In the afternoon, after Song Zhilan went to the study and flipped through the books Lu Yuan had been reading, she couldn't help but cry.
Of course, it wasn't because she was sad—she cried out of happiness.
Women are often easily moved by small details. Song Zhilan had always believed that Lu Yuan only felt a sense of responsibility toward her, with no love involved. But now, that belief was shaken.
However, when Lu Xiaoxiao asked about it, Song Zhilan felt a little embarrassed and quickly rubbed her eyes, brushing it off: "Ah, it's just that some dust got in my eyes, and it's a bit uncomfortable."
Lu Yuan, who happened to be passing by, heard her words and instinctively stopped in his tracks: "Are you okay?"
Hearing his concerned yet overly calm tone, Song Zhilan felt both amused and annoyed. The words "I'm fine" that were on the tip of her tongue changed: "No, I'm not. Help me blow it out, dear."
Lu Yuan: "…?"
Lu Yuan stood there in a daze.
Did he hear that right? Was Zhilan acting coquettishly with him?
Lu Xiaoxiao was equally surprised. She knew that Song Zhilan usually called Lu Yuan "A-Yuan" more often, followed by terms like "his dad" or "the father." It was rare for her to directly call him "dear," especially in such an affectionate tone.
[Wow, she just called him "dear" so sweetly? Mom, have you finally come to your senses?!]
[Dad, what are you spacing out for? Can't you be more proactive? Go help your darling wife blow on it!]
Reminded by his daughter's inner thoughts, Lu Yuan somewhat flusteredly reached out, cupped Song Zhilan's face, and blew haphazardly a few times before cautiously asking, "Is it better now?"
Lu Xiaoxiao watched them with a knowing, amused smile.
[This is so amusing. They've been married for almost thirty years and they're still acting so pure. Mom and Dad, you two are truly unmatched. How did you even manage to have so many kids before? Did you just force yourselves despite not being close? Respect, respect!]
[By the way, if this were a drama, the next scene would be a kiss. Don't you two feel your hearts racing when you look at each other? Go on, give it a try!]
Both Lu Yuan and Song Zhilan blushed at their daughter's inner thoughts. However, instead of kissing, they both averted their eyes as if to hide something.
Song Zhilan took half a step back and whispered, "It's fine now. There's no more dust!"
Lu Yuan pretended to be calm and cleared his throat tactically: "Ahem, glad you're okay. Let's all come and eat."
Throughout the entire meal, Song Zhilan kept serving food to Lu Yuan. At first, Lu Yuan wasn't quite used to it, but then he reciprocated by serving her back.
The Lu Family children watched as the food in their parents' bowls kept piling up, all while the two thought they were being subtle with their meaningful glances. For a moment, the children exchanged confused looks.
Was it their imagination?
Why did it feel like Mom and Dad were in love?
Not sure, better keep watching.
After the meal, Song Zhilan directly pulled Lu Yuan back to their room to have a private chat.
Lu Yubai stared blankly at his parents' retreating figures and couldn't help but mutter, "Am I going to have another little brother or sister?"
Lu Xiaoxiao instinctively chimed in: "That's unlikely. At their age, how could they still handle all that?"
Hearing Lu Xiaoxiao's voice, Lu Yubai froze, then turned to glare at her: "Who asked you!"
Lu Xiaoxiao gave him an innocent look: "I never said I was answering you, little brother."
She deliberately emphasized the word "little brother," making it sound affectionate at first glance, but it instantly sent chills down Lu Yubai's spine.
Just as he was about to retaliate with some equally nauseating remarks, he overheard Lu Xiaoxiao's inner thoughts.
[Staring, staring, what the hell are you staring at! Such an ill-mannered little brat. Keep it up and I'll gouge your eyes out.]
[You've clearly forgotten the pain once the wound healed. Seems like that snake last time didn't teach you a lesson after all.]
Lu Yubai: "!!!"
He knew it! The snake he saw that night wasn't a dream! And it was definitely related to Lu Xiaoxiao!
There was absolutely something wrong with Lu Xiaoxiao! Perhaps… perhaps she was actually a witch hiding among ordinary people—and the kind who practiced dark, sinister magic at that!
The more Lu Yubai thought about it, the paler his face grew. He couldn't help but swallow nervously and subtly shift behind Lu Jiaoyue, seeking some sense of security.
However, Lu Jiaoyue's attention wasn't on him at all. Instead, she kept smiling brightly in Lu Xiaoxiao's direction, the gleam in her eyes impossible to conceal.
Her sister was just too interesting—she adored her!
Seeing Lu Jiaoyue's fangirl-like expression, Lu Yubai fell silent and turned his gaze toward his elder brother nearby.
Lu Xunli wasn't looking at Lu Xiaoxiao; he was sipping tea with his head lowered, yet a faint smile lingered at the corners of his lips.
Upon learning that the snake scare Lu Yubai experienced last time was Lu Xiaoxiao's doing, Lu Xunli didn't think his sister had gone too far at all.
Lu Yubai was a child spoiled by the family. It was actually good for someone to teach him a lesson in an unconventional way now and then—otherwise, he'd grow even more unruly.
Just as he set down his teacup, Lu Xunli noticed Lu Yubai looking at him with a hint of accusation in his expression, as if hoping he would speak up for fairness.
The smile vanished from Lu Xunli's lips. He straightened his face and didn't give Lu Yubai any leeway: "If you're done eating, go review your lessons. If you perform poorly on the next exam, your allowance will be cut again."
Lu Yubai: "…"
With treatment like this, why did it feel like he was the adopted one instead!
The night was cool as water. Lu Xiaoxiao emerged from the bathroom after her shower, dried her hair, and then contentedly threw herself onto the bed to lie down.
Just as she closed her eyes, trying to drift into sleep, the System's voice echoed in her mind.
"Host, wake up. There's a response regarding the issue you reported. The detection results confirm that there are indeed anomalies in this world."
Lu Xiaoxiao opened her eyes and bolted upright from the bed in one swift motion.
"I knew it! The current situation is completely abnormal. So, what kind of anomalies are we talking about?"
System: "I don't know."
Lu Xiaoxiao: "???"
Lu Xiaoxiao: "If you don't know, then why even bring it up? What use are you?"
System: "But that's what the response from above said! They only mentioned detecting an unknown bug in this world, causing some plotlines to become disordered and certain character settings to deviate. I'm just the messenger—scolding me won't help, dear Host."
Lu Xiaoxiao massaged her temples: "Fine. Did you ask the higher-ups for a solution?"
System replied: "I did."
"Okay, what did they say?"
"…It's not easy to explain. Three days ago, I proposed two solutions to the higher-ups: one was for you to steer the plot back on track, and the other was for you to improvise freely. I asked which approach would be more suitable."
Lu Xiaoxiao: "And then?"
The System fell silent for a moment, as if finding it somewhat difficult to speak.
"Then this afternoon, my superior replied with a 'good'."
"……"
Lu Xiaoxiao took only 0.1 seconds to complete her interpretation: "Good, then I'll improvise freely."
System: "?"
The System's tone was somewhat hesitant: "I think what my superior meant to express might not be that."
Lu Xiaoxiao: "It doesn't matter. It's their own fault for not making it clear. Tell me, what's the next plot point?"
The System replied: "It should be Lu Yubai's birthday party."
Just as Lu Xiaoxiao was about to ask for details, she heard a "knock knock knock" at the door.
"Who is it? The door isn't locked, you can come right in."
As soon as she finished speaking, the door was pushed open a small gap, and Lu Jiaoyue peeked half her head in, speaking cautiously: "Sister, do you have time now? There's something I want to tell you."