Ch. 1Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang, a mute and powerless pureblood vampire, is terrified while waiting in a dark hotel room for a man to arrive. Her family has abused and abandoned her because she lacks normal vampire abilities, cannot drink blood, and is considered useless.
  • Before dying at twenty, An Xiang agrees to a system’s mission: transmigrate into another world, sleep with the male lead’s father, give birth to the future protagonist, and raise him until he is five. In exchange, she will return to her body with powerful vampire abilities, including the ability to speak and drink blood safely.
  • The man arrives drunk and apparently drugged, mistakenly entering her room. Although An Xiang is frightened, she decides to endure the encounter so she can gain strength and eventually escape her former life of humiliation.
  • During the encounter, she discovers that she can speak in the human body she now inhabits.
  • The following morning, An Xiang leaves the hotel before the people connected to the plot arrive. The system obscures the man’s face with “mosaic” censoring, preventing her from identifying him.
  • The system transfers the original owner’s memories to An Xiang. She learns that the body belongs to a nineteen-year-old woman from an ordinary family who inherited three apartments but lives aimlessly off the rental income.
  • The system explains the novel’s plot: humans, vampires, and hunters secretly coexist; An Xiang’s future son, An Zimo, is a human-vampire hybrid who is initially considered mentally deficient but later awakens his bloodline, becomes extraordinarily powerful, destroys the An Family, and ultimately rules the vampires while saving humanity.
  • An Xiang realizes that she is absent from the original novel because her family concealed her existence and never acknowledged her. The system reassures her that this makes her role easier and promises to restore her power once she completes the mission.
  • She becomes worried about pregnancy and the possibility that something could go wrong with the baby, revealing her anxiety about the responsibility ahead.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang: Initially paralyzed by fear and trauma, An Xiang gradually forces herself to endure the situation for the sake of future freedom and revenge. She remains timid and inexperienced, but she is not unintelligent; she carefully questions the system’s plan and recognizes that An Zimo’s protagonist status could make her own future dangerous. She also begins adjusting to her new human body and is surprised and moved by the fact that she can speak.
  • The System: The system acts as An Xiang’s guide and mission administrator. It is blunt and sometimes comically casual, treating the coercive situation as a standard plot requirement while encouraging An Xiang with promises of power and revenge.
  • An Zimo: Though he does not appear directly, his future is established. He begins life as a disabled-seeming hybrid, later awakens his bloodline, becomes a genius, destroys the An Family, and rises to power.
  • The Original Owner: Her history is revealed as that of an ordinary, aimless young woman who is unable to care for An Zimo. Her future death and neglect of her son form the foundation of the novel’s original storyline.

Significant Themes

  • Trauma and survival: An Xiang’s decision to endure the night reflects the desperate choices made by someone who has been repeatedly abused and denied agency.
  • Power and revenge: Her primary motivation is to gain the strength necessary to escape humiliation and take revenge on the family that mistreated her.
  • Identity and invisibility: An Xiang’s absence from the novel symbolizes how thoroughly her family erased and devalued her.
  • Fate versus personal choice: Although the system gives her a predetermined role, An Xiang questions the plot and worries about its consequences, suggesting that she may not follow the original story exactly.
  • Motherhood and responsibility: The mission reduces motherhood to a plot requirement, but An Xiang’s concern for the unborn child hints that she may develop genuine emotional responsibility toward him.
  • Dark fantasy mixed with comedy: Serious themes of abuse, exploitation, and family cruelty are contrasted with the system’s absurd commentary, such as censoring the man’s face according to romance conventions.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang and the system: Their relationship is central. The system pressures and reassures her, explaining the mission and the novel’s future while An Xiang asks questions and expresses fear. Although it treats her situation lightly, it is also her only source of guidance.
  • An Xiang and the unidentified man: Their encounter begins with fear and confusion because he is intoxicated and apparently drugged. An Xiang eventually stops resisting, viewing the experience as a necessary sacrifice for her future.
  • An Xiang and her former family: Their relationship is defined by cruelty and neglect. Her parents and relatives mocked her, allowed her abuse, and failed to save her when she was dying, fueling her desire for revenge.
  • An Xiang and An Zimo: They have not yet met, but their lives are linked by the mission. She must give birth to him and later send him to his grandfather, while he is destined to destroy the family that tormented her.

Ch. 2Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • The system arranges transportation for An Xiang to return to her current residence, an isolated and largely abandoned housing complex.
  • She discovers that her apartment is filthy and neglected. Despite her exhaustion, she methodically cleans the entire home herself.
  • An Xiang reflects on her past as a rejected “defective” vampire who was expelled from her family’s manor and forced to survive alone in a ruined tower.
  • After examining her new human body, she writes out plans for the next five years. She intends to earn money through drawing comics or opening a milk-tea shop and save part of her income for the child she is carrying.
  • Her immediate priority is purchasing a coffin, which she considers essential to her comfort as a vampire.
  • At a remote coffin shop, An Xiang chooses and orders an expensive carved double coffin for herself, despite worrying about the cost.
  • On the way home, she narrowly avoids a black sedan carrying President Pei, who notices her but does not interact with her directly.
  • Ten days later, the coffin is delivered and placed in the basement. An Xiang turns it into a comfortable nest with a mattress and candles.
  • While happily rolling around inside it, she hits her head on the lid and worries about harming her unborn child. She then decides that, once wealthy, she will buy an even larger crystal coffin to share with her son.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang: Demonstrates practical abilities and independence by cleaning her home, planning her finances, and making decisions without relying on her family. Her past mistreatment explains both her self-sufficiency and her strong attachment to coffins, which represent safety and comfort. She remains socially inexperienced and oblivious to how unusual her behavior appears to humans.
  • The System: Initially assumes An Xiang is incapable of adapting to human life, but becomes impressed by her organized cleaning and ability to manage herself. It also provides practical assistance and dry commentary.
  • The Coffin Shop Owner: Is initially shocked by An Xiang’s request to buy a coffin for herself, but interprets her fragile appearance as evidence that she may be ill or abandoned. His surprise turns into sympathy, and he still helps her select a coffin.
  • President Pei: Appears briefly as a mysterious, emotionally restrained man. He notices An Xiang from his car but gives no explanation for his interest. His distinctive bewitching mole is emphasized.

Significant Themes

  • Adaptation and independence: An Xiang must learn to survive in human society while managing her finances, home, body, and pregnancy alone.
  • Trauma and neglect: Her family’s rejection and years of confinement shaped her quiet nature, survival skills, and deep need for a secure living space.
  • Comfort and belonging: The coffin is not associated with death for An Xiang but with rest, identity, and emotional safety. Creating a “nest” allows her to reclaim something she was denied in childhood.
  • Human versus vampire life: Although she is technically living as a human, An Xiang’s instincts and preferences remain distinctly vampiric. At the same time, she finds human life—especially sunlight and personal freedom—more appealing than her former existence.
  • Maternal responsibility: Her unborn child influences her financial plans and behavior, even when her own actions are impulsive or eccentric.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang and the system discuss cleaning, finances, and the child’s safety, revealing their contrasting personalities: her earnest innocence versus the system’s pragmatic sarcasm.
  • An Xiang and the coffin shop owner have an awkward but sympathetic exchange. Her sincere questions about sleeping comfort confuse him, while his assumptions about her vulnerability lead him to treat her kindly.
  • An Xiang briefly crosses paths with President Pei when his car nearly hits her. He watches her from a distance, creating an initial hint of a future connection without direct conversation.

Ch. 3Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang discovers she is pregnant and becomes extremely anxious. She struggles with severe pregnancy symptoms, insomnia, weight loss, and fear that she may harm the child or fail the mission.
  • The system reassures her that, according to the novel’s plot, the baby will be taken to his grandfather after birth and raised there until age four. Because of his vampire blood, he is also physically resilient.
  • After ten difficult months, An Xiang gives birth to An Zimo, the future male lead.
  • Initially frightened and uncertain around the newborn, An Xiang touches him, accidentally making him cry. A nurse teaches her how to breastfeed him.
  • Holding and feeding the baby triggers painful memories of An Xiang’s abusive childhood and neglectful parents. She realizes that, unlike her own family, she has no home or loving family to return to.
  • Two days later, distant cousins arrive and take An Zimo away to be raised by his grandfather. An Xiang remains behind, devastated but convinced that she is incapable of being a proper mother.
  • The system reminds her that An Zimo must follow the novel’s storyline, meet a mysterious person, and eventually awaken his intelligence. An Xiang struggles with guilt, believing that abandoning her son makes her no better than her own parents.
  • She eventually regains her determination by declaring that she will earn enough money to give An Zimo a “crystal coffin” someday—an eccentric goal reflecting her vampire values and her attempt to cope with grief.
  • For the next three and a half years, An Xiang lives alone, earning money through rent and comic drawing while secretly returning to the village every few months to visit her son.
  • Near An Zimo’s fourth birthday, she receives news that her grandfather has died and that something has happened to Zimo. The timing is earlier than expected, causing An Xiang to panic and fear that the plot has changed.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang: Her pregnancy and childbirth force her to confront unfamiliar human emotions, especially maternal attachment, fear, grief, and guilt. Though she insists she is only fulfilling a mission, her emotional reaction to An Zimo’s departure reveals that she already cares deeply for him. Her childhood abuse has left her unable to understand healthy parenthood, causing her to mistake emotional uncertainty for complete unfitness as a mother. By the end, she transforms her grief into determination to provide for her son.
  • An Zimo: Introduced as a fragile newborn and future male lead. His unusual lack of crying at birth concerns the medical staff, while his vampire bloodline is said to make him unusually resilient. His separation from An Xiang sets up his later development away from her.
  • The System: Usually calm and mission-focused, it becomes unusually gentle and concerned about An Xiang’s mental state. It tries to prevent her from becoming emotionally attached enough to disrupt the plot, while also encouraging her when she begins to collapse under guilt.

Significant Themes

  • Motherhood and emotional unfamiliarity: An Xiang becomes a mother without understanding human family bonds or caregiving, making motherhood frightening rather than instinctive.
  • Trauma and cycles of abuse: Memories of her parents’ cruelty make An Xiang fear that abandoning An Zimo means she has become like them. The chapter explores whether trauma determines a person’s ability to love.
  • Duty versus emotion: An Xiang views the pregnancy and separation as mission requirements, but her growing attachment conflicts with her role as a tool of the story.
  • Home and belonging: After giving birth, An Xiang recognizes that she has never truly had a home. Her longing for one is reflected in her desire to eventually give An Zimo a secure, extravagant resting place.
  • Fate versus deviation: The planned storyline depends on An Zimo being raised in the village and meeting the mysterious person, but the grandfather’s unexpected early death suggests that events may be diverging from the original plot.

Important Character Interactions

  • An Xiang and the system: The system repeatedly counsels and reassures her during pregnancy and after the separation. Their exchanges highlight the contrast between its practical mission logic and her confused, increasingly emotional responses.
  • An Xiang and the nurse: The nurse introduces her to the basic responsibilities of motherhood, particularly breastfeeding, while An Xiang reacts with nervous disbelief and discomfort.
  • An Xiang and An Zimo: Their first physical contact is awkward and frightening for An Xiang, but feeding him creates the first faint bond between them. His departure leaves her emotionally wounded despite her claims that she does not know how to be a mother.
  • An Xiang and her cousins: The cousins arrive with clear contempt, efficiently removing An Zimo without warmth or discussion. Their behavior reinforces An Xiang’s sense of isolation and lack of family support.
  • An Xiang and her parents’ memory: Though they do not appear directly, their past abuse shapes An Xiang’s interpretation of motherhood and fuels her self-loathing.

Ch. 4Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang travels from Jiang City to the remote Water Lotus Village, where her grandfather’s funeral is being held and her three-year-old son, An Zimo, lives.
  • Before entering the courtyard, the system reveals a major error: due to a programming bug, An Xiang slept with the wrong vampire and gave birth to the “wrong” child. The plot and original mission have therefore failed.
  • An Zimo is actually a child from a parallel world. In that world, he was abused by his biological mother, grew up emotionally damaged, and died by suicide at fourteen. A dimensional accident caused his soul to cross into this world.
  • The system intends to leave An Xiang, but she angrily reports it for sabotaging the mission. Her complaint is accepted, and she receives compensation:
    • Her physical defects will be repaired.
    • Her blood allergy and inability to drink blood will be removed.
    • Her sense of smell will be enhanced.
    • She will receive a fully supplied milk tea shop whose profits belong to her.
  • After realizing that An Zimo is still her child regardless of the circumstances, An Xiang decides to care for him sincerely, even though she has no experience being a mother.
  • She enters the funeral courtyard at sunset and finds An Zimo hiding alone in the grass. The boy stares at her with hatred, hostility, and emotional emptiness.
  • An Xiang detects the scent of blood from him and becomes instinctively fixated on it. She unconsciously approaches and thinks that her son smells delicious and that she wants to eat him.
  • Because An Zimo can read minds, he hears these thoughts, creating an alarming and comedic first encounter between mother and son.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang: Initially anxious and reluctant to meet An Zimo, she becomes furious at the system’s betrayal but quickly adapts to the truth. She accepts that she is his mother and resolves to protect and support him, even planning to leave him the money and business she obtains. However, her vampire instincts immediately conflict with her maternal feelings.
  • An Zimo: He is introduced as withdrawn, isolated, and frighteningly hostile for his age. His background explains his emotional numbness and hatred: he comes from an abusive parallel-world family and has experienced severe neglect and violence.
  • The system: Its incompetence is exposed when it admits to causing the dimensional and identity error. It attempts to abandon An Xiang but is reported and forcibly recalled after compensating her.

Significant Themes

  • Motherhood beyond biology and circumstance: Although An Zimo is technically from another world and was not the child An Xiang was meant to raise, An Xiang chooses to accept him as her son.
  • Trauma and emotional deprivation: An Zimo’s coldness and violence are portrayed as the consequences of abuse and a life without love.
  • Fate versus personal choice: The original mission collapses, but An Xiang chooses to take responsibility rather than abandon the child.
  • Absurdity and comedy amid serious circumstances: The system’s major error, An Xiang’s angry report, and her instinctive desire to “eat” her son turn an emotionally tragic situation into a humorous misunderstanding.
  • Unreliable systems and unintended consequences: The supposedly advanced interdimensional system is flawed, and its mistake completely changes the novel’s intended plot.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang and the system: Their conversation shifts from confusion to anger as An Xiang learns the mission failed. She argues with and reports the system, ultimately receiving significant compensation.
  • An Xiang and the villagers: The villagers openly gossip about her and An Zimo, judging her for abandoning her child and her grandfather for raising him. An Xiang ignores their cruelty but worries that An Zimo may overhear and be hurt.
  • An Xiang and An Zimo: They meet for the first time directly, but the encounter is tense. An Zimo watches her with hatred while An Xiang is drawn toward him by his blood scent. Her affectionate maternal thought—“My son smells so good”—is disastrously interpreted by the mind-reading child as a threat to eat him.

Ch. 5Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang meets An Zimo and nervously introduces herself as his mother. Although she assumes he is merely shy and excited, An Zimo hears her thoughts through his newly acquired mind-reading ability.
  • An Zimo remains cold and distrustful. He remembers his previous life, in which the original version of An Xiang exploited him as a child prodigy, abused him after he was diagnosed with congenital analgesia, and drove him to leave home and eventually die by suicide.
  • After being reborn in a parallel world, An Zimo regains his memories and gains the ability to read the thoughts of anyone within half a meter. He decides to pretend to be mentally disabled so An Xiang will abandon him again.
  • To repel her, he throws what he thinks is a stone at her, only for it to be revealed as dried cow dung. He then deliberately wipes his filthy hands on her jeans.
  • When An Xiang grabs him by the collar to wash him, An Zimo instinctively shields his head, reacting as though he expects to be beaten. An Xiang realizes the extent of his past abuse and is devastated by guilt.
  • Inside the house, An Xiang discovers that An Zimo has been relegated to a cramped, filthy storage room while relatives occupy the proper bedrooms. When she confronts them, they accuse her of abandoning her son and having no right to criticize them.
  • Accepting their criticism, An Xiang pays her share of the funeral expenses. She then decides to take An Zimo away and attacks the storage-room door with an axe.
  • Hearing the axe strikes, An Zimo panics and assumes his mother is about to kill him, creating a comic misunderstanding that ends the chapter.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang: Begins with naïve, overly enthusiastic maternal feelings but gradually recognizes the damage done to An Zimo by the original mother. His defensive reaction causes her to confront her guilt and responsibility. Despite lacking social experience, she becomes determined to protect and take him away.
  • An Zimo: Revealed to be a highly intelligent reborn child with congenital analgesia and mind-reading abilities. He is deeply traumatized, emotionally numb, and hostile toward his mother, though he remains observant and strategically manipulates her actions.
  • The relatives: Shown to be selfish and defensive. They justify mistreating An Zimo by blaming An Xiang for abandoning him and prioritizing their own convenience during the funeral.

Significant Themes

  • Abuse and trauma: An Zimo’s instinctive protection of his head demonstrates how repeated violence has conditioned him to fear even harmless gestures.
  • Parental responsibility and guilt: An Xiang is forced to acknowledge that giving birth does not equal raising or caring for a child.
  • Emotional isolation: An Zimo’s abuse and congenital inability to feel physical pain have left him detached from ordinary human emotion.
  • Misunderstanding and comedy: An Xiang’s sincere but unusual behavior clashes with An Zimo’s grim assumptions, especially when her attempt to rescue him appears to be an attack.
  • Parallel worlds and identity: The chapter establishes that this An Xiang and An Zimo exist in a parallel version of the world, where their circumstances differ from those of the original characters.

Important Character Interactions

  • An Xiang and An Zimo: Their first meeting is marked by her eager affection and his suspicion. She tries to care for him, while he deliberately provokes and avoids her.
  • An Xiang’s attempted grab: Her effort to stop him from leaving triggers his automatic fear response, profoundly affecting her.
  • An Xiang and the relatives: The relatives condemn her neglect, and she cannot defend herself because their accusations are essentially true. She responds by paying the funeral expenses and taking action rather than arguing.
  • An Xiang and An Zimo at the door: Her axe strikes frighten him into believing she intends to harm him, underscoring how little trust exists between them despite her emerging desire to protect him.

Ch. 6Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Terrified by memories from his previous life, An Zimo hides inside a haystack when An Xiang breaks into the woodshed to rescue him.
  • An Xiang gently asks him to come home, but Zimo rejects her, believing her kindness is only an act motivated by his usefulness and earning potential.
  • When village women mock Zimo, An Xiang defends him, insisting that he is not stupid and will become a genius someday.
  • Zimo attempts to escape, but An Xiang pushes him out of the way of falling clutter. He hits the back of his head against the wall and loses consciousness.
  • Zimo interprets the accident as proof that An Xiang is selfish and cruel, while An Xiang panics and fears she has killed her son.
  • After confirming that he is still breathing, An Xiang carries him to town in an ox cart because there is no doctor in the village.
  • At the clinic, the doctor determines that Zimo has only a minor bump, but is malnourished, feverish, and suffering from a cold. He gives Zimo an injection and advises An Xiang to improve his nutrition.
  • An Xiang refuses to leave Zimo unattended and finds a small hotel for the night.
  • She cleans him, throws away his filthy, ruined clothes, and discovers that his thin body is covered in untreated wounds.
  • At the end of the chapter, An Xiang realizes that Zimo is not only sick but also extremely hungry.

Character Development

  • An Zimo: Remains deeply distrustful of An Xiang because of trauma from his previous life. His resentment causes him to misinterpret her accidental attempt to protect him as deliberate harm. His despair becomes so severe that he briefly considers dying again. Despite his hostility, his physical fragility and hunger are revealed.
  • An Xiang: Demonstrates increasing concern and protectiveness toward Zimo. She defends him from ridicule, panics when he is injured, takes him to a doctor, pays for lodging, and personally cleans his neglected body. Although she is clumsy and unaware of his emotional state, her actions show genuine maternal care.
  • Relationship between An Xiang and Zimo: Their relationship remains strained. An Xiang tries to approach him with affection, while Zimo rejects her and assumes the worst of her motives. Her sincere care begins to conflict with his fixed belief that she is exploiting him.

Significant Themes

  • Trauma and mistrust: Zimo’s past-life suffering controls his reactions and prevents him from recognizing An Xiang’s genuine concern.
  • Miscommunication: An Xiang’s protective actions are repeatedly interpreted as violence or manipulation because neither character understands the other’s thoughts.
  • Maternal care and redemption: An Xiang’s practical efforts to protect, feed, clean, and treat Zimo suggest that she may be changing from the selfish mother he remembers.
  • Neglect and poverty: Zimo’s malnutrition, illness, wounds, and ruined clothing reveal the severe neglect he has endured.
  • Fragility and vulnerability: The chapter emphasizes how physically helpless Zimo is, contrasting with his intense resentment and memories of brutality.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang tries repeatedly to coax Zimo from hiding, but he slaps her hand away and tells her to leave.
  • Village women ridicule Zimo, prompting An Xiang to angrily defend him.
  • An Xiang accidentally knocks Zimo down while trying to stop him from being crushed by falling objects, worsening his distrust.
  • The doctor reassures An Xiang about Zimo’s condition and explains his malnutrition and illness.
  • Alone at the hotel, An Xiang tenderly cleans and cares for Zimo, while he remains unconscious and unaware of her efforts.

Ch. 7Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang worries about feeding An Zimo, who has just awakened after several hours and is extremely hungry. Unsure whether his half-vampire heritage affects his diet, she considers offering him her blood.
  • An Zimo is horrified by the suggestion and insists that he wants ordinary human food. An Xiang agrees and prepares to leave to buy some, carrying a folding knife for protection.
  • Although An Xiang tells him not to leave the room, An Zimo attempts to escape on his own, taking her wallet and using a stool to reach the door.
  • He encounters An Xiang at the bottom of the stairs. Expecting punishment for stealing the wallet, he is surprised when she gently pats his head and assumes he came to help her.
  • An Xiang explains that the restaurant does not accept digital payment and that the food will be delivered, so they return to the room.
  • After the food arrives, An Zimo eats ravenously. An Xiang, however, becomes distracted by the smell of his blood, realizing that one of her mysterious rewards has given her an enhanced sense of smell.
  • Her thoughts about secretly biting An Zimo frighten him. He hides inside the closet and refuses to come out, saying he is afraid she will eat him.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang: Shows her lack of childcare experience but also genuine concern for An Zimo’s hunger and safety. She is affectionate, naïve, impulsive, and unintentionally frightening. Her heightened sense of smell reveals a possible new vampire-related ability or side effect.
  • An Zimo: Remains intelligent, suspicious, and deeply traumatized by his memories of An Xiang’s past abuse. He plans an independent escape but is caught almost immediately. Despite his fear, he begins discovering that her current behavior may differ from his memories.
  • Their relationship: An Xiang treats him with warmth and affection, while An Zimo expects cruelty and punishment. Their contrasting perceptions create both comedic misunderstandings and emotional tension.

Significant Themes

  • Maternal care versus traumatic memory: An Xiang tries to act like a loving mother, but An Zimo’s past experiences make it difficult for him to trust her.
  • Fear and misunderstanding: An Xiang’s strange thoughts and careless comments appear threatening, even when she means well.
  • Identity and supernatural change: The possibility that An Xiang and An Zimo possess vampire-related traits becomes more apparent through her bloodlust and heightened sense of smell.
  • Comedy amid emotional tension: The chapter balances An Zimo’s serious fear and trauma with absurd situations, such as An Xiang offering her neck and his failed escape attempt.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang repeatedly tries to comfort and care for An Zimo, while he rejects her physical affection and attempts to maintain a cold, dignified front.
  • She reads his wallet theft as an act of helpfulness rather than disobedience, gently praising him and carrying him back to the room.
  • An Zimo discovers that he can mentally control the volume of An Xiang’s inner voice, experimenting by making it quieter and louder.
  • After sensing An Xiang’s thoughts about eating him, An Zimo retreats into the closet, and their final exchange highlights the gap between her intentions and his deeply ingrained distrust.

Ch. 8Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang takes An Zimo from C City back to Jiang City by bus and high-speed rail.
  • While waiting for a car outside the station, An Xiang is drenched by a speeding black sedan driving through a puddle. An Zimo avoids the splash but leaves her exposed, secretly amused by her misfortune.
  • The sedan returns. Xu Chuan apologizes and attempts to compensate An Xiang with a large amount of cash before giving her a Star City Mall membership card instead. The car’s other passenger, Pei Yizhou, impatiently calls Xu Chuan away.
  • An Xiang uses the card to buy replacement clothes and takes An Zimo to KFC. She encourages him to try fast food, which he enjoys despite his normally controlled upbringing.
  • Xu Chuan follows them to the food court, claiming he needs a place to sit. He tries to befriend An Zimo and learn An Xiang’s name, but An Xiang remains wary and refuses to encourage his advances.
  • Xu Chuan becomes increasingly suspicious that An Zimo may be Pei Yizhou’s illegitimate son because of their strong physical resemblance.
  • An Xiang returns the membership card after using its discount, insisting that buying new clothes was sufficient compensation.
  • An Zimo uses his mind-reading ability and hears Xu Chuan’s thoughts. He discovers that Xu Chuan considers An Xiang unusually appetizing and is thinking about eating her, confirming that Xu Chuan is not an ordinary human. An Zimo is disturbed by the realization that the people around him are abnormal.

Character Development

  • An Xiang: Remains patient, caring, and practical despite being soaked by the car and inconvenienced by the journey. She prioritizes An Zimo’s safety and hunger, handles Xu Chuan firmly but politely, and refuses to exploit his generosity.
  • An Zimo: Shows quick reflexes by avoiding the splash, though he is initially amused when An Xiang gets drenched. His guarded attitude continues, and he again considers escaping. However, the enjoyable food briefly distracts him from his resentment. His mind-reading also makes him increasingly aware of the supernatural or nonhuman nature of those around him.
  • Xu Chuan: Develops an immediate fascination with An Xiang because of her scent and appearance. His playful, intrusive behavior contrasts with An Xiang’s caution. His observations of An Zimo deepen his suspicion that the boy is related to Pei Yizhou.
  • Pei Yizhou: Appears cold, authoritative, and easily irritated by Xu Chuan’s behavior. Although he has limited direct interaction with An Xiang, he senses a familiar presence near the station, hinting at a possible connection between him and An Zimo.

Significant Themes

  • Maternal care and trust: An Xiang consistently protects and provides for An Zimo, while he remains emotionally distant and uncertain about her intentions.
  • Freedom versus control: An Zimo’s past was strictly controlled, making the freedom to choose or enjoy food at KFC significant, even if he cannot fully trust An Xiang yet.
  • Hidden identities and supernatural danger: An Zimo’s mind-reading reveals that ordinary-looking people may be nonhuman or dangerous, while Xu Chuan’s suspicion points toward a concealed connection between An Zimo and Pei Yizhou.
  • Irony and humor: An Xiang interprets the strange situation in ordinary terms, while An Zimo perceives the disturbing thoughts beneath people’s polite appearances.
  • Fated resemblance and connection: Pei Yizhou’s resemblance to An Zimo and his vague sense of familiarity foreshadow a major relationship between them.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang treats An Zimo tenderly, asking whether he is cold or hungry and reassuring herself when he is safe, while An Zimo responds with silence and private skepticism.
  • Xu Chuan apologizes to An Xiang after splashing her but uses the encounter as an excuse to approach her. An Xiang politely rejects his attempts at familiarity.
  • Xu Chuan tries to coax An Zimo into speaking by offering candy, but An Zimo immediately distrusts him and threatens to involve the police through An Xiang.
  • Pei Yizhou reprimands Xu Chuan for interfering and later orders company work to be expedited, emphasizing his cold, efficient personality.
  • At the food court, An Xiang focuses on feeding An Zimo while Xu Chuan secretly studies them, increasingly convinced that An Zimo resembles Pei Yizhou.

Ch. 9Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Zimo misinterprets Xu Chuan’s flirtatious comments toward An Xiang, concluding that Xu Chuan is a pervert and possible child trafficker. An Xiang takes him home and warns him to call for her if he encounters dangerous strangers.
  • They return to An Xiang’s isolated, run-down apartment complex in North City District. The building is nearly abandoned because a former resident allegedly murdered someone and hid the body upstairs.
  • The apartment’s interior is decorated in a gothic, vampire-inspired style, which alarms An Zimo. His own room, however, has been specially decorated with blue walls, a crib, and stuffed animals.
  • An Xiang warns An Zimo never to enter the basement. Her warning only increases his suspicion, and while she is taking out the trash, he sneaks downstairs.
  • An Zimo trips on the stairs and discovers a large, well-maintained coffin. Combining this with An Xiang’s calm attitude toward murder and memories of her threatening him in his previous life, he becomes convinced that she is a serial killer who may intend to kill him.
  • He decides to gather evidence and report An Xiang to the police. He prepares a coded letter, takes a flashlight and fruit knife, and secretly returns to the basement after midnight.
  • Before his investigation, An Xiang spends a peaceful evening with him. She cooks dinner, watches an unusually emotional anti-war ghost film, and kisses him goodnight. An Zimo is stunned by the affection and interprets even the kiss as part of a criminal conspiracy.
  • In the basement, An Zimo climbs onto a chair to inspect the coffin. He hears steady breathing from inside, apparently confirming his fears that someone—or something—is hidden within it.

Character Developments

  • An Zimo: His intelligence, paranoia, and distorted memories dominate his behavior. He constantly assumes the worst of An Xiang and treats ordinary events as evidence of criminal activity. Despite his small child’s body, he plans an elaborate investigation and believes himself to be a criminal mastermind. However, An Xiang’s kiss briefly unsettles his conviction that she does not care about him.
  • An Xiang: She shows genuine but awkward maternal concern. She worries about An Zimo being bullied, prepares him a child-friendly bedroom, cooks for him, invites him to watch a movie, and attempts a goodnight kiss after learning the gesture from television. At the same time, her gothic tastes, casual remarks about death, and lack of awareness of what is normal make her appear deeply suspicious.
  • Their relationship: An Xiang tries to build closeness with her son, while An Zimo remains emotionally and physically distant. Her affection begins to challenge his belief that she hates him, though he is not yet willing to accept it.

Significant Themes

  • Miscommunication and distorted perception: An Zimo’s traumatic past and unusual assumptions cause him to reinterpret harmless behavior—such as flirting, gothic décor, and a goodnight kiss—as signs of danger.
  • The contrast between appearance and reality: The apartment looks like a killer’s lair, yet An Xiang may simply have eccentric vampire-themed preferences. Similarly, the horror film turns out to be a sentimental anti-war story rather than a violent movie.
  • Awkward motherhood and family bonds: An Xiang sincerely wants to care for An Zimo but has little experience being a mother. Her attempts are clumsy, while An Zimo is too suspicious and emotionally damaged to recognize them as affection.
  • Humor through dramatic overreaction: The chapter repeatedly contrasts An Zimo’s serious, elaborate theories with mundane explanations, creating comedy from his conviction that he is surrounded by criminals and supernatural threats.

Character Interactions

  • An Zimo and Xu Chuan: An Zimo silently judges Xu Chuan as a lecherous villain and glares at him until An Xiang takes him away.
  • An Zimo and An Xiang: Their interactions reveal mutual awkwardness. An Xiang speaks gently and tries to care for him, but An Zimo rejects her touch and remains suspicious. Her kiss and goodnight wish create the first noticeable crack in his belief that she does not love him.
  • An Xiang and the unseen household system: The system has apparently prevented her from giving An Zimo a gothic bedroom, forcing her to create a healthier child-friendly environment despite her own tastes.
  • An Zimo and the coffin: The basement encounter ends on a cliffhanger when he hears breathing from inside, apparently validating his suspicions that An Xiang is hiding someone—or something—there.

Ch. 10Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Zimo discovers that his “mother,” An Xiang, sleeps inside a coffin in the basement. He accidentally falls into it and is shocked to find her alive and wearing pajamas.
  • An Xiang assumes Zimo has come because he dislikes his crib and wants to sleep with her. She invites him to share the coffin and even offers to have a child-sized coffin custom-made for him.
  • She sings him a bizarre vampire-themed “Underworld Lullaby,” then holds him until he falls asleep.
  • While lying beside An Xiang, Zimo reflects on her strange behavior and considers whether her gentleness is genuine or merely a temporary disguise. He decides to continue pretending to be unintelligent while observing and testing her.
  • The next morning, An Xiang bites Zimo’s cheek because his blood smells delicious, but she stops herself before seriously harming him.
  • While making breakfast, An Xiang cuts her finger. Though the blood smells appealing to her vampire nature, she finds its taste disgusting and struggles humorously between hunger and revulsion.
  • Zimo notices her strange behavior and retreats to the coffin, deciding it is safer there.
  • An Xiang tells Zimo they will go shopping for clothes and necessities. She begins to feel the weight of being a mother and promises to love and protect him.
  • They leave for a coffin shop, with An Xiang believing she is buying Zimo a bed. She becomes excited about a Peppa Pig-themed coffin.

Character Developments

  • An Zimo: Remains suspicious and cautious despite An Xiang’s kindness. His memories of being mistreated in his previous life make him wary of revealing his intelligence or abilities. However, he begins experiencing uncertainty as her behavior differs so greatly from his memories. He also shows reluctant comfort in her embrace and sleeps peacefully beside her.
  • An Xiang: Displays an eccentric but affectionate maternal nature. She misunderstands ordinary parenting customs, treating a coffin as a normal bed and singing a dangerous-sounding lullaby. Her hunger for blood reveals her vampire instincts, but her disgust at its taste prevents her from harming Zimo. She also begins accepting her responsibilities as a mother and sincerely resolves to protect him.

Significant Themes

  • Trust and suspicion: Zimo must determine whether An Xiang has genuinely changed or is concealing her true nature.
  • The effects of rebirth and changed circumstances: Zimo wonders whether the differences between this An Xiang and the mother he remembers are caused by the butterfly effect of his rebirth.
  • Motherhood and responsibility: An Xiang gradually shifts from living freely for herself to recognizing her obligations toward her son.
  • Human and vampire nature: An Xiang’s bloodlust contrasts with her human body’s inability to tolerate blood, while Zimo’s age prevents him from fully accessing his vampire abilities.
  • Comedy through cultural misunderstanding: An Xiang’s unusual lifestyle and literal interpretation of childcare create humorous clashes with Zimo’s more mature, cynical perspective.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang treats Zimo as an ordinary baby who needs comfort, while Zimo internally reacts like a suspicious adult trapped in a child’s body.
  • Her invitation to share the coffin horrifies him, though he eventually sleeps beside her.
  • An Xiang’s affectionate bite and Zimo’s startled response highlight both her vampire instincts and their developing bond.
  • Zimo silently judges her bizarre behavior but continues observing rather than confronting her.
  • An Xiang’s earnest declaration that she will love and protect him is met with Zimo’s outwardly expressionless, skeptical reaction, though he does not reject her care.

Ch. 11Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Summary

Key plot points and events

  • An Xiang takes An Zimo to a shabby coffin shop and orders a custom children’s coffin shaped and decorated like a cartoon bed. She prioritizes high-quality materials and reassures him that he can sleep beside her until it is finished.
  • At Star City Mall, An Xiang enthusiastically shops for children’s clothes, shoes, and other necessities. Although An Zimo clearly dislikes the clothes, she respects his reluctance and buys them without forcing him to try anything on.
  • An Xiang notices An Zimo looking at an expensive mecha toy. His interest triggers painful memories of being punished by his former mother for playing with toys, so he suppresses his desire and walks away.
  • An Xiang leaves him with ice cream on a bench, claiming she is going to the restroom. An Zimo correctly realizes the restroom is in the opposite direction and suspects she may be abandoning him.
  • A woman attempts to lure An Zimo away by pretending to be ill and offering him candy. He refuses, identifies her as a human trafficker, and causes security to catch her.
  • While waiting, An Zimo encounters Pei Yizhou and his assistant. Pei notices the boy’s guarded demeanor and asks his assistant to find the child’s parents or take him to security. Pei does not realize that An Zimo may be his son.
  • An Xiang returns immediately after Pei leaves, creating a significant near-miss between her, An Zimo, and Pei.

Character developments

  • An Xiang continues to show intense devotion and protectiveness toward An Zimo. She takes responsibility for his comfort, buys him necessities, respects his preferences, and tries to give him a secure childhood. However, her unexplained behavior—especially ordering a coffin and leaving him alone—makes him uncertain about her intentions.
  • An Zimo remains cold, wary, and highly observant, but he is gradually becoming accustomed to An Xiang’s care. His refusal to trust strangers demonstrates his intelligence and survival instincts. His reaction to the mecha toy reveals lingering trauma from past abuse and deprivation.
  • Pei Yizhou is introduced as the male lead. He is composed, detached, and practical, though An Zimo’s fierce, suspicious expression briefly amuses and interests him. His physical resemblance to the child is noted by his assistant but dismissed as coincidence.

Significant themes

  • Healing through care: An Xiang attempts to replace An Zimo’s painful memories with affection, freedom, and material security.
  • Trauma and mistrust: An Zimo’s inability to enjoy toys or believe An Xiang will return reflects the lasting effects of past mistreatment.
  • Parental responsibility and attachment: An Xiang’s actions show strong maternal commitment, even when An Zimo has difficulty accepting it.
  • Fate and near-misses: Pei and An Zimo meet without recognizing their connection, setting up future revelations and romantic/familial complications.
  • Protection versus vulnerability: Although An Zimo appears emotionally hardened, he is still a young child vulnerable to danger, while his intelligence allows him to protect himself.

Character interactions

  • An Xiang and An Zimo’s relationship grows through shopping and everyday care, but his guardedness contrasts with her warmth.
  • An Zimo’s memories of his former mother sharply contrast with An Xiang’s willingness to indulge and protect him.
  • An Zimo confronts the would-be kidnapper directly and relies on nearby adults and security rather than allowing himself to be manipulated.
  • His first encounter with Pei Yizhou is tense and observant: Pei is intrigued by the boy’s hostility, while An Zimo distrustfully watches him. Their resemblance is noticed but not understood.

Ch. 12Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang returns and finds An Zimo with Pei Yizhou’s assistant, who explains that Zimo had nearly been in danger after wandering alone. An Xiang realizes she had been careless and promises not to leave him unattended again.
  • Although Zimo distrusts her promise and initially refuses physical contact, he eventually allows her to hold his hand as they return to the new milk tea shop.
  • The shop, provided by the Spacetime Administration as compensation, is fully equipped and requires no operating expenses. An Xiang decides to sell juice rather than milk tea after discovering that she can recreate the “flavors” of people’s blood through drinks.
  • She experiments with Zimo’s scent—milk, mango, and mint—and creates a juice based on it. Zimo enjoys the drink, but is horrified when An Xiang names it “Son” and prices it at eighty-eight.
  • An Xiang becomes excited about using human flavor profiles to make juice, while Zimo begins worrying that his mother may literally be a cannibal.
  • At home, An Xiang gives Zimo a mech toy she bought as a surprise. Instead of enjoying it, Zimo violently dismantles and destroys it, apparently associating it with painful memories and resentment.
  • When An Xiang asks whether he is unhappy because of her or because he dislikes living with her, Zimo remains silent. She begins crying and tells him that, even if he dislikes her, he still has to live with her because he is only a baby.
  • Interpreting her statement as a provocation, Zimo decides he will prove that he can survive without an adult and begins considering how to make money himself.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang: Becomes more protective and emotionally invested in Zimo, recognizing her responsibility for his safety. She also takes the first steps toward financial independence through the juice shop. However, her bizarre vampire logic and emotionally clumsy remarks repeatedly unsettle him.
  • An Zimo: Continues to distrust An Xiang and rejects affection, promises, and gifts. His violent destruction of the mech reveals deep psychological trauma and suppressed hatred. Despite his young age, he begins planning to become self-sufficient.
  • Pei Yizhou’s assistant: Briefly acts as a responsible stranger who protects Zimo and warns An Xiang about leaving him alone.

Significant Themes

  • Parental responsibility and trust: An Xiang’s guilt and attempts to care for Zimo clash with his inability to trust her.
  • Trauma and emotional repression: Zimo’s silence, indifference, and violent reaction to the toy suggest severe unresolved psychological wounds.
  • Miscommunication: An Xiang believes she is comforting or encouraging Zimo, while he interprets her words as insensitive or provocative.
  • Family and forced dependence: Zimo is compelled to rely on a mother he does not accept, while An Xiang fears he may never love her.
  • Humor amid darker themes: The absurd juice business, the drink named “Son,” and Zimo’s suspicion that An Xiang is a cannibal lighten the chapter’s exploration of neglect and trauma.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang repeatedly tries to protect and physically comfort Zimo, while he resists her but eventually tolerates her presence.
  • She uses his scent to create a drink, and Zimo reluctantly tastes it before approving it.
  • An Xiang gives him a toy as a surprise, but his destructive reaction exposes the emotional distance between them.
  • Their final exchange becomes a comic yet painful confrontation: An Xiang cries and insists he must live with her, while Zimo takes her words as a challenge and resolves to become independent.

Ch. 13Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Zimo realizes that escaping An Xiang will be difficult because, as a child, he lacks identification, a bank account, and the resources needed to make money. He postpones worrying about the problem.
  • An Xiang opens her “milk tea shop,” though she has switched to selling juice because milk tea is too troublesome. On the first day, she brings An Zimo with her, but the remote, unadvertised shop is initially empty.
  • While waiting for customers, An Xiang draws handmade business cards featuring chibi characters. This reveals her hidden artistic ability, which she developed during her years of imprisonment.
  • Worried that An Zimo will become bored or be bullied when the shop gets busier, An Xiang considers sending him to kindergarten. She attempts to teach him to read and write, but embarrassingly forgets how to complete the character in his name, “Mo.” An Zimo mocks her.
  • Two teenage boys, Pei Chen and Yin Dongyu, enter the shop. They originally intended to visit a cat café, but Pei Chen becomes captivated by An Xiang and insists on staying.
  • The shop’s menu contains only “Son” juice and purified water. Pei Chen orders two “Sons,” while Yin Dongyu remains skeptical of the drink’s name.
  • Pei Chen is strongly attracted to An Xiang’s scent because he is a vampire and struggles to control his hunger. He becomes shy and infatuated with her, while An Zimo immediately sees through him and insults him.
  • Pei Chen tries to use homework as an excuse to interact with An Xiang, but An Zimo points out that she cannot help with advanced mathematics or classical Chinese.
  • Pei Chen and Yin Dongyu stay until closing. Pei Chen compliments An Xiang’s juice, asks for a business card, and promises to bring friends to the shop.
  • After leaving, Pei Chen tells his ancestor, Pei Yizhou, that he has fallen in love at first sight. Pei Yizhou responds coldly and ominously, then picks him up after receiving a call from Pei Chen’s school.
  • Pei Yizhou and An Zimo narrowly miss each other outside the apartment building, setting up the humorous revelation that An Zimo is actually Pei Chen’s grandfather in the complicated vampire family hierarchy.

Character Developments

  • An Zimo: Remains calculating, emotionally restrained, and sarcastic. He is frustrated by his dependence on An Xiang but also shows awareness of her limitations and Pei Chen’s romantic intentions.
  • An Xiang: Demonstrates unexpected artistic talent and determination to support her son. She is caring but inexperienced, worrying about childcare and education while also trying to establish her business.
  • Pei Chen: Develops an immediate romantic and physical attraction to An Xiang. His normally aggressive personality becomes shy and awkward around her, though he remains childish and impulsive with Yin Dongyu.
  • Yin Dongyu: Acts as the more practical and skeptical companion, uninterested in the strange “Son” drink and more concerned with his homework and original plan to visit the cat café.
  • Pei Yizhou: Appears stern, intimidating, and powerful. His brief interaction with Pei Chen establishes him as an authoritative elder within the vampire family.

Significant Themes

  • Dependence versus independence: An Zimo wants to escape but is trapped by his age and lack of legal and financial resources.
  • Hidden abilities and resilience: An Xiang’s drawing skills reflect the hobbies and strengths she cultivated during imprisonment, challenging her mother’s view that she is useless.
  • Family and generational complexity: The chapter emphasizes the confusing, extended structure of vampire families and hints at An Zimo’s deeper connection to Pei Chen’s lineage.
  • Romantic attraction and comic misunderstanding: Pei Chen interprets An Xiang’s ordinary friendliness as flirtation, while his attraction is played for humor and contrasted with An Zimo’s blunt observations.
  • Motherhood and protection: An Xiang’s concerns about An Zimo’s education, safety, and social life show her growing efforts to act as a responsible parent.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang and An Zimo share a teasing but affectionate mother-son dynamic; she tries to teach him, while he coldly exposes her shortcomings.
  • Pei Chen and Yin Dongyu bicker constantly, with Pei Chen dominating the conversation and Yin Dongyu providing skeptical reactions.
  • Pei Chen is gentle and bashful toward An Xiang but hostile and impatient toward others.
  • An Zimo repeatedly undermines Pei Chen’s attempts to impress An Xiang, creating an antagonistic and humorous relationship.
  • Pei Chen’s conversation with Pei Yizhou highlights the contrast between his romantic excitement and his ancestor’s stern pragmatism.

Ch. 14Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang takes An Zimo to an expensive restaurant because it is too late to cook. While there, she notices a happy family and feels envious of the closeness between the mother and child.
  • She gently asks An Zimo whether he would like to attend kindergarten. He initially gives no response, but after sensing her sadness through Mind Reading, he agrees, claiming that her crying is annoying.
  • An Xiang is unexpectedly reunited with An Yanze, her cousin from the Vampire Clan and the only member of her family who once treated her kindly.
  • An Yanze recognizes her resemblance to his deceased younger sister, though his companions dismiss the possibility that she could truly be An Xiang. Their cruel comments reveal that the original An Xiang is still hospitalized and despised by the family.
  • The encounter revives An Xiang’s painful memories of her family and strengthens her desire to remain in her current human life rather than return to them.
  • On the taxi ride home, An Zimo falls asleep against her. An Xiang tenderly holds him and realizes that he is now the only person she truly has. She becomes determined to remain alive so she will not lose him.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang: Her meeting with An Yanze reopens old wounds but also confirms that someone from her former life remembers her. She becomes more emotionally attached to An Zimo and develops a powerful desire to survive in her current body.
  • An Zimo: Though still emotionally distant, hostile, and convinced that he hates his mother, he shows small signs of concern. He notices her distress, reads her thoughts, and agrees to attend kindergarten partly to stop her from crying.
  • An Yanze: He remains gentle and remembers An Xiang, unlike the rest of the family. His recognition—though uncertain—suggests that he may still care about his missing sister.

Significant Themes

  • Mother-child attachment: An Xiang longs for a normal, affectionate relationship with her son, while An Zimo’s trauma prevents him from accepting her kindness.
  • Identity and reincarnation: An Xiang is living in the body of the original owner, creating tension between her own identity, the family’s memories of the original woman, and An Zimo’s hatred of the mother he remembers.
  • Healing and emotional change: An Xiang’s love gradually reaches An Zimo, but his psychological wounds mean that trust and affection must develop slowly.
  • Belonging and survival: Despite her painful past, An Xiang finds meaning in her bond with An Zimo and decides that remaining with him is worth fighting for.
  • Family cruelty versus chosen family: The An Family rejected and abused An Xiang, while her relationship with An Zimo—though difficult—offers her the possibility of genuine family.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang tries to persuade An Zimo to attend kindergarten, carefully prioritizing his comfort and future.
  • An Zimo silently reads An Xiang’s thoughts and reacts to her tears with reluctant concern, masking it as irritation.
  • An Yanze mistakes An Xiang for his younger sister and briefly holds her arm before realizing she cannot be the woman he remembers.
  • An Xiang and An Yanze’s brief encounter is emotionally significant: she learns that he remembers her, while his companions’ insults remind her of the family’s cruelty.
  • In the final scene, An Xiang tenderly embraces her sleeping son and privately vows to remain by his side.

Ch. 15Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Summary

Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang spends the night searching for a suitable kindergarten for An Zimo but rejects several options because they are too far away or poorly maintained.
  • She creates a new fruit juice inspired by her own scent and blood, combining peach, jasmine, and green tea. After several attempts, she perfects the recipe and adds it to the menu under the name “Mommy,” priced at 18—the same as Zimo’s drink.
  • Pei Chen visits the shop and orders the new drink. While waiting, he approaches An Zimo and questions him about An Xiang’s relationship status.
  • Using his mind-reading ability, Zimo discovers that Pei Chen is romantically interested in An Xiang and is already fantasizing about marrying her, supporting her, and giving her his property.
  • Zimo mischievously tells Pei Chen that An Xiang has no boyfriend, encouraging Pei Chen’s hopes. Pei Chen then offers to help find Zimo a kindergarten through a family connection.
  • Pei Chen recommends a nearby kindergarten run by an acquaintance of his family. An Xiang is impressed by its location and apparent quality and arranges to visit it that afternoon.
  • Pei Chen mistakenly assumes that Zimo is An Xiang’s younger brother and enthusiastically offers to help care for him. An Xiang corrects him by revealing that Zimo is actually her son.
  • Shocked and heartbroken, Pei Chen realizes that his romantic hopes have collapsed. He buys two more “Mommy” drinks and leaves for Huaxing Entertainment, intending to seek comfort from his great-grandfather.
  • Before Pei Chen leaves, Zimo deliberately calls An Xiang “Mom” for the first time. An Xiang is overwhelmed with joy and cries, while Zimo smugly uses the moment to torment Pei Chen.
  • The chapter ends with Pei Chen grieving over his failed romantic prospects, while the author adds a promotional excerpt for another story, I Raised the Villain Demon King.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang demonstrates her creativity and growing confidence as a shop owner by inventing a signature drink based on her unique scent. She remains devoted to providing a good environment for Zimo and is relieved when Pei Chen helps her find a suitable kindergarten.
  • An Zimo continues to be sharp-tongued, possessive, and mischievous. He reads Pei Chen’s thoughts, recognizes his romantic intentions toward An Xiang, and deliberately manipulates him. However, his first genuine use of “Mom” reveals a subtle emotional attachment to An Xiang, even though he pretends to be indifferent.
  • Pei Chen is portrayed as impulsive, naïve, and openly infatuated with An Xiang. His confidence rises when he believes she is single, but it collapses when he discovers she already has a son. Despite his embarrassment and heartbreak, he genuinely helps An Xiang solve the kindergarten problem.
  • An Xiang’s relationship with Zimo deepens significantly when Zimo calls her “Mom” for the first time. The moment confirms his growing acceptance of her as his mother figure.

Significant Themes

  • Familial attachment and acceptance: Zimo’s first deliberate “Mom” marks an important emotional breakthrough in his relationship with An Xiang.
  • Unrequited affection and comic misunderstanding: Pei Chen’s mistaken belief that Zimo is An Xiang’s younger brother fuels much of the chapter’s humor and ends in exaggerated heartbreak.
  • Possessiveness and protection: Zimo’s irritation toward Pei Chen reflects his protective and possessive feelings toward An Xiang.
  • Domestic care and responsibility: An Xiang’s search for a nearby, reliable kindergarten emphasizes her commitment to Zimo’s welfare and the practical challenges of raising him.
  • Food and personal identity: The “Mommy” drink reflects An Xiang’s supernatural identity while also symbolizing her affection and pride in her role as Zimo’s mother.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang and Zimo: They exchange playful insults over the drink’s price, but their bond becomes more emotionally meaningful when Zimo calls her “Mom.”
  • Zimo and Pei Chen: Their interaction is a battle of personalities. Pei Chen tries to befriend and impress Zimo, while Zimo reads his thoughts and subtly sabotages his romantic hopes.
  • An Xiang and Pei Chen: Pei Chen is attracted to her and tries to help her, while An Xiang treats him warmly but remains unaware of his romantic intentions. His assistance with the kindergarten strengthens their connection, though his misunderstanding about Zimo causes his hopes to collapse.

Ch. 16Chapter 16

Chapter 16 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Pei Chen runs into Xu Chuan and Pei Yizhou after being rejected or separated from someone he likes. His obvious heartbreak amuses Xu Chuan, who teases him about being dumped.
  • Despite his sadness, Pei Chen promotes the new milk-tea shop across from the company by leaving drinks and the shop owner’s business card at reception. He wants to support her even though he believes they are destined to meet but not be together.
  • At Pei Yizhou’s office, Pei Chen gives him a bottle of peach juice, though Xu Chuan jokes that it will be wasted because Pei Yizhou cannot taste or smell anything.
  • The chapter explains Pei Yizhou’s unusual vampire constitution: he lacks taste and smell, has little blood-related desire, did not develop fangs normally, and is not controlled by the sexual instincts and heat that affect pureblood vampires.
  • After Pei Chen and Xu Chuan leave, Secretary Zhao brings documents into Pei Yizhou’s office. A scent from juice spilled on her skirt suddenly reaches him.
  • The scent is identical to one Pei Yizhou encountered years earlier, when he lost control at a gathering and became intimate with an unknown woman. He never saw her face or learned her name, but he remembers her unique scent and the green color of her soul.
  • Pei Yizhou realizes the scent came from the newly opened shop and urgently asks whether the owner delivers personally. He orders Secretary Zhao to have the owner bring more juice directly to his office.
  • He retrieves the discarded bottle from the wastebasket and confirms that the scent belongs to the woman from his past—An Xiang. His normally controlled mind is overwhelmed by excitement and desire.

Character Developments

  • Pei Chen appears unusually vulnerable after romantic disappointment, revealing a softer and more loyal side beneath his unruly personality. Even while heartbroken, he continues helping An Xiang by advertising her business.
  • Pei Yizhou shifts from his usual calm, disciplined detachment to intense agitation. Discovering An Xiang’s scent reawakens memories and feelings he has suppressed for years.
  • Xu Chuan remains playful and observant, teasing Pei Chen while also providing insight into Pei Yizhou’s condition.
  • An Xiang does not appear directly, but her business and distinctive scent drive the chapter’s central revelation. Her role as a struggling shop owner contrasts with her importance to Pei Yizhou’s past.
  • Secretary Zhao becomes the accidental link between Pei Yizhou and An Xiang when the spilled drink reveals the source of the scent.

Significant Themes

  • Fate and reunion: Pei Yizhou recognizes the scent of the woman he thought he might never meet again, suggesting that fate is bringing them back together.
  • Desire versus self-control: Pei Yizhou’s disciplined nature and unusual lack of appetite or sexual impulse are disrupted by An Xiang’s presence.
  • Memory and identity: Though Pei Yizhou never saw An Xiang’s face, her scent and soul color make her unmistakable to him.
  • Unrequited or impossible love: Pei Chen’s belief that he and the shop owner are “fated to meet but not be together” introduces a bittersweet romantic tension.
  • Hidden supernatural abilities: The chapter expands the vampire world through soul colors, heat, blood dependence, and individual powers.

Character Interactions

  • Xu Chuan jokingly interrogates Pei Chen about his heartbreak, while Pei Chen responds with embarrassment and low spirits.
  • Pei Yizhou sternly corrects Pei Chen’s careless posture, reinforcing their familiar guardian-and-younger-brother dynamic.
  • Xu Chuan and Pei Chen discuss Pei Yizhou’s inability to taste the juice, highlighting the brothers’ casual familiarity with his condition.
  • Pei Yizhou questions Secretary Zhao sharply about the scent and its source, making her nervous.
  • His conversation with Secretary Zhao indirectly leads him to An Xiang, as he insists that she personally deliver the next order.
  • The chapter ends with Pei Yizhou alone, clutching the juice bottle and realizing that the woman he has sought unconsciously for years is finally nearby.

Ch. 17Chapter 17

Chapter 17 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang receives several juice orders from Huaxing Entertainment, the company across from her apartment. The receptionist asks her to take one bottle to the chairman’s office on the fortieth floor.
  • Before she can enter the elevator, a female employee takes the juice from her, claiming she will deliver it. The employee attempts to use the delivery as an excuse to meet Chairman Pei Yizhou, but Secretary Zhao stops her. Pei Yizhou orders that she receive a minor demerit for leaving her post.
  • After the juice reaches Pei Yizhou, he tastes it and discovers that, despite being born without a sense of smell and apparently lacking normal taste, he can experience flavor from An Xiang’s juice. He concludes that An Xiang herself may somehow be connected to his recovered sense of taste.
  • Pei Yizhou struggles with whether to seek An Xiang out. He remembers the troubling events of their previous encounter and worries that approaching her could frighten or harm her, ultimately wondering if staying away would be best.
  • An Xiang prepares a special juice flavor for Pei Chen, naming it “Customer Number One.”
  • She takes An Zimo to visit Rainbow Kindergarten, which Pei Chen recommended. The kindergarten is spacious and well equipped, though one isolated classroom houses children considered especially troublesome.
  • An Zimo meets twins Pei Nuo and Pei Yan. When Pei Nuo kindly offers him her cloth doll, An Zimo knocks it away, making her cry. Pei Yan attacks him to defend his sister, and the two boys engage in a fierce fight.
  • An Zimo eventually punches Pei Yan hard enough to knock out one of his baby teeth. Although An Xiang tries to make him apologize and punishes him by sending him to stand apart, An Zimo shows no remorse.
  • An Xiang comforts Pei Nuo by cleaning her doll and drawing her a rabbit. Pei Nuo reveals that she and Pei Yan no longer have parents and are cared for by their “Great-Grandpa.”
  • Because of the violent incident, An Xiang hesitates to enroll An Zimo. Before she leaves, Pei Nuo’s great-grandfather arrives, setting up the anticipated meeting in the next chapter.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang: Continues to be a conscientious and protective mother. She worries about leaving Zimo alone, takes responsibility for his behavior, openly explains his developmental history, and tries to repair the harm he causes.
  • An Zimo: Displays severe emotional detachment, hostility, and an intense instinct to retaliate when challenged. He rejects kindness, refuses to apologize, and proves unusually capable and aggressive in combat. His behavior complicates An Xiang’s hopes of giving him a normal social life.
  • Pei Yizhou: Becomes increasingly fascinated and emotionally affected by An Xiang. The juice gives him a rare sensory experience, causing him to view her as a possible source of something he has been deprived of since birth. At the same time, guilt and fear make him reluctant to approach her.
  • Pei Nuo: Is introduced as gentle, friendly, and emotionally vulnerable. Despite being hurt and frightened, she forgives An Zimo and responds warmly to An Xiang’s kindness.
  • Pei Yan: Is fiercely protective of his twin sister and highly aggressive. His instinct is to defend Nuo immediately, though his confidence collapses into distress after losing a tooth.
  • Dean Tan and Secretary Zhao: Both act as practical intermediaries—Dean Tan manages the children’s conflict calmly, while Secretary Zhao handles Pei Yizhou’s unusual and intimidating response to the juice delivery.

Significant Themes

  • Connection through the senses: An Xiang’s juice creates an unexpected link between her and Pei Yizhou, allowing him to experience flavor despite his congenital sensory limitations.
  • Fear of intimacy and harm: Pei Yizhou’s desire to find An Xiang conflicts with his guilt and concern that his presence may endanger or disturb her.
  • Motherhood and responsibility: An Xiang’s willingness to disclose Zimo’s condition, accept blame, and comfort the injured children emphasizes her dedication as a mother.
  • Socialization versus alienation: The kindergarten represents An Xiang’s attempt to help Zimo enter ordinary society, while his violent and withdrawn behavior highlights how difficult that integration may be.
  • Family, loss, and protection: Pei Yan’s violent defense of Nuo and the twins’ lack of parents reveal a family structure shaped by vulnerability and dependence on their elderly great-grandfather.

Important Character Interactions

  • An Xiang and Pei Yizhou: They do not meet directly, but her juice affects him profoundly and becomes the basis of his growing interest in her.
  • An Xiang and An Zimo: An Xiang tries to guide Zimo toward proper behavior, while Zimo ignores her commands and remains emotionally resistant.
  • An Zimo and Pei Nuo: Nuo offers friendship through her doll, but Zimo rejects her gesture and frightens her.
  • An Zimo and Pei Yan: Their confrontation escalates from a shove into a brutal fight, revealing both boys’ combative personalities.
  • An Xiang and Pei Nuo: An Xiang comforts Nuo, cleans her doll, gives her a drawing, and promises another gift, creating an affectionate bond.
  • An Xiang and Dean Tan: They discuss Zimo’s condition and possible enrollment, but the fight leaves An Xiang uncertain about whether kindergarten is suitable.
  • Pei Nuo and her Great-Grandpa: Nuo reacts joyfully to his arrival, providing the chapter’s cliffhanger and bringing An Xiang closer to meeting the Pei family.

Ch. 18Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • An Xiang hesitates to help an apparently frail old man outside the kindergarten, only to discover that he is actually a tall, striking man—Pei Yizhou, the children’s “Great-Grandpa.”
  • Pei Nuo enthusiastically greets Pei Yizhou, while he becomes captivated by An Xiang’s unusually pure, radiant green soul and familiar scent.
  • An Xiang explains that her son, An Zimo (“Momo”), fought with Pei Yan and accidentally knocked out one of his teeth. She responsibly offers to pay for Pei Yan’s medical treatment.
  • Pei Yizhou questions Pei Yan and reprimands him for insulting An Zimo. He apologizes for Pei Yan’s behavior and acknowledges that both children were at fault.
  • When Pei Yizhou mistakenly refers to An Xiang’s “husband,” she reveals that she is a single mother. Pei Yizhou is quietly pleased by this information.
  • An Xiang tries to exchange contact information with Pei Yizhou, but Pei Yan interrupts and loudly accuses her of attempting to marry Pei Yizhou and become his great-grandmother. Embarrassed, An Xiang abandons the idea.
  • Pei Yizhou leaves with the two children, secretly disappointed that he did not obtain An Xiang’s contact information.
  • Afterward, An Xiang finds An Zimo dirty and withdrawn. Instead of scolding him, she cleans him gently and attempts to reassure him that he is safe with her.
  • An Xiang encourages Zimo to accept kindness, but he reacts defensively, insisting that he will remain disobedient and that she can abandon him if she wishes.

Character Developments

  • An Xiang demonstrates fairness, responsibility, and compassion. Although she initially feels intimidated by Pei Yizhou, she quickly develops a favorable impression of his considerate nature. Her gentle treatment of Zimo reveals her growing maternal concern.
  • Pei Yizhou is outwardly cold and controlled but is strongly attracted to An Xiang, especially because of her pure soul and familiar scent. He shows unusual patience with the children and becomes subtly pleased when he learns she is unmarried.
  • Pei Yan is possessive and suspicious of An Xiang, comically interpreting her attempt to exchange contact information as a marriage scheme. Beneath his arrogance, he is still a child seeking to protect his place with Pei Yizhou.
  • An Zimo remains emotionally guarded, hostile, and distrustful. His refusal of kindness reflects past neglect and bullying rather than simple bad behavior. His defensive claim that An Xiang may throw him away exposes his deep fear of abandonment.
  • Pei Nuo is affectionate, energetic, and impatient, helping break the tension by clinging to Pei Yizhou and urging him to return home.

Significant Themes

  • Misunderstood intentions: Ordinary actions, such as asking for a phone number, are interpreted as romantic schemes or ulterior motives.
  • Emotional deprivation and healing: Zimo’s hostility is presented as the result of never receiving genuine care; the chapter suggests that patient kindness can gradually help him become emotionally healthier.
  • Family and belonging: Both children depend heavily on Pei Yizhou, while Zimo’s lack of trust highlights his absence of family security.
  • Gentleness beneath cold exteriors: Pei Yizhou appears aloof but acts patiently, while An Xiang responds to conflict with empathy rather than punishment.
  • Romantic foreshadowing: Pei Yizhou’s fascination with An Xiang, his pleasure at learning she is single, and his disappointment at losing her contact information signal growing romantic interest.

Character Interactions

  • An Xiang and Pei Yizhou: Their first substantial meeting is tense but polite, marked by mutual observation and immediate attraction from Pei Yizhou’s side. An Xiang sees him as unexpectedly reasonable and kind.
  • Pei Yizhou and Pei Yan: Pei Yizhou disciplines Pei Yan for fighting and speaking rudely, establishing his authority while still acknowledging the child’s grievances.
  • Pei Yizhou and Pei Nuo: Pei Nuo is openly affectionate, and Pei Yizhou responds with quiet tenderness despite his stern demeanor.
  • An Xiang and An Zimo: Their final conversation is emotionally significant. An Xiang offers unconditional care, while Zimo resists it because kindness feels unfamiliar and threatening.

Ch. 19Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • A custom child-sized coffin decorated with cartoon designs replaces An Zimo’s crib.
  • An Zimo returns home in a foul mood after being mistreated by Pei Yan. He refuses An Xiang’s help while bathing and hides his injuries, though several cuts remain on his face and scalp.
  • An Xiang applies medicine to his wounds and tries to comfort him. When she offers to sleep beside him, An Zimo angrily rejects her, but she forces her way into the coffin and holds him.
  • An Xiang apologizes for abandoning him in the village and admits that she fears she has failed as a mother. She encourages him to seek genuine friendships and not become isolated. An Zimo is deeply affected by her apology but suppresses his emotions and shuts off his mind-reading ability.
  • The next morning, An Zimo’s wounds have nearly healed because of his vampire blood. An Xiang takes him to the milk tea shop, where she continues working while he watches cartoons.
  • An Xiang prepares an oolong tea flavored with Pei Yizhou’s scent, intending to attract him as a customer. Business remains slow.
  • Pei Chen arrives at the shop with his younger siblings, Nuo Nuo and Pei Yan. Pei Yan immediately attacks An Zimo, revealing that he is the child who fought with Zimo previously.
  • The boys fight until Pei Chen separates them. An Zimo calmly mocks Pei Yan as “childish” and “stupid,” infuriating him.
  • An Xiang realizes that Pei Yizhou is not only Pei Chen’s employer but also Pei Chen’s great-grandfather, making the Pei family’s complicated generational structure clear.
  • Pei Chen learns that An Zimo knocked out one of Pei Yan’s teeth, contradicting Pei Yan’s boastful claim that he had won the earlier fight. Embarrassed, Pei Yan hides under the table.

Character Developments

  • An Zimo: Remains defensive, cold, and distrustful of An Xiang, but her sincere apology briefly breaks through his emotional numbness. His past rejection and humiliation by another child explain his hostility toward friendship and his reluctance to trust others. He also demonstrates his physical superiority and emotional composure during the confrontation with Pei Yan.
  • An Xiang: Shows increasing guilt over abandoning her son and attempts to repair their relationship through physical affection, conversation, and an apology. Despite her clumsy approach, she genuinely wants Zimo to form connections and avoid the loneliness she herself experienced.
  • Pei Yan: Continues to act impulsively and aggressively toward An Zimo. His pride and exaggeration are exposed when Pei Chen reveals the truth about his lost tooth.
  • Pei Chen: Acts as a responsible but embarrassed older brother. He restrains Pei Yan, scolds him, and begins to understand the seriousness of the previous fight.
  • Pei Yizhou: Does not appear directly, but An Xiang continues planning to attract him to her shop by recreating his scent in a drink.

Significant Themes

  • Parental guilt and reconciliation: An Xiang confronts the harm caused by abandoning Zimo and takes the first step toward repairing their relationship.
  • Loneliness and the need for connection: Both mother and son have experienced betrayal and isolation, making them wary of friendship while still longing for genuine companionship.
  • Emotional repression: Zimo’s refusal to acknowledge his feelings reflects his deep resentment and fear of being hurt again.
  • Childhood conflict and pride: The fight between Zimo and Pei Yan contrasts Zimo’s detached composure with Pei Yan’s impulsive temper and boastfulness.
  • Family and inherited identity: Zimo’s vampire heritage affects his healing and physical abilities, while the Pei family’s unusual generational relationships continue to create comedic confusion.

Important Character Interactions

  • An Xiang treats Zimo’s injuries and attempts to comfort him in the coffin, culminating in a heartfelt apology.
  • Zimo recalls his own past betrayal after hearing An Xiang describe being rejected and mocked by former friends.
  • Pei Yan attacks Zimo upon seeing him, and the two engage in a brief but intense struggle.
  • Pei Chen separates them and later questions An Xiang about the fight.
  • An Xiang reveals that Zimo knocked out Pei Yan’s tooth, exposing Pei Yan’s false claim that he had won.

Ch. 20Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Pei Chen scolds his younger brother, Pei Yan, for losing a fight to An Zimo and having a tooth knocked out. Pei Yan is also secretly injured, though he uses his healing ability to hide the damage.
  • An Xiang invites Pei Chen and his younger siblings, Pei Yan and Pei Nuo, to stay for dinner as thanks for helping her find a kindergarten and because An Zimo frightened the twins the previous day.
  • After An Xiang leaves to buy groceries, the children remain in the shop. Pei Yan provokes An Zimo by boasting about his English knowledge, but An Zimo tricks him into repeating insults in French and German.
  • The children settle into a peaceful arrangement until Pei Chen receives a call from his grandfather, Pei Yizhou, reminding him to return home before nine and complete his homework.
  • Unable to solve his high-school mathematics assignment, Pei Chen is shocked when An Zimo correctly identifies the answer and explains the method. He initially refuses to believe that a small child could solve the problem, but later confirms An Zimo was right.
  • An Zimo offers to complete and explain Pei Chen’s homework in exchange for monthly tutoring fees. He also asks Pei Chen to help him obtain a bank card and recruit other students as clients.
  • An Zimo threatens Pei Chen into secrecy by promising to tell Pei Yizhou that Pei Chen has improper intentions toward An Xiang.
  • An Xiang returns to find the children unusually peaceful and An Zimo genuinely happy. She begins considering sending him to kindergarten so he can experience life with other children.

Character Developments

  • An Zimo: Demonstrates his intelligence, manipulative skill, multilingual knowledge, and long-term planning. He begins using Pei Chen as a financial and practical resource for his escape plan, intending to obtain a false identity and eventually access underground trading networks. His successful scheme briefly improves his mood and gives him hope.
  • Pei Chen: Remains impulsive and easily embarrassed but becomes increasingly impressed by An Zimo’s abilities. His attraction to An Xiang is implied through his eagerness to accept the dinner invitation and help her, while An Zimo quickly recognizes and exploits those feelings.
  • Pei Yan: Shifts from antagonizing An Zimo to admiring him after being deceived by his foreign-language insults. His innocent repetition of the phrases creates additional comic tension.
  • An Xiang: Shows consideration by inviting the Pei siblings to dinner and preparing a homemade meal. Seeing the children cooperate reassures her that An Zimo may be capable of adapting to a group environment.
  • Pei Yizhou: Is established as a strict but responsible guardian who monitors Pei Chen’s homework and schedule, while the closing joke emphasizes his intimidating discipline.

Significant Themes

  • Intelligence versus appearance: An Zimo’s toddler appearance causes others to underestimate him, allowing him to manipulate adults and older children.
  • Manipulation and hidden motives: While the others see An Zimo as a child becoming more sociable, he is secretly executing a carefully calculated escape and financial plan.
  • Family and responsibility: An Xiang tries to care for several children at once, while Pei Chen is expected to supervise his younger siblings and fulfill his academic obligations.
  • Comedy through deception: An Zimo’s multilingual insults, Pei Chen’s romantic intentions, and the contrast between childish behavior and adult-level scheming drive much of the humor.
  • Socialization and change: An Xiang hopes that kindergarten will help An Zimo become more accustomed to other children, even as he privately plans to leave her behind.

Character Interactions

  • Pei Chen angrily reprimands Pei Yan but accepts An Xiang’s invitation on behalf of the siblings.
  • Pei Yan repeatedly challenges An Zimo, only to be fooled into praising himself with insults.
  • An Zimo and Pei Chen form a secret business arrangement, with An Zimo exploiting Pei Chen’s academic weakness and romantic interest in An Xiang.
  • An Zimo threatens Pei Chen to keep the arrangement hidden from An Xiang.
  • An Xiang returns to a surprisingly harmonious group, unaware that An Zimo has begun putting his escape plan into motion.
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