How Could I Possibly Have a Daughter After Reincarnating?

“What a heavy rain! The weather forecast said it wouldn’t rain today, so I didn’t bring an umbrella.” Ling Ning looked out at the torrential downpour, sighing in resignation.

Ling Ning really hated rain, especially now as a young woman in summer. Getting caught in the rain meant clothes turning sheer, making everything beneath visible—not like in her previous life, when getting wet didn’t matter at all. And walking in the rain almost always left her shoes soaked, something she hated deeply. There was nothing worse than wearing wet, sticky shoes.

And then there were the clothes she had washed—there was no way they’d be dry by now. She wondered if Ling Ye had remembered to take them in. She had washed both sets of pajamas today, so if they weren’t brought inside, she’d have nothing to wear tonight. Still, rain did have its perks—like making for an incredibly good sleep.

“It’s been so long since it rained this hard,” Chu Mengyao said listlessly, lying on her desk and staring out the window at the female police officer—cough, I mean the rainy scene.

Just as Ling Ning was about to start typing, she noticed that Xia You, sitting on the couch, looked pale. Curious, Ling Ning walked over and asked, “Xia You, are you alright?”

Startled by Ling Ning’s sudden voice, Xia You gave a slight jump, then mumbled quietly, “N-no, it’s nothing.”

“Really? You don’t look too well—are you sure you aren’t running a fever?” Ling Ning pushed her bangs aside, then placed her forehead against Xia You’s.

“Eh!?” Xia You was stunned as Ling Ning’s face drew so close that she could even see the tiny peach fuzz on her skin. The faint scent from Ling Ning filled her nose, leaving her speechless for a moment.

“That’s strange… You don’t have a fever. Could it be that you’re feeling unwell, or… are you afraid of thunder?”

“N-no, I’m not—ah!”

At that moment, a huge bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Xia You’s eyes squeezed shut in fear. Seeing this, Ling Ning was now sure—Xia You was afraid of thunder. She hadn’t expected that there were people who were still scared of thunderstorms.

“Alright, alright, don’t be scared. It’s just thunder.” Ling Ning patted Xia You’s head gently, trying to comfort her. She suddenly realized Xia You’s hair was quite pleasant to touch—it felt different from Ling Ye’s but just as comforting.

Feeling Ling Ning’s hand on her head brought a sense of security to Xia You, much like how her mother used to comfort her as a child. She nearly called out “Mom” right then and there.

“What’s wrong?” Ling Ning noticed Xia You giving her a strange look. She glanced down at herself but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

“N-nothing… Um, could you stay with me for a bit? Just for a while?” Xia You looked pitiful as she made her request.

Ling Ning nodded, smiling slightly. “Sure.”

As soon as Ling Ning nodded, Xia You threw herself into Ling Ning’s arms, burying her face against her chest. Ling Ning was so startled by Xia You’s bold move that she was left completely at a loss.

“W-what should I do?” Ling Ning stared blankly at Xia You resting in her arms, unsure of how to respond. After a long while, once she had finally calmed down and figured out what she wanted to say, she found that Xia You had already fallen asleep in her embrace.

“Sigh…”

Ling Ning sighed softly and slowly shifted, allowing Xia You to rest her head on her lap. Leaning back into the chair herself, she took out her phone and began typing away.

From across the room, Ye Xuan watched the scene, her eyes betraying a hint of envy and jealousy.

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It wasn’t clear how much time had passed when Xia You finally began to stir. It had been so long since she’d had such a peaceful sleep, much like the days when she used to fall asleep in her mother’s embrace. 

Wait… when did her pillow become someone’s thigh? And why did it have such a lovely scent…? Hold on! A thigh!?

In an instant, Xia You, who had still been groggy moments before, was now wide awake. She realized she had been asleep on Ling Ning’s lap. This was… incredibly awkward.

Sensing movement on her lap, Ling Ning looked down and gave a gentle smile. “You’re awake. Did you sleep well?”

“Um… I…” Xia You stammered, flustered and unsure of what to say. Finally, she lowered her head, looking just like a child who had been caught doing something wrong.

Seeing Xia You like this, Ling Ning couldn’t help but find it both amusing and exasperating. She reached out to tidy Xia You’s sleep-tousled hair and said, “Don’t overthink it. It’s almost time for us to get off work. How about we tidy up together?”

Hearing Ling Ning’s words, Xia You realized that it was already completely dark outside. She hadn’t realized how long she had been asleep. Maybe it was the rainy weather, but even the streetlights outside looked hazy. At least the thunder had stopped, which gave Xia You a sense of relief. If it were still thundering, she wasn’t sure she’d even be able to walk out of the café.

Cleaning up didn’t take long, since there hadn’t been many customers today. After finishing up, Chu Mengyao generously let them leave work early.

As they were about to leave, Ye Xuan noticed the USB drive she had picked up earlier was still sitting on the counter, unclaimed. After a moment’s thought, she decided to pick it up and put it in her pocket, planning to toss it into the nearest trash can on her way home.

Stepping out of the café, Ling Ning noticed that the rain had eased significantly since earlier in the afternoon. Though she hadn’t brought an umbrella, it didn’t mean no one else had one. Surely, a café this large would have a few umbrellas lying around.

“Let’s go~” Ling Ning said with a smile as she saw Ye Xuan coming out.

“Mm~”

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“Ah!”

“Are you okay?” Hearing Ling Ning yelp, Ye Xuan thought something had happened and asked in concern.

“It’s fine, I just stepped into a puddle.”

The two had been chatting as they walked, which led to Ling Ning stepping right into a water-filled pothole. How annoying—of all the things to happen, it had to be this. She only had one pair of flats, and the evil boss Qin Qing had given her nothing but high heels. Honestly, who even wears those? Those torture devices were definitely not made for humans.

Just thinking about high heels made Ling Ning’s feet hurt. It was already a challenge just taking photos in them, let alone walking around in them all day. What? You wonder why she doesn’t just buy her own shoes? Shoes cost money, you know! As long as they were free, even if the insides were filled with razor blades, she’d wear them without a second thought.

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Author’s Note:

I’m stuck! It’s so frustrating! Could you all cheer up this salted fish with some support?