal was more or less over. The leftovers were packed to take home—wasting food wasn’t a good habit.

They took a taxi back.

Tonight, Xu Nian planned to stay at Su Qingya’s place again.

Which meant another night sleeping together.

Ding dong.

Bored in the car, Su Qingya was scrolling through her phone when three text messages suddenly popped up.

Xu Nian, carsick, was dozing against Su Qingya’s shoulder.

[Lin Ye: Why did you delete me? Why didn’t you come today? Do you have a sister named Su Qingnian?]