Xiaoling Zhou felt a flicker of pride. She simply couldn’t believe that a seven-year-old boy like Lin Zihao, with such a limited IQ, could still be so difficult to control.

She leaned over, pinching his cheeks until his normally delicate face twisted in protest, then smiled triumphantly. “Not even calling me ‘good sister’ works, huh? Fine, but only if you promise to stop being so picky about your food from now on.”

Zihao was starving, so he nodded eagerly. “I promise I won’t be picky anymore. Whatever you give me to eat, I’ll eat it.”

Xiaoling was finally satisfied. “Good boy. Wait here, I’ll go buy some food for you.”

He looked up at the darkening sky outside, a little scared. “Come back soon, sister.”

Xiaoling headed to the cafeteria and ordered a bowl of lamb noodle soup—the only thing suitable for a patient today. When it arrived, Zihao didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the lunchbox and gobbled it all down in one go.

Later, when Xiaoling told Lin Xiaoxiao about it, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow, Zihao’s so obedient now?”

Xiaoling nodded proudly. “He’s so well-behaved, I almost feel guilty teasing him.”

Xiaoxiao grinned. “You’d better take advantage of this while it lasts. Just think—once he’s fully recovered, you won’t be able to say these things without him getting suspicious.”

Xiaoling sighed, imagining a day when Zihao might actually want to hurt her to keep her quiet. “Sometimes I feel conflicted. I want him to get better, but I also kind of hope he stays like this forever—no worries, no trouble. It’s kind of nice, in a way.”

Xiaoxiao patted her shoulder. “Snap out of it. We have to face reality.”

Xiaoling felt even more dejected. If she could, she’d rather not face it at all.

When Zihao was discharged, he went straight to the Zhou family’s house. Upon entering, he saw the lively adults and three children, and suddenly felt a wave of fear. He quickly hid behind Xiaoling. “Sister, why are there so many people?”

Li Yunlan saw him call Xiaoling “sister” with that shy, tentative tone, and her heart ached painfully. Tears pricked her eyes. “Zihao, you’re home now. Of course, there are a lot of people.”

Xiaoling introduced him to everyone one by one, and he followed her lead, calling out politely. When she called her parents, he echoed, “Mom, Dad.”

Xiaoling frowned and corrected him gently. “That’s my mom and dad. You should call them ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt.’”

Li Yunlan, however, waved her off. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Whatever you call them, it’s all the same. ‘Mom and Dad’ is fine too.”

Xiaoling then introduced Zhou Bingwen, Lin Xiaoxiao, Zhou Liyun, the housekeeper, and the three children. Zihao was curious and, after a round of greetings, his attention was drawn to the little kids. He reached out to touch Xuanxuan’s small hand.

Xuanxuan, however, didn’t like that. She quickly pulled her hand back, glaring at Zihao with a fierce look, hissing softly.

Zihao looked a bit hurt. He withdrew his hand and looked at Xiaoling. “Sister, why doesn’t he let me touch him?”

Xiaoling sighed, feeling puzzled. Why was this kid so fixated on her?

Zhou Huainan grabbed Zihao’s arm. “Come on, I’ll show you your room.”

Zihao obediently followed Zhou Huainan, though he was a little scared. When they reached the room, he looked around at the small bed and frowned. “I sleep here? Where’s sister? Doesn’t she sleep here too?”

He thought it would be like the hospital—two beds, one for each of them.

Zhou Huainan’s face darkened. “Of course not. You’re a boy. You need your own room.”

Zihao shook his head. “But I’ll be scared. What if I get scared?”

Zhou Huainan was about to lose patience. “You’re seven years old now. Why are you still afraid? You’re practically a little man. Look at how tall you are. Do you really think anyone can bully you?”

Xiaoling hadn’t expected things to turn out this way after they got home. She forced a smile and explained to Li Yunlan, “I don’t know why, but he’s only recognized me. Maybe because I was the first person he saw when he woke up.”

Li Yunlan shook her head. “It’s probably because you’re family. That’s why he feels close to you.”

During dinner, Zihao insisted on sitting next to Xiaoling. When she picked up food, he did the same, copying everything she ate. Seeing this, Xiaoling was at her wit’s end.

Xiaoxiao found it hilarious. “Please don’t let him regain his memory. If he does, and he remembers all this… how will he live with it?”

At night, during the bath, Zihao looked for Xiaoling again. Zhou Huainan scowled and gave him a stern talking-to, but Zihao obediently followed him to wash up—though he was secretly more annoyed than ever.

Afterward, Zhou Huainan took him downstairs to his room. Zihao laid on the bed, silent and sulky, refusing to look at Zhou Huainan.

Zhou Huainan didn’t spoil him. “Sleep well. There’s someone in the next room. If you’re scared, don’t turn off the lights. If you need anything, just knock, but don’t go looking for your sister.”

Zihao didn’t answer, ignoring everything Zhou Huainan said. Zhou Huainan closed the door and went upstairs.

Meanwhile, Xiaoxiao was in bed, joking around with An’an when she saw Zhou Huainan come in. She looked at him curiously. “Does Zihao really agree to sleep alone?”

Zhou Huainan thought it should be fine. “He doesn’t want to, but he has to. He’s so scared of everything, he wouldn’t dare run around. I turned off the living room light, after all.”

Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re risking scaring him even more. His head wound isn’t fully healed yet.”

In truth, Zihao’s healing ability was surprisingly quick. Just a few days, and he was already wandering around freely.

Zhou Huainan figured that if he didn’t scare him, Zihao might not realize how afraid he should be—and that could only make things worse.

Later, he held his daughter in his arms, playing with her until she was sleepy. When she nodded off, he gently laid her in bed and watched her sleep.

Xiaoling also didn’t sleep well that night. She was worried about Zihao’s fear of the dark and wondered whether he’d ever get used to it. But she couldn’t go check on him, afraid she’d only make him clingier.

She drifted into a restless sleep, only to be startled awake by someone entering the room. In the dark, she saw a shadow at the bedside. Heart pounding, she reached to turn on the light—only to see Zihao, clutching a pillow, barefoot and looking at her with a deeply forlorn expression...