Ji Nian distinctly remembered thinking about Ji Tingzhou’s birthday before falling asleep.
Yet when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar place.
And the most absurd part—
She looked down at her hands, touched her face, and confirmed.
"Great, I’ve shrunk."
Not just her body—even her voice was as thin and weak as a kitten’s.
Having weathered storms before, this realization didn’t send her into panic. She steadied herself, deciding not to dwell on exactly how old she appeared now, and instead surveyed her surroundings.
The next second, Ji Nian’s brows furrowed deeply.
Anyone familiar with the father-daughter duo of the Ji family would’ve teased her for mirroring Ji Tingzhou’s usual expression when his fastidiousness flared up.
Trash…
Piles upon piles of trash.
As far as the eye could see, there were nothing but mountains of garbage—even the ground beneath her feet was littered with it. In the distance, a dilapidated billboard, half-collapsed and exposing rusted steel beams, stood with its colors faded, yellowed, and cracked. The billboard featured a strikingly beautiful woman.
If Ji Nian wasn’t mistaken, she’d just seen news about that very actress celebrating her 80th birthday a few days ago on her phone.
"...What kind of hellhole is this?"
Noticing her clothes had a hood, Ji Nian instinctively pulled it over her head, tucking all her loose hair inside to keep flies and other insects away.
Covering her nose, she couldn’t bear the intensifying stench of rot and decided to find a way out of this foul place.
Before she could move, her ears twitched.
She whipped around—
Her sudden movement startled the little boy who’d been about to tap her shoulder.
"Scared me! Why’d you turn around so fast?"
"And how’d you get here already today? You’re quick."
The boy spoke to her with an oddly familiar tone. He wore a tattered undershirt and oversized shorts tucked into his waist, his shoes so worn his toes poked through.
He was skinny, about Ji Nian’s height, his face smudged with dirt—but his eyes were clear and bright.
Ji Nian stared at him for two seconds, struck by an inexplicable sense of recognition.
"Xiao Zhou? You hear me?"
When she didn’t respond, the boy frowned.
Xiao Zhou…
Xiao Zhou!?
Ji Nian’s eyes snapped wide open as she stared at him.
Now she knew why he looked familiar.
Those eyes… were identical to Shen Qingtang’s in childhood!
And—Ji Nian had seen this boy before.
In the Ji family photo album!
[Shen Rushan…]
This was Shen Qingtang’s long-deceased father, Shen Rushan!
"Xiao Zhou? You okay? Feeling sick?"
Shen Rushan frowned as she stood frozen.
But soon, she shook her head, regaining her composure.
Since Xiao Zhou was never much of a talker, Shen Rushan didn’t press further.
He glanced at her empty hands. "No luck today? Don’t worry, I dug up some useful stuff. When we trade for food, I’ll share."
"It’s getting late. Any later and it’s dangerous. Let’s go."
With that, he picked a direction and nimbly leaped down, waving for Ji Nian to follow.
Ji Nian thoughtfully adjusted her hood.
So… Shen Rushan had mistaken her for Ji Tingzhou?
Her heartbeat quickened.
If she followed him, would she meet a young Ji Tingzhou?
The thought sent a thrill through her.
She jumped down and trailed after Shen Rushan.
Shen Rushan stayed quiet, his eyes darting warily as he unearthed a few objects from the ground—mechanical parts, Ji Nian guessed, rusted and worn.
As they walked, Ji Nian studied the surroundings. Was this the long-demolished Liuxing Street? The infamous "garbage city" swallowed by time?
She’d assumed people lived directly among the trash heaps, but as they moved, the piles grew sparser. At least they didn’t sleep in garbage—a small relief.
The air still reeked, but it was better than before.
Soon, makeshift structures came into view. When people emerged from what looked like collapsing heaps of junk, Ji Nian realized those uneven, grotesque shapes were their "homes."
Even she couldn’t hide her disbelief.
[I knew they had it rough, but not like this.]
And it hammered home just how formidable Madam Li’s efforts had been—how much she must’ve poured into transforming this wasteland into the later "floral paradise."
Lost in thought, she noticed Shen Rushan suddenly halt, his back tensing.
She heard him mutter a curse under his breath.
Looking up, she spotted two lanky, menacing men emerging from a narrow alley.
"Told you, Ma Zi—early birds get the good stuff," one sneered, thrusting a hand toward Shen Rushan. "Hand it over, kid."
Shen Rushan forced a grin. "Bro, take the stuff, but no hitting, alright?"
As he spoke, Ji Nian noticed him subtly passing something behind his back—to her.
A stalling tactic. If they lost everything to the robbers, at least they’d keep a fraction.
"Stuff" was generous—what Shen Rushan tried to hide was a rusted screw no bigger than a child’s palm.
When Ji Nian didn’t react, Shen Rushan grew frantic.
What’s wrong with Xiao Zhou today? Is he really sick?
Screw the loot—just get him out safe. I’ll take the beating.
Sweat dripped down his grimy face as the men advanced, impatient. Then—a faint breeze brushed past him.
He turned to see "Xiao Zhou" step forward, shielding him.
And then—
In a move that left Shen Rushan gaping—
Ji Nian launched into a flying kick, striking the first man square in the face, then twisted midair to slam the second with another kick.
The two toppled like dominos before small hands yanked their hair and—BANG!—smashed their skulls together.
The sound made Shen Rushan’s skin crawl.
"...Xiao Zhou, since when were you this good?"
That was cooler than even Zhi Liao!
Ji Nian adjusted her hood, wordlessly slipping her hands into her pockets as she walked back.
Shen Rushan, however, was in no hurry. Narrowing his eyes, he shoved the object in his hand into Ji Nian’s grasp and strode over to the two unconscious figures. As expected, a quick pat-down yielded nothing.
With a cold laugh, he motioned for Ji Nian to follow him, leading the way with practiced ease to the duo’s ‘home’ for a thorough search.
The greatest prize? A pack of expired instant noodles. Shen Rushan’s expression lit up as if he’d struck gold.
“Tingzhou! We’ve hit the jackpot!”
His excitement was palpable, so much so that he even forgot to grill Ji Nian about where those two moves had been learned.
Though he might not have studied the phrase “hoarding invites disaster,” he’d already grasped its meaning instinctively. After stashing the loot securely, he promptly ushered Ji Nian away.
The two wound their way cautiously through the maze of alleys, only stopping when the surrounding ‘structures’ grew sparse. Finally, they reached their destination.
Shen Rushan crouched down, shifting an inconspicuous wooden plank aside before crawling in first.
Ji Nian watched for a moment, realizing this was likely their makeshift door, and mimicked his actions—even dutifully pulling the plank back into place after entering.
Only then did they truly arrive.
Shen Rushan proudly unloaded his spoils.
Almost simultaneously, a young but icy female voice cut through the air. “You’re late. Tingzhou was about to go looking for you.”
Shen Rushan blinked in confusion. “What?”
“I’ve been with Tingzhou the whole time.”
The girl gave him a look that screamed ‘are you delusional?’ before stepping aside, revealing someone emerging from behind her.
The sight of that figure sent a subtle ripple across Ji Nian’s expression, half-hidden beneath his hood.
