When Bai Xi arrived home, her expression was grim. She was about to tell her family what was going on, but she found everyone was busy. Moreover, the courtyard was piled high with supplies, and the maids were nowhere in sight.
Mr. Bai was actually busy... handing out employee care packages? Each employee was receiving enough rations to last them several months.
Bai Xi leaned in for a closer look and exclaimed, "You even have compressed biscuits? Dad, are you planning a wilderness survival team-building event for the company?"
"Move aside. You're her mother, yet you don't know a thing," Mr. Bai said without looking up. "If you're not busy, take Yunyun out shopping. Stock up on things she likes."
Bai Xi swallowed what she was about to say and said instead, "Dad, I found out Ye Jun is up to no good. I want to deal with him."
Mr. Bai gave her a surprised look. "So, a love-addled brain can actually wake up?! Suit yourself. But a natural disaster is coming. When dealing with scum like him, a quick lesson will suffice. Don't waste too much time on it."
"Alright, alright, go bother someone else. I'm busy."
Bai Xi hurried to find her older brother, but he was even busier than their father. While on the phone, he gave her a distracted glance and gestured to his left.
'Fine, he's telling me to get lost.'
Bai Xi headed left and came to her parents' bedroom, from which she could hear two adults speaking in an affected, cutesy-cutesy voice.
'Looks like Ye Yunyun is in there.'
The atmosphere inside was even stranger. The little one was sitting dazedly on the bed, her expression unchanged, while the two adults whipped their heads around to look at her in unison, their eyes red.
Bai Xi hesitated before entering, unsure if she should speak of such sordid matters in front of a child.
But remembering the hope she had heard in her child's thoughts, she decided to speak. "Mom, little sis, I found out that not only is Ye Jun cheating on me, he's also trying to kill me."
The three others in the room stared with wide eyes.
A glimmer of joy appeared in Ye Yunyun's eyes, but Bai Jiao quickly covered her ears and glared. "How can you say such things in front of the child!"
'This is great! Mommy's finally opened her eyes! WAHHH. I can finally relax.'
"Ah," Bai Jiao said, abruptly changing her tune. "Never mind. She's so little, she probably can't understand anyway. Go on, Sis."
Bai Xi sat down, took Ye Yunyun into her arms, and began to pat her back gently, rocking her slowly.
"After my check-up, I found some of my levels were abnormal. I started to wonder if there was something wrong with the medication I usually take, and it turns out it had been switched."
"And that 'widow and orphan' next door? They're actually Ye Jun's mistress and illegitimate son."
"I don't have much evidence right now. I'm planning to have someone come install pinhole cameras tomorrow after Ye Jun leaves for work."
Mrs. Bai said anxiously, "What did the doctor say? Can the effects of the medicine be reversed? Forget finding evidence, just slip the pills he gave you into his food."
A dark glint flashed in Bai Xi's eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, "That's letting him off too easily. I want to see them tear each other apart."
Bai Jiao patted her sister's shoulder. "Sis, if you need my help with anything, just say the word. I've got your back."
'Install the pinhole cameras, but also empty their fridge and pantry. Then, when the apocalypse hits, we can watch them tear each other apart.'
Bai Xi looked down. Ye Yunyun's breathing was deep and even, as if she were asleep. 'Who knew this little one had so many schemes brewing in that belly of hers.'
'That's my clever little girl.'
She placed a soft kiss on top of Ye Yunyun's head.
"Don't worry, I won't go soft," she murmured. She would make those scumbags pay for what they'd done, blood for blood. This time, she would protect her child no matter what.
"And I suspect some of the maids are disloyal," Bai Xi added.
Mrs. Bai pointed to Ye Yunyun and mouthed, "We can hear her, too."
Bai Xi froze for a second, then her expression softened. This was great. Their family could finally fight as a united front.
"Don't rush that," Mrs. Bai said with a smile. "The villa needs major renovations, so I've already changed the maids' schedules to hourly work. Their original salaries will remain the same."
"There's no need to dirty our own hands getting revenge. Let the coming disaster bury all their sins."
A natural disaster...
Bai Xi gazed out the window. Daylight was fading, replaced by the moon and stars. Weather this beautiful would soon be a rare sight.
'Wait, are my eyes playing tricks on me? What happened to the mountain of supplies in the courtyard?!'
Bai Xi gently set Ye Yunyun down, walked to the window, and rubbed her eyes. It was true—they had vanished without a trace.
"Xiao Yunduo discovered a Jade Pendant Space, and it has accepted your older brother and younger sister as its masters. Your brother has it now, and he's already moved the supplies inside," Mrs. Bai explained, guessing the reason for Bai Xi's shock.
Bai Xi looked even more dazed. "We're still in the real world, right?"
'My god, this all feels so surreal.'
'No, I need a minute to process this.'
Mrs. Bai and Bai Jiao, who had already had their worldviews completely shattered, began to bring Bai Xi up to speed.
The three of them spoke for a while longer. Only after they could no longer hear any thoughts did they tiptoe out and gently shut the door.
Mrs. Bai said softly, "Xiao Yunduo has already had her dinner and been washed up. Let's let her sleep through the night."
The three women went to the conference room, where Mr. Bai and Bai Chen were already waiting.
Bai Jiao spoke first. "This afternoon, Mom and I learned from Xiao Yunduo's thoughts that we live in a world that spun off from a book. And I... am the heroine."
'So embarrassing,' Bai Jiao thought. Even now, she couldn't imagine that her future self would be so cool.
"But based on my deductions, this world has already stabilized. Even though it originated from a book, the future holds infinite possibilities. We can use Xiao Yunduo's knowledge as a warning, but we can't become completely dependent on her."
Mr. Bai nodded. "Yunyun is still just a little kid. A kid's job is to eat, drink, and be carefree. That's all that matters."
"But I get the feeling Yunyun's mind isn't... normal," Bai Chen pointed out.
"It's because she has memories from a past life," Mrs. Bai said.
Mrs. Bai paused for a moment. "The original Xiao Yunduo was just a body without a consciousness. It was her soul's arrival that gave it life. But... can you all accept that?"
Bai Xi shot to her feet, agitated. "Mom, what are you talking about? No matter what, Xiao Yunduo is my daughter! If you think she's some kind of monster, then you're the one who needs to change your way of thinking!"
Mr. Bai and Bai Chen exchanged a look. "We feel the same way Bai Xi does," Mr. Bai said. "As long as she's our Ye Yunyun, and she can live a normal life, that's all that matters."
Mrs. Bai breathed a sigh of relief and a smile spread across her face. "Good. If any of you had dared to say you wouldn't accept her, you would have had to answer to me."
Her expression grew solemn. "Xiao Yunduo doesn't dare to speak, partly because she's afraid we'll see her as a monster, and partly because of a deep-seated trauma. In her past life, it seems she was used as a human medicine vessel until she was ten years old. In the end, she was burned to death for being a 'monster,' and after that, she refused to reincarnate for a long time."
Mrs. Bai's voice choked with emotion. "I'm thinking... if she won't speak, it will be hard for a psychologist to help. So, while we still have time, let's all take some courses in psychology. For her."
"I just hope that in this life, our child can live to a ripe old age, in peace and happiness."