My Livestreaming Metaphysics & Gossip Became an Internet Sensation Ch. 74

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Madam Du sighed. "This child... I don't know what's gotten into him lately. He used to be so lively, but now he's always so quiet."

Du Xinliang clutched the talisman in his hand, lips pressed together, saying nothing.

Jiang Yiqing kept his gaze on him. "If a child changes so drastically, there must be a reason. As parents, it's important to pay attention."

Du Qinxue chuckled. "Ah, I think he's just growing up and maturing."

Jiang Yiqing: "..." Alright, sure.

Wen Xiuyan, however, cast a glance at Jiang Yiqing before calmly reminding Du Qinxue, "Make sure Xinliang keeps that with him at all times."

Du Qinxue hesitated for a second. He had no idea why, but Wen Xiuyan wasn't the type to say things for no reason. So, he nodded. "Alright."

Once the Du family had walked away, Wen Xiuyan turned to Jiang Yiqing. "Something's off?"

Jiang Yiqing nodded. "Yeah, but whatever it is, it won't harm him for now. If Du Qinxue contacts me, just give him my number."

Wen Xiuyan understood immediately. "Got it."

Then, he suddenly smiled.

Jiang Yiqing, caught off guard by that smile, felt a bit flustered. He wasn't usually the shy type, but seriously—who could handle getting smiled at by a face that good-looking?

Scratching his cheek, he asked, "What's so funny?"

"I actually struggled with being called 'Uncle' at first too," Wen Xiuyan admitted, clearly amused by Jiang Yiqing's thoughts.

Jiang Yiqing smirked. "Oh yeah? Well, congratulations on your early success, Uncle Wen."

Wen Xiuyan chuckled.

Meanwhile, on the other side—

Madam Du took the talisman from her son's hand, turning it over curiously. "What even is this? A talisman? Since when did Wen Xiuyan have friends who give out stuff like this?"

Du Qinxue, having eaten a little too much earlier, lazily patted his stomach. "How should I know? But hey, if someone gives you something, just keep it."

He wasn't a fool. "I've never heard of Brother Wen having friends like that before. That Jiang Yiqing... I bet he's got some real skills."

After all, it wasn't easy to get Wen Xiuyan to personally vouch for someone. If Jiang Yiqing didn't have something special about him, Du Qinxue wasn't buying it.

"Maybe he's some kind of hidden master or something," Du Qinxue mused. "Either way, it won't do Xinliang any harm to keep it."

Madam Du nodded. "I'll hold onto it for now so he doesn't lose it. I'll sew it into a sachet for him later."

Honestly, she didn't really believe in charms and talismans, but since it came from a friend of Wen Xiuyan's—who even specifically told them to keep it close—it'd be too awkward if they ignored the advice. So, better safe than sorry.

As they chatted, Du Xinliang—who had been tense since earlier—kept glancing at the time, growing more and more restless.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Dad, Mom, can we go home now?"

Madam Du frowned. "What's the rush? It's still early. You have the day off—just relax a little."

She reached out and gently ruffled his hair, her heart aching a little. Lately, she'd been doing everything she could to make sure he ate well, yet somehow, he still looked thinner and weaker.

Something wasn't right.

"No, I... I need to go back and study." Du Xinliang was getting more and more anxious, looking completely on edge—he was even on the verge of tears.

Du Qinxue said, "If the kid wants to go home, let him. There's nothing important going on outside anyway."

Madam Du glanced at Du Xinliang with concern, feeling like something was really off with him. With a heavy heart, she nodded.

Xinliang's face was full of resistance at the thought of going home, but just thinking about what would happen if he didn't return on time made him panic even more.

Two completely conflicting emotions tore at him, making him miserable.

But he didn't dare tell his parents.

The moment the car pulled up to their house, Du Xinliang bolted out like the wind, dashing straight for his study.

Madam Du called after him in a hurry, "Slow down! Don't run so fast!"

Once his figure disappeared behind the study door, she finally voiced her worries. "Qinxue, don't you think Xinliang's acting weird? Even if he loves studying, this is too much."

Especially considering that just a month ago, Du Xinliang had never been that into studying at all.

His grades had always been average, hovering around the middle of the class. But then, within just a month, he skyrocketed to first place in the entire grade.

As parents, of course, they were happy about his progress. But watching their son grow thinner by the day, his expression dazed and unfocused, they couldn't help but worry. Every time they asked him what was going on, he refused to say a word.

Sometimes, Madam Du would rather have her son go back to being the mischievous troublemaker he used to be than see him like this.

The more she thought about it, the more upset she got, and before she knew it, tears started falling.

Du Qinxue, on the other hand, was unimpressed. "The kid's fine. These days, all the top students are working themselves to the bone. He's struggling now, but in the future, he'll be grateful for it."

"Shut up!" Madam Du snapped, fuming. "Look at him! And you're still saying this crap? What, does he have to get into Tsinghua or Peking University to inherit your business? Du Qinxue, if you want a kid who can handle this kind of suffering, go make another one. My son can't take it!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Du Qinxue coughed awkwardly, sensing his wife's fury. But he still muttered, "I'm not wrong though..."

Madam Du, beyond furious, smacked him upside the head.

Rubbing his scalp, Du Qinxue quickly conceded. "Alright, alright! Maybe he's having some mental issues. I'll reach out to an expert and get him checked out."

At that, Madam Du finally eased up a little.

Later, while tidying up, she felt something in her pocket. Pulling it out, she realized it was a talisman from Jiang Yiqing. With nothing else to do, and her mood too heavy to focus on anything else, she decided to sew a small charm pouch and put the talisman inside.

Wanting to check on her son, she used the charm pouch as an excuse and knocked on his door.

From inside, Du Xinliang's voice came through. "Mom? What's up?"

Madam Du said, "Xinliang, open the door for a sec. Your Uncle Yiqing gave you something, and I just finished fixing it up. Wear it, okay?"

There was a long silence before the door finally creaked open.

All credit goes to the original author
Feel free to pinpoint us if there are any grammar error or typos
Please don't use Guazi's translations to re-translate in other languages

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