[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal":3,"chapter-investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-369":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},596642,846,"Chapter 369: Little Ice Cube: \"Brother,\" Li Mo is a Bad Kid","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-369",369,"\u003Cp>\"Is it possible to take Little Ice Cube and escape, sparing her from everything that will happen tonight at the Ying Family Manor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo held her cold, soft little hand while rummaging through his pockets for stolen snacks, his mind racing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sister Bing, do you want to go out and see the world?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go out?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, it’s New Year’s—Qinghe County is bustling with excitement.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Ice Cube stayed silent, so Li Mo took it as agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No time to waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breeze from the distant Qing River drifted lazily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl’s delicate fragrance, like orchids in a secluded valley, wafted over with the wind, occasionally accompanied by strands of her hair lightly brushing against his neck, tickling him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had rushed out in such a hurry that she hadn’t tied up her hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Woof~!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the gate, a little yellow dog stood up and growled at the two youngsters, though its attempt at intimidation fell flat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two white spots above its brows made it look less fierce and more adorably silly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing frowned slightly, her gaze locking onto the dog, whose growl instantly turned into a whimper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Be good, don’t go snitching on us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo solemnly tossed it a piece of jerky, and the dog, now thoroughly subdued, wagged its tail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, he suddenly felt like a thief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait—why did he think \"again\"?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sneaking out in broad daylight with a sheltered little girl—if they got caught... he’d definitely be hung up and beaten when he got home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a dream, this is a dream...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you never been outside before?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo didn’t know much about Little Ice Cube’s life before she came to his family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I went out once, to see a doctor. I woke up in the clinic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Ying Bing let herself be led forward, her eyes brightening slightly as she took in the scenery beyond the manor walls—equal parts curious and timid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hint of the lively, radiant spirit befitting her age seemed to flicker back into her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amused, Li Mo deliberately let go of her hand and quickened his pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Ice Cube would purse her lips in displeasure, trot a few steps to catch up, and silently extend her hand, waiting for him to take it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked like a winter sprite heralding spring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tiny but adorable...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing’s small hand hovered mid-air, fingers curling slightly. \"What did you say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo put on a serious face:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I said, since I’m the first friend to take you out to play, shouldn’t you call me ‘big brother’?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you’re younger than me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Ying Bing tilted her head, eyeing him in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s what happens when you stay cooped up—you miss out on common knowledge.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo declared confidently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Among good friends, it’s a Qinghe County tradition for girls to call boys ‘big brother.’ Look, Uncle Ying is younger than Auntie, but sometimes even she calls him ‘big brother.’\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Ying Bing’s gaze drifted, as if searching her memory, her expression blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was true—Mother did occasionally call Father ‘big brother’...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But was it the same?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Studying Li Mo’s earnest, slightly chubby face, Little Ice Cube lowered her eyes, the frost in them quivering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Big... big brother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he’d been the one to coax her, the moment those two crisp syllables reached his ears, Li Mo felt as if struck by lightning, his whole body tingling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Phoenix Heaven Empress, the future protagonist of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, she’d just call him \"brat\"!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this was the baby version of Ice Cube—not the aloof, ethereal Frost Immortal she’d become.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was exactly why!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gap moe hit its peak in this moment, enough to drain anyone’s HP instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even Ultraman could withstand this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Happy now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mhm... Of course! Let’s go—whatever you want to eat today, I’ll buy it. Have you ever tried candied hawthorns or donkey rolls?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo’s scalp prickled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muttering to himself, he led her onward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as they walked, he noticed her small hand tightening in his grip. When he glanced at her face, he saw traces of pain, her fair forehead beaded with sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With every step outward, her suffering deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It hurt so much her vision blurred, as if she’d lost all awareness of the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he truly take in their surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing River still flowed in the distance, and the New Year’s market below bustled with noise—yet between these scenes and the Ying Family Manor stretched vast blankness, invisible from a bird’s-eye view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a pencil sketch erased in patches, leaving hollow gaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ying Family Manor’s mountain stood as an island amidst the void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little Ice Cube was unconscious when she went out to see the doctor...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"People can’t dream of things they’ve never seen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So everything beyond the Ying Family Manor—places she’s never been—are unreachable in her dream?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it in gaming terms, the distant market and Qing River were just \"textures.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the Ying Family Manor was interactive. Right now, he was leading Little Ice Cube straight into an \"invisible wall\"!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her grow paler by the second, Li Mo didn’t dare press forward. He quickly guided her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we can’t leave, we can’t escape before the ‘New Year’s Beast’ arrives.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What now? Fight it head-on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Little Tyrant of the Divine Hammer,\" Li Mo, ranked fourth among the Hidden Dragons, could hold his own against mid-to-late sixth-tier opponents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was Ice Cube’s dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, he was just a kid. Forget a calamity beast—even the little yellow dog’s mother could chase him down the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their only hope was to wake the dream’s \"owner.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In one’s own dream, they were invincible...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Time’s running out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky leaned toward dusk as Li Mo turned to Little Ice Cube.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Weren’t we going to the market?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Ying Bing had no memory of what just happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mind still lingered on the moment she’d called Li Mo \"big brother,\" expecting him to take her out to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo led her back inside:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s getting late. If Uncle Ying and Auntie can’t find us at dinner, they’ll worry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Ying Bing pulled her hand free, her expression cool and serious, faintly echoing the aura of the grown Ice Cube:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Li Mo.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You lied. You’re a bad kid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, he’d tricked her into calling him \"big brother,\" but no one wanted to take her away from here more than he did!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it was impossible—and now Little Ice Cube didn’t even remember what happened. How was that fair?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now she was angry, refusing to let him hold her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait—we might not get to go out today, but I can draw it for you! Pick where you want to visit, and next time we’ll head straight there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You... can draw?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh, ‘can’ is an understatement. Fetch me ink and brush!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo’s eyes gleamed—mention of drawing had sparked an idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, dreams couldn’t conjure things one had never seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So his drawings would be entirely new to Little Ice Cube, wouldn’t they?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, he would paint the Qingyuan Sect, paint the Autumn Water Pavilion, and even paint the grown-up ice block—Ying Bing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing those unfamiliar yet familiar scenes might stir something within her, awakening her self-awareness?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a perfect two-for-one solution!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected of you, the brilliant little Li Mo!\u003C\u002Fp>",1257,"2026-05-30T17:19:00.270Z","2026-06-01T04:31:46.286Z",1,"novelbin.me","345e30edad31aa7f89d08092a0de1e2f12a8ecb02dffebf0afad32bcb90fcc25","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-370","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-368",737,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finvesting-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-cover.jpg"]