After investigating Su Bai's family background, Xia Lin came to a conclusion:
Su Bai was likely the illegitimate child of some overseas family, while Aunt Jiang, the neighbor from Ancheng, was the one who raised him.
As for the deceased parents who died in a car accident...
Well, it was probably just another cliché soap opera story.
Having grown up surrounded by similar tales, Xia Lin could easily imagine a whole dramatic backstory with just a little mental effort.
Never mind how far her imagination strayed from reality—at least it gave her a direction for her next steps.
That meant, aside from playing the role of a caring older sister to Su Bai at school, she also needed to build a good relationship with Aunt Jiang.
After all, as Su Bai's academic advisor, it was only natural for her to communicate with his guardian.
As for what Aunt Jiang thought of her afterward... well, that was another matter entirely.
Hehe~
"Being a single woman running a handmade goods shop while raising two kids, she must be the steady, resilient type, right?"
On her way to go jogging with Su Bai, Xia Lin couldn't help but speculate about Aunt Jiang's personality.
However, in reality...
"Hey everyone, heading to the provincial capital today to see my godson! Word is the kid's struck it rich—how rich? No clue. I deliberately didn’t ask, treating it like a surprise lottery draw."
At the Ancheng long-distance bus station, Jiang Lijuan had arrived a bit early. With over ten minutes before departure, she decided to go live.
The moderators weren’t around—just a quick little stream.
Since starting her livestreams on the music app, Aunt Jiang’s handmade shop had gained another sales channel.
Sometimes, most of her weekly revenue even came from online orders.
These days, people’s shopping habits had changed—if they could buy something online, they wouldn’t bother with physical stores.
Besides, handmade goods were all about catching the right buyer’s eye, and livestreaming allowed her to reach audiences from all over, uncovering more potential customers.
The stream’s viewership wasn’t huge, but it was enough to keep things going.
Though Aunt Jiang was still an attractive middle-aged woman, she absolutely refused to resort to suggestive content.
After all, her streams were just for selling products—if they started affecting other parts of her life, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Even so, a few viewers occasionally popped up in the chat trying to flirt with her.
A quick glance at their profiles revealed the usual suspects—middle-aged, greasy men like "AAA Building Materials Brother Xue"...
But then again, a charming woman like Aunt Jiang really did attract these types.
As Aunt Jiang chatted about her plans for the day, the audience was left baffled.
[Wait, seriously, sis? You don’t even know how much your godson made?]
"Nope! That kid’s always been independent, not like my daughter, who’s been a handful since she was little."
[Shouldn’t you at least ask for a rough estimate? What if it’s something shady?]
"Eh, he’s sharp. Even if it were shady, he wouldn’t get caught."
[Auntie, how old is your godson?]
"Eighteen, just started college."
[And he’s already rich? Sounds sketchy…]
"What’s sketchy about it? You doubting his skills? Maybe he became a male model!"
Though Aunt Jiang’s streams were completely clean, her humor and carefree attitude still drew in a loyal audience who stuck around just to chat with her.
Honestly, most parents these days were strict with their kids.
Especially those who got into top universities—they’d usually been meticulously groomed since childhood.
Someone like Aunt Jiang, who basically let her kids run wild, was a rare sight.
Just as the discussion shifted to "whether Auntie’s godson has what it takes to be a male model," AAA Building Materials Brother Xue chimed in.
[Students should focus on their studies, not waste time on nonsense.]
[Xiao Jiang, if you’re short on money, you should find a reliable man to depend on, not pin your hopes on some college kid striking it rich.]
Hearing this, Aunt Jiang rolled her eyes and fired back:
"Reliable man? Give me a break. At your age, stop pretending to be some noble gentleman. Men are either after money or looks—what’s the point? A kid you raised yourself is way more dependable."
Truth be told, this was Aunt Jiang’s real opinion.
Qiuran might be a bit of a gold-digger, but after all these years relying on each other, her desire for wealth came from wanting a better life for them both.
And Aunt Jiang had no issue with that—their family wasn’t well-off, so why not aim for a partner with good prospects?
Of course, the key was not to hurt others or play games.
In that regard, Jiang Qiuran had indeed taken after her mother’s teachings.
As for Su Bai…
That kid was wild. Quiet on the surface, but stubborn as hell when it came to his own plans.
When Xia Lin, his advisor, called to update Aunt Jiang on Su Bai’s situation, it was a pleasant surprise. To savor it fully, Aunt Jiang deliberately didn’t ask for details—she wanted to see the truth for herself when they met.
Maybe he’d made millions helping Xia Lin with stocks.
It wasn’t impossible—Su Bai had always been great at math.
Weren’t those legendary traders abroad all math whizzes?
With that hope in mind, Aunt Jiang ended the stream.
The bus was about to leave, and streaming on the road would just make her carsick. Better to nap instead.
A glance at her notifications showed AAA Building Materials Brother Xue still rambling in her DMs.
Not only was he badmouthing Su Bai, but he’d also invited Jiang Lijuan to visit him in Jiangcheng.
Claiming to be a local with four properties from demolition compensation, formerly driving a Cayenne but recently upgraded to a Mercedes S450…
Aunt Jiang couldn’t help but laugh.
[Enough with the nonsense. You buying handmade goods or not? If not, shut it—or I’ll block you.]
With that, she muted her phone, put on her earphones, and dozed off.
Three hours later, the bus arrived.
Stepping out of the Jiangcheng bus station, the sun blazed overhead.
A brilliantly clear day.
"Aunt Jiang, over here!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Lijuan’s lips curled into a warm smile. She turned—and her eyes lit up.
Wow, this kid… looked completely different from before.
Like a whole new person.
But what really stunned Aunt Jiang was the stunning woman standing beside Su Bai.
Dressed in form-fitting athletic wear, her toned, curvaceous figure was on full display—enough to put even the top gym saleswomen to shame.
Her flawless, radiant beauty made Aunt Jiang instantly fond of her.
Could this be Su Bai’s advisor, Xia Lin?
A bold idea popped into Aunt Jiang’s head.
Walking up to them, she pretended not to recognize Xia Lin and cheerfully exclaimed, "Oh my, is this your girlfriend, Xiao Bai? What a perfect match!"
"...Aunt Jiang, this is Advisor Xia Lin. The one who called you."
"Ohhh, right! Silly me!"
"..."
ither go to a cultivation world where a single sword strike can defeat ten thousand enemies. Or they travel back to historical dynasties to alter history and wield imperial power. At the very least, they'd go back a few decades to get rich using their future knowledge and build a harem. Who the hell would transmigrate here!
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
