As a premiere metropolis on the southeast coast, this newly built provincial airport was seeing an ever-increasing number of travelers using air transport as national income levels rose.

Coinciding with the approaching Lunar New Year, the airport was exceptionally crowded, with many people waiting for arrivals. Zhong Yun and his niece were pressed into the throng, anticipating a plane’s landing.

Chen Yijia, picking up someone at the airport for the first time, peered around in wonder, peppering her aunt with nonstop questions: Where was the person from? How did Auntie meet Uncle? A host of similar inquiries followed.

Zhong Yun offered noncommittal replies, eventually growing weary. He tapped the girl’s head lightly. “You little busybody.” The young lady pouted in response.

“Here to pick someone up?”

A young man in his early twenties, standing beside Zhong Yun and clearly bored, struck up a conversation.

“Mmm,” Zhong Yun replied. Noticing the young man’s gaze drifting toward the girl, Zhong Yun couldn't help but smile slightly and casually asked, “You too?”

“My older brother is flying back from England for the New Year,” the young man replied, displaying uncommon enthusiasm. “Hearing your accents, you must be locals?”

“Something like that.”

Just as Zhong Yun finished speaking, the broadcast chimed in—the flight had arrived.

“They’re coming! They’re coming!” The young girl excitedly tugged at Zhong Yun’s clothing, pointing toward the exit gate and shouting, “Is it the one in the pink dress?”

Zhong Yun followed her gaze and immediately rolled his eyes. It was a girl dressed quite seductively. In the dead of winter, she wore a short skirt, and she looked little older than Chen Yijia.

“That one? Or that one?” Chen Yijia pointed at every woman who emerged. Zhong Yun couldn't be bothered with her anymore.

“Your sister? Quite cute,” the young man beside him seized the opportunity to comment.

Zhong Yun glanced at him dismissively. “No. My niece.” The young man wasn't unattractive, but the idea of him pursuing Yijia was out of the question. The course had already been set at home: no dating until she was in university.

“Whoa—” The young girl suddenly let out an exaggerated shriek. The surrounding roar of voices seemed to freeze, as if an invisible, massive hand had clapped over everyone’s mouth. The area descended into an eerie silence.

The young man subconsciously turned toward the exit. The sight that met his eyes felt like a heavy blow to his heart.

A figure slowly emerged from the gate. As she walked past, the surrounding time seemed to decelerate. Even the slight tremor of the pure white scarf draped around her neck, moving gently with her steps, was vividly clear.

Her peerless, frost-proud bearing struck everyone’s gaze with the force of an Indonesian tsunami, rendering them speechless.

Under the scrutiny of over a hundred cryptic looks, she appeared utterly unconcerned. Her eyes swept across the crowd, then suddenly brightened. A smile that could eclipse the heavens bloomed on her face, and she quickened her pace.

The young man felt his heart contract violently several times, a surge of blood rushing to his head, leaving him dizzy. She’s smiling at me.

A wave of immense happiness instantly seized his heart.

But before he could savor the bliss, reality plunged him into an abyss of despair.

He watched helplessly as she walked toward him. Before he could even extend a hand, she had thrown herself into the arms of the person beside him.

He thought he heard the sound of his own heart shattering.

It wasn’t just him; every man present watching her embrace another man felt their hearts break into a million pieces.

“Yun.”

She called out the man’s name, her arms encircling his neck over the one-meter-high metal barrier as they embraced. That breathtaking smile was reserved solely for the man she held.

Amidst the mournful gazes of everyone else, the man lifted her body over the railing, wrapped his arm around her waist, and strode away.

“Uncle!” An excited voice broke the silence, and amidst the patter of footsteps, the young girl chased after them.

At that moment, everyone snapped back to awareness, erupting into chatter. The focus, naturally, was the woman whose beauty was capable of causing ruin, and the man with her.

“Little brother.” A large hand clapped the shoulder of the young man who had been conversing with Zhong Yun. He flinched, finally coming to, and looked at his older brother.

Patting his brother’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort, the handsome man, nearly thirty, wore a complex expression. “She’s not someone like us can ever possess.”

“I know,” the younger man lowered his head, his eyes filled with profound disappointment.

“Uncle!”

Chen Yijia completely abandoned any pretense of ladylike behavior, yelling until her face was flushed and neck throbbing, drawing stares from passersby.

Finally catching up to Zhong Yun and the others, panting heavily, she stammered out, “Uncle, is, is, is, is that… A-Auntie?” Her usual sharp tongue was nowhere in sight.

“You must be Xiao Yi. Yun often mentions you.” Yun Qi was always warm toward Zhong Yun’s relatives.

Seeing her smile, Chen Yijia felt a wave of dizziness, her words tripping over themselves. “Au-Auntie, h-hello.”

Noticing the scores of eyes gathering around them, Zhong Yun frowned. “Let’s go. We’ll talk when we get home.”

In the car, Chen Yijia transformed, contrary to her usual self, into a model of quiet propriety—as demure as one could possibly be. Anyone seeing this would have their jaw drop.

Her bright eyes occasionally darted toward her aunt, her cheeks flushed, her heart pounding with excitement.

She only heard her uncle and aunt murmuring to each other in a language she had never encountered before. Suppressing the urge to question them, she tried her best to make a good impression on the aunt who looked like an immortal.

Could Auntie be a princess from some country? the young girl thought dreamily.

“Is everything prepared?” Zhong Yun asked in Dawu language.

“Mmm,” Yun Qi nodded, quietly explaining her background to him.

Zhong Yun’s own sudden appearance was already difficult enough to explain; without high-level connections, obtaining a new identity card would have been nearly impossible. After all, vanishing for over two decades and then reappearing abruptly, with an inexplicable history, inevitably raised suspicion.

That was why, after Yun Qi arrived, he hadn't rushed her home. Instead, they took a detour to Europe first to resolve the identity issue. She had brought a massive quantity of gold, a hard currency on Earth. With money, everything else became manageable.

Now, Yun Qi was transformed into the owner of some European castle. If she hadn't been non-Caucasian, she might even have acquired a noble title.

Because the timeline was short, this identity naturally contained gaps. Anyone determined enough to investigate would surely find discrepancies. However, Zhong Yun wasn't a major figure, so no one would bother traveling all the way to Europe to dig into his background. A formal, official identity was all that was needed.

The car slowed to a stop in front of the Commerce Building. Before they disembarked, Zhong Yun produced a hat from somewhere and placed it on Yun Qi’s head. A black veil attached to the front obscured more than half of her face.

After observing them from left and right, Zhong Yun nodded in satisfaction, took Yun Qi’s hand, and got out of the car.

Even with half her face veiled, the aura emanating from Yun Qi was dazzling, like a bright pearl in the darkest night, instantly making her the focal point of attention.

Zhong Yun felt quite helpless, thinking that if this continued, Yun Qi would surely attract major trouble. He wasn't afraid of trouble—there was no one on Earth he couldn't handle—but he didn't want to turn everything upside down right upon his return. His parents were ordinary people, and he didn’t want them frightened.

“Wow, so beautiful. Is she some big celebrity?”

“Doesn’t look like it. I’ve never seen her on TV…”

Inside the elevator, two secretaries whispered in a corner, their conversation centered, of course, on Yun Qi. Though their voices were low, they didn't escape the ears of Zhong Yun and Yun Qi.

Upon entering the Jinghui Company offices, the entire floor fell silent. Precisely then, a telephone rang out, sounding jarringly loud in the strange quiet.

If Chen Yi hadn't insisted on bringing her sister-in-law to the office, Zhong Yun truly wouldn't have brought Yun Qi along. Wherever Yun Qi went, she caused a sensation; low-key was simply not an option. He had endured enough of being the center of attention in the Galactic Empire.

Entering the Chairman's office, Chen Yi, who had been seated on the sofa, rose to greet them, but paused halfway, momentarily stunned.

“Greetings, Elder Sister,” Yun Qi executed a graceful curtsy.

“H-hello.” Chen Yi seemed unsure of herself, not knowing where to place her hands. However, having followed her husband and met various important figures before, she gradually regained her composure.

She looked at her younger brother with eyes full of surprise and confusion.

“This is your wife?” Chen Xiang was moved. Possessing broad experience, he didn't lose his composure like his wife.

“Greetings, Brother-in-law. My name is Liu Yunqi,” Yun Qi dipped her head slightly.

“Good, good,” Chen Xiang wasn't sure if he was replying or expressing admiration.

“Please, sit,” Zhong Yun said, noticing the awkward silence.

“Oh, right,” Yun Qi seemed to recall something and pulled out several exquisitely wrapped boxes from her handbag. “These are gifts for you all.”

“Oh, we shouldn’t accept this,” Chen Yi took the packages, feeling a touch embarrassed. “I should be the one giving you a gift.” It wasn't that she had forgotten; it was just that what she had bought felt inadequate. She had personally selected a perfume earlier as a welcome gift, but after meeting Yun Qi, she felt the perfume was too gaudy and unworthy of her sister-in-law. She hadn't even brought it out, worrying now about what suitable gift she could find.

“Thank you, Auntie,” Chen Yijia, however, accepted hers happily, eagerly asking, “Can I open it?” Seeing Yun Qi nod, she eagerly tore open the wrapping.

It was a delicate platinum bracelet, petite and exquisitely designed, perfectly suited for a young girl like Chen Yijia.

“Wow, so pretty! Thank you, Auntie!” Chen Yijia was overjoyed and immediately slipped it onto her wrist. Feeling the cool metal against her skin, she loved it more and more.

Next, Chen Yijia unwrapped the gifts for her parents. Chen Yi received a silk scarf, and Chen Xiang received an antique lighter.

“You shouldn’t have gone to such trouble,” the couple expressed their thanks.

Zhong Yun glanced at Yun Qi, inwardly quite surprised. She normally disliked such formalities; her remembering to bring welcome gifts was a significant effort.

“Sister, Brother-in-law, please don't be so polite with her. We are all family now.”