That night, the Qi Family erupted into a fierce argument.
The stern father, Qi Changrong, and his rebellious son, Qi Yuan, engaged in a heated battle that lasted ten minutes before being stopped by Gu Qiao and Qi Lin, who rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
"What’s all this noise in the middle of the night?" Gu Qiao frowned as she caught the scent of alcohol on Qi Yuan. "You’ve been drinking? You’re still young—stay away from alcohol."
Qi Lin swept a cold glance at Qi Yuan but remained silent.
"Mom," Qi Yuan ignored Gu Qiao’s reprimand, grinning shamelessly instead, "I’ve fallen for a girl. I want to marry her."
A blush spread across the young man’s face, his expression unmistakably lovestruck.
Gu Qiao: ???
"How old are you?!" Qi Changrong scolded again. "Marriage? Absolutely not!"
Gu Qiao added, "Xiao Yuan, you’ve just graduated high school. Dating is fine, but marriage should wait until after college. You’re a man—you need to respect women and take responsibility."
"I can’t wait any longer. I want to marry her now!" Qi Yuan remained stubborn, insisting on bringing the girl home.
Qi Changrong’s face darkened further.
Qi Lin, the eldest brother, observed coldly from the sidelines. Though he rarely interacted with his family, having lived with them for over a decade, he understood Qi Yuan well.
On the surface, Qi Yuan seemed carefree and reckless, but his impressive academic performance proved he wasn’t as thoughtless as he appeared.
His hostility toward Qi Quan stemmed from his deep bond with Qi Yingxue—he feared losing his closest sister.
In this matter, he was acting immature, but in others, he wasn’t usually this unreasonable.
Qi Lin decisively said, "Take him to the hospital."
Qi Changrong: "..."
Gu Qiao: "..."
The four of them headed to the hospital together.
Upstairs in the bedroom, the system marveled in Qi Quan’s mind: Qi Yuan doesn’t seem like the type to be a crazed romantic. Even though this happened in the original plot, it’s still hard to believe.
In the original story, Qi Yuan had indeed fallen head over heels for a girl at first sight and insisted on marrying her.
Unfortunately, the girl had other suitors—all top-tier heirs of Longjiang City.
Qi Yuan, unfortunately, became one of them.
But he was younger than the others, treated like a kid brother, and the girl paid him no attention.
Heartbroken and desperate, the once bright and cheerful boy turned gloomy and bitter.
And the original host’s death was indirectly linked to these obsessive heirs.
At lunch earlier, Qi Quan had noticed the ominous shadow over Qi Yuan’s forehead and, out of basic decency, warned him.
Whether Qi Yuan heeded her advice or not was his own business. If this was truly unavoidable, he would meet his demise regardless.
But she had done her part—her conscience was clear.
The system suddenly recalled something and asked mysteriously: Host, when you told him not to drink at lunch, did you foresee this?
Qi Quan smiled. Alcohol is bad for health.
The system felt it had stumbled upon a hidden expert and spoke more respectfully: Boss, as of now, the story’s collection count has risen to 345, and comments are pouring in—though no donations yet.
Hmm.
Oddly, the reader who left a negative review on the first chapter has reappeared.
Qi Quan was also puzzled. She didn’t understand readers’ preferences.
Luo Xiaoyu was a veteran user of Screaming Literature City, having dabbled in nearly every genre with no particular dislikes.
Bored, she often scrolled through the site’s rankings, searching for new favorites. When something excited her, she’d even toss a few "thunder" donations to the author.
Fresh out of college last year, she now taught at a middle school in the county. With summer break in full swing, she had returned to her rural hometown to relax.
The countryside offered little entertainment, but her phone was enough—she either played games or read novels.
Lately, however, she’d hit a dry spell, unable to find anything gripping enough to binge.
That morning, while casually browsing the rankings, she noticed a new story on the front page’s donation list—Diary of a Wealthy Family—and clicked in.
She loved rich-family dramas and the "real vs. fake heiress" trope, but after finishing the first chapter, she was speechless.
The title was Diary of a Wealthy Family, and the author really was writing a diary-style narrative!
She nearly closed the tab but decided to leave a comment, bookmark it, and see where it went.
At 11 p.m., she opened the app again, saw the update notification, and tapped in.
The first few paragraphs didn’t impress her—she’d read countless supernatural stories before.
But when the little boy revealed the burial site to the female lead, a chill shot down her spine.
The coincidence was uncanny—she was currently in Chibe Village, Qixing Town, Ningtao County, Longtan City. And right next to her house was a river.
The only river in the village.
It was more of a winding ditch than a proper river—narrow and shallow.
Her heart pounded wildly as she glanced at the window. The blue curtains were tightly drawn, blocking the night outside.
The countryside was eerily silent at night.
Luo Xiaoyu used to find this peaceful for sleep, but now, it unnerved her.
She blamed the author.
Most supernatural stories used fictional settings—why did this one have to use a real location, down to the exact village? It was terrifying.
Too unsettled to keep reading, she turned off her phone, left the desk lamp on, and tried to sleep.
Sometime later, half-asleep, she was jolted awake by voices and machinery noises.
Her phone showed 10 a.m.
Rubbing her eyes, she got up, washed up, and entered the main room, where her mother nagged, "Staying up late, sleeping in, skipping breakfast—you’ll ruin your health like this!"
"I’m just relaxing during break. When school starts, I wake up earlier than the students," Luo Xiaoyu muttered before asking, "What’s all that noise outside?"
"Breakfast’s warming in the pot—eat it quick, lunch will be ready soon. Some salvage team came to the village to dredge the river. Rumor says they’re big shots from Longjiang City."
"Longjiang City?"
Luo Xiaoyu hummed in acknowledgment, then froze mid-step.
Longjiang City! Jiangcheng! Was there a connection?
The burial site from last night’s chapter flashed in her mind, and her heart hammered again.
The chapter had just been posted last night, and now, this morning, a salvage team arrived? The timing was too coincidental.
She rushed outside in her sandals.
"Where are you going? You haven’t eaten!"
Luo Xiaoyu waved her off. "To the river!"
Su Linhai hadn’t slept all night. Before dawn, he had his driver take him and Su Nuanuan to Longtan City.
The small river in Chibe Village wound through the entire settlement, making the salvage operation time-consuming.
As the sun climbed higher, Su Linhai’s anxiety grew.
The thought of his son’s suffering pierced his heart like a knife. For years, he’d spent resources searching for his missing child, terrified he’d been living in hardship, vowing to cherish him if found.
So when he saw...
It wasn’t until after the first chapter that he broke down in tears.
The fact that his son had turned into a ghost meant he was no longer among the living.
“Why haven’t you found him yet?” His eyes were bloodshot, his face haggard and worn.
The captain of the salvage team replied, “Boss Su, this river is quite long. Without knowing the exact location, the search will naturally be slow.”
When he first received the task, the captain had felt uneasy.
Being asked to search for the remains of a six-year-old child in the river—bones that had been there for seventeen years—felt like a cruel joke.
But the payment offered by the boss was substantial enough, so he took the job after some hesitation.
Su Nuanuan had already learned about the past incident and was deeply grieved for the brother she had never met. She wanted to recover his remains as soon as possible so he could be laid to rest properly.
Seeing her father’s red-rimmed eyes and graying temples, her heart ached with sorrow.
“Dad, should we ask Qi Quan for a more precise location?”
Su Linhai froze for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. “She’s probably reached her limit by narrowing it down to this area. If she could pinpoint the exact spot, she would’ve mentioned it in her story—”
Wait.
Why would the master be obligated to reveal such specific details in her writing? Or perhaps, Qi Quan couldn’t state it too explicitly in the novel.
Su Nuanuan urged, “How will we know if we don’t try?”
“Alright, I’ll ask her right now.” Su Linhai suddenly slapped his forehead in frustration. “I forgot to get her contact information yesterday.”
He really was losing his mind from desperation.
“Then let me ask Qi Yuan,” Su Nuanuan said. “Dad, why don’t you leave a generous donation under Qi Quan’s story first?”
Su Linhai agreed without hesitation, topping up another 100,000 yuan and pouring it all into The Diary of a Wealthy Family.
The daily rankings for the tipping chart were about to refresh, but The Diary of a Wealthy Family shot back up thanks to his contribution.
When Qi Quan received the system notification, she wasn’t surprised.
She opened her author dashboard and posted an announcement in her profile: [Weibo: @Whitewater Sage]
Some things couldn’t be mentioned in the story itself, so she’d provide an alternative channel. Those who were willing could follow the trail.
This was her way of using her first client to subtly establish the rules of engagement for future potential clients.
Su Nuanuan made several calls, but Qi Yuan didn’t pick up. Just as she was about to resort to asking directly in the comments section, she impulsively clicked into the author’s profile.
Many writers listed their Weibo handles there.
And there it was!
Her heart leaped with excitement as she hurriedly followed the account and sent a private message:
“Qi Quan, can you tell us the exact location?”
[Whitewater Sage: Under the banyan tree.]
Su Nuanuan showed the message to Su Linhai, but neither he nor the captain recognized the spot. Just then, they noticed a young woman standing nearby—likely a local—and approached her.
“Miss, could you tell us if there’s a banyan tree somewhere along this river?”
Luo Xiaoyu shuddered violently, her hands and feet turning ice-cold despite the sweltering heat.
