In the evening, Su Bai and Chen Yusheng were sitting with their legs crossed, sipping on ice - cold sodas after watching a few episodes of anime.
Suddenly, Aunt Jiang sent a WeChat message to Su Bai, asking if he was available and saying she wanted to call him.
Chen Yusheng had been indulging in inhaling the scent of Su Bai, which was one of her favorite post - activity things to do.
When her eyes accidentally caught sight of Su Bai's WeChat message, she immediately exclaimed, "Call her! Call her!"
"Why are you getting so excited all of a sudden..."
"I want to see you talk on the phone with your aunt."
"What's so interesting about that?"
"Well, it's the daily interaction between my big white goose and his family. I'm really curious to see what it's like."
Chen Yusheng mumbled some reasons that hardly made any logical sense.
Girls in love tend to care about every move of their loved ones and never miss any details related to them. It might seem a bit silly, but it's just human nature.
Su Bai didn't object. In fact, he also liked being all lovey - dovey with Chen Yusheng. So, after Chen Yusheng promised to stay quiet and not cause any trouble, Su Bai made a voice call to Aunt Jiang.
"Hey, Xiaobai, you're amazing! I heard from your counselor that you're a little investment genius now!"
"Uh, sort of." Su Bai felt a bit embarrassed.
After all, she was an elder, and Aunt Jiang had loved to joke and tease him since he was a kid. Plus, with Chen Yusheng listening nearby, the embarrassment level was off the charts.
So, Su Bai quickly moved the conversation forward: "Aunt Jiang, I'm going to transfer some money to you. Don't worry about money anymore. You can keep running your handicraft store if you want, or close it. Anyway, I can fulfill whatever kind of life you want from now on."
"Haha, Xiaobai, I'm already satisfied that you have this kind of thought... There's no way I'm closing the store. This is my career. The neighbors are counting on my embroidery paintings to decorate their homes. If I stop working, who will they buy from?"
"Uh, as long as you're happy..."
"Don't transfer too much money to me. Just enough to buy a high - breed Ragdoll cat. I've always wanted to raise one... Actually, I don't have many big expenses right now."
"You can't say that. At least, I should buy you a new car. Oh, actually, I can buy a car for you in Jiangcheng. There are more models available here..."
"Makes sense! Then I'll come to see you during the National Day holiday. You take me to buy a car. It's settled... Oh, Granny Liu from next door is here. I promised to teach her how to make a horse - face skirt. Gotta hang up now."
"..."
The call ended abruptly like this.
It seemed that Aunt Jiang easily accepted the fact that Su Bai had suddenly become a rich man.
It was hard to tell if it was because of her naturally carefree personality or if Director Xia had taken on too much responsibility!
"Your aunt seems to have a really nice personality," Chen Yusheng commented sharply.
"Yeah, you know, my parents are the serious and rigid type... Well, at least that's how they were in my limited memory," Su Bai recalled. "It might sound a bit unfilial, but when I was a kid, I hated my own mom and liked Aunt Jiang instead. At that time, Aunt Jiang even held me in her arms and said she wanted me to grow up quickly and marry me. How crazy is that? I've never met another aunt as extraordinary as her."
"She really wanted to marry you?" Chen Yusheng suddenly got nervous.
"…What are you thinking? She was just talking nonsense to amuse a kid. She also said she wanted to be the richest person in Ancheng and buy me a villa in Jiangcheng when I grew up," Su Bai waved his hand indifferently. "There's a limit to how jealous you can get!"
"…Oh."
"Anyway, Aunt Jiang is quite interesting."
"How lucky you are to have such a cheerful and lively aunt accompany you as you grew up."
"Yeah, and Aunt Jiang doesn't really act like an elder in front of me. Plus, I have a wild personality, so compared to ordinary elders, our relationship is more like that of friends."
Su Bai wasn't exaggerating.
After all, he was the kind of person who could do all the housework independently when he was in the first grade of primary school.
He took the school bus to and from school by himself.
On the way back, he would also buy some groceries.
Aunt Jiang was busy running her small store. When Su Bai got home, he would cook on his family's stove and then call Jiang Qiuran from next door to have dinner.
These things didn't make Su Bai feel miserable. Instead, he felt that arranging his own life was really exciting.
In fact, people are born with the ability to be independent. It's just that most urban kids these days have such good conditions that they don't need to take on those responsibilities.
In the past, it was normal for rural kids to cut grass, cook, and help with farm work when they were seven or eight years old.
Speaking of which, Aunt Jiang was really smart. She knew that Su Bai didn't want to go back during the National Day holiday, so she decided to come to him and let Su Bai pick a car for her.
It was just right for Su Bai to let her experience a luxurious life.
Now that he had money, he wanted the important people around him to enjoy spending it too.
However, Chen Yusheng felt that something was off. After thinking for a while, she suddenly said, "Wait, your aunt has arranged her holiday, but why didn't she mention her daughter?"
"Hey, it's normal. Jiang Qiuran doesn't like to hang out with her mom. She's just a young girl going through her rebellious phase. Maybe Aunt Jiang is too lazy to look for her. Back when they lived at home, Jiang Qiuran often quarreled with her mom. The neighbors all said that compared to her, I seemed more like Aunt Jiang's real daughter..."
It's not that Aunt Jiang was bad to Jiang Qiuran.
As a mother, she was definitely doing her best.
It's just that in terms of personality, Aunt Jiang was an outgoing and lively person, while Jiang Qiuran was kind of pretentious and fussy. It was really hard for them to get along.
However, Chen Yusheng had a different opinion on this.
"That's because you have a good personality. You're the best, just like a white swan!"
...
Late at night.
While Su Bai was already sound asleep in the arms of his cute and smart girlfriend, some people's nightlife was just beginning.
In a VVIP private room of a top-notch lounge bar in Jiangcheng.
Several well - dressed men and women surrounded Liu Chen'ang in the center and chatted with enthusiasm.
The scene seemed quite harmonious, but it gave off a strong sense of falsehood.
Well, although these people were all children from well - known families in Jiangcheng, Liu Chen'ang didn't know them well.
In fact, two of them had even mocked Liu Chen'ang for being effeminate when they were in primary school.
After Liu Chen'ang went abroad to study in middle school, there was no contact between them.
Now that they were all adults and met again, of course, there wouldn't be such impolite behavior like when they were kids.
Even the bullies from back then now wore flattering expressions.
Liu Chen'ang found it very boring and didn't get any sense of revenge at all.
Well, if it had been the past her, she might have felt a little bit of pleasure in revenge.
Now, she didn't dislike her male identity as much as before.
People always have to put on a social mask when they are outside. Even Liu Chen'ang's parents, powerful as they were, put on a false front when going out.
So, it didn't matter if she regarded her male identity as a kind of armor.
She could be a girl in front of Su Bai. Wasn't that a happy thing?
Su Bai was the kind of person that Liu Chen'ang admired the most. He was rich, and his spending habits matched hers. On top of that, Su Bai's personality was just like the reliable big brother that Liu Chen'ang had always wanted since childhood.
Among the young masters in Jiangcheng present, some were already in their early twenties, and some were even postgraduate students.
But none of them had the calm and steady temperament that Su Bai had.
Comparisons are odious!

e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”