Chapter 80 - 79: It Must Be Wonderful to Be Your Sister

Chapter 80: Chapter 79: It Must Be Wonderful to Be Your Sister

Still, she was too embarrassed to ask and simply sighed, "Oh, so that’s how it was."

After all, a timid girl wouldn’t dare ask an elder about their romantic history.

Qiu Yuru smiled.

"You bet. Back in our class, I knew of at least two other girls who liked your uncle. They even kept pursuing him after we graduated."

The girl found this story astonishing and listened with rapt attention.

She asked earnestly, "And then what happened?"

"I was pursuing him too, but I was smarter than them. People in our generation didn’t confess their feelings directly like you do now. We wrote letters. Those two girls both chose to write to him, but I was the only one who didn’t. Instead, I just hung around him every day, acting like a friend!"

"And I didn’t just hang around. I’d invite him to the movies and secretly get on his mother’s good side."

Qiu Yuru recounted the story of her youth as she wiped down the stovetop.

The girl beside her was completely stunned by this revelation!

She even forgot to continue washing the bowl in her hands.

A look of admiration filled her eyes. "Wow, Auntie, you’re incredible!"

’Oh my god, so that’s how Auntie and Uncle got together!’

’Back in their day, things were so conservative. For a girl to bravely pursue a boy she liked was a really big deal.’

’But Auntie didn’t just pursue him; she secretly won over his mom, too! If that’s not incredible, what is?’

’What a role model!’

This husband-chasing strategy opened up a whole new world of possibilities for the girl.

Qiu Yuru watched the naive girl with a sly grin and couldn’t resist adding, "If that other girl had been a bit smarter and hadn’t scared Xiao Shengrong off by writing him a love letter so soon, I might never have had a chance."

Anyway, she didn’t see the girl as an outsider, so she didn’t mind telling her a little more.

She wouldn’t have told just anyone this. She was only sharing these heartfelt words because she truly saw the girl as one of her own.

The dazed look in the girl’s eyes gradually sharpened into clarity. She felt as if she’d had an epiphany.

She understood!

’The secret to success is not to make a big fanfare, but to advance stealthily!’

’Could I do the same thing with Brother Xiao Ran?’

’Get closer to him on the down-low, and then win over Auntie!’

’That way, I’d be able to get together with him, right?’

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became.

"Yes, yes, you’re right! Auntie, you’re a genius!" the girl said, her face full of agreement.

Seeing how much the girl was enjoying the story, Qiu Yuru continued to reminisce.

"Back then, I knew full well how timid your uncle was, but I took him to a haunted house on purpose. The haunted houses in our day were pretty basic, but they were still scary enough that your uncle grabbed my hand and didn’t let go the entire time."

A look of pure bliss spread across her face as she recalled the memory.

If she hadn’t started chatting with the girl today, their love story might have remained untold.

"And then?" The girl was completely captivated.

"Later, I told him, ’You want to hold my hand? Fine. But only if you’ll be my boyfriend.’"

"And after that?"

"After that, we held hands for a lifetime."

"You know, back then, your uncle had just graduated. His family was from a rural area, and Xiao Ran’s grandparents—my own parents—and even my sister were all strongly against it."

"But their opposition was useless. After all, I was the one who had to live with my choice. I had already made up my mind back then: I would marry Xiao Shengrong or no one at all! In the end, my family had to compromise."

Even though her story sounded full of hardships, Qiu Yuru’s face was filled with happiness as she told it.

"Honestly, the one thing I’ve never regretted in my entire life is marrying your uncle."

SPLASH. The water ran as the girl stared thoughtfully at the clean little yellow duck bowl in her hands, lost in thought.

It had to be said, Qiu Yuru’s story had given the girl a great deal of encouragement.

At the very least, it made her realize that many relationships in this world don’t have the approval of parents or peers.

Perhaps this was just a test from the heavens. If you could endure it, you would find happiness later on.

Just like Auntie!

If last night Yan Xici had made Qiu Yuru wish she had a daughter, then tonight, Qiu Yuru was nothing short of a goddess in Yan Xici’s eyes—a guiding star, a beacon in the dark.

...

「Meanwhile, Xiao Ran’s party was still going. Two hours had already passed.」

Bottle after bottle of red wine had been opened.

To Xiao Ran’s right sat an actress from the show. She was done up to look very youthful and played the male lead’s younger sister. It wasn’t a big role.

The young woman had actually dropped out of school a long time ago.

She had moved to Beijing to chase her dreams at eighteen, working as an extra countless times. This time, she had pulled all sorts of strings just to land this role—her first one that wasn’t as an extra.

Even though it was just a small supporting role, she was already very satisfied.

Today was also the first time in her life she had ever attended such a major event, and she was both nervous and extremely cautious.

She toasted everyone she saw and was already starting to get dizzy from all the drinking.

It looked like her head could fall onto the table at any moment and she wouldn’t wake up.

Red wine was meant to be sipped slowly; drinking it like this was a surefire way to get drunk.

Watching her made Xiao Ran a little uncomfortable. Just then, a waiter came over to refill the water glasses. He quietly took the young woman’s glass and motioned for the waiter to fill it up as well.

Then he pushed the glass of water toward her and said politely in a low voice, "You should drink some water."

Nothing was easy these days, especially for these actors.

The entertainment industry was a circle. The profits were high, but climbing to the top was incredibly difficult.

He understood, especially when it came to newcomers.

Hearing this, the young woman looked at him gratefully. All night, everyone had been pressuring her to drink more alcohol, but Xiao Ran was the only one to offer her water.

"Thank you... Thank you, Teacher Xiao," she said in a small voice.

After speaking, she obediently picked up the freshly filled glass and began to sip it gracefully.

"How old are you?"

"Me? I’m twenty."

Hearing this, Xiao Ran pursed his lips. "My sister is also twenty."

To be honest, he had also drunk quite a bit tonight and was feeling a little unwell himself.

Hearing that the young woman was only twenty, his thoughts inexplicably drifted to Yan Xici.

’If she were ever in a situation like this...’

Just the thought of it made Xiao Ran’s heart ache.

The desire to give her a good life grew even clearer in his mind.

He used to think that having just enough money to get by was fine, but now he seemed to have found a new motivation.

He had to make sure she could live a good life. For as long as he was alive, he never wanted to see her struggling and debasing herself just to get by.

Hearing him, the young woman looked at him with envy. "Your sister must be so happy."

She said this from the bottom of her heart.

’Her brother is so handsome, talented, and thoughtful.’

’How great would it be if I had a brother like that?’

Unfortunately, she was an only child. If she had a brother like him, he wouldn’t just take care of her in her daily life, but he would also be a huge help to her career.

’Then I wouldn’t have to suffer so much.’

She looked at Xiao Ran and asked earnestly, "Teacher Xiao, if you don’t mind, could I get your WeChat?"