PAID

The day before New Year’s Eve, a heavy snowfall blanketed the world outside.

When L1 woke up, he saw that everything was covered in white, and even his favorite rocking chair on the balcony was buried under a thick layer of snow.

Qin Yao was standing outside, sweeping the snow from the balcony. Hearing movement from inside, he opened the glass door and smiled at L1. “Looks like we’ll be drinking milk inside today.”

L1 didn’t immediately reach for the milk. Instead, he stepped out onto the balcony and helped Qin Yao clear the snow off the chair.

As they worked, L1 couldn’t resist the urge to shape the snow into a small snowman.

Qin Yao glanced over and, noticing the tiny snowman in L1’s hands, smiled and asked, “Do you want to build a bigger one?”

L1 quickly nodded. “Yes.”

So the two of them worked together and built a large snowman in a corner where the sun wouldn’t reach it.

Qin Yao brought out a scarf and other decorations, and soon a snowman, resembling the one from the previous year, stood before them.

L1 was delighted by the snowman, circling it and occasionally grabbing handfuls of snow from the ground to smooth out any rough patches.

Qin Yao leaned against the wall, watching L1 with a soft smile.

Suddenly, Qin Yao asked, “It seems like you haven’t grown at all this year.”

L1 turned and explained, “My body doesn’t grow.”

Qin Yao furrowed his brow slightly before giving a helpless smile.

L1 was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Having spent a year with humans, L1 had learned to understand most human expressions and body language, but some things still eluded him—like the regretful yet complex smile on Qin Yao’s face at this moment.

Qin Yao replied, “I just feel a little unaccomplished.”

L1 tilted his head. “Hm?”

Qin Yao squatted down in front of him, at eye level with L1, and said, “I’ve been feeding you milk for over a year now, and yet you haven’t grown at all. I’ve been trying so hard to raise you, but you haven’t gotten any bigger.”@@novelbin@@

L1 wanted to say that he was a system and wasn’t supposed to grow. His growth was more about data upgrades than physical changes.

But as the words formed in his mind, he swallowed them.

Over the past year, L1 had come to realize that sometimes his words could spoil the mood.

So, after thinking for a moment, he said seriously, “I can grow if you want.”

Qin Yao raised an eyebrow. “Hm?”

Taking advantage of Qin Yao’s confusion, L1 quickly exchanged his points for a bottle of growth potion from the system shop.

All biological bodies that systems exchanged from the shop didn’t grow naturally. However, due to the five-year exchange rule, many systems became dissatisfied with the lack of change. To prevent protests, the shop introduced both growth and anti-growth potions.

As their names suggested, one allowed for growth, and the other reversed it.

In the blink of an eye, L1 had successfully exchanged for the potion. Before Qin Yao could react, L1 had already downed the entire bottle.

Qin Yao’s eyes widened slightly. “What did you just drink—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the five-year-old L1’s body began to grow taller.

Within seconds, L1 shot up to about 180 centimeters.

Seeing the world from this new, elevated perspective, L1 felt a little disoriented. He glanced down to confirm that his clothes had grown with him, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Looking down at Qin Yao, L1 grinned.

Qin Yao, still squatting, had to tilt his head back slightly to meet L1’s eyes. His deep gaze locked onto L1’s face, not blinking.

L1, pleased with Qin Yao’s reaction, smiled brightly. “How do I look now? Am I still good-looking, even grown up?”

Qin Yao slowly stood up.

It was only then that L1 realized Qin Yao was still taller than him. But that didn’t bother him; height was never a concern for L1. He simply smiled and waited for Qin Yao’s response.

However, after a long while, Qin Yao still hadn’t answered. Instead, L1 noticed that Qin Yao’s eyes were gradually turning red.

The young man’s gaze was as gentle as always, often carrying a hint of a smile. But now, that same gaze was tinged with redness, and tears seemed to well up, reflecting a swirl of complex emotions.

L1 didn’t understand and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Yao stood still, shaking his head slowly, before softly uttering two words.