The door was yanked open with force. The warm light from inside the room lit up Li Fei's pupils — but the face reflected in her eyes was not Annie Teresa's. It was a girl bursting with youthful energy, her golden twin-tails bouncing as she moved.
Lilith's hair was a shade more vivid than her mother's — she looked less like Annie and more like Melodia. Her slender brows were drawn together, her bright eyes filled with suspicious wariness, like a cat that had discovered an intruder in its den and was fully prepared to bare its claws.
If not for the fact that Lilith shared her mother's petite frame and her features carried the faint shadow of Annie's likeness, Li Fei might have suspected this golden-haired, blue-eyed girl was Melodia's daughter instead.
"Hello, Senior Sister."
Li Fei greeted her with polite warmth.
She had made a point of asking around about Lilith at school today, and had already formed a rough picture of this senior classman. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside. Awkward personality. Respectable talent in Life-alignment magic.
Lilith's face went red. The words you're not welcome here were already halfway up her throat — and then they got stuck, lodged there by that sweet, disarming smile.
Lilith supported her mother's right to pursue her own happiness, and she couldn't bear to watch Annie wander around looking lost and hollow. That didn't mean she had to be friendly toward the junior classman who was apparently angling to become her stepmother — and besides, the impression Li Fei had left on her yesterday was, frankly, catastrophic.
"Hmph."
Lilith let out a forceful snort and turned her head away — but in the end, she couldn't quite bring herself to say anything truly rude. She walked back into the living room of her own accord, leaving the doorway open.
"Sorry for the intrusion."
Li Fei slipped off her shoes at the entrance and stepped inside, her head swiveling left and right until she spotted Annie in the kitchen. "Good evening, Teacher."
"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Annie said, head bent over her work, voice studiedly calm.
"Mmhm — I've been looking forward to Teacher Annie's cooking since yesterday."
Li Fei smiled and, with the easy comfort of someone returning to their own home, shrugged off her mage's robe and hung it on the rack without a second thought.
After receiving her Academy brooch, Li Fei had already talked with Annie about rearranging their lesson schedule. They had agreed to share dinner at Annie's home each evening, with the language lesson following afterward.
"I'm hungry. Can we eat?" Lilith was watching Li Fei with narrowed, guarded eyes as she slapped her palm on the table to hurry things along.
Li Fei took it in stride and sat directly across from Lilith, extending her hand with easy initiative. "I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet — I'm Li Fei."
"The famous new student representative. The genius with Grandmaster potential. How could I not know who you are?"
Lilith's words carried a distinct edge as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'm Li Fei."
Li Fei held her gaze and kept her hand extended, her smile warm and unwavering.
"I know that already."
Under Li Fei's steady attention, Lilith's composure visibly cracked. The slender leg beneath its white stocking began to bounce of its own accord.
"I'm Li Fei," Li Fei repeated, tilting her head slightly, her tone softening — though a hint of mischief crept into her eyes. "Senior Sister Lilith, my arm is getting tired."
Lilith, whose threshold for embarrassment was considerably lower than the star courtesan's patience, finally crumbled. She stamped her foot with feeling, then shot her small, pale hand out and tapped Li Fei's palm — a single fleeting contact, there and gone in an instant. That counted as a handshake.
"Since we've shaken hands, we're friends now." Li Fei withdrew her hand at a leisurely pace, rested her chin in her palm, and said, "I look forward to your guidance, Senior Sister Lilith."
"You're so fake — all the teachers at school already treat you like a treasure. Why would you need anything from me—"
The sentence was cut short by Annie giving Lilith a light but pointed chop to the forehead. "Manners."
While Li Fei and the reluctant soon-to-be stepsister exchanged their few words, the steaming, fragrant tomato beef stew had already made its way to the table. The tomatoes had broken down into a rich, clinging sauce that wrapped around every piece of tender beef — it looked as good as it smelled.
But the dish that drew the eye even more was Annie herself. She wore a sleeveless dress, her soft chestnut-streaked hair resting over her shoulders, a thin silver chain at her neck, her expression warm and serene — the very picture of gentle domesticity.
It was easy to imagine: if Annie worked alongside Li Fei at the tavern, that quietly mature and tender air of hers — the kind that promised a good wife and devoted mother — would reduce more than a few noble daughters to helpless, hopeless admiration.
"Let me serve."
Li Fei brushed aside Annie's attempts to wave her off and got up to bring the food and rice bowls from the kitchen.
"She's being so attentive — definitely up to something…"
Lilith muttered under her breath — and then a heaping bowl of white rice was placed directly in front of her, steam rising from the surface in soft wisps, carrying the clean, sweet fragrance of fresh-cooked grain.
Loxibrook's staple foods were generally noodles and bread. But it was clear that Annie had quietly remembered something Li Fei had mentioned in passing — that she preferred rice.
"Don't mention it."
Li Fei looked at Lilith with a bright, radiant smile. Something about it made Lilith blink, a flush of warmth rising unbidden from her chest to her forehead.
She finally understood, completely, why her cool and lofty mother had fallen for this junior classman.
Before long, all three of them were seated around the rectangular table. Dinner was a proper spread: a big pot of tomato beef stew at the center, flanked by a salad, creamy mushrooms, and mashed potatoes.
Annie sat at the inner side, with Lilith to her left and Li Fei to her right.
Lilith glanced at her mother, then stole a look at Li Fei, started to say something, thought better of it, and buried herself in her bowl.
"Don't mind if I do."
Li Fei lifted her bowl and applied herself with full sincerity to the dinner Annie had prepared with such care. The beef was tender and springy; every bite released a rush of savory-sweet juices soaked through with rich tomato. Li Fei's chopsticks barely paused — and the best compliment any cook could receive was written plainly across her face.
Annie, however, could barely eat. Her gaze was distant and quiet.
Li Fei had already grown into a figure that was slender and beautifully curved — taller than Annie, fuller, and unmistakably womanly — and yet that smooth, luminous face still carried the fresh, unguarded vitality that belonged only to youth.
And today, of all days, she had worn her hair in twin-tails — just like Lilith. If she and Lilith claimed to be sisters, no one would question it for a moment.
I actually… seduced a student younger than my own daughter. And she's Lilith's junior classman…
Annie pressed a hand to her lips, her heart weighed down by guilt.
She had been the passive party yesterday — it was Li Fei who had made all the moves — but Annie had found a way to blame herself regardless. The guilt and unease were real and deep. So was the thread of sweetness that wound through them.
To have such a dazzling, lovely girl set her sights on you — no matter how reserved a person might be, it was hard not to feel a quiet, secret flush of pride.
In the tangle of all those complicated, contradictory feelings, Annie had finally arrived at her resolve: she would face this forbidden attachment head-on.
"Eat something."
Li Fei had noticed Annie's distraction. She picked up a piece of beef — tendon still attached, just the way she liked it — and set it in Annie's bowl.
"Mm."
Their eyes met. This time, Annie didn't look away. Her gaze was soft with moisture and quiet with resolve — as if it held a thousand unspoken words.
This isn't playing out the way I expected. I had braced myself to be turned away at the door.
Li Fei was still turning this over in her mind when something warm and soft bumped against her shin under the table.
She kept her expression perfectly neutral and let her gaze drift downward just enough. A small foot in a white-stockinged sock was retreating back into its slipper — and above the table, Lilith was glaring at her with barely contained fury.
Those sapphire eyes held the full weight of a declaration of war. Lilith had lost her appetite entirely.
This stranger of a junior classman — in her own home — right in front of her — was exchanging soft glances with her mother!
The recipient of that kick didn't so much as flinch. Li Fei smiled and, with deliberate care, picked out a well-marbled piece of beef with tendon still attached and placed it in Lilith's bowl.
A golden-haired twin-tails beauty was Li Fei's ideal type. A golden-haired twin-tails beauty in white stockings was the ideal type of ideal types. For Lilith, the star courtesan had all the patience and forbearance in the world.
But beneath that gesture of apparent goodwill lurked intentions that were anything but innocent — invisible to the two Teresa women, yet impossible to hide from the System, which registered the moment without hesitation and rendered its verdict.
Morality: -10 → -11
Charisma: 202 → 212
Charisma surging to 212 in an instant — like an invisible net cast wide and soft and silent, drawing everything closer. Lilith was staring at her junior classman, who somehow seemed even more captivating than before, when she noticed her mouth had gone dry.
Almost involuntarily, her eyes drifted to the chopsticks Li Fei had just used to serve her.
The tips were gleaming faintly. There was broth on them — and also, Li Fei's…
Lilith shook her head hard, dropped her gaze, and made a point of avoiding Li Fei's eyes.
Just one more bite…
The beef carried the sweetness of tomato and the faintest trace of sour. Lilith filed away the flavor carefully.
Li Fei quietly reached for the ladle beside the pot, scooped up a ladleful of thick tomato broth loaded with beef, and poured it over her rice. Her voice was light and unhurried:
"Honestly, I think I like rice bowls best."
...
After dinner, Annie walked into the bedroom and said quietly, "Come in."
"Aren't you two having a lesson? The living room is fine!" Lilith protested loudly, her hackles fully raised, every inch the ruffled cat.
"There's something I need to talk to her about."
Annie looked at her daughter with an expression that was hard to read.
Lilith scrubbed at her hair with both hands. At last, the golden twin-tails rose from her seat:
"Fine. Do whatever you want."
The bedroom door slammed shut behind her.
Is this the moment of truth?
Li Fei, slightly tense, stepped into the familiar bedroom. The moment she crossed the threshold, Annie closed the door behind her and turned the lock.
"Sit down."
Annie moved toward the chair by the writing desk.
"Mm."
Li Fei reached out instead and caught Annie's hand, pulling her gently down to sit at the edge of the bed together.
Their eyes met — and everything that needed to be said was already understood.
"Fei, you're still so young. You have such a bright future ahead of you…"
Annie began carefully, her voice composed — clearly words she had prepared. "I just heard from Lilith that your talent is truly extraordinary. And I…"
Her tone was steady and measured, a speech rehearsed in her head many times over. But beneath the jade-green eyes, two faint shadows bruised the skin — Annie had not slept last night.
The pressure of Li Fei's fingers, and the faint dampness of her palm, told her plainly: Annie was far more anxious than she let on.
"So I don't have to worry about you not wanting me — is that right?"
Li Fei smiled and cut her off.
"I was married once…"
"I don't mind."
The answer came instantly, and sincerely. After all, I never intended to be any one woman's bride alone — I hope Teacher Annie can understand that in time.
"I'm not young anymore…"
"Which is exactly why you're so thoughtful and warm."
Instant reply, again.
"I already have a daughter."
"I'll take good care of her, too."
Li Fei said it without a moment's hesitation.
Annie went quiet. She stared at Li Fei, unblinking.
Li Fei held her gaze with gentle eyes, said nothing, and slowly leaned in — until she could feel the warm sweetness of Annie's breath — and was stopped by a single index finger pressed lightly against her lips.
Annie turned her face aside. A flush rose across her cheek. "I still need a little time… So does Lilith."
"Alright."
Li Fei agreed — but her gaze drifted to the wedding portrait on the nightstand.
Your wife and daughter — I'll care for them. Don't worry.
The silver-haired bride in the photograph smiled on, unchanged.
"Once you've mastered the common tongue — and you still… haven't changed your mind — then we, we could…"
Annie bowed her head, her voice halting and barely above a whisper.
"Then I can call you Annie — is that right?"
Li Fei reached out with her fingertip, gently lifting Annie's fingers one by one, then slipping her own between them — lacing their hands together, finger by finger.
Annie didn't answer. She looked up, and her eyes were bright with tears that hadn't yet fallen.
Before Li Fei could say another word, a soft, pale palm came up and covered her eyes.
Annie held their interlocked left hands in her gaze for a long, aching moment. The wedding ring on her finger caught the light and glittered.
In her eyes was longing — deep and tender and unwilling to let go — and then grief — and then, slowly, a grief that dissolved into release. Two tears traced silently down her face.
Annie's lips moved without sound. From the shape of them, Li Fei could read the two words she was saying:
I'm sorry.
With her eyes covered, Li Fei felt the briefest warmth touch her lips — a whisper of contact, there and gone. She understood. This was Annie's answer.
When the hand over her eyes finally fell away, Li Fei saw Annie Teresa — tears streaming freely down her face — smiling.
...
[Life's Greatest Joy — Converting Straight Women]: Bestie, is there any spell that lets someone master a language in one second?
[Fluttering Warrior]: There is.
[Life's Greatest Joy — Converting Straight Women]: Hook me up.
[Fluttering Warrior]: Sure. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life.
[Life's Greatest Joy — Converting Straight Women]: ?
[Fluttering Warrior]: I tried it once before — forcibly imprinting a language into a sub-mid-Sequence Transcendent. Their brain matter started bubbling like boiling water.
[Life's Greatest Joy — Converting Straight Women]: …
[Fluttering Warrior]: Lady Gneia is an Order-alignment mage. Stupefaction and Eidetic Memory should be able to help you.
[Life's Greatest Joy — Converting Straight Women]: Thanks, bestie. 🤍
Li Fei slipped her phone away and practically skipped down the nighttime road, feeling as though even the moon overhead was smiling at her.
Annie's response tonight had genuinely caught the star courtesan off guard. She had expected avoidance — had prepared herself to be gently but firmly turned away, or to find that Annie had quietly resigned from the teaching arrangement.
Instead, the moment the paper screen between them was torn open, this seemingly fragile woman had not retreated. She had met it head-on with more courage than Li Fei had anticipated — which was far more than could be said for those novel protagonists who dithered and stumbled even when both sides clearly felt the same way.
"Who's there?"
She pushed open her front door and was immediately swarmed by three excited fairies — but Li Fei's sharp eyes caught a flash of pale yellow behind them. She tensed.
Su Ling'er, who had already drained two pots of coffee, rose to her feet with a wounded, long-suffering look.
"You're finally back."
"Ah — I'm so sorry." Li Fei hurried forward, apologetic. "The new term started and classes have been keeping me busy. I made you wait far too long."
She currently had two potion appraisal arrangements running. One was through Margaret — per their agreement, that shameless little fox would deliver all the month's reject-batch vials in one go at the end of each month. The other was the contract signed with Qin Zhihua, originally agreed upon as an appraisal every two or three days — but Li Fei wasn't blind. She knew perfectly well that Qin Zhihua would never let a single opportunity to see her pass by, which meant two or three days effectively meant two days.
"Where's Zhihua?"
Li Fei asked, picking up the coffee pot and tilting it toward Su Ling'er's cup in a show of refilling it — while internally calculating how to politely wrap this up before she was late for her shift at the tavern.
"She…"
Su Ling'er's voice trailed off, the words catching.
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉