At the Ye Family Villa.
When Ye Jinmeng opened her eyes, Xu Wanwan, who had been sleeping by her side, was already gone from the room.
Ye Jinmeng picked up her phone to check the time - 10:05 AM. She rubbed her eyes, let out a soft whine, and sat up, sleepily scratching her messy hair. After a moment, she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up.
As she came downstairs, the living room was filled with laughter and chatter.
"Mom, do we have anything to eat? I'm hungry," said Ye Jinmeng, her voice soft from having just woken up.
Gu Qi, who was chatting with the youngsters like Shi Shuning, saw her little daughter up before noon and replied with a smile, "Oh, I didn't know when you'd wake up, so I didn't save anything for you. Just wait, I'll make you a sandwich."
She was about to get up and go to the kitchen.
"No need, Mom, I'll get it myself." Ye Jinmeng turned and headed for the kitchen.
She found a large plain steamed bun in the fridge and started munching on it right away, not minding that it was cold. Ye Jinmeng wasn't picky at all and seemed to relish the taste of the simple steamed bun.
After finishing her food, she returned to the living room and naturally sat down next to Shi Shuning.
"Mom, where are Grandpa and Grandma? I don't see them."
"Oh, your uncle drove them back to the old house after they finished breakfast."
Ye Jinmeng nodded.
"What were you all chatting about earlier? You all seemed so happy, let me in on it too!" Ye Jinmeng could sense the cheerful atmosphere in the living room from the moment she came downstairs, and she was really curious.
"Haha, we were talking about all of you kids' childhood stories. There were so many funny things that came up," said Gu Qi, barely able to contain her laughter.
Like how Shi Shuning cried and ran all the way on his first day of kindergarten because he wanted to use the bathroom but didn't dare tell the teacher, and ended up wetting his pants.
Or how He Junting went to the countryside with his parents as a child to experience life as a shepherd, but got chased by a flock of sheep and cried as he ran away.
Or how Ye Jinchen once said his heart hurt because he didn't want to go to school, so Ye Junli took him to the hospital for a checkup, only to find he was perfectly healthy and gave him a beating.
Or how Shi Shuan tried to skip school in elementary school by climbing over the wall, but ended up getting his pants caught on the barbed wire and running home with his bare bottom exposed...
In general, the adults' source of amusement was the children's major embarrassing moments from their childhood.
Xu Wanwan didn't expect the usually serious He Junting to have such an adorable side as a child, and she couldn't help but tug at his clothes and giggle behind her hand.
He Junting's ears turned red as he grabbed Xu Wanwan's hand and rubbed it furiously, seemingly trying to ease his own embarrassment.
Ye Jinmeng laughed loudly as she listened to these stories. "Hahaha, this is the first time I'm hearing about your childhoods! So this is what you were all like when you were little!"
Ye Jinchen and Shi Shuan rubbed their noses, pretending not to care, while Shi Shuning coughed lightly to cover his awkwardness. Looking at Ye Jinmeng, who was laughing with her mouth wide open, he said bluntly, "Don't laugh at us, you must have had your fair share of embarrassing moments too."
Ye Jinmeng let out a haughty snort. "Hmph, what embarrassing moments? Let's hear it, I don't remember any!"
"I do remember you were pretty annoying as a kid. I heard you used to pull other little girls' hair in kindergarten and make them cry."
"Ah? I was that bad when I was little? I don't remember that at all." Ye Jinmeng looked puzzled and turned to Ye Junli and Gu Qi, as if seeking confirmation from them.
Ye Junli laughed and nodded. "Yeah, you were quite naughty back then. Every time we went to pick you up from kindergarten, the teachers would tell on you."
"Your mom and I really had a headache dealing with you back then. We didn't want to hit you or scold you, so Jinchen was the one who disciplined you sometimes."
Ye Jinmeng was completely taken aback, pouting with a regretful expression. "I can't believe I bullied girls, I was so awful."
She then asked, "So how did I get back on the right track?" Because in her memory, she had never bullied anyone.
Gu Qi sighed, "Well, when you were five years old, you fell seriously ill with a high fever and were delirious for a while. We were so scared back then, your dad and I. After the fever subsided, you weren't lively anymore and just sat in your room all day, unmoving and timid.
Your grandparents were really worried and thought you might have been scared by something, so they even brought in a shaman to perform a soul-summoning ritual, but it didn't work. We took you to see many brain and psychiatric specialists, but they couldn't find the cause either. We just assumed you had developed some psychological disorder and stayed by your side every day."
"How did Jinmeng get better?" asked Xu Wanwan, surprised that the lively Ye Jinmeng had suffered such an illness as a child.
Gu Qi took a sip of tea before continuing, "On Jinmeng's sixth birthday, she finally agreed to come out of her room. We were so happy. But as she was coming down the stairs, that little brat Shuning suddenly appeared and startled her. Jinmeng lost her footing and tumbled down the stairs.
I was right behind her, but I couldn't catch her in time. I just watched helplessly as she fell and hit her head, bleeding everywhere."
Xu Wanwan gasped in shock and looked at Ye Jinmeng with sympathy.
"At that moment, my mind went blank. I don't even remember how I got to the hospital. When I came to, Jinmeng was already in surgery."
Then Gu Qi suddenly smiled again. "Although she lost a lot of blood, her life wasn't in danger. When Jinmeng woke up, she didn't remember anything after falling ill, and even some of her earlier memories were gone. But the doctor said it wasn't a big deal, so we were relieved.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Jinmeng became lively again, and even turned into a soft and obedient little darling, becoming the family's sweetheart. Haha!"
Shi Shuning squeezed Ye Jinmeng's hand tightly, his head lowered in silence.
He remembered that incident, of course. He was only nine years old at the time and had just gotten out of school when he heard it was that annoying little sister's birthday, so he came over to play with his brother Jinchen.
He only meant to go upstairs to find Jinchen, but he ended up startling the little girl when he suddenly appeared on the stairs. When he saw her lying in a pool of blood, he was almost scared out of his wits.
He went to the hospital too and knew he had caused trouble. He shrank into a corner, trembling, until the doctor came out and said the little girl was fine. Only then did he finally break down and cry.
Uncle Ye had comforted him then, saying it wasn't his fault, but he still resolved to make it up to the little girl.
Perhaps it was because the Jinmeng who woke up had become soft and adorable that, at some point, his guilt gradually turned into affection for her.
Sensing the change in Shi Shuning's mood, Ye Jinmeng patted the hand holding hers and comforted him, "Big brother Shuning, you're actually my lucky charm! If it weren't for you, I might still be that weird little girl sitting in her room all day, or still a mean bully!"
As she finished speaking, Ye Jinmeng froze and looked up at Xu Wanwan.
Similarly, Xu Wanwan was also stunned by her words. So the little Ye Jinmeng used to be quite unpleasant and liked to bully others, but now she had become so well-behaved. Perhaps this was the real reason for the different personalities between the two parallel worlds.
