Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't understand how her brother could have died. In her last dream, he was only injured and unconscious—so why was he gone now?

Her parents seemed to have aged overnight, their hair noticeably whiter, their tears falling relentlessly.

Her father tried to comfort her mother. "You have to stay strong. If Wenbin saw you like this, he wouldn't rest in peace. Besides... they still haven't found his body. There's a chance he could still be alive."

But her mother shook her head. As much as she wanted to believe it, the yacht had exploded in the middle of the ocean. Rescue teams had searched for over two weeks. There was no hope left.

What none of them could understand was why Lin Wenbin, who had just woken from a coma, would take a yacht out to sea—only for it to blow up.

From their conversation, Lin Xiaoxiao gathered that her brother had indeed regained consciousness, taken the yacht out, and died in the explosion.

The chances of survival in an accident like that were virtually zero.

But why would he go out to sea? She knew her brother hated ocean activities. Even though he owned a yacht, he rarely used it—he had thalassophobia. The open sea terrified him.

Her mother collapsed to the floor, weeping uncontrollably. "How am I supposed to go on?

Xiaoxiao is... not herself, and now Wenbin is gone... Is heaven blind? What did I do to deserve this?"

Her father's grief was palpable too. Their daughter had become wild and arrogant, staying out all night without explanation. No one knew where she went or what she did.

Tears in her eyes, Lin Xiaoxiao stared at her parents. If only she could return—or bring them back with her to Zhou Huaian's world. How wonderful it would be to have the whole family together again.

Just then, footsteps echoed through the funeral hall—sharp, clicking heels that shattered the silence.

Lin Xiaoxiao turned. It was her—the woman who had taken over her body. She looked completely different now.

Her hair was dyed a loud pink with green tips. She wore a crop top and shorts so short they barely covered anything, paired with fishnets and high heels. Her makeup was heavy and garish, unable to hide the exhaustion in her eyes.

Lin Xiaoxiao's father frowned deeply. "Xiaoxiao, how could you dress like this on today of all days?"

The impostor rolled her eyes. "What does it have to do with me? I didn't kill him. You only ever cared about your precious son. Now that he's gone, everything the Lins own should go to me, right?"

Lin Xiaoxiao clenched her fists. How could someone be so shameless?

Her father was furious. "Your mother and I are still alive. If you want a single penny, you'll learn to behave. Otherwise, I'll donate every last cent."

The fake Lin Xiaoxiao trembled with rage. "You've always favored boys over girls! Don't think I don't know—you planned to leave everything to Sheng Cheng'an. I was only getting two properties? Did you really think that would be enough? And then you froze my cards—all because you care more about money than me!"

"The Lin family is filthy rich. What's wrong with me spending a little? You're just greedy!"

Something in Lin Xiaoxiao snapped. She launched herself at the impostor, hands closing around her neck. "Just die!"

To her surprise, her hands didn't pass through. She could feel the warmth of the other woman's skin, the pulse throbbing beneath her fingers.

The realization thrilled her. If she could touch her, she could kill her—stop her from hurting her parents.

The impostor gasped, feeling an invisible force tighten around her neck. She stared in terror at Lin Wenbin's portrait. Was it him? Had his ghost come back?

The thought terrified her even more. She screamed. She hadn't meant to kill him—but he had discovered she wasn't the real Lin Xiaoxiao. He'd threatened to expose her unless she told him where the real one had gone. She had no choice.

She'd thought it through. If Lin Wenbin died, she would inherit everything. Even if she had no skills, with that much money, she could live however she wanted.

Besides, Lin Xiaoxiao's body was beautiful. She was young, attractive, and rich—men would flock to her. She could have any guy she wanted.

Lin Xiaoxiao squeezed harder, wanting nothing more than to end her. But just as her fingers found the impostor's throat, her strength vanished. Her hands passed right through again.

Frustrated, she tried over and over, but she couldn't touch her again.

Terrified, the fake Lin Xiaoxiao collapsed to the floor, clutching her neck. "Lin Wenbin, it wasn't me! Don't come after me! You're the one who took the yacht out—it's not my fault!"

As she listened, Lin Xiaoxiao grew suspicious. The woman's panic gave her away. A terrible thought crossed her mind—what if she had killed her brother?

She had always been selfish and cruel. Greed could easily have driven her to murder.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She had to warn her parents—but how? She circled them desperately, crying, but there was no way to reach them.

She cried harder, until she felt something kick inside her—like a little soccer player turning somersaults. It distracted her briefly.

Then she heard a voice calling, "Xiaoxiao... Xiaoxiao, what's wrong? Are you having a nightmare?"

Suddenly, everything went dark. Her parents were gone. The funeral hall vanished. The only things left were the very real movements in her belly and Zhou Huaian's worried voice in her ear.

She opened her eyes to find Zhou Huaian watching her anxiously, his hand gripping hers tightly as though afraid she might disappear.

The baby kicked again—one, two, then a little swirl. It felt like two small fish swimming inside her.

For a long moment, she lay still. The joy of the movement couldn't ease the grief in her heart.

Now she knew why her heart had been hurting so much. Her brother was gone.

Tears welled up again. Without him, and with that imposter wearing her body and hurting her parents, what could she do?

Overwhelmed, she wrapped her arms around Zhou Huaian's neck and cried. "Zhou Huaian, I feel so helpless... I can't do anything right."