Uneasy daily life

While the group was discussing, the middle-aged man finally finished asking for the fortune sticks. Judging from his angry expression, it was clear that he had failed in his attempt to win over the father again.

Yukinoshita then sat down and said seriously, "You jerk, I have a problem with that! We haven't been close for a while, have we? You can come and have some fun with me tonight while Yukino-chan is asleep. I'll be quiet."

Yukino Yukinoshita, standing behind: "???"

The middle-aged woman asked curiously in a low voice, "Xiao Anzi, what did Yang ask?"

Angelina was bewildered and stammered, "Uh... ah... that... can't be said!"

"Palace intrigue?" The middle-aged woman's eyes lit up. "Do you like me or her? Who do you like the most? Don't you care about me?" and things like that.

Angelina: "No, no, no! How should I put it... well! Anyway, it's not the kind of plot you're thinking of, Auntie!"

“What you say makes sense, but it is somewhat wrong.” The white-faced figure replied with a smile, his face radiant with Buddhist light. “There is no need to keep quiet. Even if the hero is awakened, she will be shocked and confused, her thoughts will be stuck. After that, she will pretend to be asleep and dare not make a sound.”

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes were already flashing with murderous intent: "!!"

The middle-aged woman asked in a low voice, "Is it related to Miss Xue? Miss Xue's expressions are so varied, what exactly did they say?"

Angelina: "Um, that's... teasing! Haruno and Shirayakage were teasing Yukino, that's all!"

Ugh! Don't use language barriers to spout offensive and offensive language that won't pass censorship! Translators have a tough job in the middle!

Yukinoshita left satisfied.

Toyohama and Hana sat down curiously: "Didn't we just pray like at the shrine? What's the point of drawing lots and asking Buddha for directions? Are we going to repeat our wishes?"

“My friend, you are mistaken,” the white-robed figure explained. “Praying to Buddha is to hope that your wishes will come true, while drawing lots is to make you believe that your wishes will come true.”

"and then?"

"Then you can pay."

"?"

Feng Bin and Hua's eyes widened: "What are you selling?"

"We're selling spiritual value," Bai Ying said logically. "It's the same principle as being an idol. You bring joy to the audience, and I'm giving you confidence—sir, what do you want to ask? Work? Family? Marriage?"

Feng Bin and Hua felt this made sense. Recalling their earlier discussion, she began to rack her brains to figure out if she had any complaints about Bai Ying: "I have some complaints about my boyfriend! Hmm... hmm! Hmm—"

While she was organizing her thoughts, Angelina immediately turned to translate, and the middle-aged woman perked up instantly: "Good, good, good! Little Angelina, the relay is up to you!"

Angelina nodded, somewhat intrigued. Did Hua really have some kind of grudge against Bai Ying? Really? She was usually so quick to settle scores and vent her frustrations, her mental state always incredibly relaxed!

"Uh—! Anyway, I have a problem with it, well, what I mean is..."

Toyohama and Kazuka are thinking hard!

"We live too far away! If we move to a place closer, even if I have things to do, we can at least see each other every day!"

"Having to meet every day? That sounds so annoying."

"She's so biased towards Yukinoshita! Why does she live in Yukinoshita's house instead of with me? It's not fair! She's a womanizer and biased!"

"Huh? I live with my teammates, how can I let that jerk move in? Even if we rent a place together, living together would only cause my blood pressure to skyrocket like Koyuki's."

"They show you so little care. It's one thing if they don't ask how you are doing, but they don't even give you any pocket money!"

"What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly being so concerned? I don't need money, why would I need pocket money?"

"There's no sense of intimacy between us as a couple, it's not romantic at all. At least kiss when you meet, right? Prepare a candlelight dinner? Saying 'I like you' wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?"

"Ugh! That's so cheesy! Get out of here!"

Angelina translated with a straight face, and the middle-aged woman frowned more and more as she listened, unable to help but interrupt, "Is Erbai really that lacking in emotional intelligence? His girlfriend has a problem, and he just snaps back at her? What kind of romance drama is this? As the key figure in the female lead's social network, shouldn't he be trying to appease everyone else? He's supposed to be an actor and screenwriter, how come he has no artistic talent for creating conflict?"

"?"

Angelina tilted her head and thought for a moment, then subtly reminded her, "Uh... Auntie, what you feel is Bai Ying's words are actually He Hua's, and what you feel is He Hua's opinion is actually Bai Ying's."

Middle-aged woman: "?"

After a moment's thought, she smiled and said, "A young lady like you is straightforward and innocent, and dares to love and hate. Very good, very good."

Angelina: "..."

Is it possible that Bai Ying didn't actually have a previous life, and that everyone just accidentally accompanied him in a dream, and that he was actually the biological son of his aunt and uncle?

When they came to their senses and found that Bai Ying was talking in his own voice, Feng Bin and Hua gave Master Bai a couple of kicks in annoyance. But they couldn't figure out the problem, so they got up and left without asking any questions.

Yukino Yukinoshita sat down, her delicate brows furrowed as she looked at the white figure.

The white figure gestured with the Buddha's name: "What does the benefactor wish to ask?"

"Is Auntie doubting our relationship?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked bluntly. "Does she think it might be a transaction driven by financial needs, a compromise based on sunk costs, or just a pretense of harmonious coexistence?"

Bai Ying nodded with a smile and said, "A little bit, I guess."

“If that’s the case, do we need to make a special trip across the border just because they are Bai-kun’s parents? It’s a very simple logic, but Auntie is holding onto all sorts of messy suspicions. It feels like she’s meddling.” Yukino Yukinoshita sighed. “Bai-kun, you should explain things to Auntie properly. You could have acted as a translator, but you deliberately stuck in the middle and spread rumors.”

"Brave warriors, refrain from spreading rumors and slander!" Bai Ying solemnly corrected. "Passing on messages is the job of the eunuchs, it's Xiao Anzi's job. I didn't pass on any messages randomly!"

Yukino Yukinoshita subconsciously turned her head and saw Angelina whispering with a middle-aged woman, and couldn't help but stare at her speechlessly.

Angelina: "..."

The middle-aged woman, oblivious to what was going on, urged, "Xiao Anzi, what is Xue-guniang saying to Erbai?"

“Uh…” Angelina’s gaze wandered. “You’re saying that Auntie is meddling in other people’s relationships and being nosy?”

puff!

Impossible! Xue is such a well-behaved child, how could she possibly disrespect her elders?

The middle-aged woman, deeply shocked, forced herself to stay alert: "Did you translate it wrong?"

Angelina: "Yukino has already shown you a lot of respect. If it weren't for the language barrier, she might have been quite sarcastic towards you."

"A sharp tongue?"

“For example…for example…” Angelina imagined for a moment and described it vividly, “When faced with something we don’t understand, our first reaction is not to learn and understand it, but to doubt and deny it on our own. It’s like the ignorant are unaware of their own ignorance and the foolish are unaware of their own stupidity—that’s probably how it is?”

The middle-aged woman said thoughtfully, "Xue is really unexpected... she has a stubborn temper."

After a series of misdirections, Yukino Yukinoshita stepped down, and Mai Sakurajima took over.

"donor……"

"Because I'm quite busy with work... no, I also have dreams to pursue, so I need to book a flight back to Japan tomorrow and won't be able to continue getting to know my boyfriend's parents," Mai Sakurajima said, pretending not to recognize them. "Sometimes I feel like there's never enough time, and many things can't be done perfectly, so I have to make choices—but my boyfriend has other girlfriends, so I don't have to worry too much about the impact on him without me, which makes me feel less guilty..."

"It's just a little regrettable. It's a rare opportunity to meet my boyfriend's parents. I had already booked the trip and felt that the plan could have both, but I found that I was not in a good mood. Neither my dreams nor my love are things I can't let go of."

Mai Sakurajima smoothed her hair and asked with a smile, "Master, do you have a way to have the best of both worlds?"

"Amitabha."

Master Bai solemnly clasped his hands together.

“At midnight tonight, please leave the door open for me. I will come in and help you solve your problems. It would be a win-win situation.”

Mai Sakurajima: "?"

Chapter 123 Past Events Like Darts

"Um... Sakura, Sakurajima-senpai said she has to go back to Japan tomorrow to work, and she's feeling lonely since she can't stay a few more days. Shirakage said she wants to go into her room tonight..."

Stunned, Angelina subconsciously translated briefly before realizing that the white figure was just making a strange joke again.

The middle-aged woman was also somewhat dumbfounded.

From a purely rational perspective, having searched through countless palace intrigue and romance dramas, I've never seen such a raw and unrestrained plot—there are plenty of melodramatic and bloody stories about love, but I've never seen one that goes straight for the 18+ genre.

Yes, that's right. Such programs would be rejected before they even air. It's more harmonious to live and die in a life-and-death struggle.

The middle-aged woman asked, "Xiao Anzi, tell me, is Erbai serious or just talking nonsense?"

"He's probably seriously talking nonsense."

Angelina's answer was like stating the obvious, but not entirely meaningless.

"Give me a definite answer." The middle-aged woman frowned slightly. "Since you and Erbai are childhood sweethearts and studied together in high school in Japan for three years, Xiao Anzi should understand his thoughts and logic better than I do, right?"

“?” Angelina retorted, “Shouldn’t parents know their sons better?”

The middle-aged woman nodded and said, "That's right. I know myself but I don't know Erbai. I thought he was just away from home, occasionally sending some money home to save his life. I didn't even know he'd be there for the funeral. But then a group of girls came to our door demanding repayment of their debts of love. Before we could figure out what was going on, it turned out that our son was a scumbag and his parents were the ones being dragged into this mess. It's a love triangle drama... Xiao Anzi, tell me honestly, did Erbai hire some extras to play a trick on his parents?"

"Huh?" Angelina was taken aback, gesturing wildly with her hands. "Why would you think that? Why would Bai Ying hire extras to pretend to have a bunch of girlfriends to fool you all?"

The middle-aged woman thought for a moment and proposed two ideas: "According to the laws of nature, the number of females will reflect the status of males, which makes it easier for Erbai to challenge the patriarchal authority in the family. By the way, Erbai also knows the types of movies and TV series I like, so he can stage a real-life harem melee for me. From these two perspectives, Erbai has a very good motive!"

“Indeed.” The middle-aged man nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook his head and sneered, “Ha! Does he think this will show his power and status? Vulgar, tasteless, utterly vulgar! He’s supposed to be a creative person, but he has absolutely no artistic talent!”

Angelina sensed an overwhelming survival instinct: "Uh... Uncle and Auntie, this really isn't fake! Do you think everyone's reactions are fake? If it weren't for the language barrier, Yukino would have already started arguing with you seriously about your skepticism. She's a very meticulous person. And Kazuha too, she'd definitely get really annoyed and fly straight back to Japan..."

"That's true. Miss Xue and Miss Hua don't seem like the type to act, but I still have some doubts about your relationship. I feel like Erbai is playing us for a fool!"

The middle-aged woman said with a serious face, "He has tricked us countless times since we were little."

Angelina scratched her head in confusion: "Uh... it's true. Putting everything else aside, Sakurajima-senpai is a big star. She would never act in this kind of play with Bai Ying."

"Since Erbai has already said that to the girl, I have an idea to verify it..."

The middle-aged woman touched her chin, revealing a wise look in her eyes.

"?"

As Angelina was wondering, she suddenly heard a white figure calling out, "Little Angelina over there, what kind of fortune do you want to ask about, and which fate do you want to divine?"

"What are you talking about, Xiao Anzi?! Don't give me any weird character traits!"

Angelina turned around and grinned. If it weren't for the crowds in the temple, she would have taken the Bodhisattva down and sent you to sit on that lotus throne that pricks your butt!

After visiting the shrine, under the sway of the middle-aged woman, the group strolled around and bought many souvenirs. After having lunch at a restaurant, they headed back home together.

As for Bai Ying's threat to knock on Sakurajima Mai's door at night, everyone was surprised for a moment, but quickly calmed down and didn't take it seriously.

So what if Bai Ying made a few statements about crimes? He usually commits crimes directly.

"That jerk should have been said to Yukino-chan," Yukinoshita Haruno commented. "It would have been enough to leave her speechless for ten minutes, overthinking for an hour, and her heart pounding for three hours. Then, after she calms down, she'll be lying in bed at night, unable to sleep, constantly checking the time. Even before time has sped up, her heart will start racing... Tsk tsk tsk, I can totally guess Yukino-chan's reaction, but I just can't seem to mimic it. How strange~"

Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at her older sister indifferently, disdaining to argue with her. The more she cared, the more smug her sister would become, so she should just remain calm and composed.

Feng Bin and Hua grunted twice, expressing their protectiveness to their older sister: "Don't worry, sister. If that scoundrel dares to sneak into the house, I'll kick him out!"

Mai Sakurajima nodded with a smile, then teased Yukino Yukinoshita, saying, "Yukino is indeed a particularly difficult character to play. If you overact, she'll seem overly dramatic; if you underact, she'll seem like a taciturn, aloof person. That perfect balance, that awkward and shy feeling without any lines, is really hard to grasp."

Yukino Yukinoshita's brow twitched slightly, and she gave a nonchalant hum, offering no comment. She had a feeling that everyone around her had taken to teasing her lately, all picking up Haku-kun's annoying habit. Hmm—was she being that obvious? She'd been constantly provoked by Haku-kun for three whole years, shared a bed with him countless times, and even done things she was ashamed to talk about…she should have enough immunity and antibodies, right? She should learn to overcome this subconscious tendency, otherwise she'd always be easily manipulated by Haku-kun, plunging into a whirlpool of chaotic emotions…

However, it seems there's no need to overcome it, since I've fallen for such a bad person.

Bai Ying observed the four people in front of him, shook his head and sighed, "Alas... Father-in-law, it seems that everyone is ignoring what I said."

"Hey kid, look what you've done, you crashed!"

The middle-aged man and the woman in white walked behind the four, talking rather casually, taking advantage of the fact that the girls/girlfriends in front couldn't understand: "Is this how you talk about love? You've made someone angry now, haven't you? Hehehehe."

"?" Bai Ying raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, is your father-in-law going to teach me how to date your daughter? Does your father-in-law have a lot of experience?"

"Experience is not about quantity, but quality! Just like no matter how many stories you've created, readers will only associate your name with the most memorable works," the middle-aged man said calmly. "Young brat, your words just now exposed your lack of dating experience. Not only did you anger Sakura, but everyone else is ignoring you now."

Bai Ying casually replied, "That's normal."

"Normal?" The middle-aged man raised his chin. "Your daughter Ying told you about the troubles of not being able to balance work and life, and what did you say to her? She even came to your room at night, acting like an emperor, treating favors to his concubines as a reward? What kind of feudal moral standards do you have? You have no respect for her at all, and you call this dating?"

Bai Ying became more respectful, cupped his hands, and asked, "May I ask what insightful opinions my father-in-law has?"

"Simply put, show the demeanor of a responsible and dependable man." The middle-aged man earnestly advised, "It's normal for Ying to have worries. These kinds of worries are like the worries of not having money or not being able to earn money. They are not problems that can be solved immediately or with a quick answer. So don't try to solve an unsolvable problem. Instead, learn to open your mind and change the problem to another one that can be solved!"

Bai Ying suddenly realized: "I remember a famous saying, 'The future is a problem that people cannot solve, so we should look to the present for a solution.' Just like the problem of the Brave Plus, we shouldn't ask which is more important, dreams or love, but rather prevent her from getting stuck in the contradiction between the two."

"This child is teachable." The middle-aged man subtly seized the high ground of fatherly authority. "That's exactly the point."

"You've grown up. You're no longer that naive fool who only worried about other people's future."

Bai Ying suddenly sighed with relief, patted the middle-aged man's shoulder, her hand moving with a steady and powerful rhythm, striking the weight of time on his heart and awakening those somewhat hazy memories.

Back then, he was a father, and Bai Ying was a son.

One day, the father invited his son to talk about the future.

The father said, "My son has the potential to be a great emperor. He should make plans early and not waste his extraordinary talent!"

Confucius asked, "What is your plan?"

The father replied: "Practice martial arts and dance to strengthen the body, study ancient texts to nourish the spirit, combine all languages ​​into one, and explore the mysteries of the universe through mathematics."

Confucius asked, "Why is that?"