Plots and Homecomings

Inside the presidential suite of the Imperial Capital Hotel, Nan’an City’s only five-star establishment.

Tong Fu gently laid the sleeping Tongtong on the bed. His wife, Xu Peici, massaged his back, though his anger had not yet fully subsided.

“Old Tong, what do you think of that kid named Qin An?”

“Not bad. He’s neither humble nor arrogant. He didn’t even cry out when I hit him, and his eyes were clear. His clothes were a bit shabby, so his family probably isn’t well-off. But money means nothing to us—we’re so rich we’ve got nothing left but money.”

“Do you think our Tongtong has any special feelings for him? You know how shy she usually is, but she wasn’t afraid of him at all. She even clung to him, kept grabbing his clothes, and called his name in her sleep. She’s never done that before.”

“They’re just little brats. What do they know? But better safe than sorry.”

“Then…”

Tong Fu flashed a sinister grin. “Let’s see if that little brat can even handle his own parents first. He wants to court my granddaughter? Not a chance!”

“Oh, and hand me the phone. I need to make a call to the capital. I’ll make sure that little bastard never leaves that godforsaken southwest corner for the rest of his life. He hurt my precious daughter, and now he’s trying to harm my precious granddaughter. If the tiger doesn’t show its might, they’ll think I’ve been an official all these years for nothing!”

“Alright, alright, don’t get so worked up. Your health isn’t great anyway. Let’s just see how far Dad wants to take this. After all, the only thing that southwest official has over you is that he had an ugly daughter.”

“Doesn’t that just prove my genes are far superior? Their whole family is a bunch of ugly freaks.”

“Hmph, it’s all my doing, isn’t it? If it weren’t for me, would you have such a beautiful daughter and such an adorable granddaughter?” Xu Peici tilted her head, her mature charm still apparent.

“Fine, fine, all thanks to you, Peici. But you know I’ve been a bit irritable lately. I need to… vent.”

“Stop! You’re no spring chicken—why are you so impatient? Tongtong is still asleep!”

“We can use the second bedroom. And you know the soundproofing in this hotel is top-notch.”

“You’d better not disappoint me this time. I expect great things.”

Tong Fu puffed out his chest confidently. “Don’t worry. This time, I’ll make you feel young again.”

A faint gleam came from Tong Fu’s pocket—a yellow paper packet. On it, in neat printed script, were the words: “Ten Years Younger, Boundless Vitality.” Wasn’t that Qin An’s handwriting?

Qin An’s products were always top-notch.

Whether he gets to court my precious granddaughter depends on this, you little brat! Tong Fu roared inwardly. The next moment, he transformed into a tiger on the bed. This time, the experience would surely be unforgettable—because Qin An had forgotten to tell him the dosage.

Qin An wore a clean white shirt and black jeans. Paired with a pair of black full-rim glasses, he looked just like an ordinary student.

The iron gate was covered in moss, its surface pitted and scarred—a sign of its age.

The door to his home was unlocked; Qin An pushed it open. The black-and-white TV in the living room was still blaring static. The place was a mess: clothes and underwear were strewn everywhere, and shreds of paper littered every corner.

Had they been robbed? That was Qin An’s first thought. But when he saw Qin Yage wriggling on the floor like a worm wrapped in a blanket, he tore that thought to shreds.

“Dear classmate Qin Yage, would you mind explaining what happened? I’ve been gone just a few days, and it looks like a pirate ransacked the place.”

Qin Yage poked her little head out, her eyes brimming with tears at the sight of him. “Waaaah, big bro, you’re finally back! I’ve been waiting so long! If you hadn’t come, you’d have found nothing but my bones!”

“What’s going on?”

Qin An straightened the giant “worm” and skillfully untied the ropes binding the blanket. The blanket slipped off, revealing her small, messy shoulders. It was clear she had tangled herself up completely in her pajamas, looking like an incredibly pitiful, messy doll.

Glass-like transparent pupils.

Skin as white as snow.

A refreshing, sweet scent.

They stared at each other in silence.

The illusory atmosphere was as fragile as a delicate glass ornament.

But there she was.

The same presence that had surrounded her in his past life enveloped her still. Everything was so familiar, so real, as if his previous life had been nothing but a dream.

“Yage…” he said her name naturally.

“Big bro…”

The mood seemed to reach its peak. Next would be…

“I’m hungry…” Qin Yage said weakly, as if she couldn’t even keep her eyes open.

To Qin An, her voice sounded like a high-speed motor suddenly stalling, or a basketball player charging forward only to hear the final buzzer.

His disappointment and deflation were obvious.

Qin Yage collapsed into his arms. She was so hungry, so thirsty; she hadn’t eaten anything all day, and the two days before that she’d survived on candy.

As for how Qin Yage ended up in this state, that’s quite a story.

It all started the day Qin An went camping.

Alone at home, Qin Yage was incredibly bored. She’d read all her girl magazines to shreds. So she started calling the senior girls who doted on her.

“Sorry, the number you dialed is not available. Please try again later.”

“Sorry, the subscriber you dialed is busy. Please try again later.”

“Sorry, the number you dialed is out of service. Please try again later…”

No one answered. Qin Yage was furious, nearly smashing the phone. But she stopped herself, afraid her brother would use it as an excuse to cut her candy ration.

Bored out of her mind, she decided to call a friend she both hated and liked—Dongfang Kelian.

“Keke…”

“Wow, Yaya, you actually called me! Is it the end of the world?”

“I was saying…”

“Is it because you’re alone during the May Day holiday? I knew it! So I made up an excuse not to go traveling with my mom. I promise, I’ll make sure you have a great holiday.”

“You…”

“Your house is at 173 Nanshan Road, right? I’m coming over right now. Guhehe…”

She ended with a creepy laugh.

Slap—

Qin Yage hung up directly. “So annoying! She wouldn’t let me get a word in. I should’ve never called that blabbermouth.”

Brring, brring, brring—

The phone kept ringing. Qin Yage covered her ears, trying to block out the noise.

She ran from the living room to the kitchen, then from the kitchen to her room, tossing herself onto the bed and rolling around like a ball, but she couldn’t escape the ringing.

The phone seemed to have a radar, tracking her relentlessly.

Finally, Qin Yage surrendered. She brushed her messy bangs aside and picked up the phone that hadn’t stopped ringing.

“Hello? Let’s never contact each other again,” she said weakly.

“Ah, Yage, how can you say that? Didn’t we pledge our love to each other? We even signed an agreement! It’s in black and white—you can’t back out.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? That scrap of paper was just my doodle. It has no legal standing whatsoever.”

“Oh, really? It has your signature and fingerprint on it!”

Qin Yage sighed helplessly. “I don’t care. That paper is useless to you anyway. It wasn’t meant for you.”

Dongfang Kelian chuckled mischievously. “I know. It was for your brother. But the content is so embarrassing! Want me to read it to you? On such-and-such date, so-and-so and so-and-so’s idiot brother ki… kissed, according to the Qin Family Marriage Law, the two parties are hereby ma… married. Party A…”

“Stop! Don’t read any more!” Qin Yage felt her neck grow hot, her cheeks flushing like a ripe apple.

“Alright, alright. I know someone’s shy. Hehe…”

“You’re the one who’s shy! Let’s never contact each other again. Bye!”

Brring, brring, brring—

“Hey! Yage!” Dongfang Kelian called out a few times, then grinned slyly. Looking at the old-fashioned iron gate, she complained: “This house is miles apart from mine. I don’t know how anyone can live in such a tiny place. I don’t understand how Yaya survived all these years, how she grew so cute, how she made my heart flutter.”

Dongfang Kelian stood at the door, lost in thought for about twenty minutes. Heaven knows what she was thinking. Luckily, this area was remote and poor, so no one was around—otherwise, she’d easily be mistaken for a pervert.

She pressed the doorbell dozens of times. Her persistence and determination would put even the famous cartoon villain Grey Wolf to shame.