At half past eight in the evening, it was still as bright outside as broad daylight.
The sun, which had hung high in the sky all day, finally seemed willing to shift its position and descend toward the mountainside.
However, such an extremely rare phenomenon had already left many people feeling uneasy. They flooded the internet with posts, scrambling to ask what was happening.
Taking advantage of the situation, quite a few lawbreakers began stirring up trouble and attempting to incite public dissatisfaction with the country. The situation grew increasingly serious, with several marketing accounts deliberately spreading panic.
After the relevant authorities learned of the situation, they immediately launched a campaign to clean up the internet. Following the trail, they managed to uncover quite a few spies who had been hiding in the shadows.
Only then did the internet, which had been on the verge of collapsing into chaos, gradually return to normal.
The keyboard warriors, afraid that spreading rumors would lead to criminal charges, instantly fell silent and no longer dared to make inappropriate remarks.
The eldest daughter of the Qiao family, who was enjoying dinner, had never paid much attention to heated discussions online.
Having experienced rebirth, she had already mentally prepared herself for what would happen tomorrow, so she did not find the strange weather unusual in the slightest.
At that moment, she was happily enjoying the dishes Li Cangchen had prepared, including crispy eggplant with fish-fragrant sauce, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, fragrant spicy chicken, stir-fried pork with green peppers, and crucian carp, tofu, and shrimp soup.
Every dish was something she loved. The irresistible aroma had completely awakened her appetite.
When she tasted the exact same flavor as the “takeout” she had eaten earlier that day, the movement of her chopsticks paused slightly. Brilliant light burst from her eyes as she exclaimed in amazement, “It’s so delicious.”
But why did the food he cooked taste exactly like the dishes from the restaurant?
After chewing and swallowing the green pepper and pork in her mouth, she looked up at her new husband, who was serving her soup, her eyes filled with confusion.
“That’s strange. Why does what you cook taste so similar to what the restaurant makes? It’s almost as if they were made by the same person.”
Her pure and beautiful face was filled with doubt, as though she simply could not figure it out.
Seeing her adorable little expression, Li Cangchen placed the bowl of soup in front of her and smiled gently. “Little Jiu’er, eat first. Once you’re full, I’ll tell you the answer.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and placed it in her bowl. He clearly remembered that she loved sweet and sour flavors the most.
Even after a thousand years, her tastes had remained unchanged.
Qiao Anran tilted her little head, curled her lips into a smile, and looked at him. “So mysterious? Don’t tell me you were working as an apprentice at that restaurant?”
As she spoke, she imagined him wearing a white uniform and a chef’s hat, then instinctively shook her head. For some reason, she felt the image did not suit him at all.
His distinguished bearing simply did not resemble that of someone at the bottom of society struggling humbly to make a living. Her intuition told her that he should be some great figure who was accustomed to planning everything from behind the scenes.
Yet his ancient-style attire made her uncertain again. Before he could answer, she immediately asked another question.
“You still haven’t told me what you do. Are you an actor, or do you work in some field related to ancient-style culture?”
Seeing that her little head was filled with questions, Li Cangchen could only put down his chopsticks and take her hand.
“Little Jiu’er, I’ll take you somewhere. Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
“Hmm?”
Qiao Anran had only just made a questioning sound when she was pulled into a space as beautiful as a fairyland.
The sight before her left her completely stunned, and she felt as though her eyes were not enough to take everything in.
Immortal-like mist drifted through the air. Looking into the distance, she could see mountains stretching endlessly, each peak seemingly covered in a layer of ethereal mist, like shy young girls hiding among the clouds.
At the foot of the mountains stood vast orchards, their branches laden with plump and tempting fruits. There were red ones, yellow ones, purple ones, and many other colors, blending into an extraordinarily vivid landscape that looked like a beautiful oil painting.
There was also a small river several meters wide, stretching so far in both directions that its ends could not be seen, disappearing into the mist.
Colorful flowers bloomed all along the riverbank. Their vivid colors complemented one another beautifully, making anyone who looked at them feel a sense of joy.
On the other side were all kinds of plants that looked like medicinal herbs, except these seemed to possess an ethereal quality. Each one emitted a faint silver glow, making them impossible to underestimate.
There were also many lush and vibrant vegetables, all growing remarkably well.
The closest structure to her was a large, ancient-style courtyard. A black plaque made of golden-thread nanmu wood hung above the vermilion-painted main gate, bearing three powerful characters that read “Mujiu Pavilion.”
White walls surrounded the courtyard, creating a tranquil and secluded atmosphere.
Qiao Anran stared at everything before her as though she had stepped into a dream, unable to recover for a long time. Was she really not dreaming?
If she had not mistaken it, this had to be the legendary space, the ultimate travel companion.
Her eyes immediately lit up. She turned toward Li Cangchen, who stood beside her, suppressed her excitement, and hugged his arm.
“Is this your space?”
The beautiful Qiao suddenly felt incredibly proud to have found such a powerful backer. At last, she would not have to die in the apocalypse.
She had to hold onto him firmly and never let go, protecting her own life at all costs.
Li Cangchen raised his hand and gently brushed away the strand of hair that had fallen against her lips before smiling.
“Yes! I obtained it by chance. The ‘takeout’ you had today was food I made here.”
“Time stands still here. One hour spent here is equivalent to only one minute passing outside.”
When Qiao Anran heard this astonishing information, the light in her eyes became even brighter. How could she not be tempted by such a thing?
If time stood still, then anyone living here could remain youthful forever and would never grow old.
And now she understood that what she had eaten at noon had not been takeout at all. It had been prepared by him personally. No wonder it tasted so different from the food she had eaten before.
Not only was he exactly her type, but even his cooking perfectly suited her taste. She absolutely had to hold onto this powerful backer.
With that thought, she immediately lifted her head and blinked her star-bright eyes at him.
“My dear husband, can we enter and leave this place freely? Can anyone other than me come in?”
The word “husband” entered Li Cangchen’s ears, immediately stirring a different kind of emotion in his heart. It was like warm sunlight melting the frost deep within him.
He knew that this word meant the same thing as “husband” in the era he came from.
His prominent Adam’s apple moved slightly. His deep eyes were filled with tender affection as he lowered his head to look at her.
“Only you and Little Jiu’er can enter.”
Originally, he had been the only one who could enter and leave this place freely.
After their intimate union, his spiritual essence had entered her body, and the space had automatically recognized her as its mistress.
Having received a definite answer, Qiao Anran was so excited that it almost became tangible.
She held his hand and continued asking questions.
“Then if you’re not beside me and I encounter danger, how can I enter this place?”
The moment the word “danger” left her lips, it was as though a massive stone had fallen onto Li Cangchen’s heart. His other hand, hanging at his side, clenched tightly into a fist, the veins on the back of his hand bulging beneath his sleeve.
He remembered the moment when she had nearly died at the hands of the zombies. He would not let anyone who had dared to scheme against her escape.
He would settle that debt with those people one by one.
The apocalypse was about to arrive, so he would add more elements to this “game” and let them experience the despair of being surrounded by zombies themselves.
He concealed the coldness in his eyes, bent down, and leaned closer to meet her clear gaze before answering her question.
“Little Jiu’er only needs to silently repeat the four words ‘Brother Prince’ in her heart, and she can enter and leave freely.”
“Brother Prince? What kind of address is that?” Although Qiao Anran found it strange, for some reason, her heart began beating even faster.
Li Cangchen wrapped an arm around her waist, countless thoughts flashing through his eyes, yet all of them ultimately condensed into a single sentence accompanied by a faint smile.
“It’s a very, very long story. I’ll tell Little Jiu’er about it slowly in the future. For now, let’s go out and finish our dinner.”
The next second, the two of them returned to the dining table.
Although Qiao Anran had countless more questions, with delicious food right in front of her, she decided to fill her stomach first and let him answer her questions afterward.
While things here were warm and romantic, the Qiao family at Yiyun Shore was on the verge of turning upside down.
Zhou Sen, a man over forty, stormed into the Qiao family home. His very first words were filled with fury.
“Qiao Yutang, come out here!”
Qiao Yutang was in the study with his first love, a woman over forty, when they were suddenly interrupted by the thunderous shout. He was so startled that his body immediately went limp.
Seeing this, Li Mei, who had been beneath him, quickly concealed the look of disdain in her eyes.
It had taken considerable effort for her to finally get him aroused, yet he had lost his strength in less than a minute.
What a useless man.
If he had not been so generous with money, she would never have stayed with him for more than twenty years. As far as his performance in bed was concerned, however, it had always been mediocre.
Even when he was young, he had not been particularly capable, and every time they were together, he needed medication just to last two or three minutes.
Now that he was middle-aged, she did not even want to think about it. Forget once a week, even once every half a month was difficult for him.
Being interrupted halfway through left her irritated from head to toe.
A surge of desire and anger built up inside her, and she thought bitterly that she might as well go find the young man she had been keeping outside a month ago.
He was strong and vigorous, and spending the entire night together several times was no problem for him.
But Qiao Yutang was the richest man in Jiangcheng, so she absolutely could not let him notice anything unusual. She still depended on him to live the life of a wealthy lady.
She had been his secret lover for more than twenty years and had long forgotten that she had once been an ordinary farmer’s daughter with an unremarkable appearance.
She had been the one to pursue him during university. Perhaps he had been attracted by her boldness, and before long, she had won him over.
Although her appearance was far inferior to that of the young ladies from prestigious families, she was proactive and knew many ways to please him, something those pretentious wealthy young ladies could never compare with.
Otherwise, she would never have been able to keep him completely captivated even after all these years.
She concealed the disgust in her eyes and gently soothed his wounded pride.
“Yutang, you were amazing today. You made me feel wonderful.”
“That was such an incredible experience. You haven’t lost your touch at all. I absolutely adore you.”
There was no man who disliked hearing flattering words, especially at a moment when his masculine pride had just taken a blow.
Qiao Yutang immediately kissed her lips.
“You’re such a good baby. I’ll go downstairs for a while. When I come back, I’ll deal with you, you little temptress.”
He had recognized the furious voice outside as that of Zhou Sen, the Third Master of the Capital City circle. Although he was puzzled as to why the head of the Zhou family was still in Jiangcheng instead of returning to the Capital City, this was clearly not the time to delay.
He hurriedly picked up his trousers and clothes from the carpet, threw them on, and rushed downstairs without looking back. In his haste, he did not even close the study door.
Li Mei was left exposed when a young male servant happened to pass by and saw her clearly.
She was sitting on the desk, and seeing the young servant only made the desire inside her grow stronger. She immediately beckoned him over.
“Come in and lock the door.”
It was an unexpected opportunity. Although the male servant was afraid that Qiao Yutang might discover them, he wanted the chance to live off a wealthy woman even more. Without hesitation, he turned around, entered the study, and locked the door.
Within seconds, passionate sounds came from inside the room.
“Mm, that’s it…”
“…So good.”
The sounds from the study continued, while the atmosphere in the first-floor hall grew increasingly tense.
The middle-aged butler stood trembling in the corner with his head lowered.
Qiao Yutang, a man who had already been cheated on countless times without realizing it, hurried downstairs and plastered an ingratiating smile across his face.
“Third Master, it’s such an honor to have you visit. I apologize for not welcoming you properly.”
“Qiao Yutang, spare me the formalities. What did you mean by last night? Did you find some woman off the street to disgust me?”
Having suddenly been hit with such a serious accusation, Qiao Yutang’s legs went weak for a moment. The smile on his face nearly collapsed, leaving him looking worse than if he were crying.
“Third Master, how would I dare do such a thing? Last night, I asked my daughter, Qiao Anran, to attend to you.”
Zhou Sen’s square face burned with anger as he snapped, “Hmph, you still dare to fool me? Bring her up.”
A few seconds later, a disheveled woman was brought upstairs by a bodyguard, her arms forced behind her back.
Qiao Yutang was utterly stunned when he saw how badly she had been abused. He had heard rumors that Zhou Sen relied on implements rather than himself, and that his methods were extremely brutal.
He had originally thought those rumors were exaggerated. Now, he had truly seen it for himself, and even the descriptions he had heard before had been extremely understated.
Just as he stood there at a loss for words, Zhou Sen angrily pointed toward the woman lying on the floor and demanded, “Is this your daughter? Don’t think you can fool me just by finding someone with a similar figure.”
Only then did Qiao Yutang realize that something was wrong.
That morning, when Li Cangchen had come looking for Qiao Anran and she had not answered his calls, he had assumed that his rebellious daughter was with Zhou Sen. He had thought that after discovering she had been deceived, she had become angry with the Qiao family and blocked his number.
Now that he was suddenly being told that the person who had entered Zhou Sen’s room the previous night was not her, his mind could hardly process it.
Where had that rebellious girl gone?
She had been drugged with something that required a man to counteract its effects. Who had benefited from it?
He had originally intended to use her to secure a business partnership, yet this valuable opportunity had simply disappeared. He nearly ground his back teeth to pieces.
But there was no time for him to vent his anger. His immediate priority was to calm Zhou Sen’s fury.
He immediately put on an expression of righteous indignation and cursed his daughter.
“That rebellious girl. I told her to attend to you properly last night, yet she ran off somewhere again. When she comes back, I’ll definitely break her legs.”
Having spent twenty years in business circles, Zhou Sen was hardly someone Qiao Yutang could deceive so easily.
He shouted furiously, “Stop putting on an act in front of me. Call your other daughter over. Since they’re both your daughters, their appearances should be fairly similar.”
Zhou Sen had specifically demanded Qiao Anran because he had previously seen a photograph left on the coffee table when he visited the Qiao family. The woman in the photograph had an extraordinarily beautiful appearance, and he had become fixated on finding her.
After learning that she was Qiao Yutang’s younger daughter, he had demanded that Qiao Yutang hand her over.
Since he could not find her now, he had decided to settle for another woman from the Qiao family.
But when he saw Qiao Xinxin, he immediately flew into a rage.
“Qiao Yutang, do you think I’m too easygoing? How dare you try to fob me off with this kind of trash?”
Qiao Xinxin, who had just been dragged downstairs by Qiao Yutang, immediately stopped struggling when she heard those words, fury surging through her heart.
However, after considering the other man’s identity, she forcibly swallowed her anger and stood in front of the cowardly Qiao Yutang.
How ridiculous.
Qiao Yutang was always saying that she was the daughter he loved most, but when it came down to life and death, he still treated her like a commodity to be sold.
Two days earlier, she had deliberately placed an old photograph she had found in the storage room in an obvious spot on the tea table so that Zhou Sen would see it.
Her intention had been to ruin Qiao Anran’s reputation and leave her with no choice but to become someone else’s plaything.
She simply had not expected Qiao Anran, despite being drugged the previous night, to escape Zhou Sen’s clutches.