Xia Shizhao, who was eating breakfast with her head down, suddenly bit her spoon, looking puzzled. It wasn't like she hadn't been hungry before; why were her legs so weak from missing two meals? She only felt hungry during her fevers, and minors only had one fever a year, which could be suppressed with suppressants. Could she be having another fever? That couldn't be...

Xia Shizhao, who was experiencing his first omega experience, was lost in thought when someone suddenly interrupted him.

It was that scoundrel, Xia Shizhao thought to himself, rolling his eyes when no one could see him. "That annoying thing is here again."

"Zhaozhao, do you know you were wrong?"

His tone carried the indifference of someone in a superior position.

"Know."

From now on, you and the box together will weigh three pounds.

The foul-mouthed Xia Shizhao could only obediently reply with the first half of the sentence.

At this moment, Xia's father also showed a satisfied smile and said very earnestly:

"Zhaozhao, Dad is doing this all for your own good. You must know that Dad has put in a lot of effort! In the future, when you become the mistress of someone else's house, you will have to take care of everyone in that family. How can you not be careful?"

Speechless, Xia Shizhao twitched her lips and smiled without saying a word. This person is really a lunatic. Why would she want to marry someone and become a housekeeper for another family? Everyone who knows her knows that everything she raises will die from childhood to adulthood.

Unaware of the situation, Xia's father continued to mentally manipulate her.

A short while later, Xia's mother also returned.

Xia Shizhao heard another classic line.

"Zhaozhao, your father is only doing this for your own good. Today, when your mother found out, she gave him a good scolding on the phone. He didn't mean it; he was just trying to help you. Don't be angry with him."

Xia Shizhao smiled sweetly and looked at her mother with trust:

"Thank you, Mom. I know, I won't be angry. It's all for my own good~ Zhao Zhao loves you both the most!"

After speaking, she glanced at Xia's mother's belly under her coat without making a sound. She felt that her belly was a little bigger, and Xia's mother also seemed to have gained some weight. Could she be pregnant?

These two are almost forty and they've already had a baby?

But that seems normal, as the average lifespan of interstellar people is 150 years.

Xia Shizhao propped his head up with his hand, sipping soup while lost in thought. He was worried about Ye Qiuling in the solitary confinement room, wondering if she was awake. So he looked up and asked:

"Sister, shouldn't she be released too? She got scolded by the teacher yesterday, but she was just in a bad mood and said those things..."

Xia's mother decisively and coldly refused outright:

"No, your sister has caused too much trouble. She needs to be disciplined to teach her a lesson. She's still a wild child who grew up outside. She still can't be respectable after all this time."

As she spoke, her words were full of disdain, and Xia Shizhao, upon hearing this, tightened his grip on the spoon handle slightly. Wild children? Unpresentable? Two idiots.

He couldn't help but let out a soft, cold snort.

She had been told this by others not long after she moved from the orphanage to the Xia family.

At that time, she was young, isolated, and helpless. Like a mad dog, she beat up the children who mocked her. As a result, their cries attracted the attention of their elders. Under the suppression of a group of adults, she was forced to apologize to the children who had spoken rudely to her. Thinking about it still makes my heart ache a little. Just like Ye Qiuling on that day, she was helpless and desperate.

Thinking of the unpleasant things that had happened in the past, Xia Shizhao lost his appetite. He took out a tissue from the side, gently wiped his mouth, and stood up to look at his father and the others:

"I'm going back to my room to rest now."

"Okay, go ahead."

Xia Shizhao strode away without looking back.

Back in his room, Xia Shizhao looked at his potion-making materials and searched around before finding several oddly shaped plants.

She laughed sinisterly. If they told her to go into the dark room, then Xia Shizhao would let them taste what it meant to be unbearably itchy all over, to wish they were dead.

Knowing that they were often away from home, Xia Shizhao quickened the pace of his medicine-making process.

Xia Shizhao finished preparing a bottle of medicine in five minutes and then went outside. When she saw that they were still eating in the restaurant, she smiled sweetly.

"Mom and Dad, are you having lunch at home?"

"Of course, we have to leave after lunch. We're still very busy. You and your sister need to help each other take care of each other at home."

"Of course I'll take good care of my sister."

Upon learning that they wouldn't be staying long, Xia Shizhao smiled with crescent-shaped eyes and faintly visible dimples, like a kitten who had successfully stolen some fish.

At noon, while the chef was preparing the meal, Xia Shizhao went to curry favor and served the soup to the table himself. Xia's father had ordered the chef to make fish soup, but Ye Qiuling didn't like it. She had also taken the antidote, which just made things difficult for Xia's father and mother.

"Mom, Dad, I've brought you your favorite fish soup, and I've put it in front of you!"

"Zhao Zhao is so good."

Xia's father was even more pleased and praised her for growing up.

Xia Shizhao's teeth itched at the sight of that face, and he even wanted to go up and dump the fish soup on his head so he could drink his fill.

You two bitches, just wait and see how I deal with you.

A hint of coldness flashed in Xia Shizhao's smiling eyes.

The noise from the side brought out Ye Qiuling, who looked a bit listless. She sat silently to the side, seemingly like a stranger to the family of three, even though she was one of the hosts.

The effects of the medicine will take effect an hour after it is consumed, at which point no one will be able to suspect her.

Xia Shizhao smiled as she placed the food into her mother's and father's bowls, and said in a coquettish voice, "Can't you stay home and spend more time with me? I haven't eaten with you in so long."

There was still a hint of grievance in her voice.

Xia's father and mother exchanged a glance.

Xia's mother's face turned cold as she said:

"Zhaozhao, you need to prioritize the big picture. We are working hard for the development of the family. You need to be more sensible. You are almost an adult. Why are you still acting like a child? You are not mature at all."

Xia Shizhao almost rolled his eyes, pinched his thigh hard, and tears welled up in his eyes from the pain. He lowered his head, looking very aggrieved, and said softly, "I'm sorry, I was being unreasonable."

Xia's mother's expression softened considerably, and she said gently:

"Zhaozhao, your parents have always spoiled you since you were little. You should try to understand how hard it is to be a parent. To make up for it, I've decided to increase your allowance tenfold this month."

Xia Shizhao thought for a while. Her living expenses seemed to be five thousand a month. Ten times that, which is fifty thousand, was initially considered quite good. However, after spending money at school, she realized that it was just enough to survive. She only had enough to eat and drink, and nothing more. Medicines were cheap, but they tasted terrible, while vegetables and fruits were very expensive.

Especially after Xia Shizhao fully understood the status of the Xia family, she couldn't help but complain inwardly that these two were really stingy, treating her like a beggar.

The outfit Xia's mother wore today cost 5 million, but her living expenses are only 5,000. Ten times that amount wouldn't even amount to a fraction of that. It's really nice to slap her and then give her a sweet treat.

But I still have to keep acting.

Xia Shizhao clasped his hands together, looking very happy.

"Thank you so much, Mom! Zhao Zhao loves you so much."

Xia Shizhao: Thanks for the invitation. She felt like throwing up when she said that. She had never felt so disgusted in her past life.

After the family finished lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Xia left shortly afterward, as if the place were haunted.

Xia Shizhao rolled her eyes and went back to her room, completely ignoring Ye Qiuling who was standing next to her.

She had no choice but to ignore it; it would be fun if she had to follow the plot again later. Speaking of which, it felt like the system hadn't reminded her in a long time.

"system?"

Xia Shizhao called out several times, but there was still no response.

"How unreliable," Xia Shizhao silently complained. But then she thought, "being unreliable has its advantages. She can avoid some plot points, she suffers less, and the female lead suffers less too."

Win-win.

"..."