Even if the villa were already renovated, Jack Young would still rather stay in this ordinary house and enjoy the peaceful daily life. He ditched the trendy designer clothes he brought back from Hong Kong, slipped into plain attire, tied on a homey apron, and shuffled around in cheap slippers. For two days, Jack and Dummy Meg just lived simply and quietly. No annoying chores, no business appointments or contract signings, and even Abo sent over the photos.
All the photos were of the old apartment and the area around their former workplace. Looking at the familiar office park, streets, and supermarket in the pictures, Jack unlocked the floodgates of memory. A stream of happy memories rushed in. August and September of 2012—that summer was filled with sunshine. In those memories, after work every day, the whole street was bathed in golden light.
Those rays of light dragged mottled shadows and beams across the leaves, streetlights, and fences. Walking down that road felt like strolling through a golden dream. Back then, Jack remembers starting to walk home with Daisy Summers, and later Dummy Meg joined the after-work walking crew too.
It was three kilometers from the office to the apartment, and the three of them would weave through the golden light and cool breeze. In those days, there was no smog, and the sky was a clear blue. The clouds over Tianjin would transform into endless, beautiful sunsets—absolutely breathtaking.
"Sitting all day at work, then riding the shuttle bus home—how boring is that? Walking a bit is good for fitness, weight loss, and stretching out. Doesn’t it just put you in a better mood?" Daisy Summers led the way. Even though the company rules said no skirts, whenever she spun around, it always felt like her skirt was fluttering anyway.
"Yeah, it actually feels pretty great!" Dummy Jack nodded decisively at the time.
Actually, the three of them had been assigned to different departments, and since the company was huge, their offices were far apart. But they’d rather meet up at the same spot first, then walk home together—home? Yeah, for Jack back then, that apartment really started to feel like home. And the people who stuck together and suffered through thick and thin? They were family.
The elevator in his heart took him back to a scene where the three of them were eating dinner together. Daisy Summers whipped up a plate of scrambled eggs, and after just one bite, Jack and Dummy Meg were blown away, immediately demanding the recipe. Daisy, looking smug, said to Dummy Jack, "You think I’d just tell you? This is a family secret! Meg, I’ll only share it with real members of the Qi family."
Dummy Jack immediately protested, "Hey, hey, hey! Sure, I haven’t read that many books, but it’s obvious you two don’t even have the same 'Qi' character in your names! (Science tip: 'Qi' and 'Qi' sound the same, but they’re totally different characters!) How does that make us family?"
The two girls teamed up against him: "We do what we want—got a problem with that?"
"If you look at it that way, I'm part of the 'Qi' family too." Dummy Jack instantly grew a thicker skin and boosted his defenses: "If you want to join my Qi clan, you gotta hand over the secret recipe first!"
Jack's main consciousness watched the three of them laughing and joking in the scene, suddenly realizing, "No wonder my scrambled egg technique is so weird—turns out I learned it from Daisy Summers."
With these memories, Jack often sat at the piano, playing tunes. Every day, countless joyful notes danced through every room. This music, born from emotion, always managed to trigger the Supreme Spiritual Emotion Path. Jack’s lips curled into a smile as he lost himself in a sea of music and memories. Those sweet times leapt from his fingertips, filling his heart with warmth.
And as for inner demons? Jack couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. Even if his memories weren’t complete, whatever happened later, just what he remembered now was enough reason to enjoy happiness.
But on the second evening at his aunt’s place, something interrupted his leisurely routine—and he couldn’t skip out on this one. Qi Xi wanted to get everyone together.
Qi Xi called Dummy Meg, but Jack picked up the phone: "Hey, Daisy?"
The person on the other end was clearly surprised to hear Jack’s voice: "Jack? Why is it... Meg?"
"She’s cooking, her hands are covered in flour. I saw it was your call, so I answered. You need her for something?"
"Uh, ah, no worries, telling you is fine too." Qi Xi’s voice steadied: "Are you free tomorrow? The three of us haven’t met in ages—let’s catch up."
"Sure, just tell me the time and place."
Time: 9:30 AM the next day. Arrived right on time.
Place: Middle Huaihai Road. Found the spot easily.
People... Well, the time and place were as expected, but the guest list got a little tweak—or maybe not so little, since a bunch of extra folks showed up! Qi Xi said, "It’s been ages since the three of us met," so Jack figured it’d just be the original trio. Turns out, not even close! After Jack and Dummy Meg had some morning tea at a corner café, they spotted a whole crowd heading their way.
Two guys and two girls—four people in total. Qi Xi led the way, waving and running over when she saw Meg. But Jack’s eyes skipped past Qi Xi to focus on the three behind her. Of those two guys and one girl, the pair at the back were nothing special—ordinary looks, ordinary vibe, basically the kind of background extras you’d see in a selfie with campus heartthrobs. But the man just a couple steps behind Qi Xi, also striding over, made Jack narrow his eyes.
This guy was about Jack’s height, slim but fit. Even from ten meters away, Jack could sense his energy and vitality. Not quite superhuman, but on par with Jack’s own level when he’d just returned from the martial arts world. His looks were decent—not movie-star handsome, but definitely easy on the eyes. And he radiated that sharp, business-elite vibe; honestly, if you needed a model for a finance startup ad, just snap his street photo and slap it on the poster.
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You could say, while this guy didn’t have the regal charisma of someone like Xiao Jingzhe, he definitely had the edge of a self-made success story. His smile was reserved but warm—basically, he’d leave a good first impression on anyone. No doubt, he was popular.
But for some unknown reason, Jack squinted at him. It wasn’t the usual snarky look—this was something else. The feeling flashed by, gone before Jack could even figure it out himself.
While Jack was mulling it over, the six of them had already gathered. Qi Xi immediately grabbed Meg to introduce the guy: "Meg, you know him, right?" Jack noticed Qi Xi gave Meg’s arm a little squeeze and shot her a look.
"How could I not?" Dummy Meg sighed quietly, then said to Jack, "Jack, this is Zhu Ming—Qi Xi’s boyfriend."
"Fiancé!" Before the introduced man could say anything, the guy in the background cut in first, addressing Qi Xi: "Sis-in-law, are these two your family?"
Huh? Jack glanced at the background guy—he was grinning like a flower, but his cheeky attitude was honestly annoying. And what was with that provocative tone?
Jack squinted again.
But then Zhu Ming stepped right up to Jack, hand extended, warm and proactive: "Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Zhu Ming—‘Zhu’ as in Zhu Yuanzhang, ‘Ming’ as in inscription. Welcome to Shanghai."
Jack shook his hand, looking Zhu Ming straight in the eye: "Haven’t we met before? Why do you seem so familiar?" Honestly, looking at this guy’s face, there was always that nagging sense of déjà vu.
"I don’t think so," Zhu Ming said, eyeing Jack up and down. Jack was dressed casually today, but his aura was hard to hide. "If I’d met someone as impressive as you before, I definitely wouldn’t forget."
Jack didn’t let go of his hand, using his subtle senses to instantly gauge his physical condition. Raising an eyebrow, his eyes flashed: "You ever serve in the military?"
"Military? Haha, nope, I’m just a regular office worker. Maybe I just work out more, so my grip’s a bit stronger." Zhu Ming’s smile was open and genuine, with a dash of friendly humor: "Until last year, I was still a chubby guy—only slimmed down this year."
Chubby? If you added some extra weight to this face... Jack’s mind quickly analyzed the guy’s bones, muscles, and fat distribution, mentally simulating a rounder version. When he hit a certain threshold, Jack’s eyes suddenly lit up—no wonder he kept feeling déjà vu. He really had seen him before!
The elevator in Jack's mind dove down to a whole new memory. May 2013, apartment building elevator. The character: Dummy Jack. Jack saw his past self holding a plate of stir-fried food—yep, he’d been invited to Dummy Meg’s dorm for dinner. After he pressed the 'up' button, the elevator dinged open, and inside stood two people.
One was Daisy Summers, the other was a tall, chubby guy—taller than Dummy Jack back then.
Dummy Jack’s eyes widened slightly, glancing between Daisy and the tall chubby guy. The big guy’s face was neutral, but Daisy’s was full of awkwardness and avoidance, trying hard to hide it. That forced smile was exactly the same as when she’d just squeezed Dummy Meg’s arm.
After a second of silence, Dummy Jack stepped into the elevator as if nothing was wrong. Whoosh—the doors closed, and the three of them were in the same enclosed space.
"Qi Xi, long time no see. And this is...?" Dummy Jack was the first to speak, with that restrained friendliness you use with acquaintances—just polite small talk.
"This is Zhu Ming." Qi Xi introduced them, trying to stay calm: "Zhu Ming, this is Jack—my... colleague."