After dropping off his roommates, Qi Sheng drove back to the hotel.
"Ladies, get in."
Qi Sheng ushered Tan Hua and her friends into the car. The drive from Fujin to Jia City would take two hours.
'With an A8 available, who'd want to take a taxi?'
This time, Tan Hua took the initiative to sit in the passenger seat, but her mood was a little down.
Although they had been growing closer over the past few days, the thought of parting inevitably brought some anxiety.
'A long-distance relationship wouldn't be easy.'
During the drive, Qi Sheng focused on his driving.
With other people in the car, he couldn't say much.
'Besides, girls appreciate action, not just a bunch of empty promises.'
Once they arrived at the underground parking garage of Jia City Railway Station, Qi Sheng took their bags out one by one.
Chen Jia and the others tactfully gave the two some space, moving aside to quietly observe.
"Don't be sad. I promise, I'll definitely come to Chengdu to see you."
Seeing the rims of Tan Hua's eyes turning red, Qi Sheng felt a surge of emotion.
'To be liked by such a beautiful girl was an experience he'd never had before in two lifetimes.'
"Whatever. If you don't come, I'm not going to beg."
Though Tan Hua said that, deep down, she felt awful.
Just as they were starting to feel like a real couple, they were forced into a long-distance relationship.
Luckily, she was a sensible girl, and she decided to treat this separation as a test.
If Qi Sheng didn't come to see her, it would just mean she had misjudged his character.
"A parting hug isn't too much to ask, is it?"
Qi Sheng opened his arms, his eyes full of expectation as he looked at Tan Hua.
"Mm."
Tan Hua, however, was poised and hugged Qi Sheng without hesitation.
His height of 181 cm, combined with his enhanced Physique, made him look tall and strapping.
Holding the 170cm-tall Tan Hua in his arms, they looked like a perfect match.
"You're running out of time. You girls should hurry inside. Text me on WeChat when you get there."
Qi Sheng gently ran his fingers through Tan Hua's dark, silky hair, feeling a pang of reluctance himself.
"Okay. Then you have to miss me."
Her voice was low, clearly still heavy with the emotion of their parting.
"Of course. How could I not think about a girlfriend as beautiful as you?"
Qi Sheng wrapped his arm around Tan Hua's slender waist, and seeing the envious stares from passing men, he couldn't have felt more pleased with himself.
'Having a top-tier girlfriend was a massive status boost.'
"Well… see you in Chengdu."
Tan Hua rose onto her tiptoes and pressed a faint, red lip print onto Qi Sheng's face.
"I'm going."
With that, Tan Hua turned and walked away.
'If she stayed even a moment longer, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to leave.'
Qi Sheng smiled, touching the faint, lingering warmth on his face as he watched them disappear from sight.
Back in the car, Qi Sheng didn't rush to start the engine.
Instead, he opened WeChat and sent a message to Tan Hua.
Qi Sheng: "Have a safe trip. I won't look at my phone while I'm driving. I'll message you when I get home."
Tan Hua: "Okay, you drive safe too. Don't go so fast."
"Don't worry."
Qi Sheng chatted with Tan Hua for another moment, then placed his phone in the storage compartment next to the A8's yacht-style gear shifter.
The journey from Jia City to Qi City would take about six and a half hours.
Since he was alone, Qi Sheng didn't mind driving a little faster.
With his Professional Level driving skills, going even faster on the highway wouldn't be a problem.
'Of course, safety first.'
'He was a rich man now; of course he wasn't going to gamble with his life.'
After seeing Tan Hua and her friends off, it was already 3:30 PM.
At 9:30 PM, Qi Sheng finally got off the highway and entered downtown Qi City.
Qi City wasn't large, and there weren't many people on the roads at this hour.
As for nightlife, it was nonexistent.
He drove his A8 along the empty roads.
The gentle evening breeze blew into the car, carrying away some of the fatigue from the journey.
Qi Sheng didn't hurry home. He first went to Jianshe Road for a bowl of Malanhua hand-pulled noodles.
Only after filling his stomach did he leisurely drive home.
...
「Sunshine Garden District.」
It was located in a desirable school district, with everything from elementary to high schools nearby.
When they bought it back in '11, it was only 1,900 yuan per square meter.
Now, the price had risen to around 6,000.
After all, Qi City was just a fourth-tier city.
The residential complex was mid-range, so not many people bothered to buy a designated parking spot.
Everyone just parked outdoors, relying purely on luck to grab a spot.
At this hour, it was impossible to find parking near his building.
Qi Sheng drove around for a bit longer before finding an empty spot two buildings over and expertly backing the car into it.
Sandwiched between BYDs, Accords, and Toyotas,
His A8 looked completely out of place.
'A million-yuan luxury car had no business being in a mid-range complex like this.'
'The cost of a single scratch would be heartbreaking.'
...
Building 37, Unit 4, Apartment 301.
As he reached his front door, Qi Sheng strangely felt a little nervous.
'Rebirth… you wouldn't get it unless you'd been through it.'
He took the keys out of the backpack he was carrying.
After opening the door, Qi Sheng saw the apartment was pitch-black. His parents were clearly already asleep.
Qi Sheng casually flipped on the living room light and changed his shoes.
Only then did he get a close look at this apartment they had lived in for almost ten years.
Before his rebirth, his family had long since moved away.
This apartment had been sold, becoming a distant, sealed-off memory.
A two-bedroom, one-living-room place, only 72 square meters.
Thank goodness it was a walk-up, or the usable space would have been pitifully small.
The noise Qi Sheng made woke his mother, who was a light sleeper.
"You're back?"
Zhu Min looked at her son, a bit stunned.
"Yeah, just got home. Is Dad asleep?"
Qi Sheng smiled and nodded. He knew why his mom was staring.
He hadn't just lost ten jin; his looks had completely transformed. It would be a miracle if she wasn't surprised.
Luckily, the changes were mostly that his skin had cleared up and brightened.
His acne scars and blemishes were gone, but his features were still the same.
"He went drinking with his old classmates today, so he's sleeping like a log. How was your trip?"
Zhu Min poured Qi Sheng a glass of water and asked casually.
"It was great. I bought you and Dad two new phones. Let me set yours up first."
Qi Sheng took a tightly sealed Huawei Mate RS out of his backpack; it was the vibrant red one.
"A Huawei phone?"
Zhu Min quickly waved her hand. "I don't need such a nice phone. You should use it."
"Oh, don't worry, I bought one for myself and one for Dad, too."
Qi Sheng smiled and showed her his own phone, then continued to tear off the plastic film and unbox it to help his mom switch her SIM card.
"I downloaded some common apps for you, and I also transferred your WeChat and contacts over."
After bustling about for ten minutes or so, Qi Sheng finally had it all set up.
Watching his mom admiringly turn the new phone over in her hands, unable to put it down, Qi Sheng couldn't help but break into a warm smile.
In his last life, he had been completely ordinary.
He couldn't even bring himself to buy his mom a new Vivo phone.
In this life, he was determined to let his mom and dad experience the joy of having a son who could spoil them rotten.
"Wow, the camera on this phone is so clear, and the screen is so sharp. It must have been very expensive, right?"
After playing with the phone for a bit, Zhu Min sensed something wasn't right.
Even though she had never used a high-end phone,
she knew that even the iPhones her friends used didn't feel as premium as this one.
"Not too expensive, only 12,999 yuan."
Qi Sheng just smiled, seeing no reason to hide it.
Anyone in the know would recognize the price of a phone like this at a glance.