Chapter 153 - 152: Beautiful Lady, Need a Ride?

Chapter 153: Chapter 152: Beautiful Lady, Need a Ride?

Warm Zone.

Caiqiao Subway Station.

This was the last stop on Line 4, the closest the subway got to Chong City — though it was still over twenty kilometers away.

Phase two of the Line 4 extension had been planned and was already under construction, but it wasn’t finished yet, and even the new terminal stop would still leave you a few kilometers short of Chong City.

Getting around out here wasn’t exactly easy.

Under normal circumstances, his sister would never take the subway home. Sure, there was a station near the mall that made the ride out here simple enough, but once you got off, you were on your own.

Since Chen Yuan had the car, though, they’d agreed to meet here and drive straight back.

"She’s probably still two stops away."

Chen Yuan eased the car to the curb. He glanced at the agreed-upon exit — no sign of his sister — then checked the time. He’d been here less than forty minutes, so she’d probably be out in a few more.

He rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and settled in to wait.

By the time he finished it, his eyes had sharpened.

A familiar figure came into view. About 165 centimeters tall, her jet-black hair pinned up behind her head like a soft cloud, leaving her smooth, fair forehead on full display.

Her face was bare of makeup and still striking. There was a quiet confidence in the set of her brow. A blue button-up shirt paired with light-wash jeans showed off her figure — legs long and evenly proportioned — and the whole look was casual yet put-together, radiating a kind of easy, capable energy.

Warm. Approachable.

And genuinely good-looking.

"We finally get to meet again."

A wave of complicated feelings washed over Chen Yuan.

The sister he remembered from his past life had looked worn-out by her early thirties — like a woman pushing fifty. But this version of her, at twenty-three, was radiant.

She’d had her youth.

She’d once bloomed like this.

And it had all been taken from her because he’d run off to Beijing to chase his dreams, leaving their parents entirely in her hands — all for the sake of some cold, hollow ambition that had ground her and their parents down to nothing.

"This time around, things are going to be different. For all of us."

He took a slow breath to steady himself, and a bright smile spread back across his face. He leaned out and called her name.

Between the crowd and the noise of the passing cars, she didn’t hear him. She was still craning her neck, scanning faces, and when she didn’t spot anyone she recognized, she wheeled her suitcase to the curb and reached for her phone to call Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan grinned.

He gunned the engine and pulled up right in front of her, grinning as he called out,

"Hey there, gorgeous — need a ride?"

"No thanks— wait, is that you, little bro~?"

Chen Li had been looking down, typing a message, giving a distracted reply — then something about the voice nagged at her. She looked up, and her face immediately broke into a big smile.

"The one and only."

Chen Yuan climbed out of the driver’s seat and pulled his sister into a long-overdue hug.

"How did you get so dark?"

Chen Li looked him up and down, genuinely surprised.

She remembered her little brother having decent skin — not pale exactly, but a healthy tan at most. Right now he was noticeably darker, practically on his way to charcoal.

"Blame the sun."

Ten straight days of intense fishing, and even the umbrellas at the fishing spots hadn’t done much. He hadn’t worn any UV-protective sleeves or brought a face cover either.

What did anyone expect?

"The heat really has been brutal lately."

"AC’s running in the car. Let’s get in."

Chen Yuan grabbed her suitcase and loaded it into the trunk. His sister had already pulled open the passenger door and settled herself in, so he headed straight for the driver’s seat.

"Did you buy this car?"

Chen Li asked as she clicked her seatbelt into place. Last night he’d only said he was coming to pick her up and told her to meet him at the last subway stop — he’d said nothing about driving.

"Nope. It belongs to a client."

Chen Yuan buckled up, started the engine, and headed for home.

"And you’re just driving around in your client’s car?"

"She’s more than a client — she’s a friend. She’s been helping out at our fishing spot, and I covered the gas, so it’s all squared away."

"Oh? And there’s long hair in here too — your friend’s a girl, isn’t she?"

Chen Li had a look around and spotted several long strands of hair. Her expression instantly shifted into full gossip mode.

She pinched one up and held it out in front of Chen Yuan.

Spill it. Do you have a girlfriend or what?

"The owner of this car? I’d have to call her my sister-in-law."

Chen Yuan shook his head with a wry smile.

Wang Heng and Dongfang Qingyang hadn’t made it official yet, but anyone with eyes could see where that was headed. It was only a matter of time.

"Well then, when are you going to bring someone home for us to meet?"

Chen Li immediately lost interest. No good gossip here after all.

"Whoever she is, she’s still at her mother’s place, waiting to grow up a little more."

They were pretty broke right now. Better let the future mother-in-law keep feeding her for a few more years.

"’Her mother’s place’? The way you said that — are you planning on having several mothers-in-law?"

Chen Li laughed.

"There’s this thing people say online — ’I want a hundred moms.’"

Chen Yuan recalled a joke from his past life: everyone only gets one real mom, so if you’ve got a hundred, the other ninety-nine must all be mothers-in-law.

Made sense, since you call them mom too.

Then there was the top comment underneath: Your dad’s a legend — went and got you ninety-nine stepmoms.

Absolutely demolished~

"What are you even doing on the internet all day? Focus on actually finding a mother-in-law first."

Chen Li rolled her eyes.

"Heh, a mother-in-law’s hard to come by — but a mother-in-law for you should be pretty easy to find, right?"

Chen Yuan glanced over at Chen Li, his expression loaded with meaning.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

Chen Li’s eyes darted away.

"Your boyfriend, sis. When are you bringing him home so we can all have a look?"

From what he remembered, his sister had already met the guy by now. It was probably the same kind of situation as Wang Heng and Dongfang Qingyang — mutual interest, but neither of them had made a move yet.

She’d brought him home around the end of the year. Since next year was her zodiac year, they’d only gotten engaged then, with the actual wedding coming about two years after that.

He wondered — now that his sister had come back to help out this time around, with her life taking a different path, would things still work out between them the same way?

"Oh, get out of here — there’s no boyfriend, stop making stuff up."

Chen Li waved her hand like she was about to smack him, but her cheeks had gone distinctly pink, which sent Chen Yuan into a fit of laughter. He nearly caught a real beating for it.

"So how’s the fishing spot doing? What do you need me to do now that I’m back?"

Chen Li quickly changed the subject. She should’ve known better than to bring up his love life in the first place.

The two of them switched to business talk, and before they knew it, they were pulling into Yu City Village — a few more turns and they were right at the front gate.

Their parents had gotten the message and were already waiting outside the courtyard. As the car rounded the corner, Chen Yuan could see the two of them standing on their tiptoes, craning their necks, faces full of excitement.

Before the car had even fully stopped, they were already rushing over with big smiles.

"Dad. Mom."

Chen Li called out as she stepped out of the car.

"Oh, my baby girl, you’re finally home!"

Tang Ying hurried over and grabbed Chen Li, looking her over from head to toe with eyes full of longing and tenderness — the exact same way she’d fussed over Chen Yuan when he’d come back.

"I’ll get the bags."

Chen Jun took the suitcase Chen Yuan had pulled out of the trunk. His eyes drifted to the fishing gear inside, and he got a funny feeling — why did that stuff look so familiar?

"It’s way too hot out here. Let’s get inside and cool off."

Chen Yuan shut the trunk with a thud and hustled everyone toward the house.

"Yes, yes, go on inside and rest — dinner will be ready soon. I’ve already changed the sheets on your bed, so you’ll have the room all to yourself tonight."

Tang Ying ushered Chen Li inside.

Chen Li’s room had been where Dongfang Qingyang was staying, but once Chen Yuan found out his sister was coming back, he’d sorted it out — Dongfang Qingyang would take Wang Heng’s room, and Wang Heng would stay the night at their uncle’s place.

Their uncle’s house had plenty of rooms, all with air conditioning. Little Fish King had already moved over there the day Chen Li’s visit was confirmed. Accommodation was no problem at all.

"You rest up, sis. I’m going to grab a quick shower."

He checked the time — just past six-forty. Dinner would still be a while. Might as well shower now; the smell of sweat on him was getting pretty ripe.

"Go do your thing. I’m not a guest — you don’t need to babysit me."

Chen Li waved him off and headed to her room.

They say once a woman gets married, going back to her parents’ place makes her a guest. But she wasn’t married yet, so as far as she was concerned, she was still one of the people who lived here. Who needed to be looked after?

Chen Yuan headed upstairs, grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top, slipped on his flip-flops, and went to shower. When he came out, he felt like a new person.

He flopped onto the bed, eyes falling shut almost immediately. The exhaustion came crashing down on him all at once, and he had zero desire to move.

His arms especially — they were absolutely aching right now. Only a system level-up or a system reward could chase that soreness and fatigue away. He just hoped the cooldown would end soon.

Tasks like that, he’d never turn down.

He could grind through them every single day without complaint.

"Yuan! Come down for dinner!"

He’d just pulled up the system interface, thinking he’d look into the prize draws and the fish truck, when his dad’s voice drifted up from the bottom of the stairs. Dinner first — he’d sit down and work through all of it tonight on his own.