I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

"Dad, Mom!"

Holding her parents tightly, Anxin released all her longing.

"Xinxin, my dear Xinxin, you're finally back!" An Zongping looked at An Xin with deep emotion, his joy and excitement beyond words.

"Xinxin, Mom misses you so much. Let Mom see you... You've lost weight. Have you not been eating properly? Is cultivation very difficult?" Wen Lan rummaged through An Xin's body, examining her thoroughly, but she was very anxious because her daughter had lost weight.

"No, Mom~ My muscles are firmer and I've lost some fat, but I haven't lost weight, in fact, I've gained a little. By the way, how about Anna?"

Wen Lan looked at her with disdain: "Why bring her up? That imposter! I don't know if it's because she knew you were coming back, but we didn't see her this morning. We went to her room, but she left without a word, taking all her clothes and valuables with her. She must know how powerful you are, so she's afraid you'll expose her when you come back!"

"Huh? Didn't Dad say she'd been behaving quite well lately, with nothing unusual happening? How did she run away?"

"I don't know. Your mother and I treat her the same as always. The bodyguard we sent to her said she was acting normally, but she disappeared yesterday after learning you were coming back! Don't worry, I've been investigating her these past few days. Her social connections are relatively simple. We've even been monitoring her former colleagues. We're not afraid of her doing anything. It's just that you were in such a hurry on the phone yesterday and didn't explain clearly what you're coming back for."

"Yes, Xinxin, why are you back already? How many days are you staying? Are you going up the mountain again?"

"We have to go back. We came down with a mission! Here's what happened..." An Xin briefly explained what had happened in recent days, and also mentioned that the Xuanmen was mobilizing all available resources to investigate the possible locations of ghosts and malevolent spirits.

“Xinxin, I didn’t expect your training to be so dangerous…” Wen Lan felt uneasy after hearing An Xin’s story about Fulin Village, fearing that her precious daughter might encounter some misfortune.

"It's okay, Mom. I'm really good now! I can even fly on objects. Do you want me to show you how?"

“Our Xinxin is so amazing now! Great! Great! Let’s go play in the garden. Leave everything else to your dad. You’ve finally come back, so have fun, eat well, and rest well. Come on, let Mom see how amazing my little darling is now!” As she spoke, Wen Lan took An Xin’s arm and headed towards the garden.

An Zongping chuckled and shook his head. His wife got incredibly excited whenever she saw their daughter. He picked up his phone, dialed his assistant's number, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, peering through the glass at the two most important women in his life.

"what--"

Amidst screams, An Zongping finished instructing his assistant on the matters to be investigated over the next two weeks.

"Xinxin, quickly bring your mother down, don't scare her!" Although An Zongping knew that An Xin wouldn't let her mother fall, he was still panicked when he heard the scream.

"...Okay~ I'm down, Dad, don't worry...Mom, be careful, don't jump, wait until I'm steady." An Xin, supporting Wen Lan's waist, stood on the Ruyi (the Ruyi tablet is now called Ruyi, well, that's how hastily it's called). They flew in from afar. Just as they arrived in front of An Zongping, before An Xin could even stop, Wen Lan, like a little butterfly, rushed into An Zongping's arms. Her face, flushed with excitement, smiled brightly as she kept describing to her husband the feeling of flying with their daughter, urging him to try it too.

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely let my daughter take me flying next time. Dinner's almost ready, let's eat first."

"Okay, Xinxin, knowing you're coming back today, Mom bought lots of your favorite foods. Come on, come on."

“Okay, Mom, you go ahead, Dad and I will be right there!” An Xin nodded obediently, her face beaming with smiles. Seeing Wen Lan go to the restaurant to set things up, she turned to An Zongping and asked, “Dad, have you arranged everything?”

"Yes, I've already spoken with my assistant. We'll strengthen the company's security and assign dedicated personnel to conduct investigations in the area where our company is located."

"Okay, thank you, Dad. Oh, and Wang Anna, I always feel like she has a deep connection with ghosts and monsters, she's a ticking time bomb. Dad, you have to keep an eye on her!"

For some reason, An Xin didn't think Anna should be just a dispensable background character. Why Anna had knocked Wei Ran unconscious before remained a mystery to An Xin, who felt that uncovering her true purpose would be a major breakthrough.

..........................................

After lunch, Anxin, who had originally planned to take a nice nap, was greeted by three friends...

Li Qingchuan, Wei Ran, and Qi Mingxuan sat on the sofa, looking at each other in bewilderment...

"Um... Mingxuan, Aran, hello there. And who is this?" Wen Lan asked with a gossipy look, smiling as she admired the three handsome men, nudging An Xin next to her with her elbow.

"Uncle, Aunt, hello. I am Xinxin's second senior brother, Li Qingchuan. It's our first meeting. I wish you good fortune!" Before An Xin could speak, Li Qingchuan stood up and bowed, displaying the demeanor of a "gentleman, upright and gentle as jade."

"Oh, I know you. Xinxin was talking about you today, saying you are observant, meticulous in your analysis, and gentle and upright! Indeed, seeing is believing, and you are also handsome and refined."

“…Ahem…” An Zongping saw his wife praising the young couple so enthusiastically, with a gleam in her eyes, and immediately reminded her, “Hello, hello everyone, you’re all here to see Xinxin, right? You guys have fun, we won’t bother you. Honey, let’s go, don’t disturb the young people getting to know each other!”

"Oh! Dad, listen to what you're saying? Enhance our relationship? Enhance what relationship? Sibling affection, right? That must be it!"

"Honey, all three of them have feelings for our Xinxin, didn't you notice? And it's a love triangle, a love triangle, how exciting!"

Wen Lan winked and made faces at An Zongping, but it didn't make him give up his determination to take Wen Lan away from here.

"Hehe...hehe...you'll get used to it...my parents are just that adorable..." An Xin turned her head and watched her father pick up her shocked mother and take her away. In her mind, a herd of alpacas (please refer to this animal as another folk name) seemed to be rushing through her mind.

Turning around, they found Qi Mingxuan and Wei Ran looking at Li Qingchuan with extremely complicated expressions on their faces. Li Qingchuan, on the other hand, smiled and took a sip of fragrant tea. The next moment, all three men looked at An Xin. She, however, looked completely bewildered, still immersed in the scene she had witnessed a second ago.

Why are these two men looking at Brother Pig like that? Is something going on?

"Ahem..." An Xin coughed lightly to cover up her embarrassment, and also picked up the bamboo cup in front of her and took a sip of tea. "Um... what brings you all here?"

"Because I am your second senior brother. Now that we've come down the mountain, I should at least visit my junior sister's home."

"Yes, I'm your third senior brother. Since your second senior brother is here, of course I have to come too. Besides, he's staying at my house, so it'll be convenient for me to go home later!"

After Wei Ran finished speaking, the three of them looked at Qi Mingxuan.

Qi Mingxuan scoffed, looking at An Xin with the eyes of someone looking at a heartless man, and then slowly said, "I came to see you because I missed you!"

"Pfft—" An Xin turned her head and spat out the tea she had just drunk.

"No...don't joke around..." An Xin quickly pulled out a tissue to cover her mouth, stammering as she changed the subject, "You...you've all told your families, right? Are you all ready?"

Qi Mingxuan's expression remained unchanged as he naturally replied, "As I've already said, the situation at our hospital might be a bit more serious, so I'd like to ask Xinxin to help me."

“That’s true. The incident happened in a hospital, and there are many patients and dead people there. Such a place is the most suitable for gathering souls and evil spirits.” An Xin nodded thoughtfully.

"no!"

"no!"

At the same time, two "No" sounds rang out. An Xin's eyes widened instantly, and she turned her head to look at her two senior brothers, her face saying: What's going on?

"Why not?" An Xin blinked, expressing her confusion.

"Um...why not?...Second Senior Brother, tell me, why not?"

Setting down his cup, Li Qingchuan said leisurely, "Only Xinxin here has the Heavenly Eye and can fly. I need you to use your Heavenly Eye to fly and investigate these next few days. Isn't that more efficient?"

After explaining his reasons, Wei Ran stared at Li Qingchuan with his mouth agape and gave him a thumbs up: As expected of Second Senior Brother, his reaction was quick and his reasoning was sound!

An Xin pondered for a moment (actually, she was discussing it with Di Ting in her mind's eye), then her eyes suddenly lit up, and she nodded repeatedly: "That's indeed a great idea! Second Senior Brother, your brain is really too good!"

Li Qingchuan's lips curled into a wide smile that he couldn't suppress, while Qi Mingxuan's face was so dark it could drip ink. Wei Ran, on the other hand, stared blankly at his second senior brother with an expression of pure admiration, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere.

In the first showdown between the two foxes, Li Qingchuan emerged victorious with an absolute advantage.

At this moment, An Zongping came out of the kitchen, glanced at the three men opposite his daughter, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I just helped your aunt discuss the afternoon tea snacks. Are you hungry? Would you like to have some with us? There are flower cakes and chiffon cakes, which are all Xinxin's favorites!"

“Alright, Uncle, I’ll gladly accept your offer. I also want to tell you about Junior Sister’s situation at the temple. Several of the Taoist priests there admire her very much…” Li Qingchuan said, rising to stand beside An Zongping. He then gestured for him to follow, taking a small step back as a sign of respect, before chatting and laughing with An Zongping as they headed towards the flower room.

—Look at my second son, so poised and natural, so polite! His demeanor, his looks, his manners… he's definitely the kind of son-in-law parents would want… tsk tsk tsk…

—You silly Xinxin, you're still admiring your second senior brother, how can you be so slow to realize that this good son-in-law candidate is trying to trick your dad!

Di Ting pursed his lips in his mind's eye, gaining a new understanding of An Xin's slowness.

Upon entering the greenhouse, one finds a set of exquisite European Baroque-style tables and chairs, complemented by a semi-enclosed transparent glass room design and a room full of pink thousand-petaled peonies.

“The man and woman, they jested with each other, and presented each other with peonies.” Li Qingchuan sat down, looked around, and spoke in a refined manner.

Just then, Wen Lan came in carrying a plate of flower cakes. Hearing her gentle voice and the beautiful verses, Li Qingchuan was once again impressed.

“My wife loves peonies, so I built this greenhouse so that she can enjoy delicious food here every day while also admiring the beautiful flowers.” An Zongping looked at Ms. Wen affectionately.

"Peony is a symbol of love, which is perfect for you, Uncle and Aunt."

“Xinxin, how come your senior brother is so good at talking! Li Qingchuan, right? I’ll just call you Qingchuan, it’s more friendly.” Wen Lan covered her face with her hand and laughed happily. “Come on, come and try the flower cake, the filling is made of peony.”

"Thank you, Auntie. Peony is also a Chinese medicine, and it complements the flower cake perfectly!"

"Second Senior Brother, you have such a good memory! You've finished reading Uncle Chen's 'Complete Book of Medicine' too?" An Xin picked up a flower cake and put it in her mouth, taking a big bite until her cheeks were bulging.

—This little hamster is so cute!

The three men simultaneously sighed inwardly.