Aggressiveness is Genetic, the Competition at the Dining Table

Seeing Maomao's hesitant expression, Lin Yu really wanted to ask her right then and there:

You're actually hesitating over this?

Is this some kind of test?

This is pure reward!

Shouldn’t you be thanking Aunt Ruxue and continuing your meal instead of just sitting there stunned?

You’re living my dream!

The room fell silent for nearly a minute.

Only then did Maomao "summon her courage" and respond:

"Aunt Ruxue, I’ll win."

"Does it start right after midnight tonight?"

Du Ruxue nodded in confirmation:

"Of course. I’ll be waiting for your good news at the apartment tomorrow night."

"Remember to keep actual records for every expense—proof is required."

"Don’t even think about burning the money. That’s not just against the rules—it’s illegal."

Lin Yu: "..."

Was that reminder really necessary?

Who in their right mind would actually consider burning money as a way to spend it?

Lin Yu turned to Maomao: "???"

Seriously, girl?

What’s with that hesitant yet regretful look on your face?

You’re dangerous!

Regardless, Aunt Ruxue and Maomao had finally managed a proper conversation on equal footing.

Now, the next 24 hours would reveal just how creatively Maomao could spend money in the most useless ways possible.

The dinner continued for a while longer.

By the time it neared 9 p.m.,

the group had moved on to lighter topics, including a recap of yesterday’s game

and Aunt Ruxue’s impressions of the girls in the apartment.

When it came to reading people, Aunt Ruxue was absolutely top-tier.

Most of the girls were meeting her for the first time,

yet she could accurately sketch their personalities just from observing them during the game.

No wonder she could deduce their identities and professions just by their facial features.

Her observational skills even surpassed Lin Yu’s by a notch.

Just when it seemed the dinner would end on a pleasant note,

Aunt Ruxue brought up another topic.

"Maomao, I heard from Weiwei that you developed some kind of software?"

Maomao: "!!!"

Lin Yu: "???"

What’s going on?

Did Nurse Wei spill about the virtual Aunt Ruxue incident too?

That’s just betrayal!

She confessed everything?

Maomao and Lin Yu had identical reactions, both startled by the question.

Then, Aunt Ruxue continued:

"Is Lin Yu really that impressive? Does his brain hold even more information than yours?"

"It’s rare to find someone your age who’d go out of their way to create a challenge app just to compete with him."

Hearing this, both Maomao and Lin Yu let out a sigh of relief.

Phew.

She was talking about Maomao’s quiz app!

Lin Yu: "???"

Wait a minute—

Ever since meeting Aunt Ruxue, Lin Yu had slowly realized

that Maomao’s competitive streak was absolutely influenced by her.

But why bring up the quiz app now, at the end of a perfectly good dinner?

Could it be…

"Lin Yu, since Maomao lost to you, let me give it a try."

"Surely you wouldn’t refuse on such a happy occasion, right?"

Lin Yu: "!!!"

Of course!

The kid loses, so the adult steps in?

That’s just cheating!

Chen Qimeng knew that Maomao and Lin Yu often competed in poetry recitals, song lyrics, quizzes, and brain teasers.

Hearing Little Xue’s challenge, she didn’t object—in fact, she seemed a little excited.

Who wouldn’t want to see their own family shine?

Lin Yu tried to resist:

"Aunt Ruxue, those are just silly little games we play for fun."

"There’s really no need for us to… compete, right?"

Aunt Ruxue, as if anticipating this response, replied without missing a beat:

"It’s fine. Young people often struggle with losing."

"If you don’t compete, you can’t lose. I get it."

Lin Yu’s forehead creased into a frown: "..."

Yesterday, he’d held back his competitive spirit during the game to avoid Aunt Ruxue going overboard and making things awkward.

But today? At a dinner with just the four of them?

Him? Lin Yu?

Afraid of losing?!

Lin Yu took a deep breath and turned to Maomao beside him:

"Maomao, lend me your app for a second."

"Draw a question for me and Aunt Ruxue!"

Du Ruxue smiled, instantly understanding why Maomao and Lin Yu got along so well.

At their core, they were exactly the same—unable to resist a challenge after just a little prodding.

Maomao’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she grinned and nodded obediently.

She looked even more thrilled than when she was competing against Lin Yu herself.

Lin Yu knew Aunt Ruxue wouldn’t be an easy opponent.

The person who’d raised Maomao would naturally surpass her in every way—

including the breadth of her knowledge.

Maomao placed her phone on the table, displaying it for both of them:

"I’m going to draw a random question now, okay?"

After receiving their nods, she pressed the button.

A series of options flashed across the screen before finally landing on one:

"Shoot the Meaning!"

The moment Lin Yu saw the question, his mind instinctively translated it—

Hmm…

That sounded rather inappropriate.

Shaking off the stray thought, he understood what "Shoot the Meaning" referred to.

It was a poetry-based word association game.

For example, a common poetry game like "Feihualing" uses the theme of "spring," where participants must recite ancient poems containing the word "spring" until one side fails to continue.

The "Poetry Chain by Implication" is even more challenging.

Instead of connecting to a specific word, players must describe the last character of the previous line without directly using it.

For example:

Player A: "The apes' cries echo endlessly along the riverbanks; the light boat has already passed countless mountains." (The last character is "mountain.")

Player B: "Nature's beauty converges here, dividing light and darkness at dawn."

This would be a correct response.

Player A's line now requires Player B to describe "dawn (daybreak, morning light)" without using the word "mountain."

If Player B had instead replied, "I will ascend the mountain's summit and behold all other peaks dwarfed below," they would lose—because the word "mountain" appears in the line.

If the ending character is particularly hard to describe, players must interpret the poem's meaning to continue the chain.

That’s the gist of the game.

Du Ruxue, confident after seeing the rules, asked:

"Does Maomao need to explain how this game works?"

Lin Yu waved his hand and said:

"Aunt Ruxue, why don’t you start first?"

"Maomao will be the judge, deciding whether our verses follow the implication rule."

Du Ruxue’s eye twitched slightly—she hadn’t expected Lin Yu to be so bold as to let her lead.

"Then let’s keep it simple… 'Raising my cup to drown sorrow, only to find sorrow grows—sorrow!'"

At the same time,

Lin Yu didn’t hesitate. With a swift motion, he activated a virtual spell matrix.

With a digital library at his fingertips, who could defeat him?

"Hard times have frosted my temples; in despair, I set down my muddy wine cup—cup."

Lin Yu quickly implied "sorrow" and gave his response.

Du Ruxue: "When life delights, drink your fill; don’t let the golden goblet sit empty under the moon—moon."

Lin Yu: "Is it a jade mirror, hanging high in the azure sky?—sky (heights)."

Du Ruxue: "I will climb the mountain’s peak and see all other peaks small—small."

Lin Yu: "Like a mayfly adrift between heaven and earth, a grain in the vast sea—grain (millet)."

"……"

...

(First update today—stay tuned for bonus chapters later!)