Songhai City. At 7:30 a.m., in a dim room upon a soft, spacious bed, Zhang Yuanqing jerked awake. He clutched his head, curling up like a shrimp.
His head felt as if it were splitting open, as though steel needles were driven deep into his brain. The agony made his scalp spasm, triggering auditory and visual hallucinations. Chaotic flashes of imagery flickered through his mind, while discordant, meaningless noise droned in his ears.
Zhang Yuanqing knew his old condition had flared up again.
Trembling, he scrambled out of bed and pulled open the nightstand drawer. His shaking hand fumbled for a medicine bottle. He twisted off the cap impatiently, dumped out five or six small blue pills, and gulped them down whole.
Then he threw himself back onto the bed, gasping for breath as he endured the excruciating pain.
Over ten seconds later, the soul-tearing headache began to subside, eventually settling into calm.
"Phew..." Drenched in cold sweat, Zhang Yuanqing let out a long breath of relief.
He had contracted a bizarre ailment back in high school. Its symptoms involved his brain uncontrollably dredging up every past memory, including junk information he had long forgotten; uncontrollably gathering and analyzing sensory data from the outside world; and exerting an incredible degree of control over his body.
Fortunately, this state never lasted very long before being cut short by his body collapsing under the strain.
It was precisely because of this ability that he had sailed through the exams to enter Songhai University, one of the country's top-tier institutions.
Zhang Yuanqing called this state "brain overload." He once wondered if he was evolving into a superhuman, interrupted only because his physical body couldn't handle the strain of such an evolution.
When he shared this theory with a doctor, the doctor said he couldn't make heads or tails of it, confessed he was profoundly shocked, and suggested Zhang Yuanqing visit the psychiatric department downstairs.
In short, the hospital never found a cause. Later, his mother brought back some special medicine from abroad, which finally brought the condition under control. As long as he took it regularly, it wouldn't act up.
"I definitely didn't get enough sleep last night. I'm exhausted. It's all Jiang Yu'er's fault, barging into my room in the middle of the night to play games..."
Though he grumbled aloud, his heart sank quietly. Zhang Yuanqing knew the medication's effectiveness was waning, and his condition was growing worse.
"I'll have to up the dosage from now on..." Slipping into his slippers, Zhang Yuanqing walked over to the window and whipped open the curtains with a swoosh.
Bright sunlight surged in, flooding the room.
April in Songhai City was radiant with spring. The incoming morning breeze felt crisp and refreshing.
*Knock, knock!*
A knock came from the door, followed by his grandmother shouting outside:
"Yuanzi, time to get up!"
"Not getting up!" Zhang Yuanqing refused with cold resolve. He wanted to go back to sleep.
The spring sunshine was so lovely and it was the weekend—wouldn't waking up early be a total waste of life?
"I'm giving you three minutes. If you're not up by then, I'm dousing you with water."
His grandmother was even more ruthless.
"Fine, fine, I'm up..." Zhang Yuanqing caved immediately.
He knew his short-tempered grandmother was fully capable of doing just that.
When Zhang Yuanqing was still in elementary school, his father died in a car accident. His fiercely independent mother never remarried. She brought her son back to settle in Songhai, leaving him in the care of his maternal grandparents.
She threw herself entirely into her career, becoming the successful career woman all the relatives praised.
Later, his mother bought an apartment of her own, but Zhang Yuanqing disliked that cavernous, empty flat and chose to stay with his grandparents instead.
Besides, his mom left early and came home late every day, constantly traveling on business trips and pouring all her energy into work. Even if she didn't work overtime on weekends, she just ordered takeout at mealtimes.
The phrase she said most to him was: "Do you have enough money? Tell Mom if you need more." A powerful mother who could satisfy all your financial needs certainly sounded great.
But Zhang Yuanqing would always smile and tell her, "Grandma and Auntie give me enough pocket money."
Oh, and his little aunt.
The woman who had insisted on barging into his room to play games last night was his little aunt.
Zhang Yuanqing yawned, turned the bedroom doorknob, and stepped into the living room.
His grandparents' apartment spanned a hundred and fifty square meters, including shared area. When they sold their old home to buy this place years ago, Zhang Yuanqing remembered it costing over forty thousand yuan per square meter.
Six or seven years had passed, and property prices in this neighborhood had soared to a hundred and ten thousand per square meter—nearly tripling in value.
Luckily, his grandfather had possessed foresight. In their old place, Zhang Yuanqing would have been relegated to sleeping in the living room; after all, he was grown now and couldn't share a bed with his aunt anymore.
At the long dining table beside the living room, the culprit behind his headache was slurping congee, her pink slippers dangling and bobbing under the table.
She had delicate, lovely features, a round, sweet oval face, and a teardrop beauty mark at the corner of her right eye.
Having just gotten out of bed, her messy, voluminous waves fell loosely over her shoulders, giving her an air of lazy charm.
Her name was Jiang Yu'er, and she was four years older than him.
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing emerge, she licked a drop of congee from her lips and marveled, "Yo, up so early? That's not like you."
"Thank your mother for that."
"Hey, why are you cursing at me?"
"I'm just stating facts."
Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized her fair, beautiful face—she was glowing with energy, radiant and lovely. They said the night never shortchanged those who stayed up late, generously gifting them dark circles under their eyes, but that law didn't seem to apply to the woman before him.
Hearing the commotion, his grandmother poked her head out of the kitchen, and a moment later brought out a bowl of congee.
Silver threads streaked through her dark hair, and her gaze was sharp—she clearly looked like an old lady with a terrible temper. Though slack skin and fine wrinkles had stolen her youth, traces of her past beauty remained evident.
Taking the bowl his grandmother handed him, Zhang Yuanqing took a hearty gulp. "Where's Grandpa?"
"Out for a walk," she said.
His grandfather was a retired criminal investigator. Even in old age, he kept a strict routine, always in bed by ten at night and awake by six in the morning.
Sipping her congee, his pretty aunt beamed. "Finish breakfast and Auntie will take you shopping at the mall for some clothes."
*Are you really that generous?* Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to agree, his grandmother shot him a murderous glare.
"Dare to go and I'll break your legs."
"Mom, why are you like this?" his aunt said with exaggerated grievance. "I just wanted to buy Yuanzi a few spring outfits. What's wrong with that? He might be a nephew on the maternal side, but he's still our flesh and blood~"
His grandmother cut right through her nonsense: "You want your legs broken too?"
His aunt pouted and went back to sipping her congee.
Listening to the mother-daughter duel, Zhang Yuanqing instantly realized his grandmother must have arranged another blind date for her, and his mischievous aunt wanted to drag him along to muddy the waters.
That was her usual trick: bring her nephew along, sit down for a few minutes, and let her hyper-extroverted nephew charm the blind date. The two guys would hit it off talking about everything from bread-and-butter public affairs to global geopolitics, leaving her completely out of the picture.
She would just sip her drink and play on her phone, while the date felt satisfied and full of himself, convinced he'd thoroughly showcased his worldly wisdom and sophistication in front of a beauty.
Jiang Yu'er had been darling and adorable since childhood, always showered with praise by neighbors. With her stunning looks, sweetness, and obedience, elders adored her.
With such a pretty daughter, his grandmother had naturally guarded her like a hawk, drumming it into her head in middle school that early dating was forbidden, and hanging out with boys was out of the question.
Her youngest daughter hadn't disappointed her, remaining boyfriendless all the way through college graduation. But once she entered the workforce—especially after turning twenty-five earlier that year—his grandmother grew anxious.
*I told you not to date early, not to end up an old maid! How many youthful years does a woman have?*
So she rallied her circle of elderly friends, scouring every corner for profiles of promising young bachelors to set up blind dates for her daughter.
"Grandma, she clearly doesn't want to date anyone right now. You can't force sweetness from a twisted melon," Zhang Yuanqing said while munching on a steamed bun, volunteering himself. "Why don't you arrange a blind date for me instead? This melon here is super sweet."
"You're still young! What's your rush?" his grandmother snapped. "College is full of girls—can't you find one yourself? Keep causing trouble and see if I don't smack you."
His grandmother was a southern woman, but she wasn't gentle in the slightest; she had an explosive temper. Even Zhang Yuanqing's formidable mother wouldn't dare talk back to her.
*I'm grown up, okay? I've been a craftsman with my hands for years now,* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled internally.
After breakfast, forced by his grandmother's unyielding demand, his aunt retreated to her room to change and put on makeup for the date.
She applied light makeup, making her look all the more radiant. A loose, round-neck knit sweater paired with a long coat, light-colored tapered jeans wrapping around her shapely legs, tucked neatly into black Dr. Martens boots. A simple, natural mori-girl style—neither flashy nor ostentatious, yet wonderfully chic.
She threw him a knowing "you get it" wink, picked up her bag, swayed her hips, and headed out the door.
"Mom, I'm heading out for the date!"
Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and unhurriedly changed into a black T-shirt, a windbreaker jacket, and running shoes.
A few minutes later, he pulled open the bedroom door.
His grandmother was sweeping the living room. Seeing him step out, she stopped and stared at him in silence.
Zhang Yuanqing imitated his aunt's tone: "Mom, I'm heading out for a blind date too!"
"Get your butt back inside," she warned, raising her broom. "Take one step past that door and I'll break your legs."
"Understood!" Zhang Yuanqing obediently ducked back into his room.
Sitting at his desk, he took out his phone and texted his aunt:
*"The expedition fell before the victory was won, leaving heroes throughout the ages to weep into their robes."*
*"Speak human!"*
She was likely driving; her reply was short and sharp.
*"Grandma trapped me at home. You're on your own for this date."*
A voice message popped up.
Zhang Yuanqing tapped it, and Jiang Yu'er's fuming voice burst from the speaker:
"What good are you?!"
She quickly recalled the message and sent another. This time, her tone did a complete 180, all cutesy and coaxing:
"Dearest nephew, please come! Auntie loves you best, mwah~"
*Heh, women!*
*Acting cute and whining to get me to touch Grandma's wrath? At the very least, you ought to send a red envelope first.*
Just then, a shrill chime rang out. Under his grandmother's watchful gaze, Zhang Yuanqing walked into the living room and pressed the intercom button.
"Who is it?"
"Delivery," a voice crackled through the speaker.
Zhang Yuanqing buzzed the entrance door. Two or three minutes later, a courier in uniform stepped out of the elevator holding a parcel.
"Are you Zhang Yuanqing?"
"That's me."
*I didn't buy anything online,* he thought, signing for it in confusion. He checked the label; no sender was listed, but the origin address was Hang City in neighboring Jiangnan Province.
He returned to his room, retrieved a utility knife from the desk drawer, and cut the parcel open.
Inside, wrapped in bubble wrap, were a black card and an envelope of kraft paper.
Zhang Yuanqing picked up the ID-sized black card. It seemed to be made of metal yet felt remarkably warm and smooth to the touch. The craftsmanship was exquisite: faint silver cloud patterns framed the edges, centering on a pitch-black full moon.
The black moon was printed with astonishing detail, its irregular surface patches distinctly visible.
*What is this?* Perplexed, he tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter.
"Yuanzi, I got my hands on something very interesting. I once thought it could change my life, but my abilities are limited and I can't master it. I think if it's you, you won't have any trouble.
"As brothers, this is my gift to you.
"Lei Yibing!"