Ch 90: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

Compared to the bustling town earlier, the location of Ruan Cha’s house felt like an entirely different world—serene versus noisy. If it weren’t for the fact that it was less than a ten-minute drive away from the town, one could easily say they lived deep in the mountains.

And because the latter half of the road was so desolate and there weren’t any tall trees blocking the view, Liang Cunjin was pretty sure he hadn’t imagined things earlier.

Unconvinced, he turned around for another look. Sure enough, there were two roads branching at the end of the path they came from—one turned right up the mountain, leading to a courtyard house he’d spotted earlier, and the other curved left, which was the direction their car was now headed.

Liang Cunjin rubbed his eyes. The two roads were still clearly visible before him.

“…Did I really see it wrong?”

The road to the left was flat, with a lake beside it. A wooden bridge and a gazebo sat over the water, and beside them were three white-walled, grey-tiled courtyards. Compared to villas, the courtyards weren’t particularly large, but from the outside, it seemed they could house seven or eight people comfortably.

Before they got out of the car, Ruan Zhengfei pointed to the lake ahead. “Cunjin, Fu Chen, if you get bored, you can go fishing at the lake. I raised the fish myself. It’s been half a year since we’ve been back, so they’re probably quite fat now. There are rods and bait at home—take whatever you need.”

“But the weather’s still a bit cold, so don’t expect the fish to bite much.”

Just as he finished speaking, several plump koi leapt out of the lake and splashed back in.

Ruan Zhengfei: “…”

Can you guys at least pretend to respect the temperature?

Liang Cunjin’s eyes lit up. He wanted to walk back and take another look at the split path—and maybe ask Fu Chen if he’d seen it too.

Did I really just imagine it?

He quickly came up with a plan and started sending desperate signals to Fu Chen.

But unfortunately, Fu Chen was still quietly thrilled about being called “family” by Wei Jiao, and completely ignored him. “Uncle Ruan, why don’t we help you clean up the yard first? We’re not going back to Nanshi until Sunday afternoon anyway—if we want to fish, there’ll still be time.”

Ruan Zhengfei nodded and rolled their luggage toward the courtyard. “Sounds good. Let’s check out the yard. I always say, living in the town is no worse than living in Nanshi. Don’t you guys think the air feels fresher here? Everything’s close by, and we can just ride a scooter into town whenever.”

Liang Cunjin glanced once more at the forked road—yup, still two paths. He could only accept that he’d imagined things. Scratching his head, he agreed with Ruan Zhengfei, “Definitely fresher than Nanshi. Actually, this spot feels even cleaner than the town we passed through earlier.”

Though Nanshi often ranked among the top in national air quality, Liang Cunjin had traveled all over the country for filming and could tell the difference instantly.

The Ruan family’s town was surrounded by mountains, yet the air was even fresher than some remote mountain villages he’d visited before. Just breathing it in was calming.

Ruan Cha pointed toward the third courtyard at the end and explained to Fu Chen, “That one belonged to Grandpa Yang. He moved back to Nanshi later, but we kept the place.”

Then she pointed at the other two. “Our house is the second one. The first one is used by my mom for seed cultivation.”

Fu Chen looked up. The three courtyards all had similar layouts—like simple, modern versions of traditional siheyuan homes. “Did your family build these?”

“My grandpa built them. Then my dad fixed them up. He originally said one courtyard for himself, one for my mom and dad, and the last one…” Ruan Cha trailed off, feeling it might be awkward to finish.

Before she could think of how to phrase it, David—who had followed them—chimed in cheerfully, “Zhengfei said the third courtyard’s for when Cha Cha grows up and gets married.”

Ruan Cha’s face turned red. “David-uncle!”

Liang Cunjin laughed. “Oh? Our little Cha Cha’s already planning to bring home a husband? Alright, alright—once you start college, your second cousin here will help keep an eye out.”

Fu Chen: “…”

Honestly, even Ji Feiyang is a better wingman than you.

As he looked over at Ruan Cha chatting with David, Fu Chen secretly thought: When we graduate, if I confess and tell her she can live anywhere she wants after we marry… would that improve my chances?

Wei Jiao opened the door and saw the dead flowers on the shelves but wasn’t surprised. As she called everyone in, she explained, “We’ve been in Nanshi for half a year, so things here have been quiet. Before, friends used to come by all the time—we’d just set up a table in the courtyard and play cards or mahjong.”

She pointed toward three lounge chairs and a low swing under the grape arbor. “Tonight, if you want to stargaze, just lie there. It’s super comfy.”

Ruan Cha grinned and wrapped an arm around her mom’s shoulder. “Mom, you’re already picturing yourself lying there with a fruit platter, watching stars, aren’t you?”

Wei Jiao gave a sheepish cough, not bothering to deny it.

After all, living in Nanshi always made her anxious. But now that she was back in this familiar place, the tension eased. The fear of Ruan Cha being kidnapped by Yu Zheng faded. When the pressure lifted, the urge to enjoy life came back naturally.

Fu Chen glanced at the three Ruan family members smiling so warmly, and he too smiled faintly. He realized that back in their hometown, the Ruan family was visibly different—more at ease, more carefree, and happier.

He had to admit, when he first saw Ruan Cha’s courtyard, he was a little surprised.

He’d already accepted that the Ruan family was rich, and figured they might have built some countryside villa or a secluded forest mansion. What he didn’t expect was that they really just lived in an ordinary courtyard home!

No rock gardens. No ponds. No towering balconies.

Just a simple grape arbor with a few stone tables and stools beneath it. A vegetable patch and small greenhouse near the windows. A few leftover flowers in a corner. And in the shed—a bright yellow electric scooter.

It was plain, but incredibly pleasant. Liang Cunjin nodded. No wonder Uncle Ruan used to say this town was like paradise. Now he really felt like he’d stepped into a modern-day Peach Blossom Spring.

Looking at the courtyard, he finally understood why the Ruan family didn’t think their home was particularly impressive when they moved to Nanshi.

After all—

Just based on appearances, it was a pretty normal country home.

But some assumptions are better left unspoken too soon.

At the front of the group, Wei Jiao opened the door. The living room came into view, the furniture covered in sheets.

A large fireplace sat along the inner wall, with pebble art Ruan Cha made as a child hanging above it. Further in, there was a wide set of floor-to-ceiling windows. In winter, they would install a large, transparent greenhouse over it to keep warm.

Liang Cunjin glanced around and silently revised his earlier opinion. From the outside, the courtyard looked modest. But inside—it was a whole different story.

The house extended horizontally into the hillside. Just eyeballing it, he estimated over a dozen rooms!

He also noticed that all the tables and shelves in the living room were made of teak.

Ruan Zhengfei pointed toward the back and casually explained, “There are plenty of rooms inside. Enough for everyone. Two guest rooms, four bedrooms total, a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, a storage room, a walk-in fridge, a small theater, and a bunch of other rooms. You can go watch movies if you want.”

Hearing that, Liang Cunjin wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He realized that although Ruan Cha’s grandfather didn’t build a three-story Western-style house or a two-story mountain villa, the total floor area of the Ruan family’s home was even larger than if you combined all three floors of one of those little villas!

Wei Jiao gathered up the cloths used to cover the furniture and tossed them into the laundry basket, then turned back toward Ruan Cha, pointing to the far end of the house. “Cha Cha, you and Fu Chen handle tidying up the storage room, okay?”

The storage room only held display cabinets, so it would be a relatively easy task. More importantly, it was where Ruan Cha kept her collectibles—and she valued them deeply.

Ever since one year when Ruan Zhengfei accidentally broke one of her figurines, Ruan Cha hadn’t let him help with organizing them. She always did it herself.

It was probably during those years of organizing her figurines that she developed such steady hands—later, even when she helped care for an erhu at Yang Ruo’s place, she did it like a professional.

Fu Chen pressed his lips together to stop himself from smiling too widely. Not only had Aunt Wei Jiao casually treated him as family, she’d also paired him up with Cha Cha.

The decision to leave the house early this morning instead of having a serious chat with his dad—truly brilliant.

In truth, when Wei Jiao paired Fu Chen with Ruan Cha, it wasn’t because she knew about his feelings for her.

She mainly wanted someone to help her daughter so she wouldn’t have to do all the work alone. Plus, Fu Chen wasn’t a family member like Liang Cunjin, so she was worried he might feel out of place otherwise.

Ruan Cha was clearly thrilled at being assigned the storage room. After all, the moment she came home, she’d been dying to check in on her treasures.

She nodded and waved to Fu Chen. “Fu Chen, come on—let me show you the collection I’ve been building for over ten years!”

Fu Chen’s eyes softened with amusement. “Okay.”

Watching the two of them head off one after the other, Liang Cunjin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Cha Cha and little Fu Chen seem to have a great sibling bond. Makes me, the second cousin, feel a little jealous.”

Besides… did Fu Chen really act like a brother?

That didn’t add up. Back when Meng Yu lived in the house, only he and their older brother could tell what was going on. As for Fu Chen, his manner had always been polite but distant—not at all like someone who longed for a younger sister.

Hearing Liang Cunjin’s comment, both Ruan Zhengfei and Wei Jiao exchanged a look. They both thought the same thing:

You think they look like siblings? Why don’t you go ask Fu Chen yourself if he wants to be Cha Cha’s brother?

Ruan Zhengfei sighed inwardly. He and Wei Jiao were way too open-minded. Otherwise, who else would let a boy like Fu Chen hang around their daughter like this?

Of course, there were reasons they could rest easy.

First, most of what Fu Chen and Cha Cha talked about was studying. Second, Fu Chen was a decent young man. With him watching over their daughter, they actually felt more secure—not so worried she’d be taken advantage of by someone else.

—

Meanwhile, back in a high-end apartment in Nanshi, the oppressive atmosphere had completely lifted. The room was filled with joy and relief.

“Ayan, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?” Jiang Yuxing sat at the edge of the bed, holding an empty glass vial in one hand and gently grasping Yu Zhiyan’s wrist with the other. His expression was full of concern. “There’s warm congee in the kitchen. Want me to get you a bowl?”

After returning to the apartment, Jiang Yuxing had immediately given his brother the special medicine. Within minutes, the constant coughing that had plagued Yu Zhiyan—waking him up in the middle of the night and leaving him restless—finally stopped. He slept soundly, like someone who had never been sick.

From 9 p.m. last night to the afternoon of the next day, he didn’t wake up once.

Watching his younger brother sleep so peacefully, Jiang Yuxing felt both regretful and relieved.

Other than leaving briefly to cook meals, he had stayed by the bedside the entire time, not even looking away—hoping that when Yu Zhiyan opened his eyes, he’d be the first person he saw.

In all honesty, Yu Zhiyan was better off being cared for in a hospital.

But both he and his brother knew that even if he spent months or years there, there was no cure for the TS genetic defect. Otherwise, Yu Zheng wouldn’t have gone to such extreme lengths, spending massive resources on experiments.

Compared to a cold, lifeless hospital room, Yu Zhiyan would rather spend his remaining time living with the brother he rarely got to see.

As for earning enough points to buy medicine? They had never really hoped for that. A single dose cost 5,000 points—Jiang Yuxing could die of old age before saving up that much.

Instead of wasting what little they had, Yu Zhiyan thought it better to give the points to Ruan Cha. Helping her survive was more worthwhile than prolonging his own life.

Having just woken up, Yu Zhiyan was still a little groggy.

After a while, he opened his palm and studied it, his voice still raspy from past coughing fits. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. I don’t feel like coughing. Even the aching in my joints is gone.”

Then he looked up at Jiang Yuxing, eyes rimmed red. “Ge, am I… cured?”

He had always known that his illness came from Yu Zheng, but at the time, he didn’t have the strength to resist—and couldn’t even call the police due to the system controlling him.

To think, someone like him, whose death had basically been pre-written, might actually survive?

Under the covers, Yu Zhiyan pinched himself.

It hurt.

So he wasn’t dreaming.

“You’re cured. You’re completely cured.” Jiang Yuxing pulled him into a hug, tears falling freely for the first time. “You silly kid… why didn’t you tell me what was going on? From now on, don’t hide anything from me again, okay? We’re brothers—we face things together.”

Of course, Jiang Yuxing had conveniently forgotten that he himself had once kept plenty from his little brother.

Yu Zhiyan lowered his gaze. “I won’t hide things anymore.”

He didn’t say anything else aloud—but in his heart, he silently whispered:

Thank you, Ruan Cha.

One reason he had insisted on giving the points to Ruan Cha was because she had been targeted by Yu Zheng. If she had the points, she’d have a better chance of surviving.

Another reason was… to say sorry on behalf of his past self, who stood by and watched in silence.

Yu Zhiyan had always known about Yu Zheng and Ren Qingqing’s plans.

To him, Ruan Cha was even more pitiful than himself. At least in the lab, he knew his role and accepted his fate. But Ruan Cha—she had been dragged into this without knowing a thing, blindfolded and gagged, suffering under Ren Qingqing the entire time.

Yet the reality had shocked even him.

Despite being “blind and deaf,” Ruan Cha had caused Ren Qingqing to fail repeatedly—eventually leading to system backlash.

And for the first time, Yu Zhiyan witnessed Yu Zheng—always calm and composed—completely lose control. In that moment, he’d even felt a sliver of gratitude toward her.

During the second week of Ren Qingqing’s string of failures, Yu Zhiyan had been sent to Second High to watch Ruan Cha, becoming her classmate.

But thanks to a single bottle of water, he ended up telling her the truth—and helped her secure the top spot in the grade.

Coming back to the present, Yu Zhiyan gave a bitter smile.

Ruan Cha probably figured it all out long ago—his role in the early stages of the plot. But even so, she still bought the medicine and had Jiang Yuxing deliver it.

He owed her a life.

—

Meanwhile, back in the town, Ruan Cha couldn’t hear any of Yu Zhiyan’s inner thoughts.

And even if she could, she’d probably just shrug and say:

No, you’re wrong.

I’m not blind or deaf.

I can see just fine—and I’ve got ears like a hawk.

Ruan Cha led Fu Chen to the storage room at the far end of the courtyard, each of them holding a clean cloth.

She pushed open the door and windows to let some fresh air into the room that had been sealed for half a year, then turned to Fu Chen and said, “Let’s just wipe things down a bit. I’m planning to move all of this to Nanshi on Sunday.”

It would be easier to take care of there, and she could look at everything whenever she wanted.

Fu Chen naturally agreed. “Alright.”

The room was neatly organized, with six glass display cases inside.

At a glance, Fu Chen noticed that four of the cabinets were filled with character models from a game Ruan Cha had always loved. As for the remaining two—one held a variety of anime figures, and the other contained a plain wooden box.

Ruan Cha, with a freshly washed cloth in hand, was about to start wiping the cases when she saw Fu Chen’s gaze lingering on the game figures. She asked, “Fu Chen, do you like game figures too? If you like any, just pick one to take with you.”

Though she cared a lot about her collection, Ruan Cha was generous when it came to friends who truly appreciated the same things.

Last time, when Liang Cunjin brought over some figures, she’d even picked out a limited edition from the bunch to gift to Xie Changan as a New Year present—technically a borrowed flower to offer as a gift.

Fu Chen opened the cabinet and began carefully wiping it down. Then he looked up at her, eyes steady and focused. “I was thinking… if someday I could make a game you really love.”

One you’d love so much that just seeing anything related to it would make you think of me right away.

Ruan Cha continued gently removing and cleaning her figures. She smiled. “If it’s from you, I believe you’ll pull it off.”

“I really liked the suggestions you made for the mobile game plan. I’ve even dreamed about it—hoping the company will finish the development quickly so I can be the first to play.”

At home, Fu Chen was used to helping his dad clean and sort ceramics and paintings. Knowing how much these figures meant to Ruan Cha, he treated them with the same level of care. And honestly, based on value alone, this room full of collectibles probably added up to several million.

Hearing her praise, a faint smile played on his lips. “Speaking of the game, once my family’s full-dive VR tech is ready, we could move your city-builder game into that space. Some of the mechanics you designed—you really need to experience them in person to appreciate them fully.”

The Fu family’s current full-dive VR research had reached around 67% realism. In a few more years, once it hit 80%, they’d launch it publicly, and then optimize until they hit 90%+. As for 100% realism, Fu Chen hadn’t given up hope—but he doubted it would happen in the next decade. After all, realism covered more than just visuals. It included touch and all sensory feedback.

“Then you’ve got a big mission ahead of you, Fu Chen.” Ruan Cha laughed and encouraged him sincerely, fully aware of how much work it would take.

Just then, she suddenly remembered something. She closed the cabinet door and walked to another one in the back.

The next moment, she pulled out a small wooden box and placed it on the floor while saying, “We were just talking about games, and it reminded me—there’s a game console Grandpa left behind in here last year. It ran out of power, so I just locked it in the box.”

Inside the box were not just the game console, but also a pile of birthday gifts Grandpa had sent over the years, and some old crafts and class projects Ruan Cha had made in school—all kinds of little things filling the whole space.

She rummaged through and pulled out a black console, handing it to Fu Chen. “Here, looks a little old. Grandpa kept saying he’d come get it, but he never showed. When he heard it had no battery, he told me to just stash it away.”

Honestly, Ruan Cha was just feeling happy and wanted to share her little treasure trove with a good friend.

Fu Chen turned the console over in his hands a few times. Then, with a click, something popped out. He held it up and waved it in front of Ruan Cha. “Solar panel. Looks like it just needs an hour or two of sunlight.”

Solar panel???

Ruan Cha grabbed it to inspect for herself.

Thanks to the reading she’d done while working on her chip report, she’d learned a bit about batteries—including solar-powered ones.

Sure enough, the thing in her hand was exactly that.

She glanced outside. It wasn’t quite 3 PM, and the sun was still shining. She looked at Fu Chen. “Hold on, I’m gonna go stick this outside and let it charge.”

“Alright.” Fu Chen nodded and watched her dash out of the storage room, then lowered his gaze to the console again.

There was one thing about this console he hadn’t mentioned.

From the build and materials, it didn’t look like something from the current market. And if it was solar-powered, why hadn’t Grandpa told Cha Cha directly? Was he afraid she’d get addicted?

As he was thinking, his eyes drifted to a handmade school project drawn in crayon. The writing was childish, and in the center was a drawing of three people.

Though it was rudimentary, anyone who knew the Ruan family would recognize the traits of Ruan Dad, Ruan Mom, and Ruan Cha.

Fu Chen slowly crouched down and picked it up. As he read the naive, innocent words, a smile crept onto his lips. He could picture a tiny version of Ruan Cha, hunched over a table with a fistful of crayons, seriously coloring away.

As he flipped it over, he noticed faint writing showing through. The handwriting on the back… looked a lot like how Ruan Cha writes now.

To Cha Cha ten years from now

Tonight I was lying on the couch with Mom and Dad watching Sleeping Beauty. When the prince kissed the princess to wake her up, Dad did the same to Mom and kissed her forehead.

Mom asked me what kind of prince I’d want in the future.

I thought about it and said I didn’t want a prince. I wanted a knight. Because when a princess marries a prince, they probably have to live in a castle and deal with a bunch of things. Sounds exhausting.

But if the princess has a knight, the knight can take care of the stuff! And wherever the princess wants to go, the knight can go with her!

Then Mom asked me what kind of knight I wanted.

Hmm…

I said I wanted a knight who was super super handsome!

Cha Cha ten years from now, I wrote my wish on our family photo craft. Whether you’ve found your knight or not, you better give a full report. If you have, don’t forget to draw him into the family photo. [smiley face]

— xx year xx month xx day

Fu Chen’s eyes lingered briefly on the word “knight,” and then stayed a long, long while on “super super handsome.”

Hearing Ruan Cha’s footsteps returning, he quickly put the craft back where it was and fell silent.

In Cha Cha’s eyes…

Did he qualify as super super handsome?

…

Sandy: Release schedule – 7 chapters on either Friday or Saturday.