When Yan Xi returned home, she found that Song Hai was entertaining guests. She turned around and threw the high heels she was holding into the shoe cabinet. "Dad."
"Yan Yan, you're back?" Song Hai was a little surprised. "Weren't you supposed to be on location today?"
"I finished work early, so I came back," Yan Xi didn't mention the small injury on her foot. Seeing her father's face looking a bit grim, she glanced at the man and woman sitting on the sofa. Since her father hadn't introduced them, she turned around to the kitchen to get a glass of water. While adding lemon slices, she overheard her father's somewhat unhappy voice.
"What about the old Song family's heritage? The Song family doesn't have a royal throne or a gold mine to inherit. I won't allow my daughter to suffer like this, no matter what you say."
Yan Xi paused. Were these two people relatives from her father's side? She almost never saw relatives from her father's side, except for the year her grandparents passed away, when a bunch of relatives came to the house asking for money. At that time, her mother had told her to stay inside and not go out.
In her memory, those people were loud, and their words were unpleasant.
"Third Brother, you've gotten rich, but you can't just ignore your ancestors. Besides, it's just letting Xianhong stay at your house and take care of her. How can letting my niece suffer be justified? Don't blame me for speaking bluntly, she's a girl, and sooner or later, she's going to marry out. You protect her like this, and in the end, she'll still belong to someone else's family."
"Xianhong is almost twenty years old, and our family has no other adults. If I'm on a business trip, it's just Yan Xi at home. It's not appropriate for him to stay here," Song Hai's tone was serious. "Eldest Brother, your Xianhong is precious, but my daughter was raised with love by her mother and me. When she was in college, I didn't let anyone look after her every day. Raising children shouldn't be like you do. How can she be independent in the future? What 'our family, their family'? If you keep saying things like that, don't blame me for being rude."
"You're just ashamed of us being poor, compared to your family. Even the only son of the Song family is inferior to your daughter," Song Hai's older sister-in-law's voice became sharp. "No matter how precious your daughter is, she no longer carries the Song surname. She now carries her mother's surname, Yan."
"Who said children must take their father's surname, Eldest Sister-in-law? Xianhong is surnamed Song, but he's not your son, is he?" Song Hai's face darkened immediately, his tone stern. "Eldest Sister-in-law, we don't follow those old customs anymore. Children are the same, it doesn't matter which surname they take."
"Eldest Brother, if you think I look down on you, then we won't have any more dealings in the future, so you won't feel wronged!" Song Hai had a stubborn temperament, and he rarely lost his temper, but his daughter was his bottom line.
If they had said these things at another time, he would have just let it go, but today Yan Xi was at home, and they still spoke like this. Wasn't that making Yan Xi upset and angry? The brotherhood was something he could endure, but they shouldn't bring up gender in their issues with the next generation.
Eldest Brother and his wife didn't expect Song Hai to suddenly become so angry. Feeling embarrassed, Song Hai's sister-in-law stood up and said, "I'll just wait and see how well you enjoy life, Third Brother, with all this protection for your daughter!"
Throwing this remark, the couple turned and left the Song family house without a second glance.
"No need to worry, Auntie," Yan Xi walked out of the kitchen and, with a half-smile, called after the couple, "I'll take good care of my dad and make sure he's happy. But instead of worrying about our family, maybe you should go home and take care of your precious son."
"Sharp-tongued, disrespectful... and you've wasted your university education," Song Hai's sister-in-law became even angrier when she saw that a junior dared to talk back. If it were her own daughter, she would have slapped her by now.
"I didn't just waste my undergrad, I wasted my graduate degree too," Yan Xi smiled with her eyes narrowed. "What can I do? My parents spoiled me. No matter how much money they spent, they made sure I studied. Please understand, Auntie."
If they thought her father's wealth made her look down on them, then she would show them exactly what "a little money doesn't make you great" really meant.
"Third Brother, is this how you educate your children?" Song Hai's older brother looked at him.
Song Hai lowered his head and said nothing, pretending he didn't hear.
Song Hai's older brother, furious at the father and daughter's attitude, left the Song family house with his wife, their faces dark with anger.
Yan Xi sat back down next to Song Hai and, seeing that his anger hadn't completely subsided, she peeled a fruit for him. "Dad, eat some fruit to calm down."
"Don't mind what they said. I don't think like they do," Song Hai closely observed Yan Xi's expression, and when he saw that she wasn't upset by what his older brother and his wife had said, he sighed and said, "Your Uncle's youngest son got into a university in the capital today. He went there to register and said the school accommodations were bad, so he wants to stay at our house."
Song Hai's family wasn't from the capital; they were from a somewhat remote area. Over the years, Song Hai had worked hard on his own, and they hadn't helped at all. Instead, they had spoken ill of him during his divorce from his ex-wife. These things had already reached Song Hai's ears, but he hadn't paid much attention.
"He might end up not wanting to leave," Yan Xi knew what her uncle's family was planning. She patted Song Hai's shoulder. "Dad, don't overthink it. You still have your daughter with you."
"I already know what kind of people they are, how could I care about them?" Song Hai smiled. "I'm just worried you'll be upset after hearing what they said."
"They can say whatever they want," Yan Xi smiled sweetly. "I know you love me the most, so I don't care what they say."
"That attitude is just like mine," Song Hai chewed on the fruit that Yan Xi had peeled for him. "When people try to provoke you, the more you smile and keep a relaxed attitude, the more it will make them angry."
Sometimes, a smile is a form of tolerance; sometimes, it's a weapon.
After being taught a whole lot of wisdom from her dad, Yan Xi had one thought.
Dad, I didn't know you were this kind of dad.
After dinner, back in her room, Yan Xi opened her computer and logged into her chat app. The publisher's editor's profile picture was flashing continuously. She opened the chat window and was immediately hit with the big bold red font that almost made her eyes hurt.
Ming Ming: Ahhh! Miss, your book exploded, it's a huge hit!
Ming Ming: Where are you?
Ming Ming: Are you there? Are you there?!!!
Through these red exclamation marks, Yan Xi could feel the editor's excitement. Sitting cross-legged on a wide, soft chair, she casually typed a single word: "Here."
As soon as the message was sent, a reply came.
Ming Ming: Ah, you're finally here! I almost want to kneel down in front of you! Do you still have any sense of being an internet sensation?
The editor seemed to interpret her two words as cold and composed, and immediately informed her about the book sales, specifically highlighting its ranking among the top ten bestsellers.
Yan Xi thought the editor must be a young person with a lot of energy, but those exclamation marks were giving her a heart attack and raising her blood pressure.
Xiao Xiliu: "My beautiful lady, exclamation marks are no longer in style. Can we use some other punctuation?"
Mingming: "Only exclamation marks can perfectly express my emotions. Sister, let's have a signing event!"
Yan Xi paused her typing. She had never considered making a public appearance in front of her online followers.
Xiao Xiliu: "I can live off my talents, definitely not my looks."
This was a polite rejection, and the editor probably understood her concerns. After trying to persuade her a bit and seeing that she was firm, the editor didn't bring it up again.
After finishing the conversation, Yan Xi took a shower, dried her hair, and lay in bed. She opened her phone and checked her Moments. She saw that her friend request to Yuan Er Shao had been accepted.
The other person's name was simpleâ"Yuan"âand the profile picture was a landscape, likely from the phone's default images. She saved the contact as "Guanggun Pre-Reserve," then thought for a moment and changed it to "Yuan Xiaoer."
This person ranked second in the Yuan family, so "Yuan Xiaoer" seemed appropriate.
Turning over and lying on her stomach, Yan Xi clicked on Moments. She liked a few posts from friends, and when she saw someone had posted a picture of a book, she was stunned when she recognized the coverâit was her own book.
It seemed her book was already that popular. Someone in her Moments had bought it?
Yuan Xiaoer: "It's not bad." [Attached image]
Yan Xi stared at the message for a long time, confirming she wasn't seeing things, before secretly liking the post.
She wasn't praising Yuan Xiaoer, she was actually praising herself.
At the Yuan household.
Yuan Yi placed the signed book back on the shelf. He wasn't sure who had sent the books, but he casually flipped through them. Most were nonsense, but one particular book caught his attention.
It was a comic book featuring a strangely shaped animal as the main character, but it was drawn in a very cute style. Each story inside was heartwarming and suitable for people who were busy at work or under pressureâperfect for relaxing in their spare time.
"Second Young Master," Aunt Li knocked on the study door and entered with a cup of milk. "It's almost ten o'clock. Would you like some milk before bed?"
"Thank you," he took the milk, took a sip, and turned to look at the comic book titled Little Monster on the shelf. He hadn't expected to be reading it so late. He rubbed his temple and said, "Aunt Li, go rest. I'll be sleeping soon."
Aunt Li smiled, took the nearly finished cup of milk, and left the room.
Yuan Yi returned to his room, and his Moments were flooded with likes and comments.
Some were praising it, others were joking about him reading a comic book, and a few were joking that they would buy one to see what it was like. Among all the likes, Yuan Yi spotted the name "Yan Single Dog."
Not that he often used WeChat, but how did this like appear? It couldn't have been a slip of the finger, could it?
He stared at the bright red spicy hotpot profile picture for a while before clicking on it.
The latest post was eight days ago.
Yan Single Dog: "Dad's cooking."
Nine pictures, all of various homemade dishes.
The post just before that, from two or three months ago, was a picture of a very ugly Shar-Pei dog.
Yan Single Dog: "Met a fool, purebred." [Attached picture of the ugly dog]
Not to mention, the dog was truly ugly, and he couldn't figure out where this woman found it.
The post before the last was only a short while ago.
Yan Single Dog: "The sun looks beautiful today, like a fried egg."
Yuan Yi stared at the picture of the rising sun for a long time, and he thought... it actually did look like a fried egg.
With that thought, he quickly exited WeChat and turned off his phone.
This woman was simply a form of mental pollution, messing with his aesthetic sense.