Aisin-Gioro Xiaojia

Zhou Yi busied himself in the room, essentially just boiling the medicinal herbs together as instructed by the system before finally adding the potion from the system's store.

To make it seem more convincing, he stayed inside for a full hour before emerging.

Once the medicine was ready, he poured it into a jar and followed Qu Hongzhuo back to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Ma Yunfang was busy preparing dinner for the evening.

When Zhou Yi and Qu Hongzhuo arrived at the hospital, Qu Hongzhuo didn’t immediately administer the medicine to Qu Yin.

Being a cautious man, he first had the medicine examined by a doctor, then ordered others to test it. After waiting three hours to confirm there were no issues, he finally gave it to the old man.

"Zhou Yi, how long until this medicine takes effect?"

"Uncle Qu, don’t worry. Whether it works or not, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see. We’ll know once Grandpa Qu wakes up."

Zhou Yi had added a sleeping agent to the medicine—after all, Qu Yin spent most of his days lying down and sleeping anyway.

If the medicine worked too quickly, it wouldn’t be believable. There needed to be a process.

By the time Qu Yin woke up the next day, he would feel the changes in his body. As an elderly man, such a significant recovery would be unmistakable to him.

Seeing that Qu Yin had fallen asleep, Qu Hongzhuo initially planned to stay overnight with Zhou Yi to monitor the situation.

But then Ma Yunfang called, forcing him to take Zhou Yi back home first.

"Zhou Yi, your Aunt Ma is inviting her niece over for dinner tonight. Let’s head back first, eat, and then return to the hospital. I’m particularly worried about this first night, so I’ll need you to stay with me to keep watch."

"No problem. It’s good to be careful."

"As for Aunt Ma’s niece, just treat it as a casual introduction. Don’t take anything the two of them say too seriously."

With Little Jia’s temperament, Zhou Yi wouldn’t stand a chance.

Qu Hongzhuo wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead.

She was a little troublemaker—no, a full-blown demoness.

"Little Jia has a bit of a temper. If she says anything, don’t take it to heart. That’s just how she is."

"I’m usually quite tolerant with girls. Besides, how bad can a girl really be?"

Qu Hongzhuo could only chuckle wryly at Zhou Yi’s naive words.

His wife was already a handful, but Little Jia—now she was in a league of her own.

By the time Zhou Yi and Qu Hongzhuo returned, it was already evening.

Autumn had arrived, and the wind sent leaves swirling down, a few landing on Zhou Yi’s shoulders before he could brush them away.

Entering the courtyard, they could see a graceful silhouette through the window—a slender figure with impossibly long hair, standing right by the glass.

"Looks like Little Jia’s already here. Let’s go in."

Zhou Yi followed Qu Hongzhuo through the corridor and into the main hall, where the table was already set with dishes and utensils.

Hearing the noise, Little Jia emerged from the inner room.

When Zhou Yi met her gaze, he couldn’t help but be stunned by her beauty.

There was no denying it—Little Jia was stunning, but not in a conventional way. Anyone seeing her for the first time would be struck by her unique allure.

She was even more beautiful than in photos, and her aura was entirely different.

Her skin was pale as snow, a result of rarely seeing sunlight.

Against that porcelain complexion, her full, crimson lips made a striking contrast.

Her hair cascaded down to her calves—silky, jet-black, and lustrous, styled with straight bangs reminiscent of ancient portraits.

Surprisingly, her features were youthful, almost childlike.

But the most captivating part was her eyes.

Little Jia’s eyes were clear and round, like those of an innocent child. When they curved slightly, they radiated purity and naivety, untouched by the world.

She wore a silk robe, a modernized Qing-style gown, draped with a red shawl that exuded aristocratic elegance.

Everything about her was a paradox—

Jet-black hair, snow-white skin, scarlet lips, and those guileless eyes...

Little Jia was equally taken aback when she saw Zhou Yi.

He was so much more handsome in person than in his photos.

She had recognized him immediately when Ma Yunfang showed her his picture earlier.

These days, hardly any young person online didn’t know who he was.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined her aunt would have any connection to Zhou Yi.

In front of Qu Hongzhuo, she put on a sweet smile and greeted softly, "Uncle."

"Little Jia, you’re here! Come, sit down. Let’s eat."

The four of them took their seats at the table.

Ma Yunfang began introducing them enthusiastically.

"Zhou Yi, this is my niece, Little Jia."

"Little Jia, introduce yourself properly."

Seated across from Zhou Yi, Little Jia flashed a shy smile:

"Hello, I’m Little Jia. I didn’t expect you to be so much more handsome in person. I’m actually a fan of yours, CEO Zhou."

Ma Yunfang looked puzzled. "You know him, Little Jia? Why are you calling him CEO?"

"Aunt, CEO Zhou is a huge internet celebrity. That MoYin app you love using? It’s from his company."

"What? This app was made by Zhou Yi’s company?"

Ma Yunfang gaped at Zhou Yi in astonishment.

She had assumed he was just a talented medical student—not the founder of a tech company.

Qu Hongzhuo laughed. "Zhou Yi, you started a company in your sophomore year? And created such a hit app? I underestimated you."

They clearly hadn’t known much about him before, but now that they did, they were pleasantly surprised.

"You’re too kind, Uncle and Aunt. It was just luck, really. And thank you, Sister Little Jia, for being a fan."

Since Ma Yunfang had mentioned Little Jia was in her twenties, calling her "sister" wasn’t out of place.

But Little Jia’s expression darkened instantly. She arched a brow, her temper flaring.

"What did you just call me? Sister Little Jia?"

Her moods shifted like flipping a page—one moment sweetly declaring herself a fan, the next scowling coldly.

But Ma Yunfang and Qu Hongzhuo were used to it.

This was just how Little Jia was.

When she was in a good mood, she’d lift you to the heavens. When she wasn’t, she was no different from a demon.

Ma Yunfang patted her hand matter-of-factly. "Oh, come on. He is younger than you—what’s wrong with calling you sister? Don’t throw a tantrum."

Zhou Yi suppressed a smile. She was just a spoiled brat with a temper, regardless of her age.

A thoroughly pampered young mistress.

Unfazed, he offered a gentle, apologetic smile. "My apologies, Little Jia. I misspoke."

Little Jia’s eyes gleamed mischievously. She tilted her chin up and grinned.

"Fine, I’ll forgive you—but only if you do something for me."

Zhou Yi raised a brow. "And what would that be?"