Zhou Xiaoling thought of her second brother, her eyes welling with tears. She was a girl who'd never even cried after fighting with boys as a child. She pressed her eyelids hard, then looked back at the photo.

Her eldest brother and second brother were twins, but they didn'look alike. Her eldest brother had narrow eyes and high cheekbones—an ordinary appearance. Their mother often said he probably took after their grandmother's side of the family.

Meanwhile, she, her sister, and her second brother took after their grandfather's side, with finer, more delicate features.

But could two people in the world really look so identical?

After a moment's thought, Zhou Xiaoling tucked the photo into her pocket. She needed to find that man and get another look.

She hurried downstairs, but the couple was gone. She decided to ask at the front desk.

"Xiaoling?"

Before she reached the desk, someone called her name. She turned, surprised and delighted.

"Eldest Brother? What are you doing here?"

Zhou Xiaoming wore black-framed glasses that added a touch of steadiness and refinement to his otherwise unremarkable features.

He smiled at her. "I was worried about you coming here alone to report for duty. I also had some business in the area."

Zhou Xiaoling didn't question it; her eldest brother had always doted on her and her sister. She grinned. "I'm twenty-five! What's there to worry about?"

Zhou Xiaoming adjusted his glasses. "Come on, let's go to your room. There's something I want to discuss."

Eager to share her news, Zhou Xiaoling got straight to the point once they were inside: "Eldest Brother, I just saw a man who looks exactly like Second Brother."

Zhou Xiaoming frowned. "You just miss him too much. Think about how many times you've mistaken strangers for him on the street."

"But this is different," she insisted urgently. "This one is really, really similar. I even compared him to the photo."

A flicker of malice passed through Zhou Xiaoming's eyes. It seemed Zhou Huai'an could not be allowed to live.

His existence must never be discovered by the Zhou family.

Who would have thought that after successfully killing Zhou Xiaocheng three years ago, Zhou Huai'an would survive such severe injuries? And now that he was working at the Second Institute, it was impossible to get to him.

He placed a hand on Zhou Xiaoling's shoulder. "No matter how similar, it's not him. Think about Mom—her hair turned white from grief these past three years after what happened to your second brother. Don't add to her troubles."

Zhou Xiaoling pouted. "But he looks so much like him! I won't say anything to Mom."

Zhou Xiaoming pushed his glasses up again. "You need to control yourself. Remember, there are many people in the world who look alike."

Zhou Xiaoling fell silent. Her brother was right. What did it matter if they looked alike? He still wouldn't be her second brother....Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoxiao had bossed Zhou Huai'an into combing her hair again with the fine-toothed comb. They found another louse and some still-living nits.

She comforted herself: Getting lice is just the first step to blending into this era. Didn't Zhou Huai'an say many families had them?

Holding a small round mirror, she watched Zhou Huai'an bend over her with focused concentration, though his fingers were terribly clumsy. She smiled, her eyes curving. "Zhou Huai'an, where will I live if I stay in the city?"

Zhou Huai'an wondered if Lin Xiaoxiao, who hadn't been home, even knew her family had moved away.

Or was it that this Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't the original, so that home felt foreign and unimportant to her?

"The hospital provides dormitory rooms. If you don't want to stay in the dorm, you can rent a place nearby."

Lin Xiaoxiao refused outright: "I'll stay in the dorm. Renting costs money, and you're the only one earning an income. We should save where we can."

Zhou Huai'an's hands paused for a second before he resumed his meticulous search.

Only when he was certain nothing remained in her hair did Lin Xiaoxiao finally feel relief on her scalp. "Isn't there any medicine to treat this?"

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "No. Some people put pesticide directly on their hair."

Lin Xiaoxiao was horrified: "Pesticide can poison you just through skin contact, let alone on your scalp! Aren't they afraid of dying?"

"Most people don't know any better. They think it's fine as long as they don't drink it." After a moment, he added, "Your grandfather will be visiting next month."

Lin Xiaoxiao's heart clenched. If her grandfather came, she'd never be able to fool him for a single day.

Such a drastic change in personality would be obvious to any family member.

She wondered how other transmigrators managed to avoid detection by their families.

She forced a stiff smile. "That's wonderful! I've missed Grandpa so much."

Zhou Huai'an observed her tense expression. "He's only staying for half a day."

Lin Xiaoxiao instantly relaxed. Half a day was manageable.

After packing the milk powder and malted milk, she and Zhou Huai'an headed back to the hospital.

They all stayed at the hospital that night because Little Zhu was scheduled for surgery first thing the next morning.

Third Grandpa didn't sleep a wink, talking endlessly to Zhou Huai'an about the deceased Changdong and Changdong's parents, wiping away tears every now and then.

When the child was finally wheeled into the operating room, the old man couldn't take it anymore and fainted.

Little Zhu's surgery wasn't long, and Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't worried at all. Seeing that both Lü Zhigang and Zhou Huai'an were standing guard, she decided to go buy some breakfast.

Not far from the hospital, a woman suddenly blocked her path. "It's you! You're the miracle doctor! How did you know I was sick?"

Startled, Lin Xiaoxiao looked carefully at the woman. She looked familiar, but Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't place her.

The woman grew excited. "Don't you remember me? You said I had family problems and told me to get a health check."

Then Lin Xiaoxiao remembered—she was the saleswoman who'd rolled her eyes at her.

The woman's eyes reddened. "You were so right! My husband's fooling around, and the doctor says I have hepatitis."

Lin Xiaoxiao remained calm. "Then focus on getting treatment. Hepatitis can be managed."

The woman suddenly burst into tears. "You can read fortunes, right? Can you tell me if my husband will come back to me?"

Lin Xiaoxiao was taken aback. So the woman's priority wasn't her health, but her cheating husband? "I can't tell that. And besides, why would you want a man like that? He's like a cucumber that's been dropped in a cesspit—would you really pick it up and eat it? Doesn't that disgust you?"

The woman stared, wide-eyed, before turning and running off in tears.

Lin Xiaoxiao was baffled. Had she said something wrong?

When she turned around, Zhou Huai'an was standing not far behind, watching her with an unreadable expression.

Unsure if he'd heard her, she decided to play it cool and asked with feigned surprise, "What are you doing down here?"

Zhou Huai'an held out two food ration coupons. "You dropped these."