Once her brain accepted the premise that “this child might be my future son,” Jiang Ruoqiao’s feelings when she looked at Lu Siyan were complicated — but instinctively, she had already begun to set him apart from other children.

She looked at him closely, again and again. This child really did resemble both her and Lu Yicheng.

Though he looked more like her.

Jiang Ruoqiao had no idea how to interact with young children. She was someone who avoided trouble wherever possible — the type to take a detour around an argument and keep a healthy distance from destructive little kids.

But Lu Siyan was different. He was the most popular child in his kindergarten class — from the principal-mom all the way down to the littlest girls in the youngest class, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t adore him.

More importantly, he had spent five years being Jiang Ruoqiao’s son. When it came to understanding Mom, no one could outdo him.

Lu Siyan’s bright little eyes took one look and instantly knew what she was thinking.

Like someone fishing for credit, he proactively brought up a topic: “Do you know how Dad got your phone number?”

This time he’d learned his lesson and didn’t call her “Mom” outright.

Jiang Ruoqiao followed his lead. “How did he get it?”

Lu Siyan immediately stuck out his chest and patted it resoundingly. “I memorized it! I have both your and Dad’s phone numbers memorized, and I know your ID numbers by heart too!”

Dad and Mom always said to commit the family’s key information to memory.

That way, even if he accidentally got lost one day, he would never forget the way home.

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled. “What else do you know?”

She suddenly realized this was a golden opportunity to learn about the future.

“Do you know your home address?”

Lu Siyan nodded, and as if afraid she wouldn’t believe him, recited at lightning speed: “Qilin Subdistrict, Jingshan Road, Shuxiangyuan Building 12, Unit 1302!”

Jiang Ruoqiao: ……So it wasn’t a villa.

So Lu Yicheng hadn’t become a great tycoon in the future.

She searched for Shuxiangyuan on her phone. The development didn’t exist yet in the present day.

Jingshan Road, however, did.

How to put it — not a great location. Even the nearby metro stations were scarce.

Over a dozen kilometers from the city center.

Two possibilities: one, this area would be developed into a prime location in the future; two, she and Lu Yicheng wouldn’t be doing all that well financially, and could only afford to buy a home in a relatively remote area.

Fifty-fifty odds on either.

After all, judging by the child’s age, that was all ten years away.

Jiang Ruoqiao’s illusions were thoroughly shattered. She felt conflicted — deep down she had a streak of vanity, and yet at critical moments, she also possessed enough self-awareness. That was why, when that repulsive director had once wanted her to appear in a web drama, she’d turned him down flat. She knew that without connections, background, or resources, entering the entertainment industry meant not only failing to rise to the top, but probably being taken advantage of and left counting someone else’s money.

She knew her own circumstances. No matter how many wish-fulfillment novels she’d read, she had never dreamed of marrying into a wealthy family.

But she wasn’t lacking either. Not marrying into money — just marrying someone with excellent earning potential. She didn’t think that was particularly out of reach for her.

And yet here she was, being told that her future involved being one of those “struggling young couples” with Lu Yicheng — two people building a life together, just like any other ordinary couple in Jing Shi. The contrast was too stark!

Unable to help herself, Jiang Ruoqiao asked: “Do you know how many rooms your home has? How big it is?”

Lu Siyan: “How am I supposed to explain that!”

Jiang Ruoqiao composed herself, stood up, and gestured around them. “Is it this big?”

Lu Siyan: “I think so.”

Jiang Ruoqiao relaxed. Her rough demonstration was good enough — it didn’t sound like a cramped place.

“Does our family have a car?” she asked.

Lu Siyan thought hard. “Not yet. Mom and Dad always take me on the subway!”

Just then, Lu Yicheng returned. Seeing the mother and son chatting happily, he felt a sense of relief.

Lu Yicheng glanced at his watch. “It’s almost one o’clock. Siyan has a habit of napping — I’ll take him home to rest.”

Jiang Ruoqiao’s expression went blank. “Oh.”

Lu Yicheng added, “By the way, I’ve been tutoring two students during summer break — one hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon. This afternoon my student’s family has something going on so there’s no class. For the past week, I’ve been leaving Siyan home alone to watch TV. Honestly, I don’t feel entirely comfortable with that, but I haven’t had another option. And I really don’t want to be distracted while tutoring students — so, do you think you’d be able to help share the load sometimes?”

Jiang Ruoqiao: “……”

She was in a difficult position too. “I actually came back to school this early specifically because I have work commitments.”

Seeing Lu Yicheng go quiet, Jiang Ruoqiao didn’t try to dodge the issue.

If she’d wanted to dodge, she would have covered her ears and refused to listen from the start.

“But we can compare schedules,” Jiang Ruoqiao said. “My filming times aren’t fixed — if I happen to be free during the windows when you’re out, I can come.”

She wasn’t an unreasonable person.

And if the child was truly linked to her by blood, there was no running from it anyway.

She seemed to have this habit built into her — whenever something happened, she always gravitated toward the decision most beneficial to herself. Like right now. Was it some maternal instinct? Hardly. She’d never been a mother. Instinct didn’t apply here. Did she feel sorry for the child? She felt sorrier for herself.

Washing her hands of it might look like the best decision for herself in the short term.

But in reality — would she spend every day worrying that Lu Yicheng might let the whole thing become public knowledge?

If she pushed hard to evade responsibility now, Lu Yicheng would simply think she was a terrible person. And then when something needed to be worked out later, could they still discuss it calmly? When she needed his cooperation, would he be willing? Obviously not.

She could read his intentions too. He wanted them to share the burden.

He might appear gentle and agreeable with no particular temper, but she couldn’t forget that he was a twenty-year-old young man. What good would it do her to push him to his limits?

Seeing Jiang Ruoqiao being so reasonable, Lu Yicheng felt something in his expression unknot itself.

The outcome was already better than anything he had dared to hope for.

Look — Jiang Ruoqiao had calmly accepted what seemed like an absurd situation, and had gone along with his request without any hostility. If she weren’t Jiang Yan’s girlfriend, Lu Yicheng thought he might genuinely be able to accept the idea of his future self falling for her.

“Alright.” Lu Yicheng was very satisfied with today’s conversation.

Lu Siyan sensed that his father was in a pretty good mood too.

But he still had a question that needed answering. “When can I call her Mom?”

Lu Yicheng: “Don’t push her.”

What good would it do him to push her?

To him, Jiang Ruoqiao was a partner in risk-sharing.

He simply wanted to keep her on his side.

After watching the father and son ride off on their little electric scooter, only then did Jiang Ruoqiao let a trace of genuine emotion show.

*Damn.*

Had she done something truly unforgivable in a past life, to end up in a situation like this?

What bothered Jiang Ruoqiao was that her future had turned out that way.

Plain and unremarkable.

At twenty, she had always had a very clear picture of what she wanted. Whether she married or not, she intended to become someone like the shop owner — with looks, money, and passion. That wasn’t an unreachable goal for her. She had a solid track record. Sure, these days you could practically grab a random person off the street and they’d have a university degree, but an A’Da diploma still carried real weight. Even if she walked into just any job, her own abilities would ensure she built a rich and fulfilling life.

More to the point, she had already achieved something meaningful.

She and the traditional clothing shop had grown together. Her follower count was quite respectable by now, and compared to most people, she was already starting from a higher position.

She couldn’t figure it out. She picked up her phone, ready to post something anonymously —

*What if in the future…*

She’d barely typed four words when she stopped abruptly.

Wait.

She couldn’t just follow her first instinct. She needed to step back and look at this from the outside.

*What if in the future…* — didn’t she, in a sense, already know the future?

So, from the moment Lu Siyan had traveled through time, from the moment she’d learned of all this — was that future still “the future”?

No.

The realization hit Jiang Ruoqiao like cold water.

Everything had already changed. And what would change along with it — was the future itself.

Maybe someone else, upon learning the future, would simply lie back and decide to develop feelings with Lu Yicheng ahead of schedule. After all, the thinking would be: “The child already exists — this really is how things turn out…”

But Jiang Ruoqiao wouldn’t. The reason the future was the future was precisely because no one knew what was going to happen. Once she knew — what kind of so-called future was that?

So, Jiang Ruoqiao: from this moment forward, stop thinking about “the future.” Stop treating Lu Yicheng as your future husband. That future was already different now.

There were only two things she needed to do right now —

First: confirm whether she and Lu Siyan were truly mother and son.

Second: even with a child in the picture, try her best not to let her life be derailed.

The first item was simple enough. But the second — Lu Yicheng was an absolutely critical variable.

What if he didn’t cooperate?

What if he had the mindset of “yes, we have a son together, just accept it — you’re my future wife” — that would be truly disastrous.

First and foremost, she needed to get him to abandon that idea entirely.

She needed him to reach the conclusion of “I’d rather stay single my whole life than ever fall for you.”

If he didn’t like her and she didn’t like him, then they’d have a real shared goal — never let this child disrupt their lives or their futures.

Jiang Ruoqiao let out a long sigh, resting her chin in her hand, her finger tapping idly against her cheek.

But getting him to not fall for her — might that be a little difficult?

A magnolia among flowers. One day he suddenly discovers he and his good friend’s girlfriend have a son together in the future. With that knowledge lodged in his mind, he was bound to start paying attention to her.

He was certainly going to wonder: just how captivating could she possibly be, that his future self would disregard their entire tangled situation…

Well, this was a problem. The first step to attraction between two people was curiosity.

He was already curious about her now. Next would come all kinds of observation and speculation.

For the first time in her life, Jiang Ruoqiao found herself genuinely troubled.

What could she do to ensure that Lu Yicheng neither disliked her — and therefore cooperated fully with her — yet also never developed feelings for her?

—

The Lu family apartment was a two-bedroom unit. The actual floor space was only around forty to fifty square meters. The residential complex was nearly thirty years old, with walls that had crumbling, flaking paint, and wooden floors bleached to uneven shades by years of sunlight. The sixth floor wasn’t the top story, but standing inside felt like sitting in a sauna. The furnishings were extremely sparse — the narrow living room held only a wooden sofa plastered with celebrity stickers, giving the whole place a very dated feel.

For the past week, Lu Yicheng had been playing the role of both father and mother.

Fortunately, Lu Siyan was in the habit of napping, and he genuinely was tired now. The moment they got home and he washed his hands, he flopped onto the bed and was fast asleep within minutes.

Lu Yicheng slipped out of the bedroom quietly.

Only now did he have a moment to check his phone messages.

Their dormitory had a WeChat group.

A message from Jiang Yan had come through just a few minutes ago —

【Emergency SOS — @Lu — Lu the Great, Lu-sir, lend me three thousand, I’ll pay you back when school starts.】

In their dormitory, Lu Yicheng was the one with something resembling actual savings.

The other two were waiting on their parents to send monthly allowances.

Jiang Yan also had a part-time job, but having a girlfriend was expensive. On top of that, Jiang Yan had never been one for frugality — even before he was in a relationship, he spent freely.

Lu Yicheng was the outlier.

He was completely self-sufficient. He was also dedicated to his students, which had earned him a solid reputation in the private tutoring circle. Parents recommended him to each other, and his tutoring work was steady and reliable. Every month without fail, he set aside a fixed amount to put into a financial product — small amounts accumulated over time.

Most importantly, he was also very frugal.

Money that didn’t need to be spent — he didn’t spend a single coin of it.

He didn’t smoke or drink. He had no unnecessary social engagements, and not even any particular desire to shop. When it came to food, he wasn’t picky either — as long as he was full. A’Da’s cafeteria suited his needs perfectly, and aside from the occasional group meal with classmates, he never ate out.

Over two years, Lu Yicheng had indeed managed to save a fair amount.

He did occasionally lend money to dormmates and classmates in a pinch.

Jiang Yan had borrowed from him before too, but this time Lu Yicheng felt a moment’s hesitation.

That feeling was also deeply uncomfortable.

About ten minutes later, Lu Yicheng transferred three thousand yuan to Jiang Yan.

They moved to a private chat.

Jiang Yan: 【Thank you, Lu the Great — I was a bit short on buying a bag for my girlfriend. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back the moment school starts. Thanks, I’ll treat you to dinner when we’re back.】

Lu Yicheng: ……………

It was for Jiang Ruoqiao’s bag?

He found that somehow strange.

Especially when he thought of Jiang Ruoqiao as his future wife — the whole thing felt increasingly peculiar.

—