He had not even turned on the hot water yet when his phone rang. Qi Jun hurried back into the bedroom, picked it up, and answered—only to discover that the caller was Father Qi.
Qi Jun’s heart tightened. He could pity the original Qi Jun, but he could not hate on his behalf. “Did you… need something?”
Father Qi fell silent for a moment before speaking. “I transferred two hundred thousand points to you. But… I’m afraid this will be the last two hundred thousand.”
Qi Jun gave a bitter smile. “Thank you for the two hundred thousand. If I become successful someday, I’ll pay it back.” To be fair, two hundred thousand was a great deal of money. The Qi family was not wealthy. So why could he not summon even the slightest feeling of being moved?
Father Qi frowned on the other end. “Xiao-Jun, you may not have been the child I wanted, but still… don’t blame your father for being heartless.”
This time, Qi Jun genuinely smiled. “Why would I blame you? You and Mom did raise me all these years. I understand your situation. I may not have had a happy childhood or a warm, loving family, but I’m still grateful to both of you.”
At the very least, he was grateful they had not strangled the original Qi Jun to death and had therefore given him a chance to be reborn. He was also grateful they had produced such a sweet, kind daughter.
After the call ended, the phone still emitted the same familiar beeping tone he remembered from his previous life. At that moment, none of the exhilaration or surprise Qi Jun had felt after discovering the space remained.
Compared with a comfortable life or an unexpected magical space, what he wanted more was a person—someone who would never abandon him. Relative or lover, either would do. Yet across two lives, he had never had such a person.
In truth… loneliness and solitude were not things any amount of material wealth could drive away.