"Hello, hello." Dad Chen grinned so much that his eyes squinted. "Miss Lin, aren’t your family upset that you’re not going home for the New Year?"

"I don’t have a home... I grew up alone since I was a child..." Lin Qing’s eyes dimmed slightly. "Before I met Chen Xuan, I always spent New Year’s alone in the city where I worked."

"Oh dear, look at what you’ve asked!" Mom Chen glared at him, "Sorry, dear, for touching on your sad memories."

"It’s nothing, I’ve long gotten used to it." She looked up, smiling at the two elders. "So being able to come to Yue City to hang out with Chen Xuan makes me quite happy!"

Not bad... Chen Xuan thought surprisedly, while the acting might not be professional, at least the genuine emotion definitely hit the mark.

And her backstory was truly a bit far-fetched.

But in a sense, she wasn’t lying at all.

Also, having no family background is the least troublesome.

"Let’s go, let’s go, we’ll talk in the car on our way home." Mom Chen said, invitingly.

Chen Xuan’s home is about a forty-minute drive from the high-speed rail station. His dad drove, while his mom chatted incessantly, and eight out of ten sentences were about Lin Qing.

"Did you meet Chen Xuan when you were working at the fast food restaurant?"

"Yes! When I started, I wasn’t familiar with anything. It was him who taught me step by step, saving me from so much scolding." Lin Qing nodded. "Later, our shifts often overlapped, and gradually we became friends."

"Oh, and where did you live in Jiang City?"

"Initially in Sha Jiang District, then I moved to Celestial Ridge District, renting in the same neighborhood as Chen Xuan."

"That’s great..." Mom Chen’s eyes lit up, "You can look out for each other, and it’s convenient for work."

Lin Qing smiled gracefully, "That’s what I thought too. Ever since becoming neighbors with Chen Xuan, I haven’t been late to work even once."

"And where did you go to university?"

"You’re not a local from Jiang City, right... Where do you plan to settle down in the future?"

"And your job? Working at a fast food restaurant isn’t a long-term plan..."

After forty minutes of this "ordeal," Chen Xuan finally dragged his tired body back to his old home.

After helping Lin Qing carry her luggage into the guest room, he closed the door and apologized to her, "Sorry, my mom can talk a bit much."

"It’s fine, she’s actually pretty nice and doesn’t reject me at all," Lin Qing replied nonchalantly. "Plus, it’s normal to ask a lot of questions if she cares. After all, in her eyes, I’m someone who’s going to take her precious son away."

Chen Xuan almost choked, "Just act in the car, when it’s just us, speak to me like we do at the store."

"Yes, store manager," she replied with a mischievous smile.

Lin Qing walked around the guest room, "I didn’t expect... the reputable Ability Store manager once lived in such a place."

"What, too small and disappointing?" Chen Xuan teased. The apartment was only seven or eight years old, a ten-story building with an elevator, standard three-bedroom two-living room layout, around 120 square meters, located near the city’s commercial area. For Yue City, it was already quite a decent place to live.

"It feels quite cozy." She shook her head, "Show me your room."

"Sure, although there’s not much to see."

His bedroom was next to the guest room, the setup was slightly more complex compared to the guest room. Besides the bed and wardrobe, there was also a desk and a display shelf, the shelves were mostly filled with old photos and trophies.

Lin Qing was instantly drawn to those old photos as soon as she entered.

"You were really cute as a kid."

"What cute, that’s called handsome."

"Now you’re big handsome, right?" Lin Qing mocked, "Where we come from, you’d look unbearably rustic."

Chen Xuan wasn’t convinced, "But I’m naturally cool."

"Natural doesn’t fetch a price. And truly wealthy people, even if they have implants, would use extensive gene modification techniques to make themselves indistinguishable from naturals." She eyed the photos, "Did you have any extraordinary experiences as a child?"

"Does often topping the class count?"

"No," Lin Qing rolled her eyes, "Anything more special?"

"I was always a top student, so... probably not." Chen Xuan shrugged, "Why are you asking?"

"I’m wondering why you became the Ability Store manager... or is this ability really a random awakening?"

"Who knows."

Chen Xuan didn’t tell her about the bizarre dreams he frequently had as a child.

In fact, ever since the store materialized, he hadn’t had that dream again, the memories of which now seemed hazy upon reflection.

Speaking of ability awakening... recently, both in Jiang City and nationwide, there seemed to be an increasing number of ability users emerging.

Maybe as the Dimensional Limit Mechanism explained, the expansion of incursion points is causing frequent awakening phenomena.

The issue is, when he was having those dreams, the mechanism was still hidden underwater, and superpowers were pure fiction.

Chen Xuan even pondered if some mysterious outsider had implanted those memories into him.

But the dreams weren’t static.

They changed with his understanding... like the items in the glass display, the shape of light bulbs... and even the coffee machine that appeared later.

This dream seemed to grow with him until the day the iron box on the bar counter opened.

As he was reminiscing about this incredible experience, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

Seeing the number, Chen Xuan was a bit surprised.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Chen, sorry to disturb you, are you still in Jiang City?" A gentle voice came through the earpiece.

It was Gu Zhaoning.

Lin Qing’s ears perked up.

"I’ve already returned home, what’s up?" Chen Xuan asked curiously. Normally, she only sent him messages on WeChat and rarely called.

"It’s like this, I have a friend... named Su Xingwan." Gu Zhaoning softly explained her situation.

In simple terms, this friend hasn’t been feeling well lately; even Beitian Academy checked, but they found nothing wrong. Gu Zhaoning is quite close to her privately, so she directly recommended Chen Xuan. After much persuasion, Su Xingwan finally agreed to take some time to see the so-called miracle doctor.

"Uh..." Chen Xuan scratched his head, how come this side hustle is getting so popular? Now people are asking for specific recommendations.

Could it be another curse?

Although Beitian Academy teamed up with the disease control department to accommodate most patients, there’s no guarantee not a single one slipped through.

"Doing a separate check-up isn’t a problem, but I can only return to Jiang City after the New Year."

"No need! We wouldn’t trouble you to travel," Gu Zhaoning quickly said. "As long as you agree, we can come to Yue City ourselves."

"You all?"

"She’s afraid of coming alone and insists I accompany her," she giggled. "And I also want to take the chance to thank you. Since you don’t have time to come to Shen City, I can come your way just the same!"

The frequent use of respectful terms made Chen Xuan feel awkward refusing.

"Alright then, but just to remind you, I can’t guarantee a cure."

"I know that, you’re a miracle doctor, not a god. My friend isn’t someone to make unreasonable demands, rest assured." Gu Zhaoning assured confidently.

The two then agreed on a meeting three days later.

After hanging up, Chen Xuan looked at Lin Qing, shrugging helplessly, "I didn’t contact her proactively. Besides, if I can really help someone—"

"I’m not telling you to refuse," Lin Qing smirked. "Actually, building a relationship with her might be a good thing for you."

What’s that about? She didn’t say anything like this before.

"What, now you think I’ve got a chance with the heiress of Dingsheng Pharmaceutical?"

"That would be news!" she sneered, "Where’s your imagination taking you? I previously reminded you, this company has close ties with the mechanism. But thinking about it now... if you gain her trust, maybe you could obtain information on Dingsheng Pharmaceutical through her. It’s not a bad thing."