My Bizarre Relatives 02

Eldest Aunt plopped down on the fabric sofa, her fingers tracing the armrest. "Ruoruo, you lived with us for several years as a child. We treated you like our own daughter," she said, pausing before continuing, "Now your cousin is getting married, and they haven’t found a place yet. Since your apartment is just sitting empty, why not give me a spare key?"

Her tone wasn’t a request—it was a command.

Fang Ruoruo replied softly, "Eldest Aunt, I still need to live there myself..."

Eldest Aunt cut her off again. "How can you be so ungrateful? Have you forgotten all those years we took care of you? Your own father didn’t even bother with you! And when your mother was hospitalized, if I hadn’t lent her 20,000 yuan, would she have recovered?"

A lump formed in Ruoruo’s throat. She had already repaid that money—30,000 yuan in total, including interest. Though 20,000 of it had come from her father, Eldest Aunt seemed to suffer from selective amnesia, dredging up the past every time they met.

Ruoruo could only resist with silence. She didn’t want to hand over the apartment she had bought herself. But two days later, her mother called, sounding furious, and told her to check the family group chat.

There, Eldest Aunt had posted a lengthy rant:

"Fang Ruoruo is heartless! Hoarding her property and refusing to let her own cousin use it! This is outrageous!" Attached was a photo of Ruoruo as a child eating at Eldest Aunt’s house—except the focus wasn’t on her, but on her cousin making a silly face in the background.

Ruoruo couldn’t bear to read the rest of the accusations, but soon other relatives chimed in. Even Second Uncle privately messaged her: "Your Eldest Aunt has had a hard life. You should be more filial as a younger generation."

Her mother said nothing in her defense.

The next day at work, Ruoruo found Eldest Cousin waiting outside her office. His long, greasy hair hung limply as he sidled up to her.

"Cousin, since you’re not using that apartment, why not let me borrow it? It’s not like I won’t return it. Don’t you remember how I always shared snacks with you when we were kids?"

Ruoruo didn’t recall any such kindness—only him flaunting his treats in front of her. But today, he had come prepared, following her all the way into the office.

As he pestered her relentlessly, her boss frowned and gave her an ultimatum: "Sort out your family issues before coming back to work."

In the end, Ruoruo caved. Her mother scolded her over the phone: "They’re family! Why are you being so unreasonable?" So she moved into a rental unit in the next neighborhood, "lending" her apartment to Eldest Cousin for his wedding. Naively, she thought things would go back to normal after the ceremony.

But a year passed, and not only had Eldest Cousin gotten married—he showed no intention of moving out.

Ruoruo finally confronted Eldest Aunt, whose response left her speechless: "I checked—this little place of yours is only worth about 400,000 yuan secondhand. How about your cousin pays you 1,000 a month as rent and stays there? You’re just a girl—you’ll get married eventually. Why bother owning property? It’ll just end up going to some outsider anyway."

After hanging up, Ruoruo knocked on her own apartment door. A heavily made-up woman answered—Eldest Cousin’s Wife, who gave her a cold once-over before turning away. Ruoruo noticed the woman was wearing what looked like her pajamas.

Hesitantly stepping inside, Ruoruo froze. Was this still her home? Trash was strewn everywhere, stains marred the once-white walls, and clothes—including underwear—were tossed haphazardly on the table. The air reeked of something foul.

Something inside Ruoruo shattered. She stood there, stunned, until Eldest Cousin shoved her out.

After much deliberation, she decided to reclaim her apartment. But Eldest Aunt ignored her calls and even blocked her on WeChat.

Desperate, Ruoruo asked in the family group when she could have her home back. To her shock, Eldest Aunt lashed out publicly while the others watched silently.

"You’re saying I stole your apartment? Have you no conscience? @Li Mei, look how you raised this girl!" Eldest Aunt raged.

Ruoruo’s mother immediately groveled with apologies.

Only Second Uncle interjected weakly, "Come on, she’s still young."

The relatives all sided with Eldest Aunt, arguing that as a girl, Ruoruo didn’t need the apartment—better to let Eldest Cousin use it. After all, if she ever faced trouble after marriage, he could "stand up for her."

Second Uncle said, "Your Eldest Aunt raised you with so much hardship." Third Aunt added, "What does a girl need a house for?" Even a distant cousin chimed in: "After all we’ve done for you, this is how you repay us? No respect at all."

Her mother, after apologizing profusely, ordered Ruoruo to apologize to Eldest Aunt in the group.

Summoning her courage, Ruoruo typed out a long, carefully worded response—polite yet firm. The group fell silent, except for her mother’s continued reprimands. She didn’t realize this act would bring even greater disaster.

Soon, a familiar-looking profile—likely Youngest Cousin—joined the neighborhood group chat.

"The truth about Fang Ruoruo from Unit 12: She works as a hostess in nightclubs and bought her apartment with dirty money..." The attached photo showed her graduation picture, but the body in revealing clothing wasn’t hers.

Ruoruo’s mind reeled. She wanted to call someone—but who?

Some in the group asked for details, others mocked her, and a few even asked for the club’s address, saying they’d "drop by." Overwhelmed, Ruoruo fled the chat, trembling with fear and humiliation.

Curled up in a corner of her rental, she opened the "family" group and typed, "Why did Youngest Cousin spread lies about me?"

After a long silence, Eldest Aunt replied dismissively: "He’s just a kid. Are you really going to hold a grudge against your little cousin?"

Her mother stayed silent, as if her daughter’s suffering meant nothing.

Then, a heavily made-up woman arrived, claiming to be her father’s sister. She delivered the news matter-of-factly: Ruoruo’s father had died suddenly—long ago.

Dazed, Ruoruo stumbled through the following days. At work, her colleagues’ stares grew strange, and after repeated mistakes, she was fired.

When her relatives heard, the jeering resumed. Eldest Aunt took charge again, arranging a blind date for her. Her mother could only thank her profusely while the entire family pressured Ruoruo: "Your reputation is ruined," "You’re jobless," "Who else would want you?"

Slowly, Ruoruo began to doubt herself too.