Ch 89: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

Inside the car, Ruan Cha was listening to an audiobook when the system’s voice suddenly popped up in her ear.

[Student Ruan Cha, why did we spend 10 energy points to give Jiang Yuxing a stealth shield?] The system’s use of the word “spend” carried a distinct tone of “waste.”

Ruan Cha looked out the window, expression calm. “Because I’m afraid Yu Zheng will try to snatch him. I paid 50 points for that medicine—if Yu Zheng steals it, wouldn’t that be a huge loss?”

“Yu Zheng spent more than ten years training Yu Zhiyan to become the perfect medicinal subject. He even prepared two laboratories and a professional team.”

As she spoke, Ruan Cha closed the audiobook and patiently explained, “There are only two possible reasons why Yu Zheng would test medicine on Yu Zhiyan. One, even if the soul-swap forbidden spell works, the person he wants to save might still suffer from the TS gene defect, so he’d need medicine to cure it.”

“Two, he wants to be extra cautious. He might want to have the medicine on hand in case something goes wrong.”

After she finished, Ruan Cha smiled. “With Yu Zheng’s personality, if he finds out Jiang Yuxing got the medicine, there’s a good chance he’ll try to steal it. Of course we need to protect Jiang Yuxing and make sure he gets the medicine to Yu Zhiyan safely.”

The system was silent for a moment at her explanation. [Student Ruan Cha, you really are soft-hearted and kind.]

Even though she had already guessed that Yu Zhiyan might have once stood by and watched indifferently, she still bought the medicine to save him—and even thought through every possible angle.

Thinking about the 10 energy points spent, the system felt a sharp sting. Ten whole points! Ruan Cha would have to read half a book or complete half a test to earn that much!

Hearing that, Ruan Cha’s smile didn’t fade—if anything, it deepened. “I wouldn’t say I’m soft-hearted or kind. Think about it, 1128—when we defeat Yu Zheng in the future, and he’s forced to watch Yu Zhiyan, who has the same TS defect, live happily and healthily… don’t you think that’ll sting him?”

She looked down at the white virtual panel, voice calm but cold. “Everyone who rebelled against him will be doing great. And he’ll have nothing.”

Just thinking about it was pitiful.

[…]

Student Ruan Cha… really hasn’t changed at all.

After saying that, Ruan Cha suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, back when that person was sick, you didn’t let the store apply discounts for Yu Zheng, right?”

[At the time, Virus X was active. The store didn’t allow any discounts. Also, Yu Zheng was only bonded to this system for six months, and all the points he earned went into developing his spiritual domain.]

Ruan Cha nodded and didn’t ask further.

By the time she got home, it was already nine o’clock. A few scattered stars were barely visible in the sky, dulled by the city’s lights.

In the Liang household, only Grandpa Liang was in the living room, sipping tea and reading. No one else had returned. Ruan Cha didn’t see her parents, so she casually asked, “Grandpa, my parents aren’t back yet?”

That casual “again” was telling.

Her dad and mom had been coming home late for about half a month during the company and manor acquisition. Then they got back to a normal schedule—but the last couple days, they started staying out late again.

“They’ve been heading out at 8 in the morning and getting back at 10 at night, same routine as you high schoolers.” Grandpa Liang smiled. “Cha Cha, are you enjoying school since jumping a grade? Any trouble adjusting?”

Though curious about her parents’ comings and goings, Ruan Cha didn’t press. “I’m happy! The classmates are friendly and warm—everyone’s really nice.”

“As long as you’re happy.” Grandpa Liang smiled in response. He had already heard about her school life from an old friend, but hearing it straight from her reassured him.

Just then, they heard a car pulling up outside. Ruan Cha thought it was her parents, but when she peeked out, she saw Liang Cunjin leading two people inside, each carrying a couple of large boxes.

Liang Cunjin greeted Grandpa Liang first, then waved excitedly at Ruan Cha. “Cha Cha, come check out the gifts I brought you! You’re amazing—I even bragged about you during today’s show!”

Ruan Cha blinked, confused. “Bragged?”

“Cha Cha, Cunjin was filming an interview this afternoon,” explained an assistant who had followed him in. “The host is known for being sharp-tongued. He asked if your family made you skip a grade just to match that ‘child prodigy’ image online, implying it might be overkill.”

Liang Cunjin picked up where the assistant left off: “To be honest, I didn’t want you to skip a grade—you’ll graduate earlier and go to college sooner, which means we’ll see each other less.”

“But that’s just my selfish wish. It’s not like we were pushing you too hard.” He ruffled Ruan Cha’s hair. “That host hinted you wouldn’t be able to keep up in senior year… then I got your pic in the family group chat—first place on the mock exam! Cha Cha, you’re incredible!”

The assistant, setting down the boxes, added with a grin, “Seriously, the host’s face turned so sour. I later found out his son also goes to Erzhong—ranked 45th on that same exam.”

Ruan Cha couldn’t help but ask, “Second Brother, do you have beef with that host?” She had watched a few of Liang Cunjin’s past interview episodes and realized his public persona was totally different from how he acted at home.

“Of course. Why else would he bring you up, trying to provoke me?”

Then he opened one of the boxes. “Didn’t you say your favorite movie is Harry Potter? Look, I got you the whole LEGO set—Great Hall, Hogwarts Express, the full castle—you name it, it’s in here. Build whatever you want.”

Her eyes lit up as she peeked into the box. But just as she reached for the bricks, Liang Cunjin—still proudly showing off—got whacked in the leg with Grandpa Liang’s cane.

“Ow! Grandpa!” he yelped, hopping on one leg. His usual shameless self in front of assistants, nothing new.

Grandpa Liang gave him a few more solid taps, scolding gruffly, “Calling me Grandpa won’t save you! You little rascal—are you trying to distract your sister? She’s got the college entrance exam in three months! LEGO? Why not just take her to the moon while you’re at it!”

The reminder hit Liang Cunjin like a bolt—right, only three months left until the gaokao, and Cha Cha had skipped a grade!

He quickly raised both hands in surrender. “My bad, I’m guilty, guilty as charged! Cha Cha, you focus on studying and ignore the world. Second Brother will build the whole castle and train for you. Once you’re done with exams, I promise, it’ll all be ready!”

Ruan Cha threw her arms around him, eyes gleaming like crescent moons. “Thanks, Second Brother! You’re the best!”

He beamed with pride. Getting a hug from his little sister? Totally worth getting whacked with a cane. “No need to thank me—it’s what I should do. After your exams, I’ll take you to Universal Studios so you can see the giant version of the castle!”

“Mhm!”

The three of them chatted downstairs for a while, but fearing it was getting too late and might interfere with her rest, Grandpa Liang and Liang Cunjin teamed up and sent Ruan Cha off to bed.

Once she returned to her room on the third floor, she didn’t start studying right away. “1128, last time I asked about the rebound shield—the basic one costs 10 points. What about the advanced one?”

[Rebound Shield – Advanced: 1000 points each. Duration: permanent. Number of rebounds: 5 times. Rebound damage: 100%.]

1,000 points per item… Ruan Cha silently did the math in her head. With the 0.01 discount in the system shop, that meant each one only cost 10 points. After buying the TS special-effect medicine, she currently had 127 points left.

“1128, help me buy eight advanced rebound protection shields.”

[OK. Should I deploy one on you as well, Ruan Cha?] 1128 could activate the shield silently on the chosen targets. The five members of the Liang family and her parents had already been covered—only one remained.

To be honest, 1128 felt a little guilty. It had already located Yu Zheng through DNA tracking, but because of Yu Zheng’s powerful mental domain, it couldn’t attach a rebound shield to him. Otherwise, Ruan Cha wouldn’t have had to spend 80 points on defensive items.

Ruan Cha was pulling a psychology book off the shelf, planning to start reading. “Give it to Canci (Yan Ruocan). I’m worried she might be in danger.”

After all, the family had only been able to uncover Yu Zheng’s mole at Xiji Hotel thanks to Yan Ruocan advising Liang Cunhuai to return to China early. Ruan Cha feared she might be implicated.

[It’s already been deployed to Yan Ruocan’s home. Ruan Cha, you don’t want one for yourself? You still have points left.]

Ruan Cha sat in her chair and shook her head. “No need for now. Didn’t the data say that forbidden spells aren’t affected by rebound shields? We just need to be more careful ourselves.”

[Understood. I will protect Ruan Cha as best I can.]

“Thank you.”

The conversation between human and system was smooth. Seeing that Ruan Cha was reading quietly, Wei Jiao, who had secretly come to check on her daughter, didn’t disturb her. Before leaving, she glanced at the title of the book.

Outside, she immediately pulled Ruan Zhengfei aside and whispered, “Feifei, I just saw Cha Cha reading a book called Psychology and Life. A few days ago, she was reading something like—”

“Personality Psychology,” Ruan Zhengfei filled in. Then he asked, “Jiaojiao, do you think Cha Cha’s been reading so much about psychology because she wants to major in it in the future?”

After Ruan Cha skipped a grade, the two had looked up what high school parents should be doing. One piece of advice was to offer suggestions when the child is choosing a college major.

Wei Jiao thought he had a point and dragged him back to their room. “Let’s look into which domestic universities have the best psychology programs. Before she starts college, we’ll check if we have property nearby.”

Ruan Zhengfei agreed, “Right. Even if we already own property, we should still buy one near the university Cha Cha wants to go to.”

To them, Ruan Cha saying she wanted to attend Nanda (Nanjing University) was just because the whole family currently lived in Nanshi. As open-minded parents, they wouldn’t stand in the way of their daughter’s dreams!

In the past, they thought their only advantage was money—and not even that much, since living in a small town didn’t require spending a lot.

But after living in Nanshi for half a year, and learning a ton while acquiring the company and vineyard, they clearly realized: in today’s world, having more money than you can spend was already a huge deal.

Plus—

They didn’t just have money. They had friends too.

Back in their hometown, everyone shared similar lifestyles. Same water, same sun, same cheating at cards. But after moving, they realized their friends were really impressive—covering all kinds of industries and genuinely good people.

Since they weren’t lacking in money or connections, they believed their daughter should go wherever she wanted, without a hint of psychological burden.

Cha Cha was so sensible. As her parents, they had to be just as mature.

Meanwhile, in her room, Ruan Cha had no idea what her parents were discussing. She also had no clue her dad planned to buy a house near whichever university she’d choose.

After finishing her review plan, she checked in with Fu Chen via WeChat to exchange study updates.

Like Fu Chen had said: since they’d restarted their study group, it was only right to track each other’s progress.

After a few messages, they said good night and logged off. Ruan Cha went to bed, but just before falling asleep, she furrowed her brow slightly. She had meant to tell Fu Chen something… What was it again?

Her mind was foggy. She thought for a while but couldn’t recall, so she hugged her blanket and rolled over. Oh well, it’s Saturday tomorrow. I’ll just tell him then. Time to go visit the God of Dreams.

——

The next day.

Liang Cunjin had no work that weekend, so he stayed at home. In the morning, he waved at the three Ruan family members at the dining table. “Aunt, Uncle, Cha Cha—good morning!”

Even though the three of them had become much more diligent lately, their weekend habit of sleeping until nine hadn’t changed. In the Liang household, they were always the last to have breakfast. Now that Liang Cunjin was back, they were only second to last.

Before they could even respond, the housekeeper arrived with a few others and smiled, “Young Master Chen, you’re even earlier than last weekend.”

“The roads were clear, so I got here faster.” Fu Chen handed over the bag he was carrying. “My father’s friend brought some albino sturgeon caviar. I brought some to share.”

Ruan Zhengfei and Wei Jiao both turned to look at Ruan Cha. “Cha Cha, didn’t you tell Fu Chen we were going out this Saturday?”

Ruan Cha: “…”

So that’s what I meant to say before bed last night.

Fu Chen: “…”

Can I make up an excuse to tag along?

In the dining room, the two youngest said nothing. But their thoughts were running in completely different directions.

Just as Ruan Cha was about to explain, Liang Cunjin finished scooping his porridge and asked, “Going out? Where to? I don’t have work today. Need a 186 cm laborer?”

Ruan Cha pulled out a chair for Fu Chen and replied before explaining, “Back to our hometown.”

Wei Jiao added, “My old orphanage director is turning seventy. There won’t be a banquet, but we’re going to visit and tidy up the house while we’re there.”

While living in the Liang home for half a year, they had occasionally sent someone to clean up the house on the mountain. Only Ruan Zhengfei had returned once to properly cover the furniture.

“Our hometown, huh? Can I come?” Liang Cunjin forgot all about his porridge, his eyes sparkling. “Cha Cha told me you’ve got a whole room of figurines at home! And the town sounds so beautiful every time you talk about it!”

Ruan Zhengfei scratched his head. “If you want to go, go. There’s no press in town. Just bring warm clothes—it’s colder up north.”

Seeing Fu Chen unusually silent, Ruan Cha hesitated a bit, then asked in a low voice, “Fu Chen, we’ll probably be back in Nanshi by Sunday afternoon. Do you… want to come to the town with us?”

Right after asking, she paused. Wait—wasn’t I going to tell him to come tomorrow instead? Why did I suddenly ask him if he wanted to come with us?

“Of course. If your schedule—”

“I do.”

Their voices overlapped. Fu Chen met her wide, almond-shaped eyes and smiled softly. “I’ve always been curious about the town you grew up in. Now that I have the chance, can I go see it with you?”

He added with a warm smile, “My schedule is totally free. Besides studying with you, I haven’t planned anything else this weekend. No need to worry.”

With everything said and done, Ruan Cha couldn’t exactly say no—especially since she was the one who invited him in the first place. Besides, deep down, she really did want to bring her friends to visit her hometown.

Speaking of friends, Ruan Cha perked up with interest. “Fu Chen, how about we ask Nannan and the others if they want to come too?”

Fu Chen thought about it seriously, then gave an equally thoughtful answer. “Let’s not ask them for now. It’s too last-minute, and if they can’t make it, they might feel bad about it.”

After replying, he worried she might push the idea further, so he added a detailed suggestion: “I think we should go first. When summer break comes and everyone has more free time, we can bring them along and stay in town for a week. That way, we can enjoy it properly.”

Ruan Cha rested her chin in her hand and thought it over. She agreed. “You’re right, Fu Chen. If we bring them now—seven or eight people—two days over the weekend won’t be enough. It’d be better to wait until summer break.”

Ruan Zhengfei and Wei Jiao listened quietly to their conversation and exchanged a glance, both remembering what they’d seen in the parking lot yesterday.

In comparison, Fu Chen was impressive for his age. Not only was he openly tagging along on the hometown trip, but he’d also convincingly excluded everyone else with solid reasoning.

Once everything was decided, they set out from home at exactly 10 a.m. Ruan Zhengfei drove, Wei Jiao sat in the front passenger seat, and Ruan Cha was sandwiched in the back between Liang Cunjin and Fu Chen.

Their first stop was the airport, where they’d take a two-hour flight to Jin City, then head to the town. The Ruan family had already bought their tickets early. Fu Chen and Liang Cunjin also booked theirs before leaving for the airport.

The trip wasn’t long, and Jin City wasn’t a huge metropolis, so the five of them had no trouble getting seats in first class. In fact, they were the only passengers in the cabin.

At 1:30 p.m., the group exited the airport, where a seven-seater van was already waiting. As soon as Ruan Cha saw the driver, she waved excitedly. “Uncle David!”

“Cha Cha.” David handed out the drinks he’d bought for everyone, then turned to ask Ruan Zhengfei and Wei Jiao, “Should we grab lunch first or head to the town?”

Wei Jiao waved him off. “No need, we’ll just find a small restaurant in town. It’s all family, we can keep it simple for lunch. Feifei and I will make something big for dinner.”

When Fu Chen heard her say “family,” he casually took a sip of water to hide the small smile tugging at his lips.

—Wei Jiao Auntie said he counted as family.

That one word had Fu Chen so giddy, he barely noticed Liang Cunjin trying to get his attention.

“Hey, Xiao Fu Chen, what’s got you smiling like that? What’re you thinking about?” Liang Cunjin nudged him with an elbow. When Fu Chen looked over, he lowered his voice and pointed discreetly at the man driving. “I’ve seen that guy on TV—he used to be a BBC host. After he quit, he came to our country to be a driver?”

As someone in the entertainment industry, Liang Cunjin had heard his fair share of gossip, including some about David. Seeing him now in person, he’d almost not recognized him.

Hearing “BBC host,” Fu Chen instantly understood where Ruan Cha had picked up her flawless English pronunciation when she did the school radio broadcasts.

“I met him at the Jintao Base last time. He’s the person in charge there. Calls Cha Cha ‘Little Boss.’”

Liang Cunjin: “…”

The one responsible for building the renowned Jintao Base used to be a talk show host?

In that moment, Liang Cunjin, a singer-turned-actor, suddenly felt that maybe he too had the potential to become a future venture capital genius.

Half an hour later, the car left Jin City, winding its way through the outskirts toward the town where the Ruan family lived.

Green mountains stretched out on either side, with blue skies and wispy white clouds overhead.

The rolling hills were cloaked in light, misty fog that wrapped around them in layers, giving the scenery a dreamy, unreal feel.

The first part of town was lively, lined with rows of three-story buildings, bustling with markets, convenience stores, restaurants, hardware shops, and more. They stopped here to eat.

Initially, both Liang Cunjin and Fu Chen assumed Ruan Cha’s home must be somewhere nearby. But after they got back in the car, it kept going—for another six or seven minutes.

This stretch of the town was completely different: quiet, with traditional white-walled, grey-tiled farmhouses. There were no tall buildings, only rows upon rows of greenhouses.

Liang Cunjin craned his neck forward. Seeing that the road only forked to the right, he looked up and spotted a house halfway up the mountain. He was stunned—did they really live up there?

Before he could think more about it, Ruan Zhengfei, sitting in the passenger seat, said, “Go left, David. Don’t get lost now.”

David turned the wheel confidently, chuckling, “Got it.”

From the window seat in the back, Liang Cunjin watched as the car turned left—and froze.

There wasn’t just a road on the left, but a very wide gravel path.

Liang Cunjin: ???

Am I really that young and already losing my eyesight???