When Duan Shou opened his eyes, his mind went blank for a moment. He closed them again, then reopened, rubbing his eyelids. After confirming that what he saw wasn’t an illusion, he leaped up in excitement.
However, he forgot he was still buckled into his seatbelt. The sudden force yanked him back down, drawing puzzled glances from nearby passengers.
Duan Shou paid no attention to the onlookers. He pinched his arm, felt the sharp sting, and couldn’t suppress a joyous cry: "I’m not dreaming—I really made it back!"
A flight attendant promptly reminded him, "Sir, please remain quiet during the flight."
Clamping a hand over his mouth, Duan Shou trembled, tears of relief spilling over.
Only after the plane landed, when he took a taxi home and collapsed onto his bed, did reality finally sink in.
The horrific memories still clung to him like a nightmare. He’d been certain he wouldn’t survive, yet here he was, back in the real world as if he’d merely woken from a long sleep.
This must be the heavens smiling down on me!
His phone buzzed with an incoming call.
Duan Shou answered, voice thick with emotion. "Mom."
The woman on the other end remarked, "You sound upset. What, did you already hear about your scumbag dad’s death?"
Duan Shou froze. "He’s dead?"
"Yeah. Fell overboard on a cruise with his mistress and their son. Now they’re calling you to claim the inheritance."
Duan Shou had once belonged to a wealthy family—until his father took a mistress, fathered a son with her, and kicked him and his mother out.
Years ago, when his mother fell gravely ill, Duan Shou had swallowed his pride and returned to beg for money. The old miser had tossed him a measly 20,000 yuan to shoo him away.
Enraged, Duan Shou had stabbed his father and ended up in prison.
The Duan family’s fortune, built on shady ancestral dealings, had kept them influential. But now, karma had struck.
"Mom," Duan Shou asked suddenly, "do you believe in cosmic retribution?"
"Of course. Look at your dad—no good end for him, right?"
Duan Shou chuckled. "You’re absolutely right."
Hanging up, he sprawled on the couch and turned on the TV.
The entertainment news featured the upcoming wedding of the Xia Family’s heiress to an obscure nobody—a man entering as a live-in son-in-law.
The Xia heiress had fiercely guarded her fiancé’s identity; despite relentless media pursuit, no clear photos had surfaced.
Unbeknownst to Duan Shou, the Xia heiress was none other than "No. 09," the girl who’d secretly adored him in that terrifying world. The thought of her stirred a pang of melancholy. Our connection was so brief. I never even got to respond to her feelings.
He wondered how she was doing now.
Sighing, he pulled up his lawyer’s contact and sent a voice message:
"I’m donating every cent of my bastard father’s inheritance. Walk me through the process."
Outside, the city night blazed with neon, moonlight and stars drowned in artificial glow.
A delivery guy hesitated at the doorstep, eyeing the instruction: DO NOT RING BELL. Before he could decide, the door swung open.
A figure draped in a bedsheet—like a thief in the night—snatched the bag of food and slammed the door shut, vanishing from view.
Typical kid sneaking takeout behind their parents’ backs, the deliveryman mused.
The living room stayed dark.
Tiptoeing, the pale silhouette had barely taken two steps when an icy presence froze him in place. He looked up.
Leaning against the bedroom doorway, Xia Miao stood in her sleepwear, disheveled black hair framing her unamused face as she watched his "thievery."
Bai Chi turned to stone.
Ever since mastering food delivery and online shopping, his antics had multiplied.
The lights flicked on.
Xia Miao’s voice was dangerously soft. "What did you buy this time?"
From beneath the bedsheet, only his ruby-like eyes gleamed as he whispered, "Spicy hotpot."
She strode over and poked his forehead. "Late-night junk food? You’ll get fat."
The sheet slipped, revealing half of his angelic face.
"Split it with me."
Bai Chi blinked slowly.
Minutes later, they sat at the table, chopsticks in hand, devouring the meal with equal gusto.
Under the table, Xia Miao nudged him with her foot. "Why do you always hide these orders from me?"
Bai Chi pressed his lips together, reluctant to answer.
She glared.
Finally, he mumbled, "Because Miao would scold me."
"What did I say to you? When have I ever stopped you from eating anything?" Bai Chi muttered under his breath.
"It's after eating that you always blame me for making you gain weight."
Xia Miao had rather poor self-control. Every time she saw him eating, she’d end up joining in, only to regret it the next day, complaining that he’d tempted her into putting on extra pounds.
"So you’re saying I’m being unreasonable?"
Bai Chi shivered slightly. "No, it’s my fault."
Ever since leaving that desolate hospital and moving in with Xia Miao, his awareness of being a live-in son-in-law had grown stronger by the day. His speed in admitting mistakes was something few could rival.
Xia Miao was somewhat satisfied with his attitude. After a few bites, she put down her chopsticks and said, "Come with me to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow."
At the mention of this, Bai Chi suddenly lost his appetite.
He also set down his chopsticks. "Miao Miao, are you feeling unwell?"
Xia Miao answered frankly, "My period is two weeks late, and it still hasn’t come."
Bai Chi tilted his head, blinking slowly.
Xia Miao thought he was being dense. "Remember when we were doing it last time, and you tore through the condom?"
Back then, they were still in that psychiatric hospital, and there was no way to get emergency contraception. Xia Miao had hoped luck was on their side—that the chances were slim.
But Bai Chi’s constitution was unusual. What if his "seeds" were just that potent?
Bai Chi finally caught on. A faint blush crept across his pale face as his hand reached out, first grasping the hem of her skirt, then cautiously moving upward to gently rest on Xia Miao’s slightly rounded belly.
"Miao Miao, there’s more flesh here," the young man murmured in innocent wonder. "We’re going to have a baby."
Xia Miao’s eyebrow twitched. "That’s just the weight I’ve put on recently! We haven’t even gone to the hospital yet!"
He seemed to half-understand, placing both hands on her stomach, his rosy eyes fixed intently on her belly without blinking for a long time.
Xia Miao deliberately asked, "If it’s really true, what do you plan to do?"
He thought for a moment. "I can teach them how to catch bugs, climb ceilings, and even knit sweaters."
Xia Miao: "Knitting is fine. The first two? Absolutely not."
Bai Chi let out a soft "Oh," his body going slack as he leaned against her, his posture openly affectionate and dependent.
Before meeting Xia Miao, he had no real concept of human connections.
Now, with a home shared with her—and perhaps soon a child, a living bond between their souls and flesh—he was beginning to understand why so many people clung so fiercely to the idea of "family."
"Miao Miao."
"Hmm?"
He said, "I’ll eat less from now on, save more money. I won’t let you or the baby suffer."
Xia Miao smiled. "Yeah, I believe you."
The road ahead was long, and uncertainties were plenty.
But they could fill each other’s lives with stars and oceans, turning the world into the radiant place it was now.
So no matter how many unknowns lay ahead, the one thing certain was this: as long as they were together, everything would be just fine.
