Chapter 57: 57: Is Yuri truly life?
"Hey, Benny. Come on, let’s buy a few things to bring to Mom and Dad."
That was the last thing Benny heard before his entire day disappeared.
At first, he thought they were simply going to buy a few gifts.
A few snacks, maybe some fruits to give to the village elders.
And perhaps a couple of household items.
Nothing too complicated.
Unfortunately, Benny had severely underestimated the phrase "a few things."
One store became two, two stores became five.
Then somehow they were comparing products prices between different stores.
By the time they finally finished, the Mercedes GLS was packed to the brim.
The trunk was so full that Benny felt nervous just looking at it.
If someone opened it carelessly, everything inside might come tumbling out.
And if that happened, Selena and Hong Yueyao would probably spend another hour reorganizing everything.
No one wanted that.
So the trunk remained firmly closed.
As the vehicle continued along the road toward their hometown, Benny sat quietly in the back seat and stared out the window.
Something about the situation felt wrong.
When Selena had told him to pack up, it had still been morning.
A perfectly normal morning.
Then he had spent two hours waiting downstairs for the two women to finish getting ready.
After that came the shopping.
By the time they finally left the city, most of the day had already disappeared.
The actual drive only took around an hour and a half.
Yet when the village finally appeared in the distance, the sky was already dark.
Benny looked at the time.
Then he looked at Selena and Hong Yueyao.
A deep sense of admiration appeared in his heart.
You girls are magicians.
There was simply no other explanation.
An entire day had vanished and Benny still wasn’t entirely sure how it happened.
The SUV continued along the village road.
Compared to the city, everything here felt quieter.
The roads were narrower yet for some reason, the familiar scenery made Benny feel more relaxed.
Soon, Hong Yueyao turned the vehicle onto a smaller road and a few minutes later, a modest house appeared ahead.
It was home.
The moment Benny saw it, memories from both his current life and previous life surfaced.
The vehicle gradually slowed and came to a stop just outside the house.
The headlights illuminated the front yard.
The sound of the engine immediately attracted attention and from inside the house, two figures emerged.
A middle-aged man and a middle-aged woman.
Ace and Linda.
Both wore confused expressions as they looked toward the expensive car parked outside their home.
Clearly, neither of them was expecting visitors at this hour.
Before either parent could figure out what was happening, the passenger door flew open and Selena practically jumped out of the car.
"Mom! Dad!"
Her voice echoed through the quiet evening.
"I’m back!"
The confusion on Linda’s face instantly disappeared.
"Selena?"
A smile immediately appeared on her face, Ace looked equally surprised.
"You came back?"
Before either of them could say anything else, Selena had already rushed over.
Linda barely had time to open her arms before her daughter hugged her tightly.
"Mom!"
Linda laughed helplessly and patted her daughter’s back.
"You’ve only been away for a while. Why are you acting like it’s been years?"
Selena ignored the comment and continued hugging her mother.
Nearby, Ace shook his head with a smile.
At the same time, Benny climbed out of the back seat and walked over.
"Mom. Dad."
The moment he greeted them, Ace immediately reached out and grabbed his ear.
"Ouch!"
Benny instinctively tilted his head while his father glared at him.
"What kind of greeting is that?"
Benny looked confused.
"Huh?"
Ace snorted.
"Why are you acting so distant?"
Then he pointed toward Selena, who was still clinging to Linda.
"Look at your sister."
Before Benny could react, Ace released his ear and pulled him into a hug.
Benny froze briefly before returning the embrace as a faint smile appeared on his face.
No matter how old he became, some things never changed.
After a few moments, Ace finally let him go.
Only then did the sound of a car door closing attract everyone’s attention.
Hong Yueyao had finished parking the SUV properly by the side of the house.
After stepping out, she quickly walked over.
Compared to the two siblings, she appeared much more reserved.
"Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie."
She greeted them politely before giving a slight bow.
"My name is Hong Yueyao."
Then she glanced at Selena and smiled.
"I’m Selena’s friend."
Linda’s eyes immediately lit up.
"A friend?"
She looked Hong Yueyao up and down.
The more she looked, the more satisfied she became.
Beautiful, polite and well-mannered.
Almost immediately, Linda stepped forward and grabbed Hong Yueyao’s hands warmly.
"So you’re Yueyao?"
Hong Yueyao smiled politely.
"Yes, Aunty."
Linda nodded repeatedly and then, without any warning, she asked,
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Huh?"
Hong Yueyao froze.
At the side, Benny also froze and his eyes instantly widened.
Wait, is mom trying to set her up with me?
For some reason, a faint frown appeared on his face.
He immediately turned toward his father only to notice that his father had already made the smartest decision available.
The moment the conversation headed in that direction, he had quietly turned around and walked toward the house.
Meanwhile, Hong Yueyao maintained her composure.
"No, Aunty, I don’t have one."
Linda’s smile became even brighter and then she suddenly turned toward Selena.
"My daughter. I don’t need any grandchildren. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters."
The courtyard fell silent and Selena’s face instantly turned red.
"Mom!"
Hong Yueyao blinked several times before finally understanding what Linda was implying.
Her face immediately heated up as well.
Meanwhile, Benny burst out laughing.
How could he have forgotten?
His mother had always been a huge fan of girls’ love stories.
Back in his previous life, after Selena eventually got married, Linda would still occasionally bring up the same topic whenever the family gathered together.
She had genuinely believed that Selena and Hong Yueyao were secretly dating.
According to her, the two spent too much time together, understood each other too well, and were practically inseparable whenever they met.
Every time she told the story, she would sound increasingly convinced that she had been right all along.
To be fair, she never disliked his brother-in-law.
Quite the opposite, actually.
But that never stopped her from repeatedly sharing her alternate version of events.
She brought it up so many times that Selena eventually had to step in and forbid her from telling the story whenever guests were present.
Remembering all that, Benny found himself laughing even harder.
