Author Archives: Thingyan

Yu Xiang’an felt as if she were struggling in a dream. All around her was darkness, and something seemed to be pressing down on her body. She tried to open her eyes, but could not. Her thin eyelids felt as though they were weighed down by a mountain.

It was very quiet around her, or perhaps too quiet. The silence made her uneasy.

Was this a nightmare?

Why hadn’t she woken up yet?

Yu Xiang’an tried to understand what had happened to her. Yes, what exactly had happened?

She forced herself to recall. Ah… she remembered. She and Lin Chuanbai had grown old, had lived full lives. They should have died.

But if she was dead, why did she still have thoughts?

Was this what death was like?

In endless darkness, alone, with nothing else. As if she were floating in the void of the universe.

No… there seemed to be something else. What was it?

Yu Xiang’an focused and listened carefully. The sound felt familiar, yet strange. What was it?

Her mind stirred. As long as it wasn’t just empty nothingness.

In the hospital, Zhang Junli stood anxiously by the bed, watching as the doctor examined her younger daughter. Her daughter had been in a vegetative state for over a year. She had never woken up, and the doctors had said the chances were extremely slim, almost a miracle.

But no matter how slim, Zhang Junli refused to give up.

The human brain was so mysterious. Perhaps her daughter simply hadn’t reacted at the time. Given enough time and care, she might recover.

She would not give up.

The word “miracle” existed because such things had happened. She had looked into other cases. There were indeed patients who woke up after years, even decades, in a vegetative state. The chances were small, but who could say her daughter wouldn’t be the next miracle?

She did not have to worry about the cost of care. Her family could afford it, and even if they could not, they would not have to pay. The family of the little girl her daughter and that kind young man had protected was wealthy, and had earnestly insisted on covering all medical expenses. No matter the cost, as long as there was a chance of recovery, they would pay.

That family owned an entire commercial building in a prime location. Thanks to the two of them, otherwise their child, so young, would likely have died on the spot when the heavy billboard fell.

That at least gave Zhang Junli some comfort. Her daughter had done a good deed, and at least it had not been for someone ungrateful.

They had seen everything clearly on the surveillance footage. The little girl had been playing with toys outside her family’s shop when the billboard above suddenly loosened and fell. At that critical moment, two people rushed forward to shield her, but they were unable to get away in time and were struck on the head by the heavy sign.

The little girl suffered only fright, but the two young people both lost consciousness, repeatedly hovering on the brink of death. After intense efforts from the doctors, their vital signs finally stabilized.

However, neither of them had regained consciousness.

They were placed in the same hospital room, separated by a curtain. Their daughter was on the right, the young man on the left.

Lying unconscious for so long, both had grown thin.

Watching the doctor examine her daughter’s gaunt face, Zhang Junli could hardly contain her excitement.

Earlier, while washing her daughter’s face, she had noticed some reaction. Her daughter’s eyes had moved. Her brows had furrowed. Her hand had twitched once, unconsciously.

She had immediately gone to inform the doctor.

Eye movement might happen occasionally, but furrowing the brows was rare. Seeing both together, along with what seemed like signs of struggle, could it mean her daughter was trying to wake up?

She was both nervous and hopeful.

After examining her, the doctor said, “This is a good sign. Any response is a good thing. Observe closely during this period.”

He instructed the nurse, “Notify me immediately if anything happens.”

Zhang Junli nearly burst into tears of joy.

The doctor then went to check on the young man in the next bed. He appeared unchanged, still unresponsive to external stimuli, as if asleep.

Zhang Junli shared the good news. After work, Yu Xiang’an’s elder brother and his wife, her older sister, and her father all came.

They took turns speaking to her by the bedside.

Yu Jiaofang stood there, talking at length. “Xiao An, why are you still lying there? I won’t oppose you opening your restaurant anymore, but if you don’t want to do it, don’t blame me for not giving you the chance. You’re the one giving it up, do you hear me? Wake up and tell me.”

Her elder brother Yu Chaoyang said, “Little sister, stop sleeping. You’ve slept enough. Haven’t you always cared about your looks? I’m telling you, you look much uglier now. If you don’t wake up, you’ll look even worse. Hurry and get better, eat more and recover.”

Her older sister Yu Yingxia also spoke. “Little sister, I have news for you. I’ve got a boyfriend. You said before that if I got one, you had to approve him. How can you go back on your word?”

…

After speaking to her, they also went to the young man’s bedside and said a few words to him.

He was pitiful, with no family. Aside from the nurses, only they spoke to him.

A good person should not meet a bad fate, so they watched over him as well.

There were caregivers, but they were paid workers, and sometimes not as attentive.

Unfortunately, no matter how much they spoke, there was still no response from either patient.

Yu Yingxia felt disappointed. “Why is there still no reaction after we said so much to her? Mom, are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”

Zhang Junli smacked her sharply. “Don’t say such unlucky things. How could I have imagined it? Your sister is probably just tired. If we keep talking to her, she’ll definitely wake up.”

The sister-in-law had been watching closely. Suddenly she exclaimed, “Look!”

On the hospital bed, Yu Xiang’an’s pale face shifted slightly. Her eyes moved, and her eyelids seemed to try to lift, but did not open.

In the darkness, Yu Xiang’an was stirred awake. She seemed to hear voices, but they were too faint to understand. What were they saying?

She tried hard to listen, but it was like they were in another room, whispering so softly that it was almost impossible to catch.

Could they speak louder?

Before she could make anything out, the voices disappeared. She felt a sense of loss. Would they come again?

Because of this reaction, everyone was overjoyed. They agreed to come every day and talk to her.

After some time, the voices returned. Yu Xiang’an focused and listened. They seemed slightly louder now. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Though she still could not understand clearly, she felt reassured. If the voices kept returning, then even if she could not understand now, they would become clearer eventually.

She told herself not to rush. That feeling, of someone speaking to you while the signal was distorted, leaving only static and no clarity, was truly unbearable.

In the darkness, Yu Xiang’an had no sense of time.

She did not know how long had passed. Sometimes she seemed to sleep, sometimes she woke and heard faint sounds.

It felt like a long time had gone by. The voices grew louder, and now she could catch certain words, like “younger sister,” “daughter,” “wake up soon.”

These words appeared most frequently.

Hearing them strung together made her heart tremble.

*

In the hospital room, Zhang Junli now stayed by her daughter’s side every day, waiting for a miracle.

Her daughter’s responses to the outside world were becoming stronger, especially when they spoke. The doctor was also increasingly optimistic about the situation.

When she came to the hospital room that day, as usual she spoke to her daughter, “Someone went to your restaurant to ask when it’s reopening. Your lease was signed for a year and a half, and the shop is still sitting there untouched. You’d better wake up soon, otherwise when the lease expires, your father and I aren’t going to renew it…”

She also mentioned Lin Chuanbai in the next bed.

“The doctor checked on that young man yesterday too. His condition is getting better as well. You’re both lucky, blessed with strong fates. Wake up soon. Lying here like this isn’t much fun for either of you, right…”

As she spoke, someone arrived, a woman with flaxen wavy hair, bringing along a little girl. This was the child Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai had saved.

Zhou Zhou came with a fruit basket and two bouquets of flowers, placing one by each bedside, freshening the air.

Seeing them, Zhang Junli showed a complicated smile.

As a mother, seeing her daughter lying there, unconscious and in a vegetative state, of course she felt resentment. But what could she do?

Her daughter had chosen to save someone. She wanted her daughter to be a good person, but not at the cost of her own safety. In the end, she was still a selfish mother.

If she could go back, she would not let her daughter take such a risk.

The little girl called out sweetly, “Big sister, big brother, please wake up soon. Niuniu hasn’t properly thanked you yet. Niuniu is very grateful to you. Thank you for saving me.”

The child’s soft voice made Zhang Junli’s eyes sting.

Yu Xiang’an heard that clearly.

What she looked forward to most now was hearing voices. Every day, listening to them speak made her happy.

She now understood her situation.

She had never imagined she would hear her parents’ voices again. They were calling for her to wake up, and she was trying. She was in a vegetative state, but she wanted to open her eyes and smile at them.

To them, she had been asleep for over a year.

To her, it had been decades since she had seen them.

She wanted to smile and say: I’m back.

So don’t be sad anymore.

From their conversations, she also learned about Lin Chuanbai. He was just next door, separated by a curtain, in the same condition as her, also in a vegetative state. And recently, his responses had been improving just like hers.

That reassured her. It seemed they had returned together.

Hearing the little girl’s voice, Yu Xiang’an replied silently in her heart, “Hello. I heard your thanks. Be more careful when you play in the future.”

Lin Chuanbai also heard the child’s voice. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and his hand seemed to gather strength.

But even after exerting himself, his hand did not lift. His strength was already spent.

When he first regained awareness, he felt as if something was enclosing him. He wondered where he was. Was this death?

He tried to enter his space, but could not. He shouted, but there was no response. He remained in that empty darkness, unchanged.

His medicinal garden space should have been bound to him. If he could not enter it now, there were two possibilities. Either the space was gone, or he was already dead.

Lin Chuanbai leaned toward the second possibility, that he was dead.

But then, how could he still think?

Could there really be such a thing as a soul?

Then why had no black and white underworld envoys come to take him away?

If he was not dead, then where were the others? Where were his children?

Slowly, he began to hear his own heartbeat.

Thump. Thump.

Slow, like something in hibernation.

Strange, truly strange. What state was he in?

Gradually, besides his heartbeat, he heard other sounds. He waited patiently, and then he began to understand what was being said.

The voices were unfamiliar.

If he was not mistaken, he was the “young man” they kept mentioning, and the “Xiao An” they often spoke of was the person most familiar to him.

They had come back.

These people were her family.

At that thought, Lin Chuanbai felt that perhaps, in some past life, he and Xiang’an had saved humanity.

Otherwise, how could such good fortune happen a second time?

But he also felt uneasy. If he had come back, what about Xiang’an?

When she woke up, would she be the original version of herself in her twenties, or the one who had lived decades with him in another time?

*

By the time Yu Xiang’an was finally able to open her eyes, more than ten days had passed since Zhou Zhou and her daughter had visited. At that moment, Zhang Junli was trimming her nails, talking as she worked.

“Your nails have grown again. Look at your hands, they’re much paler than before. When you wake up and see your skin, you’ll definitely be happy. Girls look better with fair skin, but I still think a bit of color looks healthier. A sun-kissed tone looks more vibrant. Too pale makes you look unhealthy. When you get better, go out in the sun more…”

“Mom, I… will…” Yu Xiang’an spoke slowly, word by word, in a faint breath.

Zhang Junli’s hand trembled. She looked up in shock at her daughter, at the slight smile on her lips, and could not help reaching out to touch her. Tears the size of beads rolled down her face. She wiped them away roughly and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Someone come quickly! My daughter is awake!”

She herself was a surgeon, yet in that moment she forgot she could simply press the call button.

Her shout brought the doctors rushing in, surrounding the bed and conducting examinations. Every awakening from a vegetative state was a miracle, and the longer the time, the lower the chances. Having lain there for over a year, her case counted as a small miracle.

She had difficulty speaking, so when the doctors asked questions, she responded by blinking.

Zhang Junli stood outside the circle. She was a doctor, but not in this field. She did not interfere.

Through the doctors, Yu Xiang’an looked at her and smiled, her eyes curving. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Before long, her eyelids grew heavy again. The doctor noticed and told her to rest.

“You’ve just woken up. Your body is still very weak. If you’re sleepy, sleep. Don’t force yourself. Don’t worry, your condition is very promising. Don’t put pressure on yourself.”

Soon, Yu Xiang’an fell into a deep sleep again, but Zhang Junli’s state of mind was completely different now.

It felt like riding a roller coaster.

Soaring through the sky, taking in all the scenery, her heart full of emotion.

Her youngest daughter had truly woken up.

They all stepped outside the room to talk so as not to disturb her rest. Once outside, Zhang Junli clasped her hands together. She had never believed in gods or Buddhas before, but now she prayed to all of them. “Amitabha, Guanyin, God, thank you for your protection. Thank you, thank you!”

Her daughter had finally woken up.

Then she suddenly remembered and immediately called Yu Jiaofang.

Yu Jiaofang rushed over as soon as he got the call. Looking at his daughter sleeping on the bed, he wiped his reddened eyes and patted Zhang Junli’s back. “Xiao An is awake now. The doctor said she’ll be fine. She just needs time to recover. Once she’s better, she’ll be as strong as ever.”

Although it was a pity he had not seen her wake up with his own eyes, she had woken up, and he could wait here. Sooner or later, he would see it.

Yu Chaoyang looked at his sister’s thin figure and took a deep breath. “As long as she’s awake, that’s enough. That’s enough.”

…

Lin Chuanbai opened his eyes the day after Yu Xiang’an woke up. He stared at the white ceiling, smelling the disinfectant, then tried to turn his head toward the other bed.

The curtain had already been removed when Yu Xiang’an woke up, so he tried hard to move, but his body was stiff and would not respond.

Zhang Junli, who was speaking to her daughter and facing his direction, noticed. She let out an exclamation and this time remembered to press the call button.

“The young man next door has woken up too!”

Yu Xiang’an slowly turned her head to look at him. Their eyes met, her brows and eyes curving into a smile.

It’s really him.

Both of them understood without words. Their gazes met briefly, then separated.

At first, they could not show their familiarity. To everyone else, they were still strangers. There was no reason for them to know each other.

With the two of them waking up one after another, quite a few people came to see them.

This entire ward housed patients who had lost consciousness for various reasons. Some families had already given up, while others, like Zhang Junli, still held on.

They came hoping to share in this “good fortune,” wishing their own loved ones might wake up as well.

Zhou Zhou also came with her daughter Niuniu. The little girl ran over and held Yu Xiang’an’s hand. “Big sister, I heard from Mom that you woke up, and that big brother woke up too. There’s something I really want to tell you. I’m very grateful to you. I’ll always, always remember it!”

Zhou Zhou also expressed her gratitude sincerely.

Yu Xiang’an shook her head. “It was just instinct. I would have done the same for anyone.”

After they left, Zhang Junli sighed, “Fortunately, the person you saved has a conscience. When the accident happened, they immediately called an ambulance and didn’t waste any time. You both got surgery in time. Over the past year, they’ve spent quite a lot.”

Yu Xiang’an smiled but said nothing.

She now understood more.

Her mother had originally been a surgeon, always very busy, but had since transferred to a less demanding department so she could spend more time caring for her.

Her mother had loved her work, yet she gave it up, and her responsibilities had changed.

Her father still managed the traditional medicine clinic while continuing to study, hoping that learning more might help her.

Her older brother and sister were also in the medical field, and she knew how busy that work was. Yet for over a year, they still came every week to visit her.

Yu Xiang’an had to use all her self-control not to break down and cry.

Age and experience had given her one advantage: better control over her emotions.

“Mom, I’ve been lying here for so long, I’ve missed a lot. Tell me what’s happened.”

Zhang Junli’s expression softened. “Alright. What do you want to hear? I’ll tell you slowly. Let’s start with your sister. Her boyfriend actually has a bit to do with you. She asked a classmate, and that classmate recommended him. One thing led to another, and they became familiar…”

Yu Xiang’an cast a smiling glance at Lin Chuanbai, who was also listening nearby.

This was something he would eventually have to deal with. The more he understood now, the easier it would be later.

The two of them gradually adjusted to their bodies. At first, they could not walk at all. Slowly, like infants, they relearned everything from the beginning.

Fortunately, they had not been bedridden for too long. Those who lay in bed for years often suffered severe muscle atrophy.

Ever since waking up, Yu Xiang’an had been in good spirits. Even though relearning to walk and adapting to her body was painful, she had returned.

She had seen her parents again, her brother and sister.

And not much time had passed. She had returned to her twenties, to youth.

A young body was full of vitality. As she felt her strength gradually returning, she sensed the lightness of youth.

Having experienced old age before, the contrast made her feel almost weightless.

Lin Chuanbai felt the same. The two of them often moved together. To Zhang Junli and the others, they had already become familiar with each other.

During rehabilitation, they encouraged one another, talked frequently. It was not strange. After all, how many people go through such shared hardship?

When no one was around, they communicated quietly and confirmed something that made them very happy: Yu Xiang’an’s game farm and Lin Chuanbai’s medicinal garden space had returned with them.

Before, they had cleared out some items in their spaces, but had also stocked up on supplies, just in case they encountered another unexpected situation. Those supplies might come in handy.

Yu Xiang’an’s storage held many things: food, water, clothing, seeds, medicine… preparations for being thrown into a resource-scarce or even apocalyptic world. She had also prepared for normal situations, such as money, including RMB, USD, euros, totaling several million, as well as paintings, calligraphy, porcelain, and more importantly, gold bars and gemstones as hard currency.

Paper money might not be usable due to serial number issues, which could make it look counterfeit, but gold, silver, and gems could always be used.

All they needed was to travel somewhere else and find a reason to exchange them.

That was easy for them.

Because of how naturally close they were, Zhang Junli sometimes found it a bit strange.

They did not talk much, but when they did, they would say half a sentence. She would wait for the rest, but there was nothing more.

She did not understand, but they had already understood each other completely.

Was this just a generational gap?

She did not have this issue when speaking with her older children.

Had these two somehow known each other before, without her realizing?

Yu Yingxia, more perceptive, secretly pulled Yu Xiang’an aside and asked, “Have you taken a liking to that young man?”

She said it half-jokingly, but Yu Xiang’an did not blush at all. She nodded seriously. “Yes. You figured it out.”

Yu Yingxia: ???

Wasn’t this a bit too fast?

“You’ve only known him for such a short time. Do you really understand him? Do you know his personality?”

Inside, Yu Xiang’an thought: I understand him more than anyone. We’ve been together for a very long time.

But outwardly, she simply smiled obediently. “Sis, do you believe in love at first sight? I liked him the first time I saw him. I want to get to know him better, and naturally I’ll learn what kind of person he is. You know a lot of people. Help me check him out, observe his character?”

Yu Yingxia: …

Helping her sister was fine, but it felt like her sister had not told her everything.

Rehabilitation went very well.

Some patients who woke from a vegetative state suffered aftereffects like slow reactions or poor coordination, but neither of them had any.

When they were discharged, even the attending doctor remarked that their case was rare.

On the day they left the hospital, Zhang Junli specially prepared a brazier and pomelo leaves to ward off bad luck. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. The young man next door had no family, so she prepared a set for him as well.

Seeing this, Yu Xiang’an felt a soft ache in her heart.

Her mother had never done such things before. She had always been a firm materialist.

Yu Xiang’an obediently followed the ritual, and afterward they went to a nearby hotel for a celebratory meal.

Zhang Junli also invited the young man next door.

They had shared hardship and recovered together. That kind of bond was rare.

After the meal, everyone returned home.

Now Yu Xiang’an was her parents’ precious treasure. They would not let her do anything. Even though they knew she was fine, she did not rush. She stayed home for a while, easing their lingering worry.

It was only after nearly two months at home that when she went out, her parents finally stopped calling her constantly.

At this point, Lin Chuanbai had already gone out of town to liquidate some assets and now had some cash on hand.

The first thing he needed to do was buy a house. Otherwise, how could he possibly go to her family and ask them to entrust their daughter to him?

For Zhang Junli and Yu Jiaofang, life had finally settled into a long-lost sense of peace.

Their youngest daughter had recovered, been discharged, rested at home for a while, and had even restarted her private kitchen business. Their eldest son required no worry, and their eldest daughter’s relationship was stable. Everyone was paired off, except for the youngest.

And then the youngest daughter brought that “fellow sufferer” young man home…

Yu Jiaofang: …

How did this happen so suddenly? The last cabbage in his house had been taken by a pig.

Zhang Junli’s gaze toward Lin Chuanbai also shifted. So her earlier feeling that something was off had been right. The two of them must have already taken a liking to each other back then. She still smiled on the surface, but quickly began probing Lin Chuanbai’s background in a roundabout way.

If he were to become her son-in-law, she needed to know what kind of person he was.

Everyone already knew he had no close family, but what about everything else?

As it turned out, things were acceptable.

He had been in the same school as her daughter. He had just bought a place in the newly opened residential area across the street, had paid the down payment, and although he was still repaying the mortgage, he had investments in the stock market, so the payments were not a burden. He was also planning to pursue a graduate degree. Even while studying, he could still get married and start a family.

Studying further was a good thing.

Yu Xiang’an’s older brother and sister held doctoral and master’s degrees respectively. That was expected, being in medicine. Few in that field had low qualifications.

They had once wanted Yu Xiang’an to pursue graduate studies as well, but she had not been willing.

Now that this future son-in-law wanted to study, they could only support it.

Even though Lin Chuanbai had prepared himself before coming, the barrage of questions still left him sweating.

Some details had been too long ago, and he genuinely could not remember them clearly.

Yu Xiang’an watched from the side, filling in gaps when needed. If something was too far back to recall, she would smoothly change the subject.

Once Lin Chuanbai passed their “inspection,” what followed was the classic look of a mother-in-law growing more satisfied the more she looked at her future son-in-law.

Yu Jiaofang stopped objecting as well.

What else could he say? A daughter grown could not be kept. Everyone could see through the topic shifts and the probing glances. It was simply that they found the young man’s character acceptable, and his financial situation would not leave their daughter living a life of hardship. So they chose to pretend not to notice.

Lin Chuanbai quietly let out a breath. He and Yu Xiang’an exchanged a look and both couldn’t help laughing.

Who would have thought that after all they had been through, they would once again play out the scene of a nervous young man visiting his future in-laws?

After passing the parents’ test, the two of them spent time together more often. In their parents’ eyes, this was just young love.

Lin Chuanbai spent his time studying, reviewing textbooks.

At his current level, not only could he handle graduate studies, he could even supervise doctoral students. But his past records were clear. How could he explain where this level of knowledge had come from? He had never been considered exceptionally gifted before, so he needed a reasonable explanation.

Switching fields would be difficult, but exam results spoke for themselves. Once he enrolled and attended classes under proper guidance, his knowledge would no longer seem so unusual.

Meanwhile, Yu Xiang’an reopened her private kitchen while also moving through the stock market.

The stock market was unpredictable.

Experienced brokers could make huge profits, but beginners could also strike it big.

Fortunes could be made, or lost, in an instant.

When she made money there, people would simply say she was lucky. They would not think too deeply about it.

Many details did not align perfectly between parallel timelines, but the overall trends remained consistent.

She had experienced multiple bull markets before.

Recently, there had been an opportunity during a market crash. Using the several million Lin Chuanbai had obtained from selling gemstones as capital, she shorted the market.

Something originally valued at 100, she agreed to sell at a future date. When the price dropped sharply during that period, from 100 to 1, she could buy it at the lower price, fulfill the contract, and profit from the difference.

That was just an example. She had not earned that much, but her capital had still grown more than twentyfold.

She did not stop there. She continued looking for opportunities to build more capital. It seemed like a lot, but to some people, it was merely the cost of a few luxury cars or a few rounds of gambling.

Money is not everything, but without it, nothing is possible.

And in this life, they still had a long road ahead.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

Thingyan: Thank you all so much for being patient with me. I know it took a while, and I’m really grateful you stuck around until the end.

If you enjoyed the story, I’d love it if you could leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on Novel Updates 😊

Thanks again, and I’ll see you in the next novel! 😘😘😘

After the phrase “extending life and prolonging health” went viral online for a while, it gradually died down. For the general public, the matter felt distant, and whether it was even real was still uncertain.

Those who paid closer attention were mostly older people, those who increasingly felt their strength fading and sensed they were nearing the end of their lives.

Because of the company’s long-standing reputation, they were willing to sign up as volunteers and take a chance.

When the body is already in decline, should they just accept it and do nothing? When there is no other choice, there is no choice. But when there is, why not try? As volunteers, they did not have to pay. Food, lodging, and daily needs were all provided, and the living conditions were decent.

Aside from the elderly, there were also participants from other age groups.

This was not something that could be proven in the short term. It required time.

Although mentions of it online gradually decreased, that did not mean it was forgotten. Besides the elderly, many industry peers were also very interested in the news.

Life itself is such a mysterious subject. Everyone wants to explore it. Domestically, things were relatively restrained, but abroad there were already many research labs dedicated to this topic for the wealthy.

They had not yet made any breakthrough progress, so now, all of a sudden, this side claimed results?

They tried to gather information from other researchers in the pharmaceutical factory, but learned nothing. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. In fact, the institute had not known about it much earlier than the public. When they found out, they were just as shocked.

There were two reasons for their shock. One was the effect itself. The other was that they had no idea when such a project had even been underway. In other words, Lin Chuanbai had completed it alone. How could that not astonish them?

No one knew how long he had been secretly working on it. And he had not delayed any of his other work, continuing to produce many other medicines. Someone like that… was truly remarkable.

Of course, Lin Chuanbai could not tell them that a “cheat-like” processing workshop had helped shorten the time, so he could only accept the praise as it came.

After Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an made a public splash, Wang Yuyan was mentioned more and more frequently.

Her development had been too rapid. She left Xinxing Entertainment to establish her own studio, taking with her her original team, including Yue Wu and Wu Lin, along with other carefully selected individuals to make their way in the entertainment industry.

At the end of the day, the entertainment industry runs on resources. If you have resources, you have connections, and she already had both.

Her family, friends, and classmates formed a network, and she herself was also an investor, a provider of resources.

Filming television dramas and movies depends on genre. Modern dramas costing tens of millions are already considered good. Historical dramas, if done with attention to detail, require expensive costumes and accessories, making them costly productions. So Wang Yuyan focused mainly on modern dramas.

Luxury houses, fine clothing, luxury cars, all essential for modern dramas, she already had them and could lend them out for free, reducing costs. For campus settings, it was even simpler. During holidays, she could arrange to rent school facilities, paying a fee to resolve it.

Ultimately, it came down to the script, and whether the director and actors did their jobs well.

She did not chase excessive hype. She wanted actors to prove themselves through ability.

If they were good, they stayed. If not, someone else would take their place.

There were plenty of people wanting to enter the entertainment industry. She did not mind using newcomers.

She had high standards for her artists, but she also treated them well. They did not have to accompany anyone to drinking parties, did not have to attend social banquets, did not have to curry favor with anyone. They only needed to focus on improving themselves and acting well. Everything else would be handled by others.

Those who were expected to attend drinking engagements were usually investors, and very few would dare to ask her to do such things. That would cause a major incident. Some of those investors were even elders, so how could they behave improperly in front of her? One by one, they acted properly.

People who transferred over from other places felt disoriented.

That same President Chen, whom she had once encountered at a dinner and found so greasy she nearly felt sick, now wore a serious expression and behaved like a respectable elder. Truly, having a powerful backing made all the difference.

Wang Yuyan could not say that every project she invested in became a hit, but well-produced dramas had a much higher chance of success.

She also invested heavily in promotion and advertising. Combined with her existing reputation, her development was both steady and rapid.

Once someone became popular, money and fame would follow endlessly.

The entertainment industry, after all, is a place that attracts far more public attention than most fields.

*

Before announcing the news, Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai had hesitated over whether to make it public.

They knew how rare this substance was. Aside from extracting it from the spiritual peach, the only other way to obtain it was from certain aged medicinal herbs, and they had to be wild.

That meant the final pricing could not be low. If it were too low, even the cost could not be recovered.

What pushed them to finally make the decision?

It was a friend of Yu Qingshan.

He had met Yu Qingshan at an exhibition hall. They lived nearby and were about the same age. His son had gone out into the world and made a name for himself, so he had been brought over to enjoy a comfortable retirement. But although he was living comfortably, his children were not by his side, and he had no friends nearby. He was lonely.

After meeting Yu Qingshan, the two of them often spent time talking together.

He was actually a few years younger than Yu Qingshan and appeared to be in good health. But after catching a cold, his condition deteriorated rapidly. His body aged quickly, and things worsened day by day.

When Yu Qingshan came back, he sighed constantly. Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai had already been hesitating about releasing the product, but hearing him speak so gloomily placed pressure on them.

It was like watching a patient suffer while you had medicine that could alleviate it, yet hesitating to use it because of various concerns. If the patient did not recover, it would be like watching a life slip away.

The two of them carefully reviewed the entire process again, double-checking the details, and ultimately decided to release the research results.

The substance was extracted from the spiritual peach, then extensively combined with other real-world materials. They found that similar substances did exist, though in far smaller quantities and of lower quality.

But they still had an effect.

If the life-extending component in the spiritual peach were rated a ten, then the extracted compounds from medicinal herbs would rank one, two, or three. One was common, two rare, three extremely rare.

When the online discussion was at its peak, Lin Guangbai could not help approaching Lin Chuanbai. “You’re saying this thing can extend lifespan. Is that true?”

Lin Chuanbai remained calm. “Brother, what do you think ‘extending lifespan’ means?”

Lin Guangbai said, “Lengthening life.”

Lin Chuanbai replied, “No. When I say it has life-extending effects, I mean it helps regulate the body’s condition, making it more vital and reducing the likelihood of illness. In that way, it achieves the effect of prolonging life. What you’re talking about, directly adding years to a person’s lifespan, does not exist. If someone takes it but does not take care of their body, it won’t extend their life either. It’s not that miraculous. If someone develops a serious illness, things will still proceed as they normally would.”

Lin Guangbai let out a breath. “I knew there wasn’t something that defies the natural order like that.”

Still, he felt a bit regretful.

“Then is it okay for you to advertise it that way?”

Lin Chuanbai said, “There’s nothing wrong with phrasing it like that. It can achieve the effect of prolonging life.”

Lin Guangbai said, “From the way things look on your side, it doesn’t seem like a joke. I’ve already received quite a few calls asking about your new medicine. You didn’t even give me a heads-up…”

Things were no quieter on Lin Yihong’s side. After receiving Lin Chuanbai’s explanation, they all calmed down and patiently waited for the experimental results.

Those who had close ties with their family were actually quite confident, because their family had a long-standing tradition of longevity.

They did not all live in the same place, so why were their lifespans consistently longer than average?

Now it seemed clear that they had some kind of medicine capable of producing this effect.

Previously, the technology had not been mature. Now it was.

The ones who could access the most up-to-date information were the researchers.

The group working on this project was small, but every member was someone Lin Chuanbai trusted.

Ye Chen was in the group, and his daughter Ye Jingjing was also a member.

They stayed in the lab day after day, working overtime, and only went out when absolutely necessary.

There had already been lessons learned. The moment they went outside, there would be all sorts of “coincidental encounters,” with people using various methods to probe for information about the experiment and its progress. Some even tried to buy samples. Among them were quite a few foreigners with unusual accents.

Under such circumstances, staying in the lab and informing their families of the situation was the best choice.

The small size of the team also helped. Their family members all held stable jobs and had regular routines, so any irregularities would be easy to notice. This greatly reduced the risk of exposure. If the group were larger, with more complicated loyalties, not everyone would be able to resist temptation.

It was not just them. Even Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai could not find peace.

Kleit personally came to visit, proposing a marriage alliance on behalf of a friend, a well-known foreign pharmaceutical company.

Neither of the twin sisters was married, and the grandson was also unmarried. On the other side, there were both sons and daughters. As long as Yu Xiang’an agreed to the alliance, choosing a match would not be difficult.

If the children married, they would become one family and could support each other, forming a powerful alliance.

Yu Xiang’an said, “My eldest granddaughter already has someone she likes. As for my other two children, they are still single, but that depends on who they themselves like.”

Kleit felt Yu Xiang’an should not be bound by traditional ideas. “Marriage is marriage. If they have other people they like, they can have children first and then each go their own way. That’s quite normal.”

Yu Xiang’an rejected it outright. “Kleit, I cannot accept that kind of marriage. If my children are not happy, I would rather they remain single. You may not understand, but when I started my business, it was to fulfill my own wishes. In some ways, I am very self-directed. I have fulfilled my own desires. My children should fulfill theirs themselves, not have me decide for them. If I forced them for this reason, it would go against my original intentions.”

Kleit expressed respect for her decision, though he found it a pity. Since she had made up her mind, he would pass along her answer.

Lu Anran and Yu Mansheng watched all of this unfold. Lu Anran felt that if it turned out to be true, there would only be more commotion in the future, and advised making preparations early.

Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an naturally understood this. They had already made plans. Something so sensitive would, of course, be handed over to the state.

That would have to wait until the experimental results came out.

Before the results were released, Wang Yushan got married.

Her partner shared the same profession as Lin Chuanbai, also a researcher, though in chemistry.

He was quiet, fair-skinned, and a little shy, not quite at ease in front of others, but his gaze was clear and upright.

Wang Yuyan was greatly stimulated by this. “Now that you’re married, my hard days are about to begin.”

For example, their grandparents would say that since her sister was already married, and they were twins of the same age, yet she did not even have a boyfriend, she should hurry up…

Wang Yuyan could already imagine exactly what they would say, and the expressions on their faces when they said it.

Wang Yushan laughed. “When you meet the right person, of course you want to get married. I’m at that age too.”

Having a stable family after marriage was better than being single.

Wang Yuyan sighed. “I’ve thought about finding a boyfriend, but… the gap is just too big.”

Wang Yushan asked, “What gap? Compared to whom?”

Wang Yuyan said, “Compared to my ideal type. I also want to find someone like Grandpa, but I haven’t found one. So brother-in-law, which divine being did you dig him out from? I want to go see if I can find someone similar.”

She was not opposed to relationships. She was single simply because she had not met someone she liked. The people who showed her attention had far too impure motives. She would have to be out of her mind to make herself uncomfortable by getting involved with them.

Now that her career had achieved some success, combined with her grandmother’s major move and the fact that she was the only one among her grandmother’s grandchildren engaged in business, the situations she encountered were… intense, to say the least.

At this point, Wang Yuyan could be considered battle-hardened. People came up with all sorts of “coincidental” encounters and excuses to approach her, never repeating the same tactic.

Wang Yushan laughed. She could imagine it and felt a bit of sympathy.

Wang Yuyan said somewhat helplessly, “I’ve even thought about it. If I really can’t find someone I like, I’ll just go to a sperm bank and have a child myself. Forget men altogether. Having one wouldn’t be of any use anyway.”

That statement made Wang Yushan’s eyelid twitch. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She gave her a light smack on the head. “If you say that out loud, our parents will definitely be angry. Having a child isn’t that simple. You’re thinking too easily. Do you even know if the sperm bank information is accurate? Whether there are genetic defects or hereditary diseases? Whether the person is still alive? Whether there’s a whole mess of problematic relatives? Don’t do anything foolish.”

Lin Yining said, “How about I introduce someone to you?”

The people she knew were relatively straightforward, such as descendants from families with long traditions in calligraphy, or doctoral students and teaching assistants at universities.

They were of similar age and had common ground.

Yu Xiang’an also provided a few options. These were business partners. She did not arrange direct meetings, but listed their basic information for Wang Yuyan to review. If she was interested, she could find a way to get to know them herself.

Lin Chuanbai looked over the list and shook his head. “I don’t think these will work. The ones Yining introduced might have a better chance.”

The ones Yu Xiang’an suggested were all involved in business. Anyone successful in business tended to be calculating. Wang Yuyan wanted someone more straightforward, someone she would not have to overanalyze every word with even at home. She wanted a relationship that was not exhausting.

Yu Xiang’an agreed, but since Yining had asked her to help, she still provided a few names. She had already inquired about them. Each of them had been carefully cultivated as heirs in their families, outstanding in their own right.

After going through all this effort, nothing came of it. By the time Wang Yushan’s son was born, Wang Yuyan was still single. Disappointed in love but successful in her career, she simply focused on work.

Lin Yining felt exhausted.

She gave up.

Yu Xiang’an began giving Wang Yuyan more responsibility. Since she had shown interest in business, it was naturally better than having no one involved at all. Relying solely on hired managers always carried the risk of being deceived. Having someone from within the family, even if they could not oversee everything personally, would still reduce that risk.

Moreover, her assets would not all go to one person. Some would be entrusted to Wang Yuyan. So she began handing over certain operations for her to manage.

Beyond the entertainment industry, she also gave her control over related sectors such as cosmetics and skincare.

Previously, Wang Yuyan had worked in sales at Meiyan. Now she became a vice general manager, a very high-profile parachute appointment. When she occasionally ran into former colleagues, the expressions on their faces were indescribably complicated.

…Good news continued to come in from the experimental side.

Some of the volunteers were very happy. They could feel the changes in their own bodies. They felt lighter, their sleep at night became deeper and more restful instead of easily disturbed, their appetites improved, and overall they felt several years younger.

Everything had to be backed by data. These experimental results made Ye Chen and the others very excited. Lin Chuanbai was pleased as well, but compared to everyone else’s loud reactions, his happiness was much more restrained. Many people admired him for it, thinking he was calm and confident, that he must have anticipated these results long ago. Otherwise, how could he remain so composed?

Lin Chuanbai: …

A beautiful misunderstanding.

Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an had already decided that once this matter was settled, they would move into semi-retirement, further delegating authority. After all, what were these managers hired for?

To steer the ship.

When the experimental results came out, the drug could not truly be described as “extending life.” That concept was too abstract. No one could determine their original lifespan to confirm an extension. However, other effects were much easier to verify, such as improving cellular activity in the elderly, stimulating blood and liver cell function when division had slowed, aiding recovery in areas with tissue damage, and even supporting growth and development in children, strengthening their constitution.

Something like this was not something a private entity could monopolize. The scale was too large, and the state would not stand by. Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an took the initiative to hand over the formula, retaining thirty percent of the shares while not participating in management or operations.

Of that, ten percent would be donated to the Hope Project.

Once the agreement was finalized, it was announced immediately.

Security around the research facility was already tight, yet unfamiliar faces continued to appear in a steady stream.

If this medicine became widespread, it would be a blessing to the public. The potential profits were immense.

The active compounds could be extracted not only from wild medicinal herbs but also from carefully cultivated ones that simulated natural conditions. With increased focus, costs could be reduced further, making it accessible to more people.

Children taking it could strengthen their bodies and reduce illness…

After accepting such a major contribution, the authorities naturally took note. Both Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai were featured in an annual publication.

Online, there was an outpouring of praise.

“If it were me, I couldn’t just hand this over to the state. Even without fully understanding it, I know it’s a money tree. Once it hits the market, I’d buy it for my kids, for myself, for my parents. Treat illness if there is illness, strengthen the body if there isn’t.”

“Even living off dividends would be an astronomical amount. And they’re donating another ten percent. I’d build them a longevity shrine. I was able to go to school because of donations from kind people, but many in my hometown still can’t leave the mountains. Maybe more and more people will get that chance in the future.”

“Wishing good people a lifetime of peace!”

“Wishing good people a lifetime of peace!”

Alongside the praise, countless posts appeared.

If you traveled back to the 1970s, what would you do? OP goes first, I’d befriend Boss Yu and cling to her for dear life!

I envy their relationship, supporting each other for so long. I heard they even went to their private island for multiple honeymoons not long ago.

I want to reincarnate as their sibling. Instant success, no effort required.

If I were Boss Yu’s child, I would…

The last thread became the most popular. Compared to working hard themselves, many people would rather be born into such a family, starting life at the finish line.

Yu Xiang’an’s Weibo was managed by her publicity team, mostly posting official matters. Even so, under her latest announcement, people checked in daily.

“Boss, look at me. Young, strong, can eat, drink, sleep, and work. Are you hiring?”

“This humble Daoist observed the stars and divined that my benefactor is here. Honored one, when will you help me get rich and take me flying?”

“Boss, do I look like your accessory?”

…

Although Yu Xiang’an was a businesswoman, her follower count looked more like that of a celebrity influencer.

With such a major event, interviews were inevitable.

Yu Xiang’an refused many requests, finally selecting a reputable journalist who would not fabricate stories, agreeing to a short live interview.

The moment she agreed, it was announced. Many people entered the livestream early and waited.

“I’m first!”

“No, I’m first!”

“I hereby declare this place mine [dog head]”

“I wonder what they’ll ask, maybe her rise to success? Looking forward to it.”

“Same here.”

The reporter began cautiously. “Your restaurants are nationwide, including hot pot, fast food, and luxury hotels. Some call you the ‘queen of the dining industry.’ What would you like to say about that title?”

Before Yu Xiang’an could answer, the live comments flooded the screen:

“Thanks for the invite. I feel that title is a bit narrow. Besides the food city near my home, the office building across the street is also mine [arms crossed].”

“Not just the office building, there’s also a share in the clothing district [smug].”

“Not just clothing, cosmetics takes up half the market too [wicked smile].”

“And not just cosmetics, even the home medicine cabinet has a piece of the pie [dog head]…”

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

Many people are curious about what life is like for the wealthy. In truth, it is not that different from everyone else’s. The houses are bigger, the decor is better, and household chores are handled by dedicated staff. The food, clothing, and daily necessities are more refined.

If there are no particular hobbies, then life is essentially the same as that of ordinary people.

Three meals a day. Eating, drinking, sleeping.

Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an live in a small villa. Yu Qingshan stays on the first floor, the second floor is for the children when they come over, and the two of them live on the third floor.

Except for cleaning, the third floor is off-limits to the housekeeper. It is not that there are many confidential documents inside, Yu Xiang’an rarely brings such things home. The main reason is to reduce the chance of the staff noticing anything unusual.

From time to time, they disappear there. If someone happened to run into them, it would be hard to explain.

The housekeeper handles the household chores, but how observant they might be is hard to say. Since that is the case, it is better to minimize their access. Saying there are documents upstairs is enough, and they all understand.

At the moment, Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an are inside their private space. Yu Xiang’an stands beneath a pear tree, picking a plump snow pear. She brings it to her nose and inhales, its sweet fragrance refreshing.

She picks another one and walks over to Lin Chuanbai. He is sitting by the stove, where a pot of water is heating on a gas burner.

The place is fully equipped, with appliances that can be used because they brought in a diesel generator. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. With diesel, they have electricity, and with electricity they can use ovens, refrigerators, induction cooktops, and so on.

What is the hot water for?

It is for scalding a duck.

Looking at the plump duck, Yu Xiang’an suddenly decides to make roast duck.

The moment she says it, Lin Chuanbai goes to slaughter the duck without hesitation, his execution swift and decisive.

Yu Xiang’an laughs at the sight.

Now the duck has already been slaughtered, and they are just waiting for the water to boil so they can remove the feathers.

Since ducks are not easy to handle, he only raises a few of them in this space.

It has been a while since Yu Xiang’an personally slaughtered chickens or ducks.

After so long, her movements are a bit rusty. The two of them work together to clean the large duck, spending quite some time on it.

Once it is thoroughly cleaned, they brush on layer after layer of sauce.

After that, they hang it up to air-dry. The next day, they will apply another layer of sauce before putting it into the oven.

After finishing, the two of them head to the small hill where the spiritual peach trees grow.

Around the base of the trees is a ring of jade and gemstones. Yu Xiang’an casually picks one up and nods in satisfaction.

It is working.

Although it has taken a long time, compared to the control group, there is already a clear difference.

What was once mid-grade has now become high-grade.

If it continues, it might even become top-tier.

So when they have nothing to do, they come here.

Gradually, it becomes natural. Wherever you stay, you are still staying somewhere.

Nearby, there are tables, beds, and other furnishings.

Yu Xiang’an takes the bed, picks up a book from the headboard, and begins reading leisurely.

Lin Chuanbai sits on a stool and picks up the latest issue of Nature from the table.

It is quiet, though not completely silent.

There are faint sounds of cattle and sheep in the distance.

Peaceful and at ease.

When they grow tired of reading, they look out below and see orchards, pastures, processing rooms, and warehouses, a picture of rural tranquility.

Lin Chuanbai says, “Is this what they mean by ‘serenely gazing upon the southern hills’?”

Yu Xiang’an takes a breath, inhaling the fragrance of peaches. “I suppose so. How is your analysis going? Any progress?”

Lin Chuanbai shakes his head. “Not that fast.”

As he says this, his eyes seem to shine. “It’s fascinating. The more I learn, the more I feel I know less.”

Yu Xiang’an recalls the saying that the more one knows, the more one realizes one’s ignorance.

She smiles. “Isn’t that what you like? Learning without end, always climbing one step higher.”

Just like her.

People are rarely satisfied.

Once one condition is met, they begin to want the next.

At first, she wanted to dominate the domestic dining industry and dreamed of expanding overseas.

Now that she has achieved it, is she satisfied?

No.

There is always something along the way that stirs her thoughts, rekindling her desire.

Yu Xiang’an glances at her watch. “It’s getting late. Let’s sleep.”

Staying up late harms the body.

Unless necessary, they keep a very healthy routine.

Lin Chuanbai checks the time as well. “Then let’s rest. We’ll put the roast duck in the fridge at noon.”

They do not want anything greasy in the morning.

Yu Xiang’an agrees.

…Many things have changed, and yet some things have not.

They will walk together to the end of their lives.

The next day at noon, after enjoying a meal of roast duck, Wang Yuyan drives over.

She brings a box of large cherries.

She is still in the process of leveling up, so to speak.

After spending half a year at the seaside resort hotel, she is now working in the HR department of a pharmaceutical factory.

“Grandma, a friend asked me for help. I refused, but I don’t understand what’s going on. Do you know?” Wang Yuyan frowns.

Yu Xiang’an immediately thinks of who it is. “Don’t lend anything, and don’t get involved. You did the right thing by refusing. This is their family’s internal matter.”

Wang Yuyan blinks in confusion.

“Grandma, I’m talking about my university classmate Chen Lichen. Their family business is being targeted by Zhisheng Investment, which is backed by foreign capital…”

Yu Xiang’an nods. “Yes, I know who you mean. You may not know this, but there’s a story behind it.”

Wang Yuyan immediately asks, “What story?”

“The Liu Tao behind Zhisheng Investment is your classmate’s half-brother from the same father. Back then, her father abandoned his first wife and got together with your classmate’s mother. It caused quite a stir. What’s happening now is probably revenge. If he succeeds, the Chen family will go bankrupt.”

Wang Yuyan freezes. She does not think her grandmother would lie to her, so it must be true.

It is impossible to tell on the surface.

Although she is not particularly close to this classmate, she has heard plenty about how loving her parents were, how she was their only daughter and the cherished jewel of the family, envied by many.

Now, hearing that her mother had been the other woman, Wang Yuyan feels disgusted.

“You really couldn’t tell at all.” She had even met Chen Lichen’s parents before and envied them.

Now…

“Grandma, how did you know?”

Yu Xiang’an replies, “A lot of people know. You’re part of the younger generation. It’s been so long that people simply don’t bring it up anymore.”

Wang Yuyan falls silent.

It really is complicated.

There are already few truly loving couples in their circle, and now this makes it even worse.

She cannot help but sigh.

If not for the example set by her own grandparents, she might have lost faith in love altogether.

“Grandma, men out there are too risky. I need to take my time. When my mom starts urging me, you have to speak up for me. I need to choose carefully. Character is the most important.”

Lin Chuanbai comes downstairs, and Wang Yuyan immediately adds, “I don’t ask for much. Someone like Grandpa would be best.”

Lin Chuanbai laughs. “Not someone like your father?”

Wang Yuyan shakes her head seriously. “I prefer someone who can be by my side when I need him.”

Yu Xiang’an nods. “How is it working at the pharmaceutical factory?”

Wang Yuyan cannot help but laugh. “They’re loaded.”

The bonuses there are truly high.

Because the business is doing extremely well.

Yu Xiang’an smiles. “Besides that?”

Wang Yuyan says, “I’m looking forward to the next place.”

Yu Xiang’an says, “How about going to an entertainment company as an agent?”

Wang Yuyan’s eyes widened. “An entertainment company? A talent manager?” It sounded novel, but then she hesitated. “Doesn’t a manager have to help artists make connections and find resources?”

Yu Xiang’an said, “Watch how other artists do things. When you first get there, they are not going to hand you an artist to manage right away. Just focus on learning first.”

Yu Xiang’an felt that Wang Yuyan probably had no real interest in traditional industries. Since that was the case, she might as well go take a look at an emerging one.

Lin Chuanbai gave his granddaughter’s face, one beautiful enough to debut as a star herself, a careful look. “Once you get there, the actresses might think you’re there to steal their livelihood.”

Wang Yuyan could not help touching her face.

She laughed. “Well, I can’t exactly make myself ugly on purpose.”

This time, Wang Yuyan’s parachuting into Xinxing Entertainment was known to upper management. She was one of the major shareholder’s people.

The company had many shareholders. The largest shareholder was the chairman’s side, holding thirty-five percent, and with allied supporters controlled over fifty percent. The second-largest shareholder was Yu Xiang’an.

This second-largest shareholder rarely interfered in the details of management and operations.

So now, all of a sudden, she had parachuted her granddaughter in. Was she planning to have her debut as a celebrity? Was this just a whim? Or was she preparing to step into management?

This was Wang Yuyan’s most complicated start yet.

But the help she received was also the greatest.

Some of the higher-ups, once they learned who she was, took the initiative to help her.

Anything she did not understand could basically be answered.

The senior executives at the top were not of one mind either.

Most belonged to the largest shareholder’s camp, but there were also people aligned with the other shareholders, and some from her grandmother’s side as well.

So many factions, all split apart.

Wang Yuyan: “…”

Complicated.

But exciting.

And with so many celebrities, so many beautiful people all gathered in one place, it really was a feast for the eyes.

The first time Wang Yuyan saw that many handsome men and beautiful women gathered together, she thought that if her mother were here, she would definitely be delighted.

Her mother loved looking at beautiful people.

But in actual interaction, these beautiful people… had far too many schemes in their heads.

The people below did not know her background, but seeing her placed at the side of a top gold-medal manager, compared to the other managers, that was a meteoric rise.

Artists who wanted to be managed by her began volunteering themselves to her.

…

Lin Yining watched the bustle around her daughter with great interest.

Her daughter really was blessed, surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women.

The only question was whether she would be able to handle it.

Wang Yuyan: …Yes, definitely her biological mother.

As Wang Yuyan gradually appeared in public, the media reacted with confusion.

Was Xinxing Entertainment seriously wasting a treasure like this?

With those looks and that temperament, she was going to be a manager?

Because of that, actresses of a similar type wanted nothing to do with being under her.

It was one thing to be outshone by another actress, but being crushed by your own manager’s looks was just too brutal.

It was like wearing the same outfit as someone else, whoever looked worse was the one embarrassed.

So when Wang Yuyan began managing artists herself, the ones she took on at first were all male artists.

The challenge here was even greater, but that only drew Wang Yuyan in more.

Later, when Yu Xiang’an asked whether she wanted to go somewhere else, Wang Yuyan refused.

…

Two years later, the top artist under Wang Yuyan, Yue Wu, starred as the female lead in a certain film and became a smash hit overnight.

On a certain forum, someone started a thread.

Let’s dig into a certain manager whose surname is W

Original poster: The first time I saw her at the film press conference, I thought she was some junior artist my Yue-jie was bringing along, and I was instantly worried for Yue-jie.

Good grief, I thought she was a rival.

Then the press conference started, and she stepped aside.

Me: ???

That was actually Yue-jie’s manager. The manager behind the scenes!

The original poster could not help being stunned by Xinxing’s strength.

A pretty lady like that? I’m totally into it.

The most recent time I saw her was at Yue-jie’s celebration party.

Standing beside Yue-jie, only one phrase came to mind: twin moons shining in the sky!

A pair of peerless beauties!

A perfect match! Pure nonsense, I know.

Anyway, this beautiful manager completely piqued my curiosity, and I could not resist searching for more information about her.

And then I was stunned.

This manager has only been in the industry for a little over two years.

Under her, she has Yue Wu and Wu Lin.

There’s no need to say much about Yue-jie. This breakout film launched her straight into the top tier. Wu Lin has also been a very popular idol actor these past two years.

But two years ago, one was a complete nobody, and the other was an eighteenth-tier nobody who had already been floating around the entertainment industry for three or four years without ever making a splash.

But if you count up the resources they’ve gotten over the past two years, they are not resources people of their original standing should have been able to get.

So where did they come from?

The company.

The manager.

I’m inclined to think it was the manager.

Because Wu Lin had already been in the company before, and he had never received resources like this.

It was only after he came under this manager that he got them.

Come on, let’s look at the pictures.

This is the beautiful manager from an earlier news appearance.

The car behind her is registered under her own name. Seven figures.

The watch on her wrist, I don’t even need to explain the brand. Also seven figures.

The clothes on her body are not from one of those big foreign luxury brands, but from a high-end domestic fashion label, a custom-made piece. The original poster has no idea what it costs.

Do you think a manager’s salary can really pay for this?

Now let’s look at the next picture. This is another car. I checked, and it is not under the company’s name either, so it is also hers personally.

I probably don’t need to introduce this one. Limited edition, over thirty million.

Now look at some of her other photos, the clothes and handbags she wears.

Even if they are not all outrageously expensive, she really has a lot of new outfits.

And her Weibo once posted a photo of her with Yue-jie. Look at the background. That is Shengjing Tower.

From this angle and position, that means it is Mingyue Huafu. Property prices in that development have already gone over one hundred thousand per square meter.

Do you think the manager owns a place there, or is she renting there?

Anyway, the apartments the company arranges for employees are not there.

Then I dug further back into earlier years.

1st floor: Sitting here waiting for the gossip.

2nd floor: Front row selling melon seeds, stools, and cola.

3rd floor: One pack of five-spice melon seeds, thanks.

4th floor: Saving a spot first. I’m curious about this manager too.

5th floor: Has someone finally started digging into this manager? Sitting properly and waiting, I’m super curious too.

6th floor: She is definitely not an ordinary manager. I actually suspected before that Wu Lin was getting these resources through some shady deal. I used to suspect other people, but now it seems the answer was right under our noses. The manager herself is the rich woman.

7th floor: Yue Wu just got lucky to land a breakout film.

8th floor: Don’t derail. This thread is about the manager.

9th floor, original poster: Here are the pictures, picture, picture.

Three photos were posted in a row, showing the manager entering and leaving high-end venues, as well as photos of her laughing and chatting closely with a well-known second-generation rich heir.

10th floor: Could it be that the manager herself is a rich second-generation heir? Or is she the one being kept, and then she in turn is keeping someone else?

11th floor: A nesting doll situation?

12th floor: Random passerby offering a few photos. I took these casually when I ran into them at a dinner. The quality is a bit trash. The man sitting opposite her is the boss of our rival company. He only has a son, no daughter, and the son is single, no daughter-in-law either.

The moment these photos were posted, the replies below immediately went off in a crooked direction.

13th floor: Is it what I think it is? If so, that’s disgusting.

14th floor: If that’s the case, then her goal definitely isn’t to stay just a manager, right? A celebrity’s income is on a completely different level from a manager’s. With her looks, she has the capital for it.

15th floor: Her face might not even be natural. She could have had plastic surgery.

16th floor: …

More and more people joined the discussion, and more and more photos were posted. Someone even made a tree diagram, laying out along a timeline who she had interacted with and what those people represented.

If you looked carefully, there were quite a lot of photos of Wang Yuyan. Because of her looks, and with phones so advanced now, people casually taking pictures would unintentionally capture her in frame whenever they saw someone that good-looking, even though she was not an artist.

After a night of buildup, the thread blew up. Everyone was talking about who exactly Yue Wu’s now-famous manager was.

Some were criticizing, others were simply curious.

As the popularity rose, someone influential came out and posted.

Let’s talk about a certain manager

I searched based on her name and found she had appeared in reports before. She was the runner-up in the science track in a certain year, went to a top-two university, double bachelor’s degrees, postgraduate at the same school. Her mother is Lin Yining, a university professor and calligrapher. Most importantly, she has a grandmother we are all familiar with.

Who is this manager’s grandmother?

Step outside and you will see a Five-Flavors restaurant. That belongs to her grandmother.

You all know who I’m talking about now, right? She’s a third-generation rich heir. Having those cars is completely normal.

And this picture, the car worth over thirty million, has appeared before. It was a birthday gift her grandmother gave her grandfather. She probably just took it out for a drive.

This time, the replies lined up neatly.

1st floor: OP is awesome, the manager is awesome!

2nd floor: OP is awesome, the manager is awesome!

3rd floor…

Someone noticed and asked Wang Yuyan whether she wanted the post deleted.

Wang Yuyan said, “No need. There’s nothing here that can’t be seen.”

She had known about it from the beginning and said nothing as things developed. Some of the photos had even been released by her herself. As the buzz grew, she watched her follower count on Weibo climb rapidly.

The most-liked new comment read:

“Went to buy oranges”: Came to admire a rich, fair, beautiful lady. Miss, do you need a leg accessory? The kind that can eat, drink, and act cute. [dog head]

Wang Yuyan gave it a like.

The reason she let it happen was because she planned to eventually branch out and establish her own studio.

Without Xinxing backing her, many things would no longer be as convenient. She needed to increase her visibility.

Originally, she had not had this idea. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. But after her artist became popular, some people began making sarcastic remarks and trying to take credit. Of course Wang Yuyan would not allow that. But in a place with so many shareholders and factions, even with her grandmother behind her, her voice did not carry much weight. After taking a few losses, she came up with this plan.

Some people wanted to interview Wang Yuyan. Others wanted to interview Yu Xiang’an.

One of them was an old acquaintance, so Yu Xiang’an agreed to a phone interview.

Reporter: “What are your thoughts on your granddaughter working as a manager in the entertainment industry?”

Yu Xiang’an asked in return, “What would you like me to say? What I want to say is, whatever she wants to do, I won’t interfere. She’s already an adult. I respect her choices, and I hope you will respect them too.”

The media did not hear what they wanted and left disappointed. But not long after, another piece of news broke.

Wang Yuyan had taken her artists and gone independent. Her grandmother had lent her one hundred million as working capital.

One hundred million?

Even if it was a loan, whether it would be repaid or not was practically just a matter of their word.

As soon as this news came out, it drew massive attention.

People in the entertainment industry reached out, hoping to attach themselves to her. Those outside the industry reacted with envy at the sheer number.

Top comment, “Little Assistant Eating Melons”: I’m so jealous, so jealous! Under the lemon tree, it’s you and me!

“Entertainment Gossip”: I can’t take it anymore. My god, I’m so jealous. When I started a business and borrowed from my dad, he gave me twenty thousand.

“Gossip Account”: At least you could borrow. My family’s total assets don’t even reach twenty thousand. Starting a business like that is just a dream.

“Gentle Breeze”: One hundred million, so many zeros! Is this the world of the rich? Lending one hundred million to a granddaughter to start a business.

Everyone was full of envy. In reality, they had formally signed a loan agreement and even calculated interest.

They deliberately made the news public to showcase their strength and attract more newcomers.

The news buzzed for several days before another story overshadowed it, this time focusing on Yu Xiang’an.

They announced they had developed a nutritional supplement with life-extending effects and were recruiting volunteers, inviting those who met the criteria to sign up.

Netizens: ???!!!

Extend lifespan?!

That impressive?

User 1: Look at the description. It supposedly extends life by about two years. But eating well, living well, and paying attention to nutrition can already extend lifespan. Compared to before, if you improve your habits, of course you’ll live longer. Human lifespan isn’t fixed. How can you prove this extends life? This is a false proposition.

User 2 cautiously offered evidence: Do you know that her husband’s grandfather lived to one hundred and ten? And look at the couple’s faces. I feel like this “life extension” isn’t just talk. Looking forward to follow-up.

User 3: Same, looking forward to it. Aren’t they recruiting volunteers now? Let’s see the results first, then discuss whether it’s a scam.

User 4: Their products have always been reliable. Management hasn’t changed, so why would their direction suddenly shift? I don’t believe it. I support it. I asked my grandfather, and he wants to sign up.

…

Yu Qingshan also received many calls, asking whether his daughter and son-in-law gave him any special supplements in daily life.

Yu Qingshan thought carefully. “No, we just eat together. Nothing special. If there’s anything slightly different, it’s that we drink some tonic wine for health, but those are all products we already make. Nothing else.”

Since people could not get much information from Yu Qingshan, their attention shifted entirely to Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an.

Their progress had come from a spiritual peach finally ripening.

Neither of them ate it. They planned to wait for the next batch.

Part of the peach was turned into juice for Yu Qingshan to drink. The rest became experimental material for Lin Chuanbai.

This time, he was not disappointed. From the ripe spiritual peach, he discovered a unique substance. Based on his judgment, it could have life-extending effects.

Extending lifespan essentially meant revitalizing cellular activity and increasing the number of times cells could divide, thereby achieving longevity.

Lin Chuanbai had already conducted experiments on animals. Now all that remained was human trials.

Other companies were watching closely, paying particular attention to those signing up.

After all, who would not want a longer life?

Especially those in power, who were mostly older and even more fixated on longevity.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

Among the twin daughters born to Lin Yining, the elder sister, Wang Yushan, had more ideas of her own and a firmer sense of purpose. Even before entering university, she had already mapped out a plan for her future.

The younger sister, Wang Yuyan, tended to go with the flow. She attended a good university, but had no clear direction for her future. When she saw her sister take the civil service exam, she followed suit, but found that she could not adapt to that path.

During their four years of undergraduate study and two years of graduate school, both sisters lived rather freely. Studying was never difficult for either of them.

Beyond academics, their university lives were colorful and full of variety. They made many new friends and discovered many new sides of themselves.

The two sisters also dabbled in investments, with both gains and losses.

Each of them sold off a property and converted it into cash. The elder sister invested her money into a project run by her senior schoolmates, while the younger sister invested in a television drama.

Second-generation circles have their own social worlds. Within that circle, the sisters were considered well-behaved girls. Some people inherited their family businesses at a young age and had bright futures ahead. Others were idle, uneducated heirs, and some had no bottom line at all, capable of any wrongdoing.

Naturally, the sisters aimed to become the first kind.

When an acquaintance approached Wang Yuyan, she read through the script, asked about the lead actors, and decided to take a share.

Online dramas did not require much capital. Compared to projects that easily ran into the tens of millions, this was small-scale. Wang Yuyan was not worried about being laughed at. Everyone knew each other well enough. Her family was strict, and she did not have much cash on hand. “Those big projects are beyond me right now. I’ve never even been exposed to them. Let me ease into this first.”

This low-budget web drama only required a few million in total investment, and Wang Yuyan contributed one million.

When she saw the finished product, she knew she would not even click on the next episode. She was a bit disappointed, though it was not entirely without merit. In the end, after dividends, she lost a little over one hundred thousand yuan. Her first investment had failed.

For her second investment, Wang Yuyan turned to stocks. She bought three: one rose, one fell, and one stayed roughly the same. In the end, she made a small four-figure profit, but factoring in the time she spent, it was effectively a loss.

She withdrew from that as well and decided to go back to investing in television dramas. If she happened to hit a breakout hit, the returns could multiply. This time, she learned from experience. She read the script herself and only proceeded after confirming it was interesting. She also positioned herself as the largest investor, keeping out unnecessary outside interference so the production could proceed properly.

In her first investment, although the male and female leads had not been changed, the role of the daughter had been altered. If she had seen the revised script beforehand, she would never have invested.

This time, Wang Yuyan did quite well. Her returns doubled.

That was the difference between having experience and not. The first time, she had been too lax, trusting too much simply because they were acquaintances.

That second female lead had been her friend’s “friend.”

She had learned her lesson.

No matter who you do business with, you cannot be careless.

After that, Wang Yuyan made a few more investments here and there, some short-term, some long-term, but all relatively small-scale. She did not devote much effort to managing them.

After all, she was still a student.

She was also pursuing a double degree.

Later, she took the graduate school entrance exam. It only made her more certain that she did not like her major. So she followed her sister and took the civil service exam. After passing, she resigned in less than a year.

That path was not for her.

Though it was a path many people could only dream of, she had the freedom to choose otherwise.

After relaxing at home for a while, she went to her grandmother. “Grandma, I want to try doing business and see how I do on this path.”

She was not like her mother, who could practice calligraphy day after day for decades, nor did she have any particularly strong personal passions. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. But she knew she needed a career. Otherwise, she would just be living off others without purpose. She did not have grand ambitions, but she also did not want to become a freeloader.

So she decided to spend some time working with her grandmother. If it did not work out, she would try something else. And if that still did not work, she would try again.

Before turning thirty, she had time to explore at her own pace.

Her grandmother readily agreed and placed her in the Meiyan business department.

Meiyan was a well-known brand in the country.

Its best advertisement was her grandmother herself. At her age, her skin condition surpassed that of many young people.

Its two most famous product lines were anti-aging and spot-removal and whitening. These two lines were the pillars of the brand.

Naturally, they were also expensive.

At the business department, she essentially started as a salesperson. When she learned of this arrangement, Wang Yuyan felt a bit awkward.

After all, it was uncommon to start from such a low position within one’s own family business. It seemed her grandmother did not approve of parachuting people into high positions.

When she had asked her sister what kind of position her grandmother might give her, her sister had guessed it would likely be a small department manager, or perhaps a nominal deputy manager title without any real subordinates.

Her mother thought the same.

None of them expected her to be placed directly into a high-ranking role. That would not match her grandmother’s personality. Her grandmother preferred steady, step-by-step progress.

After the initial surprise, Wang Yuyan accepted it. Starting from the bottom just meant working hard.

At first, she found it difficult to put herself out there and actively promote products to customers. She would only stand there with a polite smile. Even so, her performance was not poor, because she had the advantage of her own appearance. Customers would see her skin and ask what products she used.

With such a living example in front of them, a considerable number of those who asked ended up placing orders.

That gave her confidence.

If she was going to do something, she would do it to the best of her ability. Taking the initiative to promote products was just the beginning, and it turned out not to be as difficult as she had imagined.

She already had knowledge of clothing and accessories. After some additional learning, she could roughly estimate the value of what people were wearing. Combined with her looks, she had a natural advantage in sales.

After four months, she ranked first in performance for the first time. After that, something clicked. Those fair-weather friends of hers had to shop somewhere anyway, so why not buy from her?

Come place your orders.

Now it was time to test those friendships.

At first, people did not even know she was working as a sales associate. Once they found out, what could they say? Buy, buy, buy.

The products would not expire anytime soon, so of course they would support their friend.

With that, Wang Yuyan’s performance became outstanding. Soon after, she received a promotion and was appointed business department manager for Meiyan in a certain district of the city, overseeing more than a dozen counters.

Because her résumé was still shallow, some people were dissatisfied.

Especially the deputy managers. They had worked hard for this position for a long time. Why should she get it? Their performance had not been bad either.

For Wang Yuyan, this was a challenge. If she handled it poorly, she would be sidelined.

Some suspected that she had been parachuted in through connections. And she had.

But Wang Yuyan had no intention of revealing that. Even if it brought people to her side in the short term, would they truly respect her?

Yu Xiang’an had been quietly observing her progress.

If she did not like being a civil servant, she could choose another path. But Yu Xiang’an hoped she would understand that no matter what line of work she chose, none of them were easy.

Every path came with its own set of problems.

Sometimes you could take shortcuts, but there would always be moments when shortcuts were impossible.

Wang Yuyan’s choice also stirred some whispers.

The family business of Yu Xiang’an’s household, who would it eventually be passed on to? By taking this path, was Wang Yuyan positioning herself to compete for it?

Among Wang Yuyan’s classmates and friends, many came from business families. In terms of economic scale, her grandmother’s enterprise ranked at the top. Yet compared to them, they all kept an exceptionally low profile.

Other people’s children had mansions and luxury cars, yachts and helicopters, but what about them?

As one of Wang Yuyan’s friends joked, they lived so quietly and modestly it was almost as if the family were on the verge of bankruptcy.

Word of it also reached Xu Zhenzhen. The person relaying the news did not embellish anything, but the look in their eyes gave them away, and Xu Zhenzhen could tell there was a hint of watching for drama.

Xu Zhenzhen kept her composure. “The child has graduated. If she’s interested in the industry, then let her go. It’s the family business. Learning more is a good thing.”

After the person left, Xu Zhenzhen sat in her department for quite a while, thinking.

She was a military doctor assigned to a unit. She had met Lin Yihong when he was injured and she was assigned to care for him. That was how they came to know each other, and later, through a matchmaker, they got together. Now their son was already in his first year of college.

And he was attending a military academy.

Barring any surprises, he would follow in his father’s footsteps in the future. Naturally, that meant he could not get involved in business and could only receive dividends.

So how exactly was the enormous family fortune on his grandparents’ side supposed to be handled?

When she married Lin Yihong, she had not known his parents were this wealthy.

If one had to put it plainly, marrying Lin Yihong had been marrying up for her.

Though not by too much. For three generations, the Xu family had also been part of the military system.

Still, if anyone said Xu Zhenzhen felt no envy toward the family fortune of her child’s grandparents, that would definitely be a lie.

Who did not like money?

Money could buy many things. It was not as if she was stealing or robbing for it. If she obtained it, she could spend it freely.

Although his parents still looked very healthy and likely had a long time ahead of them, had they decided anything about an heir yet?

Did they intend to hand it over to their granddaughter?

Then what about their side?

The more Xu Zhenzhen thought about it, the more she felt she needed to ask Lin Yihong.

She wanted to know whether he had any idea what his parents planned to do.

Were those businesses meant to be managed by a professional manager in the future, or what?

When Lin Yihong came home, he first took off his military uniform and changed into comfortable pajamas. Xu Zhenzhen brought over a plate of fruit, set it down, and said, “I need to talk to you about something.”

Lin Yihong stretched a little, his joints cracking audibly.

“What is it?”

Xu Zhenzhen said, “Someone told me today that Yuyan has gone to help her grandmother manage the business. Did you know about it? Are your parents planning to hand their business over to her in the future?” She got straight to the point.

She did not beat around the bush.

It was not as if she were doing anything wrong.

Of course Lin Yihong had already asked about it. At his age, there was no way he could choose to inherit the family business. When their son was taking the college entrance exam, he had hesitated for a long time, but the boy’s choice had been the same as his mother’s, so there had been nothing more to say. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Naturally, they had to follow their child’s wishes and let him choose the path he wanted.

Once the choice was confirmed, Lin Yihong had called his mother to tell her the news. Then he had asked whether, in the future, the family business would be managed by professional managers.

The answer had hit him squarely. His mother had said this:

“Your father and I are both in excellent health. If you’re worried about the distribution of the family property, then let me say something blunt. With your line of work, if you don’t take proper care of yourself, there’s no telling, we might outlive you. This family business was built by us, so we have the right to dispose of it as we see fit. Of course, once we’re gone, it will go to you children. Your father and I do not favor sons over daughters. You and your sister are both our children. As I’ve always said, if neither of you wants to manage the business, then after your father and I are gone, we’ll hire a professional manager. I’ll also establish a family trust. If one of the children is willing, then we’ll see whether she can shoulder that burden.”

Lin Yihong had felt thoroughly stabbed in the heart. With his great-grandfather’s longevity as precedent, he truly did not dare say he would outlive his parents.

He was healthy now, but once he got older, who could say?

And when it came to business, both he and his sister had had little exposure to it, so they did not really have much standing to voice opinions. For example, when it came to the family’s charitable donations, he had only learned about them after the money had already been given.

Then he asked how much of their annual net profits his parents gave to charity every year, things like building Hope Schools, repairing bridges and roads, and so on. The numbers together formed an astronomical sum.

A lot of people did charity for show, but his parents were sincere about it. Many of their donations were never even reported publicly. Only people who specifically paid attention to such matters knew about them. Watching that money flow out in great white streams, did it hurt?

Yes, it did, because altogether it was more than what his parents had given him.

When he and his sister were admitted to university, their parents had already prepared houses and storefronts for them and separated their household registrations. Later, when the siblings each started their own families, his sister received a dowry, and he was given a sum of money on his side as well.

At the time, their parents had said, “This is for you to start your own households. From now on you each have your own little family. To put it in old-fashioned terms, once the children are married, the family divides and each branch lives its own life. From here on, you’ll make your own plans for your lives. Your parents may subsidize you, or they may not. You’ll have to manage for yourselves. Don’t go spending everything, because if you do, there won’t be any replacement.”

After that, he had been extraordinarily well-off. What his parents had given him had already made him a wealthy man. A large part of the reason his life was so comfortable now was because of that.

The salary they actually earned was not much at all. Forget everything else, if he relied only on his own salary and wanted to buy a house in the capital now, that alone would consume his entire life.

Even so, in his everyday life, Lin Yihong remained very frugal. He worried that a luxurious lifestyle would erode his willpower. Once a person got used to good things, going back to worse ones would require effort.

When he did not need the money, he put it into financial management. When he did need it, he took it out and used it. If the families of some of his comrades were in hardship or had suffered an accident and came to borrow money from him, he lent it.

If there were minors whose parents were gone, he would donate to them too.

Money gave a person courage. With this sum behind him, he had a way out, so when others tried to tempt him with sugar-coated bullets, Lin Yihong remained especially steadfast.

Offer him money? Did he lack money?

When it came to matters of principle, no amount of money could change them.

As for not favoring sons over daughters, he was long used to that. Ever since childhood, whatever their parents prepared had always come in doubles, basically identical.

Now, hearing his wife speak this way, it was obvious she had some thoughts about the matter.

Lin Yihong knew that although people said men and women were equal, in the vast majority of families, if there was no son then that was one thing, but if there was a son, the family business would generally go to him.

But his family was not like that. And if one had to say it, the one who had spent the most time by his parents’ side was his sister. The one who had shown more filial devotion was also his sister and his niece. If the larger share of the family business went to his sister, he had no objections.

He did not feel much about receiving his own portion, because to get it meant his parents would have died, and then it would become an inheritance. He did not want his parents to die at all. Was the money in his own hands not already enough for him to use?

Lin Yihong repeated what his mother had meant back then: “Don’t think too much. Have you been working overtime again these past few days? If you don’t pay attention to taking care of yourself, you’ll age quickly. Think about how long my great-grandfather lived. My parents are in even better shape than he was. They hardly ever get sick, they’re incredibly healthy, and our family isn’t short on money. Once you have enough, money is just a number. If we don’t take care of ourselves, we might as well think about what to do with our money for our son after we’re gone. Should we transfer it to him in advance and save on inheritance tax?”

Xu Zhenzhen drew in a breath. Her reaction was exactly the same as Lin Yihong’s had been when he heard Yu Xiang’an say those words. It stung.

If she did not take good care of herself, then maybe she really would not outlive her parents-in-law. And if it came to that, then none of this would matter anyway. She would not even be alive.

Thinking that way, Xu Zhenzhen felt that she must really have been too exhausted from all the overtime lately. Otherwise, how could she have forgotten something so obvious?

Isn’t this just worrying over nothing?

…

To bring those two deputy managers to heel, Wang Yuyan put in no small amount of effort. She had no intention of being looked down on.

Even if she had been parachuted in, she was a capable one.

Everything would be judged by results.

Once she had subdued her subordinates, Yu Xiang’an took a more democratic approach this time and asked her, “Where do you want to go next?”

Wang Yuyan hesitated for a moment. “Grandma, where do you think I should go? Why don’t you decide for me? I don’t know where I’ll end up, but that makes it feel fresh and exciting. I’ll listen to you.”

Yu Xiang’an said, “Alright.”

Yu Xiang’an then sent her to a food city, where Wang Yuyan became an inspector.

She was responsible for checking the hygiene of the businesses there, their licenses, whether larger shops were bullying customers, and all sorts of miscellaneous issues.

For this, she underwent additional training. Without it, she would not even have known what to inspect.

It was necessary. If a shop’s hygiene was seriously substandard or even dangerous, they themselves would also be implicated.

Occasional spot checks served as a safeguard for both sides.

After arriving there, Wang Yuyan’s pace of life slowed down noticeably. She would stroll through one shop, then wander into another. After working there for a month, she gained three pounds.

The number on the scale left her in disbelief. It had only been one month.

She knew she had eaten a bit more during inspections, but wasn’t this too much?

She had clearly been restraining herself.

Looking at the softness on her stomach, Wang Yuyan felt like she could cry.

This wouldn’t do. Starting tomorrow, she absolutely had to stop eating like this.

Taking a bite here and a bite there did not seem like much, but the sheer number of bites added up.

While reflecting on this, she even asked her colleagues for advice. Her colleagues simply patted their own bellies. “What is there to ask? Look at this. What don’t you understand?”

Wang Yuyan fell silent.

It was too real, and frankly terrifying.

Not a single one of her colleagues was slim. That was horrifying. She absolutely could not go on like this.

When Yu Xiang’an later asked how her work had been going, she was met with Wang Yuyan’s tearful complaint. “Grandma, this is the first time I’ve realized how weak my self-control is. I’ll work out properly.” For the sake of her waist, she would give it her all.

Yu Xiang’an burst out laughing.

“Besides gaining weight, did you gain anything else?”

There were other gains.

Compared to the Meiyan sales department, life here was far more relaxed, and her colleagues were very friendly. In the sales department there had been competitive pressure, but here it felt almost like coasting toward retirement.

There was not much she needed to do. As long as she stuck to principles and paid attention to detail, inspections were enough.

But she would not remain an inspector forever, so she also took the opportunity to observe other things.

For example, foot traffic and customer preferences.

In any given city, theirs was not the only one. There were others, and some food streets were even organized by the government.

After seeing enough, she realized that most food streets and food courts were quite similar. They all offered the same mix of stinky tofu, spicy hot pot, skewers, grilled meat, cold noodles, hot pot, sushi, chicken wings, chicken feet, pig trotters, everything thrown together.

Because everyone had everything, it was hard to stand out. At that point, the advantage came down to taste and price. Whichever food court had more delicious options and more affordable pricing would attract more foot traffic and customers.

Her grandmother’s food city had one advantage: it had been operating for a long time, with many returning customers.

Rent was also relatively low, which reduced costs for merchants. As a result, their prices could be slightly cheaper than others. That small difference should not be underestimated.

Many people would walk one or two kilometers just to save that one yuan.

Another key advantage was the mature surrounding infrastructure. Besides food, there were clothing stores, shoe shops, and other retail options. They complemented each other, so it would be strange if business were poor.

As for flaws, they did exist.

More than once, Wang Yuyan heard long-time customers looking at menus and saying there were no new items, that many shops lacked innovation.

Many people like trying new things. Even if it turns out not to be good and they will not return, they still want to try at least once. Who knows, they might discover something special.

This mindset is very common, including in Wang Yuyan herself.

Yu Xiang’an asked her, “If it were up to you, how would you improve this? You’ve seen it. The shops that don’t do well can’t hold on for long because the rent is not cheap, and new businesses will replace them. The ones that survive already have good business and stable customers, so they do not spend much energy on innovation.”

Thinking further, Wang Yuyan felt that from this perspective, the issue was not too serious. The market naturally weeds out the weak. Shops that are not good enough cannot survive, and those that remain already have customers who like them. In that case, they are less inclined to risk innovating with uncertain new products, while struggling businesses will desperately try new things to stay afloat.

That way, a sense of novelty still emerges.

Yu Xiang’an said, “Stay for another two months.”

During those two months, she observed more carefully and realized that menus were not completely fixed.

They changed with the seasons, introducing seasonal items.

What she had noticed earlier was true, but for the most part, it was sufficient.

As for introducing a new item every week, most businesses simply did not have the time, energy, or money for that.

After three months, Wang Yuyan’s probation period ended, and she resigned.

As usual, when asked where she wanted to go next, she again let her grandmother decide.

Each new workplace exposed her to things she had never encountered before, allowing her to truly experience the problems involved.

Every new place and new job brought different insights.

It all felt very fresh.

Wang Yuyan was then assigned to a seaside resort hotel to work in logistics.

Before she went, her grandmother gave her a question: if she were to host a wedding banquet for over a thousand people, would she be confident?

Her grandmother wanted her answer after one month.

In less than a month, Wang Yuyan submitted her answer: she could not do it.

The hotel did have a venue large enough for such an event, but organizing it was a massive undertaking, something not often encountered.

Tables, chairs, decorations, the host, food, drinks, service, all of it posed a challenge for the hotel.

Half a month after arriving, she had the chance to participate in organizing a wedding banquet for six to seven hundred people. It nearly wore her out completely.

The bride had many demands regarding the setup. The customer was always right, so they had no choice but to coordinate with the wedding planning company to satisfy her.

For most people, a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Wang Yuyan fully understood the desire for perfection, but this was truly exhausting.

Just the floral arrangements were revised more than ten times.

Though unmarried, Wang Yuyan already felt exhausted by weddings.

The hotel was not even the direct target of the bride’s nitpicking. That burden fell on the wedding company, yet it was still enough to give her a headache. The menu went through repeated revisions, and there were also the theme, the colors and patterns of tables and chairs, and so on.

It was overwhelming.

The service industry was truly not easy.

With easygoing clients, things were manageable. With difficult ones, it was utterly draining.

Lin Chuanbai looked at his granddaughter’s exhausted appearance and smiled at Yu Xiang’an. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Yu Xiang’an did not deny it.

This client was indeed difficult. She had originally booked another hotel, but was dissatisfied with the communication and chose to switch, even giving up her deposit. She did not lack money.

Clients like this were hard to deal with, but they were also the most effective for training someone.

Meanwhile, Lin Chuanbai found himself wondering something else. After going through an experience like organizing such a wedding, would she end up developing a psychological aversion to weddings in the future?

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

Today is Lin Duzhong’s 110th birthday.

A centenarian may be rare in their country, yet not entirely so. There are always places blessed with longevity, like certain well-known “long-life villages.” Yu Xiang’an had even invested in one such place. The mountains and waters there were genuinely excellent. She built a resort hotel, and in that village it was common to see people in their eighties and nineties, even those over a hundred.

Naturally, many people liked the idea of retiring there, believing the feng shui was exceptional.

Within their own circle, Lin Duzhong also had quite a reputation.

He himself was not a particularly famous physician, but his descendants were accomplished.

His grandchildren had done well.

His great-grandchildren were growing up, and though the younger generation were still mostly in school, judging by their past behavior, none seemed like wastrels who would squander the family legacy.

More than once, people had wanted to interview him about the secrets of his longevity.

Some people live long but suffer for many of those years. Lin Duzhong was different. His aging was natural. He could still walk, eat, and sleep. His eyesight had declined, so he wore reading glasses. His hearing wasn’t as sharp, so he used a hearing aid. With these, he looked much like any ordinary elderly person.

To live long without suffering, that was true good fortune.

So even though his birthday celebration was not a grand public banquet, many people still wished to come and share in the blessing.

In the end, no outsiders were invited. A family gathering was enough, and it spared the old man from exhaustion.

Even so, the number of relatives alone was considerable.

Lin Duzhong had three children. Over the years, they had children and grandchildren, generation after generation.

Take Lin Houbai for example. He had four children and six grandchildren.

Everyone came.

Lin Yihong and Wang Lipan adjusted their leave to attend.

People might skip other banquets, but for someone who had reached such an age, everyone wanted to partake in the blessing.

After all, who wouldn’t wish for a long, healthy life and the chance to witness more of the world’s prosperity?

As the eldest son, Lin Houbai would normally have handled the arrangements. But he was nearly ninety now.

His health was not as good as Lin Duzhong’s. While the latter could still move about freely, Lin Houbai had difficulty walking and relied mostly on a wheelchair.

Looking down the generations, the one with the most time and ability was Lin Chuanbai, so he took charge of organizing everything.

The banquet was not held at home. It would have been inconvenient, and cleaning up afterward would be troublesome. Instead, it was arranged at a hotel.

Everyone only needed to arrive on time.

Lin Duzhong’s wish was simple: to have a meal together and take some photos as keepsakes.

He rarely mentioned his birthday. After turning one hundred, he had stopped celebrating it, feeling it was too much trouble. Every extra year lived was already a blessing.

Now ten years had passed since that centennial.

In those ten years, more children had been born, and new members had joined the family.

Since he proposed holding a celebration this time, everyone came.

The host was thoughtful and replaced the stage steps with a ramp.

Standing on stage, Lin Duzhong smiled broadly, revealing a full set of teeth.

They were dentures, but for today’s occasion, he wore them.

His voice was no longer strong, so he spoke into a microphone.

“Today is my birthday. Thank you all for taking the time to come. I have lived a full life. I retired in my sixties, and have lived another forty or fifty years since. By then, my children were grown and heads of their own households, so I no longer needed to manage your affairs. And you did not disappoint me. Each of you has built a prosperous life. I am very happy, very proud. You have surpassed me. That is a good thing. But those of you born after the 1990s—you did not experience the hardships your parents went through.”

As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the twin sisters, Wang Yushan and Wang Yuyan.

He had watched them grow up.

In terms of money, they had been raised with some restraint, but in every other aspect, they had been given the best.

From birth, they had advantages others did not.

While others stood at the starting line, they were practically at the finish.

Even if they chose not to strive and simply lived comfortably, what their family had given them would ensure a lifetime without worry.

He had never imagined such a day.

His descendants were thriving across the military, politics, culture, and economy.

Back then, he had only hoped that one of his three children would inherit his medical skills and surpass him.

In the end, only his daughter studied medicine.

Later, when his second grandson Lin Chuanbai expressed interest in medicine, he had been overjoyed.

Though Chuanbai eventually chose pharmaceutical research over practicing as a doctor, Lin Duzhong was still satisfied.

Their family had passed down medical knowledge for four generations.

With such a skill, no matter what upheaval came, they would never lack a way to make a living.

Looking further back, their ancestor had been a mere apprentice to a doctor, secretly learning medicine. With a few books and experience, he became a barefoot doctor. At that time, being a physician already commanded respect.

The second generation inherited the craft and worked even harder, eventually settling in Baishi County after years of wandering like rootless duckweed.

His grandfather had told him these stories to inspire him to study hard, and he had not disappointed.

He had even left the county and gone to the city.

If not for that turbulent period, he would have settled there permanently instead of returning with his grandson.

As for Lin Houbai, he had been an exception.

Lin Duzhong had wanted him to study medicine, but he could not manage it and later joined the army.

Fortunately, he returned safely and built a family.

Lin Duzhong had hoped that someone among his grandchildren would carry on the tradition, but none did, until Lin Chuanbai came along.

Strictly speaking, the most accomplished was his eldest grandson Lin Guangbai, who governed a region.

But in his heart, Lin Duzhong favored Lin Chuanbai the most.

Though he did not prescribe medicine, the drugs he developed had helped countless people.

Most of them were derived from traditional Chinese medicine.

He had seen people disparage Chinese medicine as inferior or even as superstition.

Yet his grandson’s work had proven them wrong.

If they truly believed Chinese medicine was inferior, then they should not use it at all.

The highly effective diabetes treatment developed in his grandson’s lab was also rooted in traditional medicine.

So many medicines in daily life came from it.

What right did people have to look down on what their ancestors had passed down?

Lin Duzhong knew that some did not truly believe these criticisms. They were driven by foreign capital trying to seize a share of the market, deliberately spreading discrediting narratives.

That, to him, was even more detestable.

They knew the truth, yet distorted it for profit.

His gaze shifted to his youngest son, Lin Jiqing.

Among his descendants, some were outstanding, and some were not.

Of his three children, the least accomplished was this youngest son.

He was honest but dull, content with mediocrity, staying in the same position for decades without change.

Fortunately, his son did not take after him.

Before the wave of layoffs hit, the family had already built up a children’s clothing business. It was not enough to make them truly wealthy, but it was enough to send their child abroad for study.

Studying overseas was expensive, but judging by how easily they managed it, the cost was within their means. That was enough.

Compared with those who were truly well-off, their life might seem worlds apart.

But Lin Duzhong had never believed in forcing equality among his descendants. If he had, the capable ones would only feel disheartened.

He also never insisted that the successful must support the less successful, and that was why the family could still live together in harmony.

Those who felt dissatisfied were kept in check by others.

Looking back on his life, Lin Duzhong felt, just as he had said, that it had all been worthwhile.

After saying a few words the younger generation might not have liked to hear, he prepared gifts for everyone.

Regardless of generation or gender, each person received a set.

There were gold and silver ornaments, along with stamps and old books he had collected over the years.

Yu Xiang’an received a pair of gold locks engraved with auspicious cloud patterns, heavy in the hand, along with two books about ingredients.

Other items varied, but everyone received gold ornaments. With so many people, it must have cost a great deal.

Lin Duzhong laughed. “I haven’t had many expenses all these years. Gold wasn’t as expensive before, so I saved some for you all. Gold holds its value. As for the other things, they may or may not be useful. You can decide what to do with them.”

He had a pension, and with the support of his children and grandchildren, he had indeed saved a considerable sum over the years. But after giving out all these gifts, his savings were nearly gone.

Receiving gifts was a joyful thing.

They, in turn, also prepared gifts for him. But he had made it clear beforehand that it was the thought that counted, and nothing expensive should be given.

So what they brought were practical things, food, clothing, and daily necessities.

Nothing costly.

Xu Haili received a pair of heavy gold bracelets. She loved such things.

Lin Duzhong had taken everyone’s preferences into account. Though all were gold, each piece was different in style. Not a single one was repeated.

Li Yuqiao received a pair of antique-style gold hairpins, exactly to her taste.

Lin Chuanbai received a gold plaque, similar to a gold bar. It was something to keep at home, not to wear, as it would be too heavy.

While Lin Duzhong was speaking with others, Lin Guangbai pulled Lin Chuanbai aside.

Frowning, he said, “Doesn’t Grandpa seem a bit off to you?”

The things he said, the gifts he gave, it all felt like he was leaving something behind.

“Is there something wrong with his health?”

Lin Chuanbai fell silent for a moment. “He’s been sleeping more and more. His energy is declining. The doctors checked and said it’s just the natural course of things.”

Lin Guangbai understood. For a moment, he did not know what to say. His feelings were tangled.

In the face of life and death, no matter how capable one was, there was nothing to be done.

Lin Houbai had sensed it too.

Even at such a celebratory banquet, there was little joy in him. But he had long grown used to keeping a stern face, so few noticed anything amiss.

After the banquet, those who had come from afar stayed at the hotel. Lin Chuanbai took the rest home.

Once home, Lin Duzhong held Lin Chuanbai’s hand and said, “You have the character of a good physician. That makes me very happy. I hope you will carry it forward and never forget your original intentions.”

There were medicines Lin Chuanbai could have priced high for great profit, but he chose instead to keep them affordable.

Not common cold remedies, but treatments for serious illnesses, drugs that were typically very expensive. Yet what he developed remained at the lowest end of that price range.

“What you do will bring you merit. In your next life, things will go smoothly.”

Next life?

Would that mean returning to their original world?

Or simply living out another life here and then disappearing completely?

Lin Chuanbai’s thoughts drifted.

There were already things about them that defied logic, but as for something even less tangible, like spirits, neither he nor Yu Xiang’an had ever encountered such things. This seemed to be an ordinary, material world.

So perhaps after death, there was simply nothing.

Did merit and blessings truly exist?

If their own chance to live again in this world came from saving others and doing good deeds, then what of those who had done even more good? What kind of reward would they receive?

The unknown inspired awe.

They did not realize that after they became wealthy and capable, their charitable work had become widely recognized. The public might not see it often, but those in higher circles were well aware.

The day after his 110th birthday, during his afternoon nap, Lin Duzhong slept longer than usual.

When someone went in to check on him, he had already stopped breathing.

His expression was peaceful.

He had long made arrangements for after his death. He wished to be cremated, and his ashes returned to his hometown to be buried with his wife. She had waited so long.

At his funeral, wreaths were sent from many sectors of society, including from figures who often appeared on national news.

Gu Shi also came to pay his respects.

He had known Lin Duzhong through the hospital where he worked.

They had grown familiar over time, speaking only of health, never mentioning Lin Yining.

Lin Duzhong knew Gu Shi had sought Yining out again after returning to the country.

Gu Shi had asked the questions that had long lingered in his mind. After that, he never came again, maintaining only a polite acquaintance with her.

He was not without regret, but there was no turning back.

If he persisted, the Lin and Wang families had countless ways to make things difficult for him.

—

Less than half a year after Lin Duzhong passed, Lin Houbai followed.

His health had never been as strong. Old injuries from the battlefield had taken their toll. Still, nearing ninety was a long life.

Li Yuqiao wept bitterly, her eyes swollen. It was hard to tell whether she mourned him or herself.

She had hoped her son would inherit most of Lin Houbai’s political influence, but in the end it went to Lin Guangbai.

Her son Tian Dong was doing well, holding a leadership position, but he could not compare. The two brothers could not both rise to the top.

His future was set. His authority would remain limited, and financially he would only have his pension.

Worse, she had no grandson.

Without a grandson, the family line would end.

Though she loved her granddaughter, it was not the same.

She was also on poor terms with her daughter-in-law. Now that Lin Houbai was gone, she would have to live with them.

Given how things had been between them before, would her daughter-in-law treat her well?

The more she thought about it, the harder she cried.

After a lifetime of effort, this was not the ending she had wanted.

After handling two funerals in succession, Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an became even more attentive to Yu Qingshan’s health.

He seemed in good condition for now.

But they would not take that for granted.

Yu Qingshan’s daily routine now included many more medical checkups. He knew it was because the younger generation worried about him, but he said nothing. In his own view, he could still eat well and sleep well, so he probably wouldn’t be meeting the King of Hell anytime soon.

Physically, he was fine. But it was also true that he lacked energy and motivation.

That was what made Yu Xiang’an start thinking.

If one had to point to a reason why the three elders had lived such long lives, there was one key contributor, the spiritual peaches from the space.

These peaches took a long time to ripen, and given Lin Duzhong’s age, he likely would not have lived to see them fully mature. So they had picked one early for study. In the end, Lin Chuanbai used the unripe fruit to produce a kind of juice. Experiments showed that rabbits who consumed it lived longer.

It did not extend their lifespan beyond natural limits, but the effect was real.

Because the substance could not be fully analyzed, Lin Chuanbai could not determine how much of Lin Duzhong’s longevity, reaching 110, was due to the “peach juice.” He could only conclude that its effects varied by individual constitution.

After all, Lin Duzhong, Lin Houbai, and Yu Qingshan had all consumed the same amount, yet their lifespans differed.

The reason lay in their physical condition. Lin Duzhong had always been robust. Lin Houbai had old injuries and a weaker foundation, which eventually confined him to a wheelchair and led to an earlier passing. Yu Qingshan, on the other hand, had maintained his health well and could likely live into his nineties without issue.

Even though she herself was no longer young, the thought of Yu Qingshan passing away still unsettled Yu Xiang’an.

When other people lost their parents, one could say “my condolences.” But when it happened to oneself, hearing those words often came with a sense of numbness. Only later, in everyday moments, would it sink in that the person waiting at home for dinner was gone, that the one sitting in front of the television watching the evening news and scolding her for spending too freely would never appear again.

Just imagining that sense of grievance and grief, Yu Xiang’an shook her head and refused to think further.

Because if she did, she would inevitably think of her parents in her original world. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. 
So much time had passed, they might already be gone. Had they forgotten their daughter who had left so early?

No matter how old one was, having parents meant still being someone’s child. It gave a sense of security, a place of refuge.

Now, Lin Chuanbai was still working to analyze the composition of the spiritual peach. If it could be applied broadly, even if it did not extend lifespan, simply helping people reach eighty or ninety would already be an extraordinary achievement.

At present, the country’s average lifespan was only in the seventies. An extra decade could change many things.

Lin Chuanbai’s medicinal garden was now filled not only with ginseng but also with various instruments. He also had a private laboratory in the real world, one that moved with him. Wherever he went, the lab followed. He could enter it whenever he wished.

After returning, he went back into seclusion to continue his research.

Meanwhile, Yu Xiang’an looked at Yu Qingshan, who seemed listless, and began to think of ways to give him something to focus on. Simply put, she wanted to give him something to do, something light, not too tiring, not mentally exhausting.

Yu Qingshan spent most of his time in the Special Zone. He was not used to living elsewhere. He preferred the southern climate.

Summers were hot, but there was air conditioning, and one could travel to cooler places. Winters, however, barely felt like winters anymore. There were only a handful of days cold enough for heavy coats.

Traveling far was no longer appealing to him. He lacked the energy and had no interest in long trips.

These days, when he went out, it was mostly to buy breakfast and take a walk, or occasionally, with Li Dazhu, to check on their shops. But even that took effort. And if Li Dazhu drove him, the car’s license plate could be recognized, making it impossible to conduct quiet, unannounced inspections.

After some thought, Yu Xiang’an said, “Dad, there are people managing things already. Even if you don’t go check, it’s handled. How about this, what do you think about opening an exhibition hall?”

Yu Qingshan: ???

Over the years, Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai had turned over certain items that could not legally be privately owned to the state, while keeping the rest.

If they opened an exhibition hall, these items could be displayed publicly. They could say they had been exchanged for food long ago and buried underground when private ownership was not allowed.

Some of these items were of little value. Others could fetch millions at auction.

Because the collection was vast and varied, they had hired multiple experts to appraise, classify, and catalog everything.

There were antiques, as well as more recent items.

For example, currency issued before the second set of RMB in 1955, like the old ten-thousand-yuan notes, which were equivalent to one yuan in the later system.

The denomination had decreased, but purchasing power remained real.

There were also old marriage certificates, once styled like award certificates, unlike the small booklets used today.

Then there were ration coupons, grain coupons, sugar coupons, cloth coupons, things that had once been essential to daily life. The younger generation, like the twin sisters, had never used them. They had only seen them occasionally in books and had no real understanding of how they worked.

Ancient items were displayed in one section, modern ones in another.

Seeing these things stirred Yu Qingshan’s memories.

He would point to them and explain, “One catty of grain coupons, half a liang of sugar coupons, one chi of cloth coupons…”

Young people did not understand, but he would patiently explain.

When visitors of his own age came, they had even more to talk about. They would reminisce about borrowing cloth coupons, calculating purchases after payday, and all the little struggles of that time. There was no end to their stories.

Gradually, Yu Qingshan regained his spirit.

Every morning, he would set out with a thermos in hand, and he would not return until mealtime.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

Wang Yushan didn’t look much like her twin sister.

When they were little, she resembled her father while her sister looked like their uncle. But as they grew older, the resemblance shifted. Yushan ended up looking half like her father and half like her mother, while her sister seemed to gather all the best features from their uncle’s side, becoming more and more beautiful.

Sometimes Yushan would complain to her mother about it, and her mother would just smile and comfort her, saying she was pretty too.

Yushan knew she looked fine.

It was just that her sister looked even better.

And looks were something you were born with.

There was nothing to be done.

The two sisters were both bright, learning things with ease.

So their mother enrolled them in many extracurricular classes, keeping them from running around outside.

This was a result of a past incident.

When they were in elementary school, someone somehow found out their family was wealthy and attempted to kidnap them. They were usually picked up and dropped off, with security and surveillance at school, but that day during PE, they sneaked out to buy snacks.

Yushan was captured.

Her sister escaped.

Yushan was blindfolded and taken to an abandoned building.

For the kidnappers, it was both a success and a failure. Even though they got the money, they were eventually caught, and the ransom was returned untouched.

The incident didn’t leave much of an impact on Yushan herself. She felt she was fine.

But her family had been terrified.

Her father and uncle took leave to come see her. Grandparents from both sides came as well.

Yet she hadn’t been harmed at all.

She understood the kidnappers wouldn’t hurt her. If they added murder to the crime, they’d never escape. She had never seen their faces, and as long as she didn’t provoke them, there was no reason for them to take that risk.

The “aftereffects” were simply that everyone became extra protective.

Two bodyguards appeared in their lives.

They had tracking devices.

And their father and uncle began training them physically.

Life suddenly became intense.

Before, their mother let them be, if they didn’t want to learn martial arts, they didn’t have to.

Now that was no longer an option.

For their safety, they had to learn.

Fortunately, aside from that one incident, life returned to calm.

Their parents gradually loosened their control again.

In the blink of an eye, the twins finished the college entrance exams.

The pressure of senior year was finally over.

The moment they got home, they went wild, phones, computers, partying, everything.

The two of them could only be described as chaos unleashed.

Lin Yining didn’t restrict them.

As long as they didn’t cross any lines, they could do whatever they wanted.

After indulging at home and resting enough, they quickly gathered friends and set off traveling.

Summer vacation was long.

Applications weren’t a concern, their grades were stable.

They flew everywhere, domestically and abroad.

One day they’d call from one country, the next day from another.

Lin Yining sighed. “Enjoy it while you can. Once school starts, it won’t be this relaxed.”

She felt a little envious.

At their age, she had never been able to travel so freely.

Now she had time, but no companions.

Her parents were off traveling too, leaving her behind.

It felt a bit lonely.

And she couldn’t just leave.

She had to handle their exam results and applications.

The two girls had completely handed everything over to her.

When the scores came out, Lin Yining beamed with pride.

Their confidence hadn’t been misplaced.

Their results were excellent, one became the city’s top scorer in liberal arts, the other second place.

Naturally, reporters wanted interviews.

Lin Yining declined.

The girls didn’t even want to come back from abroad.

Appearing in media still made them uneasy, better not attract unwanted attention.

Yining knew this mindset wasn’t ideal.

Children needed freedom.

But since they themselves refused, she didn’t push.

Even though they weren’t present, it didn’t stop the school and teachers from celebrating.

For the thank-you banquet, parents and classmates gathered together.

Her presence was enough.

The girls could come back after they’d had their fill of fun.

They had carried immense pressure during senior year, afraid of failing at the final hurdle.

Now that it was over, they deserved to relax.

Yining understood this well.

Because their family was full of high achievers, the girls refused to be ordinary.

That was both motivation and pressure.

Their exam results were their first proof of excellence.

Meanwhile, Yining had her own tasks.

She began transferring assets their grandmother had prepared into their names, just as had been done for her and her brother.

She had been strict with them growing up, but now that they had entered adulthood, it was time to give them something.

The properties and shops her parents had given her and her brother had appreciated greatly over the years.

With redevelopment, some had become extremely valuable.

Her parents hadn’t given them much cash beyond that one time after the exams, even though they were very wealthy.

Instead, they gave assets.

And since she and her brother didn’t have many expenses, those assets were more than enough.

She understood.

Her parents had earned their money.

They didn’t want to spoil them with easy cash, partly because they weren’t going into business, and partly to avoid raising idle dependents.

Yining thought this was a good approach.

While she stayed busy, the twins were having the time of their lives abroad.

Their friends all came from well-off families.

Money wasn’t much of a concern.

They went skiing in the mountains, diving in the ocean, hiking in the wilderness…

When they got tired, someone suggested hot springs.

Everyone agreed immediately.

They booked tickets to a famous hot spring destination.

Coincidentally, Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai were there too.

They hadn’t known beforehand and had booked neighboring hotels.

When Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai stepped out for a walk, they ran into the girls just as they were arriving with luggage.

They stopped face to face.

The twins lit up with surprise. “Grandma, Grandpa! You’re here too!”

Yu Xiang’an noticed their sun-tanned skin and smiled. “Looks like you’ve been having too much fun. Yesterday your mom said you were in Europe, and now you’re here. Having a good time?”

Yushan grinned. “Of course! Let me introduce you, these are our grandparents.”

Their classmates hesitated.

That face…

It looked familiar.

They were top students, aware of current events. They recognized faces from financial news.

And now they were being told this was their friend’s grandmother.

A prominent figure they’d seen on TV was right in front of them.

The group grew excited.

But in front of Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai, they behaved politely, smiling shyly.

Only after the two elders left did they swarm around the twins.

“You two are way too low-key.”

“Our school bully acts so arrogant on campus, but your family is way better off than his, and you’re still this low-key.”

“If you hadn’t said they were your grandparents, I would’ve thought they were your parents. Your grandparents take such good care of themselves, they look like mother and daughter, not grandparents and grandchild.”

“No wonder their beauty products sell so well, they’re basically walking advertisements.”

“I know that brand! My mom uses it too!”

“I also heard about their health supplements, super famous. I even read somewhere that your family has five generations living together, is that true?”

It was true, counting from Lin Duzhong’s side.

“Can I cling to you for support?”

“Can we get a photo together?”

Wang Yushan laughed. “Keeping a low profile is the way. I like being low-key. What’s wrong with that? I’m still me. As for photos, no, my grandparents don’t like taking pictures with strangers. But since we ran into each other, my grandma will definitely come find us later. While you’re here, don’t hold back, go enjoy whatever you want.”

“Rich girl confirmed, then we won’t be polite!”

“Yushan! Long live your grandma!”

At their age, they didn’t really understand restraint. Whatever they thought, they said it, straightforward and full of enthusiasm.

—

Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai had just finished negotiating business ahead of schedule. Since things wrapped up early, they decided to relax at the hot springs.

Even on a simple walk, they had people accompanying them.

They had no intention of testing anyone’s morals. It was better not to give others the chance.

After a stroll, they relaxed.

When they checked their phones, there was a message from Yushan with their room number.

The eldest granddaughter was thoughtful.

Yu Xiang’an went to find them.

By then, the group had finished soaking and were playing cards in the room.

Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai brought snacks and joined in, surprising the classmates.

Such prominent figures, yet completely without airs.

In TV dramas and movies, people like this were usually distant and hard to approach.

One student quietly asked Yushan, “Has your grandma always been like this?”

Yushan nodded. “Yep, always. Work is work, personal is personal. She keeps them separate.”

She had seen her grandmother in the office.

Completely different.

Serious. No room for carelessness.

That night, Yu Xiang’an had great luck with cards, while Lin Chuanbai kept losing.

Watching for a while, Yushan rolled up her sleeves. “Grandpa, let me help you.”

She was excellent at card games.

Lin Chuanbai happily gave up his seat.

In just a few rounds, she won back half the chips.

Their “chips” were just snacks Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai had brought. Lin Chuanbai’s side had been empty before, now it was piled high again.

—

After playing enough, Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai went to the twins’ room.

It was a twin room, comfortable and well laid out.

“Looks nice here. Are you two having fun? When are you planning to head back?”

Yushan grabbed Yu Xiang’an’s arm, while her sister held onto Lin Chuanbai. “We rarely get to have this much fun, we’re going to enjoy it fully. We’ll definitely go back before school starts.”

The two elders exchanged a glance. “Just don’t lose track of time.”

“No way, we won’t. We call home every day to check in.”

The sisters quickly reassured them, afraid they might be forced to return early.

After all, once university started, freedom wouldn’t be the same.

The period between high school graduation and university was a rare break.

Ending it early would be such a waste.

Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai stayed for two days before flying back to China. The twins left the next day, heading to their next destination.

—

Lin Yining could only shake her head at how carefree they were.

Back when she had traveled after her exams, she still worried about admission letters.

These two?

They glanced at a photo of their acceptance letters and went right back to traveling.

By the time they returned, her two fair, beautiful daughters had tanned several shades darker.

Their darker skin made their teeth stand out even more, dazzling when they smiled.

Yining sighed. “Did you go mining somewhere? How did you get this dark?”

Her heart ached a little.

The twins didn’t mind at all. “It’s fine, Mom. We tan fast and lighten fast. It’ll go away.”

“You’ve forgotten you still have military training when school starts? You’ll get even darker.”

“Then we’ll just be darker. We’ll still look good.”

“You two…” Yining couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, school’s about to start. Hurry and finish all the procedures.”

Some things required their signatures, and they also had to visit their teachers to express thanks.

After their wild vacation, they became very obedient, doing whatever was asked.

Just like Yining and her brother back then, the twins became wealthy overnight.

With today’s housing prices, their assets instantly reached over a hundred million.

“These are from your grandparents,” Yining told them. “I won’t be giving you living expenses.”

Same as before, rental income from several shops and properties was more than enough for a comfortable university life.

Unlike Yining and her brother, however, these two were bold.

After the properties were transferred, they were free to manage them.

By sophomore year, each of them had already sold one property for cash.

When Yining heard this: “…”

She didn’t know what to say.

Unable to scold her daughters directly, she went to Yu Xiang’an instead.

Yu Xiang’an waved it off. “It’s fine. If they make money from it, that’s their ability. If they lose it, I won’t cover for them.”

The worst case was simply that they spent it all.

Yining quietly checked and learned they had invested the money.

She finally relaxed.

At least it was for something legitimate.

As Yushan put it, “Shops give steady rent, but houses just sit there unused. Selling one gives us liquid capital to invest. Our assets were too concentrated.”

Yu Xiang’an smiled. “If you don’t understand something, feel free to call me.”

Yushan hesitated. “If we don’t understand, we’ll ask… but it feels like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.”

Yu Xiang’an: “……”

It was praise, but the comparison made her laugh.

—

The sisters kept a low profile in university.

But after volunteering as hosts for an event, Wang Yuyan suddenly went viral.

People called her “the most beautiful top student host.”

Videos of her spread online.

Talent scouts approached her, hoping to sign her and launch her into the entertainment industry.

“Most beautiful natural beauty from a top university.”

“God gave her looks and intelligence.”

Headlines became more and more exaggerated.

Yuyan understood the industry somewhat.

It was glamorous, and being on stage felt exhilarating.

But she wasn’t happy.

She hadn’t wanted this kind of attention.

To her, it was an accident.

She knew some people wanted that path, like her mother’s acquaintance’s daughter who studied acting and dreamed of becoming a star.

If it had happened to someone like that, they would have been thrilled.

But when faced with so many people coming just to gawk at her, Wang Yuyan only felt annoyed. Yu Xiang’an noticed and called her.

“Do you want to enter the entertainment industry?”

“No. There’s no privacy at all. I’ve already turned them down.” Wang Yuyan refused decisively.

Yu Xiang’an nodded. “If you ever change your mind, tell me.”

Yuyan nodded. She knew her grandmother held a 20% stake in a long-established film and television company.

If she chose that path, things would go very smoothly.

—

Chen Xiaoyang saw the video while accompanying her daughter. She smiled, not surprised at Wang Yuyan’s decision.

As a veteran employee who had been with the factory from the beginning, she knew the boss’s family well, having met them before.

To this day, Yu Xiang’an was still her idol.

And she would never forget her idol’s family after seeing them once.

Now, Chen Xiaoyang’s life was quite good. She had a home and a family in the special economic zone.

She had persisted for many years, only marrying in her thirties. Her husband was a colleague, and they worked in different departments.

Because of their consistent excellent performance, they were allocated a two-bedroom apartment, with proper ownership documents.

Now that apartment was worth several million, and still rising. The surrounding commercial area was well developed, life was convenient, and transportation was excellent. Naturally, such housing was in high demand.

When she had free time, Chen Xiaoyang liked browsing housing websites to check transaction prices nearby. They would never sell their home, but knowing its value still made them happy.

Several people had asked if she would sell. She refused every time.

With no housing pressure, their income went partly toward their child’s education and partly into savings. They even bought another property in a more remote area for their child’s future marriage.

That “remote” area had since developed, and prices had risen again.

Which made them even happier.

She loved talking about real estate with colleagues. They had benefited greatly.

The more valuable the house became, the more diligent they felt, otherwise it seemed like holding onto something too good to deserve.

—

Today was the company anniversary.

As a long-serving employee, she received three thousand yuan in vouchers and a room voucher for a five-star hotel.

She knew both the vouchers and the hotel belonged to the company, essentially her boss’s business. But even so, she had never been willing to spend money at such places before.

One visit could empty your wallet.

For someone who had lived through hardship, it was hard to spend money on non-essentials.

At the anniversary celebration, they had a grand banquet in the auditorium. Celebrities were even invited. Big stars she had only seen on TV appeared in person.

Many people rushed forward for autographs and photos.

Chen Xiaoyang also got an autograph, for her daughter, who adored that star and had posters covering half her wall.

After enjoying the food and festivities, she took the vouchers home.

The hotel voucher she saved for family use.

The consumption vouchers she didn’t need. She had already won another two-thousand-yuan voucher earlier that she hadn’t finished using.

So she decided to take them back to her parents.

—

Back in her village, everything had changed.

Every household now lived in two- or three-story houses, neatly arranged, many decorated like small villas.

The village had become famous for bamboo crafts and rural tourism.

Visitors came to dig bamboo shoots, pick fruit, catch fish…

They could also buy all kinds of bamboo souvenirs.

Boxes, baskets, decorative vases, mats, pillows… all intricately made.

Some people even bought in bulk to resell elsewhere.

Thanks to the bamboo mountain, the village had become locally known as a “rich village.”

It all started with selling bamboo shoots. Later, agritourism was introduced by Chen Xiaoyang, who had been inspired by her boss.

That early push helped build the reputation that led to today’s prosperity.

The village leaders had even presented Yu Xiang’an with a commemorative banner.

To the boss, it might have been a casual suggestion.

But to the village, it was like discovering a gold mine.

Now people could earn money right at their doorstep. Young villagers no longer needed to leave for work.

Life had improved for everyone.

And they were not ungrateful.

—

Chen Xiaoyang handed the vouchers to her mother.

Her mother accepted them happily. “Perfect timing. The TV broke. Repairing it is expensive, might as well buy a new one.”

Chen Xiaoyang nodded. “Buy whatever you like.”

Then she slipped out and wandered toward the bamboo market at the foot of the hill.

Tourists loved that place.

Some crafts were breathtaking.

For example, an elderly man with one blind eye carved bamboo sculptures so lifelike they sold for high prices every time.

Even her father had changed.

He used to weave practical baskets and trays.

Now he made delicate decorative baskets, like works of art.

Before, it was all about durability.

Now, it was about beauty.

Like the difference between a rough mountain stone and a polished river pebble.

It took more time, but the value doubled.

—

Chen Xiaoyang hadn’t just come home to visit.

She had work to do.

She walked through the market, selecting the best-crafted bamboo cups.

They planned to purchase a batch as promotional gifts.

Because this was her hometown, such tasks were entrusted to her.

She knew which craftsmen had the best skills and the most integrity.

If someone proved unreliable, they would never get another order.

These orders were large. Landing one could bring significant profit.

After two days of evaluation, she returned with samples.

She displayed eight styles outside the cafeteria.

“Everyone, come take a look when you have time. Each style has a number. Vote for your favorites!”

She wanted everyone to choose the top three designs.

—

As Yu Xiang’an passed by, she heard the call and stopped.

She looked at the neatly arranged samples, chose three she liked, wrote down the numbers, and dropped them into the box.

It was anonymous voting.

When Chen Xiaoyang saw her, the usually eloquent woman suddenly became speechless.

All she could do was stare, excited.

Yu Xiang’an smiled at her, called her by name, and thanked her for her hard work.

Chen Xiaoyang’s face turned red with excitement.

Under the glow of admiration, it felt like Yu Xiang’an was shining.

As her daughter would say,

her boss was the best and kindest person in the world.

No objections allowed.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

In a university classroom, students were whispering among themselves while waiting for class to begin and for the teacher to arrive.

The center of their conversation was that teacher.

She was a well-known beauty on campus, with softly curled, intellectual-looking hair. Her clothes were nothing particularly special, yet on her, they made it hard to look away. Especially the female students, who were always curious about what brand she wore so they could buy the same.

This beautiful teacher looked young. She was an alumna from several generations before them, already had two daughters, and was also part of the calligraphy association, apprenticed under a famous master. One of her works could sell for hundreds of thousands. A few strokes of her brush could be worth tens of thousands, though she rarely sold them.

A teacher like this was naturally a hot topic among students.

They even knew that someone had once confessed to her, which became something of a joke. The student had never seen her husband appear, only later learning she was married to a soldier. Not only was he handsome, he could also fight. The boy who confessed retreated in embarrassment.

Interfering with a military marriage was illegal. And might get you beaten.

When she walked in, the students were momentarily stunned, then broke into cheers.

“Welcome, Teacher Lin!”

Some bold voices called out, “Teacher Lin, I like you!”

“Teacher Lin, I love you!”

Lin Yining could not help but smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Being around such students made it hard not to feel happy.

“Thank you for your support. Let me give a brief introduction. My surname is Lin, as in the character with two ‘woods’… Now let’s begin. Please take out your textbooks, turn to the table of contents. Today we’ll cover Section Two.”

Below, the students rustled as they flipped open their books.

…

After class, she was immediately surrounded.

“Teacher Lin, can I have your contact info? I have some questions I want to ask.”

“If you have questions, please contact the class monitor first. She’ll pass them on to me.”

She did not manage to leave until a minute before the next class began. Too many students had gathered around her.

Thinking about it, she shook her head. Every new class did the same thing. She had no idea how these rumors spread. Some things, if you knew they were about her, made sense. If you did not, you might think they were talking about someone else entirely.

Her teaching load was light. Once class ended, she could leave.

She walked to the parking lot, preparing to go home.

Outside the school gate, she paused at a small market nearby. Residents often sold goods there. The produce was fresh and cheap, attracting many customers.

She bought some vegetables before heading back.

When she returned to the siheyuan, she saw a chessboard set up under a tree in the courtyard. The rest of this chapter is on HololoNovels dot com. Lin Duzhong was playing chess with Shi Changtian.

Beside them was a small table with tea, fruit, and snacks. At their feet lay a black dog, sprawled lazily.

A life like this… even immortals would envy it.

“Great-grandfather, Teacher.”

The black dog lazily lifted its head to glance at her, then lay back down, tail swaying gently.

Completely at ease.

She placed the groceries in the kitchen, where the housekeeper took over.

“Teacher, take a look at this piece. Has my calligraphy improved compared to before?”

She brought out a piece she had written the night before.

Shi Changtian waved a hand. “Wait, wait, this is a critical moment. Give me a second.”

He frowned, eyes fixed on the chessboard. In contrast, Lin Duzhong looked relaxed and unhurried.

Clearly, her great-grandfather had the advantage.

Yining sat down nearby and popped a grape into her mouth.

Her teacher was excellent in everything except chess. A terrible player. Lin Duzhong was not particularly strong either, but against him, he always won.

Yet Shi Changtian insisted on playing every time.

True love, indeed.

Once the game ended, Shi Changtian finally took her calligraphy and examined it carefully.

Meanwhile, Lin Duzhong began gathering the pieces, speaking to her as he did.

“A classmate came looking for you today.”

“Who?”

Not many people knew her address. Those who did were close to her. If they came, they would usually inform her first. Was it something urgent?

Lin Duzhong blinked at her. “Someone named Gu Shi.”

Though old, he still remembered this man. Back then, he had even looked into him.

He had been her first love.

They had dated for a time. Then he went abroad and settled there, and naturally, they broke up.

So many years had passed. Her children were already this big, yet he came looking for her. Even Lin Duzhong found it strange.

Yining was taken aback. “Did he say what he wanted?”

“No. I told him you weren’t here. He said he’ll come again tomorrow. From how he looked, probably wants to catch up.”

Yining frowned. “Catch up? We haven’t been in contact for years. What is there to catch up about? Who gave him my address? How annoying.”

Lin Duzhong nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Annoying.”

His tone was indulgent, like he was still pampering a child.

Yining could not help but laugh. “Great-grandfather, I’m not a child anymore. Fine, I’ll wait for him tomorrow and see what he wants.”

Their past had not ended badly. They were no longer lovers, but not enemies either.

Still, showing up at her home unannounced left a bad impression.

Shi Changtian, who had been studying her calligraphy, cleared his throat. “No wonder you showed this to me. This piece… has some merit.”

He rarely praised anyone. “Some merit” was already high praise.

Yining beamed. “I think so too. Yesterday, while practicing, I suddenly got into the flow. It all came together in one go.”

Suddenly, the black dog by Lin Duzhong’s feet sprang up, ears alert. Then it ran to the gate and stood guard.

That posture meant its two little masters were coming home.

Wang Yushan and Wang Yuyan, her twin daughters.

Now in primary school.

Sure enough, not long after, an aunt returned with them.

Yining stood up with a smile. “You’re back. What did you learn today…”

The next day, Gu Shi arrived on time.

Yining received him in the courtyard. “What do you need?”

He looked at her, his expression complicated, with a hint of realization. “Nothing in particular. After being away so long, everything feels unfamiliar. I just wanted to see you. Have you been well all these years?”

“I’ve been very well.”

“I can see that. Are you married?”

“I am. I have children too. And you? Did you get the life you wanted overseas?”

She had no interest in idle conversation.

He was silent for a moment. “More or less.” He looked at his hands. “My surgeries are quite good. I’ve built a bit of a reputation. Received quite a few offers.” There was a trace of pride in his voice.

Yining understood.

He had come to show off.

“In my career, things are going well. But not in marriage. I married a foreign woman. We later divorced. She couldn’t understand some of my views. She took our son. Since then, I’ve remained single.”

Lin Yining: “…………”

Oh.

The conversation fell cold in an instant.

Gu Shi spoke up to salvage the atmosphere. “After all this time, seeing you again… isn’t there anything you want to say to me?” The corner of his lips lifted slightly, carrying a trace of how he used to be in college.

Yining shook her head. “Didn’t we already say everything back then? There’s nothing left to say.”

Gu Shi: “…Are you still blaming me?”

Yining: “Why would I blame you? We broke up because our values didn’t align. Plenty of couples break up. We even parted peacefully. Why would I blame you? At least you were honest and told me what you wanted. Some people go abroad and keep dragging someone along back home, doing long-distance while dating someone else overseas.”

That didn’t sit well with him. Was he really only comparable to people like that?

His character wasn’t that bad.

Yining said calmly, “Maybe not. But you showed up at my home without a word. How am I supposed to know what kind of person you’ve become now?”

Gu Shi frowned. “No matter how much time passes, I’m still the same person. My marriage didn’t work out, yes, but abroad I’ve learned far more than I could have here. Development there is better too. If I had to choose again, I’d make the same decision.”

Yining raised a hand to stop him. “You don’t need to tell me that.”

His voice lowered. “I just don’t want you to misunderstand me.”

She nodded casually. “Oh. So where did you get my address?”

That was what bothered her.

If a friend had given it to him without telling her, then that person was no longer her friend.

Gu Shi didn’t answer directly. “I overheard it by chance. When I heard your name, I thought it was someone else. Didn’t expect it to actually be you.”

Yining gave a dry laugh. “Well then, since you have nothing else, I have things to do.”

He looked at her, clearly unable to understand. “I’ve just returned after so many years. I only wanted to see an old acquaintance. You don’t have to be this cold.”

“I’m not being cold. This is how I treat people I’m not close to. If that gave you the wrong impression, I’m sorry.” Her words said sorry, but her expression did not.

He understood. Showing up unannounced had annoyed her.

This wasn’t the right moment to keep talking. He stood and handed her a card. “Since you’re busy, we’ll talk another time. This is my card.”

She accepted it politely.

“And yours?”

“I don’t have one with me.”

Gu Shi: “……”

Only after seeing him out did she glance at the card.

Oh. Vice director.

No wonder he carried himself that way.

She curled her lip slightly. She would never have a reason to rely on him anyway.

Her mother-in-law was a leading figure in the military medical system.

If something ever happened, she would go to her own people. Much more convenient.

Besides, she was in excellent health.

After leaving the Lin residence, Gu Shi’s brows remained tightly knit. A few young women who passed by saw such a refined, mature man looking troubled and approached to ask if he needed help.

He declined gently.

With his looks and bearing, he had never lacked women who approached him first.

Back then, when he brought up breaking up, he hadn’t expected Yining to agree immediately. After that, she cut off contact completely.

Even more decisively than he had.

He couldn’t understand how she could let go so quickly. Hadn’t she liked him?

He hadn’t even had the chance to persuade her to go abroad with him. The rest of this chapter is on HololoNovels dot com. With her grades, it would have been easy.

But she refused. And she cared deeply about that decision.

She was willing to give him up for it.

That had angered him for a long time.

It meant she hadn’t liked him that much after all.

And yet he had thought of persuading her. How foolish.

This time, when he received the invitation, he hesitated for a long while. But abroad, his chances of promotion were limited in the short term. And as he grew older, he found himself missing home more and more.

So he returned.

After coming back, he asked old classmates about Lin Yining.

There was no shortage of news.

She was doing very well.

She had stayed at her alma mater, earned her title, was well-liked and respected by students, and had a happy family.

It seemed that without him, her life was still thriving.

So he came to see for himself whether it was true.

The moment he saw her, he knew it was.

You could tell from a person’s expression whether they were living well.

And from what she wore.

Her clothes looked simple but suited her perfectly. The necklace at her neck was from a well-known luxury brand. The jade on her wrist was lustrous, clearly valuable.

Her family had been described as small business owners, not particularly wealthy.

So her husband’s family must be well-off.

Her job was respectable, but not high-paying.

Even though he had spent years abroad, he knew how valuable a courtyard house in the capital was.

After he left, Yining immediately took off the bracelet and set it aside. She didn’t like wearing jewelry when writing.

She had plenty of accessories, but rarely wore them like today.

For today’s appearance, she had been deliberate.

She couldn’t dress head-to-toe in luxury, that would look gaudy.

So her clothes were modest and appropriate, but one or two details had to signal refinement and value.

To show that she was living well now.

Back then, he chose to break up because he believed going abroad would give him a better life.

If he had come back to show off, she wouldn’t let herself fall behind.

Not for anything else.

Just to hold her ground.

The next day, she arrived at school refreshed and in a good mood. On the way, she overheard two people discussing a research topic about a well-known chain restaurant.

“Wuwei Restaurant hasn’t gone public, but it’s everywhere. Do you know how many locations they have?”

“I checked. They’ve spread across provinces, municipalities, and regions nationwide. Over ten thousand locations now. No exact number since they’re not listed.”

“Did you count overseas locations? There’s one in every Chinatown abroad. They’re even ranked among the world’s top brands.”

“No, just domestic. Without internal data, you can’t know overseas.”

Yining smiled as she listened.

But her good mood vanished the moment she entered the office building.

She ran into Gu Shi again.

He looked surprised too, then smiled. “What a coincidence.” He gestured to the person beside him. “My nephew just got admitted here this year. I came to ask about his situation at school.”

He wasn’t deliberately following her. Though he had thought about passing by during her class to see what she was like teaching.

Yining nodded with a polite smile. “I need to prepare for class. You carry on.”

Whether what he said was true or not, she didn’t want to see him.

Her good mood was gone.

Her relationship with Yu Xiang’an had never been made public.

Lin Chuanbai wasn’t very well known to the public, but Yu Xiang’an was different. During a major flood one year, she had made a very prominent appearance nationwide.

Hardly anyone at the university knew about this, but Gu Shi happened to.

One of the attending physicians at his hospital was also from their university. By chance, he saw a photo of Lin Yining and said he recognized her.

“She’s basically a princess. Not someone ordinary people can reach.”

Gu Shi frowned. “What do you mean, princess?”

“I don’t know all the details. I just overheard some professors talking about her once. Her family is very well-off. Supposedly, they’ve got serious backing.”

Gu Shi hesitated. “I remember her saying her family just ran a small business.”

The attending shook his head firmly. “Definitely not. I once overheard that she owns a villa in one of the capital’s richest districts. And abroad, there’s a vineyard, even a private helicopter. What kind of ‘small business’ family has that?”

The wealthy district he mentioned, Gu Shi knew well.

It wasn’t just that housing prices were sky-high, it was that you couldn’t even buy there. The newest development hadn’t even gone on the market before everything was taken internally.

There was no reason for the man to lie.

Which meant Lin Yining had hidden the truth back then.

Knowing only fragments made Gu Shi even more curious about her situation.

After their last encounter, he understood clearly that she did not welcome him anymore, so he reached out to former classmates who had known both of them.

Some were just acquaintances, others had stayed in touch.

Everyone was an adult now. Helping make a connection was easy enough. Besides, no one wanted to offend a doctor. No one could guarantee they’d never need one.

Soon, Lin Yining began to notice Gu Shi appearing around her from time to time.

Her irritation grew.

Lin Duzhong noticed. “You’ve had people chase after you before, shamelessly sticking around. You didn’t seem this annoyed back then.”

Yining took a sip of water. “That was different. Back then, I just mentioned I was married to someone in the military, and they all backed off. The ones who didn’t… Li Pan had a ‘friendly talk’ with them and they disappeared too. But this one… I don’t even know what he wants.”

In her mind, the best outcome was for them to remain strangers forever.

Instead, he kept showing up.

Then Gu Shi saw Yu Xiang’an entering the courtyard.

He hadn’t made the connection before. But now, comparing photos, the resemblance between mother and daughter was obvious.

A quick search online, or digging up past reports, easily revealed Yu Xiang’an’s identity.

A self-made legend.

Even featured in textbooks.

After years in capitalist countries, Gu Shi understood very well what wealth meant.

If she was Yu Xiang’an’s daughter, then everything made sense, the house, the jewelry.

If anything, she had been understated.

Which meant that back when they were dating, she had been hiding things. By that time, her mother was already successful.

“A small business,” he had thought.

If that counted as small, then what counted as big? State-owned conglomerates backed by the nation?

Realizing this, Gu Shi’s feelings became complicated.

She really could be called a “princess.”

Had he missed out on something significant?

Now that he had returned to the country, he was in high demand. Plenty of people wanted to introduce him to potential partners, many young and accomplished women.

But when he compared them one by one, none came close.

—

After Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai returned from traveling abroad, Lin Yining’s mood immediately brightened. She wrapped her arm around her mother and acted like a little girl again.

“Mom, you and Dad went traveling again without me.”

Yu Xiang’an smiled. “Aren’t you busy? No need to interrupt your work. When you retire, you can go anywhere you want.”

At this stage, Yu Xiang’an was essentially semi-retired. She had earned enough, accomplished what she wanted, and now it was time to enjoy life. Waiting until old age to start enjoying it would be meaningless.

Capable people managed her businesses. She only needed to decide the overall direction. Occasional small losses didn’t matter.

Major projects still required her approval.

She had even gained a reputation as an international gourmet, traveling the world to taste different cuisines.

Lin Chuanbai did the same, collaborating with overseas labs, exchanging knowledge.

This time, they had spent half a month on an island, then went to soak in hot springs in another country, then flew off to ski and watch squirrels.

After hearing about their trip, Lin Yining pouted. “Mom, I want to go too.”

Yu Xiang’an patted her. “Next time I’ll take you. We brought you gifts. Want them?”

“Of course!”

Among the gifts, expensive and simple alike, what Lin Yining loved most were a few Yuhua stones Lin Chuanbai had bought.

“Where did you pick these up?” she asked.

“They were from a trip. I just thought you’d like them. They look like landscape paintings.”

She held them fondly. “They really do. So pretty.”

Lin Chuanbai glanced around. “Where are my granddaughters? Haven’t they come back yet?”

“They’re at tutoring. They’ll be back later.”

Tutoring had become the norm.

Back when she and her brother studied, many classmates didn’t attend extra classes. Now, families who could afford it enrolled their children in everything, always afraid their kids might fall behind.

Lin Yining had even been asked by acquaintances to teach their children calligraphy, but she refused. She didn’t think she was ready to take students.

Yu Xiang’an smiled. “Times have changed.”

Lin Duzhong came out, smiling. “You’re back. Yining finally looks happy again.”

Yu Xiang’an looked at her. “What’s wrong? Were you unhappy before?”

Yining puffed her cheeks. “It’s nothing serious. I was just thinking about one of my students.” She sighed. “He went abroad to study. Everything was fine at first, but now he’s gone quiet. And when he does speak, he keeps belittling our country and praising the outside world. Another one dazzled by it all. It bothers me. I even wanted to recommend him to the calligraphy association.”

Yu Xiang’an gently stroked her hair, and Yining leaned against her.

“People choose their own paths. Even parents can’t control their children forever.”

Lin Duzhong nodded. “Going abroad isn’t wrong. Looking down on your own home is. That’s a character issue. You should be glad you saw it early. If you had recommended him and something happened later, it would reflect on you.”

That was true.

Yining felt her mood lift a little.

“Alright. You must be tired from traveling. Go rest.”

—

Across the street outside the gate, Gu Shi was still standing there, lost in thought.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

Lin Yining fell in love.

It started when she heard people talking about the “campus heartthrob” of the medical department. No one knew who had given him that title, but the reputation had spread.

The more she heard, the more curious she became. She wanted to see what he looked like. But time and again, she missed him. What had begun as simple curiosity turned into stubborn determination after repeated near misses.

If she did not see him, she would not give up.

People praised him endlessly. She only wanted to take a look. Was even that too much to ask?

She knew Gu Shi was busy, a top student in the medical department, the kind favored by professors. Every department had such people. This place gathered geniuses, but among them, some stood out even more. Gu Shi was one of them.

In the end, she managed to get his class schedule. She went to sit in on lectures in his classroom, and finally saw him.

At that first glance, her heart stirred.

A face lover falling in love at first sight.

But looks alone were not enough. She observed him quietly for a while, watching his character. The more she watched, the more she liked him.

She decided to make the first move.

But she could not simply walk up and say she liked him. She had to find a way to get to know him. With his routine limited to classroom, dorm, and cafeteria, the only place they could intersect was the classroom.

So she kept attending his lectures.

She was already busy, and now she made her schedule even tighter for his sake.

Her roommates said she had lost her mind over a pretty face.

Yining did not mind. Yes, she was busy, she was tired, but she found it sweet.

She had no interest in medicine, yet for his sake, she forced herself to study those heavy textbooks. She knew it would not be useful. She had no intention of pursuing that path.

But now she told herself, “Learning more never hurts.”

Drop by drop, like water wearing through stone, she gradually got to know Gu Shi, became friends with him, and eventually, they became a couple.

When they confirmed their relationship, Yining was overjoyed. She called Yu Xiang’an to share the news.

Her roommates were shocked. “Your mom won’t object?”

“My mom said as long as my grades don’t drop, dating is fine.”

She left out the part about not crossing boundaries. Just thinking about it made her blush. In any case, she had no intention of doing anything like that. She was still a student.

Such an open-minded mother made her roommates extremely envious.

They would never dare tell their own mothers. That would only lead to a scolding.

Even though they were dating, they were not constantly glued to each other. Yining had classes, was pursuing a double degree, and also practiced calligraphy under Teacher Shi. She was very busy.

Gu Shi was busy too. Few medical students were not. Sometimes they would go several days without seeing each other.

Later, they agreed to meet in the library.

Each could focus on their own work, while still being together.

Before long, people began to notice them coming and going together. Rumors spread that they were a perfect match, talented and beautiful, made for each other.

Every time Yining heard that, she would cover her face and giggle to herself for a while.

She also told Lin Yihong.

When he heard, his feelings were complicated.

His little sister… had someone she liked?

“Do Mom and Dad agree?”

“Mom doesn’t object. Dad told me to be cautious. Don’t reveal our family situation. Observe him carefully for a few years.”

Lin Yihong nodded in agreement, then realized she could not see it and cleared his throat. “Then stick to that. Don’t forget, some people lose their heads when they fall in love. Don’t be foolish.”

“I’m not foolish.”

At school, she presented herself as coming from a middle-class family. She never revealed what her parents or grandparents actually did.

Wang Lipan knew this and could not help but darken his expression.

Lin Yihong noticed and patted his shoulder, saying nothing.

His sister had no such thoughts, but he knew Wang Lipan liked her. Now that she had a boyfriend…

If it were him, he would have confessed once he understood his feelings. But he could also understand Wang Lipan’s hesitation.

Yining clearly treated him as a friend. A sudden confession might scare her away, and if she did not feel the same, even friendship might be lost. That was why Wang Lipan did not dare cross the line.

As things stood… Lin Yihong naturally hoped his future brother-in-law would be someone reliable. He thought Wang Lipan was a good candidate. But ultimately, a life partner had to be someone she loved.

After hearing about it, Lin Duzhong had someone discreetly investigate.

The young man came from a clean background. Both parents were doctors. No issues. That was enough.

He did not require his great-grandson-in-law to come from a prestigious family. As long as he was a good person and treated Yining well, that was enough.

A doctor was a fine profession. He himself had been one.

So Yining and Gu Shi spent two sweet years together.

Then they broke up.

Gu Shi went abroad to study, which was not a problem. Yining herself had planned to go overseas for further study.

But she had not expected that once he went abroad, he would no longer want to return. He planned to immigrate.

When she learned this, she felt uncomfortable. Her attitude toward him cooled. In turn, when Gu Shi learned that she did not plan to settle abroad, his attitude cooled as well.

Separated by countries, their relationship relied on calls and letters. Now, even those grew infrequent.

When they next spoke, Gu Shi suggested breaking up.

She agreed immediately.

She had not expected him to say it so easily, so lightly, as if it meant nothing.

As if their relationship meant nothing.

After the breakup, she bought alcohol and a lot of food, went back to her own apartment, and drank alone.

She did not want to get drunk in the dorm.

That would make her look too pitiful.

As she drank, she wiped away her tears.

Two years of feelings, gone after one year abroad. It could not withstand the allure of life overseas.

She had misjudged him.

She shut herself away for two days. After that, her personality became steadier, and she worked even harder than before.

Even Shi Changtian said her calligraphy had improved greatly.

Lin Duzhong was both pleased and worried. Improvement was good, but he feared she had not truly moved on.

When Lin Yihong found out, he hesitated, then told Wang Lipan.

Wang Lipan immediately flew over.

He had not given up.

Lin Yihong sighed and let it be. Whether Wang Lipan could become his brother-in-law would depend on himself.

As for Yining dating, Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an had no objections. She was an adult. What was wrong with dating?

Later in life, she might not so easily meet someone who made her heart move.

Yu Xiang’an also did not think her daughter was the type to lose all sense in a relationship. If things went badly, it would be a lesson learned.

Yining only told Yu Xiang’an about the breakup six months later.

After graduating from university, she went abroad for an exchange. Less than a year after returning, she announced that she wanted to get married.

Yu Xiang’an: “???”

Daughter… didn’t you skip an important step?

The person she was with was Wang Lipan.

This was someone both Lin Chuanbai and Yu Xiang’an knew well. They understood his background clearly, and the two families could be considered well matched.

Since the matter had reached the stage of discussing marriage, it naturally had to be brought to Lin Duzhong and the elders. Wu Zheng also came in person. Compared to her son Lin Chuanbai, she actually kept in closer contact with this granddaughter.

Now that Lin Yining was getting married, she naturally had to come and take charge.

Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai had little room to step in.

The elders above them were all eager to take the lead.

The Wang family also had a solid foundation.

Yining planned to stay in the capital after graduation, while Wang Lipan’s work required transfers. He might be moved again in a few years. So the marital home was set in the capital.

The old patriarch on their side held a rank similar to Lin Houpiao’s. They were not excessively wealthy, because too much wealth would attract trouble, but they did own inherited property in the capital.

It was a siheyuan in a decent location, passed down from Wang Lipan’s maternal family.

The couple themselves would not earn very high salaries, but they both had family assets to rely on. Back when the twins were admitted to university, Yu Xiang’an had given them commercial properties. One of Yining’s shops had already been demolished and compensated with two larger units.

Even without working, just from rental income, Yining could live very comfortably.

With her daughter getting married, Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai prepared many things.

They had started preparing for both children long ago.

The houses and shops had already been given, so there was no need to add more.

Instead, they provided a car, jewelry, antiques, and some shares.

All of this was laid out openly. When her “dowry list” was revealed, the Wang family remained composed, showing no greed or covetousness. Yu Xiang’an nodded in satisfaction. Wealth could tempt anyone. Being able to remain steady in front of it was rare.

Li Yujiao, however, could not quite hold herself together. The houses, shops, cars, cash, and jewelry added up to a staggering sum. She felt her breathing grow tight. Lin Yining would never have to worry about money in her life. Even her future children would be set. How could anyone even spend that much?

Thinking of it, she felt a bit resentful.

Lin Houpiao’s pension was generous compared to ordinary people. More chapters are available on HololoNovels dot com. Medical expenses were covered. The household barely had expenses, especially with a son and daughter-in-law who lacked nothing and would replenish anything missing. Lin Yining also visited often and filled any gaps.

So their own money could be freely spent, but the key was that it was only their own money. After retirement, they dared not accept extra income, and now even that was gone. She could not spend freely like Lin Yining, and neither could her granddaughter Xuanxuan.

Her expression slipped.

Lin Houpiao noticed immediately and shot her a look, telling her to restrain herself.

What was she doing?

The Wang family noticed too, but did not mind. They already understood the Lin family situation. This was a step-grandmother, known for mistreating her daughter-in-law, with a bad reputation. She had no authority over the main branch.

After Yining married, Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai felt little change. Marriage was just marriage.

But when she had children, and they became grandparents, Yu Xiang’an reacted instinctively by touching her face, checking for wrinkles.

In her mind, she was forever eighteen.

But her daughter would not stay eighteen.

The moment she became a grandmother, the title itself brought a sense of age and time.

Yu Xiang’an: “…”

She felt both happy and a little unsettled.

She was already of the grandmother generation.

It was hard to accept.

After returning home, she felt down for quite a while.

When Yining was due, both Yu Xiang’an and Lin Chuanbai stayed by her side. As the pregnancy advanced, Yu Xiang’an came early to support her. Wang Lipan could not always be there because of work, and childbirth was inevitably nerve-wracking, especially since she was carrying twins.

When the time came, Yining gave birth to twin daughters. Mother and children were safe.

Seeing the two tiny babies, Yining, pale from childbirth, burst into tears. Holding Yu Xiang’an’s hand, she said, “Mom, giving birth is so hard. You and Dad raised my brother and me all these years. It must have been so difficult. I’ve only just had them, and I’m already scared. They’re so small, so fragile, like blank sheets of paper. I’m afraid I might hurt them by accident, or teach them the wrong things. There’s still such a long way until they grow up. What should I do?”

Yu Xiang’an gently held her and stroked her hair. “It’s okay. You won’t, because Mom will teach you. If you don’t know how, you can learn. You’ve studied early childhood education before. Don’t worry too much. If I could do it, you can too. Don’t be afraid. Everyone has a first time. When I had you and your brother, I was just as anxious. But didn’t we raise you well?”

Thinking back to those early, chaotic days with Lin Chuanbai, Yu Xiang’an smiled more deeply.

“So don’t be afraid. Mom is here.”

Wang Lipan’s mother was a military doctor, very busy. She came briefly to help for two days, then had to leave, repeatedly asking Yu Xiang’an to take good care of Yining.

Yining understood. Yu Xiang’an understood too.

Privately, Yining preferred her own mother’s care during postpartum recovery rather than that of a mother-in-law she barely knew.

Since she could not stay, Wang Lipan’s mother contributed financially, covering two months of maternity nurse fees. She also brought many gifts: piles of baby clothes, silver bracelets, Guanyin charms, toys, and more, filling two large suitcases.

Both Wang Lipan and Lin Yihong missed the birth and the baby’s one-month celebration. Yining felt some regret, but this had been expected from the beginning.

She was not alone. Her mother stayed with her. Her uncle and great-grandfather were also there. Many family members surrounded her.

Step by step, Yining learned how to hold the babies, bathe them, and change diapers. Though the maternity nurse said she did not need to learn, she insisted.

She might not be skilled yet, but she could not afford not to know.

Yu Xiang’an agreed. She might not have to do everything herself, but in case of necessity, she could not be helpless.

The maternity nurse would stay for two months, after which they would hire additional help.

Yining was young and recovered well. After her confinement period, she moved in with Lin Duzhong.

Lin Houpiao did not stay in one place. Sometimes he lived at the retirement compound, sometimes at home. The home was a siheyuan under Lin Chuanbai’s name, spacious, well-equipped, and comfortable.

Lin Houpiao preferred the retirement compound. Lin Duzhong preferred the siheyuan.

As he said, it felt more alive.

The house had been chosen with his preferences in mind. Within a few hundred meters he could find people to play chess with, and there were fishing spots nearby. The area also had schools and shopping.

With family around, Yining could work without worrying about a nanny mistreating her children out of sight.

The children grew quickly, almost overnight. Before anyone realized it, they were already three years old.

Because they were fraternal twins, the two sisters did not look very alike. One resembled her father more, the other looked more like her uncle, with softer features. Sometimes when Lin Yining looked at them, she would complain, “They look like my brother and his kids. I’m not even in the picture. That’s too much.”

Every time she said that, Yu Xiang’an would laugh, while Yu Qingshan could only smile helplessly. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Yining sighed. “It’s not nonsense. It’s true.”

Yu Qingshan shook his head. “You…”

To him, this granddaughter was very much like his daughter in the past, both a bit “hard-hearted,” handing their children over to others while they were still young.

His daughter had made something of herself. It seemed this granddaughter would too.

Lin Yining, accused of being hard-hearted: “…”

Hard-hearted?

Not really.

She could not spend every day revolving around her children like a traditional devoted mother.

In the mornings, she fed them before heading out, then sent them to an early education center. The fees were extremely high, more than her salary could cover, so she used rental income. But it was worth it. The center was close to her university and run by her classmate’s older sister, so she trusted it.

At noon, she picked them up, brought them home for lunch, and in the afternoon left them with the nanny and Lin Duzhong while she went back to work. In the evenings, they had dinner together, but even then she did not spend all her time focused solely on them.

More than once, she had sighed to Yu Xiang’an, “Women really have it hard.”

Even in her situation, where someone else handled most household matters, the children still quietly consumed her time.

Thinking about this, checking on that, talking to them, then playing with them for a bit… before she knew it, one or two hours would be gone.

Someone once suggested she quit her job. She refused without hesitation.

After all these years of effort, she felt it would be a waste.

All those years of studying, of practicing calligraphy, only to stay home and raise children?

It was not that children were unimportant. But her life could not revolve entirely around them.

She had classmates who married soon after starting work, then quit to become full-time wives and mothers. More chapters are available on HololoNovels dot com. Clinging to Yu Xiang’an’s arm, she said, half pouting, “I don’t want to become like that. Back when we studied together, life was tiring but fulfilling. Now when I meet her, all she talks about is her child and her husband. If I bring up anything else, she doesn’t know, doesn’t care, doesn’t understand. It feels like she’s completely cut off from the world. It’s scary. I don’t want to become like that.”

Yu Xiang’an laughed softly and patted her hand. Even after becoming a mother, Yining had not lost her ability to act spoiled.

“Do what you like. If I had stayed home back then to be a wife and mother, I wouldn’t have built what we have now.”

Her businesses had already spread far and wide.

She did not know others’ wealth, only that she herself was now one of the major taxpayers in the Special Economic Zone, receiving government recognition. To her, the size of her assets was just a number.

Money generated more money. The total kept growing.

Yining thought about all the businesses her family had stakes in and stuck out her tongue.

During the floods two years ago, her mother’s donation ranked first.

Not just cash, but supplies as well. Together, it made national headlines and was even reported by CCTV.

Seeing it, she felt a surge of pride.

That was her mother.

So impressive.

This time, Yu Xiang’an and the others had gathered together not only for the twins’ birthday, but also for a rare family reunion. Wang Lipan and Lin Yihong both had leave, so they planned to spend time together as a family.

As Wang Lipan and Lin Yihong were about to arrive, Yu Xiang’an was already in the kitchen preparing ingredients.

Some things had to be readied in advance.

Lin Yining and Lin Chuanbai were helping her.

Dinner tonight would be hot pot, one seafood broth and one tomato beef brisket broth.

Yu Xiang’an alone prepared five or six different dipping sauces.

Yining washed the tripe, set it aside, and glanced over to see her mother slicing fish with swift, precise movements. Each piece was evenly sized and perfectly cut, pleasing to the eye.

She turned back to her work. The floor was filled with ingredients: sliced beef, knotted kelp, tofu skin, shrimp, spinach, lettuce, and more.

The seafood broth emphasized freshness.

Lin Duzhong, who usually ate lightly at night for health, looked at the feast and had a feeling… tonight might not be so restrained.

Everyone gathered around a large round table.

Wang Lipan and Lin Yihong sat upright, their military bearing unmistakable.

Lin Houpiao was delighted, pulling them to sit on either side of him, asking questions he was allowed to ask.

The three-year-old twin sisters were completely absorbed in watching the bubbling hot pot, ignoring the unfamiliar men who kept glancing at them.

Lin Duzhong smiled as he ate tofu that Lin Chuanbai had picked for him, happily watching the lively scene.

Lin Yihong enjoyed his mother’s enthusiasm, eating the various dishes she kept placing into his bowl.

Then suddenly, he heard a familiar name.

He turned toward the television, where the financial news was playing.

The anchor spoke clearly:

“…the stock price of xx company has surged by 387% compared to three days ago. This news has delighted shareholders, while many who missed out are full of regret. Next is an interview with the company’s CEO, Ms. Wang Xiaoya…”

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

Previous

Yu Xianghai acted immediately. As soon as he hung up the phone, he packed a few things and came to the Special Zone. These days, they often traveled between several places. Baishi County was their base, all three children were in Yangcheng, and they also went to the Special Zone, where their father lived. Everywhere was familiar territory.

Yu Xiang’an also took the time to comfort Li Dazhu properly. Fortunately, things were still manageable. If something like this had happened in an era of smartphones, people would have been filming videos and posting them everywhere. If that somehow reached his blind date, he might have been misunderstood. For now, though, it likely would not spread back to Baishi County.

Besides, he was innocent to begin with.

On Ding Minxiu’s side, her injuries were not too serious. Once Zhou Boyang calmed down, he stopped hitting her, and she immediately found people to protect her. Zhao Qiaoniang, however, suffered more. She had to stay in the hospital for about a month. At her age, recovery was slow.

Ding Minxiu did not hesitate to spend money on Zhao Qiaoniang’s treatment. She had quite a bit of money now, so covering the medical expenses was not a problem.

She did not expect Zhou Boyang to pay for any of it. After everything that had happened, there was no way he would.

When she got back, she heard from neighbors that Zhou Boyang had come looking for her. It frightened her badly. She began planning to move. This place was no longer safe.

She hurriedly packed up important belongings and hid them away. The situation made her uneasy. How had they found her? Would he beat her again?

She could not have someone protecting her forever.

Ding Minxiu proposed a divorce.

Divorce, so she could be with that other man?

Zhou Boyang refused. “You think you can dump me and climb to a higher branch? Keep dreaming. I won’t let you have your way.”

She wanted to seek help from Chen Wen, but she could not reach him. When she tried to inquire, she learned that his original wife from his hometown had come with their son. They were fighting over control of his factory. He had no time to care about her or the child.

Left with no choice, Ding Minxiu, under protection, asked Zhou Boyang, “What will it take for you to agree to a divorce?” She feared being beaten to death.

Zhou Boyang stared at her darkly. “Give up that thought. No matter what, I will never help you and that bastard be together.”

…

Yu Qingshan had left quickly that day, but once Yu Xianghai and Ye Qijia arrived, they immediately started asking around in a roundabout way.

Through various channels, Yu Xiang’an eventually learned more. They had gone to inquire around Ding Minxiu’s neighborhood, near properties connected to Yu Xiang’an.

Chen Wen’s original wife had also appeared. The apartment had already been registered under Ding Minxiu’s name. Chen Wen had handled things carefully. The money used to buy it was not directly his, so his wife could not reclaim the property. But she did not let Ding Minxiu off. She smashed up the apartment, causing a huge scene.

For now, there was no resolution. Yu Xiang’an shook her head and said to Yu Xianghai and Ye Qijia, “Let me know when there’s a final outcome.”

She had no interest in hearing bits and pieces. She just wanted to know how it all ended. If the original host were still alive, she would probably want to know too.

Yu Xianghai chuckled. “Alright, I’ll tell you when it’s settled. You’re busy, no need to worry about it.”

They tacitly agreed not to tell Yu Xiangju. Ding Minxiu was not important. Zhao Qiaoniang was. Since she was already in the hospital and Ding Minxiu had paid the bills, there was no need for Yu Xiangju to get involved.

In Yu Xianghai’s view, Zhao Qiaoniang being in the hospital was unfortunate, but it also kept her out of the turmoil. Otherwise, she might have been dragged deeper into it.

The only one truly pitiful was the child.

He understood nothing, yet had already become an illegitimate child.

Back in Baishi County, people did not know the full story. Visit HololoNovels .com to read more. Since Zhou Boyang and Zhou Tianyou had gone to the Special Zone without sending any news back, everyone could only speculate, imagining dramatic confrontations and scenes of vengeance.

Such messy situations were not uncommon anymore. Money had a way of eroding principles. For the sake of a better life, people abandoned things they once would have held onto. Especially those who had suffered hardship, their desire for a better life burned stronger. If they could not achieve it themselves, they hoped someone else would.

Yu Xiang’an had seen many such cases. This was just one of them.

Yu Mansheng did not say much when he heard about it. These days he was working hands-on at construction sites again, but even before, he had seen plenty of similar situations.

Men who left home for work, living alone. How many of them truly took care of themselves?

Most construction sites were filled with men, but there were women too. Some had husbands far away. Some had husbands nearby but rarely together.

Some even had families back home while forming another family elsewhere, having children in both places.

Yu Mansheng could not interfere.

Those were personal choices. Mutual consent.

Yu Xiang’an did not dwell on Ding Minxiu’s situation either. She had her own projects to focus on.

The land she had purchased was large, with a hill and a lake. She planned to develop upscale apartments at the foot of the hill and luxury villas further up. She intended to keep several units for herself. The location was excellent, with greenery, transportation, and geography all in its favor. In the future, properties like this would be hard to come by.

The design was especially important. She hired a well-known designer, a classmate of Yu Yegui’s. The design fees alone were substantial.

There was no shortage of work.

Meanwhile, on Lin Chuanbai’s side, his cousin Lin Nanxing and her husband came to Yangcheng to visit.

Lin Chuanqiong and their uncle Lin Jiqing both worked at the leading pharmaceutical factory in Baishi County, but Lin Nanxing and her husband did not.

Their factory had been performing worse and worse, and Lin Nanxing had taken early layoff compensation.

As she put it, if she left now, she would at least get a payout. If she waited until the factory had no money left, she might get nothing.

So she took the money and left.

She remained optimistic because she believed she had other options. Bringing gifts, she came to Lin Chuanbai.

“Brother, could you help us arrange jobs?”

For Lin Chuanbai, that was not difficult. And Lin Nanxing had not brought Xu Haili along. That aunt’s personality made him unwilling to deal with her. There had been friction before. Perhaps that was why Lin Nanxing came with just her husband.

Lin Chuanbai asked, “What kind of work are you looking for? Do you want to stay in Baishi County or go elsewhere?”

If the request was reasonable, he would help. If not, he would not indulge her.

Their relationship was not that close.

Lin Nanxing hesitated. “Brother… do you think we could start a small business ourselves? If not, then maybe arrange a stable job.” She wanted to try.

Lin Chuanbai considered it. “What kind of business?”

Lin Nanxing brightened. “I want to sell children’s clothing. Clothes and shoes for kids. But we haven’t saved much…” she admitted, a bit embarrassed.

Most of their earnings had been spent on daily living and enjoyment. They had not saved much. Their housing was basically free, living in a small two-story building owned by Lin Guangbai. With steady income, after covering family expenses, they spent the rest freely.

As a result, both of them had grown rather well-fed and comfortable.

She explained that clearly. “Before coming, we checked our savings. We don’t have much startup capital, so we wanted to ask for your advice.”

Lin Chuanbai’s expression remained neutral. “That’s fine. Pay a small deposit, take some goods on credit, and try selling them. If they sell, you settle the payment. If not, return the clothes and we’ll refund your deposit. You can manage one or two hundred yuan, right?”

Back when Yu Xiang’an had given Ye Qijia clothing, there had been no deposit at all. She had simply taken the goods and paid later after selling. Here, Lin Chuanbai still wasn’t charging upfront for the merchandise, but he required a modest deposit as a safeguard.

It was a small amount they could definitely afford. Even without savings, they had just received layoff compensation.

Two hundred yuan could get them goods worth a thousand. One hundred could get five hundred worth.

Enough to last them for a while.

“Thank you so much, brother.” Lin Nanxing beamed.

“I’ll let your sister-in-law know. When do you want to pick up the goods?”

They were currently unemployed, so Lin Nanxing answered without hesitation, “The sooner the better.”

It was no big matter. Once Yu Xiang’an heard about it, she approved it immediately and had someone take them to choose clothes.

Neither she nor Lin Chuanbai asked about their business plan. They assumed the couple had things figured out.

In reality, it did not require much preparation.

They planned to start simple, just setting up a street stall.

But things went wrong. They took the cheapest clothes and sold them at mid-range prices.

The quality did not match the price. The clothes wore out quickly. Visit HololoNovels .com to read more. They would not harm anyone, but they were clearly low quality, priced cheaply for a reason.

Now they were selling something worth one yuan for ten.

Customers were unhappy and demanded compensation.

When Lin Chuanqiong called awkwardly to say there had been a dispute, and even a fight, Lin Chuanbai was speechless.

What could he even say?

“The customers who bought the clothes all came back to return them. I refunded everything,” Lin Chuanqiong added.

So not only had they made no money, they also had to cover medical expenses.

Lin Chuanbai fell silent again.

What were they even trying to do? Selling clothes required reputation. People compared prices and quality. Once trust was broken, how could they continue?

Lin Chuanqiong sighed, clearly exhausted. “She can’t keep doing business like this. I thought it was a waste to just leave those clothes, so I used my free time to set up stalls elsewhere and sold off the entire batch.”

Lin Chuanbai had no words.

This situation was ridiculous.

Lin Chuanqiong felt a headache coming on. His only sister had promised to follow his advice, but turned around and ignored it completely.

“Does she still want to keep selling clothes?”

“Yes. But now my wife and I are joining her. My wife will keep an eye on things so Nanxing doesn’t mess it up again.”

His wife was sensible. Even if conflicts arose, she would not let things escalate. They planned to work together. The brother-in-law would handle sourcing goods, while his wife managed sales.

His wife’s job had also been declining, so after seeing the small profits from selling the clothes, he decided she might as well quit and focus on this business full-time.

“Brother, we still want to do this. When would it be convenient to get more stock? I’ll also bring payment for this batch.”

“Just let me know when you’re coming. Anytime works.”

Lin Chuanbai did not mind. As long as they had discussed it properly.

But what Lin Nanxing had done was still frustrating. She wanted this as a long-term livelihood, yet nearly ruined her own prospects.

Luckily, she had a capable brother.

Lin Chuanqiong did not mention that when the trouble happened, their mother had scolded Lin Chuanbai harshly, accusing him of bad intentions. He was too ashamed to repeat those words.

Lin Chuanbai had meant well. Yet they had caused trouble and even blamed him. Lin Chuanqiong was determined not to let his mother’s words spread. Otherwise, what kind of situation would that become?

Turning goodwill into resentment.

After hanging up, Lin Chuanbai went to the cafeteria. On the way, he ran into Ye Chen, who was muttering to himself.

They greeted each other and went to eat together.

Lin Chuanbai asked about Ye Jingjing, who was close with Lin Yining. “She’s not eating here at noon anymore?”

“No, she eats at school now. Saves time,” Ye Chen replied. With the pressure of high school, it was more convenient.

Ye Jingjing had been disappointed at first. She had wanted to keep eating here, but Ye Chen refused.

Why?

Because the cafeteria food here was simply too good. The school cafeteria could not compare.

That was no surprise. The chefs here were trained in Yu Xiang’an’s program. She had established a training school in Yangcheng. Before graduating, trainees would rotate here for internships, each bringing at least one specialty dish.

Every new batch meant new dishes.

And since they rotated every few months, the menu kept changing. It was hard to get tired of it.

Qian San felt especially lucky about the cafeteria. Employees were provided three meals a day.

Most dishes were free. Only special stir-fries required extra payment, which he rarely ordered since the free options were already abundant.

He brought lunch boxes daily. Except for breakfast, he packed food for both lunch and dinner to take home, so his whole family could eat from it.

He was extremely satisfied with life at the factory.

At first, he had been anxious about working under a private employer. But now, compared to before, he had a stable salary and excellent benefits.

The future might be uncertain, but their current financial situation had improved significantly.

And in a private company, people dared not slack off anymore.

Before, many workers would waste time. Now, afraid of being fired, they worked diligently.

He had even been promoted, with higher pay.

While lining up for food, he spotted Lin Chuanbai and Ye Chen in the distance. He knew who they were. Lin Chuanbai was the head of research and also the boss. Ye Chen was a capable researcher.

Qian San hoped his children could become people like that one day. Educated, working in offices, handling instruments, earning high salaries with ease.

More and more factories were failing. He knew some former colleagues who had left now deeply regretted it, wanting to come back, but it was too late.

Even if they envied the待遇 here, there was nothing they could do.

One former coworker had even come to borrow money from him, ashamed and waiting until dark to ask.

Qian San understood that kind of pressure. The burden of supporting a family left no room for pride.

He filled his lunch boxes. Today’s dishes were tomato scrambled eggs, dry pot mushrooms with sliced meat, and stir-fried tofu with meat.

He had two containers. One was for soup.

Today’s soup was kelp and soybean.

Soup was self-serve, but someone stood nearby to make sure no one took too much.

When he got home, his wife was waiting.

The tomato eggs were sweet, so they left them untouched. The meat dishes were picked out and combined with what they already had at home, stretching the flavor further.

Although their finances had improved, they still could not afford to relax.

They needed to save money. A daughter would need a dowry, a son would need a bride price. Every bit counted.

Even so, the food he brought home every day was already far better than before. Today was a good day. In the dry pot meat dish, there were three slices of meat. One was a thick piece of fatty pork. His wife reworked it, slicing it into thin strips so everyone could get a taste.

She was smiling the whole time.

He knew why. They had just been paid two days ago. With his recent promotion, his salary had increased quite a bit. Life at home was more comfortable now.

Working for a private boss was not all bad. As long as he worked hard, the待遇 was good. Much better than before, when things had been stagnant and uncertain.

After eating, Lin Chuanbai did not return to the lab. Instead, he went to the office to find Yu Xiang’an, who was reviewing documents.

When he arrived, Wang Xiaoya was coming out holding a stack of files. She greeted him with a smile.

He returned the greeting and went inside.

Yu Xiang’an was seated at her dark wooden desk, focused on a document. Hearing him enter, she looked up and smiled. “You’re here.”

Without realizing it, Lin Chuanbai smiled back.

The pharmaceutical factory had a deputy director managing daily operations, but some decisions still required Yu Xiang’an, the true person in charge. She spent most of her time in the Special Zone, but coming here was convenient.

“What’s the situation this time?” Lin Chuanbai asked.

He stayed mostly at the factory but did not involve himself in business operations. He focused only on his research department.

Yu Xiang’an smiled again. “Sales are doing very well. We’re preparing to expand production.” The factory might not be large, but it was like a hen that laid golden eggs.

Lin Chuanbai narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of pride in his tone. “It’ll only make more and more money from here on.”

He had also heard about Ding Minxiu’s situation, though not in detail. Now he suddenly remembered. “Is there a result? It’s been a while.”

“There is.”

“What happened?”

“Ding Minxiu and Zhou Boyang divorced. They’ve become enemies. Zhou Boyang probably took a good amount of money. The Zhou family has moved, no one knows where. Ding Minxiu got her divorce, but that man is still with his original wife. I heard Ding Minxiu was dealt with quite harshly. She’s still just the other woman. She moved as well, location unknown. She probably won’t return to Baishi County.”

Lin Chuanbai shook his head. The Zhou family and her son were unreliable, but there had been many possible paths she could have taken.

She had a job. Even setting up a small street stall could have earned her a decent living. She might not have become wealthy, but she could have lived comfortably.

Instead, she chose this road.

Character shapes destiny.

“What about Zhao Qiaoniang?” he asked.

Yu Xiang’an set down her pen and exhaled. “After being discharged, she was taken away by Ding Minxiu.”

“She probably still needs her to help take care of the child.”

Yu Xiang’an sighed. “She’s spent her whole life being controlled by her daughter.”

One person’s sweetness is another’s poison.

“She chooses it,” Lin Chuanbai said.

Yu Xiang’an sighed again. “When I saw how things ended for them, I felt a moment of satisfaction. But afterward… something felt off. Tell me, if we hadn’t come here, if they had gotten through that time and survived, what do you think would have happened?”

She searched through the original host’s memories. Back then, discovering Zhou Boyang and her stepsister Ding Minxiu together had been a huge blow. Combined with the fear of being sent to the countryside, she had not endured it.

If she had endured it, unwilling to accept such humiliation, she would likely have exposed them, sending both of them to prison for “hooliganism,” and then been forced to go to the countryside herself.

Life there would have been difficult. After what happened in Baishi County, she probably would not have wanted to return. She might have found someone in the countryside to share the burden.

When the educated youth were allowed to return to the city, she might have come back with a family of her own.

As for the college entrance exam, her grades had been decent. If she had not abandoned her studies, she might have been admitted.

Lin Chuanbai thought about his own counterpart.

The original version of him had been determined to attend a worker-peasant-soldier university. Lin Houpu had once asked him before the exams were reinstated, but he had refused.

That path had been his original wish, to get far away from home. He could not face Lin Houpu and Wu Zheng after their divorce. He would have chosen a distant place, working, starting a family, living a quiet life.

Yu Xiang’an continued, “And if we hadn’t come here, if we hadn’t died under that billboard… what would have happened to us?”

Lin Chuanbai replied, “The child’s parents were there. We would have been commended… and then lived ordinary lives. Work, routine, nothing too different from anyone else.”

The only difference might have been that he would have remained more reserved.

Yu Xiang’an smiled faintly. “After leaving the hospital, I would have gone back to running my private kitchen. It had just opened, so I would have worked hard to build it up. You liked my cooking, so you would come often. With my personality, I would have talked to you, tried to learn your preferences, cooked dishes you liked, made you more satisfied. We would have crossed paths again…”

Compared to their current life, the beginning had been difficult. But they adapted, gained the advantage of the space, built a thriving life, and then discovered each other, two people from the same world, meeting here and walking together.

Lin Chuanbai’s expression softened at the thought that, even in another life, they might still have ended up together. “Do you regret rushing out to save that little girl?”

“I don’t.”

“Neither do I.”

They looked at each other and smiled.

Wang Xiaoya had just reached the door and saw the scene through the window. She quietly turned and left.

This was a moment no one else could step into. She would come back later.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃

Why did it end up affecting them?

That day, Yu Qingshan had gone to the supermarket. He was standing by the wall near the first-floor entrance, checking a notice board. It listed things like the fire safety officer, the manager of the food court, and so on. Next to it was a section for small inspection cards recording safety and hygiene checks. If it was blank, it meant the inspection had not been done.

Li Dazhu stood beside him, staring blankly. He could not read what was written.

As he stood there in a daze, the sudden commotion snapped him out of it.

Yu Xianghai had tried to call Yu Qingshan, but Yu Qingshan had not brought his phone, so the news reached him a step too late, just in time for the scene.

Yu Xianghai himself had been shocked.

Not long ago, his father had just asked about the Zhou family, and now something had happened.

When Ye Qijia told him about it, he was stunned.

He had been busy working and unaware, but near Ye Qijia’s clothing shop, large-character posters had been plastered everywhere.

As if they cost nothing, the entire street was covered.

The posters had both photos and written explanations. The photos were explosive, showing Ding Minxiu kissing a man.

Naturally, such images drew crowds.

People began talking crudely.

“Who is that?”

“Doesn’t she look familiar?”

Someone recognized her. “Isn’t that Zhou family’s daughter-in-law?”

“That’s her! No wonder she looked familiar!”

“She’s been working away from home for years. Who knows how many men she’s been with.”

“This must be done by the original wife.”

“No wonder their family’s life seemed decent. Turns out she’s been ‘making money’ outside.”

The implication of how she earned that money was obvious.

“She looks alright. Wonder how much she charges…”

The conversation grew more and more vulgar.

When Zhou Boyang saw it, his mind went blank. Then he lost consciousness.

The person who distributed the photos had come prepared. They knew where the Zhou family lived. The version that reached Zhou Boyang was even in high clarity.

The shock was overwhelming.

When Zhou Boyang came to, his son and daughter-in-law were already arguing over the poster.

The daughter-in-law’s voice was sharp. “Your mother is so shameless! And you still dare raise your voice at me?”

Zhou Tianyou snapped back, “What do you mean your mother? She’s our mother!”

Zhou Boyang exploded, “We don’t have such a disgraceful mother!”

He took a breath, then immediately grabbed money to buy train tickets. He was going to find that wretched woman and kill her.

Zhou Tianyou hesitated, then followed him.

Leaving his wife behind to watch the house.

The poster had detailed information, so once they reached the Special Economic Zone, Zhou Boyang knew exactly where to go.

No one in Baishi County had warned Ding Minxiu.

Who would be willing to speak up about such a scandal?

Besides, she and Zhao Qiaoniang had no close friends. With something like this happening, people were more likely to watch the spectacle than help.

By the time Zhou Boyang and Zhou Tianyou set out, Ding Minxiu was still at home eating lunch.

Their home.

It was a ninety-square-meter apartment with three bedrooms, just right for them. In the future, the child would even have their own room. Zhao Qiaoniang stayed at home to help take care of things.

Ding Minxiu doted on this younger child, though she spent less time with him than Zhao Qiaoniang, because she was focused on improving herself.

She bought many magazines, fashion magazines, clothing magazines. She wanted to have topics in common with Chen Wen, not just the child. Only then could she keep him longer and gain more.

With no need to work and no financial pressure, and with Zhao Qiaoniang helping care for the baby, she actually looked younger than before.

This made Chen Wen pay more attention to her. No one wanted to speak and have the other person not even understand.

Afraid of being seen by acquaintances, she lived like a hidden mistress, mostly staying indoors. When she did go out, she disguised herself. Only when Chen Wen took her out did she dress up beautifully.

Back home, she still sent money regularly and occasionally had Zhao Qiaoniang return to check on things.

After all, her son was still there.

Even if he seemed unreliable, she could not abandon him.

After lunch, Zhao Qiaoniang asked what she wanted to eat, since the fridge was empty. Ding Minxiu also wanted some fresh air. “Let’s go out together after a nap.”

By the time Zhou Boyang and Zhou Tianyou arrived at the apartment, they had already left.

They knocked, but there was no response. They began to suspect either the address was wrong or they had just stepped out.

A neighbor, annoyed by the noise, shouted from inside, “They went to the supermarket. Stop knocking! If you’re in a hurry, go look there. They just left.”

After asking which supermarket, they headed straight there.

As they left, Zhou Tianyou was stunned.

Such a bright, well-furnished home… his mother lived here?

The supermarket Ding Minxiu and Zhao Qiaoniang had gone to was the very one Yu Qingshan was in.

They did not know Yu Xiang’an had a stake in it. Otherwise, they likely would not have set foot there.

Zhou Boyang and Zhou Tianyou entered the supermarket and looked around. Soon, near the appliance section by the entrance, they saw Ding Minxiu.

And the baby in her arms.

As they approached, they heard Zhao Qiaoniang teasing the child. “Little Bao is awake? Missing Grandma? Wait a moment, Grandma needs to rest her hands first.”

“Ah—pu!” The baby giggled.

Zhou Boyang let out a twisted laugh. “Grandma? Haha, how fitting.”

Then he exploded.

“Whose child is that?! I’m asking you, whose bastard is this?!”

His blood surged.

He had planned to find a place to talk, to avoid making a scene. But he could not hold back anymore.

At his voice, Ding Minxiu and Zhao Qiaoniang were startled. They had been leisurely choosing rice cookers. When they turned, they saw Zhou Boyang’s wild, furious eyes.

Ding Minxiu tightened her grip on the child.

Zhao Qiaoniang trembled, her face flushed red.

She knew her daughter was wrong.

If things could not continue, she should have divorced first. What she had done was wrong.

She had tried to persuade her, but her daughter would not listen.

Now that her son-in-law had appeared, she was frozen.

Zhou Tianyou stared at the infant, his chest heaving with anger.

No wonder his mother had not returned home for so long. She had secretly had another child. Of course she would not dare go back.

Ding Minxiu was so shocked she could not speak.

Zhou Boyang grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. “Speak! Who are you protecting?!”

During the New Year, she had not come back, saying she was busy and had bonuses. She had sent more money, and he had been happy for her.

And now?

She had put a green hat on him.

Even given birth to another man’s child.

Looking at the gold earrings on her ears, he gritted his teeth. “So your lover has money, huh? Speak! And this bastard!”

He looked at the child, frightened wide-eyed by his shouting, and reached to snatch him.

Ding Minxiu clutched the baby tightly. “What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?!”

Zhou Boyang roared, “I’m crazy? Yes, I am crazy!”

When he couldn’t snatch the child, he swung his hand and slapped Ding Minxiu hard across the face. The force sent her staggering toward the ground, blood at the corner of her mouth. But to avoid crushing the baby, she twisted her body mid-fall, taking the impact herself. The child was startled and burst into loud cries.

The commotion escalated. People nearby had already been watching, and now even those farther away were drawn in.

There were always people eager for a spectacle. Before long, a crowd formed around them.

Zhou Boyang paid no attention to the onlookers. He pointed at Ding Minxiu and cursed, “You shameless woman! I should’ve known long ago you couldn’t keep yourself in check! What, I’m old now so you couldn’t resist? You went to find someone richer, abandoned your home, your son, your grandson! Where is that man? Where is he?!”

Another slap landed, with no restraint.

The crowd hesitated. The implications were obvious, husband, child that wasn’t his. What could they even say to intervene?

Only Zhao Qiaoniang, trembling, rushed forward to shield her daughter, crying, “Stop hitting her, please stop!”

Zhou Boyang shoved her aside without mercy. “What right do you have to speak? You two must be in this together! Come closer and I’ll hit you too!”

He still had a shred of restraint and did not strike her directly. An elderly person could easily be killed.

As the scene grew more chaotic, Yu Qingshan, not knowing the full situation, stepped forward. “Excuse me, excuse me.”

He arrived just in time to see Zhao Qiaoniang being shoved. The force sent her crashing to the ground, and she could not get back up, groaning in pain.

Zhou Boyang ignored her and continued beating Ding Minxiu.

Seeing this, Yu Qingshan’s eyes widened.

He understood what was happening, but if this escalated, how could business continue? He shouted, “Security! Security, come quickly!”

Among all the spectators, Yu Qingshan was the only one calling for help.

Ding Minxiu looked toward the voice. Someone calling security, good, even better if they called the police. Zhou Boyang looked like he might kill her in a rage.

But when she saw Yu Qingshan standing there calmly, calling for security, her heart turned cold.

She was already in this state, her mother lying on the ground, yet he would not step forward to help them?

After all, they had once been family.

He really was a cold-hearted man.

In truth, Yu Qingshan had no intention of rushing in. At his age, he was afraid he might fall and not get up. Calling security was the proper course. That was what they were paid for.

Li Dazhu stood protectively beside him, keeping the crowd from jostling him.

Another heavy slap landed on Ding Minxiu’s head.

Zhou Boyang shouted, “You shameless woman! This bastard! Are you going to speak or not? Where is that man?!”

This matter could not involve Chen Wen.

Ding Minxiu understood that clearly.

She did not know how Zhou Boyang and her son had found out and come straight here, giving her no time to prepare. But she could not drag Chen Wen into this. If he got beaten, it would leave a mark on him, and she would quickly fall out of favor. That was not what she wanted.

The Zhou family was already in shambles. She could not lose Chen Wen too.

So she pointed suddenly at Li Dazhu, tall and sturdy.

“Didn’t you ask who the child’s father is? It’s him! Father of my child, aren’t you coming over? Our child and I are being beaten to death!”

Li Dazhu turned his head left and right. The crowd instinctively parted, leaving him and Yu Qingshan exposed.

He looked at Yu Qingshan, then back at himself.

Was she pointing at him?

His face turned pale.

He had someone he liked. How could he be slandered like this? The more anxious he became, the less he could speak. Sweat formed on his forehead. He shook his head frantically, but not a word came out.

How could she be so malicious? They had never even interacted!

Zhou Boyang looked over, feeling as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.

This was not the man from the photo.

She… she had given him more than one green hat.

Rage surged again. He lost all reason and lashed out with fists and kicks.

“I’ll kill you, you shameless thing! You bastard! I’ll beat you to death!”

Ding Minxiu cried out in pain, “Help! Someone help me!” Why was he still beating her even after she pointed someone out?

Seeing Zhou Boyang like this, the crowd became even more hesitant to intervene.

Some turned their gaze toward Li Dazhu.

Wasn’t he the alleged lover? Why was he standing there like a statue?

Shouldn’t he at least say something?

Yu Qingshan glared at Ding Minxiu, grinding his teeth. He felt no sympathy for her being beaten. She had dragged an innocent man into this.

At that moment, security finally pushed through the crowd.

Yu Qingshan immediately pointed ahead. “They’re causing trouble here. Have you called the police? You can’t let this continue. Where’s your manager?”

The security guards rushed forward and restrained Zhou Boyang, preventing him from hitting her further.

They did not know Yu Qingshan, but he was right. They could not allow such a disturbance to affect business. If something worse happened, it would be disastrous.

Zhou Boyang’s arms were held, but he continued kicking, striking Ding Minxiu. “You shameless woman! Shameless!”

Ding Minxiu curled over, clutching the baby tightly. Once he was restrained, she quickly backed away.

A guard said, “We’ve already called the police. Please come with us. You can’t make trouble here. Everyone, disperse.”

The crowd was cleared, and Zhou Boyang and the others were taken to a meeting room to wait for the police.

Zhao Qiaoniang lay on the ground in tears. A guard tried to help her up, but she cried out in pain as soon as she was moved, so they did not dare move her again and called an ambulance.

The police station was nearby, and officers arrived quickly.

After learning it was a domestic dispute, wife’s infidelity, a child with another man, they understood how difficult it would be for any man to remain calm. But they still reprimanded Zhou Boyang for using violence.

And he had pushed an elderly woman who was now in the hospital. If her injuries were serious, it would not be easily resolved.

Li Dazhu was an innocent bystander, dragged in only because Ding Minxiu named him. He was terrified. He had never imagined he would end up at a police station.

He kept looking at Yu Qingshan for help.

Yu Qingshan could not ignore it. He patted Li Dazhu’s arm, reassuring him that he would go with him.

They were taken to the station, while Zhao Qiaoniang was sent directly to the hospital.

Ding Minxiu’s condition was also poor. Someone helped clean her up a bit. The baby in her arms was still crying loudly, but fortunately, because she had protected him so tightly, he was not injured.

The child was simply frightened.

He cried nonstop.

Ding Minxiu had tried to drag Li Dazhu into it, but Yu Qingshan would not allow it. Li Dazhu could not speak for himself, so Yu Qingshan spoke on his behalf, while Li Dazhu nodded frantically, agreeing with everything he said.

Ding Minxiu did not persist. She had only done it in the moment to divert Zhou Boyang’s attention so she would not be beaten too badly, and also to stir up trouble for Yu Qingshan.

But when Yu Qingshan mentioned that DNA testing could determine blood relations, she immediately fell silent, and the two of them were cleared.

After that, Yu Qingshan had no mind to stay involved. He waved it off and left.

Now at the police station, Ding Minxiu was no longer worried about Zhou Boyang hitting her and could face things calmly.

By this point, Zhou Boyang also knew Li Dazhu was innocent. He looked at Ding Minxiu as if his gaze were poisoned, sneering again and again. A woman who lied so easily, who could twist black into white. How blind had he been back then to miss Yu Xiang’an, his betrothed, because of her?

Now he had fallen to this point, sitting in a police station.

As his reason gradually returned, he thought about his future, covered his head with both hands, and crouched down deeply. When he returned to his hometown, how could he still show his face?

Zhou Tianyou sat quietly to the side, his thoughts more calculating.

When Zhou Boyang had lost control and started hitting her, he had restrained himself. His mind was on other things. His mother had found another man, but she was still his mother.

If her life improved, she would not ignore her son. He wondered whether the apartment she lived in was in her name. If it was, it might become his in the future.

And even if it was not, Zhou Tianyou glanced at the missing gold earring from Ding Minxiu’s ear. She still had other valuables.

So he kept silent, crouching nearby with a gloomy face, putting on a show of sadness.

Yu Qingshan left angrily with Li Dazhu. When Yu Xiang’an got home from work and saw the two of them like that, she asked curiously, “Dad, what’s wrong? Who upset you?”

Yu Qingshan waved his hand, looking exhausted. “Let me catch my breath first. I’ll tell you after.”

Yu Xiang’an nodded. “Alright.”

That only made her more curious.

The landline rang.

It was Yu Xianghai calling back after failing to get through earlier. Yu Xiang’an picked up.

“Hello.”

“Xiao’an? It’s me. Is Dad there?”

“He is. What’s going on?”

Yu Xianghai said, “Earlier Dad asked me if anything had happened with the Zhou family. Now something has. No one knows who did it, but everyone’s guessing it’s the man’s original wife. There are posters all over town, pasted everywhere, even handed out on the streets. They have photos of Ding Minxiu being intimate with another man. Zhou Boyang has already taken his son on the train to the Special Zone. The whole county is talking about it.”

His voice was loud, and Yu Qingshan, sitting nearby, heard everything.

No wonder. So that was it.

Yu Qingshan sighed. “Don’t even mention it. I already know. I just got back from the police station. I happened to witness it. They went to shop at a mall we have a stake in and caused a scene there. And Ding Minxiu… I don’t even know how to describe her. Zhou Boyang asked who the man was, where he was. She probably didn’t know the photos had already been posted everywhere. I was there maintaining order with Dazhu, and she pointed at him and said he was the man. I was so angry I could barely breathe.”

Li Dazhu looked utterly wronged, sitting there hunched and listless, unable to understand how someone could lie so brazenly.

Yu Xiang’an listened in shock to Yu Qingshan’s account. On the other end of the line, Ye Qijia had also come over, listening eagerly.

This was firsthand, live information.

She only regretted not being there herself. Visit HololoNovels .com to read more. It had been years since anything this dramatic had happened in their county, and given their family’s old grievances with the Zhou family, she was even more eager to witness it.

“Are they still at the police station? I need to restock goods anyway, maybe I’ll make a trip over,” Ye Qijia said, already planning.

Yu Xianghai glanced at her. “I’ll go help you.”

Truth be told, he wanted to see it too.

He had almost forgotten what had happened back then, but now it all came back. The two of them had done such disgusting things in the past. Now that it had come to this, did they regret it?

Even if they did, it would not change anything.

Life was shaped by one’s own actions.

If there really was such a thing as karma, then this was it.

Back then, Zhou Boyang had cheated while already engaged, choosing Ding Minxiu and even giving up his job to settle the matter. Now, after all these years, Ding Minxiu had put such a massive green hat on him during their marriage. That was karma.

As for Ding Minxiu, Yu Xiang’an did not think her future would be any good. Just from the posters plastered all over Baishi County, it was clear that the man’s original wife was not someone to be trifled with.

There would be suffering waiting for her.

Yu Xianghai sighed. “Xiao’an, even though we’re living well now and don’t need to dwell on the past, seeing them like this… it still feels satisfying.”

So satisfying he almost wanted to bring out some alcohol and have a drink with their father.

🌱🌿 🫧🍃