Chapter 002

Incredulous, she immediately scrambled off the bed, ran barefoot into the bathroom, and carried a small stool to the sink.

Standing on the stool, Xu Yirou clenched her toes and stretched her neck with effort, and sure enough, a small head appeared in front of the mirror.

The cub in the mirror had a round head, red lips and white teeth, and its cheeks were pink and plump like a peach.

Because she shrank overnight, her tiny frame couldn't hold the adult's pajamas, and they naturally fell off in her sleep. At this moment, she was completely naked, revealing her fair, reflective breasts.

Xu Yirou's eyes widened in surprise. She recognized the face all too well; it was exactly what she looked like when she was a child!

But what shocked Xu Yirou the most was not that she had shrunk, but that she was not a little bald.

She touched her bushy, bird's nest-like head in disbelief, and the soft strands of hair slipped through her fingers. The slightly itchy sensation of the hair brushing against her skin felt so real.

Could it be... that I'm not dreaming?

To verify whether it was a daydream or not, Xu Yirou gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and forcefully pulled up her hair.

The sharp, tearing pain in her scalp made her eyes widen in surprise.

It's true, she's not dreaming!

Xu Yirou was so surprised that she was speechless, her little mouth agape, and her chubby cheeks trembled slightly.

Various guesses and images flashed through her mind. Before she could be happy for long, she was so scared that she hugged her chubby self and looked around in panic with her big eyes.

Could it be that Conan's story is coming true and she's been drugged by the infiltrating men in black?!

Xu Yirou's wildly imaginative guesses never came to mind the wish she herself made last night.

Having the inner strength of an adult, Xu Yirou gradually calmed down after her initial panic. She glanced at the wall clock, which pointed to eight o'clock in the morning.

After falling ill, she slept at least twelve hours a day. If no one woke her up in the middle of the night, she could sleep all day without feeling anything.

As is customary, the kids will come to her room in an hour to wake her up for breakfast.

The most urgent thing is to find some suitable clothes to wear. Although she is a cute little baby now, it's really embarrassing to be naked in front of the babies.

Xu Yirou, who had turned back into a cub, was less than a meter tall and couldn't reach the clothes rack. She could only push a chair that was half a meter taller than her, climb onto the chair, and bury her head in picking out clothes.

Because of her poor health, her wardrobe was still full of knee-length down jackets and thick coats in early March.

Wearing these clothes made her look like she was wearing a sack, making it difficult for her to move around and also quite comical.

Helpless, Xu Yirou jumped off the chair and rummaged through the summer clothes in the cabinet at the bottom. Finally, she found a short-sleeved top that could just cover her buttocks and be worn as a skirt.

For a small baby, rummaging through drawers and cabinets is too much exercise. As soon as they get dressed, their stomachs start making loud gurgling noises.

I'm so hungry.

A familiar dizziness washed over her, and Xu Yirou collapsed to the ground, her vision blurring. This time it wasn't from illness, but from she was truly starving.

Saliva was constantly seeping from her mouth. She swallowed a couple of times, clutched her rumbling stomach, got up, opened the door, and ran out like the wind.

I want to eat crab roe buns, xiaolongbao, pork floss rice balls, crystal shrimp dumplings, lotus leaf sticky rice chicken, seafood rice noodle rolls, and stir-fried rice noodles!

As soon as she ran into the living room, the tempting aroma of food wafted towards her, and Xu Yirou's eyes lit up instantly. There were crab roe buns and sticky rice chicken!

The two short legs immediately sped up and dashed into the kitchen.

There are no housekeepers or servants on this property; the children prepare all the meals for the day. The kitchen and living room are quiet, probably because they are all in their rooms and haven't come out yet.

Xu Yirou, her eyes practically glowing with greed from the craving, couldn't wait to call them. She stuck out her bottom and continued pushing the chair, standing on it to open the pot lid.

Inside the pot were the crab roe buns and glutinous rice chicken that she wanted to eat. Xu Yirou was so happy that she danced with joy. Ignoring the fact that it was hot, she picked up the glutinous rice chicken first, tore off the outer skin in a few quick movements, revealing the rich filling and fragrant glutinous rice.

She couldn't wait to open her mouth wide and take a bite. Instantly, the aroma of chicken mixed with shiitake mushrooms rushed straight to her head. The soft, sweet and delicious taste was so good that it brought tears to her eyes.

After many years, Xu Yirou once again felt the happiness and satisfaction that food brings. The deeper happiness was that she felt as if she had regained a vigorous and inexhaustible vitality.

With tears in her eyes, she ate while letting out happy sighs.

At this moment, the young Xu Yirou, who was focused on eating, did not notice the few short unlocking sounds coming from the entrance.

Xu Qingyan, wearing a gray tracksuit, returned from her morning exercise. Wiping the sweat from her neck with a towel, she strode towards the living room.

The wooden floor provided good sound insulation, and coupled with his light and agile physique, he made no noise as he walked.

Therefore, when a childlike cheer came from the kitchen, Xu Qingyan immediately stopped in her tracks, a hint of doubt appearing in her eyes.

Have we had guests at home?

He glanced back at the shoe rack in the entryway, but there were no extra shoes. He then scanned the spotless table in the living room, but there was no tea for guests. He immediately became wary.

Xu Qingyan frowned and quietly approached the kitchen.

Soon, a small, cub-like figure, clearly a baby, came into view, humming a tune as it ate, and it was obvious that the little one was enjoying its meal.

Where did this child come from?

Xu Qingyan dared not let his guard down, worried that criminals might sneak into the villa with malicious intent. After seeing only a lone child in the kitchen, he immediately began searching for his accomplices.

Half an hour later, Xu Qingyan, having gained nothing, came downstairs with a sullen face.

Xu Yirou had finished eating and was comfortably lying on the sofa with her eyes closed, her small chest rising and falling, making soft snoring sounds.

Xu Qingyan, who witnessed this scene: "..."

The tycoon's son, renowned in the business world for his exceptional skills and ruthless decisiveness, was momentarily at a loss when faced with the unexpected arrival of a child in his family.

After a few seconds of thought, he slowly sat down on the other sofa, observing the sleeping cub with a calm expression.

The cub in front of me was chubby, with curved eyebrows and rosy, tender skin; it was clear at a glance that it had been well cared for.

She had glistening oil stains on the corners of her mouth, and her little belly was a bit bulging, probably because she had eaten too much earlier. Even without opening her eyes, you could still tell that she was a very cute little cub.

Xu Qingyan had never been fond of children, but for some reason, he couldn't feel the slightest displeasure at this audacious little brat who had sneaked in, eaten his mother's breakfast, and was now brazenly taking a nap.

Instead, it evoked a strange sense of familiarity.

It might be a lost child from a nearby household. Xu Qingyan took out her phone, took a picture of the sleeping cub, and posted it in the residents' group to inquire.

The phone screen showed nine o'clock in the morning. Xu Qingyan waited for a while, and soon someone responded in the owners' group.

Resident 103: [Wow, what an adorable baby! Let Auntie give him a kiss~]

Resident of apartment 106: [Anyone with children, come and check if this is yours. A lost child is a serious matter. Can't parents please be more attentive?]

Resident 107: [I've lived here for over ten years and have never seen this child before. He must have come from somewhere else. I suggest calling the police.]

The residents' group chat was buzzing with activity, but no one came forward to claim the property. Xu Qingyan frowned slightly; it seemed he had no choice but to call the police.

Just as he was about to dial the emergency number, the baby on the sofa seemed to stir twice and suddenly sat up.

The two, one big and one small, looked at each other.

"you……"

"Goose!"

Xu Qingyan: "?"

Xu Yirou: "It's me! It's Mom! Don't you recognize your mom?"

Xu Qingyan looked at her, raised his eyebrows, and his expression was colder than the Himalayas. An ordinary child would have been frightened to tears long ago.

Xu Yirou's enthusiasm remained undiminished. She rolled off the sofa and ran to her son, gesturing excitedly, "Son, Mommy woke up and became smaller! From so big to so small, isn't that amazing?"

She spoke in a childish voice, completely unlike the gentle, dignified, and intelligent mother Xu Qingyan remembered.

The idea of ​​shrinking overnight is such a fantastical story that it seems completely unbelievable.

Xu Qingyan remained unaffected, as he was always very patient: "Little friend, I won't hold it against you for stealing food, but lying is not a good habit. Where do you live? I'll take you home."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yirou was overwhelmed with a sense of utter injustice, realizing that her usually obedient and sensible son did not believe her.

Her big eyes instantly filled with tears, her nose turned red, and she pleaded with a wronged expression, "This is my home! You are my son! Your name was given to you by your mother. Son, where are you going to take your mother?"

"When you were little, you liked to put three little ducks in the bathtub when you took a bath because you had three red moles on your bottom, and you wanted one duck to share one mole with you!"

Xu Qingyan's pupils dilated.

"You love Mom's braised beef brisket the most!"

"You promised to give Mom a bouquet of cherry blossoms every spring!"

"My dear son, just because Mommy has shrunk, does that mean you don't recognize Mommy anymore and don't want Mommy anymore?"

Xu Yirou looked heartbroken, her expression filled with grievance and sadness. Xu Qingyan's heart clenched, and he blurted out:

"Mom, don't cry, I believe you."

Xu Qingyan, the son of a chaebol, does not often appear in public, but there are endless reports about him. In addition to regular financial reports, he is also the target of many famous gossip magazines who try their best to dig up information.

However, he has always been extremely protective of his private affairs, and it is absolutely impossible for outsiders to know his private matters.

Especially the three moles on the buttocks, a secret closely related to the body.

Xu Qingyan now believed that the soft, tearful baby in front of her was his mother. She quickly took out two tissues from her side and gently wiped away her tears.

On one hand, he was shocked by his mother's sudden shrinking, and on the other hand, out of guilt and heartache, a rare hint of panic flashed in the eyes of the usually composed and cold-faced CEO.

“Mom, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have failed to recognize you, and I shouldn’t have driven you away.”

Her son's sincere apology comforted Xu Yirou. She stopped crying, but was still sobbing, her eyes red like a rabbit's, looking as pitiful as could be.

Really?

“Really.” Xu Qingyan said calmly, “Although I don’t know what happened, I’m sure you are my mother.”

Xu Yirou burst into laughter through her tears, slapping Xu Qingyan's arm with her chubby little hand: "My good boy!"

She grabbed Xu Qingyan's fingers and dragged her out, looking very proud and confident: "Come on, let me show you the place where Mommy shrank."

The mother and son returned to her bedroom. Xu Yirou slapped the bed with her little hands, making a thumping sound, and said proudly, "Mom shrinks here, and after a nap, she turns back into her childhood self."

Xu Qingyan offered a few words of praise to save face, then glanced around the entire bedroom.

The clothes scattered at the bottom of the wardrobe were particularly eye-catching. Noticing his gaze, Xu Yirou's face immediately turned slightly red, and she bit her little hand and whispered:

"Um... looking for clothes is too tiring, I'll pack them in a bit, but son, don't ever follow your mother's example!"

Xu Qingyan couldn't help but chuckle. He looked down at the energetic, exquisitely beautiful mother cub, his eyes filled with tenderness.

"Okay, Mom." After a moment's hesitation, he asked softly, "Mom, how do you feel now that you've shrunk?"

Xu Yirou scratched her head and jumped up excitedly: "I don't feel any pain at all, my head isn't dizzy and my eyes aren't blurry, I feel like I have inexhaustible energy, I can eat lots and lots of food, and my hair has grown back."

Xu Qingyan knew the severity of his mother's illness. When he learned that all the symptoms that had accompanied his mother for a year had disappeared overnight, his heart pounded and his palms sweated with nervousness.

After calming down for a moment, he said, "Mom, shall I take you to the hospital for a check-up?"

"No, no!"

Xu Yirou shook her head vigorously, clearly resisting. She was afraid of going to the hospital: "I don't want to go."

Having spent more than half a year in the hospital, being pricked with needles every day, it's inevitable to develop psychological trauma.

Not only has the mother's body shrunk, but her mindset also seems to have returned to that of a child. The CEO, who has zero experience in coaxing young children, tries his best to choose his words carefully.

“Mom, I think your cancer might be cured.” Xu Qingyan knelt down and stroked her soft hair. “Chengcheng and Ali will be so happy to hear this news. Don’t you want to celebrate together?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yirou suddenly remembered: "Where are Chengcheng and Ali? I haven't seen them at all."

"They had an urgent matter to attend to this morning and went back first. They'll be back in a couple of days."

Hearing this, Xu Yirou pouted, put her hands on her hips, and muttered angrily, "Those two ungrateful little brats left without even telling their mother. They really don't respect me at all! I must punish them properly—"

Xu Qingyan's brow twitched. Throughout their childhood, no matter how big a mistake they made, their mother had never spoken harshly to them.

When he suddenly heard the word "punishment" from his mother, his heart jumped.

"Hmph, I've decided not to speak to them for three days!"

"..."