Ci'an didn't know when she had fallen asleep.

In her dream, there was the figure of a woman. She couldn't see the woman's face clearly, only a long umbilical cord trailing from beneath her.

They were connected by blood.

Their umbilical cord was unbroken.

She woke from the dream.

Her mother and the female ghost were both gone.

For a moment, she thought she was still dreaming.

Kai Xin came running in, still shaken, and grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to wake her.

"You scared me to death! Seriously, you nearly scared me to death! Who was that woman lying in your room? Do you know that when I saw her lying on your bed, I thought you'd suddenly grown up overnight and become a grown woman!"

"Why was Madam sleeping in the same bed as her, while you were all alone in the guest room? Tell me! Hurry up! I'm dying of curiosity over here! Don't tell me I'm the only one being kept in the dark about something like this!"

Ci'an remembered the title her mother had taught her and answered,

"Auntie."

Kai Xin frantically scratched at her hair.

"What are you going on about? You little sleepyhead! I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to ask Auntie Yu."

Looking utterly exasperated, Kai Xin ran out.

Ci'an looked at the sky.

It was bright.

The bed was unfamiliar.

She wasn't in her own room.

She got out of bed barefoot and walked back to her room.

The female ghost's figure stood before the floor-to-ceiling window.

Her long black hair hung loosely down her back, like flowing water, like smooth silk—mysterious, soft, and seemingly harmless.

She didn't turn around, yet she knew Ci'an was there.

"Little brat, disturbing someone's sweet dreams first thing in the morning. How are you going to make it up to me?"

Ci'an thought for a moment.

Then she called out,

"Auntie."

The female ghost turned around.

For an instant, her expression became terrifying.

"I have to say, you really are lucky."

"AAAAAH!"

A sudden scream erupted behind them, shattering the tranquility of the morning.

"One after another. You're all so noisy."

The female ghost withdrew her gaze with an annoyed expression and walked away.

Kai Xin hurried past the female ghost as though she'd just suffered the shock of her life. A suspicious flush appeared on her cheeks.

"Ci... Ci'an, did you just see that?"

Ci'an remained silent.

Kai Xin's face turned bright red.

"Did you see it?! That woman—that woman wasn't wearing any clothes!"

The transparent glass window stood silently in place, as though a shadow had been imprisoned within it, silently watching everything unfold.

─── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ───

At the dining table, Kai Xin was eating her second breakfast. She couldn't help grumbling under her breath.

"Hey, Ci'an, that's really not fair. You didn't even tell me that woman was your aunt. You made me make a complete fool of myself in front of Madam."

"Now I'm in trouble. If everyone looks down on me from now on, it'll all be your fault."

Kai Xin glanced around.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, she quietly leaned toward Ci'an and whispered,

"But seriously, you two really do look alike. They say a nephew resembles his uncle. And there's another old saying—I don't know if you've heard it. Want to know what it is?"

Ci'an met her excited gaze, which practically screamed Ask me!, and obediently nodded.

"Mm."

Kai Xin raised her chin high, clearly proud of herself as she revealed the answer.

"Since you want to know so badly, I'll tell you. It's: a niece resembles her aunt. How about that? Hahaha! Aren't I amazing?"

"Little Kai Xin, what secret are you and Miss whispering about? Can I hear it too?"

Someone entered the dining room, smiling as she joined the conversation.

Auntie Yu bowed slightly.

"Good morning, Miss Jiayan. Would you like me to prepare some breakfast for you?"

The newcomer wore dramatic makeup and an avant-garde, daring outfit. Without the slightest hesitation, she pulled out a chair and sat down, waving her hand.

"No need, Auntie Yu. I'm dieting, you know."

She then nudged Kai Xin with her elbow, took off her black sunglasses, and teased,

"Little Kai Xin, why don't you let Big Sis play with you two as well?"

Kai Xin rolled her eyes.

"Even if you say that, there's nothing I can do about it. Teacher, could you please act like a proper adult for once?"

"That really hurts."

The fashionable woman pretended to be wounded and complained to Auntie Yu.

"Looks like they've excluded me. I'm really a failure as a teacher if things have come to this."

Auntie Yu remained unmoved.

"Miss Jiayan, the art classroom has been prepared. You may use it whenever you wish."

"Okay, okay, I know."

She sighed.

"This family really isn't very likable, whether they're young or old. Don't you agree, Little Kai Xin?"

She crossed one leg over the other and smiled lazily, her demeanor seductive and languid.

Unfortunately, she was flirting with someone who couldn't take the hint.

Kai Xin whispered to Ci'an,

"Ci'an, do you think we should complain to Madam and ask her to fire her?"

Ci'an blinked.

The woman beside them reminded her,

"I can hear you, you know."

"You're so annoying!"

Kai Xin pouted unhappily.

After breakfast, the three of them headed to the art classroom on the third floor.

On the way, they encountered Auntie Yu coming down the stairs with a tray of food.

Jiayan glanced at the untouched food and clicked her tongue.

"This eldest young lady really is as willful as ever."

Kai Xin's curiosity was immediately piqued.

She couldn't resist asking,

"Teacher Jiayan, do you know Ci'an's aunt?"

"Teacher Jiayan is so happy! Little Kai Xin finally called me 'Teacher.'"

Jiayan put on a serious expression.

"But children should be obedient and shouldn't be too curious."

Kai Xin wasn't discouraged.

Instead, her competitive spirit was aroused.

"As a teacher, not being able to answer a student's question is really a failure, don't you think so, Ci'an?"

Ci'an listened quietly.

She said nothing.

Jiayan merely smiled faintly, refusing to take the bait.

Without making it obvious, she glanced at the unusually silent child today.

Once again, she marveled at the strange wonder of blood relations.

The bonds of blood did not always bring an inseparable familial affection.

More often, they brought something far more frightening—something that could never easily be severed.

A curse.