Chapter 58: A New Family Member

“Ding-dong.”

That evening, Su Xinxin was still sprawled on the bed, watching anime with Xiao Ming, when the doorbell suddenly rang.

She instinctively double-tapped the screen to pause, then turned to look at Xiao Ming.

Thankfully, Xiao Ming was right beside her this time.

Su Xinxin couldn’t help but recall that other night—the intruder, the sudden sensation of suffocation, still without any explanation. Now, it was evening again, and an abrupt doorbell chime once more.

“Don’t just stare, go open the door.”

Xiao Ming grabbed a handful of potato chips, crunching them loudly, completely devoid of any alarm. It was as if it already knew who was waiting outside.

Su Xinxin, a hint of suspicion lingering, got out of bed. Yet, before she even reached the entryway, she turned back.

“Why has everything changed?”

“What’s changed?”

“The furniture, and all those things I imagined before—they’ve all appeared!” Su Xinxin pointed at the living room, her voice laced with astonishment. “The anime figures on the counter, the photos on the coffee table… have they all materialized?”

She had only just returned to her bedroom after a shower to watch a few episodes of anime with Xiao Ming, and the entire house had transformed.

A family photo now rested on the coffee table. Acrylic stands, plushies, and anime character figures adorned the counter, while the snack cabinet beside it was overflowing with potato chips and spicy strips. A new oil painting of flowers hung on the wall.

Everything was almost exactly as she had imagined it that afternoon.

“They were always meant to be here,” Xiao Ming flew over, stating matter-of-factly. “You said it yourself, this is how ‘Su Xinxin’s’ house should look, so of course it would be this way. I just didn’t expect them to be so efficient.”

“Ding-dong—”

The doorbell rang again.

“So, if what you’re saying is true, then the person outside must be sent by the organization, right?” Su Xinxin realized, a flash of understanding crossing her face.

She snatched Xiao Ming, heading towards the entryway. Reaching the door, she held Xiao Ming up to the peephole, asking it to take a look.

“I don’t know anyone else, so it’s no use asking me,” Xiao Ming grumbled.

“So, do I need to transform now?”

“Whatever you prefer.”

Su Xinxin considered it, then decided to transform first. Her slightly wavy, goose-yellow hair cascaded down, and her light brown eyes opened. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

A woman stood outside.

She appeared to be in her twenties, likely not yet thirty.

The woman’s long black hair was loosely tied back with a light green ribbon, a few wisps falling naturally by her ears. She wore a light grass-green knit cardigan over an off-white cotton and linen maxi dress, looking as if she had stepped right out of spring.

Su Xinxin froze.

It wasn’t her attire that captivated Su Xinxin, but her face—it bore a striking resemblance to ‘Su Xinxin’ before her transformation. The brows, the contours, even that subtle, indescribable expression, were six or seven parts similar.

Moreover, she carried a fragrance. It wasn’t an obvious floral scent, but a lighter, warmer aroma. Though not identical, it felt strangely familiar.

“You are… Su Xinxin, correct?”

The woman spoke, seeing right through her—even though Su Xinxin was currently in her transformed ‘Gentian’ appearance.

Su Xinxin’s heart tightened. Could this be a high-ranking member of the organization? Someone who knew all her secrets?

Yet, there was no magical aura about the woman. She didn’t seem to have transformed at all.

“From now on, I will be your ‘mother’.”

Su Xinxin paused, bewildered. What was this woman talking about?

“Oh! To be precise, I’m your ‘aunt’,” the woman chuckled, a faint, indescribable quality in her smile—not entirely a smile, as if mixed with something else. “My name is Su Yingchun. If you prefer to use the flower name customary within the organization, it would be Forsythia, or Yingchun.”

“…Mom?”

Su Xinxin herself hadn’t even registered it, but the word escaped her lips.

She gazed at Yingchun’s face, at the features that bore a resemblance to her own everyday form, and a strange feeling swelled within her. She even forgot to ask Xiao Ming what was happening.

Yingchun then opened her arms and embraced her directly.

It wasn’t a polite, symbolic hug, but a forceful one, like a mother finally reuniting with her long-lost child. Her arms encircled Su Xinxin’s back, gently tightening, her chin resting on Su Xinxin’s shoulder, her entire body pressing close.

Su Xinxin stiffened. She didn’t pull away.

The embrace was incredibly warm. It felt like a cotton quilt sun-dried in winter, or like the jacket her late husband used to casually drape over her in the mornings, long ago. She couldn’t quite articulate it, only that her nose felt a little sore.

On the sofa, the two exchanged information and contact details.

Su Xinxin had already untransformed; Yingchun was aware of her true identity.

Xiao Ming returned to the phone screen, allowing all three to converse—Yingchun, lacking magic, naturally couldn’t see it.

“…So, do you understand now?” Yingchun tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. “I was originally the magical girl Forsythia, but I’ve ‘withered,’ losing my magic. The organization sent me to pose as your ‘aunt’ and become your guardian.”

As she spoke, her fingers unconsciously traced the thin, pale gold chain around her neck, its faded pendant shaped like a tiny forsythia blossom.

Su Xinxin nodded. Only then did she realize that the Book of Memories had “expansion packs”—even this aunt relative was an extra setting within it.

“Then, is there anything I need to do?”

“Just be yourself,” Yingchun looked at her, her gaze soft. “I’m here to assist you when needed, as your guardian, as a safe harbor when you require one.”

She glanced around the room, then back at Su Xinxin.

“Honestly, I never expected to find… a child like you,” she paused, swallowing the word “pitiable” that had almost escaped. “It must have been incredibly tough, working so hard to get where you are now.”

‘It seems she doesn’t know about your identity as Old Man Gu,’ Xiao Ming’s voice echoed in Su Xinxin’s mind. ‘She’s probably marveling at how you, as ‘Su Xinxin,’ have managed to live until now—seeing it as nothing short of a miracle.’

“Oh, right, should I buy you some clothes, accessories, or anything as a welcome gift?” Yingchun suddenly asked, scratching her cheek and sticking out her tongue, looking entirely like an overgrown child. “Otherwise, coming empty-handed like this, I feel a bit awkward, honestly…”

“Thank you, but I don’t need anything for now,” Su Xinxin shook her head. “I have enough clothes to wear.”

“Alright,” Yingchun checked her phone. “It’s almost ten now. How about we go out for a late-night snack together? I can take you for a stroll?”

“It’s so late now, perhaps going out isn’t such a good idea…”

“Then, how about my place?” Yingchun’s tone held a hint of expectation. “Oh, I forgot to mention, I live in the same building as you now. I rented a one-bedroom apartment on the eleventh floor, 1103. If you’re ever too lazy to cook, you can come to my place, or I can come here and cook for you.”

Su Xinxin looked at her. Yingchun genuinely seemed to want to be good to her. After a moment of thought, Su Xinxin nodded.

“Alright, I’ll visit sometime in the future. It’s a bit late now, and I’m about to rest.”

“Rest?” Yingchun paused, surprised. “It’s not even ten yet, is it? Could it be, Xinxin, that you—”

Su Xinxin’s heart sank. Oh no, her elderly routine was about to be exposed. She quickly tried to cover it up: “Uh, it’s just… I’m a bit tired today. And, and I still want to be alone first…”

Her voice grew softer and softer, and she herself felt the excuse was flimsy.

Yingchun watched her expression, her eyes dimming slightly. She probably thought Su Xinxin was rejecting this suddenly appearing “family member,” believing that this fake relative was usurping the genuine affection Su Xinxin deserved.

“Yes, you’re right. It’s only the first day, after all.” She stood up, tucking those stray strands of hair behind her ear again, and smiled. “We’ll take it slow. I’ll head back upstairs then.”

She reached the door and turned back.

“Well then, good night, little Xinxin~”

The voice was soft, like a spring evening breeze.

The door closed.

Su Xinxin lowered her gaze to her hands. When Yingchun had hugged her earlier, one hand had lightly patted her back twice. It was like comforting a child, yet also like saying, “It’s alright now.”

She returned to the living room and sat on the sofa, seemingly organizing her thoughts.

Regarding this sudden “family member”… she seemed somewhat happy, yet her heart also seemed reluctant to admit it.

Xiao Ming emerged from the phone, observing Su Xinxin’s expression.

“Master, are you alright?”

“She, she doesn’t seem to know I’m actually an old man?” Su Xinxin asked.

“Mm.”

“She still thinks I’m that… eighteen-year-old girl?”

“Mm.”

Su Xinxin didn’t ask any further questions. She got up, turned off the lights, and walked back to her bedroom.

Lying on the bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Her mind was a mess; why were there so many things happening right after being promoted to full-time?

Involuntarily, her mind drifted back to those memories, to Yingchun’s eyes. They were so similar to her own, to Su Xinxin’s eyes.

She even felt as though Yingchun truly was her current identity’s aunt, though she wasn’t. Or rather, it was good that she wasn’t, because then, at least in this aspect, it wasn’t a lie.

Su Xinxin thought for a long time again.

Then she patted Xiao Ming, turned over, closed her eyes, and decided it was time to sleep.

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