I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

Chapter 164 Abstract Paradise, Powerful Magic, Middle!

Hearing Xiao Bonian enter, Xiao Qingxuan raised her head.

Before she could speak, Xiao Bonian spoke up, his expression calm as if nothing had happened. "I went to see the Olympics with some friends in August. This photo was taken then. You've seen Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu in it before. By the way, what do you want to eat tonight? How about we go out to eat? Tomorrow is the 8th, and the National Day holiday is coming to an end. I was thinking that since you've decided to go back to school, you should leave by tomorrow at the latest. Do you want to take the train or a plane back then?"

Xiao Qingxuan thought to herself, "Uncle, your change of topic was a bit abrupt," but she didn't call it out, nor did she put down the photo frame in her hand.

In the two days before she went to work at Anjia, she had nothing to do at Xiao Bonian's house, so she would come to the study to play on the computer.

I was heading back home this time, so I came to check if I had left anything behind, and that's when I saw this photo.

Xiao Qingxuan recognized Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu in the photo, but she had never seen the other beautiful woman before.

Judging from this photo, the relationship between these four people seems somewhat ambiguous.

Uncle is in love? This strange woman is Uncle's girlfriend? And Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu, besides being Uncle's students, are also his matchmakers with this woman?

Xiao Qingxuan was a fairly normal person, and she never imagined that the real truth would be so outrageous. So, after using her imagination to the best of her ability, this was all she could guess.

After thinking about it this way, Xiao Qingxuan got excited: Her uncle actually falls in love?

It's worth noting that Xiao Bonian's marriage was once a major topic of discussion in the Xiao family. Before Xiao Bonian turned 35, his grandparents, relatives, and friends repeatedly tried to persuade him to marry and introduced him to potential partners, but Xiao Bonian never did.

After Xiao Bonian turned 35, his grandparents stopped trying to persuade him and instead started citing examples of scientists:

Newton, Leibniz, Nobel, and many other famous scientists all remained unmarried throughout their lives and dedicated themselves to scientific endeavors.

Xiao Bonian doesn't want to get married, so be it. He has dedicated his life to science, and if he can leave his name in textbooks in the future, that will be an honor for his ancestors—at least from what his grandparents say, they seem to have accepted it.

Now, Xiao Qingxuan has discovered that her uncle seems to be in love!

This ignited Xiao Qingxuan's gossip-loving spirit, making her eager to meet the woman who was suspected to be her future aunt and who could even capture Xiao Bonian's heart.

So she didn't point out how abruptly Xiao Bonian's topic change was, but instead said in a coquettish tone, "Uncle, I finally made it to Yangcheng, but I've been working for that damn Shen Kang all day, and I haven't had a proper chance to play. How about you take me there tomorrow? I heard that Universal Studios in Yangcheng is pretty fun. Two of my classmates went there, and they always say they want to go too."

Xiao Bonian thought about it and agreed, "Okay, then I'll go back later."

He believed that as long as he knew that Xuanxuan was willing to go back to school, Zhongnian would not mind going back a couple of days later.

Just as he was thinking about this, Xiao Bonian suddenly remembered that he had just made an appointment with Shen Kang for the "family of four" to get together tomorrow. But now he had also promised Xiao Qingxuan that he would take her to Universal Studios Japan tomorrow. What should he do?

At this moment, Xiao Qingxuan spoke up again: "But it seems a bit boring with just the two of us. Why don't we invite your friends along too?"

As she spoke, she picked up the photo frame and pointed to the three people in it. Her face wore an innocent and naive expression, as if to say, "Xuanxuan doesn't know anything."

Xiao Bonian broke out in a cold sweat.

Goodness, now he doesn't have to worry about not being able to have both dates at the same time.

But thinking about it carefully, it doesn't seem like a big deal. As long as we communicate with them in advance and go out together, it seems like nothing will go wrong.

So he remained calm and composed, with an expression that said, "I, Xiao Bonian, have a clear conscience," in response to his niece's expression that "Xuanxuan knows nothing."

"Okay, I'll make an appointment with them."

When Xiao Bonian called, Shen Kang was having dinner at his home in Shenlan Waterfront.

Zhou Man and He Qiuzhu were also at the same table.

"————That's how it is." Shen Kang told them everything about Xiao Qingxuan over the past few days, and also mentioned that he and Xiao Bonian had agreed to get together tomorrow.

He Qiuzhu agreed.

After remarking that "every family has its own problems," Zhou Man agreed and even took out her phone to call Ding Ling to handle some scheduling matters.

It was at this moment that Xiao Bonian called.

After hanging up the phone, Shen Kang's expression was somewhat strange.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Man asked, seeing his expression.

"Professor Xiao accidentally brought back that photo of the four of us from the Olympic opening ceremony—" Shen Kang explained the situation, concluding, "—Professor Xiao hopes we won't reveal it, and that it'll just be like a normal group of friends going out for fun. Are you coming?"

Although he was asking the two of them if they wanted to go, Shen Kang was mainly looking at Zhou Man when he asked.

He and He Qiuzhu had already met Xiao Bonian and Xiao Qingxuan as "students," so going out together again wouldn't be a problem. However, Zhou Man hadn't made any contact with them yet.

"Go ahead."

Zhou Man calmly said, "I didn't know where to go tomorrow anyway, so now I don't have to choose, which is great."

She spoke calmly, but for some reason, the thought of meeting Xiao Bonian's niece made Zhou Man feel a strange, slight nervousness.

The next morning, Shen Kang got up early, planning to have breakfast and then set off together to meet up with Xiao Bonian and the others.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, they found that He Qiuzhu was the only one inside.

Today she wore casual trousers, a light jacket, and sneakers, with her hair tied in a ponytail. It was a simple outfit, but because of her face, she somehow managed to give off the vibe of the nation's first love. She lost some of the unapproachable distance she usually exuded and gained a touch of pure innocence that made people want to rush over to her.

"Mr. Zhou isn't up yet?" Shen Kang walked over and sat down at his seat, asking casually. Aunt Zhang had already prepared his breakfast in front of him.

"I don't know, I didn't see her when I got up."

As the two were talking, Zhou Man came in.

Shen Kang glanced at her, almost laughed, and then unleashed his signature sarcastic remark: "President Zhou, you seem to be quite cold-sensitive?"

Zhou Man was dressed in a light apricot wool suit skirt, with a silk scarf, a lace sun hat, and a small handbag, looking every bit the sophisticated lady. Yet, she wasn't overly flashy; the overall look was understated elegance.

Today is October 7th, and even though it's the National Day holiday, there's still a bit of the lingering heat of late summer. The average temperature in Yangcheng isn't too high, but it's still a little over 10 degrees Celsius.

Doesn't she feel hot dressed like that?

Zhou Man sat down in her seat, remaining calm: "Girls are naturally more prone to feeling cold. Besides, I'm older, and I can't compare to you young people, so I still need to pay attention to keeping warm. It's you who, on the other hand, doesn't take care of yourself while you're young; you'll suffer when you get older."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two finished breakfast and set off.

This time, Ding Ling didn't go with them; it was just Shen Kang, Zhou Man, and He Qiuzhu. They didn't drive the Bentley either. Zhou Man pulled He Qiuzhu directly into the back seat of the BMW, while Shen Kang drove in the front, heading towards Universal Park in the west of Yangcheng.

Upon arriving at the location, parking the car, and going to the main gate, we immediately spotted Xiao Bonian and Xiao Qingxuan, and went over to meet them.

Xiao Qingxuan is dressed quite casually today.

When Shen Kang and the others arrived, Xiao Qingxuan's attention was entirely focused on the woman who seemed to be her future aunt. Her first impression was that she was beautiful and elegant, but not overly so.

Then Zhou Man smiled gently at her and said with some surprise, "Professor Xiao, your niece is so beautiful."

This made Xiao Qingxuan have a better impression of her.

Shen Kang secretly rolled his eyes: President Zhou, you often look at He Qiuzhu's face, how can you be so "surprised" to exclaim that Xiao Qingxuan is really beautiful?

But I must say, President Zhou's acting skills are really good; he couldn't see any flaws at all.

After introducing Zhou Man and Xiao Qingxuan, the group bought tickets and went inside Universal Studios.

Originally, the four of them were quite familiar with each other, but the sudden addition of Xiao Qingxuan made the atmosphere a bit awkward. For a moment, no one spoke, and the five of them just walked on.

Shen Kang felt a little awkward, so he simply looked around.

These days, the capital already has Happy Valley. This Universal Studios in Yangcheng was also built along with this trend, but it has created its own unique features, making it different from Happy Valley.

Simply put, the key to "Universal World" is the word "Universal": it incorporates features from all over the world.

For example, shortly after they entered, they saw a replica of St. Borobudur's Basilica. Although it wasn't as grand and imposing as the original, it was a very close replica and still quite solemn.

There's something strange about those two thick doorposts on either side of the entrance.

Those were two huge red Spring Festival couplets:

The image of God blessing the world and Jesus bringing good fortune to the land was probably posted during the Lunar New Year and hasn't been taken down yet.

The five people stood at the doorway, looking up at the scene before them, all feeling that it was somewhat abstract.

Shen Kang couldn't help but ask, "Why isn't there a horizontal scroll?"

Zhou Man said, "Why don't you have one?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it." Shen Kang thought for a moment, and then immediately added, "Jesus will do it too."

When the cathedral came to China, people put up Spring Festival couplets at the entrance. Even Jesus would do that, wouldn't he?

But Zhou Man was the first to frown and retort, "What are you thinking?"

Shen Kang retorted, "Then why don't you try?"

Zhou Man thought for a moment and then came up with her own: "A blend of East and West." She finished speaking with a hint of pride, feeling it was much better than Shen Kang's, and subconsciously asked Xiao Bonian, "What do you think? Isn't it much better than Shen Kang's?"

Xiao Bonian readily agreed, and Zhou Man then asked him to do one as well. Xiao Bonian thought for a moment and said, "Bless China."

Then, He Qiuzhu and Xiao Qingxuan were also brought in, and they both came up with their own ideas. They then gave each other their feedback.

After some laughter and chatter, everyone left and headed to their next destination, automatically separating themselves into groups of five.

Xiao Bonian and Zhou Man had unknowingly walked ahead, and their conversation had shifted from the horizontal scroll to the abstract behavior of Universal Studios.

Xiao Bonian said that the designer of this park was a friend of his, and then talked about his friend's design concept. Zhou Man then analyzed this design concept from a business perspective.

Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu walked behind.

He was playing with He Qiuzhu's ponytail, and He Qiuzhu couldn't get rid of it no matter what she did, so she bumped her head against him.

Shen Kang didn't dodge, but instead pressed his chest against hers, mocking her, "Is that all you ever do? Dare to come up with a new move?"

Just as they were having a great time, they caught a glimpse of Xiao Qingxuan out of the corner of their eye, who looked quite annoyed.

Seeing Shen Kang looking over, Xiao Qingxuan sighed, "I feel like I'm just superfluous."

"I'm very pleased that you have this awareness," Shen Kang said.

But immediately, Xiao Qingxuan asked with a puzzled look, "I just don't understand why He Qiuzhu would take a liking to you?"

Although Shen Kang is somewhat successful and somewhat handsome, in Xiao Qingxuan's eyes, He Qiuzhu is too beautiful, she is simply a fairy-like celestial being, how could she have fallen for Shen Kang?

Shen Kang was very dissatisfied when he heard her say that. "What do you mean you can't understand why I'm interested in you? There are plenty of people who like me!"

He Qiuzhu, who was standing nearby, nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, a lot of girls like Shen Kang. Shen Kang is really charming."

Shen Kang chose to skip the topic and corrected Xiao Qingxuan's mistake earlier: "Besides, she's my god-sister. We have a purely platonic sibling relationship. Don't always think of platonic relationships between humans in that way."

Xiao Qingxuan rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, "When I mentioned that many people like you, He Qiuzhu was clearly jealous. You, Shen Kang, also avoided the topic, not daring to discuss it further. And now you're telling me you have a purely platonic sibling relationship? If you two have a purely platonic sibling relationship, then Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu are just a simple master-disciple relationship."

However, she was still hoping that after she got into university, Shen Kang would arrange for her to work at the An family business, and that Shen Kang would be her boss, so she didn't expose him.

At this moment, Zhou Man noticed the sound behind her. She turned around and saw Shen Kang grabbing He Qiuzhu's ponytail and He Qiuzhu bumping her head against Shen Kang. She immediately raised her eyebrows and shouted "Shen Kang!" and went to settle accounts with this brat who bullied He Qiuzhu.

After some playful banter, Zhou Man finally noticed that Xiao Qingxuan was right next to her, and realized that her actions just now seemed a bit too bold.

So he immediately smiled gently at Xiao Qingxuan, considerately asking if she was thirsty and if she wanted to buy some water, and even stole a moment to glare fiercely at Shen Kang.

Shen Kang just chuckled and smiled in response, thinking to himself, "Let you pretend."

Then, the group continued walking forward.

Xiao Qingxuan walked in the group, remaining silent.

She had previously assumed that Xiao Bonian and Zhou Man were in a suspected romantic relationship, and that Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu were acting as matchmakers between them.

But after spending some time together, she had a vague feeling that the relationship between these four people seemed somewhat subtle, and more than just that—

The five walked for a short while, but because Zhou Man needed to buy water for Xiao Qingxuan, they didn't see any shops. However, there happened to be a new tourist attraction nearby—

—A maid's coffee.

The five of them simply went inside to experience it and buy some water while they were there.

Upon seeing the group enter, the store sent out several maids to greet them. They were all dressed very cutely, but standing in front of Xiao Qingxuan and Zhou Man, they were clearly inferior, let alone compared to He Qiuzhu.

This significantly dampened the confidence of the maids. However, they remained dedicated to their work, and since they also liked pretty girls, their service was still quite competent.

The usual ritual of consecrating the beverage was also included.

The consecration ceremony was performed by a maid dressed in a black and white maid outfit with a pair of brown cat ears; she was also the cutest of the maids.

A Japanese-style maid, holding a magic wand, waved it in front of the five of them. Her voice was soft and sweet, and she spoke in a local dialect: "Show me what you've got, and force me into a ridiculous shape."

'

She's a congratulatory maid, isn't she? That's really something!

Shen Kang thought this Universal Studios theme park was really interesting.

He was also the first to actively follow the maid's instructions, making the shape of "dwarf" with his hands.

Xiao Qingxuan, a former landmine girl who had modified her knife, also had no psychological burden and did the same thing. He Qiuzhu was also very enthusiastic, looking like she found it very fun, and did the same.

Xiao Bonian and Zhou Man felt a bit awkward and ashamed.

The maids, having seen this many times before, were about to come forward to comfort and persuade her, but before they could move, Shen Kang, the guest, spoke first, saying directly to Zhou Man, "President Zhou, Xiao Qingxuan has finally come to Yangcheng for a visit, you wouldn't want to spoil her fun, would you?"

After he said that, Zhou Man secretly glared at him again, and Shen Kang looked back at her like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water.

Then Zhou Man had no choice but to suppress her shame and, following the maid's instructions, forced her hands into the shape of a "short torture" position.

Zhou Man did it, and Shen Kang didn't need to say anything more. Xiao Bonian could only suppress his shame and follow suit.

The adorable cat-eared maid continued to cast her spell of love in a warm, hushed tone, "Did Chun get ripped off yet?~"

Shen Kang responded loudly in a He Nan accent: "Zhun got fleeced!"

Influenced by his shamelessness, everyone's sense of shame seemed to lessen, and they joined in the response.

Cat-eared maid: "Now I need a few of you to help me infuse it with love magic, okay?"

Shen Kang shouted loudly and with full force, "Yes!"

The others: "Yes." "Yes."

The cat-eared maid said, "Then repeat after me." With that, she waved her magic wand, consecrating the five people's drinks while chanting, "Dejinmofa."

Shen Kang shouted back, "The best grinding method!"

The others: "A good grinding method—"

Zhou Man lowered her head slightly, feeling it was too much to bear—what kind of games are these young people playing these days?

The cat-eared maid continued: "Scented!"

"It smells so good!" This time, it wasn't just Shen Kang who loudly joined in; He Qiuzhu was also loudly joining in. Her eyes were full of joy, and she seemed to have gotten used to it and found it very fun.

The others echoed at the same time: "It smells amazing!"

The cat-eared maid was still casting a spell: "Even Shenxian praised it after eating it."

"Even Shen Xian praised it after eating it!" This time, in addition to Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu, Xiao Qingxuan was also among the loudly following the group.

Xiao Qingxuan knew about maid cafes, but in her memory, the maids all spoke Japanese. Because she couldn't understand Japanese, the maids all looked and sounded sweet, soft, and cute.

Hearing the cat-eared maid speaking in such a strange language was too much for her to bear, so she wasn't very enthusiastic in responding earlier.

But after a few exchanges, she discovered that, hey, once she got used to this kind of maid, there was actually a unique charm to it, and it was quite enjoyable!

So I loudly joined the group tour. And after joining, it really felt great!

The cat-eared maid's spell wasn't over yet: "Icy and refreshing, sweet and fragrant—"

Three young people loudly joined the group.

Xiao Bonian and Zhou Man looked utterly helpless, following along listlessly, unsure of why they were even there.

But perhaps they were influenced by the atmosphere; once the mood was right, their minds gradually began to relax.

The cat-eared maid's spellcasting was nearing its end.

"—Let's make it even more palatable! Is that alright?"

The five people loudly echoed, "Yes!"

Upon hearing the voice and realizing that the other person was also loudly echoing the group, Xiao Bonian and Zhou Man exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

Seeing that she had successfully infected another group of guests, the cat-eared maid got even more excited and cast spells with even greater gusto: "Feeling good, huh?"

The five of them loudly echoed, "Awesome!"

Just then, a young couple entered the maid café and, while curiously looking around, witnessed the scene unfolding before them, leaving them speechless.

Their first thought was: What is this? He Nan's maid? He Nan's spellcasting? I'm not a fan!

My second thought was that it seemed kind of interesting.

The third idea was spoken aloud: "Bring me the menu!"

He Nan's maid is really a bit hard to handle, she's too much! And seeing that family of five over there having so much fun, it looks like they want to play too!

Meanwhile, after the cat-eared maid finished casting the "Enjoyable Magic," she left to cast spells elsewhere.

She must be a great archmage; she's the one who casts all the spells. Shen Kang picked up the freshly squeezed drink in front of him, took a couple of sips, and thought to himself.

In my heart, I found this Universal Studios theme park increasingly interesting.

In his past life, when Universal Studios Japan still existed, he never had the money or the time to come here. By the time he finally had the money and the time, Universal Studios Japan had already closed down. So he had never actually been here and had no idea that Universal Studios Japan was so interesting.