Chapter 16 Moving House

Chapter 16 Moving House

The dull gray curtains in the room were finally drawn open today, allowing the warm sunlight to stream through the window. A small portion of it was drawn to the figure in the room, quietly falling on him.

The coldness in Xu Qingran's eyes seemed to soften a little under the sunlight.

In his past life, he had a sister born on the same day, named Xu Qingyao.

He often wondered if he hadn't followed closely or well enough, so she eventually disappeared.

Xu Qingran snapped out of his thoughts, and a layer of coldness quickly returned to his eyes, as if the brief moment of softness from a few seconds ago was just an illusion.

Holding the toy with a broken arm, he suddenly smiled lightly and whispered, "Do you want to be the light of justice?"

...

After packing up, he was about to head downstairs and leave when someone else showed up at the house.

The voice was unmistakably Xu Qingan's, as soon as he heard it: "Dad, whose car is that outside? Why does it have the Golden Wing insignia on it?"

Xu's father didn't know: "What car?"

He didn't pay much attention and added, "Ah, it's rare for you and Lu Cheng to visit together, but I just got a sudden call from the Imperial Administration Office, asking me to come in person."

Xu Qingan asked, puzzled: "What's up? Is it something important?"

Xu's father replied, "I'm not sure, they only said it's related to our family. Qingan, can you check which department this address they sent me is for?"

There was a brief moment of silence downstairs, followed by Xu Qingan's surprised voice: "This is... the Soulmate System headquarters!"

Xu Qingan handed the phone with the official address back to his father, looking troubled: "Dad, I've heard some rumors from friends recently."

"They all say that the soul sample my brother submitted a while ago matched with Boss Chen from the Golden Wing Battalion, and it was over a 98% match. I thought they were joking, but now that you've suddenly received a meeting notice from the Soulmate System headquarters, could it really be about my brother..."

Upon hearing the name Boss Chen, Xu's father instantly erupted in anger: "What nonsense!"

"That scumbag Chen Shengfei, how could he possibly be connected to our Xu family?!"

When Lu Cheng came in from outside, he was met with the tense atmosphere in the Xu household.

Before he could speak, Xu Qingan's mother suddenly asked him in surprise, "Lu Cheng, what happened to your face?"

Your eldest son hit me.

He thought to himself.

But of course, Lu Cheng couldn't tell the truth. Xu Qingan, standing beside him, quickly answered for him: "He just came back from a mission, right? It's normal to get a few bumps and bruises on the battlefield."

As he spoke, Xu Qingan took Lu Cheng's arm, his face filled with concern: "Lu Cheng, Dad just received a communication from the Soulmate System headquarters, asking him to go there."

He didn't notice the change in Lu Cheng's expression upon hearing the words "Soulmate System," and continued, "There's been a lot of talk online recently, saying that my brother is one of the highly compatible couple."

"How terrible the other matched person is, what if the rumors are true?"

Lu Cheng's mind was filled with the image of Xu Qingran being with Shen Tingyu yesterday.

He instinctively retorted, "Impossible, how could Qingran have a highly compatible soul with someone like that!"

Although he and Xu Qingran had already ended their relationship, and perhaps he had said some harsh words to him during that time. But to him, Xu Qingran was still special.

They had known each other since childhood, and even though the romantic love between them had faded, the years of friendship still mattered greatly. He had long considered him family.

So, Xu Qingran being with anyone else wouldn't have bothered him, but Shen Tingyu? He just couldn't accept it! They had once sat together so comfortably, badmouthing Shen Tingyu countless times. How could he now turn around and become a partner with someone like that?

Lu Cheng's slightly agitated tone left the Xu family members stunned.

But then again, considering the partner was someone like Boss Chen—a scumbag—it was understandable that Lu Cheng, as Xu Qingran's childhood friend, would feel angry on his behalf.

The sound of heavy objects hitting the ground shattered the silence in the living room.

Bag after bag was thrown down from upstairs, and only after all the bags had reached the ground floor did their owner appear, slowly descending the stairs with a large and a small suitcase.

Lu Cheng's gaze turned to astonishment, even a hint of guilt, upon seeing Xu Qingran.

Seeing Xu Qingran in his usual troublemaking mode, Xu's father angrily asked, "What are you up to now, kid? Running away from home?!"

Xu Qingran placed the heavy suitcase on the ground and leisurely replied, "Isn't that what you said? Preparing for marriage."

"My fiancé invited me to live with him, so from today onwards, I won't be staying at the Xu family home anymore."

Xu Qingan covered his mouth in shock, "So the car parked outside belongs to your fiancé..."

That private micro airship was an imperial limited-edition model, owned only by the wealthy and powerful, which is why he had noticed it upon entering. Considering Boss Chen's wealth, it was normal for him to have a few limited transportation vehicles.

Xu's father was torn between being angry at Xu Qingran for arranging everything without a word of warning and being upset that he, knowing full well that his match was someone as despicable as Chen Shengfei, was rushing to cohabit with him.

Xu Qingran hooked all the handbags onto the suitcase handle and was pulling his full load towards the door when a figure suddenly blocked his way.

Lu Cheng, his face stern, questioned, "Even if it's an imperial decree, isn't it a bit reckless to move in together without fully understanding his character?"

Xu Qingran thought of Shen Tianyi's unassuming face and replied, "That's why I'm going to cultivate feelings with him in advance."

Getting along well with the target's little nephew could also be an alternative strategy.

Seeing him about to leave again, Lu Cheng instinctively grabbed his wrist tightly, "Living under the same roof, aren't you afraid things might get out of hand, or that you'll be taken advantage of before even confirming the relationship?!"

Xu Qingran met his gaze for a few seconds, then suddenly raised an eyebrow, "You mean, like what happened with you and Xu Qingan?"

Dead silence.

The living room fell so silent that even Xu's father and stepmother didn't make a sound.

Only Xu Qingran's thoughts continued to churn, and he added, "Besides, if anything were to happen, shouldn't he be the one worried about me going wild?"

"Given his condition, he's just not capable."

Xu Qingran thought, five years old, probably not even weaned yet—what could he possibly do to me?

But to Lu Cheng, it felt like a thunderbolt had struck him.

—Xu Qingran even knows whether Shen Tingyu is capable or not?!

Unaware that his thoughts were completely misaligned with Lu Cheng's, Xu Qingran glanced down at the hand still tightly gripping his wrist and coolly reminded, "Aren't you going to let go?"

"Was the punch I gave you the other day not hard enough?"

After asking, Xu Qingran deliberately glanced at Xu Qingan's expression beside him.

Sure enough, the initial pride and confidence on his face were gone, and he instinctively turned to look at him.

Xu Qingran noticed a fleeting panic in his eyes and gave a faint smile.

See that? The man you worked so hard to snatch isn’t as devoted as you imagined.

A friendship that lasted over a decade, with 99% compatibility—how could a brief fling and a sense of duty erase all that?

But someone like Lu Cheng deserves to never truly have the one he loves.

Xu Qingran didn’t stay to savor the Xu family’s reactions. He pulled his luggage and walked out of the house.

The driver, who’d been waiting outside, quickly came to help load the car. As they loaded his things, he spotted splashes of blue-black paint near the sewer entrance.

It reminded him of the reddish-brown stains he’d seen before leaving South 13 District.

He asked the driver, “Is this... something to worry about?”

The driver, knowing what he was referring to, closed the cargo hatch and replied, “It’s a Class IV devil—way less dangerous than Class I. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Still, it’s weird they’re showing up in Red City. Not a good sign. Who knows when this devil mess will end?”

·

The micro airship glided smoothly through the sky, fast and steady.

Inside the vehicle, the driver turned on the radio. The host’s voice was soft, and she chatted warmly with her guests.

Xu Qingran propped his chin on his hand, slouching lazily by the door as he stared out the window.

They seemed to have entered another city within Red Maple.

Skyscrapers stretched as far as the eye could see, their neon lights blazing in a dazzling competition, each one bolder and more innovative than the last. In the distance, a skyscraper soared into the clouds, looking just like the “Oriental Pearl” from his past life.

Below, ground vehicles zipped along roads made of interlocking metal plates, lit by two glowing strips instead of the asphalt he remembered. The cars stuck to the strips, moving in perfect order.

Suddenly, he thought of this world’s “Xu Qingran” and asked the system, “When the original host dies, does their soul stick around, or does it just vanish?”

「Souls who die too soon get sent to other worlds to start over in a new life.」

「Like you, they probably won’t get such a raw deal next time.」

Xu Qingran scoffed, “Oh, really?”

“Since I got here, it’s felt more like I’m stuck in a never-ending test than living a new life.”

The system went quiet, refusing to respond.

When Xu Qingran got back, Shen Tingyu was already gone.

Auntie Song had set up his room downstairs near Shen Tianyi’s, as Shen Tingyu had asked. The room was big, with its own bathroom, so he was fine with it.

As for his little nephew Shen Tianyi, he left every weekday morning with his small backpack and didn’t return until around 4 or 5 PM. They barely saw each other except at meals. Maybe punching Lu Cheng had scared Shen Tianyi, who now avoided him when Shen Tingyu wasn’t home.

This suited Xu Qingran just fine.

He set his alarm to wake up at 6 AM every day, jogging along the forest trails around the house, using the spacious room for workouts, and even tying a homemade sandbag to a tree branch in the backyard to train his fists and legs.

By the end of the week, he’d wrecked a few of them.

Xu Qingran was enjoying his training, but the system wasn’t too pleased.

That day, after taking a shower, Xu Qingran was lying in bed resting when the System urgently urged him: "I just caught what Auntie Song said—Shen Tingyu will be home tonight. Find a way to shake things up!"

Xu Qingran: "?"

To be honest, they were both grown men, and it was clear from the get-go they weren’t into each other. How was he supposed to make something happen?

"Well, sigh," the System said, "I thought the plan was going well and even helped you gather a bunch of materials for *The Overbearing General and His Little Wife*, but turns out they’re no use now."

Xu Qingran thought to himself, *Thank God they weren’t needed.*

But then, the System exclaimed with enthusiasm: "But it’s okay! For the sake of the host, I’ve been tirelessly collecting for days and finally found another goldmine of material!"

"Check this out—*The Flirtatious Uncle and the Charming Niece-in-law*!"

Xu Qingran: "..."