A Father’s Call and a World Adrift

A call from ‘Dad‘ appeared on his screen.

Upon seeing the caller ID, a chill settled in Qin Yan’s gaze.

His relationship with his father was like most father-son dynamics across the world: typically, unless a significant matter arose, there was little exchange between them.

With a sense of apprehension, Qin Yan answered the call.

–Dad…-

A moment of silence stretched on from the other end of the line before a male voice finally broke through.

–Why did it take you so long to pick up? Are you sick? Even when you’re out alone, you must take good care of your health.–

Hearing these words, Qin Yan found himself momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

Such caring conversations were rare between them.

It wasn’t due to any conflict; on the contrary, their relationship was quite good.

Yet, precisely because of this unspoken understanding, certain things remained unsaid, a peculiar psychological state indeed.

–It’s nothing, I was just eating, so I didn’t see it.– Qin Yan replied.

–Takeout again? You should cut back on it.

I see that most places now use pre-made dishes, which aren’t healthy at all.–

Listening to his father’s rambling, Qin Yan felt a strange sense of surprise.

–Where’s Mom?–

He changed the subject.

–Your mother has been well recently, too.

Oh, and…–

The sudden shift in topic made Qin Yan’s heart clench.

A wave of anxious thoughts washed over him, wondering if something had happened at home.

–You’re not young anymore,–

At these words, a stone lifted from Qin Yan’s heart.

It was just another attempt at nagging him about marriage, a fear that had been etched into his very bones since graduating from university.

Most such discussions only ended in mutual displeasure.

From his perspective, marriage was nothing short of a gamble, one where the odds were overwhelmingly against him.

Women would demand hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions, in bride price, only to divorce shortly after and seemingly achieve entrepreneurial success overnight.

–As the saying goes, men should marry when they’re grown, and women when they’re grown.

You’re not young anymore.

When your older brother was your age, his child was already running around.

How can I, your father, rest easy knowing you’re out there wandering around, messing about on your own?

You really need to consider it.

I’ve even found some beautiful women for you; you should add them.

You’re handsome, but don’t be so picky with your standards…–

Listening to the words pouring from the phone, Qin Yan found himself unable to interject, his mind feeling like a swirling muddle.

‘Was he losing his sanity?

Or had the world itself gone utterly mad?

Could it be that he had fallen into some “backroom” realm, entered an immortal cultivation dimension, only to fall out again and land back in this world?’

–Why aren’t you speaking?–

After a long pause, the voice on the phone finally ceased its monologue and asked.

–Alright, alright, I’ll think about it.–

Qin Yan rubbed his temple with his free hand.

Was his perception of reality flawed?

The myriad events unfolding before him far surpassed his wildest imagination, leaving his mind struggling to comprehend.

Had the world glitched somehow? he mused inwardly.

–Alright, that’s enough.

I’m hanging up now—–

With that final remark, Qin Yan ended the call.

He gazed at Xiao Miao before him, finding the girl increasingly pleasing to his eyes the longer he looked.

The entire world felt alien, yet the girl in front of him seemed to be the only tangible reality.

“What’s wrong?”

Xiao Miao inquired, sensing the vexation in Qin Yan’s heart.

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” Qin Yan replied, looking utterly overwhelmed.

“I feel like the world has gone mad, or perhaps I have.

Forget it, I’ll just think about it later.”

This was merely torturing himself.

He knew his own intelligence; he was someone who couldn’t even solve advanced calculus problems, so pondering such complex issues was simply self-inflicted torment.

Still, perhaps he could ask the wondrous AI?

Saying this, Qin Yan opened his phone and found the AI.

[I feel like I transmigrated to a female-dominant cultivation world, but then I transmigrated back, bringing a girl with me.

Now I find that the world I’m in has also become female-dominant.

Why is this?]

Qin Yan typed these words into the dialogue box.

[Core Reason Speculation: Reversal of Causality and “Conceptual Contamination”]

[Possibility One: Intervention by a higher-dimensional entity (Cultivation perspective).]

[Possibility Two: Observer effect and quantum reality (Sci-fi perspective).]

[Possibility Three: The girl’s own “field” and wish fulfillment.

She might be the “Daughter of Fortune” of that female-dominant world, an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, or possess some supreme treasure she cannot control.

Her subconscious desired a familiar environment, so her powerful spiritual energy or destiny power unconsciously and passively warped reality, reshaping the surrounding world to match her perception.]

[66666.]

Qin Yan stared at the explanations that popped up on the screen.

Each one, taken individually, was utterly incomprehensible.

Higher dimensions, quantum mechanics—it was all completely baffling.

As for the third possibility…

He looked at Xiao Miao across from him.

‘Could this truly be it?

No way.

If that were the case, then he himself would be the Son of Fortune, unconsciously creating this modern urban setting.’

Xiao Miao, too, watched Qin Yan, who was frowning in deep thought.

How she wished to help him, yet she dared not speak up and disturb him.

She simply continued eating, only seeing Qin Yan put down his phone after a long while.

“Damn it, what a load of nonsense!

I don’t care anymore!”

Qin Yan exclaimed, letting out a complaint.

Seeing this, Xiao Miao suddenly burst into laughter.

Noticing Qin Yan’s gaze on her, she quickly hastened to explain, “I didn’t mean to laugh, it’s just that you were thinking so seriously, Qin Yan, and then you suddenly gave up.

I truly didn’t expect you to act like that.

It just feels… inexplicably cute.”

Qin Yan certainly didn’t need a girl to call him “cute,” but he didn’t bother to retort, his face settling into a resigned expression.

Ironically, Qin Yan’s resigned demeanor completely dispelled the unease in the girl’s heart.

After all, wasn’t Qin Yan himself just as bewildered?

If he didn’t understand, then it was perfectly understandable for her not to either.

They were now like two grasshoppers on the same string; no matter what the future held, they would face it together.

Of course, as a woman, she would protect Qin Yan.

“Are you still eating?”

Xiao Miao, seeing Qin Yan’s apparent loss of appetite, asked, having already finished her meal.

“Aren’t you full?”

Qin Yan inquired.

“No, I mean, can we clear the table now?”

Xiao Miao stood up and began clearing the table.

A faint blush tinged the girl’s earlobes, giving her the appearance of a virtuous wife and loving mother.

“Whoever marries you will probably live a life of bliss…”

Qin Yan remarked casually.

At his words, the girl pressed her lips together, then reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

“It wouldn’t be ‘marrying me’,” she corrected, “it would be marrying into my family.

I would absolutely pamper him like a young master…”