How Could I Possibly Have a Daughter After Reincarnating?

“Hey, Ling Ning! School’s over—wake up!” 

Xu Qing looked at Ling Ning with exasperation. School was finished for the day, and yet Ling Ning was still sound asleep, impossible to wake.

“Fire!”

“…”

“Earthquake!”

“…”

“Someone dropped money!”

“Where? Where?” At the mention of money, Ling Ning immediately woke up, her sleepy eyes scanning the floor for any sign of cash.

Seeing her friend’s money-hungry expression, Xu Qing felt both frustrated and amused. She’d tried everything to wake Ling Ning to no avail, but just a single mention of money had done the trick.

After thoroughly checking the floor and finding no sign of money, Ling Ning’s energy drained, and she seemed ready to collapse back onto her desk for another nap.

“School’s out. Time to go home,” Xu Qing said, a little annoyed.

“Huh?” Ling Ning looked around in confusion, finally noticing that the only people left in the classroom were her and Xu Qing, and that it was now evening.

Watching Ling Ning’s bewildered expression, Xu Qing couldn’t help but find her cutely dazed.

Ling Ning quickly gathered her things, tucking a book under her arm as a shield, then stretched contentedly. Sleeping all day felt amazing, and if she kept this pace, she figured that maybe another month would help the conflicting memories settle down.

As the two walked out of the classroom, the setting sun cast a warm glow on their faces. Ling Ning squinted, not yet adjusted to the brightness after waking up.

While they walked, Xu Qing noticed that Ling Ning wasn’t carrying any books or assignments. Did she really plan on going home without them?

“Um, Ling Ning, what about your books? And the homework the teacher assigned?” Xu Qing asked, thinking Ling Ning might have forgotten in her drowsiness.

“Huh?” Ling Ning tilted her head. Homework? She hadn’t thought about that in ages. “Homework can wait until tomorrow, right? Besides, doing it myself is a hassle. Why don’t you just help me with it, Xiao Qing?”

Xu Qing was speechless at Ling Ning’s shameless request. She couldn’t believe that, as the academic rep, Ling Ning had the audacity to openly suggest copying someone else’s work!

Just as Xu Qing was about to lecture her, she looked into Ling Ning’s wide, pleading eyes and found herself stopping short. 

“She’s… too cute,” Xu Qing thought, feeling her resolve weakening. “No! I can’t let Ling Ning get used to shirking her responsibilities. She needs discipline!”

But before she could gather her determination, Ling Ning wrapped her arms around her in a hug, muttering, “Xiao Qing, you’re the best. I like you so much. Please help me out~”

Feeling the softness of Ling Ning’s embrace and catching a whiff of her gentle fragrance, Xu Qing’s mind raced. “This isn’t the Ling Ning I know! Since when has she been so adorable? It’s an act—it has to be! But… I can’t resist…”

“Alright, leave it to me,” Xu Qing replied with a satisfied smile, finally giving in.

“Yes!╰(*°▽°*)╯” Ling Ning turned away with a triumphant smile. Doing homework was too much of a bother, especially when she still had her writing to do in the evening. Adding homework would just cut into her precious sleep time, and she couldn’t allow that.

Though she knew acting cute wasn’t her style, Ling Ning reasoned that some sacrifices were worth it if it meant a peaceful sleep later. Besides, her dignity had already taken a hit when she’d had to wear that maid outfit, so what was one more little compromise?

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Ling Ning sat in front of her computer, feeling no urge to write. She wanted to sleep more than anything, but if she didn’t get some words down, she’d have to dip into her dwindling stock of pre-written chapters, which would eventually run out, leaving her to scramble daily.

Even though she was low on ideas, she could always pad the story a bit. In her past life, she’d been known as the “Filler Queen,” with masterful techniques for stretching out her content. Whether it was splitting one chapter into three, inserting unrelated daily events into a crucial plot point, or adding random flashbacks during intense moments, Ling Ning had a whole repertoire of tricks up her sleeve.

Apologetic as she felt toward her readers, Ling Ning decided her sleep took priority this month. She promised herself she’d make it up to them eventually… probably. Besides, hardly anyone was reading her flop of a novel anyway; she was mostly sticking with it out of pride, not wanting to abandon her first work in this world.

After padding out two chapters, she happily crawled into bed. As for Ling Ye, she had already shooed her off to take a bath, and by now her hair was fully dry.

Ling Ye looked at her mother in confusion, then glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even 10 p.m. yet, and her mom never went to bed before midnight. What was up with her?

As Ling Ye watched her mother drift off to sleep, she hesitated, then climbed into bed beside her, cautiously poking Ling Ning’s chest. Seeing that Ling Ning didn’t react, Ling Ye’s eyes lit up with excitement.

She slowly unbuttoned Ling Ning’s pajamas, one button at a time. With each button, her heart pounded faster, and when she was finally done, she took a deep breath, burying her face in her mother’s chest.

Ling Ye had always thought it uncomfortable when they cuddled through clothing. Now, she finally got to experience it firsthand, relishing the softness and smoothness that was worlds apart from what she’d felt through fabric.

At that moment, Ling Ning shifted in her sleep, rolling over and wrapping her arms around Ling Ye, her long legs pinning her daughter tightly. What had been a “pure cuddle” turned into a “full smother.”

“My life… no regrets!” were Ling Ye’s last muffled words.
[TN: Reference to Kenshiro’s famous line from Fist of the North Star/わが生涯に一片の悔い無し]

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

Author’s Note:

Second chapter for today! Time to play some Hero’s Adventure!