Quick Travel: Destiny for Thirty Lifetimes

Ten minutes later, Lian's father and mother sat on the sofa in the living room, and Lian Qingyang and Jing Chen were driven back to their rooms.

Even the mother was unable to recover for a while. She had already prepared herself for her son to like boys, but she didn't expect that there was a bigger surprise waiting for her.

Lian's father was staring at her cautiously, holding his cell phone, ready to call Lian's mother's attending physician at any time.

"So, Xiaojing is actually our son, but he was kidnapped when he was a child?" Mother Lian paused for a moment before slowly raising her head, and her slightly trembling hands were tightly held by Father Lian.

Lian's father nodded and softly began to recount what had happened in the past: "Didn't we take Jing Chen to the countryside to visit our parents? Qingqing's grandparents were from that village. Then Jing Chen was kidnapped when he was in fifth grade. Our family wasn't that powerful at the time, and we couldn't find him after searching for a long time. You later developed intermittent amnesia due to the trauma and vomited blood twice. I was afraid your condition would worsen, and when I learned that Qingqing's grandparents had passed away one after another, I brought him to our house to keep you company."

"After that, you gradually got better and treated Qingqing like your own son. You even stopped working and kept an eye on him at all times. You even often got up in the middle of the night to stay in his room for a while. I never gave up on looking for clues, but I didn't expect them to put their son right under our noses. It was my negligence."

Lian's mother sighed, her tone melancholic yet tinged with a smile: "Actually, from the first time I saw Xiao Jing, I had an inexplicable feeling that his nose resembled yours. Also, during this period, the more I looked at him, the more familiar he became. I even thought it was a mother-in-law meeting her son-in-law."

Lian's father suddenly became serious: "What are you talking about? Don't say that in front of the two children. They are not in a relationship."

"Ah!" Lian's mother suddenly exclaimed cheerfully, a smile spreading across her gentle face like the warm sunshine in winter. "No wonder I can't find your son. How come your brain, which is usually so sharp, always fails at critical moments? But you don't spend much time at home, and I usually spend time with them, but I've seen a lot of intimate behavior. I guess it's natural that they don't even know about it themselves."

Even the father couldn't help but smile at his wife's smile, and his tone became much gentler: "Really? It's a good time for annual leave, so let's observe them closely."

Lian's mother nodded, then turned serious again: "If they really are together, we can't recognize Xiaojing. The law stipulates that two people, regardless of gender, cannot get married if they are on the same household registration book. However, if they get married, they still have to be registered in our family."

*

The pain of the past seemed to be slowly healed with the passing of time. Now Lian's mother's ability to endure was surprisingly strong, and she accepted it even faster than her husband. After sitting for a while, she went upstairs and called Lian Qingyang and Jing Chen out.

The New Year’s goods for the house have already been prepared, so there is almost nothing to buy.

Shopping malls and supermarkets are crowded now. Although my mother is gentle, she also likes the hustle and bustle. Now that she is in a good mood, she has to ask the three men to accompany her for a walk.

"How about this tie? Does it suit Dad?" In a clothing store with relatively few people, Lian's mother picked out a tie and stood on tiptoe to try it out on Lian's father. Lian Qingyang and Jing Chen gave their opinions on the side. Fortunately, everyone had good aesthetic taste and responded in time, and they had chosen the right one in less than five minutes.

The clothes at home were all custom-made by tailors, and several sets of clothes were made for Jing Chen. Now that even his mother was interested in going out for a walk, the three of them were of course happy to cooperate.

Lian's mother helped Lian's father choose another set of clothes, then turned to look at Lian Qingyang and Jing Chen: "You two take a look too, do you like anything?"

Jing Chen pointed at a pink sweater and whispered to Lian Qingyang, "I think this one suits you very well."

Lian Qingyang picked up the sweater and compared it to himself: "Hmm, it's really nice. Why don't you pick one out too? What colors do you think go well with pink?"

His breathing stagnated, and Jing Chen directly picked up the black sweater next to him: "This one is good."

Lian Qingyang chuckled and leaned close to his ear and said, "It's mainly because our faces match."

Lian's mother watched the interaction between the two and smiled, and asked Lian's father to pick out clothes for her as well.

In the end, the family of four returned home with bags full of things, as if they had never experienced any painful farewell, and were just an ordinary happy family.

*

On New Year's Eve, Jing Chen followed them back to the Lian family's ancestral home. Their family didn't have a close relationship with other relatives, so when they saw them bringing people over, they said a few words indifferently and didn't do anything excessive.

Before, even my father didn’t want to spend New Year’s Eve with them, so the time for returning to the ancestral home for dinner was changed to noon. After the meal, everyone said a few symbolic blessings and then went back to their homes one after another.

Jing Chen watched them silently as they ate the meal as if it were a routine, his expression unable to conceal its complexity.

Lian Qingyang noticed this and leaned over to say, "I feel like the bonds in our class are deeper than those at this table. They're like random people cobbled together from the side of the street. They're more artificial than AI. Take that uncle's New Year's greetings, for example. They're exactly the same as the ones I heard last year and the year before. I really don't know what's wrong with these relatives."

Jing Chen lowered his eyes, hiding the complexity in them. He seemed to remember something, memories that he had deliberately forgotten.

On New Year's Eve, Lian Qingyang and Jing Chen watched a show with Lian's mother after dinner, then went upstairs despite their sleepiness. The two of them stayed in the same room and replied to messages from friends who had sent them their blessings.

Ma Sixue even popped up a video and chatted with them for a while: "Happy New Year, Happy New Year. Brother Jing, it's great that you and Brother Qing are celebrating the New Year together. Do you want to get together tomorrow? I'd like to show you a super nice dress I bought."

Lian Qingyang directly refused: "Given the similar aesthetics between you and Lao Ma, I can imagine how weird that dress is. You can get together, but you can't wear ugly clothes, otherwise I will rip your clothes off and wipe the table. Hang up first, I have a phone call."

"Okay, okay, see you tomorrow." Ma Sixue was forced to hang up the phone after saying that.

Lian Qingyang saw that the incoming call was from an unfamiliar number and thought it was probably from a classmate. He picked up the phone and put it on speakerphone, but there was silence on the other end. He asked, "Hello? Who is this?"

Jing Chen shifted his gaze from his phone, exchanged a glance with Lian Qingyang, and looked at the phone number on his screen.

"Qingqing..." His hands were faster than his brain. The moment he heard the voice, Lian Qingyang decisively hung up the phone. However, his mind was still a little confused. He looked at Jing Chen with a bewildered look on his face.

Jing Chen chuckled softly and asked, "This voice sounds familiar. Is it the old acquaintance named Xie?"

Lian Qingyang didn't say anything, so Jing Chen asked again, "They were wishing you a happy new year, why did they hang up?"

While they were talking, the phone rang again. Lian Qingyang didn't move. Jing Chen took the phone and answered it. This time, an urgent voice came from the other end: "Qingqing, I just want to say Happy New Year to you."