Bai Sha awoke from a deep, groggy sleep to find herself in bed, the window revealing the profound darkness of night, indicating the sun had long since set.
Waking with a peculiar taste lingering in her mouth, Bai Sha rose to rinse it out in the bathroom. As she emerged, her gaze fell upon the living room, where a large and a small figure were engrossed in watching Peppa Pig.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Bai Sha checked the time, noting how late it had become. She turned to Zhou Haochen and asked, “Are you heading back to the dorm?”
Zhou Haochen nodded. “I can still make it back. I just wanted to spend a little more time with Xiao Yu.”
Noticing the little one completely absorbed in watching the red hairdryer (TL Note: A humorous or colloquial description of Peppa Pig, whose main character is a pink pig often associated with a red color and a snout that could resemble a hairdryer), Bai Sha nudged Zhou Haochen’s arm. “I’m going to my room to stream. Just text me when you’re about to leave.”
Zhou Haochen affirmed with a soft ‘Mm-hmm,’ indicating his understanding.
Only then did Bai Sha retreat to her bedroom, dreading the return to her fate as a wage s*ave. After just two weeks of ‘retirement,’ the thought of going back to work filled her with reluctance.
****
Inside Dorm Room 503, Li Qingyu’s phone chimed with a notification.
[Huya Message: The streamer Fox you follow has started broadcasting.]
Li Qingyu’s body jolted in surprise. ‘That old geezer is alive!’ he exclaimed. Truthfully, Li Qingyu found Fox’s retirement a great pity. With LPL boasting four championships in five years as the top region, had Fox not retired, they might have easily snagged another title.
In the livestream room, sparse bullet comments drifted across the screen: “Fox-dog is alive!”
“Long time no see, Fox-bro.”
“Here to make up for streaming hours?”
Filtering out the malicious and provocative bullet comments, Bai Sha replied nonchalantly, “Mm, I just got home and immediately started streaming for you guys, didn’t I?! Tell your buddy what you want to see.”
“????” “???? Where’s your shame?” “Did you really swim all the way back? Just got home?!”
“Oh! Thank you for EDG’s awesome magic book, and thank you, Boss! Boss is so generous!”
The bullet comments once again erupted with question marks and cries of “Boss is muddled!”
Feeling a slight discomfort in her throat from straining her voice, Bai Sha decided to speak less. Ignoring the barrage of bullet comments, she began a ranked queue on the Korean server. Her previous rank points were rather high, over a thousand, and she needed them to drop a little.
She played approximately two games. In the first, she picked Aphelios with Yuumi, but before she could truly unleash her power, her team’s Master Yi secured a quadra kill, bringing the game to an abrupt end.
“This Master Yi is too satisfying! What ( ・◇・)? Is that EDG’s second team jungler?”
The second game, however, proved to be more entertaining, as Bai Sha encountered one of her own devoted fans.
[All] qazwsx (Lee Sin): Fox?
[All] hahahahahahah (Ezreal): Nonono! My is Uzi!!
Bullet comments drifted past: “How audacious!”
As a result, they were ‘punished by standing still’ (TL Note: A humorous term referring to being heavily targeted and unable to move freely). That game, the Lee Sin player would rather forfeit two jungle camps than miss ganking the bot lane, leaving Bai Sha utterly speechless.
Once more, bullet comments floated by: “Divine Retribution!”
Upon receiving a message from Zhou Haochen, Bai Sha seized the opportunity, finding a casual excuse to end her broadcast.
****
When Bai Sha emerged from her room, Zhou Haochen had already departed. Zhou Yuying was still seated on the sofa, watching television, though Peppa Pig had now been replaced by ‘Milk Dragon’ (TL Note: A popular cartoon character).
She settled beside the little one, pondering why this yellow creature held such immense appeal for children.
Bai Sha recalled her own childhood, spent watching Ultraman and Kamen Rider. As she grew older, she started playing League of Legends, eventually turning professional.
‘Sigh! How exactly did my other self raise this child?’ she mused. ‘Though she’s adorable and obedient, her interests are incredibly peculiar. Could it be that I’m simply out of touch with the times?!’
****
The very next morning, Bai Sha gently roused the little one. Today, momentous tasks awaited them: settling Bai Sha’s ID card and the child’s household registration.
Oh, and she also needed to buy new underwear. Bai Sha felt her body was developing rather quickly; while it wasn’t noticeable beneath a winter down jacket, unmistakable curves had already begun to form during her showers.
—Hello? My dearest Uncle, are you awake? I’ll be there shortly, so please prepare yourself mentally. Don’t be too alarmed by me.—
He Changjun was utterly bewildered. ‘Scared by you?’ he thought. ‘What on earth do you want me to do? Surely you haven’t gotten into trouble, have you?’
After hanging up the phone, He Changjun turned to his wife and said, “Go downstairs in a bit and buy two steamed buns. That kid Bai Sha is coming over.”
Bai Sha’s mother had given birth later in life, so the couple had essentially watched Bai Sha grow up. Her aunt deeply adored her, and despite Bai Sha’s conflicts with her own parents, she would always make sure to visit her aunt and uncle during holidays, separate from her parents.
“Why the sudden thought of coming here?”
He Changjun, brewing his wolfberry tea, replied, “He must have something he needs my help with. Though, there aren’t many things that kid can’t handle on his own anymore.”
Counting her change as she prepared to go downstairs, Auntie said to He Changjun, “We’re family. Even if Little Bai earns a lot, she’s still young and hasn’t had much education. If you can help, then help the child as much as you can.”
He Changjun took a sip of his tea, retorting gruffly, “He’s my own nephew! If I don’t help him, who will? How could I possibly not care for him?”
Auntie nodded and headed downstairs. Just across the street was a breakfast shop. After buying the steamed buns, she stood by the roadside, watching a tall young woman emerge from a BMW, then reach back to pull out a chubby, rosy-cheeked little girl.
Auntie peered intently. ‘Huh? Why does that car look so familiar?’
She looked again, and the young woman was waving right at her!
—Auntie! Why did you come down?!—
Slightly nearsighted, Auntie hadn’t quite caught what was said. She squinted, scrutinizing the young woman. ‘Oh, my heavens! This isn’t just some young woman at all! This is my big nephew!’
She watched as the little girl beside her ‘nephew’ sprinted towards her, throwing her arms around her legs and sweetly chirping, “Hello, Grand-Auntie!”
Auntie was thunderstruck, frozen to the spot. She stammered at her incredibly beautiful ‘nephew’ who was walking towards her, “You, you, you, you…”
Then she looked down at the little girl, “She, she, she, she…”
Bai Sha quickly stepped forward to soothe her aunt. “Auntie, don’t panic! Listen to me! Please listen!”
Bai Sha led the older woman and the little girl back to her uncle’s house. The moment she opened the door, she saw He Changjun leisurely brewing tea.
He Changjun heard the door open, and, still holding his cup, turned around casually. “You… W-what?!”
His teacup nearly slipped from his grasp. He quickly rose and strode over to Bai Sha. “What kind of shock did you receive?! You can’t be taking hormones, no matter what!”
He Changjun then noticed Zhou Yuying and asked, “Who is this little imp?”
Bai Sha truthfully replied, “She’s mine.”
The little one looked up, smiling as she greeted him, “Hello, Grand-Uncle! Long time no see!”
“Don’t get angry! Please, don’t get angry! Sit down! Sit down! Let me explain!”
After much effort, Bai Sha managed to coax the couple into sitting down, then spent a considerable amount of time explaining the entire convoluted story. Finally, she collapsed onto the sofa, cradling the child.
He Changjun summarized, “So, what you’re saying is, this child is yours, from the future, and after suddenly traveling through time, you turned into a girl!”
Bai Sha gave him a thumbs-up. “Comrade He, that explanation is perfectly accurate!”
He Changjun waved her off dismissively. “Get out of here. So, there’s nothing wrong with your body, right?”
Bai Sha produced her medical report. “It’s perfectly fine. Even my old minor ailments and major illnesses are gone. My main reason for coming is to ask for your help, Uncle, with my identity and the child’s household registration.”
Auntie asked worriedly, “What about the child’s father?”
Bai Sha scratched her head awkwardly. “I found him a few days ago. He… um… he’s still in college. We’ll register the child under my household first.”
He Changjun and Auntie exchanged glances, then both gave Bai Sha a thumbs-up.
However, after a moment, He Changjun suddenly realized, “Wait a minute! The child’s father is a man, isn’t he?!”
Bai Sha shrugged, confused. “Otherwise?”
Auntie also caught on, her expression of satisfaction quickly changing. She said earnestly, “You’re a young woman now. Even if he’s the child’s father, you need to keep your distance. Moreover, he’s still a student; he’s not stable and has no income.”
He Changjun nodded. “Exactly! Keep your eyes open. You were already scammed by the club before, and losing some money was one thing. Don’t compromise yourself just because he’s the child’s father. If he’s not good enough, tell him to get lost!”
Bai Sha was astonished: ‘Oh, wow, is this what they mean by ‘spoiling’? They weren’t pushing me to marry two years ago like this at all.’