That night, the bright moon hung high in the sky.
Inside the Jiang family’s bedroom, under the stark white light, a youth whose eyes were once again tired from binge-reading novels was methodically performing his eye exercises, gently massaging his temples.
On the clean and tidy half-hanging desk, there was a book already two-thirds finished, a laptop, a teacup filled with carrot and red date slices, and two framed photos placed to the left and right.
Only after finishing a full set of eye exercises did the youth slowly open his eyes. Those lake-blue pupils were like Mississippi River sapphires, but a trace of weariness flickered within them.
Ever since he’d helped Ji Yuannian out of another jam by using ai face-swap last time, he’d been burning the midnight oil these past few days—though it was just reading novels.
“Why can’t Ji Yuannian just be a pair of twin sisters?”
He didn’t know how many times he had sighed like this before. Jiang Chi rubbed his sore eyes, picked up the cup of carrot and red date tea at his side, took a sip, and let out another faint sigh.
He knew his fantasy was unrealistic. He knew he was just daydreaming. He knew that, in the past few days, he’d lost control and become addicted to novels.
But Jiang Chi truly wished Ji Yuannian could become a pair of sisters!
As for having to choose between two? For a qualified financier, it’s always winner takes all, loser eats dust!
Yet, no amount of daydreaming could shake reality. Just as the end of life is inevitably death, no matter how cunning Jiang Chi was, he could never split Ji Yuannian into two and turn her into a pair of sisters.
This was the limitation of the era, and also the limit of current science. Brain-switching surgery might still be possible, but to split a person into two, have both grow into separate individuals, or perhaps clone two bodies and have one consciousness control both…
Such ideas couldn’t even be called tall tales; they were nothing but pure self-indulgence.
“Sigh ~~”
Another silent sigh escaped him. The youth gradually slumped, lying on the desk like a student who’d just been devastated by his exam results.
He looked out at the night scenery beyond the window, glanced around his bedroom, and then at the novel in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he unintentionally glimpsed the photo frame to his left, the one with a photo of him and another boy taken at the nursing home last time.
Suddenly, a spark flashed in his mind. Jiang Chi sat up straight, spine taut, and a glint of excitement shone in his eyes.
That’s right, if Ji Yuannian could be gender-swapped due to supernatural forces, then why couldn’t I study supernatural forces to turn her into sisters?
If something exists, it has its rationale; and if it has rationale, it can be studied, analyzed, and applied.
As he thought of this, the light in the youth’s eyes grew ever brighter, eventually becoming fervent—almost feverish.
A fantasy remains a fantasy, rarely coming true. But sometimes, precisely because of fantasy, those who wander will chase after illusions.
Compared to utter despair after losing hope, the cruel reality upon waking from a dream—having even the tiniest sliver of hope, no matter how small, fragile, or false, is still better.
“Production is done? That quick at the factory this time?”
“Oh, the factory installed new equipment.”
“Got it, got it, still picking up at the old spot.”
“Thanks, bro. The balance will be paid after receipt.”
On the balcony, Ji Yuannian paced back and forth, phone in hand, chatting with Ji Haotong. The other four roommates were all present in the dorm, but each of them kept a skillful distance from Ji Yuannian on the balcony.
It was an unspoken rule of sorts.
Everyone knew the others’ families had some money or assets, but each kept their curiosity in check, only having a rough idea of what the others’ families did.
Money is a fascinating thing.
Once you get in too deep, it’s hard to escape. As passionate high schoolers, even if things might change in the future, none of them wanted to judge friends by their family background right now.
So even if they were really curious about what, exactly, the others’ families did, which corporation they belonged to, whether they were second- or nth-generation rich, whether they’d be brimming with ambition after graduation or just lying flat waiting for death…
All that curiosity stayed buried deep in their hearts, never spoken aloud.
For instance, Su Tian, known as Ji Yuannian’s right-hand man, only knew her family ran a sizable clothing factory in the apparel industry—nothing more.
After hanging up, Ji Yuannian tapped her phone, opening the sports department group chat.
Mingyue er Changzhong: @everyone, it’s time for some extra cash. 50 yuan a box, limited to ten people, meet at the back gate of campus. First come, first served.
A single message stirred up a thousand waves. The previously quiet group chat instantly exploded. Message after message flooded in: “I’m in!”, “Coming!”, “Be right there!” The screen was a blur.
The corner of Ji Yuannian’s lips curled in a slight smile as she locked her phone.
As head of the sports department, she certainly could use her authority to act on personal whims and use public resources for private matters.
But once or twice was fine; any more and—even as sports department head, or even if she were school leadership—resentment would surely fester below.
After all, they were all third-year students. How could she not understand that a thousand-mile dike can fall from an ant’s nest?
So, she set aside a portion of her order profits to hire sports department members to help the girls from the clothing department move goods. Otherwise, with their slender arms and legs, it would take who knows how many years to move all 400-plus boxes.
This way, she could both earn favor with the upperclasswomen and underclasswomen of the clothing department, and also leave an impression on the testosterone-fueled boys in the sports department—follow Ji-ge, and there’s good stuff to be had!
Ding-dong~
Suddenly, a message marked as “special attention” came through. Looking at it—neither from her brother nor her parents, but… Jiang Chi.
Chi Dragon Baby Loves Bathing: Come to the rental apartment, the medicine is almost ready.
Medicine?
What medicine?
Ji Yuannian frowned, a little puzzled.
Was it those pills she used to take?
Mingyue er Changzhong: Do you have time next time? I’m busy right now.
Chi Dragon Baby Loves Bathing: No.
……
Staring at that message on the screen, Ji Yuannian hesitated, then sent a message to Su Tian, telling him to coordinate with Wanqing from the clothing department. After that, she replied with a single “Okay,” packed her things, grabbed her phone, and headed out.
She took a taxi straight to the destination, took the elevator to the right floor, and saw a young man in a white shirt and black slacks standing at the door, his eyes blue as the sea, lips curved in a faint smile.
Seeing her arrive, he greeted her at once. Before Ji Yuannian could even sit on the sofa, he handed her a bowl filled with a dark, sticky liquid.
“What the heck is this?” Ji Yuannian stared at the steaming, sticky liquid, frowning as a wave of nausea rose up.
“Medicinal porridge—to nourish your body.”
Jiang Chi maintained his mild smile. Seeing Ji Yuannian unmoving, he brought the bowl closer to her lips, as if determined to make her drink it.
Faced with the steaming, sticky, and frankly unappetizing bowl, Ji Yuannian instinctively turned her head away—but at that instant, a rich aroma of black sesame filled her nose, stirring her hunger until she had to turn back.
“Grrr~”
Her stomach, empty from missing lunch, growled loudly. Ever since her gender swap, the beautiful big-sister she’d become couldn’t quite manage her desires. Staring at the fragrant black sesame porridge, Ji Yuannian couldn’t help but swallow.
Noticing her hesitation, the man pressed his advantage: “The base is black sesame, but to prove it’s medicinal, I added some Chinese herbs.”
“Go on, try it.”
“The first reason I called you over today is to give you a tonic.”
As soon as he finished, a slender hand took the bowl, and soon the sound of gulping filled the air. Jiang Chi watched the big-sister take several hearty gulps, the smile at his lips growing even deeper.
It was a secret recipe found on some website: black sesame boiled for three hours, with a few unusual medicinal herbs added.
As mentioned before, Jiang Chi was never a pure materialist. Compared to materialism, he was more of a pragmatist.
A sliver of hope is better than none—even if it’s false.
Once the bowl was finished, Ji Yuannian let out a milky burp and was just about to speak, when suddenly her face twisted in pain. She clutched her stomach with both hands, a sheen of sweat beading her pretty forehead.
“What’s wrong? Does it feel like you’re about to split apart?” The obsessive man asked, half worried, half delighted.