Lin Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. "Mouth-to-mouth?"

Now that was even more awkward. What might seem like a normal life-saving procedure to a doctor could feel uncomfortably intimate between a man and a woman—especially now that Lin Zihao and Zhou Xiaoling were technically siblings.

Watching Xiaoling slump on the bed looking utterly defeated, Lin Xiaoxiao tried to comfort her.

"It's fine. You were saving a life. Besides, he never even knew it was you. There's no reason to overthink it."

Xiaoling let out a frustrated scream. Just then, Li Yunlan walked in and saw her daughter thrashing on the bed. Frowning, she asked, "What's going on here?"

Xiaoling quickly sat up. "Nothing, Mom. Just joking around with Xiaoxiao."

Li Yunlan walked over and gently patted her head. "You're practically a grown-up—still acting like a kid. Keep it down, or you'll wake up Momo and the others."

Xiaoling grinned. "No way. Those little ones sleep like logs. Nothing's waking them up."

After a moment, Li Yunlan asked Xiaoling to come downstairs with her. They went into her bedroom.

Xiaoling had a feeling what this was about. As soon as they entered, she blurted out, "Mom, I want to stay in Beijing—with you and Dad. You're not... trying to send me away, are you?"

Li Yunlan was taken aback. "Silly child, how could we ever not want you? Your father told you already—we respect whatever you decide."

Xiaoling pouted and sat down unhappily. "Why do I have to decide? Mom, I don't want to go anywhere. I don't want to acknowledge them. That Lin family are complete strangers to me. My parents aren't even there—what would I be going back for? I don't know anyone. I'd have to start all over with them. I don't want to."

Li Yunlan smiled softly and stroked her hair. "You don't have to go back if you don't want to. But it would still be good to acknowledge the Lins. After all, they are your father's blood brothers, and your grandfather is still alive."

Xiaoling still wasn't convinced. "My dad's gone. So what does it matter if I have uncles? I don't want to go because I don't want their pity. If they're kind, they'll pity me for being an orphan raised outside the family all these years. If they're not, they might think I'm there to take what's theirs."

"Either way, I don't like it. I don't want to go."

She looked up at Li Yunlan with pleading eyes. "Mom... do you and Dad find me annoying? Do you not want me anymore?"

That look—like a abandoned puppy—made Li Yunlan's eyes well up. She pulled Xiaoling into a hug. "Oh, you foolish girl. How could we ever not want you? If you don't want to go, then you won't. You'll always be our Xiaoling, a daughter of the Zhou family."

Even though Xiaoling refused to go to Shanghai with the Lins, she still had to meet them. Zhou Bingwen arranged the gathering at Hongbin Lou, a time-honored restaurant in the city.

Since her three children were too young, Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't join. She stayed home with Zhou Liyun and the nanny to look after them.

The nanny thought it might actually be good for Xiaoling to reconnect with the Lin family. "I heard the Lins are quite influential. Maybe it's for the best."

Zhou Liyun, however, wasn't pleased. "Our Zhou family isn't so bad either. And Xiaoling is a loyal girl—she knows where she belongs."

Not wanting to argue, the nanny quickly nodded in agreement.

When Lin Wenbin came over, Lin Xiaoxiao told him about Xiaoling's situation. She lowered her voice. "Do you think this Lin family is the same as the one from our world? If it is... does that mean there's another us? Could we see Mom and Dad when they were young?"

Lin Wenbin looked at her, horrified. "What a strange thought! What would we even call them—'big bro,' 'sister-in-law'? Wait, no—by this time, they'd be around your age. They'd be calling me big brother!"

Lin Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "What are you even imagining? Have you lost your mind? How could you take advantage of Mom and Dad like that? I was just curious!"

Lin Wenbin shook his head firmly. "Don't be. Have you considered what would happen if we met them? They aren't even married yet. What if they end up having another you and me? What would that make us?"

Lin Xiaoxiao thought he had no imagination whatsoever. "I was just thinking how nice it would be to see them again," she muttered, losing interest in the conversation.

Lin Wenbin thought the idea was totally unrealistic, but he didn't want to crush his sister's fantasy. "Admission letters are already going out. School starts in April. I'm planning to resign soon and go check out opportunities in the South."

Staying here and just killing time was becoming unbearable. He needed to do something meaningful.

Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly felt reluctant to let him go. "If you go south, what about me? I'll be all alone in Beijing. Who knows when Zhou Huaian will be back?"

She didn't even dare listen to the news broadcasts anymore—the ongoing conflict was too distressing. Until the fighting stopped, Zhou Huaian wouldn't be coming home.

And from what she could remember, this situation was going to last for years. The thought made her eyes sting.

Lin Wenbin ruffled her hair. "It's not like I'm never coming back. I'm going to make money—try to become the richest man around. Then you and the kids can be the idle rich. How does that sound?"

Lin Xiaoxiao pouted. "Right now, money feels totally unimportant."

He flicked her forehead lightly. "Don't be naive. Money is important. It really is."

It was late afternoon by the time Li Yunlan and the others returned. Xiaoling walked in cheerfully, arm in arm with her mother. Seeing them like that, Lin Xiaoxiao finally felt her worries ease.

When Xiaoling spotted Lin Xiaoxiao, she grinned and ran over, throwing her arms around her.

"I'm back! Did you think I was going to leave with them? No way!"

Li Yunlan smiled helplessly. "Silly girl, he's still your uncle. You'll see him again."

Xiaoling pulled Lin Xiaoxiao upstairs, eager to share every detail. "Lin Zihao's third uncle—I have to call him Third Uncle—seemed really nice. He looks a lot like my dad in the photos. Very reasonable, too. When I said I didn't want to go back, they said they wouldn't force me. They said they'd come visit me when they can."

"They also said my grandfather couldn't come this time because he's not well, but he wants to see me in Beijing when he's better. I didn't want an old man traveling all this way, so I said I'd go see them in Shanghai during my May Day break when the weather's nicer."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly. "That's really good. I thought there'd be a lot of crying, but you all came back happy."

Xiaoling grinned. "Honestly, I felt a bit out of place. Dad and Grandpa did most of the talking with them. I just listened. But the food at Hongbin Lou was amazing! The Lin family insisted on paying, so I didn't get to bring anything back for you. Next time, I'll take you there myself—their 'Fu Rong Chicken Slices' are incredible!"

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't help but laugh. This had to be the most casual family reunion dinner ever.