That was something I’d never even dared to imagine—much less hoped for. Yet it was happening, right here, in reality.
The things I had deliberately pushed aside in the past resurfaced in my memory again.
As it turned out, she’d been calling me that for a long time.
Even before this, she had tested the waters—tentatively, gently—again and again.
Was she afraid I would say no?
How could that even be possible? I flung that ridiculous thought from my mind like someone shaking off a venomous snake. Since when did she need my permission to do anything?
My breathing started to grow disordered.
And yet, reality was slowly pulling me back from the edge.
In front of me, the little girl still had a trace of childish innocence in her eyes. There was also something else—an indescribable, unknown kind of anticipation.
The look in her eyes kept reminding me that the question she had just asked wasn’t a joke.
Many of the things I used to think were likely wrong.
She wasn’t just a ruthless ghost with no affection for me. She hadn’t treated me like some kind of breeding tool.
Those emotions I didn’t yet understand… were the same fatal flaws that lived in her heart as well.
Of course.
It was the longing for familial affection that had taken root after being abandoned countless times deep in her bones.
She wasn’t just a little girl who’d been abandoned—she was a collective consciousness formed by countless abandoned girls.
That’s why her emotions in this area were more sensitive than anyone else’s.
Like an unspoken weakness, she had emotional minefields in her heart that no one else could touch—her unfulfilled dreams and desires.
The very first thoughts that emerged when she met me… were they really just a fleeting whim?
Life-altering decisions are never made on impulse.
Just like how countless coincidences and longings are needed to forge a dream one never wants to wake from.
She admitted it—right now, she was nervous.
She had even forgotten that she was the ghost king who could command heaven and earth.
At this moment, she was more like she had been countless years ago—before her death—just an ordinary little human girl.
She didn’t notice…
My completely frozen body, or the turmoil in my eyes, filled with conflicting emotions.
Her heart, filled with all kinds of negative emotions…
At least in this moment, was offering something real.
This was also her final, most extravagant hope in this life—if it was shattered, she would have no more weaknesses, and become a terrifying ghost full of only bloodlust.
She was waiting for my answer.
I didn’t yet realize that I was standing at a critical crossroad—one wrong response, and I would never get another chance.
What is rationally right and what is emotionally right are often two completely different things.
When someone asks with real feelings, I instinctively don’t want to respond with cold logic.
True feelings are mutual. A perfunctory answer is never the right one.
In the gradually quieting depths of the spiritual sea, my heart once again fell into disarray.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t sense others’ emotions. I had my own judgment, too.
Ever since we signed the contract, the ghost baby had been treating me better and better.
Looking back carefully—what she did, just like what she said—never once actually hurt me.
Whether someone is lying to you or not… even I had the basic ability to tell. That’s a judgment based on what has already happened.
I swallowed a nonexistent lump in my throat and looked at the little girl in front of me, who was still shorter than me even squatting.
“What you just said… what do you mean?”
It’s not that I didn’t understand. I just didn’t quite dare to believe it.
The ghost baby suddenly let go of my pinky, tilted her head, and pouted.
How could she possibly say something like that out loud?
“You’re such a pig,” she muttered angrily. “So stupid.”
“Do I really have to tell you what you should do right now?”
Aaaagh—she was really going crazy.
Who the hell teaches someone step-by-step how to coax them?!
Her burning heart was slowly dimming with disappointment.
My helpless confusion reflected in her gradually cracking eyes.
Then, she stomped her foot hard and made one last attempt:
“What are you still standing there for? Hug me!”
She was really on the verge of tears—there was even a part of her that wanted to destroy the world.
How many times had this happened?
Why was she always the one who got left behind?
Why couldn’t she be chosen—just once, even if she made the first move and tried her best?
Still the same result.
In that moment, the ghost baby suddenly felt like tossing me away, never wanting to see me again.
Die. Die. Die.
Everyone’s the same—disgusting.
Just then, I suddenly leaned forward.
In her stunned gaze, I reached out and gently picked her up.
It was my first time holding a child—my posture was all wrong, and I fumbled around, awkwardly trying to adjust until I finally found a position that seemed comfortable for her.
Her mood was like riding a roller coaster, shooting up from rock bottom to a dizzying high, leaving her too overwhelmed to express it.
Suddenly, as if she’d thought of something, her eyes shimmered with waves of emotion.
That small, adorable face came closer and closer to mine…
Until it stopped just where I could see her long eyelashes—fluttering like tiny butterflies.
Then, she made a bold move.
She planted a big kiss on my cheek.
Then pressed her soft little face against mine.
That chubby cheek, warm and soft, left me completely speechless.
“This is something I’ve only come to understand after thinking about it for many days.”
“I know exactly what I want and what I’m saying.”
“I want you to be my mommy.”
At that point, she suddenly pouted and muttered to herself, “Mommy… is that the right way to say it? I heard other people call it that. It shouldn’t be too outdated, right…”
The damp sensation on the side of my face hadn’t completely faded yet. Though it was only a fleeting warmth, it left a deep mark in my heart.
The instinct of life, the rules of our genes—everything is about continuing the lineage.
No mother is born without love for her child. That should be the one thing in this world that no one ever questions.
As long as there’s no external interference, no strange circumstances, every mother will have a natural affection for her child from the moment of pregnancy.
In this moment, my emotions were complicated.
“Of course. Haven’t you always been my baby?” I answered gently.
The ghost baby couldn’t hold back and gave me another loud kiss on the cheek.
“Yay, I guess you’re not that annoying after all!”
Children always express their emotions so simply and directly. Like—kisses mean affection. Silence means dislike.
Behind that simplicity lies a pure heart.
And the ghost baby, having only just developed consciousness—was she not also a real child in every sense?
I let go of the countless distracting thoughts in my mind. Looking at her chubby little face, I gently reached out and gave her cheek a soft pinch.
Just as I imagined, not only did she not get mad, she snuggled up even closer to me.
“Mommy, I like you.”
Just like a mother is naturally filled with maternal love, children are naturally inclined to love their parents.
Before life becomes filled with routines and burdens, a young child’s greatest wish is usually just to have their parents spend more time with them.
A smile slowly appeared on my face—gentle and faint, like a rainbow about to fade from the sky.
Though light and delicate, such a smile could still leave a deep impression in someone’s heart.
I hadn’t smiled like that in a long time.
But right now, I think I was truly happy.
Being held in the arms of someone you love—what does that feel like? I had never experienced that from my own mother. But as I watched the little ghost baby drift into hazy unconsciousness, I felt that… it must be something rather nice.
I looked down at her as she struggled to keep her eyes open, only for them to finally close again.
A soft chuckle escaped from my heart.
If what you just said wasn’t a lie… then I’ll try my best to give you my true feelings, too.
Even if—I’m still deeply afraid.
But what does fear have to do with love?
Right now, there were still many questions in my heart. Like—how did I even get here? How could I touch her ghostly form directly?
But all those questions faded in an instant beneath the fluttering of her long lashes.
The little one was really, really sleepy—she could doze off at any moment.
Even in her half-asleep state, she was still clutching tightly onto my neck, refusing to let go. She mumbled groggily:
“Meanie… You said you’d give me a name… but it’s been so many days—ten whole days—and there’s still nothing…”
I let out a helpless smile.
Even in her sleep, she didn’t forget to grumble at me.
It seemed… compared to calling me ‘Mommy,’ the matter of getting a name left a deeper impression on her.
Well, that made sense.
Memory is like water. The past, a boat. Without a solid enough shared history, how can we ever set sail?
But I didn’t forget what I just promised.
The road ahead is still long. Who could say for sure what it’ll be like?
I gently stroked her thick, black hair.
This tenderness, born from the instinct of life, was no different from that of any mother coaxing their child to sleep.
I only hope… As I try to offer up my genuine heart, I’ll also receive the response I hope for.
Cute!