Previously: After returning to Earth, I had intended for Zhong Yun to have a relatively quiet life, exploring his old friendships and past. However, it seems this approach was not favored by most readers, so I will skip over that part.

The Main Story: “Is there trouble at your company, Brother-in-law?”

The family was having dinner. Zhong Yun served some greens to his mother and asked Chen Yi, who sat across from him.

Zhong Yun had been back for five days. His brother-in-law had initially planned to return to their hometown in a couple of days, but he hadn't shown up, clearly held back by company matters. His sister had seemed privately worried these past few days, suggesting something significant must be wrong at her husband's company.

Father Chen frowned at the question. “Is everything alright with A-Xiang’s business?”

“It’s nothing major, just a new game about to launch. He needs to personally oversee the final checks, so he’s tied up right now,” Chen Yi explained.

Father Chen grunted an acknowledgment, visibly relieved. He didn't understand the intricacies of company management and rarely inquired further.

Zhong Yun pursed his lips. Although Chen Yi spoke lightly, he could still detect a shadow of worry on her face. The situation was clearly not as simple as she let on.

After everyone else had gone to bed, Zhong Yun led his sister to a room. “Sis, tell me honestly, is there really something wrong with Brother-in-law’s business?”

Faced with her younger brother’s persistent questioning, Chen Yi sighed. “Yes, some problems have cropped up.” Then, she poured out the full extent of the company’s difficulties, as if emptying a sack of beans.

This year, Chen Xiang had been aggressively planning for an Initial Public Offering (IPO), aiming to leverage the stock market to secure funds for business expansion. However, several recent games had underperformed in the market, plunging the company into distress.

Due to years of aggressive expansion, the company’s capital was severely strained. Several highly anticipated games had failed in competition against rivals, collapsing the planned capital recovery, which led to a financial crisis.

This was not all. Because of these recent failures, some shareholders had begun questioning Chen Xiang’s management capabilities, and there were growing calls to replace the Chairman.

Chen Xiang held a thirty-five percent stake in Jinghui Company, and Yi held five percent. Without the support of other shareholders, they could not secure control of the company. Jinghui was the product of Chen Xiang’s thirty years of dedication, and he was naturally unwilling to yield it easily.

As it stood, Chen Xiang was cornered, facing crises both internally and externally.

After listening, Zhong Yun stroked his chin in silence.

Based on estimates, Jinghui Company’s market value hovered around ten billion. His sister and brother-in-law combined possessed assets worth forty billion, making them significant magnates.

Brother-in-law was nearly fifty; retirement would afford him a life of luxury he could enjoy endlessly.

But how could a man who built an empire from scratch, accumulating billions, be content to step down now? At fifty, he was in the prime of his life. Those ambitious in their careers always strive for a few more decades of struggle to forge greater glory.

Seeing her brother remain silent, Chen Yi felt a touch of disappointment. She had secretly held a flicker of hope that little brother might be able to offer some assistance. Now, it seemed this issue clearly exceeded his capabilities.

“If Brother-in-law could build such an empire, he won’t be stumped by this difficulty.”

Chen Yi could only take this statement as a form of comfort.

Under Zhong Yun’s careful ministrations, Father and Mother Chen’s health improved day by day. A week later, Mother Chen was able to follow her husband to the park early in the morning to practice Tai Chi.

Neighbors and acquaintances were astonished upon seeing her, eagerly inquiring which doctor she had seen and what medicine she had taken to achieve such remarkable results. As people age, most accumulate various ailments, especially high blood pressure and heart conditions.

Mother Chen proudly boasted to everyone she met that her son was responsible for her recovery.

This put Zhong Yun in a difficult spot; he had to play the role of a bare-foot doctor. Although he repeatedly stressed that he held no medical license and only knew a few folk remedies, Mother Chen’s enthusiastic endorsement acted as a powerful advertisement, making it impossible for him to refuse the elderly women’s fervent requests. (PC R E A D I N G . 1 6 . N)

In the end, Zhong Yun was extremely busy, but he harbored no complaints; as long as his mother was happy, he willingly accepted the exhaustion.

Of course, he could not dispense the supreme elixirs to these neighbors. It wasn't stinginess; the rare materials left over from the Water Star had been completely depleted, and those elixirs were finite. Using them on his parents was only right, but these elders were neither kin nor acquaintance—he wasn't so universally benevolent. He could only use elemental energy to regulate their bodies and supplement with some standard medicinal compounds.

Even so, the results were striking. The elders he treated came with their children to express gratitude, turning the Chen residence into a bustling thoroughfare for a while.

Father and Mother Chen were overjoyed at their son’s success, their smiles never fading. However, as more and more people sought him out, they began to worry about their son becoming too mentally drained, politely refusing all but the most insistent visitors.

Zhong Yun could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

With Mother Chen’s health greatly improved, Zhong Yun no longer needed to stay by her side constantly; the elderly woman also required her own space. This gave him time to wander about and observe the city as it transformed around him.

With Su Yu acting as his contact, Zhong Yun met several old classmates. Most of his former peers had moved to larger cities; those who remained locally often had connections, securing positions as civil servants.

Among these old classmates, the most successful one had become a Deputy Director, while the least successful was merely a minor Section Chief.

One evening, Zhong Yun, dressed in sportswear, had just returned from a run. As soon as he walked in, he saw Chen Yijia seated on the living room sofa, a strangely mischievous smile on her face, calling out in a clear, bright voice, “Uncle is back!”

Zhong Yun rolled his eyes and ignored her, heading straight to his room.

After showering and changing, he returned to the living room to find his father seated in his special armchair, reading a newspaper. The little girl was busy arranging chairs and tables.

Zhong Yun rolled up his sleeves to help, asking casually, “What’s the occasion today?” According to custom, a large dinner in the living room was only set up for holidays or birthdays. Otherwise, they ate in the smaller dining area near the kitchen.

“Ask yourself!” the little girl chirped, looking like a barnyard hen that had stolen rice, her eyes crinkled with laughter.

Zhong Yun glanced at the setting—six chairs were laid out—and guessed, “Is your dad coming over?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” She had no intention of spoiling the surprise prematurely.

Zhong Yun soon learned who the guests were. Just as he finished setting out the bowls and chopsticks, a young woman wearing an apron emerged from the kitchen, carrying a small stainless steel pot. Seeing him, a faint blush rose on her cheeks.

“You?” He didn’t recognize this woman. She was delicate-looking and tall, perhaps twenty-four or twenty-five, with fair skin. The white apron only enhanced her gentle demeanor.

The young woman was about to speak when Mother Chen’s voice called from the kitchen, “Xiao Yin, come help quickly!” Giving Zhong Yun an apologetic look, she quickly said, “My name is Zhang Yinyin,” before retreating into the kitchen.

Zhong Yun scratched his head, catching sight of his mischievous niece covering her mouth, stifling a laugh. He glared fiercely at her.

Given the setup, he already guessed the charade being performed. This left him feeling a mixture of amusement and exasperation. This girl, Zhang Yinyin, was likely a potential girlfriend his parents had scouted for him.

He realized it was partly his own fault for feeding his parents misleading information that led to this elaborate setup.

His sister had once asked if he was married, and constrained by his secrets, he had answered vaguely. Later, his mother had repeatedly probed, asking if he had a partner, and he had given similarly hazy responses.

Presumably, this led them to believe he was still single. It was natural for his parents to be anxious; a man in his early forties ought to be settled down.

While feeling both amused and frustrated, he also recognized that certain issues needed to be resolved.

He hadn’t deeply considered how to manage his dual relationships: on one side, his birth parents who raised him for over twenty years, whom he could never abandon; on the other, the parents of this physical body, who had shown him profound kindness.

Emotionally, he leaned toward his Earthly parents, yet his parents from the Galactic Empire had also treated him with genuine affection. He could not bear to let go of either side.

He didn't want either party to know of the other’s existence, but at this moment, he couldn't fabricate a perfect, plausible identity, forcing him to remain ambiguous.

Everything could only be resolved once Yun Qi arrived.

Yun Qi was trustworthy, and under no circumstances would she betray him. She wouldn't care if he was Chen Haojia or Zhong Yun; she wouldn't care if he came from Earth or Dawu; nor would she care whose parents he had.

With her help, he could construct a flawless background story and manage to keep his other parents in the dark.

When he first learned he could return to Earth, he hadn't considered the ramifications; he was solely focused on seeing his parents again as quickly as possible.

The presence of a stranger made the dinner atmosphere livelier, especially Chen Yijia, who called the new guest "Sister" repeatedly with startling affection.

Father and Mother Chen were also exceptionally warm toward Zhang Yinyin; it was evident they were quite pleased with this prospective “daughter-in-law.”

Zhong Yun also felt that, based on this brief interaction, the young woman—a top foreign language graduate from Jiaotong University—was not only beautiful but also possessed refined manners and conversation, balancing politeness with approachability. As a first impression, scoring ninety points would not be an exaggeration.

However, he genuinely had no intention of finding another partner on Earth.

Consequently, throughout the meal, Zhong Yun remained a silent figure, saying barely a word, which inadvertently cast a slight awkwardness over the otherwise lively gathering.

Zhang Yinyin did not linger long; after finishing dinner and sitting for a short while, she excused herself, and the Chen family did not dare press her to stay.

Once the guest departed, Chen Yi immediately began to reprimand her brother. “What was that about? You didn’t say a word to the guest, making her so uncomfortable.”

Zhong Yun rubbed his nose sheepishly.

“Uncle must not like her,” Chen Yijia interjected.

“Xiao Jia, do you dislike her? What type do you prefer? Mom can help you find someone,” Mother Chen said this with confidence. Even if her son was in his forties, given the Chen family’s wealth, plenty of women would be eager to marry him, even if he were in his sixties.

“Mom, please don’t trouble yourself,” Zhong Yun felt a touch of gratitude; deep down, his mother truly cared for him.

“Little brother, do you already have someone in your heart?” Chen Yi suddenly asked.