My wife is a witch princess.

Surrounded by children, Song Che frantically tried to find the building blocks. He hadn't interacted with such young children in a long time, and his movements were a bit clumsy, but the children didn't mind; they were happy as long as they could play.

Xia Li was pulled to the side by the little girl with pigtails to the side of the picture book shelf.

"Sister, can you tell me a story?" The little girl picked up a copy of "The Three Little Pigs".

Xia Li took the book and opened it.

She read very slowly, checking each word carefully.

The little girl sat down next to her, waiting expectantly.

While helping the children build their crooked rockets, Song Che kept an eye on Xia Li out of the corner of his eye.

She sat upright, holding the picture book as if she were studying a magic tome.

The scene was a little funny, and also... indescribable.

She took a children's picture book so seriously.

“…The mother pig has three piglets.” Xia Li began to read, her voice flat and monotone. “The eldest is called…”

Before she had even finished reading, the little girl started answering the questions.

"I know, I know this one, it's called Lazy!"

"Hmm, the eldest brother is lazy and built a thatched hut..." Xia Li continued reading, though her reading was dry and didn't sound very pleasant.

Song Che almost burst out laughing when he heard this.

But he didn't laugh; he just thought to himself...it was kind of cute.

Xia Li's meticulous and earnest nature is surprisingly fitting here.

The little girl listened intently, occasionally interrupting to ask, "Why can't the big bad wolf blow down the brick house?"

Xia Li would stop, look at her book, and then answer in a serious tone: "Because bricks and stones are quite sturdy, the wind can't blow them apart."

The little girl gave a half-understanding "oh" and continued listening, but seemed dissatisfied.

The rocket was already tilted and about to fall over when the blocks were only half-assembled.

Song Che decided to give up on saving them and instead chatted with a quieter-looking boy next to him; the other kids were too noisy. This boy hadn't said much, just watched quietly.

"Are there usually many children here?" Song Che asked casually. "Are there any new kids?"

The boy thought for a moment: "Yes, there are many. But it seems like no new ones have come recently." He tilted his head. "Aunt Wang said that a little sister and a little sister came and left a while ago."

Song Che's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive: "Sister... little sister, when did this happen?"

"Hmm...it seems...it was Sister Tao Yao and...several months ago?" The boy was unsure, counting on his fingers, "I don't remember. Sister Liu might know."

Song Che noted it down; it seems Tao Yao is indeed Tao Yao.

This is good news, meaning that the "identity" has been entered into the system and its status is fluid. As for why Tao Yao has always been a black cat, we can starve her for two days and then give her a treat; we're sure we can get the answer out of her.

However, he still needs to find an opportunity to confirm with social worker Liu.

After playing with the children for almost an hour, Song Che felt like he was about to go deaf from the noise.

Children have endless energy.

He glanced at Xia Li; she was still sitting there, having already finished reading one book, and the little girl had taken a second one. Surprisingly, she didn't show any impatience and continued reading meticulously.

Social worker Liu returned, carrying a plastic bag containing several packs of biscuits and several cartons of milk.

"Thank you for your hard work. Come on, kids, have some snacks."

The children cheered and gathered around.

Social worker Liu distributed snacks to each child and also gave Song Che and Xia Li each a carton of milk.

"Thank you for your help. These little guys are usually so mischievous... and you didn't even pull Xia Li's hair." She even slapped a little boy's bottom angrily, "Why did you only pull my hair before?"

"Because I like this older sister."

Song Che took the milk and took the opportunity to ask, "Teacher Liu, I just heard the children say that a little sister and a little sister came here a while ago?"

He made his tone sound like a casual question.

Social worker Liu nodded: "Yes, there was a girl named Tao Yao with her younger sister, who is sixteen years old. Their parents are gone, and they came to stay with relatives but couldn't find them, so the police station sent them here. They stayed here for a while, and then... they said they contacted a distant cousin of hers and took her away."

Song Che feigned realization and sympathy: "That's good."

However, there's a discrepancy between what Tao Xiang said about her identity. She was clearly taken away, but Tao Xiang said she ran away on her own. We should ask her about it when we get back.

"How often do we have situations like this in our facility where staff are temporarily taken in and then found a new place to go?"

"It depends. Some children will be contacted for adoption or foster care soon, while others may have to stay here longer," said social worker Liu. She glanced at Xia Li, who was quietly drinking milk beside her, and suddenly smiled, "Your sister is so quiet, and her hair color is so unique, is it natural?"

“Yes, it’s genetic.” Song Che said without changing his expression.

It actually glows.

He told so many lies that he almost started to believe them himself.

"It looks really nice," Liu, the social worker, praised, then turned to Song Che. "We don't really have anything to thank you for your help today. How about this, since it's almost Chinese New Year, if you'd like, you can come again tomorrow. We've prepared some small gifts for the children, could you help distribute them? It's just a small token of our appreciation."

Song Che was eager to spend more time with her, so he readily agreed: "Okay, no problem."

He quickly made a mental calculation.

If we come again tomorrow, we'll have another chance to connect, and maybe we can have a more in-depth conversation.

Leaving the orphanage, the winter sunset was rather cold, casting long shadows of the two of them; it was already quite late.

The wind was colder than when they arrived. Song Che zipped up his coat all the way and wrapped a scarf around Xia Li's neck.

“That Tao Yao is actually Tao Yao.” As they walked to the bus stop, Song Che said in a low voice, making sure only Xia Li could hear him. “The records show both of them, but they were picked up by someone else. This move was a good one; it’s in our interest. It would have been worse if Tao Yao and Tao Xiang had run away from home on their own.”

He was actually a little scared. What if something went wrong in any part of the process? For example, Tao Yao's illusion might fail, or the orphanage might be too serious to verify. One verification would be fine, but more than one would be overwhelming... But this step still had to be taken.

If we get investigated, let Tao Yao use illusion magic first.

After all, things seem to be going relatively smoothly so far.

Xia Li hummed in agreement.

She was still holding a carton of milk she hadn't finished. She sensed that Song Che's mood had improved a lot, and her mood followed suit. Feeling good, she lowered her head and took a sip of milk.

It's a bit chilly.

“Come again tomorrow, don’t go back today, find a hotel to stay in.” Song Che continued, “Delivering things is a good excuse to talk more with social worker Liu and see if there is a chance to get more specific information... or at least get acquainted with her and ask about legal procedures or something.”

Song Che was saying this to himself.

He didn't actually expect to get any key information in one go, but if he went a few more times, he would eventually find an opportunity. Now that he was on vacation, it was a golden opportunity. When school started, he could only focus on the exams first, and then take care of Xia Li's matter after the college entrance examination.

The bus arrived, swaying and rattling.

It's a bus going to the nearby city center.

He walked away, swaying unsteadily.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

Playing with children is indeed exhausting, especially for someone like her who isn't used to being close to people.

Xia Li shook her head.

As she watched the streetlights gradually come on, she suddenly said, "That little girl who wants to hear a story."

"Ok?"

"She later asked me why the big bad wolf always has to eat the little pig." Xia Li turned her head, her blue eyes filled with confusion. "I said, because wolves are carnivores and need to hunt for energy."

But she didn't seem satisfied with that answer.

Song Che chuckled, "Then why does she think it is?"

“She said that the big bad wolf might be too lonely and want to find someone to play with… That’s definitely not right.” Xia Li repeated the little girl’s innocent and illogical words, her tone puzzled. “She also said that if the little pig invited the big bad wolf to eat cookies together, maybe he wouldn’t have to build a house… I think the big bad wolf would eat the cookies with the little pig.”

"Is that how you answered?"

"I said, based on the story's setting and the habits of the creatures, your assumption is invalid," Xia Li said truthfully, her tone unusually tinged with... grievance.

"Then she ignored me and went to play with other children."

Song Che: "..."

He was helpless.

“Next time you say, ‘You’re right, we can try making up a new story,’ like I said Ultraman doesn’t exist, they’ll definitely ignore me.”

Xia Li nodded thoughtfully.

After a few seconds, she whispered, "But biological habits don't really apply."

Well, Xia Li didn't listen again.

"Sometimes, the logic isn't important; what matters is making the listener happy."

After he finished speaking, he realized that what he said was a bit complicated, and Xia Li might not understand it. But looking at her serious expression, it seemed that she was trying hard to understand.

She is a fairly honest person.

The car drove into the city, and the surroundings became more bustling.

This world has its rules, and those rules are cold and impersonal, but people are not.

Like the security guard at the welfare home, like the procedures that require layers of approval. But there are also kind-hearted people like social worker Liu who are willing to make things convenient, and there are the children's innocent imaginations. What he needs to do is find a safe gap for Xia Li between these two. It's difficult, but... it's not entirely hopeless.

Suddenly, my shoulder felt heavy again.

Song Che turned his head to look at her.

Xia Li fell asleep again, her head resting on his shoulder, still looking completely unguarded. This time she didn't look for a movie to watch; she was probably really tired and wanted to sleep for a while. She had talked quite a bit today, mostly reading picture books, but that was still a significant amount of socializing for her.

It's a nightmare for people with social anxiety.

He adjusted his position to make her more comfortable, then closed his eyes as well. The car heater was on full blast, and coupled with how exhausted he had been dealing with the child all day, drowsiness quickly washed over him.

This time, there was no dusk, no knife in the dream. Only darkness and the real weight on my shoulders. This was the second time I had a good night's sleep.

This feels...good.

Xia Li woke up on her own when the car arrived at the station.

Luckily she woke up, otherwise she would have missed her stop.