Rebirth: My Home Has Become a Gathering Place for Young Women with a "Crazy" Spirit

Qin Lang leaned against the corridor railing, his gaze sweeping over the still-unfinished office area. He said meaningfully, "One person can walk fast, but a group of people... can go far. I plan to set up a studio, and besides you guys, I'll hire a few more people."

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the city skyline outside, Ruan Zhihuan suddenly asked Qin Lang, "Boss Qin, so, are we considered the founding employees of your studio?"

Qin Lang smiled, nodded, and said, "It's not that I'm calculating, it is."

"Then how will our salaries be calculated?" Su Yue immediately perked up.

Qin Lang glanced at her and said with a smile, "That depends on your performance then?"

After visiting the studio, which was still under renovation, Qin Lang took the group to "Brothers BBQ" near his neighborhood to celebrate.

"Brother Lang, you'll be the boss of a studio soon, shouldn't you buy a car? Taking a taxi every time you go out is a bit beneath you, isn't it?" Su Yue said with a teasing smile after they sat down at the barbecue restaurant.

Qin Lang picked up the ice-cold beer on the table, took a swig, and shook his head with a smile, saying, "Where would I find that kind of spare money right now? The studio is just starting out; renovations, equipment purchases, hiring staff—everything costs money!"

Ruan Zhihuan turned to Qin Lang: "By the way, have you decided on a name for the studio? What should it be called?"

Qin Lang: "The name will be 'San Chi Lang Media'."

Xu Han frowned slightly upon hearing the name, but didn't object. He was happy as long as Qin Lang was happy. He simply asked, "What is your main business?"

Qin Lang put down his wine glass, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and said, "Let's start with short videos, which we're best at. Once we've achieved some results, we can expand into other businesses."

Just then, the owner brought over a large plate of grilled skewers, and the aroma instantly filled the air. Su Yue immediately reached for a grilled chicken wing, took a bite, and then raised her glass: "Never mind that for now, eating and drinking are the most important! Cheers!"

Several people raised their glasses, and the summer breeze blew in from the shop entrance, carrying the smoky aroma of barbecue, which was refreshing and invigorating.

Just then, Qin Lang's phone rang.

He took out his phone and glanced at the screen. The caller ID showed "Aunt." Immediately, a figure and some sealed memories flashed into his mind.

In his past life, after his parents passed away, he drifted aimlessly, living in a daze and giving up on himself. People around him either avoided him or gossiped and gloated. Only one person always took good care of him, even treating him like their own son. That person was his aunt, Qin Fang.

Unfortunately, when he finally came to his senses and started to make a name for himself with short dramas and AI comics, he wanted to repay his aunt, but she had become a "mentally ill" person who was like a walking corpse because of her daughter's situation.

Qin Lang put down his wine glass, his brows furrowed. He remembered that in his previous life, his aunt had called him once when he had just started his summer vacation, but he was so engrossed in a game that he didn't answer. Later, when he learned the reason for his aunt's call, he was filled with regret.

My aunt's family lives in an urban village. My uncle became paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident three years ago and has been able to get around in a wheelchair ever since. They run a small shop, and fortunately, they only have one daughter to support, so the financial burden isn't too heavy.

"Hello, Auntie."

Qin Lang cursed himself for being too careless; how could he have forgotten this matter after being reborn?

This time, he didn't dare to delay and quickly answered the phone.

Immediately coming from the other end of the phone was Aunt Qin Fang's hurried, anxious voice, tinged with obvious sobs: "Xiao Lang, Xiao Xiao is missing!"

Qin Lang's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped his phone.

Wu Xiaoxiao, my aunt's daughter, just turned eighteen this year. This cousin has been a troublemaker since she was little. She dropped out of school before graduating from junior high and spent her days running from the urban village to Xicheng, hanging out with a bunch of trendy girls there. She had brightly colored rainbow hair and wore weird clothes, and my aunt and uncle couldn't control her at all.

"Aunt, please don't be anxious. What happened? Please tell me slowly." Qin Lang asked while recalling his memories of his cousin from his previous life.

Qin Fang sniffed on the other end of the phone, her words halting: "Yesterday morning she said she was going out to see a friend, and I didn't think much of it. She often goes out, but she always comes back around eight or nine o'clock at night. But last night she didn't come home all night, and she hasn't come back since. She's not answering her phone or replying to WeChat messages. I'm afraid she..."

Qin Fang's voice was hoarse by this point, and it took her a long time to squeeze out a complete sentence: "Xiao Lang, do you think something might have happened to her? Your uncle and I only have this one child. If something happens to her, how will I live..."

Qin Lang closed his eyes. He had already remembered most of what happened to his cousin Wu Xiaoxiao.

In my previous life, around this time, my aunt called, but I didn't answer. A few days later, my aunt came to see me again, saying that my cousin had gone missing. She had been looking for her for several days, but ultimately to no avail.

It wasn't until more than a year later that Qin Lang learned that his cousin had completely let loose after spending a few days in Xicheng with a group of young, unconventional men and women. She stopped coming home and later went on a "tour" to the south with one of the young men, only to be taken to the mountains.

When the police found her, it was a year later. Her cousin, Wu Xiaoxiao, was locked in a mud-brick house with a one-month-old baby lying next to her, her eyes as empty as a dry well.

After that incident, my aunt aged very quickly. Her once nimble body seemed to have been drained of all its energy, and by the time she was forty, her hair had turned completely white.

The young man who abducted Wu Xiaoxiao was arrested for intentional homicide. During interrogation, he confessed to the affair with Wu Xiaoxiao, which led the police to discover and rescue her.

The young man was sentenced to death, and my cousin Wu Xiaoxiao and her child were brought out of the mountains. But my cousin was completely broken; she didn't speak, didn't laugh, and wouldn't go out. She was like a "mentally retarded person."

Hiss... Qin Lang took a deep breath. In this life, he could not let this happen again.

"Auntie, don't worry." Qin Lang's voice was calm as he assured his aunt Qin Fang, "Leave Xiaoxiao's matter to me, I will definitely find her."

After hanging up the phone, Qin Lang frowned and looked up. His cousin should be in Xicheng now, but Xicheng is neither big nor small, so finding someone there would be quite difficult.

At that moment, all three people at the table were looking at him.

"What's wrong?" Ruan Zhihuan asked cautiously.

"My cousin, Wu Xiaoxiao, is missing. My aunt is frantic and asked me to help look for her." Qin Lang said, while thinking in his mind how to find her as soon as possible.

Su Yue put down the chicken wing, her brows furrowing. "How old are you?"

Qin Lang: "Eighteen."