Genius Club

“So many people here!”

The parking lot of Disneyland was packed when Yan Qiao Qiao jumped out of the Alphard car, wide-eyed at the crowd. “So many people!”

It was Children’s Day, which also happened to be a Saturday…

Donghai Disneyland was always busy, but today it was even more crowded with families and couples. And this was just the parking lot—the park itself was even more jammed with people.

“Alright, Mr. Lin Xian, Ms. Zhao Ying Jun, you all have fun. I’ll wait here,” said Driver Xiao Li after parking. He got out and closed the car door. “When you’re ready to leave, just call me. I’ll bring the car around so you don’t have to walk all the way back to the lot.”

Lin Xian nodded, giving him some instructions. “We’ll stay for the fireworks show tonight. You can take care of any errands or rest somewhere. No need to stay in the car. I’ll contact you when we’re ready to leave.”

With that, he walked toward the entrance with Zhao Ying Jun and the excited Yan Qiao Qiao bouncing alongside them.

“Qiao Qiao, your hair’s gotten longer,” Lin Xian remarked as he watched her ponytail swaying behind her. “Last time it was short; now it’s almost down to your neck. It finally looks like a proper ponytail.”

“Yeah, and she’s grown taller too,” Zhao Ying Jun added with a smile, patting Qiao Qiao on the head. “She eats a lot every day; it’s starting to show. Not too obvious, but she’s definitely taller. Her weight, though, has increased more. Look, her face and arms are a bit rounder now.”

“She does seem healthier,” Lin Xian agreed, noticing the slight fullness in Qiao Qiao’s arms. “She was too thin before. Now she looks stronger, more energetic…”

He suddenly remembered the first night he met Lin Yu Xi and how she had ripped the door off an Alphard with her bare hands. A nervous thought crossed his mind.

“Is Qiao Qiao really strong?” Lin Xian asked, hoping for a calming answer. “She doesn’t look it.”

He wanted reassurance, but…

“Don’t let her size fool you,” Zhao Ying Jun replied. “She’s quite strong. She can lift almost anything in the house.”

“What?” Lin Xian was startled.

“And it’s not just her strength. She’s also really good with her hands, especially when chopping vegetables. Like a professional chef—quick and precise.”

“What?”

“I mean, she’s amazing at chopping radishes!” Zhao Ying Jun laughed. “One day, I came home late from work, and Qiao Qiao had made dinner for me. She made curry, and the radish and potato cubes were perfectly square, all the same size.”

“No kid her age has knife skills like that! I watched her chop more times after that, and she moves the knife so fast. When she picks it up, she looks like a seasoned chef. You really should see it. She’s like a little culinary prodigy.”

“Heh, heh…” Lin Xian chuckled awkwardly, thinking of the head that floated mid-air when the fake Yu Xi was around.

Inside Disneyland, families walked hand-in-hand toward the rides, laughing and chatting. Qiao Qiao looked at her empty hands, then held them out to Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun.

“I want that too.”

Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun exchanged smiles. Since they promised to spend the day as a family, they had to commit to the role. Mimicking the other families, Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun each took one of Qiao Qiao’s hands, walking together toward the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, swinging their arms.

“Starting with something so thrilling?” Lin Xian asked.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was a roller coaster. He thought they’d begin with something less intense.

“Qiao Qiao said she likes exciting rides,” Zhao Ying Jun explained. “But it doesn’t matter where we start. We have VIP passes, so we don’t need to wait in line for any ride. We have plenty of time to enjoy all the popular attractions.”

And so, while others waited in long lines, Qiao Qiao walked straight through the VIP lane and got on the roller coaster. After a series of screams, she got off with a calm expression.

“It was okay,” she said.

“That one isn’t that thrilling,” Lin Xian said, pointing to another ride—Tron Lightcycle Power Run. “That’s the real deal here at Donghai Disneyland.”

Tron Lightcycle Power Run was another roller coaster, but its indoor lighting effects and steep drops made it more intense. It could go from 0 to 100 km/h in three seconds, with a top speed of 120 km/h. However, it was now capped at 80 km/h after safety adjustments. It was still considered a must-ride and left many people with lasting fear.

Yet, amid the screams, Qiao Qiao got off calmly again.

“It was okay,” she repeated.

“…”

Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun exchanged a glance.

There was definitely something different about Qiao Qiao.

“Incredible!” Zhao Ying Jun praised her. “That Tron ride scared me a bit, and I even screamed. But Qiao Qiao didn’t make a sound. Do you think something’s off with her?”

She suddenly remembered something and looked at Lin Xian. “Qiao Qiao doesn’t seem very sensitive to pain or fear. If you pull someone’s hair, they usually feel it, right? But not Qiao Qiao. If you pull out a strand, she doesn’t react at all.”

“Oh, really?” Lin Xian was curious. “Mind if I try?”

He aimed at a single hair on the back of Qiao Qiao’s head, pinched it, and yanked it out. Sure enough, just as Zhao Ying Jun had said, Qiao Qiao kept walking toward the dinosaur-themed roller coaster without any reaction.

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“That’s… definitely not normal,” Lin Xian murmured, looking at the hair in his hand. He had pulled it out by the root. Most people would feel that, right?

“Maybe,” Zhao Ying Jun mused. “Or maybe Qiao Qiao has some special talents. She’s calm under pressure, quick to react, and has great coordination. Maybe she’ll grow up to be someone great.”

“Someone great in what way?” Lin Xian casually slipped the hair into his pocket. “Usually, jobs that fit that description are spies or secret agents… But in these peaceful times, those jobs are rare.”

“Hey!” Qiao Qiao, who had run quite a distance ahead, turned back and called to them. “Hurry up, you two!”

Thanks to the VIP pass Zhao Ying Jun bought, they moved smoothly from ride to ride without waiting. On a peak holiday like this, a normal ticket would mean enjoying maybe five or six rides. But Qiao Qiao almost went through the entire park.

Even during the parade, the VIP pass had a special seating area. Qiao Qiao, who seemed to have never experienced such fun, was overwhelmed by all the excitement around her.

There was no denying it—Qiao Qiao had impressive stamina. She was running and jumping around all day without even breaking a sweat, while Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun were clearly getting tired.

When they reached the pirate ship ride, Qiao Qiao went on her own. Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun didn’t feel like spinning their heads around, so they sat on a bench under a tree to rest.

“Taking care of a kid is exhausting,” Lin Xian sighed. “No wonder young people today don’t want to get married or have kids.”

Zhao Ying Jun paused, her water bottle mid-air, then set it down. She tightened the cap, tucked her loose hair behind her ear, and said, “You’re not a fish, so how do you know the joy of being a fish?”

She smiled. “Sure, raising a kid can be tiring, but everything in life has tiring moments. Work is tiring, exercising is tiring, even lying on the couch watching TV can be tiring.”

“But the joy and fulfillment a child brings to their parents is something nothing else can replace. It’s like pain and happiness all at once. Even a little bit of joy can make all the hardships worth it.”

Lin Xian was a bit surprised. “That sounds a lot like what Brother Wang said. He mentioned that while the downsides of raising kids are all over the internet, the upsides… you have to experience them to understand. That feeling inside can’t be put into words.”

“Now that the country’s birth rate is dropping every year, even with the two-child and three-child policies, young people don’t even want to have one. For me, I’m a bit more traditional. I think it’s worth having at least one child, but I’m not keen on a second—it seems tiring. What about you?”

“Me?” Zhao Ying Jun leaned back against the bench and smiled. “I’m fine with having more kids. If they’re like Qiao Qiao—cute, well-behaved, and sensible—wouldn’t having more be nice?”

Lin Xian chuckled softly, not saying much more.

Whether he’d get the chance to have kids or not depended on whether Qiao Qiao or Lin Yu Xi would let him off the hook. If he couldn’t even make it past July 7th… What was the point of talking about marriage and children?

He felt the hair in his pocket. He already had Qiao Qiao’s hair, and while a DNA paternity test comparing it with his own would give a clear answer, to be safe, he wanted to get a strand of Zhao Ying Jun’s hair as well.

But unlike Qiao Qiao, who didn’t seem to feel anything, he couldn’t just pull Zhao Ying Jun’s hair without a word. No worries, though. He glanced at the backpack by his side. Inside were gifts he had prepared for Zhao Ying Jun and Qiao Qiao—very “useful” gifts that would help him achieve his goal.

He looked up and saw Qiao Qiao, hands on her hips, walking over. “That was fun!”

Zhao Ying Jun handed her the water bottle. “Have some water before you play more. It’s so hot; you need to stay hydrated… Hey, I just noticed, you’re not even sweating. Are you really that fit?”

She touched Qiao Qiao’s arm, finding it cool and smooth like polished jade. It was hard to believe such good genes came from her. She didn’t have such flawless skin.

“We’ve tried almost all the rides, and it’s almost time for dinner and the fireworks show. Is there anything else you want to do?” she asked.

“I want to take a picture,” Qiao Qiao replied without hesitation. “A family photo, like before.”

“Oh, right,” Lin Xian remembered. “Disneyland has special photo studios where you can rent costumes of cartoon characters. Do you want to go?”

“Yes!”

“Then let’s go.”

With that, the three of them got up from the bench and headed to the photo studio inside Disneyland.

Today was Qiao Qiao’s day. She called the shots.

She chose a princess dress and also picked out a king and queen costume for Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun. After getting dressed, the stylist was busy fixing Qiao Qiao’s headpiece, which was quite intricate. By the time she was done, Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun were already dressed and waiting in the set room.

When the photographer saw the beautiful Qiao Qiao come out, he exclaimed, “What a lovely young girl! How old are you this year?”

“Fourteen.”

“Are you here with your brother and sister?”

“No,” Qiao Qiao shook her head. “With my mom and dad.”

???

The photographer’s mind filled with question marks. He looked at the young couple posing with the help of his assistant, then back at Qiao Qiao in her princess gown.

“Mom… and dad?!”

Qiao Qiao nodded firmly, leaving the photographer’s brain to overheat.

These two young people didn’t look older than twenty-five or twenty-six. The girl said she was fourteen. Doing the math…

What?!

That didn’t seem right! That wasn’t morally or legally acceptable! Did they start too young?

But… well, he was just a photographer. It wasn’t his place to question his clients’ privacy. Now that he knew the relationship, he knew how to style the shoot and position them.

Qiao Qiao quickly got into position, standing in front of Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun. The photographer called out to them, “Mom and Dad, crouch down a bit, get closer… a bit closer…”

Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun looked at each other, confused, then looked down at Qiao Qiao, who was posing seriously. Goodness. Was this becoming real now?

But since Qiao Qiao was their little princess for the day, they could only follow the photographer’s instructions and move closer together.

“Closer! A little closer!”

Clearly, their inch-by-inch movement didn’t satisfy the photographer, who couldn’t capture the warm, family-like image he wanted. “Come on, get closer! What’s with you two being all shy?”

He was getting impatient. These two had already raised a kid this big and had been in love for so many years, yet they still acted like they were in their first romance. They really were born actors.

Tired of directing, he waved his assistant over. “Help them pose as a family of three for their photo.”

“Sure thing.”

The female assistant, who had seen it all, got right to work.

With a gentle push here and a slight adjustment there, Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun were pressed close together. In front of them, Qiao Qiao held her princess gown up with both hands—

Click!

A perfect, heartwarming family photo was taken, printed, framed, and handed to Qiao Qiao.

It was her second photo in life. Another group photo, just like before, only without the Pomeranian, VV.

“It’s beautiful,” Qiao Qiao said, pleased with the picture, carefully putting it away.

…

Night fell over Disneyland, and crowds gathered in front of the castle, ready to enjoy the evening’s main event—the fireworks show.

Zhao Ying Jun had been here before, with Lin Xian. But back then, it was just the two of them and a Bugatti Veyron. The fireworks that night were just for her, more dazzling than any other.

Even if Disneyland decided to set off fireworks for the next ten years all at once tonight… or if they blew up the entire castle, to Zhao Ying Jun, nothing could compare to that one delayed birthday wish and the fireworks that lit up her world.

“It’s so slow. When does it start?” Qiao Qiao asked, standing in front of Zhao Ying Jun and looking up at the sky.

The surrounding crowd was noisy and bustling. Her neck was starting to hurt, but the fireworks show still hadn’t started.

“It should be soon,” Lin Xian said, checking his watch. “It should have started by now, but Disneyland’s fireworks are never on time… or rather, the schedule is never fixed. They just give a rough timeframe on the program.”

“In that case, I’ll take this chance to give you both your Children’s Day gifts!”

When she heard there were gifts, Zhao Ying Jun and Qiao Qiao turned their heads to look at him. As Zhao Ying Jun had said earlier, who doesn’t like gifts?

Gifts are always a joy, no matter when or how many you receive.

“Do I get one too?” Zhao Ying Jun smiled, surprised. “I didn’t expect you to prepare a gift for me… I’m sorry, I didn’t get one for you.”

“It’s okay,” Lin Xian replied with a slight smile. “I should be the one giving gifts to both of you.”

With that, he unzipped his backpack and took out a small smartwatch. He strapped it around Qiao Qiao’s wrist.

“Qiao Qiao, this phone watch is for you. Look, I’ve already saved our numbers on it. If you ever want to contact Sister Ying Jun or me, just tap here. You’re so smart; you’ll figure it out quickly.”

“This way, we can call you anytime, and you won’t go missing like last time when Sister Ying Jun couldn’t find you. You’ll keep it on all the time, except when charging it at night, okay? If we can’t reach you, we’ll get worried.”

Clearly, Qiao Qiao loved the delicate watch, fiddling with all its features. “Thank you, Brother Lin Xian. I’ll call you often!”

“Don’t call him unless you need to,” Zhao Ying Jun warned. “It might bother Brother Lin Xian. Call me if you need something.”

Then, Zhao Ying Jun looked up at Lin Xian with a smile. “You’re so thoughtful. I never thought to get her something like this. I’ve been treating her like a little kid.”

Next, Lin Xian took out a small sapphire necklace from his backpack, which looked quite valuable.

Zhao Ying Jun was stunned. She hadn’t expected Lin Xian to give her such an expensive gift!

She thought it would be something like the smartwatch—more meaningful than practical. She never imagined Lin Xian would go all out this time.

“This… must have been expensive?” she asked, looking at Lin Xian. “Did you come into some money?”

“Almost,” Lin Xian answered honestly. “I might become the richest person in the world soon.”

“Ha, is that so?” Zhao Ying Jun didn’t believe it for a second. “But if you’re that confident, then I guess I won’t feel guilty accepting this gift. This sapphire necklace is beautiful… Remember those sapphire earrings I wore to that banquet before? The ones you said looked pretty?”

“I told you then that I rarely wear blue in my everyday outfits, so they’re mostly reserved for evening events with blue dresses. But if I have this sapphire necklace to match… maybe those earrings would get more use.”

Lin Xian opened the clasp on the back of the necklace and looked at Zhao Ying Jun. “Turn around. Let me put it on for you.”

“Sure.”

Zhao Ying Jun turned her back, revealing her fair neck and back. The two were close now. Lin Xian brought the necklace around her neck, then held the clasp ends, discreetly winding a strand of her hair into the clasp as he tightened it.

“All done?” Zhao Ying Jun instinctively twisted her neck. “Ow!”

She winced. A hair on the back of her neck had been pulled out.

“Did I catch your hair?” Lin Xian apologized. “Sorry, it’s dark, and I didn’t notice.”

Then, he loosened the clasp, secretly collected the broken hair, re-fastened it, and let go. “There, it’s on now. Take a look.”

Zhao Ying Jun touched the cool sapphire, gradually warming it with her body heat, and smiled softly. “Thank you, Lin Xian. I love it.”

It was already 8:40 p.m., but the fireworks still hadn’t started. Complaints and grumbles grew louder around them as the crowd became increasingly restless.

Qiao Qiao, busy fiddling with her new toy, the smartwatch, didn’t have time to look up at the scheming young couple.

At this moment, it was as if the whole world had isolated Lin Xian and Zhao Ying Jun. Zhao Ying Jun touched the sapphire pendant and had already guessed Lin Xian’s intention…

How should she put it? Is it true that “birds of a feather flock together”?

Lin Xian’s recent actions to collect hair were no different from what she had done herself. Back then, she used a similar method to pluck a strand of hair from Qiao Qiao. Today, Lin Xian used the same trick on her.

And remembering how Lin Xian had plucked a strand of Qiao Qiao’s hair earlier in the morning… Collecting hair from both of them at this point in time… What else could it be for?

With a bit of thought, she knew it must be for a DNA paternity test.

Sure enough.

[Lin Xian has become suspicious and is questioning Qiao Qiao’s true identity.]

This didn’t surprise Zhao Ying Jun. If she and her parents hadn’t lied to Lin Xian from the start, claiming Qiao Qiao was a distant relative, Lin Xian would have suspected much earlier. He wouldn’t have waited until now to find something off.

From the time of that little girl, Yu Xi…

It seemed Lin Xian had been searching for a girl related to both him and herself by blood.

But Yu Xi was clearly a mistake.

Qiao Qiao… she was the girl Lin Xian had truly been looking for.

Now that Lin Xian had noticed the peculiarities surrounding Qiao Qiao, Zhao Ying Jun decided not to hide it any longer. It was their deceit that had confused Lin Xian, impacting his judgment. It was only right to apologize.

“Sorry, Lin Xian,” she turned her head and said softly, “There’s something I really need to apologize to you for… It’s been my fault, and my parents’ too, for hiding it from you all this time.”

Lin Xian looked into Zhao Ying Jun’s eyes. “What is it?”

“Qiao Qiao isn’t actually a distant relative of ours,” Zhao Ying Jun continued. “My parents found her by chance on a country road. She looked a bit like me, so they brought her home and raised her.”

“Later, when we had dinner with you, my parents made up the distant relative story to save face and make it easier to explain. I had to go along with it, and I didn’t expect this lie to get so deep that there was never a good time to clear things up with you.”

“I’ve noticed many strange things about Qiao Qiao myself, so… I also have to apologize. I secretly kept that white hair Qiao Qiao pulled from you and took it to the hospital, along with a hair of mine, for a DNA test.”

Boom!

The fireworks show finally began. A red streak shot up from the castle into the sky.

“Ah.” Qiao Qiao raised her right hand, pointing to the sky, “Fireworks.”

Zhao Ying Jun reached out and covered Qiao Qiao’s ears, keeping her from hearing as she continued.

“Although it sounds unbelievable, and I found it hard to believe myself, the DNA test results show…”

Boom!!!

The sky exploded with vibrant, colorful fireworks, lighting up the night sky of Disneyland.

Stars sparkled in Zhao Ying Jun’s eyes as she smiled at Lin Xian. “That’s right. Biologically speaking, Qiao Qiao is…”

“She’s our daughter.”