The light in my elder sister's eyes grows ever brighter.

When Eldest Sister was ill, she appeared fine on the outside.

But deep down, she occasionally felt sorrow—sudden, overwhelming waves of it.

An indescribable weariness lingered in her heart, impossible to shake off.

Yet she was good at pretending.

No matter how well she acted, though, when she was alone, this emotion became unbearable.

At the same time, she lost all interest in her hobbies. As a child, she had loved painting, sports, badminton, and jump rope.

But as she grew older, none of these could spark even the slightest joy in her.

She was like a soulless shell.

Eldest Sister was just a hollow remnant, trudging through what should have been her brightest days...

And that was just her emotional state.

Her cognition was also affected.

The most obvious symptom was self-doubt.

She often did things perfectly well, yet she would spiral into harsh self-criticism.

For instance, with documents—perhaps fearing mistakes, fearing she hadn’t handled them properly—she would check and recheck, over and over, in an endless loop.

There was also a pervasive negativity in her thoughts.

She felt there was no hope left in life. In the past, a single word of praise from her mother could lift her spirits.

But as she grew older, her mother’s compliments grew fewer and fewer.

Now,

Eldest Sister secretly wished her mother would hurry up and have a younger brother—so she could finally be free, relinquishing all future responsibilities back to her.

It was an utterly bleak outlook.

She didn’t even feel like she had much longer to live...

Then there were the physical symptoms—constant exhaustion, as if her body were weighed down by lead.

Sometimes, even when she’d done nothing, she was just... tired.

It felt like chronic fatigue syndrome.

She didn’t want to move.

But she had no choice. So she dragged her hollowed-out body forward, forcing herself to keep going.

Her sleep and eating habits were erratic, devoid of desire.

She lived just for the sake of living.

Sometimes, she thought, What’s the point? Maybe I should just die...

......

But now,

she had recovered.

With sharp clarity, she sensed the world shifting from gray to... vibrant, bursting with color.

From heavy to light.

Her mind felt lighter.

Her body felt lighter.

She was healed!!

Everything she saw seemed to come alive before her eyes.

She was interested again.

In an instant,

Eldest Sister burst into tears of joy...

Before, when alone, she would sometimes cry inexplicably, overwhelmed by sadness.

But today, these tears were different—they carried pure happiness.

Eldest Sister took a shower.

She had always liked showering—well, not exactly liked, but she’d heard water had healing properties.

Maybe it was just a placebo effect.

But whenever she bathed or soaked in the tub, her emotions would settle, if only slightly.

Over time, she made it a daily ritual—a shower or a bath.

Today, though...

it felt different.

Now that she had rediscovered her passions, showering was just... purely enjoyable. No longer about calming down or relaxing.

Her heart was brimming with excitement, with joy—uncontainable, overflowing.

By the time she finished showering, dressed, and went downstairs, it was already 10 a.m.

This was the first time in years she’d slept in so late.

She was definitely going to be late today.

The maids were stunned.

Seeing the young mistress at home in the morning? Unheard of.

The house was empty.

Second Sister, Third Sister, and The Fourth had already left.

Only Fifth Young Master was still in bed...

"Young Mistress, would you like coffee or soy milk?"

"Tofu pudding, please. And some fried dough sticks."

"Ah... yes, right away." The maid blinked in surprise.

Normally, Eldest Sister ate breakfast in a hurry—just a sip of coffee, an egg, some toast and bacon, then off she went.

Sometimes, she’d even take it to-go.

But today? Not only had she slept in, but she was leisurely enjoying tofu pudding and fried dough sticks?

And another thing—

Eldest Sister never liked greasy food.

How odd.

Moreover,

the maid had lived long enough to have a sharp eye.

Before, when Eldest Sister smiled, it was polite but distant—charming, yet icy, keeping everyone at arm’s length.

Today, though? Her smile was warm, gentle... real.

"Mmm~ This tofu is so tender."

"..." The maid gave an awkward smile.

The young mistress was... complimenting her?

It wasn’t that Eldest Sister never praised anyone, but she certainly didn’t gush over breakfast.

After years of coffee and toast, had she ever once said, This coffee is nice?

Crunch—

She took a bite of fried dough stick.

Eldest Sister raised an eyebrow. "This is great too—crispy and light."

"I’m glad you like it, Young Mistress."

The maid replied quickly.

Eldest Sister asked, "When did Second Sister leave?"

"Second Young Lady left about an hour ago. Third Young Lady and The Fourth just left," the maid answered.

Eldest Sister nodded. "And Fifth Young Master?"

"Young Master... well, he’s definitely still asleep. He usually wakes up around 10:30, sometimes even 11."

Eldest Sister chuckled and shook her head. "That lazybones."

Her tone was scolding,

but there was an unmistakable hint of... affection?

Was it affection?

"Heh." The maid smiled politely, wisely staying silent.

Eldest Sister waved her off. "Don’t mind me. Bring me some pan-fried buns too—I’ve got an appetite today."

"Right away, Young Mistress." The maid was even more baffled.

What was going on?

Carbs and grease for breakfast?

The young mistress had changed.

But the maid didn’t dare ask.

......

By 10:30,

Eldest Sister had finally finished her slow, indulgent breakfast.

She was stuffed.

This was the first time she’d eaten so much, so leisurely in the morning.

Before, she’d just scarf down a few bites and rush off, always in a hurry.

When had anyone ever seen the young mistress sit at the table for a full half-hour meal?

Not just breakfast—

even during formal dinners, when the family gathered, Eldest Sister never lingered.

A few bites, then she’d excuse herself.

She had no interest in food.

......

After breakfast, Fifth Young Master still hadn’t woken up.

But Eldest Sister wasn’t about to take the whole day off.

Old habits died hard.

She slipped on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and drove to the office.

The entire way, her lips were curled in a faint but genuine smile.

Through the car window, the world outside was alive with color.

The traffic, the pedestrians...

everything seemed vibrant.

Even waiting at a red light didn’t irritate her. Instead, she watched the streets and people with fascination.

Had the world always been this beautiful?

Her eyes held something new—

a light.

And that light grew brighter by the minute.

......

At the office,

Secretary Zhang approached with documents. "Young Mistress."

"Not now. Brew me some coffee first—I ate too much greasy food this morning. My stomach’s upset."

"Ah... of course." Secretary Zhang was taken aback.

What was going on?

Greasy food?

Since when?

And arriving this late? A first.

She’d almost called earlier but held back, figuring she’d check in by noon if Eldest Sister still hadn’t shown.

Baffled, she went to prepare the coffee.

Soon,

Secretary Zhang was also a perceptive woman, and she noticed something different about the Eldest Sister.

Compared to usual, the Eldest Sister seemed to carry a peculiar aura—one that felt far more approachable than before.

Her smile was the same, yet it gave off an entirely different vibe.

It was like the difference between someone’s usual silly grin and the smile they wear after falling in love—the contrast was unmistakable.

……

……

Meanwhile.

The Fifth Young Master awoke on his million-square-kilometer bed.

Another beautiful day.

Living here truly made one forget all worldly worries.

As they say, the comforts of home are the grave of heroes.

It had been years since he last visited his hometown. In the blink of an eye… Aunt Wang’s son was already in vocational college.

Clearly.

He hadn’t done well on his exams this year either, but he’d given up trying.

Becoming a scholar like Fan Jin was out of the question.

Now, he was just an ordinary “Peking University reject,” destined to study computer science.

Aunt Wang was easily swayed. Young Master Cao casually sketched out a future for her, and she swallowed it whole—even packing it to go, sealing the fate of her son, Little Wang… or rather, Little Zhou.

So,

don’t be fooled by how often Aunt Wang bickered with Young Master Cao. In truth, she might have been the person who trusted him the most in this world.

A single word from Young Master Cao had determined her family’s future.

Now that was trust.

If he had the time, Young Master Cao would love to revisit his hometown, to see all those lovely neighbors and elders from the old days.

……

Downstairs.

Young Master Cao ate breakfast.

From the housekeeper, he learned that the Eldest Sister had already left for work—she’d woken up late today.

She’d also had soybean pudding, fried dough sticks, and eight pan-fried buns.

What an appetite!

Seemed like… she’d recovered from her illness.

Cao Cheng chuckled but didn’t explain.

After the meal,

Young Master Cao headed out as well.

He had business to attend to today.

After resting for over half a month, it was time to get back to work.

Nothing too major, really.

Just a visit to Miracle Cosmetics.

Their research center was already set up.

For the next while, cosmetics would be the priority.

The goal was to make a name for themselves this year.

A single battle to establish their reputation.

On top of that,

he’d arranged a conference call with Pony Ma from Shenzhen the night before.

After all, Cao Cheng was one of the major shareholders.

Of course, the call wouldn’t delve too deeply into Tencent’s internal affairs—Cao Cheng was just an investor, not someone who interfered.

So, this call was mainly about gaming.

Some time ago, Young Master Cao had established a gaming company, acquiring several studios and merging them together.

Then, through Third Sister’s Miracle Capital, he’d secured various game licenses, both domestic and international.

Some were niche titles, but they’d turn a profit in the future.

Others—if they couldn’t secure distribution rights, they’d just copy the idea. Take someone else’s path and leave them with nowhere to go.

Even Pony Ma was stunned by the audacity of it.

So…

The real purpose of this call was that Tencent had discovered that the Korean games they’d wanted to acquire?

Well, the worthwhile ones had already been snapped up by Young Master Cao.

The ones available for distribution were already under his control.

All that remained for Tencent were the garbage titles.

After all the twists and turns, they’d naturally come knocking on Young Master Cao’s door.

Being one of Tencent’s major shareholders did provide a solid foundation for collaboration.

……

In response,

Young Master Cao didn’t beat around the bush.

He agreed to cooperate on various game developments, connecting Miracle Game Studio with Tencent’s gaming division.

And so, a new chapter began.

The first title Miracle Studio would roll out was, without a doubt, Farmville.

Miracle Farm!

Leveraging Tencent’s platform, it could spread across the nation in no time.

Who would’ve thought you could farm right in your QQ Zone?

And thus began the era of… vegetable theft.