Unorthodox methods, cultivating immortality relies on rich women

"It's alright, we'll just wait patiently."

Shen Qingzhou tapped the tabletop lightly with her fingertips.

"Xiao Qiu, think about what happened after you and your mother got separated that day," Shen Qingzhou said to Jiang Xinyue.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinyue looked somewhat dazed and slumped into her chair.

"Mommy~"

"Xiao Qiu..."

"Keep up, don't get lost..."

"Wow, the scenery here is so beautiful, Mom, take a picture..."

"Mom, what's that...?"

"Mom, are we going to Grandpa's house later? I miss Grandpa a little..."

"Mom, look at that older girl, she's dressed so strangely..."

"Stay still, Mom will take a picture of you..."

……

Jiang Xinyue, sitting in the chair, kept muttering to herself, sometimes in her own voice, and sometimes in Xiao Qiu's voice.

Jiang Haichao stood to the side, holding onto the table, watching the scene before him with nervousness.

Shen Qingzhou sat down again, leisurely watching the scene before him.

-----------------

Jiang Xinyue felt as if time had reversed, and the surrounding scenery suddenly stretched and blurred. In an instant, she found herself standing once again on the overpass where she had lost Xiao Qiu.

The next moment, she saw two figures on the overpass, which were herself and Xiao Qiu from back then.

Perhaps due to Xiao Qiu's incomplete memory, the surrounding pedestrians and scenery were all blurry, leaving only the mother and daughter, whose outlines were exceptionally clear.

Moreover, the whole world seemed to be magnified.

She had to look up to see another version of herself, and she also had to look up to see the railings of the overpass clearly...

Jiang Xinyue instantly realized that she was seeing the world from Xiao Qiu's perspective.

"Is this how the world is in Xiao Qiu's eyes?"

Children's perspectives are completely different from adults'.

Everything seemed incredibly tall, and even ordinary objects appeared strange and adorable to her.

This was an experience she should have had as well, after all, she had also been a child, but as she grew up, she had long forgotten it all.

"Mom, look at that girl's clothes, they're so pretty..."

"Mommy, that little car has big eyes..."

"Mom, are you done taking pictures? This place isn't fun at all, I want to go home..."

……

Xiao Qiu held onto the overpass railing with both hands, idly peering down through the gaps in the railing, her soft mutterings all drowned out by the wind.

But Jiang Xinyue was too busy taking pictures to hear a word.

Jiang Xinyue, who watched this scene as an observer, was filled with anxiety and regret.

If she had put down her phone and properly answered her daughter's question, Xiao Qiu might not have gotten lost.

Just then, a dolphin-shaped helium balloon was blown by the wind.

It's unclear which child left it behind, or how long it's been floating, but the balloon has already started to deflate, and the dolphin is no longer plump and round.

Even so, it still held a fatal attraction for Xiao Qiu.

Jiang Xinyue could even clearly feel the joy and curiosity that welled up from the bottom of her heart, belonging to Xiao Qiu.

No matter how anxious she was, or how much she tried to stop the child from chasing after the balloon, Xiao Qiu was completely oblivious and just hopped and skipped happily after it.

That pure and intense joy gradually calmed Jiang Xinyue's anxious heart.

She doesn't even remember ever having experienced such pure joy and happiness.

Xiao Qiu chased after the balloon, crossed the overpass, ran down the steps, and finally arrived at the bottom of the bridge.

"Little dolphin, don't run away..."

"Which child are you? I'll take you to him, okay...?"

"Little dolphin, I love you so much, please don't fly away..."

……

The innocent and childlike words stirred up a series of complex and indescribable emotions in Jiang Xinyue's heart.

She instinctively wanted to turn around and take another look at herself on the overpass, to see what she was doing back then, but she found that she couldn't do it at all. She could only follow Xiao Qiu's perspective and move forward step by step.

After chasing for an unknown amount of time, Xiao Qiu followed the balloon and stumbled into a secluded alley.

Just then, a gust of wind blew from the other end of the alley, carrying the balloon swaying and rising into the sky, drifting further and further away.

"what?"

Xiao Qiu tilted her little head back, the joy on her face vanished instantly, leaving only deep disappointment.

She sighed softly, her voice gentle: "Goodbye, little dolphin."

As she spoke, she raised her little hand and innocently waved at the departing balloon.

"Xiao Qiu..."

At that moment, Jiang Xinyue felt as if her heart was being torn apart, and excruciating pain spread throughout her body.

How could such an innocent and lovely daughter... how could she end up like that?

In reality, Jiang Haichao and Shen Qingzhou were looking at Jiang Xinyue on the chair.

Two lines of clear tears had already rolled down her cheeks, leaving a small wet patch on the front of her clothes.

Xiao Qiu turned around blankly, looking at everything unfamiliar in front of her.

There were no cars, no overpasses, and no mother...

Overwhelmed by immense fear and anxiety, her small body was instantly engulfed.

The alley, which had been bathed in sunlight just moments before, suddenly appeared different in her eyes.

Like a monster with its jaws wide open, the heavy shadows covered the sky and made it hard to breathe.

"Mother……"

Xiao Qiu looked around frantically, her small voice already trembling with tears.

"Mommy, where are you? Mommy, sob sob..."

She ran helplessly through the alley with her short, frantic legs, searching.

But the towering walls all around her were like a cold, enormous cage, trapping her inside.

All of Xiao Qiu's panic, helplessness, and fear rushed into Jiang Xinyue's heart, making her feel the same way.

Even though she told herself with adult rationality that she didn't need to be so nervous or afraid, she still couldn't help but feel panic, fear, and even despair.

Because this wasn't her emotion at all, but rather came from Xiao Qiu, and was completely beyond her control.

Just then, Xiao Qiu suddenly heard a noise coming from the alley ahead, and quickly ran over with her short legs.

"Mommy...Mommy..."

At this moment, she was filled with joy at the prospect of finding her mother.

but--

What appeared before them was an old man riding a tricycle.

Jiang Xinyue recognized the man at a glance. She was furious and anxious, her heart aching. This was the man who had taken her daughter away.

But there was nothing she could do; she could only watch helplessly as her daughter drew closer and closer.

"Grandpa, have you seen my mother?"

Xiao Qiu looked up, her face upturned, and asked timidly yet politely.

Jiang Xinyue could clearly sense her daughter's emotions at that moment: tension, fear, and a courage she was forcing herself to find her mother.

This was the first time she had ever sensed such stubbornness in Xiao Qiu.

"Your mother? Who is your mother? Did you get separated from her?"

The old man lowered his head, a faint smile tugging at his aged and ugly face.

Looking up, Xiao Qiu felt a huge shadow instantly blocking out all the sunlight above her head.