Chapter 15

An Xiang had no experience finding schools. She searched online for several kindergartens but wasn't satisfied with any of them. They were too remote, and the environments didn't look very good.

An entire night passed with no progress.

The next day, An Xiang returned to the shop with two heavy dark circles beneath her eyes.

Her main task that morning was creating a new fruit juice, with An Xiang herself as the flavor inspiration.

She had once carefully tasted her own blood. It was sweet peach, mixed with the delicate fragrance of jasmine and green tea.

An Xiang quickly prepared the ingredients and blended the three flavors in different proportions. After several failed attempts, she finally made something satisfactory.

The juice in the glass was a crystal-clear, beautiful gradient pink. Ice cubes floated at the bottom, peach chunks dotted the drink, and jasmine's distinctive fragrance lingered around her nose.

An Xiang gave it a light sniff, lifted the glass, and took a small sip.

The peach flavor was sweet and refreshing, while the rich floral scent and slight bitterness of green tea balanced the sweetness, keeping it from becoming cloying. The three flavors blended perfectly together, and the icy chill brought a sense of happiness from the inside out.

Before she could savor it any further, she hurriedly took out her little notebook and wrote down the ingredient ratios.

She was slow-witted. If she didn't write it down, she might forget later.

Once she was done, An Xiang happily added an entry to the menu: [Mommy.]

Price: 18.

The same price as her son's. Hehe...

She grinned foolishly at the menu.

Having witnessed the entire process, An Zimo finally looked away from the television and lightly mocked, "Why not sell it for 88?"

"Son, are you stupid? Only idiots would buy milk tea for 88." An Xiang casually wiped her wet hands on her apron, then picked up a rag and wiped the counter as she spoke. "...You really are a kid. You can't even understand a joke."

An Zimo's breathing stalled. He darkened his face and unhappily changed the channel.

Being called stupid by an idiot was really annoying.

She had finished everything she needed to do, so next she had to keep looking for a kindergarten for her son.

An Xiang sat by the floor-to-ceiling window with her laptop in her arms. Just as she opened the search page, the doorbell rang at the perfect moment.

She checked the time. It was only ten o'clock. Who would come to such an inconspicuous place for juice at this hour?

An Xiang got up and opened the door. Standing outside was Pei Chen, who had visited just last night.

The tall, straight-backed boy wore a black sweatshirt, his backpack slung crookedly over his left shoulder. He was alone, his beautiful phoenix eyes shining as he stared at An Xiang.

"Ah, you're..." An Xiang recognized him at once.

"Hello, Sister. I'm Pei Chen. You can call me Xiao Chen." Pei Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He slipped past An Xiang and entered, immediately becoming interested when he saw the new item on the menu.

"There's already a new drink?"

"Mm." An Xiang walked behind the counter. "Would you like to try it?"

Pei Chen braced both hands on the counter and craned his neck. "Then I'll have a Mommy."

Only a table separated them, and the scent from the boy drifted into her nose.

It smelled like sweet orange mixed with slightly tart lemon soda.

An Xiang quietly remembered the scent, deciding that if she had time that afternoon, she would make another drink with Pei Chen as the theme.

After ordering, Pei Chen looked around and noticed An Zimo watching television intently on the sofa. His thick brows lifted slightly. He tossed down his backpack and went to sit beside him.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" Pei Chen rested his arm along the back of the sofa, lounging lazily with a flippant tone.

An Zimo instantly felt irritated and slowly scooted his little butt farther away.

Looking at An Xiang busy behind the counter, Pei Chen leaned closer and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Is Xiangxiang your sister?"

Xiangxiang?

That intimate form of address instantly made An Zimo frown. He couldn't help increasing the range of his Mind Reading, wanting to know what this person was thinking.

[This little brat is annoying enough already. Thinking about becoming his brother-in-law is irritating.]

[Fuck, being his brother-in-law wouldn't be so bad!]

"...???" Where had this stupid dog come from? Why was he daydreaming in broad daylight?

An Zimo's face darkened like a November winter. His tiny hands clenched the remote tightly, and his wrists trembled from the force.

"Stop watching TV. What's so good about television?" Pei Chen snatched away the remote, turned off the television, and took out two packs of spicy strips from his bag. "Want some spicy strips?"

An Zimo remained unmoved.

"Tell your big brother, does your sister have a boyfriend?"

An Zimo's eyes flickered. Then, with a malicious curl of his lips, he opened and closed his mouth and calmly spat out two words: "No."

Hearing that answer, Pei Chen nearly jumped up from his chair in excitement.

He forcefully suppressed his excitement, widening his eyes as his deliberately lowered voice trembled slightly. "Really? I don't believe you."

An Xiang was such a pretty, gentle girl. How could no one be pursuing her? This little brat wasn't fooling him, was he?

"Really." An Zimo nodded. "Kids don't lie."

Pei Chen's gaze remained suspicious.

An Zimo held out his hand. "Remote."

Pei Chen snapped back to his senses and respectfully handed it over. In an instant, he felt that An Zimo wasn't actually so annoying. Shamelessly scooting closer, he wrapped an arm around his shoulders like they were brothers. "So, do you think I can pursue your sister?"

"I don't know." Facing Pei Chen, who had suddenly fallen into disappointment, An Zimo added, "Ask her yourself."

Ask her himself...

That's right! He could ask her himself!!!

Pei Chen pinched his thigh, his eyes shining with excitement.

[Xiangxiang, do you mind dating someone younger?]

[My parents are both dead. I have a car and a house, elders above me but no kids below me. Would you be willing to be my girlfriend?]

[Once I graduate from high school, we'll get engaged.]

[The children can take your surname, and I'll give you all my property.]

[Even if we divorce, I can leave with nothing.]

[...]

Pei Chen's inner thoughts were lively, every word pouring into An Zimo's ears.

This stupid dog was so excited now. Once his fantasy shattered...

Tsk.

An Zimo suddenly felt much better. His whole body relaxed into the sofa, his toes swinging rhythmically. His little face remained expressionless, but his overly sly eyes revealed his good mood.

"Your juice. Please enjoy."

By then, An Xiang had finished preparing the juice. She placed it before Pei Chen, brought over a small dish of candy, and returned to her original seat to continue searching online for kindergartens.

An Xiang rested her chin on one hand, focused on her work, and failed to notice Pei Chen approaching with a straw in his mouth.

"Sister..."

The boy's clear voice reached her ears. An Xiang's shoulders jolted, and she looked over in confusion.

Her startled expression was like that of a defenseless little hamster. She was unbearably adorable.

Pei Chen's ears turned red as he stammered, "S-s-sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay." An Xiang looked at the juice in his hand, her big eyes full of anticipation. "Is it good?"

"It's especially good!" Pei Chen wasn't just flattering her. Today's juice really was delicious. Though the ingredients were all ordinary and common, it had a unique flavor. It was like...

"It feels a little like the scent on you, Sister." Pei Chen was not yet eighteen. Underage vampires were usually insensitive to human blood, but he could still smell the fragrance on An Xiang's body. It was sweet and smelled wonderful. If he took just one sip...

His eyes reddened, and his throat bobbed.

Suddenly, a chill ran down An Xiang's back. Her body instinctively leaned away, suspicion appearing in her eyes as she looked at him.

Pei Chen was startled and hurriedly forced down his messy thoughts. His gaze swept over the screen, and upon noticing its contents, he feigned composure and changed the subject. "Sister, are you looking for a kindergarten?"

"Mm." An Xiang didn't deny it and was successfully distracted. "I'm looking for one for our Zimo."

"Zimo?" Pei Chen bit down on his straw and looked behind him, finding it a little unbelievable that such an arrogant little brat had such a refined name.

But...

This was the best chance to show himself!!!

Pei Chen gulped down the rest of his juice, casually tossed the bottle into the trash, pulled out his phone, and found a WeChat contact. "Sister, one of my seventh great-grandfather's friends runs a kindergarten. My younger siblings all attend that school. If you're interested, you can add him and ask about it. If you think it's suitable, I can get him to pull some strings for you. The tuition can be much cheaper."

T-there was such a good thing?

An Xiang was full of disbelief.

Afraid of missing this perfect chance to curry favor, Pei Chen hurriedly added, "That kindergarten is only two streets away from this apartment. It's a fifteen-minute walk. It'll be convenient for you to drop him off and pick him up too."

Being close to the milk tea shop was An Xiang's only requirement.

Without any hesitation, she gave Pei Chen her contact information and added the principal's WeChat through him.

The other person's Moments were filled with daily posts about the kindergarten children's living environment. From the videos, the environment looked good, and their lunches seemed decent as well. It was exactly the kind of kindergarten An Xiang had hoped for!

Pei Chen happily looked at the newly added contact in his WeChat list and licked his lips. "What do you think, Sister? If you think it's good, I can help set up a time for you to visit in person."

An Xiang was extremely satisfied!

The heavy stone pressing on her heart finally fell away. She let out a long sigh of relief and said to Pei Chen, "Then sorry for the trouble. If it's convenient, I'd like to go see it this afternoon."

"Sure. I'll talk to him now." Pei Chen readily agreed and directly called the other person.

Once the call ended, another clever idea came to Pei Chen. "Then I'll take you there after school this afternoon, so you don't get lost. I don't have anything to do on Sundays anyway."

"No, no, I can go myself." An Xiang hurriedly waved her hands. She wasn't a giant baby. How could she trouble others with everything?

Feeling embarrassed, An Xiang quickly said, "How about this? Once we're done, I'll treat you to a meal. Today's juice will be free too."

Treat him to a meal!

Pei Chen's eyes immediately sparkled, the little abacus in his heart clacking away. An Xiang would treat him to dinner today, and tomorrow he could treat her in return. Back and forth, wouldn't winning her over be perfectly natural?

"You don't need to be so polite, Sister Xiangxiang. It can't be easy taking care of your younger brother alone." Pei Chen straightened his back and patted his chest, promising An Xiang, "Once little brother Zimo starts kindergarten, I'll help you take care of him whenever I'm free!"

Pei Chen sounded utterly certain, but An Xiang felt her mind go blank.

"Younger brother?" An Xiang froze, feeling as though she had heard the world's biggest joke. She couldn't help smiling. "You misunderstood. Momo is my son."

"Oh, he's your son..."

S-son—?!!!!

Pei Chen was dumbfounded. He stared with wide eyes like he had turned to stone, unable to make a sound for a long while.

An Zimo, who had been silent in the back the entire time, gave a soft snort. He jumped down from the sofa, walked over to An Xiang, and expressionlessly tugged at her sleeve. "Mom, I'm hungry."

There wasn't a trace of emotion in the way he called her Mom. He only wanted to make Pei Chen angry.

"Okay, I'll make you..." Her voice stopped short, that word Mom echoing in her mind.

An Xiang's lips trembled. Her face was full of astonishment, followed by a shriek. "Momo, you called me Mommy—!!!"

This was the first time.

Since bringing Momo back all those days ago, this was the first time she had heard him call her Mommy.

An Xiang suddenly felt that her whole life had been worth it. Even if she were to die right then, she would be willing.

Unable to hide the excitement in her heart, An Xiang's eyes reddened, and she began crying in little sobs.

An Zimo rolled his eyes at the sky, then contemptuously glanced at Pei Chen. Provoking him, he invited, "Brother Pei Chen, would you like to have lunch with my mommy?" After saying that, he curled his lips into a smile like a rebellious little villain.

Pei Chen's face turned pale, his mind spinning from heartbreak.

That smile was like a stick striking him viciously over the head.

This little bastard was doing it on purpose!!!

"No, thanks..." Pei Chen's voice was rough. Unable to bear the pain of heartbreak, he wanted to cry too. "Give me two more Mommy drinks, to go."

An Xiang had no time to remain immersed in her happiness. Holding back her tears, she went to make the juice while sobbing softly. Pei Chen took the drinks and left dejectedly.

He didn't go home. With his head lowered in despair, he carried the two bags toward Huaxing Entertainment across the street.

Great-grandfather.

He was going to cry in his great-grandfather's arms.

Wuwu...

He had been dumped!

Pei Yizhou doesn't want you and just showed off your great-grandmother.

One "Mom" from Momo made two people cry. Feeling good now?

Momo's Mind Reading was muted most of the time. He found it too noisy.

The little brat was incredibly arrogant (:з"∠)

**

Red envelopes for the first hundred.

I don't know what to write next, so I secretly opened a pre-order. I haven't even decided on the male and female leads' names yet. (:з"∠) I'll change them once I think of something.

"I Raised the Villain Demon King"

Mountain Sparrow was a Silver-throated Long-tailed Tit, and also the last demon in the world. When she woke up, she had just been captured and was about to be presented to the future villainous Demon King.

The system told her that she had entered a strategy game and needed to cultivate together with the villain to extend his life until he was eighty-eight. Once the mission was completed, the Demon Race would rise again.

For the future of the Demon Race, Mountain Sparrow diligently acted cute and worked hard on her strategy, finally managing to take human form.

On the day she transformed, the young villain had just been attacked by enemies seeking revenge. His life value was nearly depleted.

With reddened eyes, Mountain Sparrow hugged the dying villain and sobbed, "W-w-want to mate?"

The young villain covered the wound on his stomach, where blood was bubbling out, and remained silent for a long time before spitting out a few words. "...I'm afraid that may be difficult."

"..."

**

The villain had been born with a baleful fate. He brought misfortune to his father, mother, and himself, destined to live a miserable and difficult life.

Until one day, an enemy played a prank and threw a bird into his house. From then on, his world underwent earth-shaking changes. For example, food and clothes appeared out of nowhere, along with RMB hidden in every nook and cranny. Even that little bird would constantly flirt and cast seductive glances at him.

The villain vaguely felt... this little bird seemed to be lusting after his body.