[Ding! Detected that Host Su Bai spent 674,200 yuan at MaXMara, triggering a 9x cashback reward—6,067,800 yuan added to your account!]
As he made the payment, the system notification popped up in Su Bai’s mind.
To be honest, this was the most extravagant Su Bai had ever been when buying clothes.
But spending on Aunt Jiang was worth it—she deserved some nice things for once.
As for Su Bai himself? As long as the clothes met his standards for social occasions—stylish, high-end, and sharp—he was satisfied.
So he simply directed Xia Lin to pick out several outfits for Aunt Jiang, even including winter wear.
Cashmere coats, silk-blend sweaters, the latest trendy loafers…
"Wow, Xiao Bai, I love all these clothes… But isn’t this too much to carry?" Aunt Jiang asked, puzzled.
"No problem. We’ll have the store deliver them to my rented place first. My housekeeper will store them in the storage room…"
Hearing this, Aunt Jiang froze in disbelief for a moment.
Then she burst into cheerful laughter.
"Is it that funny?"
"Hahaha, no, it’s just… Xiao Bai, you’re making me feel like I don’t even know you anymore. Storage rooms? Housekeepers? Suddenly you’re so high-class! Auntie can’t keep up with your lifestyle."
Su Bai sighed in amusement. "Not high-class at all! Even suburban homes have storage rooms these days. Sometimes people just convert an extra bathroom into one…"
"Alright, alright, whatever you say."
Perhaps she had already seen too many mind-blowing things today.
Aunt Jiang was starting to feel numb.
Like she was trapped in some surreal, dreamlike state.
Well… if this was a dream, she might as well enjoy it while it lasted.
"It’s almost noon. What would you like for lunch, Auntie? There are restaurants in the mall, or I know some great private kitchens around here," Xia Lin asked considerately as they got back into the Porsche Panamera.
She carried herself like a true socialite, exuding the kind of confidence that made Aunt Jiang—used to the familiarity of small-town life—feel oddly at ease.
"How about we just grab something nearby? Private kitchens feel a bit… too fancy for me. I’d feel out of place."
Aunt Jiang preferred simpler, more down-to-earth places.
So they settled on a fresh-cut beef hotpot buffet in the area.
At just over 200 yuan per person, it was practically a steal compared to the exorbitant restaurants Su Bai had been frequenting lately.
But this was exactly Aunt Jiang’s kind of meal.
She had no interest in overly expensive, delicate dishes.
After all, like Su Bai, she was a meat lover.
The only difference was that Aunt Jiang wasn’t a fan of Japanese cuisine and had little interest in seafood.
A 200-yuan beef buffet was already a luxury in her eyes—this kind of place didn’t even exist back in her hometown, Ancheng.
Ancheng was still stuck with those cheap, 50-yuan all-you-can-eat hotpot and barbecue buffets filled with processed meat.
Sure, they filled your stomach, but the taste? Questionable at best…
After they were seated, Xia Lin excused herself to the restroom while Su Bai experimented with dipping sauces at the condiment station.
Aunt Jiang, meanwhile, eagerly went to load up on meat.
Honestly, the beef at high-end buffets had such beautiful marbling—it was clearly premium quality.
Not that she was an expert, of course. Compared to Su Bai, Aunt Jiang had far less experience with gourmet ingredients.
Running a shop kept her busy—lunch was often a rushed affair, and dinner was whatever Su Bai cooked at home.
But even she could tell this meat was top-notch.
Just as she picked up two plates of chuck eye, a rough, middle-aged voice called out behind her.
"Hey there, miss… aren’t you that ‘Aunt Jiang’s Handmade Custom’ from Douyin?"
A fan?
Aunt Jiang turned to see a portly middle-aged man with a protruding belly, his face lit up with excitement as he struck up a conversation.
Instantly, she put on a polite, customer-service smile. "Hello! Are you a follower from Douyin?"
"That’s right! It’s me, AAA Building Materials Brother Xue! Can’t believe I actually ran into you here. Saw your livestream this morning saying you were coming to Jiangcheng, and here we are—what are the odds? This is fate, miss…"
He rambled on relentlessly.
Aunt Jiang kept her smile intact, though internally, she was screaming.
This "Building Materials Brother Xue" was one of the most annoying regulars in her livestreams.
Incredibly sleazy, always hinting at meeting up offline, bragging about being a local with four properties and tons of money…
The kicker? He never even spent a dime on gifts.
Not that Aunt Jiang wanted his money—she only livestreamed to kill time and promote her online shop, not to fish for wealthy patrons.
At her age, she was content just keeping her business running and watching her kids grow up. That was happiness enough.
Yet this Brother Xue seemed oddly fixated on her, always lurking in her streams.
The guy had serious issues—constantly spewing nonsense, provoking other viewers with his obnoxious flexing, then arguing with the chat…
Whatever.
Honestly, the entire livestream audience, including Aunt Jiang herself, had long since accepted Brother Xue’s absurdity.
They treated him like the stream’s resident clown.
Tuning in daily to see what outrageous thing he’d say next had become a form of entertainment.
And now, here he was in the flesh—just as cringeworthy offline as online.
"Ah, Brother Xue, what a coincidence. I’m here with my kid, so I’ll catch you later, okay?"
"Oh, you brought your kid? Perfect! Let’s get acquainted. I’ll call mine over too… I’m Xue Datao, by the way. What’s your real name, Miss Jiang?"
As the man eagerly extended his hand for a shake, Aunt Jiang was about to decline when Su Bai suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Xue Datao’s hand and shaking it vigorously.
"You’re Auntie’s friend? Nice to meet you!"
Xue Datao blinked in confusion at the sudden appearance of this handsome young man.
"Little Jiang, I thought your kid was a girl?"
"Oh, this is my neighbor’s son—my godson."
"Ah, what a fine young man…"
Xue Datao scrutinized Su Bai, his expression darkening as an unmistakable hostility flickered across his face.
He was trying to suppress it, but his lack of subtlety made his thoughts painfully obvious.
That uniquely ridiculous vibe, the sheer audacity, plus the striking resemblance instantly reminded Su Bai of his eccentric roommate, Xue Tao.
No way. No freaking way.
Xue Datao naming his son Xue Tao?
That was exactly the kind of thing Xue Tao’s dad would do…
The logic was a bit convoluted, but Su Bai had a strong suspicion about Xue Datao’s identity now.
"Uncle, our hotpot’s about to boil over. We should get back to our meal—you enjoy yours too!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
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...
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!"
