Uncle’s Bombshell

Ling Tinglan’s uncle, Fu Donghai, was thirty-five years old—a scruffy, bearded bachelor.

Now he scowled at the two “overgrown, shivering quails” huddled before him. “I knew it! Whenever you two brats get together, nothing good comes of it!”

“Today you dismantle the wardrobe, tomorrow you’ll tear off the roof!”

“Huh? That’s it???”

Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu were dumbfounded. They thought they were about to be sent to a lab for dissection, but it was just a scolding?

“Hello? Uncle?” Ling Tinglan pointed to his handsome face. “Look at me carefully. Don’t you notice anything wrong?”

Fu Donghai looked him up and down and said hesitantly, “You… gained weight?”

“Gained weight my ass!”

Ling Tinglan stubbornly pointed at Jiao Wangshu. “What about him? Don’t you think he’s different too?”

Fu Donghai cupped his chin, looking left and right, his contemplative expression making him look like he was conducting academic research.

“He’s even more handsome.”

Ling Tinglan was completely frustrated. “Uncle! Open your eyes and look again!”

He pulled Jiao Wangshu over. “Jiaojiao and I turned from girls into guys overnight! Aren’t you at all shocked by such a bizarre thing?!”

“What nonsense?” Fu Donghai swatted away the pouncing Ling Tinglan without looking up. “What do you mean ‘recognize’? Haven’t you always looked like this? Changing back and forth? Do you think you’re Sun Wukong with seventy-two transformations?”

“Talking in your sleep in broad daylight. Male or female? Haven’t you always been male?”

“Ah!” Fu Donghai suddenly exclaimed as if remembering something. “You haven’t hit your head, have you?”

He worriedly turned Ling Tinglan’s head left and right. “You weren’t that smart to begin with. If you get even dumber, what will you do in the future?”

“But…” Ling Tinglan wanted to say more, but Jiao Wangshu quickly patted his hand and gave him a warning shake of his head.

Jiao Wangshu, who had been observing the whole time, was now thinking rapidly. When they first woke up, they were so shocked that neither noticed: although the room and all its furnishings were exactly as they remembered, there were many subtle but undeniable differences.

For example, the photos in the room, the clothes in the wardrobe, even the contact lists in their phones—none of these had changed. The only difference was that the people in all of them had transformed from “female” versions of ‘them’ into “male” versions!

Combined with Fu Donghai’s nonchalant attitude toward their appearance, a bold conjecture arose in Jiao Wangshu’s mind: Could this be the legendary parallel universe?

That is, in this parallel universe, their “counterparts” were originally male, and they even shared the same upbringing, relatives, and friends…

Ling Tinglan looked at Jiao Wangshu and understood as well. Yes… that might be the truth!

But even if they understood, what could they do? Neither knew how they had crossed over, nor how to return. They could only take things one step at a time.

Having figured this out, Ling Tinglan steadied himself and felt a bit more settled.

“I was just joking, hehe… By the way, Uncle, why are you free to come over today?”

It was a casual greeting, but unexpectedly, Fu Donghai became hesitant.

“Tinglan, do you think your uncle treats you well?”

Ling Tinglan nodded vigorously without hesitation. “Yes! Uncle, you’ve been especially good to me!”

He meant it sincerely, without a hint of exaggeration.

Ling Tinglan’s mother had been tricked by a scumbag in her youth, got pregnant out of wedlock, and died in childbirth. His uncle, Fu Donghai, had raised him from a baby.

A young bachelor raising a dependent all by himself—although Fu Donghai never said it, Ling Tinglan knew in his heart that his uncle wasn’t bad-looking, had a good character, and worked hard, yet he was still single at his age largely because of him.

Raising a “sickly” child to be healthy was no easy feat. Fortunately, Fu Donghai caught the wave of livestreaming, rode the internet boom, and later started a media company. He moved from in front of the camera to behind the scenes, signing small influencers and artists to continue livestreaming and commercial performances. Over the years, he slowly saved up some money, and even the small apartment Ling Tinglan now lived in was purchased outright by Fu Donghai for his convenience in attending school.

But now, Fu Donghai sat dejectedly on the sofa, letting out a heavy sigh. “I’m bankrupt.”

“I just sold the house to pay off some debts. Now I have nowhere to go, so I thought I’d stay with you for a while. I’ll move out once I find a new job.”

“How did this happen? Everything was fine before!” Ling Tinglan was frantic. “Uncle, tell me what happened!”

“It’s those two ingrates I signed!”

Fu Donghai’s face twisted with hatred. A year ago, he signed two young men. Although they weren’t well-educated or talented, they were decent-looking. With their lean, tall frames and some packaging, under the livestream lights, they could barely stand out among the “visual streamers.”

But unexpectedly, before long, they turned on him. Not only did they latch onto the top-spending rich women, but they also secretly found other backers.

This screwed Fu Donghai over. All the jobs he had already negotiated were rejected, and the two went missing. The breach of contract penalties alone were too much for him, forcing him to sell his house and drag his luggage to his nephew’s place.

Ling Tinglan had no idea his uncle had silently endured so much alone.

In the original timeline, he had never heard his uncle mention these things.

Maybe because in that other world he was a girl, his uncle wouldn’t have felt comfortable staying with him even if homeless. He dared not imagine where his uncle would have stayed during that time in the original world.

“Uncle, don’t worry. I won’t let those bastards off! We’ll sue them! We’ll get the money back!”

Fu Donghai shook his head, still grim. “It’s not that easy. Lawsuits aren’t resolved overnight.”

“But it’s not all bad. I’ve compensated for the mess I could. The biggest headache now is the talent show contracted with an overseas platform. Recording starts soon. If I back out, I’ll have to pay damages! How can I afford that?”

“Those ingrates had to screw me over even before they fled! I only had a few people signed, and they all got poached! The show is about to start—where am I supposed to find two contestants now?…”

As soon as he finished, Fu Donghai glanced around and his eyes lit up!

“Hey—!”

His tangible gaze locked onto his nephew and the other boy beside him. How could he have forgotten—

“Aren’t these two perfect candidates?!”