"..." Xu Yun.

She might have been a little foolish, but he was genuinely touched.

At the dinner table, his uncles and aunts stared at the large lobsters and crabs.

"Why is there so much seafood?" one of them asked. "This couldn’t have been cheap, right?"

"Xu Yun bought it all," Zhang Sujuan replied.

"Xu Yun, it’s not that I’m trying to criticize you," the younger aunt immediately started lecturing, "but why waste all this money? Something simple would have been fine.

I also heard from your mother that you booked the Imperial Court Hotel for dinner tonight? And you rented out the entire place?

How much did that cost? What a waste. Wouldn’t it be better to save that money for when you get married?"

The younger uncle chimed in from the side, "Your aunt is right. You young people shouldn’t be caught up in such empty gestures. You need to be down-to-earth and practical.

A simple birthday doesn’t need to be so grand and complicated."

"Aunt, Uncle."

Xu Yun couldn’t help but interrupt. "Actually, I feel that no matter how much money I spend on my mom’s birthday, it’s worth it.

This isn’t an empty gesture; I think it’s very practical.

Because I actually did it, and Mom got to enjoy it.

On the contrary, I think the real tokenism comes from those who do nothing in reality but post ’Happy Birthday, Mom and Dad’ on their social media."

That’s right, Xu Yun was talking about their sons and daughters.

Although they were all doing well and had successful careers thanks to arrangements made by their elders, their filial piety existed only on social media.

They talked a good game, but when it really mattered, they were all talk and no action.

"Exactly. I think Xu Yun has a point," Chen Xin added in support. "Uncles, Aunts, money is meant to be spent. You can’t just ignore your parents for the sake of saving up to get married."

"That’s not what we meant," the younger aunt argued defensively. "We just mean that you should live within your means. Don’t waste money just to keep up appearances. We’re only saying this for your own good."

"I know. Thank you for your concern, Aunt," Xu Yun said with a smile. "I just happened to make a little money from my business recently and wanted to do something nice for my mom’s birthday to make her happy."

Hearing this, the older uncle asked curiously, "Xu Yun, what kind of business are you in?

Tell me about it. I can give you some advice, make sure you don’t get scammed."

"I won’t. I started a company with a friend."

Xu Yun said nonchalantly, "It’s doing pretty well so far. I’ve already received a dividend of over ten million."

He wasn’t exactly lying.

Just a few days ago, President Liang had indeed given him a dividend of over ten million.

"Over ten million... in a month!!!"

When they heard this, it wasn’t just shock—it was the mother of all shocks. They were absolutely floored!

What kind of business could possibly make over ten million in a single month?!

In their minds, such a thing was simply impossible!

The older uncle seemed to think of something and said at once, "Xu Yun, you can’t be doing anything illegal! You have to stay on the straight and narrow!"

"Older Uncle, you used to work for a state-owned enterprise, and Younger Uncle, you’re a minor official in the government now."

Xu Yun smiled and retorted, "What kind of crime do you think I’d have to commit to make this much money in a month?

Rob a bank? Murder? Arson?"

"..." The two men were instantly at a loss for words.

It was true. Even if they were to take bribes without any scruples, they couldn’t possibly pocket over ten million a month.

Xu Yun said, "So, Uncles, Aunts, you don’t need to worry about me. I really did make the money."

As soon as he said that, the two aunts felt a pang more painful than if they had lost ten million themselves.

’How did a brat like Xu Yun get so rich! And he made so much!

Ten million! That’s more money than we could earn in several lifetimes!’

Watching them force smiles and pretend to be happy for him and his mother, all while they were clearly miserable inside, brought Xu Yun immense satisfaction.

Zhang Sujuan had only known that her son was making money.

She hadn’t known exactly how much he made; today was the first time she had heard the figure.

She was genuinely happy for Xu Yun, and also felt that her own sacrifices had been worthwhile.

’After all these years, I can finally hold my head high in front of my two brothers and their wives.

You all looked down on my son before. Now you see how outstanding he is, don’t you?

Feeling jealous now?

Trying to set him up with a teacher, acting all high and mighty and looking down on my son... Now it’s my turn to decide if she’s good enough for him.

The gate to our Xu Family isn’t so easy to enter!’

The sudden reversal of status among the families left everyone feeling a bit unsettled, and an uneasy atmosphere settled over the rest of the meal.

After dinner, the two aunts no longer dared to leave the table to go chat as they used to, leaving his mother to clear the dishes alone.

Instead, they took the initiative, affectionately calling her "Sujuan" over and over as they enthusiastically helped his mother.

They were so diligent, a complete change from before.

Meanwhile, Xu Yun’s status had also risen in the eyes of his two uncles. In the living room, they started conversations with him, treating him as an equal.

They no longer tried to pull rank as elders, nor did they lecture him anymore.

Xu Yun took it all in. This was exactly the outcome he had wanted to achieve.

This was reality!

The money had brought him not only material changes, but also a change in status.

This was true whether out in the world or among relatives and friends.

Humiliating them directly would have felt good, sure, but what would happen after that? What about his mom?

After all, they were her two brothers.

So, as long as his mother’s status was elevated, that was enough. Even if their familial affection was somewhat hypocritical, it was best to maintain the relationship if possible.

As long as he didn’t fall from grace, they would forever try to curry favor with his mother.

And in her daily life, his mother would gain not just material comfort, but emotional satisfaction as well!