Ch 91: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

The first night they arrived in the small town, both Liang Cunjin and Fu Chen slept deeply and peacefully. They were no strangers to forest villas, so they understood exactly what it meant to live in calm, natural surroundings.

But unlike those high-end villas they’d stayed in before, the Ruan family’s courtyard brought a kind of full-body, inside-out relaxation. Their heads had barely hit the pillows before they both drifted off into sweet dreams.

The next day, neighbors and friends of Ruan Dad and Mom, upon hearing they were back, came over one after another with fresh vegetables, fruit, and cooked dishes. Some brought their kids along, and a few younger ones even recognized Liang Cunjin at a glance, crowding around excitedly for autographs.

As for Ruan Cha and Fu Chen, the two youngest there, they were quickly surrounded by curious elders, questioned from school grades to future college plans, and from college plans to post-grad career goals.

Ruan Dad, who was gutting fish in the yard, noticed that Ruan Cha’s smile was already stiff from all the attention. With a chuckle, he cleverly shifted the conversation and sneakily waved for the two of them to make their escape.

Catching the signal, Ruan Cha flashed an “OK” sign, then grabbed Fu Chen and slipped out through the back gate. “Fu Chen, I’m telling you, we’re lucky that most of the aunties and uncles who used to visit a lot have already moved out of town—otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten away so easily.”

“Especially you.” She pointed toward the basketball court ahead. “You’d definitely have been dragged off to play basketball with them.”

Speaking of basketball, Ruan Cha couldn’t help but question her own skills again.

After returning from the Jintao Base, she had searched up some of the uncles who used to play ball on the court. When she found out Uncle David had once worked as a TV host, she figured maybe the other uncles had once been pro coaches or something—and that’s why she always lost to them.

But reality was cruel: they did have Baidu Encyclopedia entries, but not a single one was related to basketball. Staring at their profiles, Ruan Cha finally accepted the bitter truth—her basketball skills were just plain awful.

Fu Chen followed her line of sight and saw a small basketball court just off the main road to the right. A bit further beyond, nestled in the hills, was a small riding stable—just like Ruan Cha had mentioned the day before.

The layout of the area had always seemed slightly odd to Fu Chen. The right side had a basketball court, a stable, and the famous “Three Salty Fish and Cabbage” farm that many people wanted to buy into. But the left side? Aside from a lake and three courtyards, there was nothing else.

Still, odd or not, the vibe was all that mattered—and from the relaxed expressions on the Ruan family’s faces, it was obvious they truly loved this scenery.

Thinking about how Ruan Cha had said she’d send her collectibles back to Nanshi, Fu Chen turned to where she was now sitting on the grass, fiddling with the solar-powered game console. “Cha Cha, do you think you’ll want to live here again in the future?”

“I do.” Ruan Cha plugged in the now-charged solar panel and answered without hesitation. “But probably not for a few years after college. I want to come back and retire here when I’m old.”

After all, she aspired to be a psychologist—she couldn’t exactly live in a remote little town that no one had ever heard of. Her patients would never find her.

She waved Fu Chen over excitedly. “Come look! It powered on! Let’s see what game Grandpa liked playing.”

Fu Chen leaned over, bending down to see the screen—just enough that his figure cast a shadow over Ruan Cha, shielding her from the sun.

As he adjusted his posture, something lightly dropped onto his head, casting even more shade. The faint scent of sunshine and grass wafted around him.

Ruan Cha met his gaze, then pointed up at the oversized straw hat now covering both of them. “You’re way too tall. Let’s sit side by side and use this hat for shade.”

Honestly, the hat was comically huge.

It was a “family hat” that Wei Jiao had custom-woven after measuring all three of their heads. Now with only two people underneath it, the space was more than enough.

Fu Chen’s heart skipped a beat under her bright, sparkling gaze. Just now, when he’d bent over and their faces had gotten close, he felt like his breath had caught in his throat.

He quickly calmed himself and nodded. Following her lead, he sat beside her on the right and helped adjust the hat’s angle.

Once it was in place, the two of them looked down at the screen. On the small screen, there was only one icon—a castle with stars hanging from its turrets.

Ruan Cha tapped it with her finger.

In that moment, silver light burst across the screen, stars rained down, filling the entire background. A small castle rose in the center. Its base was gray, gradually turning white from the bottom up. Once it was fully white, a star tower lit up in the middle.

As she stared at the animation, Ruan Cha frowned. Why did this castle animation look so much like the one she designed for her third version of the game plan?

In the second version of her game plan, the programmers had completed all the early-stage features. So she had taken the time to add a few more visuals in the third version—including this exact castle sequence.

She’d only submitted version three last week. Not even Fu Chen had seen it yet, let alone the company’s programmers.

Was this a coincidence?

She said nothing, focusing intently on the screen to figure out what game her grandfather had been playing.

Because the game hadn’t been updated in half a year, the loading screen was agonizingly slow—stuck at 31%, creeping upward like a turtle.

Meanwhile, Liang Cunjin, just done signing autographs, looked out and spotted Ruan Cha and Fu Chen sitting side by side, sharing a giant straw hat.

As her big cousin, Liang Cunjin narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself—jealous. 100% jealous.

She’d taken Fu Chen to see her secret storage room the moment she got home, and now the two of them were out here dodging chores together?

He put his hands on his hips and yelled, “Dearest sister! Dearest brother! Lunchtime! After lunch we’re flying back to Nanshi, so stop slacking!”

Fu Chen: “……”

Did he really just get downgraded to “brother” like that?

The game screen was still stuck loading. Ruan Cha took off the hat and patted Fu Chen’s arm. “Let’s go eat. My mom’s been working on that hot cabbage dish since yesterday. It’s amazing—you’ve gotta try it.”

“When Jia Jia and the others visit, I’ll ask my mom to make it again, and we’ll take everyone to the stables after.” Ruan Cha was still holding onto the promise she made to Huang Jiajia—between girlfriends, a promise was a promise.

Fu Chen gave a silent nod. When he looked up and saw Liang Cunjin grinning like the sun, he suddenly felt like the man was way too bright. Blinding, even.

The path back to the lower courtyard was a bit narrow, so Fu Chen walked ahead, with Ruan Cha trailing behind, occasionally glancing down at the game console.

Just as she stepped into the yard, the sluggish progress bar finally crawled past 99%… then, with a burst of determination, hit 100%.

Eyes lighting up, Ruan Cha reached for Fu Chen’s arm, eager to show him the animation—but before she could, the screen was suddenly overtaken by a blizzard of static.

In a blink, the screen went blank. Even the lone icon from before had vanished.

Ruan Cha: “???”

Did the thing get a virus just from powering on?

【Ruan Cha, I just ran a scan. The game console you’re holding comes from a high-tech dimension. It doesn’t belong in this one.】

【If devices like that appear in low-tech worlds without being processed by the Marketplace or a proxy, all of their functions will be erased by the dimensional laws.】

Ruan Cha: “…”

So in the end, the marketplace is just a middleman profiting off the price difference?

Wait a second.

Still holding the game console, Ruan Cha fell into deep thought.

The real question was—
Where had her grandfather gotten a game console from a high-tech dimension?

Even after the whole group left the small town and returned to Nanshi, Ruan Cha still hadn’t figured out how her grandfather had come by it.

With no way to contact him, she could only tuck the mystery away in her heart for now, waiting for the right time to ask in the future.

On the final Saturday of March, Nanshi No. 2 High School’s annual campus festival kicked off in full swing.

The students in grades 10 and 11 were buzzing with excitement, busy in their respective classrooms. Even some grade 12 students and parents came by to join the fun.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds and leaves, casting beautiful rings of light on the pond. On either side of the gravel paths, rows of vendor stalls stretched as far as the eye could see.

Ruan Cha, Xu Nan, and Huang Jiajia strolled along with fruit teas in hand, making their way to Class 10’s haunted house in the grade 11 section.

“My god, Xu Shen is actually sitting behind the registration desk? Did the sun rise in the west today?” Huang Jiajia looked at the long line ahead, then watched as girls paid instantly after scanning the QR code. Clicking her tongue, she added, “But he really is the best human banner Class 10 could ask for.”

Each class would donate the money they earned at the festival under their class name. It was fun, meaningful, and boosted everyone’s enthusiasm.

In front of Class 10’s haunted house, Xie Changan was handling the sign-in process while Xu Shen sat lazily behind a table taped with payment codes, relying on his face alone to draw in droves of admirers.

Ruan Cha tossed her empty tea cup in the trash and nodded in agreement. “You’re right. He’s your class’s god of wealth.”

Last time she’d seen Xu Shen, he was heading to the back gate to catch a ride home with Fu Chen. That had been a pretty awkward encounter.

While the three of them chatted in line, a familiar voice suddenly called out, “Ruan Cha, Huang Jiajia, Xu Nan, we’re here!”

Ruan Cha turned around to see Ji Feiyang leading the way, followed by Fu Chen, and—shockingly awake—Xie Sui trailing at the back, holding takoyaki, grilled squid, and a bubble tea.

“You guys came to check out the haunted house too?” Ruan Cha asked in surprise.

Fu Chen shook his head. “Feiyang’s going in. Sleepball and I are staying outside. We’ll wait for you guys, then check out the rest of the festival together.”

They chatted a bit, and soon it was Ruan Cha’s group’s turn in line.

Huang Jiajia pulled three number tags from the box in front of Xie Changan. “Ruan Cha, Huang Jiajia, Xu Nan—46, 57, 59.”

Seeing the three girls, the always indifferent Xu Shen finally looked up.

Truth be told, he’d seen Ruan Cha a while ago. The only reason he’d dragged himself out of bed on a weekend was because he saw in the class group chat that she’d be coming.

Xu Shen felt like he was under a spell—getting ignored for months and still running to catch up like a fool. He had to be sick in the head.

“Okay,” Xie Changan noted everything down and gave the usual rundown. “There are four checkpoints in the haunted house. Collecting all four badges means you pass. The current record is… twelve minutes and thirty-one seconds, with three badges.”

Just before opening the door, he added, “Ruan Cha, you guys are in Group A. You’ll be going through the haunted house at the same time as Group B. So it’s a competition—good luck!”

Ruan Cha nodded, looping arms with Huang Jiajia and Xu Nan. All three radiated confidence. “We’ll break the record for you.”

“Ruan Cha.” Xu Shen finally couldn’t hold back, calling out to her. “I’ll be transferring to Class 1 after midterms.”

During the grade 12 mock exam, the grade 11 students also had a monthly test. As the novel’s male lead, Xu Shen really was a genius—after one week of studying, he’d gone from bottom of the class to 32nd in the entire grade.

At this rate, breaking into the top 20 next month was totally possible.

Ruan Cha paused after hearing him say that and raised an eyebrow. “Congrats?”

Xu Shen: “…”

After tossing out a quick “congrats,” she gave him a polite smile, then said nothing more. She turned and led Huang Jiajia and Xu Nan swiftly into the haunted house. It was Group A versus Group B—no way were they losing!

Xie Changan quietly looked away. He still remembered how Xu Shen had made things hard for Ruan Cha in class. All he could think was: nice one, Ruan Cha.

Because only one group could enter the haunted house at a time, Ji Feiyang hadn’t gotten in yet. After watching Xu Shen and Ruan Cha’s awkward exchange, he nudged Fu Chen and teased, “Hey, you catch that? Looks like Xu Shen’s into Ruan Cha. He’s working hard just to transfer to her class.”

Fu Chen was busy scanning the area for food stalls, hoping to grab something for Ruan Cha when she came out.

He replied in a cool, flat tone, “That’s grade 11 Class 1, not grade 12. Even if he sees her again, he’ll have to call her senior.”
And besides, Fu Chen had already been recognized as part of the family when he visited the town last week—by Aunt Wei Jiao herself.

Could Xu Shen compare?

The way Ruan Cha treated Xu Shen was nowhere near how she treated him, so there was no jealousy there. But as a potential rival? Sure, that was a concern. Still, Fu Chen figured it was only natural—Cha Cha was lovable and outstanding, after all.

As the two chatted, occasional screams rang out from the haunted house. The students waiting outside were clearly used to it.

Inside, though, it was a very different story.

Ruan Cha paused mid-swing, her fist just shy of hitting the ghost in red, whose face was hidden behind long, black hair. Tilting her head, she smiled sweetly. “Hey, could you just hand over the badge? Punching you would hurt.”

The ghost in red: “…”

Three minutes later, Ruan Cha, Huang Jiajia, and Xu Nan reunited at the entrance, each holding a badge in hand. Ruan Cha pointed toward the last checkpoint, still echoing with screams. “Should we reunite the badge family?”

Huang Jiajia was the first to agree, immediately leading the way to the final room.

This fourth checkpoint had the most ghosts—hanged ghosts, headless ghosts, disfigured ghosts. Even though everyone knew they were just students in costume, the dark, cramped space, sticky fake blood, eerie wails, and chilling drafts still made people shudder.

“Wuwuwuwu! Who said this would be fun?! I’m gonna die! Who triggered the lock?! The door won’t open—wuwaaa!”

“Ruobing, didn’t you take self-defense? Go on, go hit them!”

Tang Ruobing trembled atop a stool, keeping herself out of reach. She was bold, sure, but still terrified of ghosts. Hearing her friend’s plea, she nearly burst into tears. “You guys dragged me in here—you go deal with it!”

The students from Class 10 were born pranksters. Seeing how scared she was only made them more gleeful, and their ghost acting reached new heights. They surrounded her, clawing and groaning, “Come playyyy… come playyy~~~”

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

The deafening scream startled Ruan Cha, who quickly punched in the first passcode that came to mind and forced the door open.

As it swung inward, it hit a stool—right as Tang Ruobing was stepping down. The impact knocked her straight back. “AAAAAAH! GHOST! GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

Just as she fell, Ruan Cha caught her in time, holding her firmly while staring at her expressionlessly. Tang Ruobing, meanwhile, had one hand over her eyes and the other flailing wildly.

The students inside were all from Class 10 and recognized Ruan Cha and Huang Jiajia instantly.

Before they could say anything, though, they watched in stunned silence as Huang Jiajia knocked over a headless ghost, and Ruan Cha twisted the wrist of a long-tongued ghost in a clean counter move.

The lone survivor—Disfigured Ghost: “……”

The Disfigured Ghost looked at its defeated ghost teammates, then shifted its focus to the seemingly non-threatening Xu Nan. It stuck out its tongue and tried to make a terrifying face. “Wuuuuu——”

But Xu Nan, usually shy and quiet, only got nervous around real people. When it came to unscientific things like ghosts, she was completely calm. She ignored the “terrifying” ghost that had freaked out others like Tang Ruobing, and without even glancing sideways, calmly took the badge hanging on the wall.

The three ghosts: “……”

Are you guys here to wreck the place?!

Ruan Cha glanced at the tightly-shut-eyed Tang Ruobing, then playfully reached out and touched her face before clearing her throat and teasing with a laugh, “Hey, little beauty, are you throwing yourself into my arms?”

She was used to seeing Tang Ruobing act carefree in the English club, so this was the first time she’d seen her all shy and timid. Ruan Cha couldn’t help being surprised.

Hearing that familiar voice, Tang Ruobing’s eyes shot open. The moment she met Ruan Cha’s amused gaze, she noticed their position—her face flushed crimson, from her ears all the way down her neck, and she scrambled to her feet in a panic.

“Ruan Cha?”

“That’s me.” Ruan Cha waved the badge in her hand. “We were short one badge. Thanks for saving us the trouble—now we’ll go turn them in. See you!”

Tang Ruobing stared in a daze at the three girls walking away. Then she turned her head—and came face to face with the three ghosts again. Her eyes widened, and she bolted, yelling, “Ahhhhhh! Ruan Cha, wait for meee!!!”

Five minutes later, Ruan Cha and her group appeared at the A-group entrance, along with the three kids from Group B, all holding four badges each—causing quite a stir among the onlookers.

Huang Jiajia slapped the badges down on Xie Changan’s desk, chin up, looking proud. “Check the time—did we break the record?”

“You did. You really did,” Xie Changan blinked, clearly amazed. “Eight minutes and twenty-two seconds. Fastest time so far.”

Xu Shen didn’t care about the record. He just stared at Ruan Cha, wanting to say everything on his mind. “Hey, Ruan Cha—”

“Cha Cha, here’s your ice cream.” Fu Chen strolled up just in time, holding out the ice cream he bought from a nearby stall. After passing it over, he turned politely to Xu Shen and corrected with a smile, “Junior Xu Shen, remember to call her Senior next time. Don’t be so casual.”

Xu Shen: “…”

Damn you!

A few weekends back, while studying at the Liang home, Fu Chen had noticed the whole Ruan family really liked ice cream. He didn’t buy it earlier because it would melt, so he waited until she was about to come out. But somehow, Xu Shen still got the chance to speak up first.

“Thank you, Fu Chen.”

Ruan Cha reached for the ice cream, but—

Her hand didn’t make it.

She looked down and then glanced toward the person gripping her wrist: Tang Ruobing. She narrowed her eyes and said, “Keep grabbing and I’ll start charging.”

Snapping back to reality, Tang Ruobing immediately let go and apologized. She’d been dragged in last-minute by friends to build her courage, thinking it wouldn’t be too bad since it was just students in costume. Who knew Class 10 would go all-in?

The moment she remembered falling into Ruan Cha’s arms, she turned red all over again—so embarrassing!

Freed, Ruan Cha finally took the ice cream from Fu Chen, happily scooped out a bite, and sighed in satisfaction. Nothing like ice cream after defeating some ghosts!

In that moment, Ruan Cha suddenly thought: Fu Chen is just too loveable.

Hmm…

She sneaked a peek at Fu Chen, quietly swallowing the melted spoonful of ice cream. What was that word she had just thought of to describe him?

Fu Chen, meanwhile, hadn’t noticed her sneaking glances. Seeing how happy she was with the ice cream, he couldn’t help but smile softly, his eyes full of warmth.

After a few moments of watching them, Tang Ruobing pulled out a gold card from her pocket and shoved it into Ruan Cha’s hand without a word. “Thanks for saving me in the haunted house. This is a little thank-you gift. Catch you later.”

She then grabbed her two friends—one crushing on Fu Chen, the other on Xu Shen—and dragged them away. Crush all you want, but could they save your life like Ruan Cha?

Ruan Cha looked down at the card and instantly froze.

[Seven-Point Star·Limited Valentine’s Day Couple Set Card]

You held onto this Valentine’s Day card all this time… just to give it to me???

Fu Chen happened to glance at it too and, spotting the text, briefly looked a little awkward. Just as he was about to say something—

“Ruan Cha!” a boy in the school uniform ran over, panting and a little sweaty. “Your dad’s here, but I heard someone said he got bumped by a car at the back gate…”

Before he finished, Ruan Cha had already turned to Fu Chen, speaking rapidly: “You guys go have fun—I’m heading to the back gate real quick!”

Her dad may have had a rebound protection shield, but that only worked against intentional harm. If someone hit him by accident, the shield wouldn’t do a thing!

Without another word, she dashed off toward the back gate, so fast that even Fu Chen didn’t have time to grab her. He could only watch as she disappeared into the crowd.

Just as he was about to follow, Fu Chen turned to the boy who delivered the message and instinctively asked, “You heard? Who did you hear it from?”