Chapter 32: A Sister’s Secret Crush and a Brother’s Peculiar Predicament

“Oh, regardless of blood, he’s still your brother. You grew up together; that familial bond can’t be fake, can it?” Lin Xiangwan attempted to soften her daughter with warmth, her voice laced with a helpless sigh.

“But he and I aren’t related by blood! That’s an unchangeable fact!” Su Baixue turned her face away, her voice stubborn, though her eyes remained faintly red.

The issue of blood relation felt like a thorn, piercing her heart for years. It had embedded itself even deeper, particularly after she confirmed Su Mian possessed no spiritual power.

Lin Xiangwan was momentarily speechless. Knowing it would be difficult to persuade her daughter on this matter right away, she abruptly changed the subject.

“Xiaoxue, are you adapting well to life at the Demon Extermination Institute? Has anyone been bullying you?”

“It’s going well.” Su Baixue sniffled, straightening her back once more. The pride of being a Demon Exterminator allowed her to momentarily suppress her emotions.

“My mentor says I’m making rapid progress. Soon, I’ll be taking the assessment for the B-rank tier.”

The Demon Exterminator system was strictly hierarchical, divided into four major tiers: A, B, C, and D. Each tier was further subdivided into upper, middle, and lower levels.

For Su Baixue, still so young, to be on the verge of reaching B-rank was exceptionally rare among her peers, a testament to her outstanding talent.

A genuine look of relief appeared on Lin Xiangwan’s face. “My daughter truly is exceptional.”

Su Baixue, however, shook her head. Her gaze drifted towards the window, tinged with both longing and a hint of disappointment. “It’s still not enough… The person I want to catch up to is still so far, far away.”

A mother knows her daughter best. Lin Xiangwan couldn’t help but smile, seeing her daughter’s clearly infatuated expression. “Our Xiaoxue… does she have someone she likes?”

A blush instantly bloomed across Su Baixue’s cheeks. With the shyness and adoration of a young girl, she whispered,

“He… he’s the most formidable genius the Demon Extermination Institute has seen in a hundred years. He’s only just turned twenty, and he’s already an A-rank Demon Exterminator.”

Lin Xiangwan was slightly surprised. “A-rank? Our Xiaoxue certainly has high standards. Which family’s young master is so exceptional?”

“Of course! How could your daughter’s taste be anything less?” Su Baixue lifted her chin, then grew bashful again.

“But please don’t get involved in this, Mom. I want to… wait until I’m a bit stronger, at least reaching B-rank Upper, when I can feel somewhat worthy of him. Then, I’ll tell him my feelings openly.”

“Alright, alright. Both you and your brother have grown up now, with your own thoughts and feelings.” Lin Xiangwan chuckled wistfully, accidentally mentioning Su Mian again.

The light on Su Baixue’s face instantly dimmed. Annoyed, she waved her hand. “Mom, please leave. I want to be alone.”

Lin Xiangwan knew that further words would be futile. She sighed softly and exited the room.

The moment the door closed, Su Baixue immediately threw herself onto her bed. Impatiently, she grabbed her phone and opened the chat window she had pinned to the top, yet rarely dared to initiate contact with.

She took a deep breath, her heart pounding with trepidation, and typed out a line of text:

[Snow King: Senior Moyuan, I heard you’re on a mission in N City recently? I’m back in the human realm for my holiday. I wonder if there’s any chance… I could ask you some questions about cultivation?]

She stared at the screen nervously, her heart thumping. Her mind had already begun to uncontrollably fantasize about how she should phrase her reply once he responded, and what clothes she should wear to meet him…

A few seconds later, the screen lit up.

[Yuan: Mid-Autumn Festival, I have plans. No time.]

Those six concise characters were like a bucket of ice water poured over Su Baixue’s head, instantly freezing all her expectations and fantasies.

He… has plans?

Her Senior Moyuan, that genius who never showed a hint of warmth to any suitor, whose eyes were solely fixed on missions and cultivation, was actually… “on a date” on the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Immense disappointment and an unbearable pang of bitterness instantly overwhelmed her.

It turned out he wasn’t inherently cold; it was just that his special attention had never been extended to her.

The realization that her idol was with someone else truly felt like a stab to the heart.

“Ugh…” Unable to hold back any longer, she buried her face deep into her pillow, letting out suppressed sobs. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and she felt like a clown.

Outside the door, the three people exchanged bewildered glances, disturbed by the faint sounds of crying emanating from the room.

Su Mian hesitated, then looked at his mother and asked in a low voice, “Mom… what did you say in there? Why is Xiaoxue crying so sadly?”

Su Shan also frowned. Although he was displeased with his youngest daughter’s attitude, he ultimately felt a pang of heartache. “Xiangwan, Xiaoxue is young and naive. A few words would have sufficed; why did you have to make her cry?”

Lin Xiangwan herself was utterly confused, her face a picture of innocence. “I didn’t say anything harsh? I just asked about her situation at the Institute, and she seemed quite happy… Then she just said she wanted to be alone…”

Her heart began to pound. Could it be that something she said had unintentionally struck a sensitive nerve with her daughter?

With his sister absent, Su Mian felt it was the opportune moment to clarify his own physical condition.

He took a deep breath, looking at his parents with a serious expression.

“Dad, Mom, you mentioned my physical condition on the phone earlier… I truly want to know now why I’m the only one in our family with this… gender instability issue?”

Lin Xiangwan and Su Shan exchanged a complex glance.

Su Shan gave a slight nod, signaling for her to speak.

Lin Xiangwan sat beside Su Mian, taking his hand. Forcing a relaxed smile onto her face, she began to weave the “story” she had rehearsed countless times. “Mianmian, don’t worry. This, you see, is actually inherited from my side of the family.”

“In our Lin family lineage, some generation had a peculiar situation, and occasionally, descendants like you appear. It’s not an illness; it’s more like a… well… a talent?”

She tried to make her tone sound convincing. “After you reach adulthood, your body enters a ‘selection period,’ where you can ultimately stabilize as either male or female, according to your own desires.”

“If you wish to be a girl, then fall in love with a boy. If you wish to remain a boy, then fall in love with a girl. Your body will naturally transform to align with your heart’s desire.”

She gently patted Su Mian’s hand. “You’ve been an adult for a while now, so this power is starting to manifest. You really should find a suitable partner soon, fall in love, and settle your gender.”

Su Mian listened, utterly dumbfounded, and instinctively pressed for more. “Mom, you said it’s inherited from you… so, you also… made a choice before?”

“That’s right!” Lin Xiangwan nodded vigorously, her gaze “sincerely” fixed on Su Shan. “When I was little, I was a handsome young boy too! Later… wasn’t I ‘bent’ by your dad, that rascal? Then I slowly turned into a girl and gave birth to you and Xiaoxue.”

As she spoke, she frantically signaled her husband with her eyes to cooperate.

Su Shan received his wife’s signal. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, and he bravely chimed in, his voice a little stiff. “…Yes. Your mom used to have this… ‘condition.’ After she got together with me, she… uh, stabilized as a woman.”

He had never in his life uttered such insincere words. He could feel his old face burning.

Su Mian’s eyes widened. He looked at his parents, completely stunned by this bizarre yet “romantic” family secret.

He had never imagined that his respected, stern father and his gentle, tranquil mother had such a “scandalous” experience in their youth.

Learning that his mother had undergone a similar experience, the heavy burden of gender confusion in Su Mian’s heart seemed to genuinely loosen and dissipate considerably.

His physical condition no longer seemed so difficult to accept.

“Alright, alright, Mianmian. You must be tired from the journey. Come back to the room with Mom, and I’ll carefully check what stage your body is at.”

Seeing that her son seemed to believe her, Lin Xiangwan quickly struck while the iron was hot. She pulled Su Mian into his bedroom and casually locked the door behind them.

In the living room, Su Shan gazed at the ceiling, letting out a long, silent sigh.

A handsome young boy, ‘bent’ by him—such an absurd tale to concoct!

At his age, as a respected teacher, he had to go along with his wife’s performance in front of their child… Was it easy for him?