Morning Mist and Unspoken Truths

The morning mist hung thinly in the air.

Ming Yu had thought that returning to her little nest would finally allow her to enjoy a peaceful, comfortable sleep. Yet early in the morning, her smart earpiece began buzzing insistently, disturbing her rest and dragging her out of a sweet dream.

She frowned deeply, suppressing her morning irritation, and reluctantly opened her eyes. Snatching the smart earpiece from the tabletop, she fixed it onto her right ear and connected the call.

“Ming, sir… I noticed the lights were on at your place last night. You—you came back, didn’t you?”

A youthful, vibrant girl’s voice came through the earpiece.

The girl on the other end was the fiancée the government had assigned to her last year—Shiningo Reona.

She lived in the apartment next door, and her landlord happened to be her fiancé, Ming Yu, a man who was often away on business.

Perhaps because her mind was still muddled from sleep, Ming Yu answered absentmindedly with a soft “Mm.”

The moment the sound left her mouth, she realized something was wrong.

Sure enough, the other end immediately erupted.

“Y-you—you—who are you?! Why do you have Ming Yu’s smart earpiece?!”

“Don’t tell me… last night, Ming Yu—he—he brought a girl home?! H-how could he do that…”

Shiningo Reona’s voice quickly fell, heavy with disappointment.

Ming Yu rubbed her temples, a headache forming.

Whether it was her voice or her appearance, everything about her had already become distinctly feminine. There was no longer any way to explain things to Reona as “Ming Yu.”

Reona had grown up alone, raised in an orphanage and church schools. At only fifteen, she had been forcibly assigned as Ming Yu’s wife.

Ming Yu herself had grown up in an orphanage. Putting herself in Reona’s place, she could understand her pain. That was why she had wanted to give Reona freedom—to let her live the life she wanted.

Who could have expected that a few well-meant words would move the girl to tears and make her stubbornly decide to stay by her side?

A classic case of good intentions backfiring.

Objectively speaking, Reona was beautiful and well-built.

But Ming Yu had no interest in children.

Perhaps due to the side effects of genetic injections, she had little interest in romantic relationships with women—though her body would still respond normally to stimulation.

After a brief moment of thought, Ming Yu came up with a plan.

She adjusted her tone, trying to soothe Reona.

“Um… you’re Shiningo Reona, right? Ming Yu mentioned you to me…”

“……”

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

“I’m standing outside Ming Yu’s door. Please open it and let me in—I want to see him.”

Reona’s voice was growing anxious.

Ming Yu fell silent.

Sorry, Reona. You probably won’t be seeing ‘Ming Yu.’

Despite her helplessness, Ming Yu couldn’t bring herself to turn the girl away. She got up, walked to the door, and opened it.

Shiningo Reona stared in shock, covering her mouth as she looked at the silver-haired girl before her—porcelain-like and utterly unbelievable.

“Why are you wearing Ming Yu’s clothes?!”

……

Ming Yu hastily fabricated a story and barely managed to smooth things over.

Reona kept examining the girl in front of her, her gaze repeatedly drawn to those deep crimson, blood-like pupils, leaving her momentarily dazed.

It took her quite some time to process everything Ming Yu had told her.

“So… you’re Ming Yu’s younger sister?”

“Yes.” Ming Yu nodded calmly.

“Then… what should I call you?”

Ming Yu blinked and considered the question.

Her original name was absolutely unusable now. If she were recognized, she would never hear the end of it.

Good news never leaves the house; bad news travels fast.

She didn’t even want to imagine the consequences if the truth—that she had become a woman—were exposed.

It was far too embarrassing.

Unfortunately, she was terrible at naming things. She could only search for something that sounded pleasant.

Viktor had always been good at names—Nightingale… yes, Nightingale…

She glanced at the tightly closed bedroom door and settled on an idea.

Turning back to Reona, Ming Yu smiled faintly.

“Just call me Yingying.”

“Yingying… that’s such an elegant name.”

Reona found a seat with practiced ease, her eyes never leaving the silver-haired beauty on the sofa. Without realizing it, she began comparing herself to Yingying.

…It feels like Yingying is even prettier.

If Ming Yu had such a beautiful sister, how come he never mentioned her before?

Sensing her wandering thoughts, Ming Yu cleared her throat and drew her attention back.

“Reona, Ming Yu can’t return for now. He asked me to check on your studies. How have things been lately?”

At the mention of this, Reona tucked her black hair behind her ear and smiled sweetly, revealing two faint dimples.

“Thanks to Ming Yu, everything’s going well. I’ll probably be able to graduate early and get recommended directly into the Engineering Science Academy.”

In her heart, no one could compare to Ming Yu.

He had pulled her out of the mud and paid for her education himself. Such kindness could never be repaid—she wished only to give herself to him in return.

From Ming Yu’s perspective, if she chose to help someone, she would see it through to the end.

Teaching someone how to fish was better than simply giving them fish.

Reona was exceptionally capable. Her talent in mechanics, electrical systems, and information engineering stood out, and her grades consistently ranked near the top of her class. Ming Yu found this deeply gratifying.

After asking a few more questions about Reona’s daily life and receiving reassurances that everything was fine, Ming Yu finally felt at ease.

The little girl had grown up—into a poised young woman capable of standing on her own.

Noticing that Reona stood about half a head taller than herself, Ming Yu tugged awkwardly at the corner of her mouth and sighed inwardly.

Meanwhile, Reona’s gaze toward Yingying softened further.

She could tell—Yingying genuinely cared about her studies and her life.

This was a feeling she had only ever experienced with Ming Yu.

“Since Ming Yu isn’t home, and I still need to return to the academy, I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Reona rose gracefully, smiled, and nodded before turning toward the door.

Just before leaving, she paused.

“Yingying, if Ming Yu comes back, please ask him to wait for me at home. Let me see him…”

“I really miss him.”

“Thank you.”

Her voice lingered, but her figure was already gone.

Watching her leave, Ming Yu felt an inexplicable heaviness—a faint sense of guilt.

Reona said she missed “Ming Yu”…

Was responding like this only holding her back?

…Sigh.

Sometimes Ming Yu felt she was full of contradictions.

She could put a gun to someone’s head and end a life cleanly, yet spin gentle lies and hesitate, letting emotions slowly ferment.

Joking aside—she truly had no interest in a child she had practically raised herself.

If Reona were to learn that Ming Yu might never change back, that she could never give her what she wanted…

Would honesty be the better choice?

Ming Yu had never been in love.

The poor, clueless old virgin was completely at a loss.

She glanced at the tightly shut bedroom door, sighed, and pushed these pointless worries aside—for now.

It was time to prepare breakfast for Nightingale.