Chapter 5: The Magical Effect of the Pattern

After dinner, Lin Yumo began preparing for her evening study session.

The warm glow of the lamp spilled across her scratch paper. She bit her mechanical pencil lightly, the tip hovering over the last step of a physics formula derivation.

At some point, the cicadas outside had fallen silent. Only the soft hum of the air conditioner’s outdoor unit remained, blending with the faint rustle of pages from her College Entrance Exam Must-Memorize Vocabulary book.

Suddenly, a knock knock startled her, and her pencil tip slipped, leaving a small blot of ink on the paper.

“Little Jasmine, I’m coming in.”

The sound of the doorknob turning was followed by her mother’s figure stepping in, holding a bone china cup.

“Ah!” Lin Yumo set down her pen and glanced at the clock on her desk.

Only then did she realize the hands had already passed nine-thirty. Her mother walked softly to her side.

She placed the warm cup of milk gently on the desk.

“Why are you still studying so late?”

Her mother’s fingers, carrying a faint fragrance, brushed over her hair as she asked with concern:

“Didn’t you just finish your high school entrance exam? You should be relaxing a bit.”

Lowering her head, Lin Yumo looked at the milk her mother had set down. Pressing her lips together, she replied softly,
“I don’t think I did well… I might only get into the regular class.”

“I want to work hard this summer so that by the end-of-term placement test in first year, I can get into the experimental class.”

Her mother cupped her cold cheeks in her warm hands.
“It’s okay, even if you didn’t do well, you still have Mom and Dad.”

Her fingertips gently wiped the faint dark circles under her eyes.
“But… having ambition is a good thing. Still, you have to take care of yourself first.”

She pointed to the steaming milk.
“The sun will rise again tomorrow—it’s not worth sacrificing tonight.”

“Aunt Wu said you’ve been liking jasmine-flavored things lately.”

Her mother smiled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“I specially made this with jasmine. Drink it and then go to bed, alright?”

Moonlight climbed into her mother’s smiling eyes, and suddenly Lin Yumo remembered the unread messages her mother had sent during her late-night overtime in her previous life.

She nodded.
“I’ll go to sleep after I memorize the last ten words.”

Her mother nodded with satisfaction and, before leaving, added,
“And don’t sneak up to read again.”

When the door closed softly, Lin Yumo lifted the cup and drained it in one go. The milk’s warmth traveled from her fingertips to her heart.

---

The morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains, scattering small patches of light across the head of the bed.

When her alarm woke her, a strand of hair was sticking to the corner of her lips.

Still groggy, she reached for the jasmine tea at her bedside. Tiny droplets of condensation still clung to the glass.

“…Huh?” She froze, staring at the fingers wrapped around the cup—her already slender joints seemed even more delicate and translucent, gleaming like pearls in the morning light.

The tea slid down her throat with a dewdrop-like freshness, making her feel instantly awake.

Her slippers pat-pat against the floor as she hurried to the bathroom mirror.

The girl in the mirror had skin like a peeled lychee—smooth and radiant.

Leaning closer, she touched her reflection lightly—
The faint dark circles under her eyes had lightened, and even her nose bridge seemed subtly higher.

“This is amazing…” she murmured, then suddenly remembered something and dashed barefoot to the height chart behind the door.

Holding her breath, she checked the marks—165 cm! A height she hadn’t reached until her final year of high school in her last life, already achieved now!

As the metal marker slid past 165 cm, she felt a surge of excitement.

She had always wanted to grow taller, and now it was real, right in front of her.

“So I’m already 165 cm… how much taller will I get?”

Picturing herself towering like a giant, she quickly shook her head. No—168 cm, her ideal height, would be perfect.

(Q: What if she keeps growing? She won’t end up two meters tall, will she? Author’s note: Don’t worry, dear reader. If I say 168 cm, then 168 cm it is—not a centimeter more!)

Spinning once before the mirror, the hem of her nightdress lifted in a graceful arc.

She still felt like there was some other change she hadn’t noticed yet, but she couldn’t quite place it.

When she entered the living room, her parents were seated with breakfast.

“Little Jasmine, why are you up so early today?” Her mother set down her milk, her eyes filled with both curiosity and concern.

“I’m going to be a self-disciplined girl!” Lin Yumo declared with a shake of her head.

Her father glanced at her too.
“You do look much more energetic. Your complexion is rosy, and your skin looks healthier.”

Hearing this, her mother scrutinized her closely.
“Has our Little Jasmine… gotten prettier?”

Her gaze scanned her daughter like a scanner beam.
“Your skin is paler, and it seems like you’ve also…”

Calmly chewing her toast, Lin Yumo explained,
“Maybe… the jasmine milk last night was just really nourishing?”

Her parents didn’t question further, assuming she simply looked better after a good night’s sleep.

---

In the gym’s floor-to-ceiling mirror, Lin Yumo finished her last set of yoga poses.

Sweat trailed down her collarbone as she tilted her head back to drink the jasmine tea Aunt Wu had prepared, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Even so, her body still wasn’t in great condition—she had nearly failed to make it through the routine.

Setting the cup down, she headed back to her room, took out clean clothes, and entered the bathroom.

In the warm mist, she suddenly froze mid-shower.

Looking down, she noticed changes in her chest area, and her cheeks flushed hot.
“This… this pattern is incredible…”

As the warm water streamed over her skin, she recalled her reflection that morning—not only had her skin improved, but her waistline seemed more delicate and shapely as well.

Blushing, she touched herself lightly again.
“…Well, I like it.”

Under the shower’s cascade, she looked at her subtly changed reflection and smiled.

When she stepped out, her hair was still dripping, droplets trailing down her shoulders.

Sitting at her desk, she flipped open the gilt-edged planner and turned to the Summer Plan page.

Opening her pen, she placed a neat check mark beside Morning Exercise.