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!"
"..."

lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...

tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...

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.”

or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?