Chapter 4

Upon hearing her big brother’s name, You You’s crying instantly stopped.

The disheveled little dumpling blinked her teary eyes, but within three or four seconds, she burst into loud sobs again—

“Waaah, boo-hoo… No no, I want to stay with you! Big brother, please don’t abandon You You, okay? Please, I’m begging you…”

Lu Fei’s irritation had reached its peak.

For some reason, this child was no different from those screaming brats on planes and high-speed trains to him.

Yet while both situations involved noise, his feelings were distinctly different.

Those spoiled kids only made him annoyed.

But this little milk bun’s cries actually made his left chest ache with a dull, throbbing pain.

You You cried until she could barely catch her breath. Her thoughts were simple.

She was worried about her second brother. She couldn’t understand why so many people in that holographic movie from her dream hated him.

In her memories, second brother had always been deeply loved by everyone.

You You was afraid that if she left, her brother would die.

Just like how, before she time-traveled, her father had been perfectly fine until one day he suddenly fell ill, was admitted to the ICU, and then… never came out again.

As for her eldest brother Lu Yan, she didn’t dare hold out hope anymore.

Although he had been kind to her before, he was a research fanatic who basically lived in the laboratory all year round.

If even her closest second brother didn’t want her, how could she expect the aloof Lu Yan to accept her?

Anyway, in this world, she was just an extra, unwanted little kid.

…

Under Lu Fei’s intimidating pressure, A Jiu reluctantly drove the car out of the garage—

Only to be met with torrential rain and howling winds.

Not far away, the property management’s warning announcement could be heard: “The city meteorological observatory has just issued a Typhoon Red Alert. A super typhoon is about to make landfall in our city. Residents are advised to secure doors and windows, prepare for disaster prevention, and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.”

A Jiu was already on the verge of breaking down from the little dumpling’s heart-wrenching sobs.

Now with the rain pounding violently against the windshield, he almost started crying himself…

“Fei Ge, can’t we wait until the typhoon passes? This is way too dangerous!”

The clever You You added fuel to the fire: “Waaah waaah dangerous brother! Big wind dangerous!!”

Lu Fei: “…………”

With a dark expression, Lu Fei silently allowed A Jiu to drive the car back to its original spot, then watched like he was observing idiots as the older and younger pair enthusiastically hugged in front of him.

“…” One might say his native language was speechlessness.

A Jiu happily carried the little dumpling while waiting for the elevator, and the child in his arms stopped crying, her little nose even producing a big snot bubble—both pitiful and adorable.

A Jiu cheekily comforted him: “Fei Ge, many big shots in the entertainment industry believe in metaphysics to some degree. This sudden typhoon might be some kind of sign from heaven. Let’s just go with the flow and let You You stay a few more days.”

Lu Fei responded with utter disdain: “Superstitious nonsense.”

…

A Jiu sought help from the property management, who sent a female staff member to bathe You You and brought two sets of children’s clothes borrowed from other residents.

After the bath, the staff helped You You dry her soft hair and said with a smile, “This little one is so adorable and well-behaved, not fussy at all. It’s just that the clothes are a bit too big, but we’ll make do for now. Once the typhoon passes, we’ll take her shopping for new clothes.”

Though it was just an ordinary little T-shirt dress from Taobao, the pale yellow color made You You look even more fair and endearing.

Little neat-freak You You was also delighted, prancing around and admiring herself—finally clean and in a fresh dress.

Lu Fei watched as these people happily made themselves at home in his house, feeling like the odd one out.

With the sudden severe weather, there was no immediate solution for the child. He decided to call his eldest brother first.

Lu Yan was supposed to be working overtime at the company tonight, but due to the typhoon making landfall, the office building his company rented had closed early.

He had braved the heavy rain to return to his Tsinghua dormitory, completely drenched.

Just after showering and changing, his business partner and roommate Zhao Cheng called out from outside the bathroom, “Boss, your phone’s been ringing nonstop. Want me to bring it in?”

Lu Yan opened the door, drying his hair with one hand while taking the phone with the other. Just as he was about to answer, the call ended.

The caller ID showed just two words: “Xiao Fei.”

Lu Yan instinctively frowned.

“Boss, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Their startup was currently facing a crisis with a major project, so Zhao Cheng grew nervous seeing even the boss frown.

Lu Yan replied calmly, “No, it’s just family.”

“Oh, okay.”

Lu Yan stepped out of the dormitory before returning the call.

A few minutes later.

After hearing Lu Fei’s explanation, he fell into a long silence.

He had seen the trending topics and knew Xiao Fei had been getting flak lately due to controversy over his popular drama’s plot. Worried something might be wrong, he had hurried to call back.

But instead, Lu Fei told him he was fine—just that he now had a child?!

A little girl around three years old, claiming to have traveled back from six years in the future, even insisting she was their younger sister???

In his twenty years of life, Lu Yan had never heard anything so absurd.

On the other end, Lu Fei guessed his reaction: “Bro, you think it’s insane too, right? I never expected him to be this kind of person.”

The “him” in his brother’s words naturally referred to their father.

Lu Yan knew how strained and hostile Lu Fei’s relationship with their father had been over the years, so he didn’t try to defend him.

After some thought, he said, “Don’t panic. Your work is tough enough—take care of yourself and get some rest. As for the child, let me confirm with Dad first and see if he can return soon. If not, I’ll take her in a couple of days. Don’t let it bother you.”

Lu Fei hung up, still irritated.

His eldest brother was just too responsible, even willing to clean up after Lu Yu’s messes.

He couldn’t understand how a man as irresponsible as Lu Yu could have raised someone as outstanding as his eldest brother.

…

Lu Yan quickly video-called his father.

The call connected after a dozen seconds.

It was daytime where Lu Yu was. He held a cup of coffee, having breakfast.

“A-Yan, what’s up?”

Lu Yan cleared his throat and succinctly explained the situation.

Lu Yu’s face darkened as he listened: “What nonsense is this? That brat is dumping all sorts of filth on his own father’s head! Utter rubbish!”

Lu Yan looked at his father’s stern expression and actually felt a sense of relief.

His relationship with his father was decent, to be honest. His first reaction upon hearing the news was that something didn’t add up.

Dad might not be a perfect father, but when it came to relationships with women… he was definitely not the type to fool around.

An illegitimate daughter didn’t align with his father’s character at all.

Lu Yan chatted with his father a while longer. When asked about his startup, he gave vague answers before Lu Yu was called away by his secretary for a merger meeting. Lu Yan promised to investigate the unidentified little girl when he had time.

On the typhoon night, Lu Yan worked overtime with his roommate.

As the night deepened, Zhao Cheng yawned and suggested calling it a day first: “Boss, let’s stop here for tonight. I’m exhausted, and you look pretty tired too. Let’s sleep and continue tomorrow.”

Lu Yan paused, then nodded.

Truthfully, he wasn’t tired—just distracted all evening.

He was someone who maintained intense focus in both work and study, rarely slipping into such a state.

That night, his mind kept wandering back to the words of the little girl who claimed to be his sister, as mentioned by Xiao Fei.

Though it was clearly an illogical story that defied common sense.

Yet here he was, a top student about to graduate from Tsinghua’s computer science department, actually immersing himself in it.

…

Even more absurdly, Lu Yan didn’t just immerse himself—he had a dream in the early hours of the morning.

He dreamed of that little girl in a pale blue princess dress, like a miniature Cinderella.

The dream seemed to be set during their mother’s birthday celebration.

The tiny bundle sat in their mother’s arms, sweetly kissing her cheek.

“Happy birthday, Mommy! You You loves you forever!”

Shi Ning smiled gently, radiantly beautiful, just as she had been ten years ago.

On the living room sofa were himself, Dad, Mom, second brother, third brother…

All six members of the family, complete and together.

It was clearly a very happy family.