“What should we do? That little brat has a persistent fever, and looks so weak she faints after taking just a few steps—no one wants to buy her!”
“Not even after giving her fever medicine?”
“No use. She’s been in a constant stupor. What terrible luck—I thought we had a gold mine here that could fetch a good price, but she’s nothing but a loss!”

Miao Miao lay on a tattered little bed, covered with a thin blanket. A cooling patch was stuck to her forehead, and her adorable face was flushed from the fever. Her small hands clutched the thin blanket tightly, her breathing heavy.

“Mama…” she murmured, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

“Miao Miao? Miao Miao?”

“Who is it?” In her feverish slumber, Miao Miao heard a strange voice calling her. She wanted to respond, but no sound came out.

“I’m your system,” the voice said gently. “I can communicate with you in your mind. You’re unwell, so you don’t need to speak out loud. Just think, and I’ll understand.”

“Sister System, Miao Miao feels so awful and scared. Miao Miao wants to go home.” Her small hands gripped the blanket harder as she whimpered in her heart, “The bad people took Miao Miao away. I miss Mommy and Daddy so much.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll be back home soon.”

…

Miao Miao didn’t know how long she had been asleep. Her head felt dizzy, and she didn’t want to open her eyes.

When she finally woke up, she saw a white ceiling above her. Her innocent, wide eyes still carried a trace of confusion.

“Miao Miao’s awake.” A familiar, gentle woman’s voice sounded nearby. Miao Miao turned her head and saw a young, beautiful woman. Her lips quivered, and she burst into tears. “Mama!”

“Sweetheart,” Fu Rou quickly embraced her. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Mommy’s here.”

Miao Miao clung to her mother’s clothes, tears streaming uncontrollably.

She had been abducted by traffickers half a week earlier, lured away with candy. As the beloved daughter of the Wen family, the wealthiest family in the region, she had always been restricted from eating too many sweets, which made her crave them even more.

After the traffickers took her, they noticed her expensive designer clothing and sold it second-hand, dressing her instead in shabby, cheap, and worn-out clothes from other children.

It was winter, and the clothes didn’t keep her warm. By the next day, she had developed a fever. The traffickers wanted to sell her at a high price, so they gave her medicine and cooling patches. But she was still cold, lying under only a thin blanket, and her fever wouldn’t subside.

The Wen family eventually located her through a tracking system embedded in her clothing. The police traced the buyers and apprehended the traffickers, rescuing Miao Miao, who was only three and a half years old.

“Miao Miao was so scared,” she sobbed. “I’ll never go with strange uncles again. I missed Mommy and Daddy, Brother, and my little nephews.”

Fu Rou gently patted her back. “Good girl. Mommy will never let anyone take you away again. From now on, if you want anything, tell Mommy. Don’t accept things from strangers, okay?”

“Okay.”

When Miao Miao finally cried herself out, Fu Rou laid her back on the hospital bed, tucking her in before making a phone call.

“Darling, Miao Miao’s awake…”

Half-asleep, Miao Miao heard the voice of her system again. “Miao Miao, are you still feeling unwell?”

“No, I feel much better now. Thank you, Sister System.” Her heart warmed at the familiar voice. “You’re amazing! You said I’d go home, and now I see Mommy. Mommy will take me home!”

“That’s right. But remember, Miao Miao, you must never go with strangers again. Your family will worry about you.”

“Miao Miao knows. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Good girl. But Miao Miao, the fact that I can talk to you must remain our little secret.”

“Why?” Miao Miao asked curiously.

“Because I don’t have a body. No one else can see or hear me. If you tell people, they might think you’re lying. You don’t want to be seen as a little liar, do you?”

“No! Miao Miao isn’t a liar. Lying isn’t what good children do.”

“Exactly. So, you need to keep this to yourself.”

“Okay.”

“Sister System will show you something.”

“Huh?”

In her mind, a data panel appeared.

On the left, a list of names was displayed: Grandpa, Grandma, Daddy, Mommy, Brother, Sister-in-law, Big Nephew, Little Nephew…

Miaomiao: “…?”
System: “This is a list of your family members. When you click on someone, you’ll see their health data. You can use the intimacy points between you and them to improve their luck, health, and even appearance.”

“What are intimacy points?” Miaomiao, being a curious child, immediately asked when she didn’t understand.

“Intimacy points measure the strength of your relationship with someone. The closer you are, the higher the points. For example, your parents love you very much, and you love them too, so your intimacy points with them are naturally high.”

Miaomiao nodded her little head in understanding. So, intimacy points = love.

The system continued, “If a family member’s name turns red, it means they are in danger. Miaomiao, you can click on their name to see what’s about to happen. But remember, intimacy points are rare, so you should use them carefully. Ideally, you should try to help them without spending any points.”

Miaomiao listened intently as the system explained further. She finally grasped the importance of intimacy points and why they had to be used sparingly. If she could resolve an issue herself, it was best to avoid using the points.

Her full name was Wen Miaomiao, and her family included the members listed on the system’s panel. She was the cherished daughter of the Wen family, known as the wealthiest family in the region. Her father, Wen Fuchen, was 35 years old, and her mother, Fu Rou, was 30. Her older brother, Wen Fanchu, was the only son left by her father’s late brother, who had died saving Wen Fuchen’s life.

Out of gratitude and responsibility, Wen Fuchen raised Wen Fanchu as his own son. At 26 years old, Fanchu was already married. Four years ago, his wife had given birth to twin sons, who were now slightly older than Miaomiao.

When Miaomiao woke up again, her father had already arrived at the hospital.

Wen Fuchen gently touched his daughter’s small hand, his heart aching as he watched her sleep soundly. “What did the doctor say?”

“She can be discharged tonight,” Fu Rou replied. “But the doctor recommended a follow-up checkup and suggested a psychologist to help her process the trauma.”

Wen Fuchen nodded, his face darkening as he thought about the traffickers who had caused his precious daughter so much suffering. He had already sent people to investigate the criminals’ past offenses. Once all the evidence was collected, he would make sure they faced severe punishment.

Later that evening, Miaomiao was back home, sleeping in her familiar princess-themed bedroom.

When she woke up, her favourite teddy bear was right beside her. Hugging it tightly, she climbed out of bed and toddled into the living room, where her parents were sitting.

Since there are children in the family, the Wen family’s house is only one story high, making it easier for Miaomiao to walk. Additionally, Miaomiao has a poor sense of direction, so they ended up buying a house that’s just over 400 square meters to prevent their little princess from getting lost at home.

The house has one elevator per unit, so this entire floor is Miaomiao’s home. Her older brother and sister-in-law live upstairs, while her grandparents live downstairs.

When the family heard that Miaomiao had returned, everyone came over. However, since she had been sleeping earlier, no one disturbed her. It was already late, so her grandparents decided to go back and rest.

Her eldest nephew, nicknamed Xiong Da(Big bear), spotted her immediately and ran over with tiny, excited steps. “Aunt Miaomiao! Boohoo, Aunt Miaomiao, I missed you so much! We thought we’d never see you again!”

Miaomiao’s eyes teared up as she saw him. “Xiong Da, I missed you too!”

Seeing his brother hugging Miaomiao, Xiong Er quickly ran over as well. “Aunt Miaomiao, I missed you too! Don’t wander off again. Grandpa and Grandma have been so worried. Grandma cried so much her eyes turned red.”

“I won’t wander off anymore,” Miaomiao promised. “The bad men didn’t even give me tasty food. I’ll never do it again.”

Miaomiao then ran to her parents, dropping her teddy bear onto the sofa before flinging herself into her mother’s arms. “Mommy, I want something yummy to eat.”

Although her fever had gone down, Miaomiao’s body was still weak. Fu Rou refused her request for fried chicken drumsticks and instead had the housekeeper prepare light dishes with porridge.

Though disappointed, Miaomiao knew she had been naughty and caused her parents to worry by following a stranger. Feeling regretful, she obediently ate the plain porridge without complaint.

Her nephews, Xiong Da and Xiong Er, sat beside her, eating with her.

Xiong Da said, “Aunt Miaomiao, eat more meat. You look thinner now.”

Miaomiao blinked, touching her cheeks. “Does my face still look cute?”

She adored compliments about her chubby cheeks, which others often said made her look adorable. The idea of losing that charm worried her.

“Aunt Miaomiao is always cute,” Xiong Er quickly reassured her, “but you should still eat more meat.”

“Okay!” Miaomiao immediately grabbed a generous portion of shredded meat and stuffed it into her mouth.

After dinner, Fu Rou measured her temperature again to ensure there were no signs of fever returning. Only then did she relax. “Even though your fever is gone, you still need to take your medicine, okay?”

Hearing the word “medicine,” Miaomiao frowned, her lips puckering. “Is it pills or syrup?”

“Both.”

Miaomiao groaned. She wasn’t afraid of swallowing pills but dreaded syrup, which she remembered as bitter.

Twenty minutes later, Fu Rou handed her a cup of medicinal tea with some pills. To her surprise, Miaomiao took a sip and exclaimed, “Mommy, this tastes so good! I want more!”

Fu Rou nearly burst out laughing. “Medicine isn’t something you can drink whenever you want. You can only take it when you’re sick.”

Miaomiao pouted, “Then I’ll drink it three times a day!”

Fu Rou: “…” We’ll see about that once you’re better.

After finishing her medicine, Miaomiao felt sleepy again and went back to bed.

The next morning, which was a Sunday, Wen Fuchen worked from his home office, holding a video conference. Meanwhile, the psychologist he’d arranged for Miaomiao arrived to evaluate her.

After chatting with the psychologist for a while, Miaomiao was deemed to have no severe issues—just some lingering fear from her ordeal. With that assurance, Fu Rou felt a bit more at ease.

Fu Rou opened Miaomiao’s wardrobe to pick out a convenient outfit. “Sweetheart, let’s change into these clothes and head to the hospital for a full checkup, okay?”

As Miaomiao changed, she asked curiously, “Mommy, what’s a checkup?”

“It’s when the doctor checks if your body is healthy or not.”

Miaomiao’s eyes sparkled. “If I’m sick, does that mean I can have the yummy medicine again?”

Fu Rou paused, realizing her daughter was still thinking about the herbal tea, and decided to humour her for now. “Yes.”

Motivated by the promise of tasty medicine, Miaomiao quickly finished changing.

Just then, a voice sounded in her mind. “Miaomiao, check your system interface. There’s an issue with your dad’s health.”

Startled, Miaomiao froze. The familiar interface appeared before her eyes. Unsure of what to do, she listened as the system said, “Tap on ‘Dad.’”

Glancing at her mother to ensure she wasn’t being watched, Miaomiao carefully tapped the icon for her father.

The text on the interface… she could barely recognize any of it. Frustrated, Miaomiao furrowed her little brows and thought to herself, “System sister, Miaomiao doesn’t understand. Miaomiao can only read ‘Daddy.’”

The system paused for a moment before responding, “…This is a health data chart. It shows that your dad’s health is in trouble, and there’s a red alert. Red alerts indicate early-stage cancer.”

Miaomiao tilted her head in confusion. “Every word Miaomiao understands, but together, what does it mean?”

The system patiently explained, “In simple terms, your dad isn’t well. If he delays treatment, he might pass away. Miaomiao, do you know what passing away means? Once someone passes away, you’ll never see them again.”

Miaomiao’s small face turned pale instantly. “No! Miaomiao doesn’t want to never see Daddy again. Miaomiao will be good. Daddy can’t leave Miaomiao!”

“Miaomiao, here’s what you need to do: convince your dad to see a doctor as soon as possible. But you can’t let him know about me, so you’ll need to come up with a subtle way to suggest he gets a check-up.”

“Okay!” Miaomiao tightened her brows in determination and hopped off the bed.

The system relaxed slightly. Although its host was only three and a half years old, she was still manageable.

Miaomiao slipped on her bunny slippers and hurried out of her room, her small feet pattering against the floor as she went to find her dad. Just as she reached the hallway, she spotted him stepping out of his study after finishing a meeting.

“Daddy~!” she called out sweetly.

Wen Fuchen paused when he heard his little girl’s voice. He turned and crouched down to catch her as she ran toward him. “My little princess, are you feeling better?”

“Uh-huh,” Miaomiao nodded eagerly. “Mommy said she’ll take Miaomiao to the hospital later. Daddy, can you come too?”

Wen Fuchen hesitated. “Daddy has some work at the company today. How about I let Mommy take you instead? Daddy will bring something yummy for Miaomiao when I come back tonight.”

At the mention of something yummy, Miaomiao’s eyes lit up for a second. But then she remembered what the system had said. If she didn’t remind her dad to go to the hospital, she might never see him again. She couldn’t let that happen.

Grabbing onto his sleeve, she puffed out her cheeks and said stubbornly, “If Daddy doesn’t go to the hospital with Miaomiao, Miaomiao won’t get checked!”

Seeing her pouty face, Wen Fuchen sighed helplessly. His little girl had always been a bit spoiled, but who could blame him? She was his precious daughter, and if he didn’t indulge her, who would?

“Alright, alright, we’ll do what the little princess wants,” he said with a soft chuckle. “Let’s head out now. The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back.”

(End of Chapter)