11

Zhang Qinghe couldn’t hide the shock on her face. She turned around in disbelief—her brother’s gaze was fixed on Qian.

He could see Qian!

What was going on?

Zhang Qinghe distinctly remembered Zai Ye saying that only the two of them could see Qian. Last time, her brother definitely hadn’t been able to see her.

Zhang Xihuan was just as confused.

He knew his sister had been secretly seeing some boy, and he figured she’d gone out today to meet him. The bouquet of tulips in her hand didn’t look like something she’d buy for herself.

But then she came home holding hands with a strange little girl, didn’t offer any explanation, and just brought her inside like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Zhang Xihuan almost thought this was her long-delayed rebellious phase, avoiding any real conversation with him.

Before he could even figure out how to ask, the little girl called her “Mom.”

The siblings stared at each other, both feeling like things had taken a very wrong turn.

Qian tugged on Zhang Qinghe’s hand and whispered, “Mom, I was just about to tell you—Uncle can see me now.”

Zhang Qinghe: “…” Another one of your misfiring spells?

Zhang Xihuan: “…” Uncle? Me?

“I wanted Uncle to see me, so I tried really hard,” Qian said, blinking up at her with a hopeful look that clearly said, “Please praise me, Mom.”

Why would you try so hard in *this* direction?

Zhang Qinghe caught the way she was sneaking hopeful glances at her brother and suddenly remembered the last time Qian sat at the dinner table drooling over food she couldn’t eat. She instantly understood what had motivated her.

In that moment, Zhang Qinghe finally understood why Zai Ye sometimes muttered about his “troublemaker daughter.”

All this—for a bite of food—you’ve dragged your mom into this mess!

“Xiao He, what’s going on?” Zhang Xihuan was completely baffled.

Of course, he didn’t believe his sister could have a daughter this old. He just assumed she’d brought someone else’s kid home, and the child, not knowing any better, had called her “Mom” because she felt close to her.

Zhang Qinghe looked at her bewildered brother and saw a reflection of her past self.

She knew her brother well—no matter how she explained it, with his personality, he wouldn’t believe a word of it.

So…

“Brother, take Qian out to buy groceries. You’ll understand soon enough.”

“What do you mean? Her name is Qian? Whose kid is she?”

“Just take her out, hold her hand, and don’t be too shocked later. And make sure you bring her back—don’t lose her.”

Zhang Qinghe shoved the two of them out the door and closed it behind them.

She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Zai Ye.

When he answered, there was a hint of amusement in his voice. “Hmm? Want me to come pick Qian up?”

Zhang Qinghe replied grimly, “My brother’s back. He can see Qian now.”

There was a brief silence on the other end, then a confident response: “Qian’s doing, I bet.”

He really did know his daughter.

Zhang Qinghe, uncharacteristically flustered, asked, “What do we do now?”

It was rare to see Vice President Zhang this rattled—especially now, when she was still so young. The fact that she was turning to him for help was a new and rather delightful experience.

He quickly reassured her, “It’s fine. Your brother loves Qian. He won’t be mad at you. If he gets mad at anyone, it’ll be me.”

Zhang Qinghe: “…”

Boss Zai, with all his family experience, really did know how to comfort people.

Zhang Qinghe calmed down. “Thanks. I feel better now.”

“Zai Ye, are you good at fighting?” she asked, recalling the time he jumped from the third floor. She didn’t feel entirely reassured.

“He can’t land a hit on me. Don’t worry,” Zai Ye replied confidently.

Nope. That answer only made her worry more.

What she was really worried about was her brother getting into a fight and ending up the one who got hurt.

Then her brother would probably have Zai Ye arrested and thrown into detention for “reform.”

And in the end, they’d both lose.

Zhang Qinghe hung up the phone, deeply troubled.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xihuan, kicked out of the house, was starting to believe his sister really was going through a rebellious phase.

Still trying to make sense of it all, he felt a soft tug on his hand. Qian had already grabbed it and was leading him downstairs.

Her little hand was warm and squishy in his, and her smiling face—now that he looked closer—did bear a faint resemblance to his sister.

It melted his heart a little.

“Uncle, can we have braised pork ribs today? I also want your pickled fish and shredded potato pancakes.”

Zhang Xihuan smiled kindly. “You shouldn’t call someone Mom or Uncle so casually, you know? You can call me Uncle Zhang. Whose child are you anyway? Want to have dinner at my place today?”

But that smile slowly faded the moment they ran into the first neighbor.

…

Zhang Xihuan returned home like a sleepwalker, groceries in one hand, Qian in the other.

Zhang Qinghe opened the door and, seeing his expression, knew he’d fully realized just how unusual Qian was.

“Why can’t anyone else see this child?” Zhang Xihuan’s worldview was on the verge of collapse.

And yet, even in his dazed state, he hadn’t forgotten to buy groceries. That was her brother for you.

Thanks to Qian’s earlier groundwork, when Zhang Qinghe started explaining things like the future, time travel, and magic, Zhang Xihuan wasn’t entirely dismissive anymore.

Still, he clearly struggled to process it all. He locked himself in the kitchen, chopping ribs and peeling potatoes, occasionally glancing at Qian, who was lying just outside the kitchen door.

Forget it. He probably wouldn’t be able to accept all this anytime soon.

Zhang Qinghe sighed and went to her room to do a few practice tests to calm her nerves.

After finishing three papers, she realized Qian hadn’t come to bother her once. She peeked into the kitchen and saw the door was open. Her brother was smiling as he fed Qian, who was happily munching from her little bowl, cheeks puffed out.

Zhang Qinghe: How did things progress this fast?

Weren’t they just like a zoo visitor and an animal behind glass a moment ago? How did it jump straight to “loving family”?

Dinner at the Zhang household was lavish that night. Qian even had her own special bowl of noodles.

“Qian said today’s her birthday, so I made her an extra bowl of noodles,” Zhang Xihuan explained to his sister.

Zhang Qinghe leaned in close to Qian, who was slurping her noodles, and whispered, “Did you use some kind of magic on my brother? A spell to make him like you really fast?”

Qian shook her head innocently.

Uncle just liked her. Who needed magic?

After dinner, Zhang Qinghe obediently helped her brother wash the dishes.

Standing side by side, Zhang Xihuan suddenly said, “I’ve thought about it. No matter what, the child is innocent.”

Zhang Qinghe thought, *So am I.*

“Her father—is he that boy you hid in your room last time?”

“…”

So he *did* know.

“Brother, don’t do anything rash.”

“I’m not a rash person.”

“Brother, you can’t beat him.”

“But I can sue him.”

Qian walked in carrying a bowl of fruit yogurt, just in time to hear her mom and uncle chatting.

When Zhang Xihuan saw her, he immediately let out a hearty laugh. “Of course I was just joking.”

Zhang Qinghe’s expression was strange, as if she suddenly had the odd feeling that Senior Zai Ye was now riding high thanks to her status.

Because of Zhang Xihuan, Qian didn’t have to go home at the usual time and could stay the night with her mom.

After dark, Zai Ye showed up downstairs at Zhang Qinghe’s building. He circled the area twice and nearly got nabbed by an old man out for a walk who thought he looked suspicious.

Luckily, before the enthusiastic old man could act, a grandma stopped him.

She tugged on his arm and whispered something, the two of them eyeing Zai Ye up and down with curious looks. Even after they walked away, they kept turning back to glance at him.

“That’s him, huh?”

“The girl’s pretty nice, and the guy’s not bad-looking either…”

“Didn’t Xihuan go home today?”

“Kid’s got guts, I’ll give him that…”

Zai Ye sat on the edge of a flowerbed and pulled out his phone to message Zhang Qinghe, but she wasn’t replying. Her room was dark too.

He was getting impatient, worried that his wife and kid were upstairs getting lectured by her big brother.

Remembering what happened last time, Zai Ye looked up at the old apartment building’s windows, reached up, and started climbing.

He easily made it to Zhang Qinghe’s window, which had been left slightly ajar. Just as he was about to slip inside, a face suddenly appeared behind the curtain.

Zai Ye: “!”

Zhang Xihuan, standing behind the curtain, flipped on the light and gave him a fake smile. “What, you forgot how to use the door?”

Still rattled, Zai Ye looked at his young brother-in-law and called out, “Bro.”

Zhang Xihuan replied with a mocking tone, “That’s awfully friendly of you.”

Zai Ye didn’t flinch. “Been calling you that for years. Habit.”

Zhang Xihuan was momentarily speechless, then stepped back. “Come on in. What are you still squatting at the window for? Someone’s gonna think you’re a burglar.”

But instead of climbing in, Zai Ye closed the window and backed away. Under Zhang Xihuan’s puzzled gaze, he climbed back down the same way—past the window and air conditioner.

Then he dusted off his hands and went to knock on the front door like a proper guest.