“Graduated from kindergarten. Is there anything you want?”
“Don’t know.” Luo Jialan shook her head.
To be honest, she had always found little interest in anything around her.
It wasn’t that she wanted to be a boring kid, but the things her peers liked were just a bit too outrageous.
Hopscotch?
Lollipops?
Or Magic Girl dolls?
Maybe a mix of those would be more acceptable…
“Let’s go browse around. Maybe you’ll find something you like?”
“Okay.”
Unaware of what lay ahead, Luo Jialan agreed.
In a children’s clothing store, Luo Jialan pulled back the curtain and stepped out of the fitting room wearing a light, pale white dress that matched her perfectly.
“Looks really nice.”
Ning Xi said this, and Luo Jialan looked at the blue-haired girl carved like an ice sculpture in the mirror, her eyes brightening slightly.
Even she occasionally indulged in a little vanity, but she hadn’t expected such a dramatic change from just a little dressing up.
Too bad she didn’t see… wait, who was it again?
Luo Jialan shook her head, feeling an inexplicable emptiness in her heart.
It was as if she’d forgotten someone very important.
But one thing she was sure of: she wanted to wear this icy blue dress in front of that person.
“I’ll buy it.”
“How about these shoes?”
“Also want them.”
And just like that, a confusing afternoon passed by.
Two heavy bags hung from Luo Jialan’s shoulders.
Turning the corner at the end of the street, she no longer saw those mannequins dressed in colorful outfits behind the shop windows.
She let out a shallow breath of relief in the crook of her arm, but the next scene before her eyes left her stunned.
Beyond the bustling crowd was a fragrant street food alley.
The sun was just hurriedly setting; it was exactly six in the evening.
Hit by the milky fragrance of fried milk, Luo Jialan’s mind momentarily scattered, and she instinctively swallowed.
Her stomach let out an uncooperative growl.
But most importantly, right on the shop sign in front of her face were the big bold words: “Fried Papaya Milk.”
Instinct told Luo Jialan this was something good—a mysterious substance her rapidly growing body desperately needed.
But she had already spent quite a lot today…
In fact, money didn’t exist in the Dream World, but Luo Jialan was genuinely a bit scared of being poor in reality.
She barely dared to turn on the fan, let alone wander around hot pot restaurants, clothing stores, or street food alleys.
But what surprised her was that Ning Xi stepped ahead, walking up to the shop and holding up two fingers to the owner.
“I want two cups of fried milk.”
Here was another thirty-something-year-old girl eager to grow.
“Okay.”
Amid the steaming milk, the busy figure emitted a familiar voice.
Luo Jialan tiptoed, barely peeking out her head and finally saw the person’s face.
“Why is it you again?!”
Tang Nai gently set down the fried milk and smiled softly: “Doing two part-time jobs at once—is that strange?”
“Of course it’s strange… well, maybe not… no, no.”
Hearing this, Luo Jialan was briefly stunned.
She was about to refute but unfortunately, her left brain attacked her right brain, causing a momentary freeze.
Poor Luo Jialan really was juggling two part-time jobs.
“Meeting like this is fate, these two cups are on the house.”
Tang Nai “generously” handed the cups to Luo Jialan, the smile at the corners of her mouth gradually becoming uncontrollable.
This was truly magical papaya milk that could promote growth.
Drinking it guaranteed that when Luo Jialan matured, she’d at least reach Su Mu’s level—but only in the dream, of course.
“Really? I don’t believe you’re that kind-hearted.”
Luo Jialan’s blinking sped up instantly, though her heart still didn’t let go of her guard toward Tang Nai.
“Is that so? Great, then give me two more free cups of fried milk, please.” Ning Xi, on the side, didn’t think much of it, simply assuming the black-haired girl before her was some important figure in Luo Jialan’s memories, a projection that appeared repeatedly.
More than that, she cared about the so-called fate Tang Nai spoke of.
‘Free? Looks like we really have fate—might as well deepen it.’
At this, Tang Nai couldn’t help but laugh softly.
“Of course, but I’ll warn you first, this milk is pretty potent.”
As she said this, her hands never stopped, quickly preparing two more cups of “papaya milk.”
Ning Xi’s growth was genuinely a source of anxiety, but no matter how impatient one might be, it had to proceed step by step.
One cup of this milk was enough to jump from size A straight to C.
“Wait, I know what the problem is. Why are you so flat?”
At this moment, Luo Jialan suddenly slapped her forehead, finding the key issue.
‘If you were real, why aren’t you more substantial than my cheap mom?’
Having been poked like that, even Tang Nai’s once firm smile cracked slightly, her brows narrowing into a dangerous arc.
“Even I would be upset if you said something like that, especially when I’m giving you free milk. You don’t seem to like it much…”
“…Tch, sorry.”
Luo Jialan immediately realized she’d misspoken.
Though instinctively rejecting this girl, it was still a bit rude to say that.
“It’s okay. Kids say whatever they want. When you’re my age, you’ll understand.”
‘First, I let you dream big, then you wake up and find it was all for nothing… It’s amusing just thinking about it.’
Luo Jialan scooped a spoonful of milk smoother than tofu, feeling a little dazed.
‘Come to think of it, why did I want to grow up so badly? I think it was because it felt so good…’
Yes, her skin was even smoother and softer than this milk.
“I want to go home.”
“Now? You haven’t eaten yet.”
“It’s okay.”
Luo Jialan shook her head, feeling a surge of uncontrollable impulse within her.
That impulse led her to open her computer and log into the Magic Girl Forum.
Ning Xi hurriedly grabbed three cups of fried milk, following Luo Jialan, who was holding two bags of clothes and biting on a cup while briskly walking.
Behind them, Tang Nai gently brushed aside the dark strands covering her eyes.
It seemed like signs of desire were already forming.
Before, she had managed to stay normal only because she was too young, too innocent to understand what desire really was.
But as long as Ning Xi allowed her complete freedom, the almost impossible-to-satisfy desire innate in Luo Jialan would surely bloom before long.
For some reason, after finishing that cup of papaya milk, Luo Jialan’s body felt like it was burning with heat.
After walking just a few minutes, her calves grew slender, and her clothes began to stretch little by little.
With each step, her perspective rose, and the surroundings rapidly changed.
Only when she pushed open the door to her home did she finally stop, breathless, setting down the two bags of clothes that probably no longer fit, and hurried straight to the inner room.
She remembered—the important person she felt was connected to a post on the Magic Girl Forum.