"Taking a break sounds good. Why don’t you watch some TV?" Xu Yun said with a smile.

"Auntie, Uncle, please enjoy yourselves."

Chen Xin stood up, feeling a bit flustered. "I have something to take care of, so I’ll head home now," she said.

With that, she opened the door and slipped back to her apartment across the hall.

The two aunts exchanged bewildered looks. ’What just happened?’

"That child... she’s a bit of an introvert, not the best at socializing."

Zhang Sujuan explained on Chen Xin’s behalf. "You all rest for a bit and watch some TV. I’m going to go cut up some fruit."

Then she looked at Xu Yun. "You, come with me and help."

"Oh."

Once they were in the kitchen, Zhang Sujuan asked, "Alright, spill it. What did you two do just now?"

She hadn’t missed the displeased looks on her two older brothers’ faces.

And on top of that, the way that girl Chen Xin had scurried off so awkwardly... anyone could tell something was off.

"It was nothing, really. They just lost a bit of face, that’s all."

Xu Yun explained in a low, smiling voice, "A little while ago, after my uncles failed to get an ego boost at my expense, they started grilling Chen Xin."

"When they found out she was a novelist, they started looking down on her profession and began to lecture her."

"They even started using their own daughters as examples."

"But they were only halfway through their speech when they asked about her royalties from last month and got shot down by Chen Xin too."

Zhang Sujuan was puzzled. "Shot down by that? How much was it?"

"170,000."

Xu Yun said with a grin, "Chen Xin said her royalties last month were 170,000."

"That much!" Zhang Sujuan was surprised as well.

She knew Chen Xin wrote web novels, but she had never asked how much the girl earned a month.

Mostly because she was afraid it would be awkward.

She never expected someone could make that much money in a single month.

No wonder it was such a blow to her two older brothers.

’Thinking about it from their perspective, getting hit with a one-two punch from her son and then Chen Xin all in one morning... it’s understandable they’d be feeling down.’

"You know what I think..."

Zhang Sujuan shot Xu Yun a look, half-scolding and half-laughing. "The two of you are doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Just to get a rise out of your uncles and aunts."

"We put up with their nonsense for so many years. Now that we’ve finally turned the tables, don’t we deserve to let off a little steam?"

"Alright, alright. But they’re still your elders. Know where to draw the line. Don’t take it too far."

"I get it."

Xu Yun pursed his lips. "Otherwise, I could’ve made it so awkward they wouldn’t have been able to stay."

Back in the living room, the two aunts had also been filled in on the details about Chen Xin.

They were just... deflated.

It wasn’t just that Xu Yun had suddenly struck it rich. Even the young woman across the hall could make over a million a year just by writing novels at home!

’Is the feng shui in this building just that good?’

’Otherwise, how could every random person who pops up be so good at making money? A million is just their starting point.’

In their own circles, they rarely ever met anyone like that.

In the eyes of others, they were the ones who were considered well-off, the objects of envy.

But after coming to Xu Yun’s home today, they suddenly felt dirt poor.

It was as if everyone was making money—big money—except for them.

When Zhang Sujuan and Xu Yun came out with the freshly cut fruit, the uncles and aunts abruptly stopped talking.

However, after a moment to reset, the atmosphere gradually improved.

The younger aunt was the first to break the ice. She smiled at Zhang Sujuan and said, "Since that girl across the hall is such a good catch, why don’t you set her up with Xu Yun? She could be your daughter-in-law."

"I’d love to! I’m quite fond of her myself."

Zhang Sujuan chuckled. "But these are matters for the younger generation. I can’t interfere. It’s not enough for me to like her; they have to like each other."

"Xu Yun, are you really not going to consider it?"

The older aunt chimed in, "We heard her before dinner. She likes you; you’re the one who rejected her."

"I’m focusing on my career right now. I don’t want to get married this early."

"Sigh, what a shame."

The older aunt said, "If my Zhang Lei wasn’t already married, I’d definitely have you introduce her to him."

’Finding a daughter-in-law who makes a million a year... just the thought of it is enough to make me happy.’

’My current daughter-in-law is nice and all, but her salary is a bit low, and she’s not as pretty as that girl.’

’That Xu Yun... he doesn’t know how good he has it.’

"I do have a nephew, you know. He just graduated from college this year and is currently studying for the civil service exam."

The younger aunt asked tentatively, "Sujuan, how about you play matchmaker? Introduce them, let the two young people meet up?"

"That young lady has a mind of her own. I’m not going to meddle, lest I end up being resented for it."

Zhang Sujuan tactfully declined. Of course, she would never agree to such a thing.

This was the daughter-in-law she had her eye on; how could she just hand her over to someone else?

"Auntie, don’t even think about it."

Xu Yun laughed. "Her standards are sky-high. She won’t even consider anyone who doesn’t earn more than her or own a villa."

The younger aunt was speechless. "..."

After a while longer of idle chatter, they moved on to their usual entertainment.

Mahjong.

They even had an automatic mahjong table at home.

One person from each family would play.

With the two aunts and his mom, they were three players short of one. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

So, Zhang Sujuan had Xu Yun go get Chen Xin to join them.

Chen Xin opened her door to find Xu Yun knocking. "What’s up?" she asked. "Are we heading to the hotel already?"

"My mom and the aunts are playing mahjong, but they’re short one player. They asked me to get you to fill in."

"But I don’t really know how to play," Chen Xin replied.

"Don’t worry about it. Just go play. If you win, the money’s yours. If you lose, it’s on me."

Xu Yun smiled. "Just keep my mom company and make sure she has a good time."

"Okay, then. But you can’t blame me if I lose."

Chen Xin closed her door, followed Xu Yun back to his apartment, and sat down at the table.

In the past, the aunts always played for 20 yuan per game, with a 360 yuan cap.

His mom never dared to join them.

With her bad luck, she could lose over a thousand in a single session.

That was her entire living budget for a month.

So, for fun, she usually only played five-yuan games, where she’d lose a few hundred in a session at most.