Mhm. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Qi Sen told himself that again and again.

At the dinner table, the peach lay obediently by Qi Sen’s hand. Can-Can’s round almond eyes were opened wide in righteous fury as she huffed, “Can-Can takes it for walks every day! Why doesn’t it like me? Bad peach! Can-Can’s never liking it again!”

Pei Shen was still recovering from the shock of the whole Gu Chi situation. So when he suddenly saw a peach that moved, he was so stunned he forgot to eat, just sat there holding his chopsticks, mouth open, unable to speak.

Can-Can had been “walking” this peach like a pet every day. It was cute, innocent kid stuff. But… how did a toy peach actually become a pet?!

At the table, Qi Sen remained the most composed of them all—even with the clingy peach snuggled up to his hand.

He picked out a few slices of sausage for Can-Can and said gently, “Didn’t you say I gave you that peach?”

Can-Can’s shiny black eyes spun a few times, and her face lit up with inspiration. “Yup! Second Brother has a whole peach orchard in the Ninth Heaven! Gege and Can-Can both love peaches the most!”

Her smile was soft, dimples blooming on her cheeks like morning clouds. It was so pretty, it nearly dazzled the eyes.

Pei Shen looked back and forth between Qi Sen and Can-Can, completely confused.

“Ninth Heaven? What Ninth Heaven?”

Qi Sen ladled her a bowl of egg drop soup, then tapped what was still more than half a bowl left and said blandly, “Drink up, I’ll tell you.”

Pei Shen: …??

Does he take me for a pig?

Even a pig couldn’t finish this much…

But curiosity killed the—well, in this case, it killed Pei Shen. He could only grit his teeth and gulp down the whole bowl.

Qi Sen lazily turned his gaze away from Pei Shen’s still-pale face.

It was only today he’d learned Pei Shen had a provincial chemistry competition in a week.

And lately, he’d been helping one of his chemistry mentors work on a research paper. Qi Sen couldn’t even remember the topic, only that when he glanced at the title, his first thought was: This isn’t high school-level stuff at all.

He’d asked Pei Shen about it repeatedly before the guy finally admitted the truth.

The teacher had discovered Pei Shen’s talent for chemistry back in junior high and privately tutored him ever since, determined not to let that brilliance go to waste.

Now that they were in high school, the teacher still insisted on helping him.

Pei Shen had been working on this research project for a year or two. The paper itself was recent, and when the teacher offered to help, Pei Shen had naturally accepted.

Unfortunately, the timing meant that both the paper and the competition overlapped, leaving Pei Shen to pull all-nighters day after day, which only made his already frail health worse.

Qi Sen thought for a moment. After Can-Can fell asleep and Pei Shen was about to leave, he gave him a brief rundown of the Ninth Heaven and the dragon race.

Right before Pei Shen walked out the door, Qi Sen added casually, “Stop burning the midnight oil for now. You’ll be fine in the competition.”

Pei Shen, who had still been reeling from the realization that he might actually be some reincarnated celestial dragon, blinked… and let out a dopey little laugh.

“But I don’t want to get careless.”

He glanced at the sleeping Can-Can and asked, “You sure you’re letting me take her tomorrow?”

Pei Shen wasn’t aiming for the national college entrance exam route. He was banking on his competitions to earn him direct admission to a top university.

The school treasured a student like him and had even given him his own private study room. No one else was allowed inside.

Tomorrow, both he and Qi Sen had school. Hiring a nanny wasn’t feasible—first because they couldn’t afford it, and second because they didn’t trust anyone enough. The only option was to let Can-Can go with Pei Shen.

“She’s very well-behaved. No trouble at all,” Qi Sen said.

A single box of rainbow candy could entertain her for hours. Kids like that were a rare species.

Pei Shen nodded, though his thoughts turned to the school forum where he and Qi Sen were still known for being mortal enemies. Showing up tomorrow with Can-Can in tow… yeah, that would definitely stir the pot.

Who would’ve thought Qi Sen’s little sister was his little sister too? And who would’ve guessed they’d be peacefully co-parenting this little bundle of chaos one day?

Pei Shen’s expression grew complicated. He pointed at the celestial peach behind Qi Sen and asked, “So… is she taking the peach too?”

At the mention of the peach, Qi Sen’s ever-neutral face showed a rare flicker of hesitation.

That peach was clingy.

Wherever Qi Sen went, it rolled right after him, trailing a cloud of sweet, juicy fragrance like a fruity little shadow.

“No. Peach’s staying home,” he said firmly.

A proper pet peach should behave like one. It could stay quietly at home like a good little fruit.

That night, Qi Sen lay in the tiny fold-out bed in the living room. Outside, the night was deep, the moonlight pouring through the window and casting silver streaks on the brick-red floor.

Suddenly—thump—a round, chubby peach bounced onto his bed and bumped against his chest.

Qi Sen frowned and mercilessly chucked Can-Can’s pet peach to the floor, then rolled over to go back to sleep.

Not long after, the peach hopped back up again.

This time, it didn’t try to snuggle into his arms. It just nestled quietly beside his hand like a loyal, silent companion.

The next morning, Qi Sen rubbed his sleepy eyes and got up to help Can-Can get dressed—only to find her already standing in front of him, fully dressed, looking neat and tidy.

Standing next to her was a girl who looked seventeen or eighteen, wearing a long, soft pink dress. She looked just like a ripe, juicy peach come to life.

Qi Sen blinked. “Can-Can, who’s this?”

Can-Can’s grape-like eyes curved into crescents. Her smile was sweet enough to melt stone. “It’s Peach!”

Qi Sen stumbled back a step. “Who??”

Before Can-Can could answer, the pink girl gave a graceful curtsey and said clearly, “Lord Qi Sen, I am Tao-Tao.”

Qi Sen suddenly remembered the peach that had rolled into his arms the night before.

His face turned red.

Oh.

There goes his innocence.

After seeing the soft, pink, peachy girl in person, Pei Shen finally started to believe: yeah, he really might’ve been a dragon in his past life.

On the way to school, he couldn’t help humming a classic old tune that every Chinese person knew by heart—Descendants of the Dragon.

On the bus, Qi Sen and Pei Shen sat side by side.

Since Peach was there, Qi Sen left Can-Can in her care.

Can-Can’s new gauzy dress had too many layers. Every time she went to the bathroom, her tiny hands couldn’t gather up the skirt by herself. Normally, Qi Sen had to help.

During the seven-day National Day holiday, aside from one visit to the bathhouse where the attendant helped wash her, Can-Can hadn’t touched water once.