Qin Anning's voice, from playful at the start to trembling in the middle, and finally to sobbing uncontrollably, shifted without any transition.
Yet, Qin Xuan could fully feel every trace of emotion she conveyed to him.
He could guess that the boxes in the car were all birthday gifts she had bought for him.
All twenty of them, signifying that in the twenty years they were apart, she had never forgotten his birthday, not even once.
And as it turned out, Qin Xuan's guess was correct.
As Qin Xuan, touched, got out of the car, Qin Anning eagerly grabbed his arm and began to introduce them.
"This is what I bought for you in the first year after you left."
"You didn't have anything you particularly liked back then, so I bought you a set of boxing protective gear, hoping that while you were fighting, you would also protect your body well."
"This is what I bought in the second year after you left."
"I figured you must have grown taller by then, so I bought you a larger pair of sneakers!"
"This is what I bought in the third year."
"This is what I bought in the fourth year..."
"The most ridiculous one is this Shining Rod from the fifth year!"
"Back then, all the boys in school said you could transform into light with this, so I bought two, one for you and one for me."
"But I tried it until the batteries ran out, and I still couldn't transform into light to bring you back!"
"I was so angry that I stopped believing in light right then and there!"
Looking at Qin Anning, who was puffing out her cheeks in front of him, Qin Xuan couldn't help but chuckle.
His aunt had always appeared more mature than others since she was young, but he never expected her to show such a childlike side for him.
However, Qin Xuan knew.
Rather than saying this was the innocence and playfulness his aunt displayed to welcome him back, it was more a reflection of her extreme desire to have him back.
After all, to bring back her beloved nephew Qin Xuan, she was willing to abandon reason and choose to believe in divine power!
It was just that things did not go as planned.
The divine power she had hoped for did not work.
She was still unable to stabilize the Qin family, nor was she able to bring Qin Xuan back.
"Fortunately, all of that is in the past now."
"From this day forward, no matter what direction the Qin family develops in, it will never be able to separate us, aunt and nephew."
Qin Xuan embraced his aunt and sincerely promised Qin Anning.
Qin Anning nodded excitedly, smiling in response.
However, she was also sobbing uncontrollably at the same time.
Yes, it was all over.
The days of constant worry, fearing that something might happen to Qin Xuan, were gone forever.
From now on, Qin Xuan would make a triumphant return with unstoppable momentum.
Whether it was Qin Anbang or Qin Anrong, neither could stop him from becoming the master of the entire Qin family, and the master of the entire Dragon Country!
After hugging for a long time, Qin Anning affectionately patted Qin Xuan's sturdy back.
"Alright, it's getting late, you should go back soon."
"You must keep today's events in mind, both regarding the Qin family and regarding yourself."
"Regarding myself?" Qin Xuan asked, confused.
"It's about continuing the family line!"
"Marry a wife, marry many wives!"
"Don't think you can just fool me a couple of times and be done with it."
"If you don't listen to your aunt in advance, you'll suffer later!"
"Alright, alright, I'll consider it, I'll consider it!"
Seeing that his aunt was about to launch into her endless discourse on the feudal concept of continuing the family line, Qin Xuan quickly raised his hands, surrendered, and threw in the towel.
After moving the gifts as quickly as possible, he immediately got into the car, started the engine, and fled as if escaping.
He was afraid she might remember something else and drag him into more trouble.
Upon returning home, Guo Fan and Xiao Song had not yet returned, while the girls had already started their daily chat.
Wan Lingqiu was leading, and Li Qingwan was the supporting cast.
Qin Xuan often wondered why girls had so many topics of conversation.
It seemed like they could never run out of things to say.
However, he could no longer concern himself with these matters.
With the constant urging from his aunt and masters, how could he simply regard them as his subordinates and friends?
So, instead of researching these trivial matters here, it was better to avert his eyes and mind, and be a happy ostrich.
He would hide for as long as he could.
After greeting the girls, Qin Xuan retreated into his room in the courtyard.
With a flick of his right hand, the twenty gift boxes floated out.
Without order, without labels, they landed one by one in front of Qin Xuan.
Seeing this, Qin Xuan randomly picked one and began to tear off the packaging.
He had deliberately made the exterior look like this, so that he could experience the thrill of opening birthday presents like a blind box when he returned home.
His luck was good.
The first gift Qin Xuan opened was the Shining Rod that Qin Anning had "loved the most."
There wasn't much power left in the batteries, but Qin Xuan could simulate bioelectricity with his essence, allowing the Shining Rod to directly emit light again.
"Speaking of which, I once gave Ling'er an identical Shining Rod. Looking at it this way, could this also be considered a kind of inheritance between family members?"
As he thought of that little girl Ling'er, a hint of fondness involuntarily appeared on Qin Xuan's face.
It seemed he wouldn't be able to return to Jiangcheng anytime soon. Perhaps he should call Ling'er tomorrow and have her spend the New Year with him in the capital.
Having made up his mind, Qin Xuan picked up the second gift in his hand.
It was a square box, not heavy.
Upon opening it, he found a book and a black and gold card.
The book was about the basics of singing, and the card was a lifetime membership to a music specialty class.
"Thirteen years old, I hope you can have your own specialty."
Qin Xuan softly read his aunt's wish, and a smile curved his lips again.
What surprised him was that by casually picking, he had obtained his aunt's gift for his fourteenth birthday.
An introduction to dancing, and also a lifetime membership to a dance specialty class.
"Fourteen years old, I hope you can be full of youthful spirit."
"Could it be that my aunt likes artistic youths?"
When he was fourteen, Qin Anning was also in her late teens, in the prime of her youth.
So Qin Xuan directly inferred her ideal type in reverse based on the birthday gifts she had given him.
However, as he continued to open them, Qin Xuan's expression gradually shifted from a smile to a look of strangeness.
This was because Qin Anning's gift for his fifteenth birthday was an introduction to rap.
His sixteenth birthday gift was a pair of overalls and a basketball!
Although Qin Xuan was very sure that in that era, the trend of singing, dancing, rap, and basketball did not exist.
But seeing these specific items combined, he instinctively felt that his aunt was a little black person revealing her true colors.
Otherwise, how could she have so accurately bought a complete set of Kun Kun's gear, even the color of Kun Kun's overalls, buying it exactly the same, without any mistake?
Aunt, you are truly confused!
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