At first, the little cousin thought that when her older cousin’s husband sent the invitation, he wanted her to have dinner with her older cousin to smooth things over, since their previous argument had spread throughout the family group chat.
Especially because her aunt and uncle had relentlessly tagged the older cousin multiple times a day in the family group chat and scolded him.
The aunt and uncle criticized the older cousin from head to toe, even calling the previously honored older cousin “crazy.”
Even the relatives in the family group couldn’t bear it and quickly tried to advise them, but unfortunately, if her aunt and uncle listened to advice, they wouldn’t have ended up like this anyway.
Her uncle, in particular, had finally experienced parental authority over his own son and wasn’t about to let this opportunity go.
“Don’t tell me that’s my own son. How do I know if he’s really sad or just throwing a tantrum?”
Her uncle said bluntly in the family group chat.
“He’s just pretentious, just like his brother, all of it from their mother.”
This made her aunt unhappy, and she immediately started arguing with her husband in the family chat for several days. The little cousin felt it was unfair to her older cousin.
Her parents also commented on how a good child could have such bad parents.
This was also the consensus of the other relatives in the group chat.
But since it was their family, they ultimately didn’t interfere, only watched them keep scolding.
Then the little cousin noticed something was wrong.
The older cousin hadn’t replied at all. He acted as if he hadn’t seen these messages, and the little cousin feared that something might have happened to him.
Fortunately, when she sent him a message, he replied that he was currently helping her second cousin with some chores. Although they were just small tasks, he couldn’t leave them unattended.
This made the little cousin breathe a sigh of relief. As long as her older cousin was fine, it was good—plus, she could avoid her aunt and uncle.
After hearing the news about the aunt and uncle from her, the older cousin didn’t say anything but just sent her a red envelope.
Naturally, the little cousin accepted it without hesitation. After all, he was a brother she grew up with and wasn’t much different from a biological brother.
But after opening it and seeing the four-digit amount inside, she felt a bit of pressure. She had expected only a three-digit amount that she could work to repay, but now with four digits…
Being under pressure from her boss, she truly couldn’t repay it!
Thinking of her foolish boss, the little cousin felt suffocated—he constantly checked her phone and hovered around her desk.
If she hadn’t been lucky enough to avoid detection, she would have ended up like the clerk next door, who was fired just for using his phone.
That clerk had only sent a few messages to his family—wasn’t that normal? But that boss seemed determined to achieve results, so he included everyone in the inspection, which caused her so much bad luck recently.
This was also why she didn’t refuse her brother-in-law’s invitation. First, they were family, and he invited her to dinner with her cousin—maybe to reconcile with her cousin and have her act as a mediator. Second…
She had really been craving the restaurant’s braised beef brisket for a long time. Her parents were busy, and due to her work, she couldn’t come often. So, tempted by the food, she agreed to go.
But when she sat at the table, she realized that although she came as a mediator, she wasn’t the only one.
—This time, her cousin’s husband had even invited her aunt and uncle!
This wasn’t about reconciling with her cousin, it was clearly meant to pressure him!
The little cousin felt her blood pressure rise just thinking about it. If her partner ever tried moral coercion like this without warning, she would probably flip the table and walk out.
But now wasn’t the time to think about her own reaction. The key was how her older cousin would respond.
So, before her cousin arrived, she kept sending messages in her close friends group.
They had been best friends and childhood companions. The little cousin had grown up in the capital, while the others were scattered across the country, but their parents still kept in touch. So they were also aware of her two cousins situations.
Before she sent messages, her friends had been casually talking about her second cousin.
They kept it light, and because of her troublesome boss recently, she hadn’t properly shared the situation with them.
But now, she didn’t feel like gossiping about her second cousin—she directly posted in the group for help.
“Girls, emergency! Oh my god, my older cousin invited me to dinner, and my aunt and uncle are here too!”
Her friends immediately responded.
“You mean your aunt who lectures everyone like they’re students in front of a top-level teacher, and your uncle who acts like a king at home but timid at the factory? Oh my god, does your older cousin have a grudge against you?”
The little cousin immediately said: “No, it’s not me—it’s my cousin’s husband. I originally thought he invited me to dinner to help reconcile with my cousin, since they had argued recently. That’s why I agreed. But who would have thought he wasn’t there to reconcile at all? He purely came to put pressure on my cousin!”
The group chat immediately exploded.
“What, is he a kindergartener? How is this any different from calling the parents directly? And my mom already heard about it. The man married to your older cousin is super rich. Your aunt and uncle fawn over him so much. This time, your aunt and uncle are definitely taking your older cousin’s side. Oh my god, just thinking about it makes me feel suffocated!”
“Your older cousin is really unlucky…”
Most people in the close friends group posted messages feeling sorry for the older cousin, while some started feeling sorry for the little cousin too.
“Right now, the most unfortunate is Qi-qi! She originally came just to have dinner, but now she’s helping put pressure on her cousin. If your older cousin holds a grudge against her, it’ll be so bad. He treats Qi-qi pretty well—he even sent her a red envelope recently.”
Feng Chuan sent this message in the friends group.
Her family and Wang Qi’s family had originally lived upstairs and downstairs, and their parents worked in the same company. Although they later separated for career development, the two families stayed in contact, so she naturally knew Wang Qi’s family situation.
After the group discussed for a while, Wang Qi sent another message.
“Help! Sister Feng understands me! Everyone, help me! My older cousin just came in, and he initially smiled, but when he saw his parents, he turned expressionless! Wuwuwu, why did the braised beef brisket only arrive now? I haven’t even picked up a bite. I don’t dare reach for it. I’m really scared they’ll start fighting and flip the table, ruining my braised beef brisket, wuwuwu!”
Feng Chuan: “…”
“You might as well live your life with that braised beef brisket! The scene is about to explode, and you’re still worrying about your damn beef!”
The rest of the group chat kept repeating the same words like a broken record.
Although they said that, Feng Chuan and the other childhood friends quickly gave Wang Qi advice: seeing the situation turning bad, she should either hide in a corner or call the police.
—Of course, this was on the condition that she abandoned her braised beef brisket.
“Don’t get involved in this. It’s their family matter. The only outsider is you, the big foodie girl. And since you’re young, standing by your cousin and occasionally saying something is fine.”
The little cousin sent a thumbs-up emoji in agreement and began updating the group chat in real-time.
“My cousin didn’t say anything at all. He just endured it and sat down, and his opening words were surprisingly normal.”
“They started serving dishes, started serving dishes. No problem. My cousin’s husband even served my older cousin some food—wuwuwu, the braised beef brisket is really delicious.”
“Oh, my aunt suddenly started scolding my cousin out of nowhere! Why can’t she handle something so small? And she even let my cousin’s husband serve him food! What does this have to do with couple fun?!”
“My uncle joined in too. My cousin’s husband didn’t say much, he even tried to mediate a little. But isn’t that just adding fuel to the fire? I feel like this guy is hiding some bad intentions.”
The friends naturally gossiped with great interest and commented.
“It’s just the beginning. I bet when they get home, your cousin’s husband will be on thin ice.”
“So how good must that braised beef brisket be if you, the big foodie girl, have been thinking about it all day?”
“Tsk tsk tsk, your aunt and uncle really didn’t disappoint. I’m starting to doubt if those two cousins are really your aunt’s biological children.”
The discussion in the group chat grew heated, and Wang Qi’s messages were increasingly stress-inducing.
“It’s not about what they said. Can people really say such things? Your cousin doesn’t even have a career outside—he might barely earn a month. Doesn’t the family still have a housekeeper? How did your aunt’s brain work to question why her son isn’t taking care of his partner at home?”
“…And she even wanted your second cousin to earn money for your older cousin while he stayed home??? Are they really biological?”
“Maybe in their eyes, after their son hooked up with a rich person, he found a ‘golden rice bowl.’ That’s why they cling to him. And the golden rice bowl will definitely earn more than their son. Too bad—their youngest son would rather earn for their older son than for these two old folks.”
“…I can’t take it. I can’t stand it. My blood pressure is rising. Wang Qi, where are you? Can I punch your aunt and uncle each once?”
“I almost got a cardiac arrhythmia just now. Our company just got a big order, I was already busy, and now this stressful situation happened. I feel like my anxiety is physical.”
Feng Chuan felt dizzy, thinking: “Can biological parents really do this? Criticizing their own child in front of the child’s partner for being lazy, greedy, and not taking care of the family, while forcing the partner into misery. Then they change their attitude when they learn that the person employing Song Yun is their youngest son, and want Song Yun to give up this opportunity for the partner.”
Even when Song Yun didn’t want to join the variety show, these two jumped with excitement, as if Song Yun had missed an amazing opportunity.
Everything was supposed to respect personal will, but they made it feel like a forced requirement.
And throughout it all, the so-called husband, supposedly close to Song Yun, didn’t say a word. He just watched his partner being belittled by his biological parents while secretly enjoying it behind the scenes.
And throughout the entire time, the so-called husband who was supposedly close to Song Yun didn’t say a single word. He just watched his partner being belittled by his biological parents and secretly relished it behind his back.
Even though Wang Qi couldn’t help but rebut a couple of times, the overbearing aura of his aunt and uncle, combined with her status as an outsider, made Wang Qi so frustrated that she didn’t dare update the group chat anymore.
The sisters in the chat were also quite angered, and Wang Qi was too intimidated to continue posting updates.
But just when they thought the matter had ended, Wang Qi suddenly sent another message to the group 20 minutes later.
“—Second cousin, you are my god!”
Although the message seemed abrupt and out of context, it grabbed everyone’s attention in the group. Even Feng Chuan lost focus on his work and quickly typed question marks, asking Wang Qi what had happened.
Wang Qi didn’t keep them waiting. She promptly shared the live report.
“Second cousin descended like a divine warrior, directly pointing at aunt and uncle and calling them idiots!”
The little cousin happily put away her phone and looked at the handsome young man standing by the private room door, while her eldest cousin’s eyes were red from anger. She thought her second cousin’s 1.8-meter figure looked incredibly imposing.
Of course, she also noticed that her brother-in-law sat dumbfounded in his seat after the second cousin entered and directly called out her aunt and uncle as idiots.
Then the little cousin was startled by a slap her uncle delivered to the table.
“You! You unfilial child! I am your father! Everything I scold you for is for your own good! And what work ability does Song Yun have? He’s been a stay-at-home husband for seven years! Am I not better, diligently working to support you?”
However, the handsome young man at the door looked completely indifferent, as if observing strangers. But what he said didn’t hesitate for even a second.
“My brother’s work ability is excellent, and I am willing to support him. Unlike parents who cut off my allowance after I turned 18, forcing me to work my way through four years of college.”
The handsome young man spoke without even blinking.
“And now, seeing you make a scene because you can’t get what you want, really makes me want to say something.”
“Mr. Song, were you weaned?”
The handsome young man said this calmly, extremely insulting, making Song Yun’s father flush with anger.
Nearby, Ye’s mother frowned at her youngest son’s words and was about to scold him, but her son preemptively turned his gaze toward her.
“And Ms. Ye, please shut up. I am not your student, nor do I need to live according to your will. You know well how your will has shaped your own miserable life.”
“—Don’t let my brother inherit your tragic life too.”
The handsome young man said this calmly again.
Earlier, he had been slightly emotional and used swear words. Now, his words contained none, yet they were extremely insulting.
—At least the little cousin saw her aunt and uncle’s faces flush red, looking as if they might faint at any moment.
“…I am your parent! How dare you speak to us like this! Did I feed all that rice and grain to the dogs?!”
After a long pause, the little cousin finally saw her uncle catch his breath and shout at the second cousin.
She realized the situation was serious—this was the moral high ground parents excelled at, the hardest to overturn.
Just as she was about to post for help in the group, her cousin calmly said, unaffected by the moral pressure: “I’ll scold you now, but later I’ll give you a company to manage.”
The little cousin watched her uncle, who clearly wanted to maintain face, finally contort his angry expression and speak properly.
“—Ahem, it’s not really about the company. The main point is that father and son can interact like brothers, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Ms. Ye silently persisted in her principle, only giving her husband a sideways glance, tinged with sorrow.
The handsome young man seemed satisfied with the situation. He nodded, relaxed his furrowed brows, patted Song Yun’s back, whispered a few words to him, then turned his gaze to Shi Xuanzhu, who had been silently sitting.
“All right, your issues are resolved. Now it’s your turn, brother-in-law.”
Seeing the handsome young man’s sharp gaze, Shi Xuanzhu immediately brought out his prepared excuse.
“Sorry, brother. I really didn’t expect Song Yun and my in-laws to escalate things like this. I originally just wanted a simple family dinner to reconcile, but maybe I was too hasty.”
He spoke with a sincere, apologetic expression. With his square face, it genuinely looked like he knew he was wrong.
But unfortunately, this time, not only Ye Wangxing but even Song Yun turned his head, refusing to look at him.
The little cousin quickly posted the incident in the group.
“…It seems my eldest cousin was truly hurt this time. Since just now, he hasn’t said a word to his brother-in-law. Before, he had always played peacemaker at home.”
After seeing Wang Qi’s follow-up, Feng Chuan clapped her thighs, feeling relief, and commented after reading Wang Qi’s message: “Better to break hearts now than wallets later, right?”
The replies below agreed. The little cousin, after sending her approval emoji, looked up at the scene.
The situation had now stalemated. Shi Xuanzhu sincerely apologized, even drafting a small essay on the spot, making Song Yun seem unreasonable, at least in the eyes of Song Yun’s parents.
Just as they were about to defend their son-in-law, the situation shifted.
“Wangxing, what happened? Why have you been gone so long?”
With this elegant voice, a figure appeared before them.
Blond hair, blue eyes, and a model-like perfect face—this was the wealthy admirer who had been at the door with Ye Wangxing that day.
This person was extremely rich. Song Yun’s father immediately straightened up, and Ye’s mother subconsciously fixed her loose hair.
Even Shi Xuanzhu reined in his pitiful facade.
The blond man merely glanced around the room, his deep blue eyes locked on Ye Wangxing.
“This is…?”
The handsome young man introduced them directly.
“My father, my mother, my brother-in-law.” He spoke efficiently, gesturing vaguely in the air.
“This is my brother, very capable and kind to me.”
“That’s my cousin, a very cute and kind girl.”
Only when introducing his brother and the little cousin did his tone soften.
Song Yun was fine, but the little cousin nearly steamed herself. Embarrassed, she looked down at her phone, then began frantically posting in the group.
Song Yun didn’t know how many people the little cousin had scared in the chat. He just shook hands politely with the man in front of him.
—Then he heard his younger brother reveal all the family secrets without restraint.
All this started because the blond man asked a simple question: “What just happened?”
“…Anyway, that’s the situation.”
The handsome young man said. The blond man seemed frozen, processing it for a long moment, before looking at the young man beside him.
“Darling, you must have suffered so much in this family…”
The blond man’s eyes showed genuine concern.
“…They don’t truly love you, but use love to morally bind you. They know this will make you provide for them out of filial piety. It’s terrifying.”
The blond man’s gentle words made even Song Yun’s eyes redden.
“You don’t deserve this. You should have all the wonderful things in the world—for instance, a happy family.”
Just as the little cousin listened, moved by the blond man’s declaration, her second cousin coldly said: “Enough. Stop your speech. I won’t go abroad with you. At least here, I can handle these people with one hand. They are on a completely different level than predatory wolves like you.”
Little cousin: “…”????
Clearly, her second cousin had hit the mark. The blond man’s face turned pitiful.
This expression seemed familiar to Song Yun. Only when he glanced at Shi Xuanzhu did he realize why.
Could it be…
Song Yun didn’t dare imagine further. He lowered his head like an ostrich, letting Ye Wangxing arrange the next steps.
Of course, Ye Wangxing asked Song Yun’s opinion, and Song Yun nodded. After all, it was just about not returning home and having the blond man’s bodyguard bring him home for necessities, also fetching Aunt Li.
Only when he got in the car, with a man sitting beside him, did he feel something was off.
Song Yun stared at the broad-shouldered, long-legged, stern-faced handsome bodyguard beside him, opening and closing his mouth but unable to speak.
Meanwhile, the little cousin, after gaining the bodyguard’s consent, sent a selfie with him to the group.
“Everyone, I can’t resist the sugar-coated attacks of this golden-haired gentleman!”
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