The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 320 Human Awakening: Xu Hongmi

"I'll think about it—"

"Boom boom boom!"

The knocking interrupted Xu Hongmi's typing.

Fan Shengmei stood at the door, holding a plate of washed grapes, and asked Xu Hongmi if she wanted to eat with her.

Xu Hongmi shook her head and declined.

Fan Shengmei wasn't surprised by this and continued to ask Xu Hongmi if she was busy with work or chatting with Xu Hongdou.

After replying to Yang Muye's message, Xu Hongmi closed her laptop.

"Is something wrong?"

Fan Shengmei said with a resentful look, "You're always working overtime when you come home, and we haven't chatted in ages."

Xu Hongmi shrugged and stood up from in front of the computer.

"Let's go outside and sit down to talk."

The two of them went outside and sat down on the sofa in the living room.

Xu Hongmi sat curled up on the single sofa, once again politely declining the grapes that Fan Shengmei offered her.

Fan Shengmei, holding a fruit platter, sat cross-legged on the sofa, just like Xu Hongmi.

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I just saw a news report on TV, on Shanghai TV's 'News in Progress,' about the beautiful female reporter who interviewed Yang Muyi at Southeast University, mistaking him for an ordinary student. What was her name again—"

“He Huan,” Xu Hongmi said on behalf of Fan Shengmei.

"Yes, yes, it's He Huan. She went to Southeast University for another interview, but this time she interviewed a girl who works in the university cafeteria named Fang Sijin."

Xu Hongmi nodded after listening.

"and then?"

"That girl is really pitiful. She was admitted to the University of Tokyo last year, but her family kept her locked up for more than a month, causing her to miss the deadline for enrollment. In the end, she could only stay and work in the school cafeteria."

Xu Hongmi frowned.

"Why?"

"My family favors boys over girls. She's the fourth child, with four older sisters. My mother thinks she should go out to work early and help support the family, just like her three older sisters."

Fan Shengmei said with a sense of sympathy.

Xu Hongmi sighed.

“This is how it is in many underdeveloped mountainous areas. You could say this girl is lucky, at least she managed to escape the mountains. The most pitiful ones are like her three older sisters, who are trapped in that backward environment for their entire lives.”

This is actually a way of comforting Fan Shengmei.

Unexpectedly, Fan Shengmei shook her head:

"This has little to do with whether a region is backward or not; it's mainly about people's mindset. Even in developed regions, there are still cases of valuing sons over daughters."

Xu Hongmi thought Fan Shengmei was talking about herself, and was about to say a few words of comfort.

Unexpectedly, Fan Shengmei then started talking about another protagonist in the news.

"He Huan not only went to Southeast University for interviews, but also to East China Normal University, where he interviewed a girl named Su Mingyu. Her experience was truly tragic."

He Huan had originally interviewed Liu Wenjing, but the director felt that compared to Fang Sijin and Su Mingyu, Liu Wenjing's experience was too ordinary and lacked news value, so it was not included in the news.

"Is it also because your family favors sons over daughters?" Xu Hongmi couldn't help but ask.

"That's what the news said, but when I checked online later, I found that the hidden story behind this matter was far more complicated than the news report. Su Mingyu's college entrance examination score was originally high enough to get into Tsinghua University, but her mother forced her to apply for the publicly funded teacher training program at East China Normal University."

"Is there anything special about her family?"

"There are three children in their family. The eldest brother graduated from Tsinghua University and went to Stanford University for further studies. The second brother was admitted to a private third-tier university. As a result, in order to support the education of the eldest and second brothers, their mother not only sold one of the family's houses, but also forced the female students to apply for government-funded teacher training programs."

"..."

Xu Hongmi was speechless for a moment after hearing this.

Isn't this too much favoritism towards the two sons?
"At first, I also thought that her mother favored sons over daughters. Compared with her, I was considered lucky. But when I looked it up online, I found out that Su Mingyu's second brother was actually born from her mother's extramarital affair. Her mother poured all the family's resources into this good-for-nothing second son and then desperately exploited her youngest daughter. In the end, Su Mingyu dragged her second brother to get a kinship test and the truth was revealed."

Xu Hongmi didn't believe Fan Shengmei's words at first. How could there be such a heartless mother in the world?
As a result, Fan Shengmei assured everyone that this was not just a rumor; local newspapers in Suzhou had already reported on it, and it was absolutely true.

Before Xu Hongmi could recover from her shock, Fan Shengmei's voice rang out softly.

"Sometimes I really envy your family. You only have two girls, and your parents treat you like treasures."

Xu Hongmi shrugged.

Their family's tradition of spoiling their daughter started from Xu Hongmi's maternal grandmother's generation.

Because my maternal grandmother also had two daughters, whom she spoiled rotten.

Compared to the two girls in the news and Fan Shengmei, Xu Hongmi really felt that she and Xu Hongdou were blessed to be born into such a family in their past life.

Fan Shengmei sighed again: "Alright, let's not talk about these upsetting things. How's Hongdou doing lately?"

"She——"

Xu Hongmi hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to reveal that Xu Hongdou might appear on the Spring Festival Gala.

Firstly, the matter is not yet settled.

Secondly, Xu Hongmi was afraid of further provoking Fan Shengmei.

"Is there some good news? Tell me quickly, so I can share in some of the good fortune."

"She's the same as always, except she probably won't be able to come home for the Spring Festival next year."

what?
Fan Shengmei was stunned.

What kind of good thing is this?
Before she could ask anything, Xu Hongmi's voice rang out again.

"I was actually chatting with Yang Muyi just now because Xu Hongdou told me this afternoon that Sisters Who Make Waves received an invitation from the Spring Festival Gala director team to participate in the selection of song and dance programs for the Spring Festival Gala."

what?
Fan Shengmei froze, her mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

"If the show is selected, Xu Hongdou won't be able to go home for Chinese New Year's Eve. She's quite worried about it."

"..."

This time, it was Fan Shengmei's turn to be speechless.

Ruwen, do people say it?
After taking a few deep breaths, Fan Shengmei finally calmed herself down.

Indeed, people's joys and sorrows are not shared.

Although reason tells Fan Shengmei that she should be happy for Xu Hongdou.

But the problem is, why does Fan Shengmei suddenly feel even more upset?

While she was still in a daze, Xu Hongmi suddenly blurted out a sentence.

"I'm pretty annoyed right now too."

Fan Shengmei almost blurted it out.

What, even you can't help but be jealous of your own sister?
"I discussed with my parents that if the program is selected, our family will go to Yanjing to celebrate the Spring Festival."

Fan Shengmei looked puzzled after hearing this.

"Isn't this nice?"

"It's good, but Yang Muye proposed an even better solution."

Xu Hongmi sighed and continued, "He has a vacant house in Yanjing and said he could rent it to our family for the Spring Festival."

At this moment, Fan Shengmei's expression turned strange.

If it weren't for the genuine distress on Xu Hongmi's face, Fan Shengmei would have suspected that Xu Hongmi was in a high-class Versailles.

"Is it you who disagrees, or Hongdou who disagrees, or your parents who disagree?"

"Xu Hongdou and my parents don't know about this yet. Yang Muye's idea is to keep it from Xu Hongdou and give her a surprise later."

After Xu Hongmi finished speaking, Fan Shengmei's face was filled with only jealousy and envy.

Honestly, Yang Muyi really put his heart into doing this.

Unexpectedly, Xu Hongmi shook her head.

"Actually, if you look at it from a different angle, you'll find that Yang Muye is really too good at it. He can treat my sister like this, so of course he can treat other girls in the same way."

Fan Shengmei was stunned.

"You suspect Yang Muyi of having multiple relationships at the same time?"

"I didn't say that, and I don't have any evidence, but honestly, a guy as outstanding as him would attract a lot of girls even if he didn't take the initiative. That's why people say you shouldn't meet someone too amazing when you're young, otherwise you won't be able to live a peaceful life."

Xu Hongmi's description was too poetic. Anyway, Fan Shengmei's first thought was the line from "The Return of the Condor Heroes": "Meeting Yang Guo once ruins one's life."

"If I say this, will you think I'm ungrateful? After all, when I was hospitalized, Yang Muye took care of everything for me." As soon as Xu Hongmi finished speaking, Fan Shengmei shook her head like a rattle drum.

On the contrary, after Xu Hongmi said that, Fan Shengmei felt that Yang Muye was busy with all sorts of things because of Xu Hongdou.

Who would ask which girl could resist a "god-like" guy being so good to her?

This actually confirms what Xu Hongmi just said.

Yang Muyi is really good at it.

"So what do you plan to do now? Tell Hongdou directly, or discuss it with your parents first?"

Xu Hongmi shrugged.

“I have already sent the chat screenshots to Xu Hongdou. Let her decide this matter herself.”

Just as he finished speaking, a cell phone rang in the room.

Xu Hongmi quickly stood up and apologized to Fan Shengmei, saying, "It must be Xu Hongdou calling. I have to go answer the phone."

Fan Shengmei nodded: "Go quickly."

After returning to her room, Xu Hongmi picked up her phone, pressed the answer button, and opened her laptop screen.

Sure enough, several messages came from Xu Hongdou on QQ.

"Hey."

"Xu Hongmi, why haven't you replied to my messages?"

"Xiaomei just chatted with me and went to sit in the living room for a while."

"How did you reply to Yang Muye?"

I said I'd think about it.

"No need to think about it anymore, just refuse," Xu Hongdou said firmly over the phone.

"Have you figured it out?"

"Correct."

"Okay, I'll tell Yang Muye. You can explain it to him yourself."

"Why should I be the one to explain to him?"

"If it wasn't you, then who did you think it was? You think they only lent them the house because of me?"

Xu Hongdou remained silent for a moment.

"Okay, I'll tell him."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Hongmi originally planned to tell Yang Muye on QQ.

I typed all the words, then deleted them all in the end.

Never mind, let Xu Hongdou explain it herself.

Xu Hongmi closed her laptop, thinking to herself.

-

Balcony of dormitory 302.

Xu Hongdou hesitated for a moment, but finally dialed Yang Muye's number.

The call was connected after two rings.

"Hey."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Xu Hongdou's prepared words suddenly became stuck in her throat.

Two seconds later, Yang Muye's voice rang out again.

"Xu Hongdou, can you hear me?"

Xu Hongdou replied with just one word.

"can."

"..."

Why don't you make a sound when I can hear you?

"Your sister has already told you about it, right?"

"She already told you on QQ?"

"I logged off QQ a long time ago, you saw that."

Both of them had set each other to be visible only when invisible, and shortly after Xu Hongmi sent the screenshot, Yang Muye went offline.

"How did you know—"

"You definitely wouldn't believe me if I said I hacked your computer, so that's just a guess."

"Thank you for your kind offer, but it's really not necessary. When my sister and my parents come, they can just stay at a hotel."

"You're speaking too soon. Even now, I can't guarantee 100% that the show will be selected."

"..."

Xu Hongdou was speechless for a moment.

She is now certain that Yang Muyi really hasn't been secretly using QQ again, otherwise he would never have said such a thing.

"What, you have a different opinion?"

"Didn't you add the nine of us to a separate group? Du Qiong joined the group later and even spoke in it."

Yang Muye pulled the person in, but he really didn't know what Du Qiong was saying in the group.

That group was used to facilitate sharing the song "All the Way to Bloom".

What did Du Qiong say?

"I'm praising your songwriting."

"That's it?"

Xu Hongdou said irritably, "What, do you want people to praise you a few more times?"

"I didn't mean that."

I don't know if this song is good, so why do I need others to praise it?
"What else did Du Qiong say?"

"She encouraged us and told us to do our best during the first audition of the show. She felt that there was at least an 80% chance of being selected."

Only 80%?
Yang Muyi felt that Du Qiong was still conservative. If Du Qiong's family was really willing to speak on her behalf, the matter would basically be settled.

"Alright, since Du Qiong has spoken, I can only congratulate you in advance. It seems you'll have to stay in Yanjing for next year's Spring Festival. This is quite a rare experience."

"You have the nerve to say that? You've gained both fame and fortune, while the nine of us can't go home for the New Year because of this."

"Xu Hongdou, do you want me to record what you said and play it for you later? Doesn't your conscience hurt when you say that?"

"No, who told someone to try and trick me in cahoots with my sister?"

"Is that why you rejected me?"

"Isn't this enough?"

Haha, woman, your name is lies!

During the phone call, Yang Muye did not expose Xu Hongdou.

"The person who just thanked me for my kindness is now retaliating against me."

"It's not contradictory. Just because you mean well doesn't mean you can lie to me. A white lie is still a lie."

"I only discussed it with your sister, and we didn't actually start implementing it. Does that count as an attempt?"

"Why don't you ask Teacher Luo for advice? Don't you have his phone number?"

"Okay, seriously, are you sure you're not staying at that house for the Spring Festival?"

"Really, it's not necessary. Our family can just stay in a hotel. It's cheaper and less hassle."

"How about this, you give me the money for the hotel, and I'll rent the house to you on a short-term basis. It's a win-win situation."

Now that I've paid the money, I can finally rest assured about where I live, right?
Xu Hongdou remained silent for a moment.

"how much is it?"

"Go find a real estate agent and ask them what the short-term rental prices are for similar apartments in that neighborhood. That way you won't feel bad about treating me unfairly."

Xu Hongdou didn't say it aloud, but she couldn't help cursing in her heart.

roll!
(End of this chapter)