Lin Yu didn't move too far away, just shifting a couple of body lengths to sit in a spot where he could avoid the camera's view while still easily seeing Xia Muzhu's phone screen.
On the screen, Xia Muzhu's parents were smiling, their gazes gentle.
The couple looked extremely well-preserved. Given Xia Muzhu's age, they had to be at least in their mid-forties, possibly even in their fifties.
Yet judging solely by their appearance, Lin Yu would have believed them to be in their thirties!
Xia's Mother was clearly meticulous about skincare. Her fair and delicate complexion surpassed even that of some people in their twenties. If not for the faint, unconcealable crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, no one would dare believe she was past forty-five.
Xia's Father showed no signs of aging either. He had a robust physique, clearly a regular at the gym.
Exercise is one of the best ways to slow aging. Xia's Father wasn't dressed to look younger, but he appeared like a man who had just entered middle age, not showing his age at all.
The couple really did look quite well-matched.
"Xiao Zhu, why didn't you wish Mom and Dad a happy new year today?"
Xia's Father's words sounded like a reprimand, but there was no hint of blame on his face—only a gentle, teasing smile, as if talking to a child...
No, this was teasing a child.
It's just that the child had long since expired and grown into an adult.
Before Xia Muzhu could explain, Xia's Mother beside Xia's Father glanced at him and reminded,
"It's New Year's Eve today. It's not the new year yet back home."
With this reminder, Xia's Father slapped his forehead in annoyance.
"Oh, look at me. I've been away from home for too long; I forgot all about that."
Xia's Mother paid no mind to the confused Xia's Father. She turned to her daughter, whose complexion was rosy, and with a gentle smile on her beautifully maintained face, asked,
"Where's Xiaoshan?"
"Is he with you?"
"Call him over. We haven't seen him for so long; we miss him."
"Has he grown taller?"
Xia Muzhu nodded, beckoning towards Xia Yueshan, who was slumped lazily on the nearby sofa, signaling him to come over, while answering her mother's questions.
"He's here."
"He's growing really fast now. I guess in another year, when he starts high school, he'll probably be taller than me."
Following the direction of Xia Muzhu's gesture, Lin Yu instinctively turned to look at Xia Yueshan. Seeing his expression, Lin Yu was slightly taken aback.
At some point, Xia Yueshan's face had turned sour, with 'unwelcoming' practically written all over it.
In an instant, Lin Yu understood.
Last autumn, with his help, Xia Yueshan had repaired his relationship with his sister, but the root issue wasn't resolved. He was still a child lacking his parents' companionship.
The resentment in his heart hadn't disappeared; he just wasn't taking it out on the innocent Xia Muzhu anymore.
Seeing her brother unresponsive, Xia Muzhu waved again, urging,
"Xiaoshan, come here quickly."
Xia Yueshan's young face still wore a full look of reluctance, but he stood up anyway. Holding a handful of half-eaten pistachios, he walked over to Xia Muzhu with a cold expression.
Seeing this, Lin Yu couldn't help but feel a bit amused.
Despite putting on this cold and indifferent front, deep down, Xia Yueshan still cared about his mom and dad.
If Xia Yueshan truly hated them from the bottom of his heart, given his personality, he would have just gotten up and gone back to his room, refusing to engage with them at all.
Xia Muzhu reached out and pulled Xia Yueshan, who was standing by the sofa, to stand in front of it. She bent down, propped the phone against the woven rattan fruit basket on the coffee table, aiming the camera at herself and Xia Yueshan.
Then she stood up, walked to Xia Yueshan's side, and used her hand to measure his height, moving it horizontally to her own body. Her face blossomed into a smile, her expression carrying a touch of pride, like someone who had raised their piglet well. Her tone held a hint of boasting as she said,
"Look, he's up to my cheek now. Last New Year's Eve, he was just past my shoulder."
On the phone screen, Xia's Father and Xia's Mother both had smiles in their eyes. Xia's Father nodded repeatedly in approval.
"Mhm."
"Growing so fast. At this rate, he'll probably be taller than me when he grows up."
"Did you have dumplings for New Year's Eve?"
Xia's Mother asked with concern.
Xia Muzhu nodded, sitting back down on the sofa and picking up the phone.
"We did."
Xia's Mother:
"Store-bought? Or did you make them yourself?"
Xia Muzhu:
"I made them. Pork and cabbage filling." (A little proud)
Xia's Mother:
"How many did you make?"
Xia's Mother:
"Don't forget, you need to cook some again tonight."
Xia Muzhu:
"I know. I saved some dumplings to cook tonight."
Xia's Mother:
"Mhm... No need to save too many. Just cook a few tonight for tradition's sake..."
"..."
The family of four, on opposite ends of the world, chatted endlessly about everyday life over the call. Gradually, Xia Yueshan's face softened too. When some funny topics came up, a smile even appeared on his face.
People often think that when meeting long-separated family, both sides should feel instantly familiar, with endless topics to discuss.
But reality isn't like that. After a long separation, even among the closest blood relatives, a lack of understanding about each other's lives inevitably creates a thick barrier during the initial reunion.
Lin Yu could see that despite both sides trying hard to find topics, once the readily available common subjects were exhausted, they inevitably fell into an awkward silence.
They could only force a smile, tinging it with a hint of awkwardness.
On the phone screen, Xia's Father and Xia's Mother exchanged a glance, as if reaching some silent agreement.
After a moment of silence, it was ultimately Xia's Father who forced a smile and spoke up.
"Xiao Zhu, Xiaoshan. The reason for this call... is to tell you one..."
"No, two things."
"Mom and Dad are usually busy. Now that we've finally gotten together, we wanted to take this chance to properly discuss these two matters with you."
Xia Muzhu clearly didn't sense the impending storm hidden in her parents' words. She nodded, putting on a serious expression, quietly waiting for the important things her parents were about to say.
"Xiao Zhu, Xiaoshan."
"Your mother and I..."
"..."
"...have gotten a divorce."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
