### Chapter 257: Mental Preparation
It was deep into the night, and four adorable little girls were sleeping in cute pajamas on the same princess bed, all getting along famously.
Jiang Kekai naturally snuggled up to Xia Yu for sleep. That’s her nightly routine; if she didn’t do it, she might not be able to sleep at all.
What was surprising was that Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang, who had been fighting like cats and dogs during the day, had also ended up hugging as they slept. Their faces were almost touching, breathing into each other’s faces with a delightful exchange of breaths.
None of the little girls snored, so the atmosphere was pleasant, and everyone slept soundly until morning.
“Haha, let me sleep, let me sleep! I win now~”
Jiang Hanhang’s crisp voice acted as a wake-up call for the other three girls.
When Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai opened their eyes, they witnessed Jiang Hanhang the silly loli perched on Xia Ling’s tiny waist, holding her wrists, thinking she could hold her in place.
It turned out Jiang Hanhang woke up early today. Seeing Xia Ling sleeping so peacefully, she thought—aha, there’s my opportunity for revenge. Xia Ling’s mood after waking up like this was understandably terrible.
Moreover, Jiang Hanhang took advantage of this to wiggle on Xia Ling’s tiny waist and tauntingly asked, “Are you done yet? Admit defeat and maybe I’ll let you go.”
Xia Ling: “.…”
Since they’re all girls, Xia Ling didn’t care about saving face. With one swift kick, she tossed aside the covers, spread her legs, wrapped them around Jiang Hanhang’s neck, yanked, and…
And thus, Jiang Hanhang fell backward.
Her hands had no choice but to release Xia Ling’s wrists, the tide of battle turning.
With the constraints off, Xia Ling naturally counter-attacked. The two silly lolis started grappling on the princess bed, making creaking sounds…
Yawning.
Although Jiang Kekai was eager to give her rambunctious sister a piece of her mind, seeing how distressed Xia Yu looked… Nah, forget it.
Pinching Xia Yu’s cute cheek, Jiang Kekai inquired playfully, “Feeling better yet, Xiao Yu? Want to go brush teeth together?”
“Yes!”
Xia Yu was very obedient.
Ignoring the two silly lolis still grappling with each other, Jiang Kekai headed to the wardrobe to pick out clothes for herself and Xia Yu, since it wouldn’t be appropriate to change clothes while those two were causing a scene.
So they stepped back, retreated into the bathroom to change their outfits.
Coincidentally, just as Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai were heading out, they ran into Wang Wenjuan who had just come downstairs from her third-floor room.
Noticing the pretty attire of Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai in their pajamas, Wang Wenjuan frowned, glanced upward, then finally relaxed and quietly warned Xia Yu, “Xiao Yu, you should only wear your pajamas inside. Why did you come out looking like that? If your dad saw you, he’d certainly say something.”
Though it was said, both Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai knew she was hinting at something more. They didn’t fear her words, but rather the possibility of Xia Hong discovering Xia Yu’s biggest secret. Walking around in pajamas could easily lead to discovery.
So Xia Yu felt somewhat wronged and resorted to the ploy she learned from Jiang Hanhang and Xia Ling: “Xiao Ling and Hanhan are still fighting in the room, so I had to come with Little Ning sister to change.”
“Alright, go ahead and change in the toilet. I’ll check in on them.”
With that, Wang Wenjuan pushed Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai into the bathroom and closed the door, before proceeding to Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai’s room.
When Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai finished washing up and changed back into regular clothes, sure enough, Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang were already seated on the sofa waiting, with Wang Wenjuan by their side.
“Now it’s time for you two to brush your teeth.”
Wang Wenjuan looked at the two mischievous little girls standing beside her.
One didn’t know how Wang Wenjuan managed it, but these two, who had been fiercely grappling moments ago, suddenly became perfectly obedient. When Wang Wenjuan told them to rinse, they obeyed immediately.
Then, Wang Wenjuan gestured for Xia Yu to come over and sit beside her.
“C’mon Xiao Yu, come sit with Momma.”
Although confused, Xia Yu obediently handed her pajamas to Jiang Kekai and sat next to her mom, curious what her mother wanted.
Without much thought, Jiang Kekai returned to the room with Xia Yu’s and her own pajamas.
Thus, only Xia Yu and Wang Wenjuan remained in the living room.
Seeing her mom staring at her without saying anything made Xia Yu feel a bit nervous. She mustered up the courage and asked, “Mom, why did you bring me here?”
“Well, I just want to take a good look at my daughter, is that too much to ask?”
Wang Wenjuan replied with a lack of face, leaving Xia Yu speechless. She sat awkwardly, eyes darting around, feeling too nervous to move.
Seeing Xia Yu’s increasingly tense manner, Wang Wenjuan smiled and asked, “How was it, Xiao Yu? Did you have fun last night with the others?”
Recalling the night, despite Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang being quite mischievous, Xia Yu admitted she enjoyed the lively atmosphere.
She nodded, and Wang Wenjuan gently patted Xia Yu’s head, smiling, “Good! Do whatever makes you happy, Xiao Yu. Now that you’re a girl, you don’t need to restrain yourself—leave the rest to me, alright?”
“Huh?”
Wang Wenjuan’s strange words left Xia Yu puzzled, but she understood the underlying meaning and replied instantly, “Okay.”
Wang Wenjuan had initially been worried about Xia Yu’s girlish demeanor, but Xia Yu was now unexpectedly alive as a girl, even earning affection from the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, Jiang Kekai. Yet, with this came new concerns: the elder Jiang Heng, who disliked Xia Yu, and his desire to k*ll her. Wang Wenjuan struggled to balance her emotions.
Holding Xia Yu tightly, she hadn’t had many moments alone with her new daughter. Seizing the moment, Wang Wenjuan scooped Xia Yu into her arms with comfort.
Xia Yu, though startled, found the embrace soothing.
A bit later, Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang emerged from the bathroom.
Seeing the scene, they cleverly tried to suppress their amusement—they had never seen Xia Yu look so funny.
After a while of hugging, Wang Wenjuan smiled and released Xia Yu, saying, “Alright, Xiao Yu, you can go play now.”
What?
Even after being let go, Xia Yu still felt bewildered—her mom had simply wanted to cuddle all along.
Now that Wang Wenjuan gave her permission, Xia Yu obediently went back to her room. Jiang Kekai was lounging on the bed, playing with her phone.
“What happened?”
“Not much, it’s just that mom asked me if I’ve been happy lately. It’s so weird.”
Jiang Kekai’s face broke into a mischievous grin. She pulled Xia Yu onto the princess bed, wrapped her arms around her from behind, and rested her head on Xia Yu’s shoulder, asking, “Then, Xiao Yu, how are you feeling these days?”
“Well… good.”
Of course, Xia Yu was again feeling slightly anxious. After all, being treated this way by Jiang Kekai could be nerve-wracking.
But Jiang Kekai held back and stopped. If Xia Yu became too distracted, she wouldn’t dare bring her out anymore.
Then, Jiang Kekai got dressed, reminding the still-dazed Xia Yu, “Remember, Xiao Yu, we need to go look at a site soon, to see if it’s suitable for our villa.”
“Right now?”
Xia Yu started to snap out of her daze.
“Yeah, Xiao Yu, what shoes are you going to wear? Should I help you pick a pair?”
As she spoke, Jiang Kekai had already picked out shoes and socks for Xia Yu and was helping her put on the little flower socks.
Jiang Kekai was different; she cared nothing about complicated details. She only wanted Xia Yu to look nice but practical.
She was capable of taking care of Xia Yu; even if her secret was exposed, Xia Yu wouldn’t be unloved, but there would likely still be mental repercussions.
Therefore, Jiang Kekai didn’t force Xia Yu. If Xia Yu didn’t want to reveal her identity, Jiang Kekai would keep things under wraps. Happiness was Xia Yu’s top priority.
She wanted Xia Yu to look good, plus she was preparing others psychologically for the inevitable exposure of Xia Yu’s true identity.
