Little Tong drank boiled huai yam water for three and a half days, and her cough completely disappeared. Two days later, her voice fully recovered—the raspy tone was gone, replaced by her original clear, bright voice.
Just as Zhong Jin finished his own course of bitter traditional medicine (while pinching his nose the whole time), he received a call from Qiu Sheng.
Over the phone, Qiu Sheng told him that Qiu Chen would be returning to Haishan with her—he wanted to meet Little Tong in person.
So Zhong Jin decided to give Aunt Liang a paid day off on the day they arrived.
After all, once Qiu Chen showed up, the conversation would inevitably turn to Little Tong’s origins. Aunt Liang was getting on in years, and some revelations were simply too explosive for her.
On the day Qiu Sheng and Qiu Chen returned, Zhong Jin started dressing up Little Tong right after breakfast.
Her hair had grown much longer, and leaving it loose made her look unkempt. With Aunt Liang away, Zhong Jin took her to a salon to have it styled—two adorable flower-bun pigtails.
Knowing his own fashion sense was questionable, Zhong Jin didn’t dare to mix-and-match her outfit haphazardly. He didn’t want Qiu Sheng scolding him for a bad combination.
Instead, he picked a pre-coordinated set Qiu Sheng had put together: a woolen plaid dress paired with a long, calf-length brown oversized coat.
The forest-themed dress and coat, combined with the double flower-bun hairstyle, made her look sweet and well-behaved—like a little fairy tale character who might skip off to pick mushrooms with a basket.
Truthfully, Zhong Jin hadn’t neglected Little Tong in Qiu Sheng’s absence. But for some reason, whenever Qiu Sheng returned after being away, he always felt compelled to step up his game.
It reminded him of the time Qiu Sheng went traveling and asked him to look after her greyhound, Pao Pao.
Right before she came back, Zhong Jin had taken Pao Pao to the pet salon for a full bath and grooming session—shelling out over a thousand yuan just to hear Qiu Sheng praise him.
In the bustling airport terminal, Little Tong perched on Zhong Jin’s arm, excitedly patting his head. “There’s fried chicken over there! I want some!”
Zhong Jin caught her hand and held it firmly. “No fussing. We’re here to pick up Mama and Uncle first.”
Little Tong squeezed his fingers. “What’s an uncle?”
“An uncle is Mama’s older brother. When you see him, be polite and greet him properly, okay?”
Instantly cheered up, Little Tong kicked her chubby legs in their round-toe boots. “Then ask Uncle to buy me fried chicken!”
As Zhong Jin chatted with her, he spotted Qiu Chen and Qiu Sheng walking out together. The siblings shared the same tall stature, though Qiu Sheng was slender and willowy, while Qiu Chen was broad-shouldered and solid.
Qiu Chen looked exactly as Zhong Jin remembered—stern-faced, always impeccably dressed in tailored suits.
Back when they were still married, Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng had gossiped about him: with his elite background, looks, and temperament, Qiu Chen checked every box for a CEO romance novel’s male lead. The only catch? At 35, his heroine still hadn’t appeared. What a waste of perfection—a lone wolf who’d journeyed halfway through life and returned still single.
Spotting Qiu Sheng, Little Tong waved wildly, her whole head bobbing with enthusiasm.
Qiu Sheng quickened her pace, then broke into a run, pulling Little Tong’s head into a tight hug. “Sweetheart, I missed you so much every day.”
Like a clumsy duckling, Little Tong flapped her arms twice before wriggling her round face free.
Gasping for air, she patiently explained, “Mama, you can miss me, but please hug me gently.”
Qiu Sheng laughed and obliged, wrapping her in a softer embrace.
Meanwhile, Qiu Chen approached at his usual unhurried pace.
This was Zhong Jin’s first time seeing Qiu Chen since the divorce. He hesitated briefly between addressing him as “President Qiu” or “Brother,” but finally settled on:
“Brother, you’re here?”
Qiu Chen responded with a neutral “Mn.”
His gaze swept past Zhong Jin and lingered on Little Tong. The plump child resembled neither Zhong Jin nor Qiu Sheng.
She was actually quite beautiful—worthy of the phrase “carved from jade.” But the moment he remembered she was from another world, Qiu Chen’s expression turned complicated.
Perched on Zhong Jin’s arm, Little Tong clasped her hands and bowed politely. “Hello, Uncle. I’m Zhong Yun Tong.”
Qiu Chen gave another aloof hum before turning to Zhong Jin. “Where’s the car?”
The group headed toward the exit, with Qiu Chen striding ahead impassively. Zhong Jin, carrying Little Tong, and Qiu Sheng trailed a few steps behind.
Noticing Qiu Chen fiddling with a bracelet, Zhong Jin whispered to Qiu Sheng, “Your brother really is at that age—he’s started playing with prayer beads.”
Qiu Sheng covered her mouth, tilting her head. “That’s a blessed soapberry wood bracelet from the temple. For warding off evil.”
Zhong Jin glanced at Little Tong and raised an eyebrow. "He’s not serious, is he?"
Qiu Sheng sighed. "I tried to talk him out of it. It’s honestly so frustrating—people who’ve never read novels just can’t wrap their heads around it."
Zhong Jin leaned in and whispered something into Little Tong’s ear. The little girl widened her big, bright eyes and nodded obediently before turning away, covering her mouth with her tiny hands and replying in an exaggerated whisper, "Yes, ma’am!"
When they reached the parking lot, Zhong Jin secured Little Tong in her child seat, then opened the passenger-side door. "Qiu Sheng, take the front seat?"
"Sure." Qiu Sheng lifted the hem of his coat and slid into the passenger seat.
Qiu Chen, however, remained motionless. He had no intention of sitting next to the little otherworldly gremlin, but with Qiu Sheng already in the front, he couldn’t very well demand he move.
Reluctantly, he opened the rear door and got in.
Settled in the backseat, Qiu Chen fiddled absently with the blackened string of protective beads in his hand, deliberately avoiding even a glance in Little Tong’s direction.
Suddenly, the little girl reached out and patted his arm sweetly. "Uncle!"
Qiu Chen turned his head slightly. "Hm?"
Following Zhong Jin’s earlier instructions, Little Tong pointed at the polished beads in his hand. "What’s this?"
Qiu Chen: "......" This was the very same charm he’d dragged himself out of bed at dawn for, elbowing his way through crowds of elderly devotees, just to ward off *you*.
Little Tong tugged at his suit sleeve. "Let me see!"
He handed her the beads, watching her reaction closely.
She took the string, twirled it playfully in her hands, then draped the oversized beads over her tiny wrist, giggling as she showed him. "Look, Uncle! Isn’t this funny?"
Qiu Chen: "......" Wasted effort.
Zhong Jin caught the scene in the rearview mirror—Qiu Chen silently tucking the charm back into his bag, never to resurface again. A smug smirk flickered in Zhong Jin’s eyes.
Since there were no extra guest rooms, Zhong Jin graciously offered to take the couch, leaving the master bedroom for Qiu Chen.
For the first time, the ever-stoic Qiu Chen’s expression softened with something resembling approval—*At least you know your place.*
He wheeled his vintage LV suitcase into the master bedroom, only to freeze at the sight of the rainbow-colored walls, *My Little Pony* bedding, and hundreds of plush toys scattered across the floor. Without a word, he turned and marched right back out.
Standing in the hallway with his luggage, Qiu Chen spotted Qiu Sheng and Little Tong kneeling by an incubator in the living room, cooing at an ugly little chick inside.
*Master bedroom turned nursery, penthouse turned farmhouse.*
Qiu Chen was convinced Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng had been hexed. This mysterious child clearly had tricks up her sleeve.
Zhong Jin emerged from the kitchen, apron tied around his waist. "Bro, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you unpacking?"
Qiu Chen replied flatly, "I find the living room’s aesthetic more... tolerable."
"Fine. Couch it is."
Zhong Jin started back toward the kitchen but paused after a few steps.
"Didn’t you used to cook a lot while studying abroad? Come help."
It was true—Qiu Chen had relied on his own culinary skills during his university years.
And so, the billionaire CEO of the Qiu Group, still dressed in his pristine suit, found himself relegated to kitchen duty.
Zhong Jin tossed him a frilly, pocketed apron. "Here. You can keep your phone in the front."
Qiu Chen: "......"
Before he could question his life choices, Zhong Jin shoved a bowl of shrimp into his hands. "Devein these."
Qiu Chen set the bowl in the sink, bending over to painstakingly remove each vein with a toothpick.
Zhong Jin, constantly needing to rinse things, nudged him aside. "Take these to the dining table. Bring them back when you’re done."
And so, Qiu Chen carried the bowl to the table, working in solitude—until the tenth shrimp, when irritation flared. *I didn’t come here to join their little domestic fantasy.*
Just as he rose to confront Zhong Jin, Little Tong came speeding toward him on her tricycle, pigtails bouncing.
"Uncle, you work so hard!" She planted her wool-clad feet on the ground, rummaged through her bike’s basket, and pulled out a box of rainbow candy. Popping it open, she plucked out a single piece and extended it to him.
"For you!"
"I don’t eat candy." Qiu Chen’s tone was icy.
A man of his stature couldn’t afford to let his guard down. A child of dubious origins, suddenly claiming ties to the Qiu family? Someone was clearly playing games.
Although Qiu Sheng claimed this child came from another world, how could he prove she was truly from another dimension?
If there was no proof, the possibility of human manipulation couldn’t be ruled out.
Little Tong didn’t mind Qiu Chen’s cold demeanor. She popped a rainbow candy into her mouth, climbed onto the dining chair, and sat there leisurely, swinging her short legs as she leaned back, chewing happily.
But soon, boredom set in. Her chatterbox tendencies kicked in, and the questions began:
"Uncle, why do shrimp have whiskers?"
"If you poke one with a toothpick, will it hurt?"
"Let me tell you something—once at school, we went beachcombing, and I caught a shrimp and a big crab with my mom and dad!"
"Uncle, did you ever go to kindergarten?"
"Why are you called ‘uncle’?"
Eventually, Qiu Chen couldn’t take it anymore. He pointed at the rainbow candy in her hand. "Give me one of those."
Little Tong generously plucked a candy and handed it over. Noticing his hands were wet, she stood on the chair, tugged at his shirt sleeve, and popped the candy into his mouth.
Qiu Chen sucked on the candy, and when Little Tong tried to talk again, he said, "Don’t speak while eating."
Forced into silence, she sat for a while before boredom struck again.
Every time she spoke, her uncle would eat another candy. Deciding this was no fun, she climbed down from the chair and prepared to leave on her tricycle.
Just then, Qiu Chen’s phone rang from his apron pocket. His hands were still wet, so he called out to her:
"Hey, you—answer the phone for me."
Little Tong pedaled back, bumping her tricycle against the leg of his chair. She steadied herself by holding his knee, fished the phone from his apron, and answered.
Qiu Chen gestured for her to put it on speaker.
She tapped the speaker button and held the phone up to his mouth.
It was a work call from his assistant.
Chewing the rainbow candy, Qiu Chen gave brief instructions before signaling for her to hang up.
Little Tong pressed the end-call button and stuffed the phone back into his apron pocket.
Then she turned, huffed, and rode off on her tricycle.
After circling the living room, her irritation grew—so much that her dark eyes nearly crossed.
She pedaled back to the dining table, raised a tiny finger, and lectured him with utmost seriousness:
"It’s not about not talking while eating. You just don’t want to talk to me."
She jabbed the air for emphasis. "I go to *kindergarten* now. I know when someone’s tricking a kid."
Qiu Chen was momentarily stunned by the sudden fury of this tiny human.
Little Tong rode away again, only to return moments later, pointing once more.
"And *also*, I helped you answer the phone, and you didn’t even say thank you. I’m not friends with you anymore. Bye!"
Qiu Chen: "......"
