Family gatherings were the only time during the week when the entire Wen family was present. The focus was naturally not on the food but on exchanging information regarding the movements of the mother and her daughters throughout the week.
The eldest sister, Wen Qingyi, was an Alpha with a brilliant academic record and resume. Having recently graduated with her master’s degree, she was currently interning at the family company, preparing to inherit a portion of the shares and start her own career once she became proficient.
The second sister, Wen Luyao, was considered the least academic of the children. Her intelligence and emotional quotient did not match those of her sisters. Fortunately, she was an Omega, so she still held value for a future strategic marriage. The family’s only requirement for her was that she refrain from wild behavior and maintain the dignity of a high society Omega.
Currently, the only one still in a critical growth phase was Wen Xiaoyue. She had perfectly inherited the cold personality of the head of the household, who cared only for profit. Never indulging in useless activities, she was the standard elite socialite Omega highly valued by her mothers.
Although this era no longer discouraged Omegas from leaving the home to participate in major decision making, the unspoken rules of wealthy families still dictated that management and inheritance rights were handed to Alphas. Omegas were responsible for active social networking, especially forming alliances through marriage with other great families like the Gu family. This was considered the ultimate manifestation of their value.
Wen Qingyi had thought countless times that if Wen Xiaoyue were an Alpha, her own status would certainly be challenged by this exceptionally talented younger sister. Fortunately, her mothers had explicitly stated that training Wen Xiaoyue to be a top tier Omega with both beauty and talent was meant to provide the family with a prestigious facade in social circles. They would never allow her to enter the family business and usurp the position. This allowed Wen Qingyi to relax and secretly gloat over her secure status.
Reassured, Wen Qingyi did not hesitate to act close to her little sister on the surface while subtly reminding her of her role as a decorative vase.
“I heard Xiaoyue is going to host the September Ball again. Truly impressive. My sister has such excellent poise and image; everyone praises Xiaoyue as the model socialite that all Omegas should emulate.”
The head of the house, Wen Miao, nodded slightly. “Yes. Being a representative for Omegas is good. However, be careful not to overexpose yourself, or others might think our daughter is a show off.”
“Ah, the model socialite.”
The second sister, Wen Luyao, intentionally dragged out her tone, speaking sarcastically. “We are all going to get married anyway. What is the point of being excellent?”
Wen Miao frowned. “What do you mean by that? Look at yourself. You have the nerve to speak about your sister? What have you achieved in your life? If you had not been born into this family, do you think you could enjoy such a good life? Finding an excellent person to marry is for your own good.”
“Hmph,” Wen Luyao showed no fear of the head of the house’s authority. “There is nothing to say to you all. In your heads, Omegas are just tools for marriage, useless for anything else.”
Wen Xiaoyue had already heard that her mother was currently choosing a suitor for her second sister, but Wen Luyao was being extremely uncooperative, and the tension at home was high.
Wen Qingyi stepped in to play peacemaker. “Alright, alright, we are eating. Why the arguing? Sister, I am not trying to criticize you, but no one is trying to hurt you. Why be so stubborn? Quickly, apologize to Mom.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Luyao’s face darkened. Snorting with anger, she slammed her chopsticks down. Without another word, she stood up and left the table on the spot.
Wen Miao shouted at her back, “You! You dare to walk out? If you leave, do not come back!”
Wen Luyao ignored her, pushing past the butler who tried to intervene and running out the front door without looking back.
Wen Miao was fuming with rage, alternating between cursing Wen Luyao’s rebellion and lamenting her own hardships. The rest of the family had to constantly comfort her.
With such an event occurring before they had even finished a few bites, the atmosphere at the table was incredibly stiff. After a short while, everyone collectively chose to forget the empty seat. They shifted the topic, discussing how the mother planned to invest billions into the internet sector, Wen Qingyi’s good performance during her internship, and warning Wen Xiaoyue not to follow Wen Luyao’s example. They told her to listen to the family, as no one would intentionally push her into a pit of fire.
Wen Xiaoyue ate quietly. Aside from a faint “mm” when her name was mentioned, she made almost no sound. Everyone was used to her silence. Even though she was eating in her own home, she did not feel at ease.
Wen Xiaoyue suddenly fantasized that the meal had been spiked with sleeping mushrooms. Everyone would eat a bite and collapse, and she could continue playing the piano in her dreams for an hour or two until the gathering ended, never having to see these faces again.
You Xinghai.
If it were that little rogue, she certainly would not endure such a scene as Wen Xiaoyue did. No, someone like her would not even have the chance to experience such a scene. Wen Xiaoyue wanted to sneer in her heart, but she could not bring herself to smile. She only felt an immense weight.
After the meal, she was about to leave when she was called back by her other mother. This was the mother who had given birth to her, Yuan Zhigang, an Omega from a humble background. Although she was middle aged, she maintained a strict beauty regimen and still possessed the devastating charm of her youth, the very weapon she had used to attract the current head of the house.
Yuan Zhigang took her to the study and sat across from her. Her gentle gaze brushed over Wen Xiaoyue’s cheek as she spoke affectionately. “Yue’er, has school been stressful lately?”
In this house, if there was anyone who made Wen Xiaoyue feel a bit of comfort, it was likely the person in front of her.
Wen Xiaoyue shook her head, the coldness in her voice softening significantly. “I am fine. Do not worry. Compared to me, Second Sister is probably giving you more of a headache.”
Yuan Zhigang smiled slightly. “I can understand why Luyao does not want to meet the candidate chosen by the head of the house. Rather than you becoming an excellent Omega to chase after those hollow family interests, I would rather you live happily.”
“I know.”
Yuan Zhigang was a reasonable mother. Although she had to be submissive to Wen Miao on the surface for the sake of her own position, she often helped the children reduce the pressure imposed by the family in private. However, as the third child, Wen Xiaoyue was not particularly close to her either.
In the early years, her two mothers were busy dealing with the company’s financial pressures, and the children were left to be raised by nannies. Now that the business was flourishing, the children were grown, spent less time at home, and their emotional bonds had gradually thinned. The weekly family gathering was originally intended to bridge the growing rift between family members, but it currently seemed to be of little use.
“You seemed restless this morning. I thought you might have something on your mind.”
“I am fine. I just did not sleep very well.” She could hardly say she was troubled by a nouveau riche Alpha.
Yuan Zhigang gave a look that said, “I knew you would say that.” “Child, I must say, the family does not actually require you to shoulder much pressure. You do not have to work so hard all the time.”
Wen Xiaoyue neither nodded nor shook her head, replying politely, “I am just doing my best.”
After chatting for a while, Wen Xiaoyue stood up to take her leave. Not long after, Wen Miao entered the study and nodded to Yuan Zhigang. “I heard voices. Were you just speaking with Xiaoyue?”
“Yes. Xiaoyue is still very well behaved. There is nothing for us to specifically worry about.” Yuan Zhigang let out a long sigh. “Occasionally, I want to share some of her burdens. Does an Omega really need to work this hard?”
Wen Miao agreed. “She has always been an independent child. In that regard, she is just like me.” Wen Miao walked toward her partner and massaged her shoulders. “But emotionally, I worry she is as indecisive as you, keeping too much in her head and refusing to tell us.”
Yuan Zhigang smiled and gently touched her hand. “Qingyi offended the elders in the company, which is giving you a headache, right?”
Wen Miao was silent for a moment. “She refuses to apologize. She is as stubborn as a mule.”
“Are you thinking in your heart that if it were Xiaoyue, she would have done much better?”
“…”
Wen Miao’s hands stopped for a few seconds. The study was quiet for a moment, with only the sound of the computer’s cooling fan.
“But,” she said, “an Omega cannot command the respect of the crowd.”
No matter how excellent her third daughter was, what could she do? Just by standing there, everyone would cast their support for Wen Qingyi.
Yuan Zhigang’s fingertips rubbed the back of Wen Miao’s hand, as if comforting or requesting. “Promise me, if one day Xiaoyue wants to achieve more, let her do it. If one day she wants to leave, let her go.”
Wen Miao stared at their intertwined fingers as the mist in her heart gathered. “We will see.”
On the first holiday night after transmigrating into the book, You Xinghai had no desire to sleep and stayed up until the middle of the night. After playing with everything she could find, she finally walked to the computer in her rabbit head slippers and took a deep breath.
It was time to get to work!
Over the past two days, through a lot of gaming and market research on the internet, she had discovered that the internet in this world was still in a quite primitive stage. Most games had outdated graphics and simple gameplay. Social media had not yet become a platform for manipulating traffic. Even the communication tool used by classmates at the noble academy was just a student forum; marketplaces and confession walls had not been developed yet.
Coincidentally, one of Gu Yingyu’s friends in the original novel had a genius computer girl who was skilled in information technology. She ran her own internet company and had escaped family control. She could provide great help!
This side plot involved the White Lotus Guan Yinqi making an operational error during computer class. The computer girl happened to pass by and solved the system crash with a few keystrokes, earning the White Lotus’s deep admiration. After a series of plot developments, the sharp tongued shut in computer girl developed a crush on the bright White Lotus. She would bully her with words while secretly hacking and deleting malicious forum posts about her, keeping her deeds hidden.
However, just as the computer girl finished a game she intended to use as a confession and was about to send it to the White Lotus, she accidentally witnessed the White Lotus kissing Gu Yingyu behind the classroom door. Only then did she realize that the person who always made Gu Yingyu smile was her own secret crush! She was devastated for a long time, but seeing the White Lotus and Gu Yingyu truly in love, she could only suppress her bitter feelings. She joined Fu Dongxue in wishing them eternal happiness from afar.
In short, it was yet another unrequited supporting character role.
The companies You Xinghai inherited from her aunt were all in very traditional industries. Not a single one was related to the internet. This gave her a great sense of crisis. Right now, she could lie flat and ignore the mockery, but in a dozen years, if these companies became sunset industries, how could she happily slack off!
Having traveled from the twenty-first century, she knew the importance of the internet. She planned to rely on her own skills while the plot was still in its early stages. She would co-found a company with the computer girl and make a massive retirement fund in the sunrise industries of the future!
She did not care about whatever love, hate, and mission the computer girl carried. Once targeted by You Xinghai, the girl would have to work honestly and stop thinking about useless things!
You Xinghai tapped rapidly on the keyboard, and thick lines of code appeared on the screen. If she remembered correctly, the computer girl was extremely fond of gaming, but player communication in this world was very scattered and traffic was low. Discussions were restricted to the gaming sections of general platforms.
You Xinghai planned to start here by building a specialized gaming forum for official announcements and player interaction. She would use this to demonstrate her skills as a letter of intent to gain the computer girl’s trust in her abilities. This would be the first step in her internet career!
If she wanted to slack off properly and count money while lying down, she needed an industry that could sustainably print cash!