Chapter 248 245. Late Night [13/17]
As the New Year approached, fireworks and firecrackers were already going off continuously in the distance.
The noise of the New Year seemed to be drawing closer step by step, growing louder and more piercing. When the clock struck twelve, and the Spring Festival Gala shouted, “Happy New Year,” Mother threw the firecrackers she had already prepared out of the room.
In an instant, the blasts assaulted the ears, echoing all around, as if the whole world was celebrating the arrival of the New Year.
Through the window, the outside was already shrouded in white, the smoke from the firecrackers drifting through the small city like a thin veil over the town.
An Han sat on the sofa, propping her chin with one hand, yawning repeatedly.
Her younger sister lay across her lap, asleep on her side. Although their parents usually went to bed early, tonight they were unusually energetic, preparing the ancestral offerings in the kitchen.
“An Han, do you want a late-night snack?” came Mother’s voice from outside.
“No, I’ll take my sister upstairs to sleep.”
Her thighs were numb and sore from having her sister lying on them; it was becoming hard to bear.
Normally, An Han stayed up late playing games, but today she had to watch the Gala with her parents for New Year’s, which had exhausted her.
Gently lifting her sister’s head, An Han carefully stood up, hooking her sister’s legs, attempting to carry her in a princess-style hold.
“So heavy…”
Because of her physique, her strength was greater than most women’s, but she had never tried a princess carry before. The motion was awkward, and although her sister appeared flat-chested, she still weighed close to a hundred pounds.
Muttering complaints, An Han carefully carried her sister toward the stairs, when her father happened to walk toward her.
She sidestepped to block his path.
“What’s the matter?” Father looked down at his eldest daughter, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
“Dad, come upstairs, I have something to show you.”
She planned to test the other side effects of the new device on her father. The previous two devices had different side effects depending on gender—or none at all—and she assumed this one would be similar. She wanted to fully understand the device before using it with confidence.
“Alright.” Father noticed her difficulty, bent slightly, and took the sister from her arms. “Let’s go. Tonight she’ll sleep with you.”
“With me?”
Mother, worried that An Han might influence her sister, had started staying up to play games herself. Since Father slept on the sofa, her sister had been sleeping with Mother.
An Han paused briefly, then understood. If it were a roommate, she probably would have made a teasing remark obvious to any LSP.
Following her father upstairs, she couldn’t help but ask, “Dad, are you planning to have another son?”
“...”
Father was silent for a moment, unsure if it was awkward or something else. Then he asked, “Do you want a brother?”
“I think it would be nice. And now that the three-child policy is encouraged, there’s no penalty.”
She even hoped her parents would have another son. But Mother’s health at over forty—wouldn’t that make her a high-risk pregnancy?
Father paused, seeming to read her thoughts. “Never mind, your mom wouldn’t be able to handle another little one.”
“Mm.”
“Don’t feel guilty either.”
“Huh?”
An Han froze. She hadn’t expected her father to see through her feelings.
Indeed, her parents had invested twenty years of hopes in her. As a male, her grades were average, her college ordinary. Now, as a female, she couldn’t even give her parents a grandson. Although it was the system’s doing, she always felt some guilt toward them.
“Boys and girls are the same,” Father said expressionlessly as he continued walking, as if convincing himself. “If all else fails, we can find someone to marry into the family.”
An Han laughed: “We’re not rich enough for that.”
But her smile faded as she tentatively asked, “Dad, our family isn’t secretly some wealthy clan with millions in assets, is it?”
“Sleep well tonight, maybe you’ll dream about it.”
“Ha~ Then what about all the money you earned working abroad? You barely came home once a year. Where did it go?”
She realized that a simple conversation could bring her closer to her father.
“Your mom invested in a factory and lost it.”
“Better to have invested in property… even a few years ago, property prices have gone up a lot.”
Even in this small town, housing prices now exceeded ten thousand per square meter—a bit ridiculous.
Reaching the third-floor bedroom, Father gently placed her sister at the head of the bed and tucked her in, then looked up at An Han, who had already taken out her physical exam report.
“Here’s my report.”
An Han nervously handed over the device.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t have any side effects that would distort family relationships!
The device’s effects were less pronounced on males than females—like the chest binder, which increased a male’s affection toward her but had no effect on females.
“I’ve seen it from your mom,” Father said, taking the report. “I sent it to my friend who’s a doctor, and he said…”
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes suddenly distant, his body frozen.
Perhaps after ten or so seconds, he looked up, a sudden realization on his face: “So that’s how it is…”
What exactly was it…?
An Han muttered internally, then checked the system’s affection score.
【Father: Affection 85】
The score had hovered around 80–90, reflecting Father’s thought process, and everything seemed normal.
She then ran a hand through her hair, from roots to tips, noticing no growth.
Impossible…?
Father seemed slightly uneasy, frowning as he placed the report on the nearby table. “You should sleep early, don’t play games… why is she still snoring?”
He turned to glance at her snoring sister.
“And you two?”
“We’ll sleep after the ancestral rites.”
Father left the room.
Watching him close the door and hearing his footsteps downstairs, An Han hurried to the system device, frustratedly scratching her head. “It shouldn’t be… the system’s trick reversed? Only affecting females?”
“The system is being so nice to me? Even trying to help me grow hair?”
…
Late at night, An Han stared at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes.
The noise made it impossible to sleep; she tossed and turned restlessly.
“So noisy…”
She sighed in despair.
At least now she understood the device’s side effects.
Terrifying…
The relentless firecrackers made her feel like she was in a cheap hotel room.
“Parents don’t know when to rein it in.”
Luckily, her sister was already asleep. Otherwise, if asked what their parents were doing, she wouldn’t have been able to answer a single word.
“Now, their relationship will definitely be as close as before, maybe even more affectionate than ever.”
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