[Note: The previous chapter has been updated—please check it out if you missed it.]
Ma Yunfang carried herself with an air of dignified grace. Even with the wrinkles on her face, one could tell she must have been quite the beauty in her youth.
Tall and exuding the bold temperament of a northern woman, her voice was deep and powerful—nothing like the delicate, timid tones of a pampered socialite.
The moment Qu Hongzhuo saw Ma Yunfang, his stern expression softened, and his tone gentled.
"Darling, this is Dr. Zhou Yi, here to treat Dad. He’ll be staying with us for a while—could you prepare a room for him later?"
"Zhou Yi, this is Auntie Ma."
Ma Yunfang’s eyes lit up as she stepped closer to scrutinize Zhou Yi.
"My, what a handsome young man! And a doctor, no less. Zhou Yi, are you seeing anyone?"
Qu Hongzhuo sighed, rubbing his forehead before shooting Zhou Yi a look—likely signaling him to find a polite way to decline.
Was Qu Hongzhuo... a little henpecked?
Zhou Yi offered a warm smile. "Hello, Auntie Ma. My name is Zhou Yi. As for a relationship... I haven’t really thought about it yet."
He flashed a bashful grin, perfectly playing the part of a shy college student.
Just like any matchmaking auntie in real life, Ma Yunfang immediately launched into a lively spiel, eager to set him up with someone.
Qu Hongzhuo had already instructed his assistant to fetch the medicine, so the three of them sat in the hallway chatting.
When Ma Yunfang excused herself to make tea, Qu Hongzhuo explained, "Your Auntie Ma doesn’t get many visitors, so she tends to get a little overexcited. Don’t mind her."
Zhou Yi couldn’t help but ask, "The two of you... don’t have children?"
Qu Hongzhuo smiled wistfully. "We had a son once. He passed away at ten. If he’d lived, he’d probably be around your age now."
Zhou Yi frowned and apologized, but Qu Hongzhuo just waved it off, quickly changing the subject.
When Ma Yunfang returned with tea, she asked curiously, "Zhou Yi, you’re so young—can you really treat illnesses? Will Dad make it through this winter?"
"Zhou Yi says he can live another two or three years. This kid’s got talent."
Ma Yunfang looked surprised. "Two or three years? Zhou Yi, you shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep. If it doesn’t work out, Old Qu has a terrible temper—he’ll curse you out."
Straightforward as ever, she assumed Zhou Yi was exaggerating to save face and kindly warned him against it.
Zhou Yi chuckled. "It’s true, Auntie Ma. Don’t worry."
Ma Yunfang burst into laughter and plopped down beside him, pulling out her phone to flip through an album of young women’s photos.
"This one in white was my former student—very gentle personality."
"This one’s the daughter of an old friend. She studied abroad and is still single."
"And this one in pink is my niece. What do you think? Pretty, right? Hmph, Little Jia’s got a bit of a temper, but she’s not a bad person."
Qu Hongzhuo sighed and tugged her arm. "Stop meddling in Zhou Yi’s love life. He’s only a sophomore—these women are all older than him. It’s not a good fit."
Ma Yunfang glared. "What do you know? ‘An older wife brings fortune,’ haven’t you heard? Besides, a catch like Zhou Yi would be snatched up in the dating scene in no time. There’s no such thing as ‘not a good fit.’"
"Our Little Jia isn’t lacking either! Back in the day, she’d have been a noblewoman. Look how pretty she is—and her hips are perfect for bearing children."
Zhou Yi nearly choked on his tea.
Internally, he marveled at Auntie Ma’s unfiltered boldness.
Perhaps because she favored her niece, Ma Yunfang added Zhou Yi on WeChat and sent him Little Jia’s contact.
"My niece’s name is Aisin-Gioro Little Jia. Our family were nobles back in the day—you wouldn’t be losing out with her, Zhou Yi."
Qu Hongzhuo scoffed. "The Qing Dynasty’s been gone for ages. Stop flaunting that ‘nobility’ nonsense."
Ma Yunfang huffed and rolled her eyes before launching into a proud recount of her family history.
Given her marriage to Qu Hongzhuo, her background was anything but ordinary.
Her ancestors were Qing Dynasty princes—if titles still held, she truly would have been a noblewoman.
Her family was influential, though she disliked the surname Aisin-Gioro and had changed it to Ma.
Her younger brother’s family now lived in a princely estate in City A, where any single artifact from their collection could fetch a fortune.
When she married Qu Hongzhuo, the dowry procession stretched for miles, with hundreds of chests of treasures in tow.
To her, the coveted courtyard homes others envied were no different from rural houses.
After hearing all this, Zhou Yi mused that if Little Jia really looked as stunning as her photo, getting to know her might not be so bad.
Still, he hesitated before adding her on WeChat.
What if this was all just Auntie Ma’s wishful thinking? He’d look like a fool.
Besides, he was busy lately—he’d deal with it later.
While Zhou Yi brushed it off, Ma Yunfang took it seriously.
The moment he left to brew medicine, she video-called Little Jia.
"Hello?"
A lazy, melodic voice answered. The screen revealed an exceptionally beautiful woman—Little Jia herself.
"Auntie, are you coming home for dinner?"
"It’s not about dinner. Little Jia, come over tonight. I’ve got a handsome guy to introduce you to."
"Auntie, who’s the unlucky guy this time? If it’s just dinner, fine. If it’s a setup, I’m not coming."
"Come on, trust me! This one’s seriously good-looking. If he’s not, I’ll never play matchmaker again."
"Really? How handsome? Handsomer than Third Cousin?"
"Your Third Cousin’s nothing! This guy’s not just handsome—he’s talented. He can cure Grandpa Qu’s illness, and he’s still in college. You like them young, right? A college boy’s young enough for you."
Little Jia sat up slightly from her reclined position, interest piqued. "A college student? Fine, since you’re so insistent, I’ll take a look. Dinner tonight?"
"Yes! I’ll be waiting. Dress nicely!"
"Sure thing, Auntie."
After hanging up, Little Jia smirked.
Then her gaze fell on the young man kneeling at her feet, and her expression soured.
She wrinkled her nose. "I told you to massage my legs, not tickle them. Are you useless? Pathetic freeloader."
She delivered a light kick—her feet pale and flawless, like carved jade.
The boy’s eyes lingered on them before he bowed his head. "Sorry, Sister Little Jia. I’ll practice more."
Little Jia smoothed her long, silky black hair, her eyes glinting with something dark.
"If you don’t improve, should I break your hands? They’re useless anyway."
The boy shuddered. "I won’t disappoint you. I’ll go learn right now."
Little Jia sneered. "Then get out. Did you think my money was that easy to take?"
The young man crawled out the door, and only then did Little Jia simmer down.
When Ma Yunfang sent Little Jia the photo of Zhou Yi brewing medicine, her eyes lit up.
Well, looks like a new toy has arrived.
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
