QTIMP -Chapter 132 Character Persona – Love Brained (Part 3)

“Qiuqiu, I just heard from Auntie that you’re heading to the capital in a couple of days. After school starts, it’ll just be the three of us going together,” Xu Duo said, clinging to her arm and swaying it back and forth.

“Yeah, my grandparents have been calling nonstop these past couple of days, insisting that I go over as soon as possible.”

“Aww, then we won’t see each other for two whole months,” Chang Li sighed, resting her chin on Tian Shuang’s shoulder.

“That’s a small issue. But there’s something I still want to say,” Si Qiu said seriously. “Tian Shuang, the little online games we developed together have made some money. I think it’d be best if you buy a house in the capital. If you don’t have enough and don’t want to take a loan, I can lend you the money. A girl only truly has a home when she owns a house. Even if you don’t live in it, renting it out is still an income. And in the future, when you get married, you’ll have more confidence in your in-laws’ home.”

Among them, Tian Shuang had the worst family conditions. Her parents were migrant workers with little foresight, and they favored sons over daughters. So Si Qiu didn’t want her to miss this last stable period.

Once housing prices soared in the future, it would become extremely difficult to establish herself in the capital.

They had been classmates for six years, from middle school to high school. Although Si Qiu’s mental age was much older than theirs, in daily life, the others had instinctively taken care of her.

Maybe it was because of the “love-brained” persona she displayed, which made everyone think she was fragile and sensitive.

But Si Qiu wasn’t someone who forgot kindness. She wanted to help lift them up a little. So among their shared interests, they chose to develop small online games together.

They were all simple games that would later become widely popular—playable both offline and online. They weren’t too difficult to develop, so the four of them had managed to save up a decent amount of money.

Xu Duo shook Tian Shuang’s shoulders, lowering her voice. “You’ve got to think about yourself too. Your dad keeps hoping his nephew will carry out funeral rites for him—you can’t stay confused like this.”

“If you really decide to buy a house, I’ll lend you my money too. It’s just that I’ve spent quite a bit, so I won’t have as much as Qiuqiu.”

“And me, me too! I’ve saved some as well,” Chang Li chimed in. “My parents are super shrewd, so I don’t dare spend much. Perfect timing—I’ll lend it all to you.”

Tian Shuang’s eyes filled with gratitude. “Alright. Then I’ll find an excuse to go to the capital earlier…”

Before she could finish, Si Qiu raised her hand. “I’ll go with you to look at houses. I know quite a few people there—I guarantee you won’t get cheated.”

“Sigh, if only I could go there early by myself too… but I don’t think my dad would agree,” Chang Li said with a sigh.

After dinner, the four families went their separate ways. When Tian Shuang returned to their tin-roof house, she thought it over and decided to try persuading her parents to take out some money to buy a house in the capital.

Over the years, their family had saved up some money. It wasn’t much, but it wasn’t too little either—after all, her mother was quite good at managing the household.

“Mom, Dad, I think what Auntie Si Qiu said makes a lot of sense. Since we’re going to buy a house anyway, we might as well buy one in the capital. If we don’t have enough money, we can take a loan and pay it back slowly.”

Before she could finish, her father interrupted her. “Tian Shuang, you know your mother and I don’t have much ability. Where would we get that kind of money to buy a house?”

Seeing her about to respond, he raised his hand again to stop her. “And don’t talk to me about loans. That’s something rich people do. We’ve got no foundation—take a loan? What will you use to repay it in the future? Live burdened with debt?”

“I’ll repay the loan myself. You won’t have to worry about it.”

“Enough, enough. Don’t say useless things. What are you going to use to repay it? If you really have that capability, then from now on, your mother and I won’t pay for your schooling.”

“Just in time—we’re saving up to buy a house back in the county town. When that happens, we’ll be closer to your uncle’s family. In the future, the house will go to your cousin, and there’ll also be someone to perform the funeral rites for us. Your mom and I have already done quite a lot by supporting your education. Don’t start thinking about things you shouldn’t.”

Tian Shuang turned back to glance at her mother again. Her mother didn’t dare meet her eyes and could only sigh quietly.

After returning home, Chang Li and Xu Duo told their parents about lending money to Tian Shuang. Both families were kept well in the dark, thinking their daughters were just using their own saved pocket money.

So they didn’t say much. To show their open-minded support, they even gave them a bit more allowance.

As for Si Qiu, she had even more money in her hands. In this lifetime, her father, Si Yanan, and her mother, Song Qian, had divorced six years ago.

The reason was her father’s infidelity—his mistress had shown up at their door pregnant. Si Yanan left the marriage with nothing. Although the Song family wasn’t extravagantly wealthy, they didn’t take those assets either and instead transferred everything directly to Si Qiu.

Si Qiu’s birthday fell in the second month of the lunar calendar. As soon as she came of age, a considerable amount of real estate was registered under her name—some from the divorce settlement, and some gifted by Song An, as well as her maternal grandparents and aunt as coming-of-age presents.

As for savings, there was no need to mention—she had plenty of cash, jewelry, and more. After all, the Song family’s foundation was quite substantial.

Although the couple had divorced, they still got along relatively peacefully. As Song Qian once said, “From the day I met him, I knew Si Yanan was not the settling type. But who could resist his looks? So from the day we got married, I had already anticipated today’s outcome.”

If you asked Si Qiu, she’d say her own “love-brain” tendencies were at least partly inherited from her mother.

Si Yanan ran an internet company. The mistress had successfully taken her place and bore him a son. Now she stayed at home as a full-time housewife.

According to her aunt, her daily routine consisted of eating, beauty treatments, playing mahjong, and keeping an eye out for other mistresses.

“Luckily, your dad got a vasectomy as soon as she showed up. That saved her a lot of trouble.”

It was obvious that Aunt Si Anqi looked down on that woman.

Si Anqi placed the suitcase into the trunk, got into the car, and opened the small storage compartment. “I prepared snacks and drinks. Take whatever you like.”

“Don’t worry, Aunt. I won’t hold back.”

When Si Anqi smiled, she looked dazzlingly beautiful. She reached out and pinched Si Qiu’s cheek. “If you need anything, just tell me. Don’t get distant just because we haven’t seen each other much these past couple of years. Your grandmother has already had the chef prepare your favorite dishes. And don’t pay too much attention to that woman your dad went for—she’s all bark and no bite.”

The car drove off slowly. After a while, Si Anqi continued, “That child, Si Nan, has always been raised by your grandparents. As long as he hasn’t picked up his mother’s bad habits, he’s actually quite adorable. If you like him, spend time with him. If not, that’s fine too.”

Crunching on her chips, Si Qiu listened to her aunt chatter on.

More than an hour later, the car stopped in front of the villa.

They didn’t drive into the garage, mainly because her aunt spotted a small figure peeking around at the entrance. The two of them pushed open the car doors, about to get out and greet him—but the little boy turned and ran.

Then they heard his voice ring out: “Grandpa, Grandma! Auntie and big sister are back!”

And with that, the sound of his footsteps faded into the distance.