Chu Yi was momentarily at a loss, then quickly reacted.
This was the stage when he was being hypnotized into corruption at the hotel. The Time Stop series truly was the eternal god.
Wait a minute... This is the Jiang Qiuyun from the past. In other words, even if he did something excessive to her, it would be reversed by the Retrospect. It wouldn’t be able to affect the current timeline in any way. But this was strange. Why could his past self retain thoughts during a Retrospect, but when he used Retrospect on others, they could only remain conscious in their current state? Chu Yi felt this issue warranted deeper study.
After the Retrospect ended, frozen time began to flow again. Jiang Qiuyun’s delicate face furrowed. "What happened? Why hasn’t there been any change?" she asked, staring suspiciously at the boy on the sofa.
"It seems like it failed," Chu Yi replied lazily. He had entered a sage-like state, devoid of worldly desires, and was watching a comedy movie on the 100-inch LCD TV on the wall.
Jiang Qiuyun was stunned. Soon, she noticed something outside the window, and her pupils contracted slightly. Why has the sky turned dark? Looking at the clock again, two hours had actually passed! This meant that these two hours had left no memory for her; they had just passed by in a blur. Strange! Something must be wrong!
But seeing Chu Yi’s tired look, she felt it wasn’t right to press further. Still worried, she asked, "Did you secretly do something strange?"
"No, I just used a part of my power and consumed too much. Sister Jiang, let’s try again tomorrow," Chu Yi said sincerely. His clear eyes, without a trace of impurity, made the Loli Knight startle. She hesitated a bit, then said apologetically, "I’m sorry, Chu Yi. I shouldn’t have doubted you."
"It’s fine." Chu Yi shook his head, his expression sincere. "I promised Grandpa I’d help you recover soon. Don’t worry."
Jiang Qiuyun felt a warmth spread through her heart upon hearing this, along with a touch of guilt. "There are ingredients air-freighted to the kitchen. I... I’ll go cook..." she said.
With that said, she turned to leave, but secretly summoned back the Cloud Eagle to inquire about what had happened during this period.
The Cloud Eagle was oblivious. It hadn’t noticed anything, having been too busy going wild playing games in the arcade. Even some strange sounds had been drowned out by the noisy environment.
Jiang Qiuyun remained silent. Giving up on that line of inquiry, she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Although there was a service in the villa area for delivering meals from renowned chefs, Jiang Qiuyun didn’t like takeout. She preferred to cook herself, a skill her mother had taught her from a young age—how to cook delicious food to capture a loved one’s stomach.
No, that’s not right.
Jiang Qiuyun stared blankly at the mandarin fish on the cutting board, her thoughts jumbled. As she de-boned the fish with skillful slanted cuts, she had the distinct feeling of being a housewife.
Why am I cooking for him?
Her cheeks puffed out in annoyance as she viciously chopped at the fish, imagining it to be a certain familiar boy whom she was hacking to death.
Just then, her Star Bracelet vibrated. A special call was coming through.
"Wan Er, are you okay?"
Upon hearing this voice, Jiang Qiuyun shivered. Her blood seemed to freeze, and her complexion turned slightly pale.
She instinctively wanted to hang up. But her fingers paused. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that she had to face this eventually.
She put down the kitchen knife, her gaze turning cold. "...Why are you calling?" she asked icily. "Are you calling to check up on me?"
"Wan Er, your father finally managed to find some time. Can’t he even call you?" a voice filled with benevolence and care said from the other end of the phone. "You are your father’s treasure, the fruit of mine and Wan Qing’s love..."
Jiang Qiuyun cut him off directly. "You are not worthy to mention my mother’s name. You never will be," she said coldly. "If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up."
The line was silent for a minute.
"Wan Er, do you still hate your father? Do you hate me for abandoning you and your mother? Do you hate that I already had a family, yet still gained your mother’s affection and had a daughter with her? But I had my reasons for all of this." The voice on the other end turned pleading, clearly trying to gain his daughter’s forgiveness.
Jiang Qiuyun’s expression didn’t change. "For your ambition, you ruthlessly sacrificed my mother and even planned to sacrifice me along with her," she said sarcastically. "Do you really think I’m still as easily fooled by your facade as I was years ago?"
She was so angry her delicate shoulders trembled, and despite her defiant tone, her face turned pale.
"Wan Er, everything your father did was actually for you!" The voice on the other end, its disguise now seen through, suddenly became fervent, carrying a hint of frenzy. "You are destined by fate, meant to be one of the god’s chosen! Don’t you understand? Come back to the Jiang Family! Your father has already paved the path to kingship for you! You will become the sovereign of the Jiang Family, one of the supreme gods in the Federation Imperial Capital, wielding kingly authority that shines brighter than the sun..."
A burst of bizarre murmuring came through the phone, countless sibilant whispers surging like a tide.
Jiang Qiuyun was dazed for a moment. In her hazy memories, her father was gentle and kind, her mother tender and virtuous; they were a warm family of three.
But at this moment, the memory shifted. The warm scenes shattered like a mirror, and the truth hidden behind the facade began to reveal itself, corner by corner, as countless eerie images surged forth.
Furthermore, her memories became jumbled. The image of her father in her mind suddenly overlapped with another face.
Jiang Qiuyun instantly snapped back to her senses!
"I don’t need it." She had immediately regained her composure. "I’m living well in Yaoguang City," she said coldly. "I don’t want to become any sovereign, and I already have my own... father."
The line was silent for a moment before the man reacted. "What did you say?" he roared furiously. "I am your father! The Jiang Family is your true home! You carry half of my blood in your veins! And since when do you have another father! Wait, could it be that boy!?"
Jiang Qiuyun clenched her fists. For the first time, a rebellious urge surged through her, and on impulse, she retorted loudly, "Yes, that’s right! It’s exactly as you think!"
"What!?" The voice on the phone grew hoarse, filled with a terrifying rage—an inferno of fury, like a volcano about to erupt. "What exactly is your relationship with him!?"
Jiang Qiuyun sneered. "He’s my father. I call him ’Dad’ every day. I just don’t call you that!"
From the phone, a sharp, deep, enraged Beast-like roar suddenly exploded—distorted, jumbled, and cacophonous, as if it were polluting reality itself.
The call was quickly interrupted, likely severed by a wave of immense force.
Jiang Qiuyun looked calm. The childhood shadows buried deep in her heart also seemed to dissipate with that roar.
She leaned against the wall. The confrontation seemed to have drained much of her energy, including her courage. She was drenched in a light sweat that carried a natural floral fragrance.
A table full of dishes was served: Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish, Minced Pork with Eggplant, Stir-fried Pork with Green Peppers, Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes, and Tomato Egg Drop Soup.
The dishes were perfect in color, aroma, and taste. Just the fragrance alone was enough to whet one’s appetite.