How Could I Possibly Have a Daughter After Reincarnating?

Inside the café.

Finally, the afternoon rush had died down a bit, giving everyone a moment to rest.

Ye Xuan originally intended to catch up on the news on her phone, but after searching for a while, she couldn’t find it. She thought back and realized she must have left it in her bag, which was still in her locker in the changing room.

With that in mind, Ye Xuan turned and headed into the changing room. Just as she was about to open her locker, she noticed the locker next to hers seemed jammed and hadn’t been closed properly.

As she reached out to close it, a black object fell out. Looking closely, she realized it was a pair of tights. Glancing at the label on the locker, which read “Ling Ning,” Ye Xuan’s gaze sharpened.

Instead of immediately picking up the tights, she silently walked to the changing room door and locked it. According to the “learning materials” she had read, the first rule was, “Always lock the door before doing anything suspicious.”

It was always safest to follow the advice from “learning materials.”

After locking the door, Ye Xuan stared at the tights, deep in thought. How could she get Ling Ning’s “scented tights” without getting caught?

When her gaze drifted over to her own locker, she suddenly remembered that she was also wearing tights today. Without a second thought, she eagerly grabbed Ling Ning’s tights and began scrutinizing them, then compared them with her own. Hmm, basically no difference.

Without hesitation, Ye Xuan swapped them—she put Ling Ning’s tights into her locker and her own into Ling Ning’s, carefully closing the door afterward.

Her heart was pounding so hard she felt like it might burst out of her chest. After all, this was the first time she had done something like this, and nerves were only natural.

She casually took her phone out of her bag, then paused by the door, taking a deep breath to steady herself and appear calm.

The moment she opened the door, she came face to face with Chu Mengyao, who was just about to enter the changing room.

“What’s with you? You look so tense,” Chu Mengyao asked, noticing Ye Xuan’s nervous demeanor. It was rare for Ye Xuan to show much emotion at all.

“It’s… nothing.” Ye Xuan was startled, almost letting out a scream. If she had, her cold, aloof image would definitely have been shattered in front of everyone.

Chu Mengyao gave her a puzzled look, then slowly walked into the changing room.

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Evening.

By now, there were far fewer customers in the café.

“We’re back!”

Luo Xiaoning strutted into the café with a relaxed gait, followed closely by an utterly exhausted Ling Ning.

Ling Ning collapsed onto the couch as soon as she stepped inside, unwilling to move another inch. Handing out two rounds of flyers had completely worn her out. She had promised to help Luo Xiaoning distribute half of them, but when she went to find Luo Xiaoning after finishing her share, she found her happily sipping bubble tea at a café. Not a single flyer had been handed out.

Ling Ning had been furious and was about to confront her when Luo Xiaoning suddenly pulled out several hundred-yuan notes and laid them on top of the flyers. Ling Ning had claimed she wasn’t that kind of person.

Then Luo Xiaoning added another note, and Ling Ning indignantly asked if Luo Xiaoning thought she could be bought so easily.

Growing impatient, Luo Xiaoning pulled out several more notes and laid them on the flyers. At that point, Ling Ning had bowed to the power of wealth, picked up the flyers, and eagerly ran out.

In the end, thanks to Ling Ning’s relentless effort, all the flyers were handed out before sunset. The consequence, though, was that she was now completely drained—essentially a “discarded Ning.”

“Are you… are you okay, Ling Ning?” Xia You asked, looking at her with concern.

“I… I’m fine.” Ling Ning raised her head slightly, glancing at Xia You sitting beside her, then rolled over to lay her head on Xia You’s lap. “Yep, Xia You’s lap is always the most comfortable.”

“…”

Xia You looked down at Ling Ning resting on her lap, her face turning bright red. She couldn’t get a word out.

“Ling Ning, you did well today. I’ve noticed a lot of customers coming in with those flyers,” Chu Mengyao said with a smile as she approached.

Lying on Xia You’s lap, Ling Ning reached into her pocket and pulled out a receipt, handing it to Chu Mengyao.

“Did you really eat all of this by yourself?” Chu Mengyao looked at the receipt—it listed enough food to feed at least three people.

“You don’t know how hungry you get when you’re exhausted. Of course, I had to eat my fill,” Ling Ning replied, matter-of-factly.

“Alright then, I’ll settle it with your pay later.”

The other one feeling completely worn out was Xu Qing. She had originally just wanted to experience what Ling Ning’s part-time work was like, but she hadn’t expected it to be so tiring. This was her first time working a part-time job, and she finally understood why Ling Ning was always sponging off her friends for meals.

“Alright, alright! Cheer up, everyone. After we close up, I’m treating you all to a feast!” Chu Mengyao announced, smiling brightly.

At the mention of a feast, Ling Ning shot up from the couch, staring at Chu Mengyao in disbelief. Was she hearing things? Was the stingy… stingy Chu Mengyao really treating everyone to a feast?

She wasn’t the only one surprised. Everyone else was too—even Ye Xuan gave Chu Mengyao a second glance. Only Xu Qing seemed a bit confused.

“Why are you all looking at me like that?” Chu Mengyao asked, annoyed.

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“So, this is the so-called feast?” 

Ling Ning pointed expressionlessly at a street-side spicy hotpot stall. She had assumed that even if Chu Mengyao wasn’t going to take them to a high-end restaurant, she’d at least pick a decent little eatery. But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it would be a street stall. She had truly underestimated Chu Mengyao.

“What’s wrong with spicy hotpot? You can eat as much as you want, and it’s on me. Just don’t waste any food, okay?” Chu Mengyao said, smiling as she casually crushed a beer bottle in her hand like it was nothing.

Hearing Chu Mengyao’s warning, Ling Ning glanced at the food she had already ordered and felt like she wanted to die. This was torture—why hadn’t she said something earlier, before she ordered so much?

She turned to Xia You, who hadn’t ordered anything yet, and scooted closer with a bright smile. “Xia You, can I ask you for a favor?”

“Meow meow meow?” Xia You blinked in confusion.

“Could you order a little less? I ordered too much, so I’ll share some with you. You wouldn’t want to see me get beaten up by Chu Mengyao, would you?” Ling Ning said, her voice full of feigned helplessness.

“Alright,” Xia You nodded, her face blushing. In her mind, she added one more thought:

“The food tastes even better after you’ve had some first…”

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Author’s Note:

I, Salty Fish, am doing this for your own good. Wouldn’t want you to go blind from seeing a fish cross-dress and then not be able to keep reading the novel, right?