Chapter 1

"Mom, Ethan was mean to me today."

The little heroine nestled into my arms, all soft cheeks and the clean scent of a freshly washed child. Her face was as round as a marshmallow.

I couldn't resist gently pinching one chubby cheek. "What did he do?"

Lily White buried her face against me, embarrassed.

"He kissed my cheek. And he called me his wife…"

She looked up at me with wide, bewildered eyes.

"Ms. Walker says it means he likes me. Like when you kiss my cheek. But it feels weird. I don't want him to."

This was serious. I took her little hand.

"Come on. We're going to talk to your teacher."

Ten days earlier, I'd accidentally fallen into this erotic webnovel. Then the authorities shut down the website, leaving me trapped inside it.

Something must have gone wrong on the way in. Instead of becoming some random passerby, I'd become the heroine's mother, a woman who barely existed in the background. And I'd arrived while the heroine was still in elementary school.

My conscience had apparently taken the day off when I read the book. But after ten days of actually living with this little girl, I could no longer think of her as words on a screen.

Whenever I thought about the seven male leads who would one day force themselves on my daughter, I wanted to turn into a human wood chipper and confiscate their offending equipment.

At school, I found Lily's teacher and asked to see the security footage.

There it was, plain as day. That little brat Ethan Grant followed Lily around from morning to afternoon, staring so hard his eyes practically fell out.

They shared a desk. In class and out, he wouldn't leave her alone. He tugged her hair and snatched her textbooks.

During recess, he used his extra height to put her hair tie on top of the doorframe, then demanded that she beg before he'd get it down.

During a game in PE, he grabbed her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I like you, Lily! When we grow up, I'm going to marry you!"

Lily tried to push him away. When he wouldn't move, her mouth crumpled and tears spilled down her cheeks.

Ethan kept an arm around her shoulders and announced to the whole class, "Lily's mine!"

Watching the footage, the teacher smiled knowingly.

"Oh, Ms. White, you have no idea how much Ethan adores her. He's her little protector! He even gets upset when other boys want to play with her."

My face went cold.

"Children don't always know better. Adults are supposed to. Lily has made it perfectly clear that she doesn't like this. Instead of correcting Ethan's behavior, you're proud of it? Who are his parents? Please call them. I'd like a word."

The teacher blinked, then gave an awkward laugh.

"They're only playing. Isn't this taking things a little too seriously? Children are innocent. He doesn't mean any harm."

"Their innocence is exactly why I won't let Lily keep believing this is acceptable." I looked at her. "Make the call, Ms. Walker."

In the book, the grown heroine supposedly "agreed" to be passed among seven men. It was hard to believe that conditioning like this had nothing to do with it.

"Deep down, you wanted it."

"You didn't fight me, did you?"

"I only did it because I love you so much."

And on and on.

A small hand tugged mine.

I looked down. Lily was watching me anxiously.

"Mom, am I making trouble for you?"

My heart softened. I crouched until we were eye to eye.

"No, Lily."

"You are never trouble."

Chapter 2

Ethan's father arrived soon afterward.

Broad shoulders, long legs, a narrow waist. Handsome enough to walk straight onto the cover of a celebrity magazine.

He stepped out of a luxury car. Before we'd even discussed anything, he handed me a shopping bag containing a designer purse that must have cost thousands.

His smile was polished.

"I'm sorry. I'm raising Ethan alone. His mother died when he was very young, and work keeps me so busy that I can't always give him the attention he needs. This was just a misunderstanding. I hope you won't take it to heart."

"A misunderstanding?"

I frowned.

"Ethan and Lily are old enough to understand the difference between boys and girls. Calling his behavior a misunderstanding isn't appropriate. And he's stopping her from playing with other children. It's seriously affecting her time at school."

"Ethan's a boy. Naturally, he's a little bolder about expressing his feelings. Little girls are shy. Lily might not mind as much as you think."

He turned to the miniature version of himself beside him.

"Go on. Ask her properly."

Ethan moved close to Lily, his lower lip sticking out.

"You really don't like me? Then why did you take the candy and hair clips I gave you?"

Lily glanced nervously at me.

"I gave you presents too," she said quietly. "We're friends."

"We give each other presents, and you still say you don't like me?"

He pressed harder. Lily twisted the fabric of her shirt between her fingers.

"I do like you, but…"

Before she could finish, he cheered.

"You like me, and I like you! That makes you my wife! What's wrong with kissing my wife?"

Beside them, Ms. Walker beamed.

"What a clever little boy."

I was so angry I could have breathed fire. A child's parent was the first person responsible for his behavior, so I addressed Ethan's father directly.

"Do you still think there's nothing wrong with the way your son thinks?"

He studied me for a moment. His smile turned suggestive.

His reply had absolutely nothing to do with my question.

"You're a single mother too, aren't you? Using the children just to get a meeting with me… Keep the bag. You'll find what you're looking for inside."

Excuse me?

I opened the purse.

Inside was a sheer lace nightgown.

I swung the whole thing at his head.

"The only thing I'll take from you is your father's urn!"

His eyes lit up.

"Oh, is that your fantasy? Being my young stepmother? Unfortunately, both my parents are alive. No need to go to all that trouble."

Dear God.

Words failed me.

Was there a single normal man in this entire world?

At home, I thought and thought until my brain practically melted.

Then I came up with a brilliant solution.

That very night, I signed Lily White up for sanda.

Chapter 3

Day one of an erotic-webnovel heroine learning sanda:

Her instructor looked concerned. "Why teach a little girl to fight? Lily's so pretty. Wouldn't dance or piano lessons make more sense?"

Day seven:

Her instructor looked ready to cry. "I've never taught a child with less natural ability! She trips over flat ground. The slightest bump leaves a bruise. She has no muscle tone at all. I'm starting to wonder whether she'll ever develop any!"

One month in:

Her instructor's eyes shone. "Yes! Now this is talent! No matter how hard she trains, she's completely recovered by the next day. Extraordinary flexibility, incredible endurance… This child is a born martial artist!"

Lily's first day back at school was an open day for parents. I made a point of attending.

The moment Ethan saw her, he hurried over like a dog that had caught the scent of meat.

"Lily! I missed you so much! Where have you been?"

He crowded closer, trying to press himself against her.

Her little face hardened.

"Ethan, I don't like that. I'm warning you. If you touch me again without asking, I'll hit you."

Several parents chuckled indulgently at the fierce declaration in such a young voice.

"Someone's got a temper."

"Be a gentleman, Ethan. Let her have her way."

Ethan laughed too.

"You're a girl, Lily. You're not as strong as me. You can't beat me."

"Can't I?"

After a month of training, she wasn't so easy to fool.

She pressed her lips together and caught the hand he reached toward her.

One pull. One trip.

Ethan went over her back and landed flat on his own, yelping, his limbs flailing.

The parents stared.

He scrambled up, red-faced.

"Lily White! How can you be so rough? You're a violent freak! I don't like you anymore!"

He raised his voice so the whole class could hear.

"Lily hits people! Nobody play with her!"

His father's face darkened too.

"What's a little girl doing behaving like a thug? Has nobody taught you any manners?"

The parents chimed in, one after another. The light faded from Lily's eyes. She lowered her head, shrinking beneath the adults' towering scrutiny.

"Girls should be gentle and quiet."

"Keep that up, Lily, and no boy will ever want you."

"Ethan was only joking. You didn't have to take it seriously."

I was still among the parents, just about to step forward, when Lily shouted, "You're not being fair!"

I stopped.

My sweet, soft-spoken little heroine, who usually had all the temper of a cotton ball, was flushed with anger. Her eyes were wide and fierce as she glared at the adults around her.

"Are all of you Ethan's mom and dad? No? Then why are you all taking his side? He did something wrong too! Why am I the only one getting told off?"

The parents looked away, uncomfortable. None of them answered. They just murmured and laughed among themselves.

"She's got quite a mouth on her."

That made Lily angrier.

"Why won't you look at me? Why won't you answer? Why won't you listen? Ethan called me a violent freak. Why aren't you telling him off?"

Ethan's father looked down his nose at her.

"Was he wrong? You're a little girl who hits boys. What else would you call that? Ethan was enough of a gentleman to let it go. Do you honestly think you could beat him?"

"You're his dad! Of course you take his side!"

His brows snapped together.

"How dare you talk back to an adult!"

Lily tipped her head back and stared him down. Tears quickly filled her eyes, but she didn't retreat a single step.

I smiled, proud of her.

My daughter was trying so hard. Her mother couldn't let her down.

Chapter 4

"A group of adults ganging up on one little girl."

I stepped out of the crowd and fixed Ethan's father with an icy look.

"How very gentlemanly."

Lily flew into my arms, tears spilling down her face.

"Mom!"

Mr. Grant gave me a tight, humorless smile.

"Good. You're here. I'd like to know what you've been teaching your daughter, going around hitting people."

"Lily warned Ethan. This wasn't an unprovoked attack. She was making that warning stick. He doesn't seem to understand her words, so this is how he'll have to learn."

"He was only joking! You're being completely unreasonable!"

I walked right up to him and pinched his backside.

"Aw. It's tiny, but it's cute."

He stared at me.

Under my faintly suggestive smile, his face slowly turned a furious shade of gray.

Then I let the smile drop.

"Only joking. A big, strong man like you wouldn't make a fuss over a little woman, would he? Surely not. Oh, goodness. I've never met a man with so few manners."

The teacher hurried to intervene.

"Ms. White, he speaks without thinking. He doesn't mean any harm."

"His mouth seems to be directly connected to his backside. Nothing going on in between."

I took Lily's hand.

"Ms. Walker, we're transferring schools."

Except the damned plot wouldn't let us.

I went to the head of year. I went to the principal. I couldn't get a transfer or even a change of class. In the end, Lily had no choice but to return to the same room.

The moment she appeared in the doorway, Ethan led the other children in a chant.

"The violent freak's here! Run for your lives!"

He made a show of covering his head and scurrying around, turning the classroom into chaos.

The teacher slammed down her chalk.

"Lily White! What are you standing there for? Come in! Are you trying to waste the whole class's time?"

Lily froze.

"But it wasn't me…"

"She's plainly decided to blame you. Why should you have to prove yourself?"

I calmly walked Lily to her seat, then gave the teacher a look of weary apology.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize Ethan was so fragile. One rejection and he falls to pieces. Please be patient with him. He may be a boy, but he's much more sensitive than any of the girls."

Then I turned to Ethan with my most earnest expression.

"A student's first priority should be learning. You can't beat Lily in a fight, and now your grades are worse than hers too. Aren't you just telling the whole class you're not good at anything? What do you think, Mr. Meltdown?"

Ethan looked as though he'd been struck by lightning.

Very slowly, he sat down.

Male lead one: game over.

Lily gazed at me in awe.

I sighed inwardly.

Right. Along with Muay Thai, kickboxing, and sanda, I'd better sign her up for debate and logic classes.

Under my wise and magnificent leadership, Lily made it safely through elementary school.

But a bigger challenge was waiting.

When she got her first period, she began to give off a strange fragrance.

It was the novel's built-in lure for its male leads. According to the story, any man who smelled it would lose control and refuse to leave her alone.