Chapter 456 - 388: Bai Yue: He Says He’s Ugly and Is Too Embarrassed to Show His Face

"Yueyue! Happy early birthday!"

Bai Yue tried to refuse a few times, but in the end, she accepted the red envelope.

"Time to eat!" Qiu Yue came out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl of stew. After placing it on the trivet on the table, she blew on her slightly burned fingers.

After washing their hands, the family looked at the sumptuous spread on the table. Lin Xiaohong sighed in admiration, "This is such a feast! You’ve worked so hard, sister!"

But Bai Shu just chuckled and said, "Look at her, and then look at you! I’d be content if you could just make me one decent meal!"

The moment he finished speaking, Lin Xiaohong grabbed Bai Shu’s ear. "You’re lucky you have the cafeteria! Stop being so picky!"

The whole table immediately burst into laughter.

To hide his embarrassment, Bai Shu changed the subject. "Bai Yang, I heard your performance last year was pretty good!"

Bai Yang laughed heartily. "I hit my targets and brought in a lot of new projects, so my bonus was pretty high. Around three million, I’d say."

Sure enough, hearing this successfully diverted Lin Xiaohong’s attention.

"That much?!" Lin Xiaohong was a little shocked. In the past, Bai Yang’s bonuses were usually in the hundreds of thousands, or a million at most.

Bai Yang smiled and explained, "It was partly luck. Last year, I personally secured several projects for the company, so the reward was bigger. In the past, my share was smaller since most of it was team bonuses."

Lin Xiaohong sighed. "You guys in the corporate world have it so good! Unlike us in public institutions, our entire year-end bonus isn’t even a fraction of yours!"

"Sister-in-law! Don’t say that! Bai Yang earned all that by putting his health on the line. Every time he’s on a business trip, he messages me about having to go out drinking! Ai! I’m actually more worried about his health. I wouldn’t mind if he earned a little less!"

"But just recently in Sichuan, he met a big boss who gave him another huge project! If this project is successful, he’ll definitely earn more this year than last year!"

Bai Yue chuckled inwardly. ’I know exactly what’s going on,’ she thought. She glanced at her dad, then reached out with her chopsticks, picked up a shrimp, and placed it in her bowl.

Qiu Yue picked up a piece of braised pork rib and put it in Bai Yang’s bowl. "You deserve a reward! You work so hard."

"Thanks, honey!" Bai Yang said with a grin, taking a bite of the rib.

"What big boss?" Bai Shu asked curiously.

"Wu Yun. I wonder if you’ve heard of him?" Bai Yang said, dropping Wu Yun’s name.

Bai Shu looked surprised. "Oh, him! I’ve actually heard that name! The incident on New Year’s Day this year was pretty famous within our system. The Modu police managed to clear themselves of a lot of responsibility thanks to him."

Lin Xiaohong and Qiu Yue looked confused, so Bai Shu explained, "You’ve all ridden the Little Red Cars, right? That’s his business!"

Bai Shu then briefly explained Wu Yun’s story and the information the police had on him.

Bai Yang remarked with emotion, "I really can’t imagine a young man about Yueyue’s age achieving so much! Even with a powerful background, you can’t build an enterprise like that without some real ability!"

However, when Bai Yang saw the strange look on Bai Yue’s face, he thought she was embarrassed about being compared to Wu Yun. He quickly changed the subject, "Brother! How many days of annual leave did you take for this trip?"

"Three days. We never really got to explore the Capital City back when we brought Bai Jun here," Bai Shu said. Then his tone shifted. "And Bai Jun has a girlfriend! We’re planning to meet her."

Bai Jun looked conflicted. "Oh, Dad! It’s not even a sure thing yet. Why are you rushing into it? You’ll just make her feel awkward!"

Bai Jun continued, "Besides, my internship starts right after this semester! It’s a real question if we can even stay together when we could end up scattered all over the country!"

Lin Xiaohong smacked Bai Jun on the back of the head. "That’s irresponsible of you! Are you playing with her feelings? Back in my day, your dad and I were miles and miles apart! Why were we able to stay together?! Quick, show us her picture!"

Bai Jun looked helpless. "It’s different! That was your generation. Besides, Dad was in the army—there weren’t as many temptations!"

Despite his protests, he obediently opened his phone and pulled up a picture.

Seeing his son trying to drag him down with him, Bai Shu also smacked Bai Jun on the head. "You little punk! I was always true to your mother! I wrote her enough letters to fill two baskets! Do you actually like this girl or not?!"

Bai Jun nodded and said in a low voice, "Of course I like her! But she wants to go back to her hometown!"

Hearing this, the previously excited Lin Xiaohong and Bai Shu calmed down and listened to what Bai Jun said next. "I still haven’t decided whether to enlist and try for a military academy, or to follow a career path related to my major."

"You all want me to enlist and go to a military academy, but I want to get a job! Enlisting means we’ll be in a long-distance relationship."

At this point, Qiu Yue tried to mediate. "Junjun! Your parents want you to enlist and go to a military academy because they’re planning for your future! Your dad’s connections are all in the military. If you go, you’ll definitely have a good career!"

"Of course, pursuing a career in your major is also an option, but you studied railway engineering. That means you’ll probably be working out in the remote mountains and forests! Though, of course, subways also need people with your skills nowadays."

Bai Shu was silent for a moment before asking, "So where is this girl from?"

"Jiangcheng, in Hu Province!"

"So what do you really want to do?! Get a job or enlist?!" Bai Shu pressed.

After a moment of silence, Bai Jun said, "I want to get a job."

Suddenly, Bai Jun’s eyes lit up. "Second Uncle! I know you have a lot of connections in the engineering field. Can you help me figure something out? Ai Ling told me they’re planning a lot of subway lines in her city, Jiangcheng. Could you help me find a construction company there?"

Bai Yang didn’t agree right away, looking instead at Bai Shu.

Bai Shu sighed. "Second Brother, just go along with what he wants. Just don’t regret your own decision later!"

"Alright. I have a classmate in the engineering department of the Huatie Eleventh Bureau. I’ll call him later and ask," Bai Yang said after some thought.

A look of delight spread across Bai Jun’s face. "Thank you, Second Uncle!"

Qiu Yue urged them, "Hurry up and eat! The food’s getting cold! Tomorrow night, we’ll eat out and have some Capital City specialties to celebrate Yueyue’s birthday!"

With the weight on his mind mostly lifted, Bai Jun returned to his usual cheerful self and began to dig in with gusto.

Seeing Bai Yue eating quietly, Lin Xiaohong asked with concern, "Yueyue, are you getting used to life at school?"

Bai Yue smiled and said, "Thank you for asking, Auntie. Everything’s fine, except that the food is a bit terrible!"

Lin Xiaohong continued, "A teachers’ college is full of girls! Yueyue, are you dating anyone?"

But Bai Jun, who was sitting nearby, laughed. "Mom! Why are you so nosy? Are you going to set Bai Yue up on a blind date or something? She’s only turning 19 tomorrow!"

"Besides! Bai Yue already has a boyfriend!" Bai Jun recalled how a few of his pervy roommates went crazy after seeing Bai Yue’s photo. They were desperate to get her contact info, but she turned them all down, saying she had a boyfriend.

Of course, Bai Jun didn’t believe it at first. Not until the day he played games with Bai Yue and her boyfriend and heard her calling the other guy so affectionately over voice chat. Only then did he believe what she’d told him.

"But whenever I ask to see what her boyfriend looks like, she won’t show me a picture!"

Gossip is human nature. After seeing the picture of Bai Jun’s girlfriend, Zhang Ailing, the parents were naturally curious to see Bai Yue’s boyfriend too.

Bai Yue remembered Wu Yun’s warning not to reveal his identity unless absolutely necessary. She snuck a glance at her dad and said with a smile, "Oh, well... he says he’s ugly and is too embarrassed to show his face!"

Bai Jun laughed and playfully scolded, "I may be uncultured, but don’t try to fool me! His voice sounded pretty good when we were gaming together!"

"Yueyue! Come on, show us! It doesn’t matter if he’s ugly, as long as he treats you well!"