Narcissism Caught by Little Sister

The moment he closed the door, Xiao Hongchen leaned against it, exhaling a long breath.

His sister, whom he had spent days with, hadn't noticed anything unusual, which secretly relieved him.

Since he had taken over this body, he had to live well, forging a completely different life for the original owner and for himself.

After leaning against the door to compose himself for a moment, Xiao Hongchen turned and walked towards the metal workbench in the center of the room.

As his fingertips brushed over the metal components on the table, the original owner's memories of crafting Soul Tools flooded his mind.

The delicate technique, precise calculations, and ultimate understanding of Soul Tool construction were all the original owner's accumulated foundation over more than a decade, and now they had become his capital.

Xiao Hongchen picked up an unfinished Soul Tool blueprint. The drawing depicted a Level 4 Soul Tool, a "Milk Bottle." Milk Bottles were notoriously the most difficult to craft among Soul Tools of the same level, requiring extremely high spiritual power and materials.

The original owner had failed to craft a Milk Bottle multiple times due to his not-so-top-tier spiritual power. Once, he made a semi-finished product that exploded after being fully charged with soul power. If he hadn't been protected by the Level 6 Trigger-type Soul Tool, the Wall of Tenacity, he would have likely been severely injured.

But now, things were different. A hint of confidence flashed in Xiao Hongchen's eyes as he picked up a carving knife and began to engrave the core.

Unlike before, he now possessed the enhancement of his Brain Martial Soul, his spiritual power far exceeding that of an ordinary Level 4 Soul Tool Master. Crafting a Soul Tool beyond his current level was child's play.

The carving knife seemed to come alive in his hands, each stroke perfectly placed. The once solid block of rare metal gradually took the form of a three-dimensional core formation prototype.

Unbeknownst to him, the sky outside gradually darkened. The only sound in the room was the faint scraping of the carving knife against metal.

With a soft "click," the final pattern was completed. A small, exquisite Level 4 Milk Bottle, emitting a faint blue glow, landed on the table.

Xiao Hongchen picked up the Milk Bottle and injected soul power into its core energy gathering formation. The Milk Bottle instantly released a gentle energy. Before long, it was fully charged with soul power and could function normally.

"Success." A genuine smile spread across Xiao Hongchen's lips. This was the first Soul Tool he had personally completed since his transmigration, and it thoroughly proved one thing: with the enhancement of his twin martial souls, his Soul Tool crafting skills had far surpassed his previous level.

Xiao Hongchen put down the Milk Bottle and stretched his slightly sore wrists. He suddenly remembered something important: he needed to confirm his appearance, which was crucial for the ideal future life he envisioned.

He quickly walked to a corner of the room where a full-length mirror stood.

The boy reflected in the mirror was about thirteen years old. He had a tall, well-proportioned build, with soft, silver-white short hair falling over his forehead, accentuating his clean-cut and restrained facial features.

What was most captivating were his rare heterochromatic eyes—the left a serene ice blue, the right a sharp emerald green. The corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, not sharp, but rather exuding a sense of composure. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips, neither passionate nor ostentatious, as if few things in this world could truly pique his interest.

"...This face is actually quite good." Xiao Hongchen raised his hand and gently touched the mirror's surface. His fingertips met the cool glass, and the boy in the mirror mirrored his action.

Xiao Hongchen tilted his head slightly, carefully examining this new body. His skin was fair, his frame well-proportioned, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. At thirteen, he already showed the makings of a future upright posture.

Especially his hands, with their long, slender fingers, looked well-maintained. Years of holding carving knives and crafting Soul Tools had left no marks on them.

"As expected of me." Xiao Hongchen whispered to himself, lifting his hair with his hand, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face.

Just then, the door to the room was gently pushed open.

"Brother, you're not resting yet? Grandpa sent me to call you—" Meng Hongchen's words caught in her throat.

Her eyes widened as she looked at Xiao Hongchen, who was standing before the full-length mirror, one hand on his hip, the other elegantly lifting his hair, striking a clearly narcissistic pose. She was completely stunned.

Xiao Hongchen's body instantly stiffened. His narcissistic expression in the mirror hadn't had time to dissipate and was frozen on his face. He slowly turned his head, meeting his sister's eyes, which were filled with shock and strangeness.

The air seemed to freeze for two seconds, and the room fell into a silence broken only by the faint hum of the Soul Tool fan.

"...Meng? Why... why did you come in without knocking?" Xiao Hongchen quickly lowered the hand that was lifting his hair, attempting to adopt his usual aloof genius demeanor, but the tips of his ears couldn't help but turn slightly red.

Meng Hongchen blinked, then couldn't help but let out a "puchi" of laughter. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders still trembling slightly.

"Bro... Brother, were you... admiring yourself in the mirror just now?" She suppressed her laughter, her voice clearly teasing. "This is the first time I've seen you like this. Posing in front of the mirror so... skillfully?"

Xiao Hongchen, having been exposed, showed a flicker of embarrassment, but quickly regained his composure. He cleared his throat and pretended to be serious, saying, "Nonsense. I was merely checking my physical condition. After all, I was unconscious for a week. Who knows if there are any lingering aftereffects? Checking one's appearance and complexion is a normal self-examination behavior for a Soul Master."

"Oh~ is that so?" Meng Hongchen drew out her words, her ice-blue eyes curving into crescent moons.

Xiao Hongchen: "..."

Seeing her brother's flustered expression, Meng Hongchen laughed even harder. She walked in briskly, closing the door behind her. Her long silver-white hair swayed with her movements, and the bow accessory on her hair reflected adorably in the light.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Grandpa was very happy to hear you woke up and sent me to call you for dinner. He said you've been unconscious for so long, you must be weak and need to eat well."

As she spoke, she walked up to Xiao Hongchen, stood on her tiptoes, and reached out to gently smooth his disheveled silver-white short hair, her movements natural and intimate.

Xiao Hongchen coughed and reached out to ruffle Meng Hongchen's head, messing up her soft, long silver-white hair as well:

"Let's go, to Grandpa's. Don't tell him about what just happened, or I won't make any more Soul Tools for you in the future."

Meng Hongchen stuck out her tongue, giggling as she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him towards the door:

"Got it, got it! My genius brother cares most about his reputation."

The two walked out of the room one after another, Meng Hongchen still muttering softly, "But speaking of which, Brother, you seem to have changed a bit after waking up from your coma... become more... cute?"

Xiao Hongchen pretended not to hear, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.

It seemed that from now on, he would have to lock the door before indulging in narcissism at home.