Chapter 9 — A Ride Home and Unspoken Bonds
As Ye Tian walked the twins back to the car, he didn't need to look back to know the teacher was still watching. The girls bounced along beside him, each holding one of his hands, their faces flushed with the joy of being picked up in a luxury car.
"Uncle Tian, our teacher is super pretty, right?" giggled Qiao Qiao, the slightly chubbier twin.
"Yeah, and she said you're very polite," added Miao Miao. "She asked if you were our big brother!"
Ye Tian chuckled, ruffling their hair as they reached the vehicle. "Then I guess I made a good impression."
The girls scrambled into the backseat, still giggling and whispering to each other about how 'cool' their uncle was. As Ye Tian slid into the driver's seat and started the car, a soft chime echoed in his mind.
> [Favorability Task Triggered] Target: Lin Xue (Kindergarten Teacher) Current Favorability: 55 (Above Normal) Objective: Raise Favorability to 80 (Like) Reward: Skill — Emotional Perception + System EXP + 20,000 Yuan
He smiled faintly. So it had begun.
Traffic was light as they drove home, and the twins were full of energy, recounting stories about their classmates, a performance they were preparing, and how much they missed him. Ye Tian responded with laughter and warmth, listening carefully to their stories.
"Uncle Tian, are you going to come pick us up every day?" Miao Miao asked suddenly.
"If you want me to, I'll try," he said, meeting their eyes through the rearview mirror.
Qiao Qiao leaned forward. "Promise?"
"Promise."
By the time they pulled up to the house, the sky had begun to darken. The porch lights were on, and the scent of dinner wafted from inside. As soon as Ye Tian entered with the twins, they burst through the door.
"We're back!"
"Mom! Aunt! Uncle Tian picked us up in a race car!"
Ye Tian smiled as his third eldest sister, Qiao Ying, came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on an apron. He noticed the small bump beneath her loose shirt — her pregnancy was showing now.
"You really bought a car?" she asked with a raised brow.
"Not just any car," said his third brother-in-law, Xiao Peng, who'd already been informed via family group chat. "A BMW M5. Our Ye Tian is stepping into the big leagues."
His eldest sister, Qiao Yun, stepped into the living room with her twins and husband, Ji Cheng. "And here I thought you were just going through a breakup slump," she teased. "Turns out you were leveling up."
Everyone laughed, and for a moment, the warmth of family filled the space.
Dinner was lively, with conversations overlapping and the children chattering. Even his usually stern father seemed more relaxed as Ye Tian shared a few vague details about finding new opportunities and "investing in himself."
His mother, ever the sharp one, gave him a long look but said nothing — just piled more food into his bowl.
Later that night, after helping wash the dishes and playing with his nieces, Ye Tian sat on the balcony, the night breeze brushing past. The stars above seemed closer than usual.
> [System Notification] Daily Passive Income Summary: Sleeping: 57,600 seconds — 576,000 Yuan Walking: 15,000 steps — 150,000 Yuan Breathing: 86,400 breaths — 864,000 Yuan Total Today: 1,590,000 Yuan
> [New Task Unlocked: Gentle Guidance] Objective: Help Lin Xue solve a personal issue Reward: +10 Favorability | Bonus Item: Voice of Empathy (Rare)
He leaned back with a calm smile.
"Things are just getting started."
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End of Chapter 9