“Wanwan, hurry up, you’re about to be late.”
“Coming.” Lu Wanwan finished applying her lipstick, pursed her lips at the mirror, grabbed her bag from the table, and walked out of her room.
Her parents were already waiting at the door.
Even though she had watched her daughter grow up, Dai Yin couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful she was.
Lu Gaoda, however, frowned deeply. “Go back and change into something else. Wear something more modest. What kind of look is this flashy outfit for a family gathering?”
Yesterday, Lu Wanwan’s cousin, Lu Qingqing, had returned from studying abroad. Today, her Eldest Uncle was hosting a dinner for everyone. Lu Wanwan hadn’t originally wanted to go, but her father, Old Lu, had repeatedly insisted she attend. To demonstrate the unity of their extended family, Lu Wanwan’s opinion didn’t matter much.
Ever since Lu Wanwan became a live streamer, some of her remarks had been scrutinized and magnified, causing dissatisfaction among many people, including her own relatives and her father. Every time there was a large family gathering, Lu Wanwan became a target.
Every few days, Lu Gaoda would try to brainwash Lu Wanwan, hoping she would give up being a streamer and find what he considered a “proper” job. In his eyes, the best possible outcome would be for her to take the civil service exam and become a civil servant like him.
“What’s wrong with the way Wanwan is dressed? Don’t just go spouting opinions about things you don’t understand.”
Dai Yin opened the door and grabbed Lu Gaoda by the sleeve to leave. Lu Gaoda stumbled as he was pulled along, nearly tripping over the threshold. “Hey! Am I not even allowed to speak now…”
Go Mom!
Lu Wanwan smiled and followed close behind.
When they reached the underground parking garage, Lu Gaoda’s face was still sour. A dispute arose over whose car they would take.
“I’m not riding in her car. I’ll drive my own, and you’re coming with me,” Lu Gaoda said, directing the last part to Dai Yin.
Dai Yin turned around and linked her arm with her daughter’s. “I’m not sitting in that junk heap of yours. I want to ride in my daughter’s new car.”
“You…” Seeing that Old Lu’s blood pressure was about to spike again, Lu Wanwan held her mother’s hand and opened the door to his car. “Mom, let’s just take Dad’s car. It’ll be hard to find two parking spots.”
Once she pulled her mother into the car, Dai Yin sat with a long face. “Wouldn’t it be better if we all took Wanwan’s car? Why do we have to drive your old junker?”
“What do you mean my car is a junker?” Lu Gaoda retorted, while glancing dissatisfied at Lu Wanwan. “It’s all because you’ve corrupted your mother. She never used to complain about my car before.”
Lu Wanwan made a move to open the door, pulling her mother along. “Mom, let’s just take my car then.”
Quick as a flash, Lu Gaoda locked the doors and stepped on the gas, the car surging forward. “I’m just a common little civil servant. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to be seen in your BMW.”
The family of three arrived at Chengyuan right on time. Guided by a server, they reached the door of the private dining room. When they opened it, a large round table was already crowded with people; everyone had arrived.
“Second Brother, why are you just getting here? We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
The speaker was Lu Wanwan’s Eldest Uncle. He was currently sitting upright in the seat of honor, his hands resting flat on the table. With his formal posture, it looked less like he was sitting at a dinner table and more like he was on a throne.
The Lu family of three took the empty seats near the door.
Lu Gaoda explained with a smile, “There was a bit of traffic on the way. Sorry to keep you all waiting.”
“Second Brother isn’t late; the timing is just right,” Lu Wanwan’s Eldest Aunt said, spinning the lazy Susan as she spoke. “Wanwan, try this chocolate. Qingqing brought it back from abroad. You’ll definitely like it.”
Lu Wanwan picked up a piece of chocolate, and the Eldest Uncle waved to the server. “Bring out the food!”
The food at Chengyuan was good, and Lu Wanwan enjoyed it, though she didn’t dare eat too much to maintain her figure.
At the table, Lu Qingqing talked about her life abroad. Lu Wanwan found it interesting. When she heard that her cousin had returned to an annual salary offer of 500,000 yuan, the relatives at the table burst into rounds of exclamations. Lu Wanwan also thought her cousin was impressive; she had been a top student since childhood and had studied abroad on a government scholarship.
Unexpectedly, the Eldest Uncle suddenly shifted the conversation. He looked at Lu Wanwan. “Wanwan, you should stop being a streamer, too. You get cursed out by everyone and their ancestors every day. It makes us all lose face. It would be better to follow your sister’s example and find a proper job. Working a steady job is better than being some streamer. Even if the salary isn’t as high as your sister’s, the money is earned happily and honestly.”
???
And so it begins. Lu Wanwan knew this scene at the dinner table was inevitable. Her previously smiling face darkened. She didn’t care if her Eldest Uncle wanted to brag about his daughter, but acting like the family patriarch to trample on her face was going too far.
Just as Lu Wanwan was about to speak, the Eldest Aunt tugged at the Eldest Uncle’s sleeve and grumbled, “You’ve had too much to drink, so say less!” Turning to Lu Wanwan with a smile, she said, “Wanwan, don’t be angry. Your uncle doesn’t have a way with words, but it’s really all for your own good. Seeing you get insulted every day hurts his heart as your uncle.”
???
Should I thank you then?
Seeing that Lu Wanwan’s expression was still sour, the Eldest Aunt retracted her gaze and shot a look at the Eldest Uncle. “See? I told you not to speak nonsense. Now you’ve offended Wanwan!”
The Eldest Aunt and Younger Aunt immediately stepped in to smooth things over. “It’s nothing. Wanwan has never been the petty type.” The Eldest Aunt placed a rib on Lu Wanwan’s plate. “Wanwan, have a rib. It’s delicious.”
Lu Qingqing also looked at her parents. “Mom, Dad, just say less. Being a streamer is fine for Wanwan. I’ve watched her broadcasts, and they’re very interesting. Even if I wanted to be a streamer, no one would watch me!”
“Why on earth would you want to be a streamer?” The Eldest Uncle slammed the table, appearing furious. “Your job already pays 500,000 a year, and in a few years, it could rise to a million. You can’t find such a good job even with a lantern. To think you’d want to give that up to be some lousy streamer, getting cursed out by people’s ancestors every day? How much money can that even make? Unless you’ve got shit in your eyes, you wouldn’t say such a thing.”
…
Lu Wanwan realized that her Eldest Uncle was an expert at using one thing to talk about another. Scolding his daughter was a facade; belittling her was the real goal!
In truth, Lu Wanwan’s live streams weren’t nearly as exaggerated as her uncle claimed. Although some people insulted her, many others liked her. If everyone hated her, how could she earn so much money?
She was a relationship-focused streamer who often took calls from fans. When fans reached out to confide in her about their love lives, her most frequent response was: “Are you keeping a man like that around for the New Year?”
Yes, she was a streamer who advised people to break up. It wasn’t intentional, but the proportion of scumbags in real life was simply too high.
In most cases, when a woman reached out to her for help, it meant she was already unhappy in that relationship.
But isn’t the point of dating to be happy? If you’re not happy, why date?
Lu Wanwan had criticized many men. And men, at certain times, are very united. Even though she wasn’t criticizing them specifically, those men felt a deep sense of shared empathy for the ones she was calling out, so they began to curse her frantically in her chat room.
In fact, Lu Wanwan didn’t understand why. She was only criticizing scumbags, not them. Why did they take it personally? Wouldn’t it be better if everyone just acted like good men? Lu Wanwan liked good men herself.
The Eldest Uncle’s outburst caused the atmosphere in the room to drop to freezing.
The two aunts who had been trying to smooth things over looked embarrassed and glanced at their older brother with some resentment.
Right then, Dai Yin pulled a bag out from behind her and placed it on the table. “Sister-in-law, I was listening to you talk about how great your bag is and how Qingqing spent twenty thousand to bring it back from abroad. What a coincidence—my daughter bought this bag for me, too. It looks nice, doesn’t it?”
The classic logo on the bag made it clear at a glance that it wasn’t cheap. The Eldest Aunt’s expression shifted.
Dai Yin hadn’t intended to show off at first. After she sat down, she had placed the bag behind her seat, so no one had noticed it.
Dai Yin turned to ask her daughter, “Wanwan, how much was this bag again?”
Lu Wanwan cooperated by holding up five fingers. “Over fifty thousand.”
The Eldest Aunt and Younger Aunt looked at their sister-in-law, wanting to laugh but holding it back.
Qingqing had indeed been a model student since childhood. Their eldest brother and his wife always used that to show off, always trying to stay one step ahead of the other relatives’ children. They felt uncomfortable about it, but what could they do if someone else’s child was successful?
But who would have thought that Wanwan, who had lived in Qingqing’s shadow since childhood, could develop like this? It certainly brought honor to the second brother and his wife, who were usually suppressed.
“Oh, right, Brother. Our Wanwan bought a new car. It cost eight hundred thousand—a BMW.” As Lu Gaoda spoke, he turned to his daughter. “Wanwan, take out your car keys and let your uncle have a look.”
???
But you wouldn’t even sit in my car when we were coming here!