Chapter 6

The houses in the urban village were rather old, and the one Lu Yan rented hadn’t been renovated either.  

For Lu Yan, who was solely focused on his research, it didn’t matter much. But for You You, who had been doted on by her parents and brothers before crossing over, it was truly jaw-dropping—  

This tiny room wasn’t even as big as her mother’s dressing room!  

Lu Yan did notice the little girl’s stunned expression but had no idea why.  

You You was a kind-hearted child and quickly tried to suppress her shock, praising in her sweet, childish voice, “Brother Lu Yan, your home is so pretty!”  

Lu Yan was baffled.  

You You’s big, dark, clear eyes scanned the surroundings. Her mother had always told her to encourage family and friends, but she found it hard to force any more compliments, even after exhausting her entire (three-year) vocabulary…  

Yet her little heart was set on cheering up her big brother no matter what!  

Even if he was dirt-poor now, he would one day become a powerhouse who would revolutionize global technology!  

So she tilted her little head and declared earnestly, “Brother Lu Yan, you’re so handsome too—even more handsome than Brother Lu Fei!”  

“…” Lu Yan scratched his head awkwardly.  

Though he wasn’t unfamiliar with girls showering him with flattery, one this young… was definitely a first.  

The faint blush on the young man’s face quickly faded as he carefully noticed the watch on the little girl’s wrist.  

“Can I take a look at your watch?”  

Only then did You You belatedly remember the most urgent matter.  

The reason she had been willing to come with him despite worrying about her second brother’s safety was that she wanted him to charge her watch.  

“Of course! This is the birthday present you gave me, Big Brother! My watch has been dead for two days now. Please charge it for me! Once it’s powered on, I can show you the family photos inside!”  

Three-year-old You You had clear logic. She knew adults rarely believed children, especially about something as bizarre as time travel.  

But the countless photos in her watch were proof.  

As long as she could turn it on, whether it was her brothers or her parents, they would surely believe her!  

Lu Yan understood her meaning. Combined with the endless thoughts from his dream last night, he was now eager to solve this problem.  

Holding the watch, he sat at his desk and immediately slipped into work mode.  

The slender, pale young man immersed himself in dismantling the watch with his tools…  

You You clenched her tiny fists, full of anticipation.  

Brother Lu Yan could definitely do it!  

He was a genius scholar!  

A future master who would build a tech empire!  

Besides, this watch was his own creation!  

Nothing could stump him!  

However… forty minutes later…  

Lu Yan looked up, wiping a thin layer of sweat from his forehead.  

His handsome, fair face couldn’t hide his embarrassment…  

“Uh… You You, I’m really sorry, but I can’t charge your watch right now.”  

You You’s hopeful little face instantly froze.  

Oh no.  

If even Brother Lu Yan—the pinnacle of the family’s intelligence—couldn’t fix it…  

Did that mean she’d never be believed?  

Her little nose tingled with sadness. It wasn’t that she thought her twenty-year-old brother wasn’t capable enough, but… she just really wanted to show them the family photos.  

Lu Yan stood up, rubbing his temples. Steeling himself, he crouched down in front of the little girl.

“I’m sorry, but there’s still a chance. I’ll work overtime tonight to draft a design and send it to the factory tomorrow to see if we can recreate the Charging Cradle you described.”

The child looked genuinely upset.

Lu Yan couldn’t resist reaching out to pat her head.

To be honest, before meeting this child, his predominant emotion had been curiosity.

Anyone having such dreams would inevitably let their imagination run wild.

But he believed in science and was more inclined to think that such dreams were merely manifestations of psychological suggestions from hearing Xiao Fei’s recent experiences during sleep.

However, after meeting this little dumpling…

His mindset had subtly shifted.

The original plan was simply to temporarily accommodate her and then take her to the identification center for a DNA test as soon as possible.

Being gentle with her was just to establish a connection first, to prevent her from being too scared and causing trouble by crying during the hospital visit.

He hadn’t expected at all that this dumpling would be extraordinarily well-behaved, exactly like the one in his dream—soft, sweet, and endearing.

You You was almost immediately comforted.

She nodded vigorously: “I believe you can do it, Brother Lu Yan. You You has time. Take your time to research, do your best!”

The corners of Lu Yan’s mouth twitched as he suppressed a chuckle.

He still held the black-screened watch in his hand, feeling a slight warmth in his chest.

Upon reflection, his scientific research journey had been quite lonely.

Many of his ideas and grand visions far exceeded the technology of his time, so they were hardly understood.

Even his father merely adhered to the principle of neither praising nor opposing.

He was like a lone traveler, moving forward slowly and steadily in isolation.

When presenting his bidding proposals, the most common reaction from superiors was shaking their heads with sighs: “Young man, what era is this? It’s not the last century or even ten years ago. Be more down-to-earth, don’t indulge in flights of fancy and ruin your good hand.”

Everyone thought that as the top student in Tsinghua University’s computer science department, he should capitalize on his resources and rise swiftly with offers from major corporations.

Instead of stubbornly starting his own business in an economic downturn where everything seemed to lose money.

Almost no one had faith in him.

And he had never forced the issue.

Except for this little dumpling he had just met.

Who, in the face of his failure, still placed all her hopes in him.

As if he was naturally destined to succeed.

…

Around lunchtime, Lu Yan took the child to a nearby McDonald’s.

He wasn’t sure what You You liked to eat, but assumed most children enjoyed fast food.

Yet You You stared at the colorful product images for a long time, too hesitant to order.

Nowadays, orders were placed via WeChat mini-programs, so there was no queue and no rush.

Lu Yan had timed it to match their appointment at the identification center and couldn’t afford to dawdle too long.

So he tentatively asked, “How about this? A McChicken?”

He noticed You You had lingered longest on this item’s picture.

You You loved McChicken the most, but her mom said the black pepper in it was too heaty and rarely let her have it.

She swallowed hard, shaking her head like a rattle drum.

“No, no,” she whispered in a tiny voice, “that’s too expensive. You You doesn’t need to eat such expensive things. Just some dirt will do.”

Having never worried about money in her three years of life, You You had no concept of food prices whatsoever.

She had just watched a workplace drama yesterday where the employees complained about being broke by the end of the month, saying they’d have to “eat dirt” again.  

Plus, in the world six years later, the phrase “eat dirt” was no longer in fashion, so she had interpreted it literally as an effective solution for the poor in this era when they ran out of money.  

Lu Yan truly couldn’t grasp her logic.  

So he casually ordered her a kids’ meal.  

You You clutched the beef burger with her chubby little hands, taking big, eager bites.  

Her soft, plump cheeks puffed in and out—this was the most delicious meal she’d had in the three days since she’d traveled back in time!  

But as she ate, her enthusiasm started to wane…  

Her little eyes darted toward the slender young man sitting across from her.  

The 20-year-old Lu Yan was clearly much poorer than the 26-year-old version. If she kept eating like this, wouldn’t she bankrupt him in just a few days?  

But the burger was just so delicious, wuwuwu…  

A hungry You You wouldn’t be able to walk properly.  

Ah well, she might as well enjoy this meal first. Worst case, she could drag her big brother along to her second brother’s place to beg for food!  

Her second brother’s financial situation was clearly much better than her eldest brother’s.  

……  

Lu Yan watched as the little dumpling tearfully devoured her burger…  

He was at a loss for words.  

Unable to resist, he secretly snapped a photo and sent it to Lu Yu.  

**[Dad, are you sure this little girl really has nothing to do with you?]**  

Lu Yu replied almost instantly:  

**[What do you mean? Have you caught the same stupid disease as that brat Lu Fei?]**  

In the middle of a hectic merger deal, Lu Yu couldn’t fathom why such an absurd situation had landed in his lap.  

But as he looked at the photo of the delicate, doll-like little girl stuffing her face with a burger…  

He realized she did bear a slight resemblance to how he’d looked as a child.  

No one outside the Lu family knew that despite his refined and handsome appearance now, he had looked very much like a little girl when he was young…  

After lunch, Lu Yan took the little girl to a professional testing center for a DNA kinship test.  

Because kinship testing was far more complex than paternity testing, the hospital informed them that it would take at least fourteen working days to produce the most accurate results.  

They left the testing center with plenty of time to spare.  

Lu Yan was supposed to head to the office, but seeing You You in her oversized, cheap yellow dress from Taobao made him uncomfortable.  

Whether or not this child was actually related to their family, the fact that he’d encountered her might have been fate in some way.  

Before going to work, he decided to take her shopping for some new clothes.  

Having never bought children’s clothing before, he searched online and chose a highly recommended children’s brand in a nearby mall.  

You You, now full and drowsy, was fighting sleep—it was nap time according to her kindergarten schedule.  

Lu Yan carried her the whole time, the little dumpling’s soft arms lightly looped around his neck.  

The sight of the tall, handsome young man and the tiny, adorable girl turned heads everywhere in the mall, with a 200% stare rate.  

Lu Yan, young and strikingly handsome, outshone even the heartthrob leads from campus dramas.  

And the pink-cheeked dumpling in his arms was irresistibly cute—the staff and manager of the children’s store flocked around her, itching to pinch her cheeks.  

The manager even brought out the newest and prettiest dresses in the store, eager to try them all on You You.  

As it turned out, You You was a natural-born model for children’s clothing.  

Every style looked good on her.  

But the most stunning was the light blue princess dress she was wearing now!

The store manager couldn’t stop praising: “Little one, you look absolutely perfect in our dress! Could you let me take a few photos later? I’d like to send them to headquarters—they’re currently offering generous fees for child models, and you’d be perfect for it!”

You You loved the dress too, but she only cared about one thing at the moment—

“Auntie, is this dress expensive?”

“Not at all, not at all! It’s just over a thousand. Our brand is very affordable—high quality, great designs, and no sky-high prices.”

“…” You You felt her little heart bleeding. “O-over a thousand isn’t expensive…?”

That could buy so many hamburgers!

“No, no, You You already has clothes to wear,” she said, tugging at Lu Yan’s hand to leave.

Lu Yan: “You only brought pajamas, though. You need some outdoor clothes.”

You You’s little face was full of fierce resistance: “No, no, no, not here. Let’s go, brother!”

Lu Yan stood by, rubbing his forehead.

While he wasn’t particularly concerned about spending, as a son of the Lu family, he was no stranger to money—he just didn’t care much about it.

This little dumpling had fair, rosy skin, was clever and quick-witted, and spoke fluent English. She didn’t seem like she came from a financially struggling family at all.

Moreover, the pink nightgown A Jiu had washed for her in the machine was from a very expensive high-end brand’s children’s line.

He couldn’t understand why she was so tight-fisted.

In the end, You You couldn’t win against him.

Lu Yan paid for a whole pile of clothes for her via mobile payment.

On their way out of the mall, Lu Yan carried her with one arm, letting her sit on his forearm while holding shopping bags in the other hand.

So many people took out their phones to take pictures of them along the way…

Lu Yan regretted not wearing a hat when he left the house.

Though he was good-looking, he never put effort into his appearance. With trendy guys everywhere these days, he’d never encountered this kind of attention before.

He knew full well it was the “fashion accessory” dumpling in his arms giving him this buff.

The short few hundred meters made his face burn with embarrassment.

Back home, after setting You You down, he couldn’t help but ask, “Did this happen often when you went out before?”

You You was puzzled: “What do you mean?”

“Like… lots of people watching you, liking you, taking photos of you.”

You You answered without hesitation: “Of course! Mom says our whole family has the genes for being handsome and beautiful. When big brother took me to Disneyland before, we even made the news! The brothers and sisters online all said big brother was the most handsome research tycoon in history!”

“…………”

To Lu Yan, those eight short words were each more cringe-inducing than the last.

In the afternoon, Lu Yan took You You to the company.

He assigned a junior female clerk to look after the child while he buried himself in meetings until dark.

When You You finally saw her brother emerge, she clearly noticed the exhaustion on his face.

And it wasn’t just Lu Yan—the colleagues behind him wore the same expression.

The employees had all clocked out, leaving only the partners in the vast office.

Zhao Cheng sighed: “This General Jiang really has no principles. It’s clearly not our fault, yet he just withdraws his investment like that. Now we owe the bank over eight million…”

Lu Yan’s mood was equally heavy.

Problems with this project had started last month, and now, it had completely collapsed.

General Jiang’s broken funding chain could potentially lead to the complete collapse of his startup.  

Yet for some reason, when he stepped out of the suffocating conference room and saw the little dumpling waiting for him not far away, his muddled mind suddenly cleared considerably.  

He strode forward, bent down to pick up You You, and asked gently, “Are you hungry, hm?”  

You You had been happy to see her brother finally emerge, but at Zhao Cheng’s words, her smile instantly vanished.  

E-eight million…  

The pretty dress she was wearing only cost a thousand yuan!  

How could her twenty-year-old brother owe so much money?!  

Panic burned through her.  

She counted on her chubby little fingers, “E-eight million… Maybe, maybe Brother can sell all the dresses we bought this afternoon? But even selling them wouldn’t be enough… It’s too, too much money…”  

She racked her brain, trying to think of any way she could help Lu Yan pay off the debt.  

She felt that even if she sold every single pretty dress from the walk-in closet she had before transmigrating, it still might not be enough.  

The little dumpling’s mind raced—then suddenly, she remembered what her parents had repeatedly told her before.  

They said she must never get lost, that she was a priceless treasure.  

Priceless.  

That sounded like it should be worth a lot, right?  

You You pouted, thinking that in this world, no one remembered her anyway—she was just an extra person. If she could help Lu Yan solve his urgent problem…  

At least she’d be of some use.  

With that thought, tears began to spill uncontrollably. “Waaah, Brother, just sell You You first! Then… then when you have money later, remember to buy You You back, waaah…”