Besides Xu Yun, Chen Xin—the girl who had just offered to be his girlfriend—was also in the living room.

The eldest uncle took the initiative, approaching her with a smile. "Miss, where do you work?"

"Sir, I’m not currently employed."

Chen Xin answered, a little insecurely, "I’m a freelancer."

The main reason was that she was afraid saying she was a web novel author would embarrass Xu Yun.

’It wasn’t that Xu Yun was any worse off than them—in fact, he was doing much, much better.’

’But my profession wasn’t exactly something to brag about in front of leaders from a state-owned enterprise and a government agency.’

’That’s why she’d just said that.’

The eldest uncle was speechless.

’Freelancer? Isn’t that just a fancy word for an unemployed loafer?’

’No wonder Xu Yun doesn’t want her, even though she’s so pretty. It all makes sense now.’

The youngest uncle chimed in from the side, "Miss, young people can’t just be idle all the time. It doesn’t matter what the job is, you should find something to get started.

Take my daughter, for example. She’s no high-flyer, but she’s working as a temp in a government department, gaining some work experience."

Xu Yun saw that after failing to lecture him, his two uncles had now started in on Chen Xin.

’Is this some kind of occupational hazard for minor officials?’

’They just love to lecture everyone they meet, acting like seasoned veterans talking down to a novice, as if everything they say is gospel.’

"Uncles, don’t let her fool you."

Seeing Chen Xin’s lack of confidence, Xu Yun decided to expose her little white lie. "Her ’freelancing’ isn’t the ’unemployed’ kind you’re thinking of.

She just doesn’t have to work for a boss. She makes her own money, is completely free, and lives a more relaxed life than anyone."

The youngest uncle asked, puzzled, "Oh, so she runs her own business?"

"No, she’s a web novelist."

Xu Yun explained, "You know, someone who writes novels on the internet."

The two uncles didn’t know the first thing about web novels. In their minds, the only real writers were traditional literary authors.

’A web novel author? What the heck is that?’

’Honestly, they looked down on such a profession.’

But she was Xu Yun’s friend and their sister’s neighbor, so of course, they couldn’t let it show.

The eldest uncle asked curiously, "So, can you actually make money writing novels online? Do you get paid royalties?"

"Yes, we get royalties."

Chen Xin replied, "It depends on the novel’s performance. If it does well, you earn more. If not, you earn very little."

The youngest uncle asked with a smile, "So, miss, how much do you make in a month? Is it enough to get by?"

"Not much. I’m a pretty mediocre author, so the royalties are just enough to cover my expenses."

Hearing this, the two uncles assumed her income was very low and that she was too embarrassed to say the actual amount.

They smiled and offered some words of comfort. "It’s okay, take your time. You’re young and have a long road ahead of you. Look at Xu Yun—he used to be in the same boat, and now he’s a big boss."

"Uncles, she’s just being modest. You can’t possibly believe that."

The two uncles asked, confused, "What do you mean?"

Xu Yun turned to Chen Xin. "Go ahead, tell my two uncles how much you made in royalties last month."

"Huh?"

Chen Xin checked, "Do you really want me to say it?"

"Go on. Otherwise, my two uncles are guaranteed to look down on your profession."

"..."

The two uncles were suddenly mortified, stuck in a state where laughing felt wrong, but so did not laughing.

’This kid really knows how to talk, doesn’t he!’

"Ahem." The youngest uncle was a leader, after all. He lived by the principle that as long as you yourself aren’t embarrassed, the embarrassment belongs to someone else.

After a couple of tactical coughs, he smiled and said, "It’s Chen Xin, right? Don’t listen to this kid, Xu Yun. We would never look down on any profession.

All honest work is honorable. It doesn’t matter if you earn a lot or a little; at least it’s better than freeloading off your parents at home."

"One hundred and seventy thousand," Chen Xin said suddenly.

"One hundred and seventy thousand? What one hundred and seventy thousand?" Hearing her blurt out a number, the youngest uncle didn’t immediately process it.

Chen Xin repeated shyly, "I said, my royalties for last month were one hundred and seventy thousand!"

This was no lie.

Thanks to a few "Golden Alliance"-tier donations from Xu Yun last month, her earnings really had been that high.

Normally, she only made a little over ten thousand a month.

The youngest uncle’s jaw dropped.

’Holy cow, did I hear that right?’

’One hundred and seventy thousand in royalties in a single month!’

’Doesn’t that add up to over two million a year?’

The eldest uncle, standing to the side, was also left dumbstruck by her answer.

’You make a hundred and seventy thousand a month, so what was with the whole timid, "I’m too embarrassed to say" act?!’

’And that whole "I’m a pretty mediocre author, the royalties are just enough to cover my expenses" nonsense!’

’That’s a really easy way to give people the wrong impression!’

"Uncles, that’s just her royalties,"

Xu Yun added, seeing their expressions. "And I hear that’s not including the adaptation rights for their novels. If those get sold, it can be an extra few million."

"!!!"

The two uncles, who had just been lecturing Chen Xin, were overwhelmed by a complex mix of emotions. The embarrassment was becoming too much to bear.

In a single morning, they had been made to look like fools twice in a row!

First, there was Xu Yun, earning tens of millions a month.

Now, there was this woman, Chen Xin, with an annual income in the millions, not even counting those so-called adaptation rights.

’Kids these days are really...’

’They have absolutely no respect for their elders!’

’They just love playing dumb to mess with people, don’t they!’

’Have they ever once considered our feelings?!’

’After all that, it turns out we were the real clowns.’

’What the hell is there left to talk about?!’

For the first time, the two uncles felt utterly stifled in Xu Yun’s home.

Nowadays, out in the real world, if your official rank and status aren’t high enough, you’re nothing in the face of cold, hard cash.

It was completely different from how things used to be.

The three women, finished with their work in the kitchen, came out looking as close as sisters.

Keep in mind that before the meal, the two sisters-in-law had looked down on Zhang Sujuan.

Zhang Sujuan noticed the silent atmosphere in the living room and asked, puzzled, "Xu Yun, why aren’t you chatting with your uncles?"

"I don’t think my uncles feel much like chatting right now."