Chapter 87
In the apartment Ye Qingquan rented, the afternoon sunlight spread softly across the floor.
In the child’s room, filled with plush toys, a little boy lay on his blue bed, eyes closed, sleeping soundly and unaware of the world around him.
After returning from his stall, Jian Yunlan had taken a comfortable afternoon nap.
Ever since he turned into a child, despite retaining his innate strength, his energy had significantly diminished. The most obvious sign was how easily he got tired.
Back then, he could run his stall for three to four hours without a break. But today, after just an hour, he was already exhausted.
When they got home, Ye Qingquan placed him on the soft little bed and spoke gently, “Baby, take a nap, okay? You have to sleep well if you want to grow tall.”
Surprisingly, Jian Yunlan found that voice incredibly soothing.
In his past life, he had lost both parents at a young age and grew up alone.
Now, suddenly feeling the concern of a ‘family member’—even if he knew it was just the pre-set storyline of this transmigrated novel—his eyelids couldn’t help but droop. Before long, he had drifted into sleep.
He had a dream.
In his dream, the grand Jian family villa was lively and bustling. The butler reminded him to take care of himself. A little girl with her hair in a bun ran around the house, calling him ‘Master’ at the top of her lungs. Outside, in the fields, a minotaur in blue overalls wiped the sweat from his brow and continued plowing.
And besides them…
Who else?
A voice echoed in his mind—stubborn, slightly proud, sneaking glances at him from time to time, filled with both displeasure and a hint of longing.
“Human, how dare you forget me?”
Soft, silver hair brushed against Jian Yunlan’s cheek.
In his dream, a pair of dark golden eyes stared at him intently.
There were many scenes in the dream—one of them from just a short while ago, on that snowy day, when the three of them had huddled around a stove, eating hotpot.
Back then, those same dark golden eyes had gazed at him in exactly the same way.
Clearly, he was an arrogant, ferocious beast…
Yet the way he looked at Jian Yunlan was as gentle and bright as moonlight.
Even after waking from the dream, that warmth, like being wrapped in moonlight, still lingered around Jian Yunlan.
A soft breeze lifted the sheer white curtains.
The little boy sat in the sunroom, gazing at the sky outside, his expression slightly dazed.
“…Taotie.”
He mumbled the name, rubbing his eyes.
From Paranoid Possession to Dark River, Bright Light, this was the first world where he was truly alone.
No Jian family villa.
No butler.
No eccentric fortune teller named Hu Danggui.
And no ancient ferocious beast constantly shouting behind him, calling him ‘human.’
Jian Yunlan had once thought that this quiet, simple life—where all he needed to worry about was running his stall—wasn’t so bad.
But at this very moment, on this perfect, sunlit afternoon—
For some reason…
He felt a little lonely.
Was Taotie feeling the same way?
The thought had barely formed when Jian Yunlan chuckled to himself and dismissed it.
That was Taotie—wherever he went, he would undoubtedly act like he was the ruler of the land, doing whatever he pleased.
Niu Tou had mentioned that Hu Danggui and Taotie had also been thrown into this world.
Right now, Taotie was probably somewhere, claiming a mountain as his domain, living an easy life with no need to bow to anyone.
And as for Hu Danggui—
That girl was an expert at wandering around freeloading. She was a nine-tailed fox who had lived for thousands of years. She was probably out there somewhere, scamming free food and shelter.
Jian Yunlan yawned and got to his feet.
“Time to buy groceries.” He murmured.
Just then, Ye Qingquan walked in from outside, looking delighted. His almond-shaped eyes curved in excitement as he held up a lotus-shaped lantern.
“Baby, come look! Daddy bought a beautiful, beautiful lantern! There’s a little figure inside, and it can talk!”
As he spoke, Ye Qingquan placed the lantern in front of Jian Yunlan.
The lotus lantern was exquisite, made of translucent glass, shimmering with a mesmerizing glow.
Inside the lantern sat a tiny, intricately detailed figure, cross-legged. The lantern emitted a soft radiance, and at the same time, a dreamy voice rang out—
“Amitabha. This humble Daoist is Lady Hu of Qingqiu. Due to being separated from my wise and mighty master, I am currently wandering the mortal realm. Send me 50 yuan to hear my grand revenge plan.”
Ye Qingquan beamed. “Baby, isn’t it amazing?!”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
Stop picking up random things!
At that moment, the tiny figure inside the lantern seemed to notice Jian Yunlan. With a thump, she smacked against the glass wall.
Her voice turned ecstatic, nearly sobbing with joy—
“Master! It’s me! Master, don’t you remember Gui Gui? I’ve been looking for you for so long! Why are you so small and so cute now? Ahhhhhh!”
“This lamp is using way too much electricity in broad daylight,” Ye Qingquan muttered, pressing the switch on the lamp. “Let’s turn it off. It’s kind of noisy.”
Click.
The lamp went out.
Everything inside the lamp—the tiny figure’s movements and words—abruptly stopped, as if frozen mid-motion.
Jian Yunlan: “…………”
His heart jolted in shock.
This lotus lamp… can be turned off?! If the lamp was off, would Hu Danggui inside just… be gone?!
“Daddy, Lanlan wants the lamp.” The little boy blinked his big, round eyes at Ye Qingquan, his gaze watery and pleading.
…To begin with, Jian Yunlan was already quite skilled at using this face to charm people.
Now that he was a child, pulling off such an act was a bit embarrassing, but Brave Lanlan feared no challenge.
Embarrassing? So what? As long as it works.
Ye Qingquan had always indulged Lanlan in everything. Seeing those big, shimmering eyes, his heart immediately melted. Holding his face, he grinned foolishly. “Alright, alright! Daddy will give Lanlan the lamp. But be careful, okay? Don’t break it.”
With that, he handed the lotus lamp over.
The little boy nodded cautiously.
After examining the lamp carefully, Jian Yunlan finally let out a sigh of relief.
Hu Danggui was fine.
The Little Genius Smartwatch’s Cooking Master App informed him that since Hu Danggui had been separated from Jian Yunlan for too long, her spiritual energy was depleted. As a result, she—along with the lotus lamp—had entered a dormant state. She just needed to absorb some natural spiritual energy to wake up again.
Basically, she was out of battery and needed a recharge.
Jian Yunlan placed the lotus lamp on the windowsill to bask in the sunlight, hoping that would help Hu Danggui absorb energy faster.
Then, he grabbed his small backpack. “Daddy, let’s go buy groceries.”
Ye Qingquan glanced at his phone for a long moment before nodding and ruffling the boy’s hair. “Alright, let’s go grocery shopping.”
Every evening around six was their usual time to visit the market.
Making roast duck didn’t require many ingredients—just a duck. Some people would buy several ducks at once, freeze them, and thaw them when needed. But Jian Yunlan never used frozen ducks. Every day, he would go to the market to buy a freshly slaughtered one.
Soon, the father and son duo arrived at the bustling market.
Over the past few days, many vendors had already become familiar with them. As soon as they saw the pair, they greeted them warmly:
“Lanlan, here to buy groceries with your dad again?”
“Mr. Ye, Sister Li has already prepared the duck for you—it’s just waiting for you to pick it up.”
“Fresh apples, just picked from our orchard! Mr. Ye, buy some for Lanlan to get his vitamins!”
“Our pork ribs are top quality! Perfect for a growing boy like Lanlan—why not buy some for a nourishing soup?”
Jian Yunlan looked like an ordinary three-year-old child. Most people assumed he was just accompanying his father on grocery trips.
After all, who would ever guess that this little boy was actually the owner of a roast duck stall?
Ye Qingquan had a soft heart and could never refuse anyone.
Whenever someone spoke to him, he would get roped into buying things. Just now, he had bought apples, and now he was chatting with the butcher about pork ribs.
If someone complimented Lanlan even a little, Ye Qingquan would get so overjoyed that he lost all sense of direction. While paying for the ribs, he humbly responded, “Oh, Lanlan has always been smart. He gets that from me…”
The butcher grinned and kept up the pitch. “Exactly! A genius child like Lanlan needs plenty of nutritious soup. I’ve got some premium pork trotters—let me grab some for you.”
Ye Qingquan nodded immediately. “Great, great!”
Meanwhile, Jian Yunlan stood to the side, waiting.
Ye Qingquan’s conversation with the butcher grew livelier, and nearly ten minutes passed. The ribs kept piling up, yet there was no sign of their talk ending.
The little boy glanced at his Little Genius Smartwatch, growing impatient.
He still needed to buy the duck, prepare it, and—if time allowed—go look for Taotie.
After all, as a business owner himself, he couldn’t just let Taotie wander around homeless.
Another five minutes passed. Ye Qingquan was still deep in conversation, now discussing parenting philosophies with the butcher.
Finally, Jian Yunlan couldn’t hold back anymore. “Daddy, I’m going to buy the duck. I’ll be right back.”
Without waiting for a response, he grabbed his small cart and walked away.
His voice wasn’t loud, so Ye Qingquan might not have heard him—but that was fine.
The duck stall was just a few dozen meters away. Jian Yunlan figured he could go buy the duck and return before Ye Qingquan even noticed he was gone.
Besides, he was technically an adult—just in a three-year-old’s body. He had run the stall so many times already. Sure, Ye Qingquan always secretly watched over him during those times, but…
It’s just a short walk to buy a duck. What could possibly go wrong?
…Something did.
The market was bustling, the busiest time of day. As night fell, bright lights illuminated the stalls, and the air was filled with chatter.
Jian Yunlan didn’t notice that a malicious gaze had been tracking him in the crowd.
Not until a pair of large hands suddenly covered his mouth.
“Quiet. Don’t make a sound, or I’ll strangle you.”
A hoarse voice whispered in his ear, trembling with excitement. “Hehehe… This face… If I’m right, and this kid really is Huo Ye’s son… I just hit the jackpot!”
Jian Yunlan’s mouth formed an “O” shape.
K-Kidnapping?!
Someone actually dared to kidnap him, a seasoned stall owner with years of experience, right in the middle of a bustling market?!
This kidnapper was way too unprofessional.
After a brief moment of speechlessness, Jian Yunlan was about to use his innate strength to break free, subdue the kidnapper, and then call the police in one swift move.
…However, in the next second, he heard the kidnapper chuckle sinisterly and say:
“There’s an abandoned duck farm nearby. Besides a bunch of fat, quacking ducks, there’s no one else there. Only I know the location—once I take you there, no one will ever find you. Mwahaha!”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
Jian Yunlan: “……Wuhu.”
A flock of ducks.
A whole flock of plump, semi-wild, unwanted ducks.
The little boy blinked his round eyes, spread his hands, and gave up struggling.
His gaze was now filled with anticipation and longing. “Uncle, let’s hurry up and go! I promise I won’t scream!”
This wasn’t a kidnapper. This was a truly kind-hearted person!
The kidnapper: “???”
*
Multiverse Live Stream
[=?= Holy crap, the kidnapping arc is happening this early?!]
[In the original novel, the baby gets kidnapped, and his domineering CEO dad, Huo Ye, makes a dramatic rescue, gaining a ton of favorability points from Ye Qingquan…]
[Isn’t this way too soon? Lanlan hasn’t even reunited with his real dad yet (facepalm)]
[Could it be that since Lanlan is fixing bugs so quickly, the other events are happening earlier?]
[Aaaah what do we do?! Ye Qingquan, hurry up and realize your son is missing! QAQ]
[…Wait, what’s up with Lanlan’s reaction?]
So Jian Yunlan going punch that kidnapper in the groin after he collects the wild ducks?