Sea of Consciousness.
The place where I was now standing seemed to be the very center of her sea of consciousness.
I continued holding the little one for a while longer.
The ghost baby was incredibly light. When asleep, she looked utterly well-behaved—there wasn’t the slightest trace of a fierce ghost about her. On the contrary, she looked like an actual human child.
Her tiny hands had already released my neck and were now curled against my chest, tightly clutching at the patterned fabric of my shirt.
Logically, holding a child like this for so long should be physically exhausting. That kind of exhaustion would be a bodily fatigue.
But what I felt more intensely at the moment was a weariness of the soul, the kind that made me feel like I could fall asleep even while standing.
This child…
Don’t tell me she actually dragged my soul in here?
I forced myself to stay awake and looked around at my surroundings. Only the spot I stood on was solid ground. A little farther out was a vast expanse of sea, with no land in sight—no way to get across by foot.
I found a relatively clean spot. On the ground, there was a small circle that looked like her old sleeping nest. I was just about to lay the ghost baby down there when—
Her eyelashes began to tremble. She seemed a little unhappy about being put down. Her tiny lotus root-like arms stretched forward, flailing a bit like someone drowning. She mumbled something, though I couldn’t make out the words.
The next second, I was teleported out.
“Ah—!”
I let out a startled yelp and abruptly stood up, as if waking from a nightmare. Only then did I realize I was back in the real world.
Still caught in the thought of whether the ghost baby had fallen to the ground when I returned, I suddenly heard a soft, muffled child’s voice in my mind.
“Mommy, baby is so sleepy… When you want to kill someone, just call me, okay~?”
My face darkened instantly. Talk about killing right out the gate—she really lives up to her ghost baby persona.
“Mm-hmm, sleep well, sleep well,” I replied softly, full of questions I didn’t know how to ask.
I wasn’t used to being called that.
It just felt… off, especially when it clashed so strongly with my identity as a male college student.
My body suddenly felt heavy, and I fell backward, practically collapsing onto the soft couch.
My chest, now noticeably fuller, rose and fell with every breath—undeniably real.
My cheeks flushed slightly. What kind of boy has this kind of… wave action going on?
This won’t do. If this keeps up, I won’t even be able to claim my gender with confidence.
I recalled my rather youthful behavior just now, and a heavy sigh echoed in the quiet living room.
I needed to control myself. Move more slowly and cautiously.
*****
Living room.
The light was only on at its lowest setting, casting a dim yellow glow over the table and the open cookbook I’d been flipping through before I left.
I didn’t bother with the cookbook anymore. Instead, I carefully clutched the cultivation manual the ghost baby had given me against my chest and prepared to head upstairs to store it safely in my room.
Ding—
Right then, Su Liumeng returned to the villa and happened to spot me heading toward the stairs.
Her initially joyful gaze sharpened into a frown as she stared at the thick book I was holding.
“‘Turning Illusion into Reality’? That’s a high-level manual only big shots can use. Who gave that to you?”
My little tiptoed step paused mid-air. Su Liumeng stared at my back. My black hair, naturally cascading down, had grown noticeably longer.
I was about to make up a random excuse, but I was worried the little ghost girl might get upset if I didn’t give her credit. So I half-jokingly replied, “My baby gave it to me.”
“Baby?”
“What baby? You have another baby besides me?”
Su Liumeng was stunned and immediately fired off several questions in a row.
Of course I only have one baby. Holding the heavy book in one hand, I used the other to cover half my face, refusing to answer as I climbed the stairs.
Clear and crisp laughter echoed in the girl’s heart.
“Hey! Which baby gave it to you?” Su Liumeng reached out and shouted up after me.
“Who else could it be?” I replied without looking back.
“I’ve only ever had one baby.”
Bang—
The door closed behind her.
Su Liumeng stood staring at the tightly shut security door.
Its dark surface almost seemed to spell out “You’re not welcome.”
For some reason, she gritted her teeth.
A minute later, I habitually brushed aside my loose strands of hair, opened my door again, and skipped over to Su Liumeng cheerfully.
“Let’s go out and have some fun,” I said. “Staying cooped up at home all the time is suffocating.”
Su Liumeng looked at my joyful expression, and suddenly felt a little stifled inside.
She had only gone out for a bit, and now this girl was beaming?
Just because of a gift?
She was already that happy?
What kind of “baby” could be more important than me? Su Liumeng felt inexplicably indignant.
“Xinxin.”
*****
Outside the villa.
Su Liumeng scooted closer to me. I shot her a suspicious glance but didn’t miss the tangle of emotion in her eyes.
I smiled more brightly and, sensing her nervousness, took her hand and gently lifted it.
“Was this what you were trying to do when you called me just now?”
Su Liumeng really wanted to say, No, that’s not it. I wanted to ask about the ‘baby.’ I’m jealous.
But as she looked at our fingers intertwined, a strange sense of contentment filled her heart, and she found herself nodding involuntarily.
She silently cursed herself for being so weak-willed.
How could holding hands make me feel better just like that? Who gets satisfied that easily?
“Who gave you that book?” Su Liumeng finally asked.
She was nervous, her voice small, terrified I might say something outrageous like another girl I like.
If something like that were true…
She didn’t even dare imagine what she’d do.
Would she settle for being the official girlfriend while letting it go? Or swallow her pride and endure it?
No—Su Liumeng was on the verge of a breakdown.
What’s the difference between those two choices?
She had no words. Faced with this kind of situation, her first reaction wasn’t to walk away, but…
Then came my silence.
Her heart dropped.
No way. Don’t tell me… I’m the third?
A certain young lady, after enduring a bitter emotional struggle, forced herself to speak through the pain:
“I can only accept being number three. I can’t handle being number four.”
“Just tell me—what number am I?”
“What are you even talking about? Three? Four?” My eyes widened in disbelief as I caught Su Liumeng’s pouty, deliberately wronged expression.
“Seriously, how are you better at making stuff up than I am?”
Of course, I could tell what she was really trying to say.
Something like the “Abandoned Cat Effect.”
When someone feels neglected and uncared for for too long, they subconsciously act closer to others or say things that tug at the heartstrings—all in hopes of receiving more affection.
I hooked her palm lightly with my pinky, holding up our tightly clasped hands in front of her and coaxed her gently, “There’s no such thing as a third or fourth wheel. If I were to date anyone right now, based on the current situation, you’d definitely be the only one. As for… the book, just don’t ask for now. It’s not the right time to talk about it. I’ll tell you in the future.”
Come on, I’m a genuine believer in pure love.
There’s no such thing as being lenient with myself while being strict with others.
The kind of pure love I believe in is mutual—both me and my partner staying true. Not some nonsense where I demand purity from the other while I go build a harem and still claim it’s “pure love.”
Just as I thought, Su Liumeng wasn’t actually all that jealous.
Even the strong-willed noble lady sometimes just wanted to act a little spoiled and ask for cuddles.
Su Liumeng giggled foolishly, as if her real thoughts had already been seen through—her little schemes uncovered
And yet, she was still being gently comforted with a tone that said, “You really are hopeless, huh?” A tingling warmth bloomed through her, both emotionally and physically—the kind of joy and excitement that only appears in the early stages of love.
We kept holding hands as we approached a more crowded area.
Just as I saw people walking toward us, it felt like I’d been shocked—embarrassment rushed to my cheeks, and I immediately let go of her hand.
“Next time… we’ll hold hands again.”
Su Liumeng had been half a step behind me all along, and now she could clearly see the tips of my ears turning red, peeking through my jet-black hair.
She suddenly felt that this image looked just like the soft, pink tips of a cat’s ears—irresistibly cute and pinch-worthy.
She reminded herself that she was already a mature adult—how could she possibly think of herself as someone unworthy?