Chapter 22: Is She… Flirting with Me

“You—”

Even though the ghost fetus was burning with shame, she still managed to awkwardly blurt out the question.

“Are you… trying to find me a stepdad?”

As soon as she said it, she fell silent.

I fell even deeper into silence.

All the expressions on my face froze in an instant—

And then shifted through a kaleidoscope of reactions,

So vivid it was like a chaotic abstract painting.

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

I practically exploded, like a cat whose fur had just been ruffled the wrong way, nearly leaping straight off the bed.

My voice was loud enough that it startled Li Mei, who had been quietly studying nearby.

The ghost fetus, realizing she probably misunderstood something, snorted and muttered, “Hmph. You’re the one who said it first.”

When did I ever say that?

What the hell was this kid imagining??

I clutched the hem of my shirt, both amused and speechless.

But thanks to this sudden detour, I somehow wasn’t feeling so emo anymore.

After I patiently explained everything—detailing exactly why I’d been in such a bad mood earlier—

The ghost fetus finally understood.

So it wasn’t about finding her a stepdad.

She huffed lightly to herself, unsure why she was suddenly feeling… happy.

She didn’t understand it, but—

She was just in a surprisingly good mood.

“See? You get it now, right?”

“I was just upset about the stuff with the Su family.”

The ghost fetus, in rare good spirits, responded generously, “What’s there to be upset about? If someone pisses you off—just kill them. Easy.”

“……”

How could I forget—this little monster was basically a walking massacre.

Can’t solve something?

Chop ‘em up first, figure it out later.

Vengeful spirits are literal clusters of resentment and grudge energy—

And as the Ghost King, her thoughts naturally skewed toward the darker end of the emotional spectrum.

But ever since the ghost fetus began forming a body, she had become surprisingly… normal for a powerful spirit.

At the very least, she was starting to understand basic human emotions—those simple joys, angers, sorrows, and desires.

I sat cross-legged on my bed, my phone resting on my thighs.

And honestly?

Her weird little version of comfort was surprisingly effective.

I felt a lot more stable now.

And really…

She had a point.

I was already like this—

What was there left to be afraid of?

If the Su family really came looking for me…

Then so be it.

I’d blow the whole thing wide open if I had to.

Whether it was the Su family or the ghost fetus…

My whole life had been spent under the shadow of control and manipulation.

Who says a person can’t be brave at least once in their life?

Just like when I picked up that dagger—

A desperate gamble with my own life on the line.

Now, I actually had enough power to bluff and posture a little.

So why should I still let myself be shackled by the Su family?

All that stuff about the “Sequence Battle,”

About power and status within the family?

Honestly?

I wasn’t interested.

Not right now, anyway.

I was exhausted.

Completely out of energy to deal with any of it.

Maybe the ghost fetus was right—

Pregnant women are more emotional and prone to fatigue.

I slowly lit up my phone screen.

On the clean, minimal home screen, there were only two WeChat icons.

I opened my main WeChat account.

Just like my phone’s wallpaper, my chat list was practically empty—

Only some notifications from the news feed remained.

I had already deleted Su Liumeng on my alt account.

But on this main account, we had always stayed friends.

We just… hadn’t spoken in years.

I tapped on her chat window.

My pale fingertip hovered above the keyboard—

Frozen.

I recalled her words:

“Do you want to try being friends?”

I didn’t hate Su Liumeng anymore—

But that alone wasn’t enough of a reason to become friends.

What really made my finger hesitate…

Was the thought of Xiaoyu.

That girl, the same age as me, who shared my fate.

Back then, I comforted her over and over again—

And in return, I found strength in her resilience.

If anyone deserved to be my lifelong friend,

It was her.

Suddenly, a message popped up in the blank chat window:

[Wanna go for a walk?]

Before I could even process it, another message arrived just seconds later:

[Wait for me at the dorm.]

The ghost fetus, sensing my emotions had stabilized, had returned to her usual dormant state—

Going back to her growth phase.

Grrrgle—

I rubbed my belly.

The soft curve of my lower abdomen gently sank under the pressure of my hand—

A reminder of the tiny, growing presence inside me.

I climbed down the ladder from my bunk.

Wearing my slippers, I walked into the bathroom—

A large, bright mirror stared back at me.

There was still a faint muddy odor coming from the trash bin,

Left behind by something Li Mei had thrown away and hadn’t taken out yet.

I slowly lifted my T-shirt and stared at my snowy-white lower abdomen.

Was it just my imagination?

It didn’t seem quite as flat as before.

I wasn’t the type to carry any extra weight…

So—

I bit down lightly on my red lips, slipping into a strange emotional trance.

People have to keep adjusting, right?

Eventually, it’ll start to show.

With a light sigh, I left the bathroom and grabbed a fragrant lilac-colored dress to change into.

Summer was just too hot.

I really couldn’t deal with wearing long pants anymore—

Every time I stepped outside, I felt like every pore on my body was sweating.

Now, if you ask me—

How does a guy so easily come to terms with wearing dresses?

Well, I can only say this:

I’ve already accepted the identity of a single pregnant mother.

What else is there left to take so seriously?

Life is about convenience.

Why worry about what doesn’t matter?

Besides, I’m already physically a girl now.

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

Might as well get used to it early,

So I don’t accidentally blow my cover later on.

“You going out?” Li Mei looked up briefly.

“Mm. To eat.”

I replied offhandedly, just as someone knocked on the dorm door.

There she was—Su Liumeng, dressed in a light blue summer dress, Standing at the doorway with a breeze curling in behind her.

Just her standing there brought with it a touch of autumn’s coolness and ease.

“Ready to go?” she tilted her head.

Without the enemy filter I’d always had on before,

Her lovely face fell into my eyes for the first time—

And etched itself somewhere deeper, in the back of my mind.

All I could think was—

Shangguan Xiyue really is my best bro.

She knows exactly what type of girl I like.

“Mm, let’s head out now.”

Su Liumeng and I walked side by side down the corridor of the girls’ dorm.

That sweet, girlish fragrance from her body once again lingered in the air around me.

The people we passed in the hallway were visibly stunned, surprised to see us like this—

Just yesterday we were fighting so hard it ended in tears,

Yet today we were calmly walking shoulder to shoulder like nothing happened.

Could it be…

Was there actually something romantic going on between us?

After all, couples fight and bicker all the time.

That was normal.

Someone even pulled out their phone, clearly intending to take a photo and upload it to the university’s confession wall.

But Su Liumeng suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Have I been too nice lately?” she said coldly.

“If you’re tired of living, go ahead—try snapping a pic.”

Her tone was sharp, and she rolled her eyes for good measure.

Then, without waiting for a response, she grabbed my arm and strode forward confidently.

Once we were outside the dorm, I started feeling a bit self-conscious and quietly shook her hand off.

Su Liumeng’s gaze paused for a moment—

Then shifted down to the dress I was wearing.

“You’re adjusting faster than I thought.”

Her eyes gleamed as they darted around playfully, and then she suddenly leaned in, laughing softly.

A breeze of intoxicating scent brushed my cheek—

We were only about seven or eight centimeters apart.

The air between us turned ambiguous.

“Now let me think…” she murmured,

“Should I be calling you older sister now?

Or maybe… little sis?”

W-Was she… teasing me?

My thighs instinctively tensed up.

I had lived as a guy for so long, I wasn’t used to being around girls like this—Especially not this close.

Her breath tickled the edge of my ear as she spoke again in that mesmerizing voice:

“All those names I never got to call you back then…I’ll make up for them now, one by one. Sound good?”