Chapter 8: Reunion

As soon as Jian Shi and Shuang Di stepped off the ship, they spotted their daughter waving from afar.

“Father, Mother.” Qing Lan ran up to her parents and hugged them tightly.

It had been a long time since they’d seen their daughter so outgoing. For a moment, they were at a loss, but soon enough, they returned her embrace.

Ever since Qing Lan had been diagnosed with Short-Life Disease, they had never hugged her like this again.

Now, seeing Qing Lan restored to her former vitality, the couple exchanged a smile, their hearts full of relief and joy.

“Father, Mother, let’s go back to my place and rest first.” Qing Lan took her parents by the hand and led them out.

Qiming Spaceport was vast; there was still a distance to walk from the ship’s docking point to the exit. Along the way, advertisements for the second season of the “Journey to the West” animation and the pre-sale of Eastern Myth’s debut album “Three Talents” could be seen everywhere.

Jian Shi and Shuang Di both knew their daughter had been involved in the production of both projects from start to finish. Shuang Di smiled and said, “Your cousin is especially fond of Eastern Myth. When she heard we were coming to Earth, she begged us in tears to bring her something special as a souvenir. Do you have any ideas?”

Qing Lan laughed, “Perfect timing. Our company is about to release Eastern Myth Nendoroid figures. I’ll send her a limited edition one.”

“Our company?” Jian Shi raised an eyebrow. “Not bad, already calling it ‘our company.’”

Qing Lan was quite pleased with herself. “That’s right, our company is great. I’ll give you a tour later.”

The three arrived at the floating car parking area. Jian Shi looked around. “Where’s Yuhui?”

“Yuhui went to audit classes at the university. While she was working as a consultant on the ‘Wu Zetian’ set, she met several historians. Now she goes to their lectures every day and even volunteers at the museum,” Qing Lan explained.

“‘Wu Zetian’?” Shuang Di’s interest was piqued. “I really like that historical drama. It’s hard to imagine so much could happen in just a few decades—Earth’s history is so condensed for us.”

“The art director for that series is my senior. If you’re interested, Father, I can arrange for you to meet him and chat sometime.”

Shuang Di’s eyes lit up. “That would be wonderful. I have some questions I’d love to ask your senior.”

“I’m sure you’ll have a great conversation.” Qing Lan gestured for her parents to get in the car, then got in herself. Once the doors closed, the floating car set off for its preset destination.

·

Earth Museum, Huaxia Branch – Painting and Calligraphy Gallery.

Chen Yuandao was standing in front of “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” carefully studying the details in the painting. Though he had seen these masterpieces countless times, he still made time every day to visit the museum and view the originals, finding new insights each time.

It was this dedication that had earned him quite a reputation in the field of traditional Chinese painting at a young age, and he was regarded as the successor to Master Chen.

“Father, look at this—the pigment here is made from minerals, which is why the colors are still so vivid…”

Chen Yuandao heard a familiar voice. Though it wasn’t in Huaxia language, he was sure it was Qing Lan speaking.

He looked in the direction of the voice, and sure enough, saw Qing Lan leading a pair of alien visitors. Their features were quite similar to Qing Lan’s—very likely close relatives.

Chen Yuandao walked over and greeted her. “Junior Sister Qing Lan.”

Qing Lan turned and smiled. “Senior Brother Chen, I was just wondering if I’d run into you.” She opened the translator on her terminal and switched to Federation Common. “Father, Mother, this is my senior, Chen Yuandao. Senior Brother Chen, these are my parents—they’ve come to visit me.”

“Uncle, Aunt, hello. I’m Chen Yuandao,” he greeted them first.

“Hello, Qing Lan has told us about you,” Jian Shi replied kindly. “Thank you for looking after her.”

“Junior Sister Qing Lan is diligent and well-liked by everyone. Master always says she’s his most satisfactory disciple,” Chen Yuandao said sincerely, not just out of politeness.

A warm feeling spread in the couple’s hearts. To know their child was doing so well on this unfamiliar planet—not only with close friends, but also the care of Earth’s people—was deeply comforting.

“I heard you’re the art director for ‘Wu Zetian’? Could you tell me about the art design? I work in a related field and am very interested in Earth’s classical arts,” Shuang Di said, genuinely enthusiastic about the historical drama—not just for the story, but also for the costumes, jewelry, use of color, and even the scenery.

Chen Yuandao was a bit surprised; it was his first time meeting an “industry peer” from another planet. He smiled and said, “Of course, no problem. After we finish at the museum, we can go to a nearby teahouse called Tingsong Lu and chat at leisure.”

“Tingsong Lu? A teahouse? That sounds like an elegant place,” Shuang Di said, clearly pleased. “Let’s do that, then.”

·

After their chat with Chen Yuandao at the teahouse, Qing Lan led her parents to their next destination—Wangyunli Community.

In the interstellar era, residential communities had long become relics of the past. It wasn’t until Youjian Entertainment sparked a retro trend that the government built several as pilot projects.

Wangyunli was one of them, positioned as a high-end community.

However, Earthlings weren’t interested; only a handful of wealthy individuals bought out of curiosity, and the occupancy rate hovered at just 1%.

As a result, supporting infrastructure stalled.

Just as it was about to become a “dead zone,” a turning point arrived. Earth’s restrictions were lifted, major space lanes opened, and a flood of alien visitors were drawn to the environment and the “retro” concept, inquiring about prices.

The government reacted quickly, issuing new regulations for alien residents buying property, specifically stating that property rights for non-Earth-system residents could be extended from 100 to 500 years.

When aliens learned of this policy, their expressions were hard to describe, but in the end, they quietly signed the contracts. The retro communities sold out in less than a month, and supporting construction was completed in record time.

Earthlings jokingly called these communities “alien bases.”

Qing Lan brought her parents here because all the residents were her fellow patients.

·

Back when she saw the behind-the-scenes of “Interstellar 101” in the Resonance System, Qing Lan had the idea of visiting Earth. After settling down, she began sharing her life with fellow patients in her contacts.

From a handful of responses, to now an entire community filled with Short-Life Disease patients and their families from all over the star systems—it had taken only two months.

They quickly integrated into local life, working here, gathering regularly, and sharing their daily experiences on the StarNet, attracting even more families like theirs.

Jian Shi and Shuang Di’s visit was not only to see their daughter, but also to attend one of these gatherings.

Back in the Resonance System, they often attended gatherings for families of patients. The atmosphere there was heavy and oppressive—people either wept in silence or poured out their sorrows.

They couldn’t show weakness in front of their daughter; those meetings were their only outlet.

·

Short-Life Disease was every long-lived species’ nightmare. It had destroyed many families, leaving countless people in pain for years because a loved one had the disease.

Until “Interstellar 101” aired.

That segment showing Earthlings’ attitude toward Short-Life Disease became a ray of light for patients and their families, dispelling the darkness that had long shrouded them.

If a species with an average lifespan of less than two hundred years could strive to live so fully, how could those with far longer lives allow themselves to wallow in pain forever?

Now, at these gatherings, everyone could cheerfully talk about their days on Earth—joining the latest retro-themed travel groups, taking high-speed trains that only went 400 kilometers per hour to experience Earth’s so-called slow life.

Or they discussed local cuisine, or what their children were up to, or what they had recently achieved.

The scene before them made Jian Shi and Shuang Di recall the devastation when their daughter was first diagnosed—their own unbearable pain, now seeming like a distant memory.

Feng Jingyu, who had decided to release that behind-the-scenes footage, could never have imagined that her unintentional act would quietly save so many desperate long-lived beings.

These people, in the future, would become a force to be reckoned with, injecting new life into Earth.

·

After Qing Lan’s parents returned home, it was as if time had been set to fast-forward. Or perhaps it wasn’t that time truly sped up, but that news about the “civilization approval rating” began to permeate every corner.

Earth date: December 29, 5026. Only two months remained until the civilization approval rating update.

For Earth, this was like the first “final exam” in terms of civilization. Everyone hoped for a beautiful report card.

Public discussion was increasingly dominated by the “approval rating.” The government held round after round of closed-door meetings, repeatedly calculating Earth’s likely score based on StarNet data.

The internal estimates were all quite good, but out of extreme caution, the government did not disclose any numbers. In fact, to prevent blind optimism, they used every channel to emphasize that this was Earth’s first time participating, that participation was what mattered, and that neither the score nor the ranking was important.

The External Communications Department’s pressure increased sharply. Cen Lan temporarily handed Youjian Entertainment’s affairs to another deputy director, and her meetings with Feng Jingyu became rare.

At last, in a collective, anxious silence, the day of the civilization approval rating update arrived.

ST 2026-500:150:999.

The rankings were updated.

Not only Earthlings, but eyes from other star systems searched for the results.

Finally, at the bottom of the list, it appeared.

Milky Way Alliance · Earth Autonomous Planet, Civilization Approval Rating: 10.00000000%.