How Could I Possibly Have a Daughter After Reincarnating?

“What!? Ye Xuan is sick?”

Early in the morning, as soon as Ling Ning arrived at school, Xu Qing informed her that Ye Xuan had fallen ill.

Xu Qing nodded and continued, “Yeah, it seems pretty serious—she’s been admitted to the hospital, the one near the funeral parlor.”

“No… no way~”

Ling Ning found it hard to believe. Just yesterday, during their afternoon English class, Ye Xuan had been lively as ever, and now she was being told Ye Xuan was in the hospital?

“Do you know what’s wrong with her?”

Xu Qing thought for a moment and then said, “Seems like it’s a high fever or something.”

Ling Ning lowered her head in thought. Hospitalization for a fever—it must be serious. She decided that after lunch, she’d make some congee and bring it to Ye Xuan.

“What about Li Qian? Is she out today too?” Ling Ning glanced at Li Qian’s empty seat. She hadn’t shown up at all yesterday either.

Xu Qing shook her head. “I have no idea~”

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“This should be it, right?”

Ling Ning had already gotten lost several times. She swore she didn’t usually have such a bad sense of direction. She double-checked the room number on the hospital door and then carefully compared it to the address Ye Xuan had sent her. Yep, she had the right place. With that confirmed, Ling Ning didn’t hesitate any longer—she pushed the door open and went inside.

At that moment, Ye Xuan was half-lying on the hospital bed, quietly receiving an IV drip. Her face was pale.

“You came.” Hearing the door open, Ye Xuan slowly opened her eyes and looked at Ling Ning.

Ling Ning put the congee container on the bedside table and walked over to the bed, a worried expression on her face. “Are you alright? You don’t look too good.”

“I’m fine, it’s just a small problem. I’ll be better once the IV is done.” Ye Xuan smiled faintly, trying to brush it off.

“Really?” Ling Ning eyed Ye Xuan doubtfully. She didn’t believe that something as minor as a little illness would land someone in the hospital.

“You haven’t had lunch yet, have you?” Ling Ning glanced at the untouched tray of food on the bedside table.

Ye Xuan shook her head. She really didn’t have an appetite, and the hospital food was hardly appealing.

“How can you skip lunch? I made you some millet congee—at least have a little. Want me to feed you?” Ling Ning picked up the thermos and shook it in front of Ye Xuan.

“N-no, that’s not necessary!” Ye Xuan’s face turned a shade of pink, clearly embarrassed.

“No worries. Come on, open wide~” Ling Ning smiled brightly at Ye Xuan. She’d long wanted to try the cute girl feeding play—now she finally had the chance.

After hesitating for a moment, Ye Xuan looked at the enticing millet congee and slowly opened her mouth.

“How is it? I added a bit of sugar—it shouldn’t be too sweet.”

Ye Xuan shook her head. “It’s perfect. Tastes great.”

“That’s good~”

While feeding Ye Xuan, Ling Ning noticed her gaze wandering downward. It was a bit awkward, but since Ye Xuan was unwell and hadn’t made any inappropriate moves, Ling Ning decided to let it go. After all, looking wouldn’t make her lose a piece of herself.

Suddenly, Ye Xuan spoke up, “Ling Ning, can I ask you a favor?”

“Hmm?” Ling Ning paused mid-scoop, looking at Ye Xuan curiously.

“Well… um… how do I put this… your… your legs… Can I touch your legs?” Ye Xuan stammered, her voice barely audible.

Ling Ning stared at Ye Xuan, puzzled. “Honestly, I’ve been meaning to ask—why are you so obsessed with my legs?”

“Because I like them.”

It was a classic Ye Xuan response—short and simple.

Ling Ning stayed silent for a moment, looking into Ye Xuan’s earnest, hopeful eyes. With a resigned sigh, she finally said, “Fine, just one touch. No going higher.”

Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up, and she slowly reached out her hand…

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After feeding Ye Xuan her lunch, Ling Ning tidied up the dishes and said, “Get some rest. I need to head back to school for afternoon classes, but I’ll come by later tonight.”

“…Alright.” Ye Xuan had wanted to tell her it wasn’t necessary, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.

Ling Ning left Ye Xuan’s room, stretching her arms as she prepared to head downstairs. Suddenly, she noticed a somewhat familiar figure.

“Isn’t that Li Si? What’s he doing at the hospital? Could he be visiting Ye Xuan? But I don’t think Li Si is even in our class,” Ling Ning mused as she looked at Li Si’s back, confused.

She checked the time on her phone. It was still early, so she decided to follow him and see what was going on.

“That’s strange. He should be right here, right?”

Ling Ning had followed Li Si to a corner, but when she got there, he had disappeared. She glanced around at the stark, clinical surroundings of the hospital—the flickering overhead light added a particularly eerie atmosphere.

Suddenly, a hand tapped her shoulder from behind.

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Stop screaming, it’s me.”

Ling Ning turned around, realizing that the person who had tapped her was Li Si. She had nearly mistaken him for some sort of ghost or monster. Maybe she had been watching too many horror movies lately with those two little ones. There were no such things as ghosts—just made-up stories.

Li Si, on the other hand, was feeling rather annoyed. He’d noticed someone tailing him and was ready to teach them a lesson, assuming it was an enemy. But it turned out to be Ling Ning.

“Why were you following me?” Li Si asked, puzzled.

“I was just coming out from visiting my classmate and happened to see you. I wanted to say hi, but you ended up scaring me. By the way, what brings you to the hospital? You don’t look sick.”

“My brother’s ill. I just came to see him,” Li Si explained.

“Oh~” Ling Ning nodded knowingly. She took another glance at the gloomy hallway and then said, “Take me with you. We can head back to school together afterward. What do you say?”

“Sure~”

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

“Hey, brother, I’m here.”

“Hello.” Ling Ning looked at the man lying in the hospital bed—he had a fierce-looking scar on his face and a bald head. Somehow, he seemed familiar, especially the scar, which stirred a sense of deja vu.

“Hey, Xiao Si, you’re here. And who’s this?” Zhang San looked at Ling Ning, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him, as if he’d seen her before. The scar on his face even seemed to ache faintly, but his memory was notoriously poor, and he couldn’t quite place her.

“This is my classmate,” Li Si explained.

“Hello there, I’m Zhang San, Xiao Si’s big brother,” Zhang San said casually.

“Huh!?” Ling Ning looked at the two of them, confused. She couldn’t understand why brothers would have different last names. But she figured it wasn’t her business—if they didn’t explain, she wasn’t about to ask.

Seeing the brothers deep in conversation, Ling Ning tactfully stepped outside the room. She took out her phone and began typing away. She prided herself on being able to enter her writing zone anywhere, anytime.

Back in her university dorm days, she would write while one roommate was gaming, another was watching explicit content at full volume, and a third was also playing games—yet she still managed to hit her daily word count without skipping a beat. Ling Ning thought back to those days and couldn’t help but admire her own resilience.

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Author’s Note:

Honestly, the chapter titles rarely have anything to do with the content.

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

Christmas Extra: A Gift for My Daughter

“Ling Ning, tomorrow’s Christmas. Any plans?”

“Christmas!?”

Hearing Xu Qing’s words, Ling Ning frowned and took out her phone to check the calendar. She couldn’t believe tomorrow was already Christmas—it felt like time had flown by.

Thinking back, the shops around the school had indeed put up Christmas decorations, and even the delivery folks were dressed in Santa outfits.

In her past life, aside from spending a few Christmases with her girlfriend, Ling Ning had either been alone or hanging out at a cyber cafe with her buddy Xiao Xiao.

She still remembered her best Christmas before transmigrating: alone at home, diligently typing away. The thought filled her with a strange sense of melancholy.

“Xu Qing, are you free after school today?” Ling Ning asked.

“After school? Yeah, of course.”

“Come shopping with me then. I want to get a gift for my daugh… I mean, my little sister.” Ling Ning figured that since it was Christmas, she should buy her daughter a present.

“Sure thing~”

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

“What kind of gift should I get?”

At the moment, Ling Ning and Xu Qing were at the shopping mall. Because it was Saturday, they only had two classes that afternoon before being dismissed, allowing Ling Ning the time to stroll around leisurely.

“How about a doll?” Xu Qing suggested, pointing to a Barbie doll in the display window.

Following Xu Qing’s gaze, Ling Ning saw rows of beautiful dolls set up behind the glass. The lifelike appearance of the dolls made her feel as if one might blink at her any second.

Ling Ning shook her head. After watching too many horror movies with her daughter lately, she’d come to regard dolls with a certain wariness.

Seeing Ling Ning’s reaction, Xu Qing thought for a moment before a new idea came to her. She led Ling Ning to a small shop tucked away in the corner of the mall.

“This shop has a great selection of dolls. I got one for my sister’s birthday here—it was… let me think…” Xu Qing recalled. “Oh right, it was an orange doll with white wings, kind of like a winged beast with the head of a mouse and the body of a lion.”

“Uh…” Ling Ning raised an eyebrow, imagining this description. She couldn’t help but feel the doll might suddenly turn into a lion under certain circumstances.

“I think this one is a good choice!”

As Xu Qing spoke, she reached for a nearby stuffed bear on the shelf. At first glance, it looked like a bear, but one half of it was black while the other was white.

“Oh, customer, you have a keen eye!” said a peculiar man with a salted fish mascot head and an aura that reeked of mystery. “This bear is called the ‘Monokuma Model I.’ It comes with an AI capable of wielding firearms and is well-versed in assassination techniques. Even if it’s damaged, don’t worry—it’s equipped with a mini-bomb inside, so it can self-destruct if incapacitated. Perfect for those who need a bear that can kill and steal! And it’s only 648, can you believe it?”

“Right, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m the store owner. Just call me Salted Fish.”

Ling Ning looked at the black-and-white bear and shook her head. Why would she ever need something like this?

Seeing her shake her head, the Salted Fish store owner thought for a moment and then grabbed another stuffed animal from a different shelf. 

This one looked like a cat at first glance, but its ears were unusually long, and it had some strange red patterns on its body. Its eyes gleamed like rubies, giving it an eerie vibe.

“This one’s amazing! It has an auto-repair feature, so no matter how much you damage it, it’ll always bounce back,” the store owner explained, pulling a small knife from somewhere and stabbing the doll repeatedly with zeal.

Strangely, as she watched the Salted Fish store owner stab the doll, Ling Ning felt an odd sense of satisfaction.

The doll, reduced to shreds, gradually mended itself, its menacing red eyes unscathed.

“Pretty neat, huh? This doll is perfect for venting your anger! You can stab it, burn it, even hit it with an orbital cannon, and it’ll still regenerate. It also has a mysterious ability—something about forming a contract, I think… Anyway, it’s only 233!”

Ling Ning shook her head emphatically. No way she was giving her daughter such a creepy doll.

Seeing her reluctance, the Salted Fish store owner scratched his fish-head helmet in disappointment. “It seems you’re a picky customer, but don’t worry, I have more!”

He pulled out another plushie, smaller than the Monokuma but with a similar black-and-white color scheme, shaped more like a round ball with several tiny tails.

“If you buy this one, it comes with a free Magical Girl terminal and an invitation to the ‘Magical Girl Development Plan.’ How about it? You can enroll in a magical girl training program for just 328!”

“If that doesn’t interest you, there’s also this ‘Intestine Plushie’ here, which…”

The store owner continued enthusiastically, holding up a strange plush doll.

Ling Ning, feeling somewhat exasperated, finally asked, “Do you have any… ordinary plushies?” She felt these plushies were just a bit too… extra.

“Ordinary?” The Salted Fish store owner furrowed his fish-brow—yes, the fish head even had a brow that creased.

After scratching his head for a bit, he went to the back room, rummaged around, and came back holding a large plush toy.

It resembled a rabbit but had a peculiar design. Its black-and-white color scheme reminded Ling Ning of Monokuma, but it also had tiny wings and a split down the middle of its belly, where stuffing seemed to be spilling out.

All things considered, it was still cute.

“This one doesn’t have any… strange features, right?” Ling Ning asked, poking the plushie cautiously.

“Rest assured, young lady. This one is perfectly normal, the most ordinary plushie in the store. Though it is a bit pricey,” the Salted Fish owner assured her.

Ling Ning inspected the plushie closely. It was incredibly well-made, and it felt soft and huggable. She was satisfied, and even though it was pricier, she didn’t mind spending extra for her daughter’s gift.

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“Ye Ye, guess what Mom brought home for you?”

When Ling Ning arrived home, she greeted her daughter with a bright smile.

Ling Ye, who had been watching TV, turned her head and saw an unusually cute (and slightly odd) plushie held out by her mom.

“Merry Christmas, Ye Ye~”

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Author’s Note:

Here it is, folks—the much-anticipated Salted Fish Christmas Special! Yes, it’s really Salted Fish dressed up for the occasion. Don’t blame me, just enjoy~

Finally, Merry Christmas, everyone!