Chapter 54

Wen Jiu’s brother didn’t resemble her at all.
Wen Jiu had a round face, small with large features, no great beauty, but delicate and pleasant.
Her brother was chubby, with pale skin like hers, but fat, like a pig destined for slaughter during the New Year. He wasn’t tall, more square-shaped in body.
Before filming, he had food stains around his mouth, triggering Wen Jiu’s mild OCD.
“I’ve never had tutoring, no extra classes, not even bought books or practice books outside school.
She couldn’t have studied much, always distracted in class. Impossible to get into Beicheng University. Everyone knows how tough it is, and she’s no genius.
When I got 100 points as a child, she only got 80. It was like that growing up. As subjects got harder, could she really improve enough to reach that score?
Times are different now. Beicheng University can check surveillance. I guarantee my sister couldn’t achieve that score on her own. She cheated. I’m her brother, I know.”
Wen Jiu: “……”
If she were some powerful figure, maybe the cheating claim would seem plausible. But she was just a rural university student, without even a phone, how could she cheat in an exam?
Plus, the exam proctors were trained, attentive, and competent, they wouldn’t risk their careers helping her.
Yet many online believed the rant, mostly minors.
Adults focused on her parents’ crying, criticizing Wen Jiu for being unfilial.
[Producer of “The Rich Family”? That’s high society for you, so rich, ignoring family, disgusting. Boycott this show.]
[No! My White Moonlight novel “The Rich Family” being adapted… if this gets ruined before airing, can the producer be replaced?
[How to replace the producer? Forget it, boycott. I’m annoyed. If this airs, I’ll drag friends to give low ratings.
[Actors and directors collapsing, I’ve seen. But a producer scandal? First time. Still trending.
[Everyone talks about the drama, but I think Ms. Wen herself is obnoxious. Not asking for extravagant gifts, yet won’t give her brother a 200-yuan red envelope?]
[Enough, everyone. Ms. Wen says she’ll livestream to confront her family.]
[??? I don’t care who wins, I just want gossip. Which platform, what account?]
[Official account of “The Young lady,” on Weibo.]
With directions, netizens flooded the livestream.
Marketing accounts didn’t care who won; they’d profit from any traffic.
Seeing netizens flock, the marketing team contacted Wen Jiu’s parents and brother, bringing cameras and phones to the village.
They planned to have the family connect with Wen Jiu via their accounts.
If they profited, it all went to them. Truth or lies didn’t matter; money and traffic did.
Wen Jiu was about to blacklist her “classic family,” but the marketing team inadvertently did her a favor, bringing them directly.
Fine. She didn’t want these three to sully her contacts.
That phone number, once too cumbersome to change, now needed replacement.
After the livestream, she’d go with Shen Xingzhou to get new SIM cards.
[Here they come. Why aren’t they fighting yet?! Wait… why isn’t the family acting affectionate?]
[But why is Ms. Wen the only attractive one in the family?]
[Probably genetic lottery. Plus, she’s rich, any girl would look good with money. Being beautiful but cold-hearted, with no inner virtue, is ugly.]
[Ms. Wen, before connecting with your parents and brother, anything to say for yourself?]
Other marketing accounts crowded in, asking questions.
Wen Jiu didn’t speak. Before her family appeared, she played a recording.
She had purchased a yearly membership for the recording app to save call audio from her Apple phone.
The screen split, one side Wen Jiu, one side the marketing account.
The account aimed at Wen Jiu’s living room.
Her parents and brother hadn’t appeared on screen yet; only rustling sounds could be heard, as if suddenly tidying clothes.
The voices were familiar, others might not recognize, but Wen Jiu did. She heard her mother pat her brother’s shoulder: “Stop eating for now. Mom will wipe your mouth, then fry a new chicken leg after the livestream.”
The recording was the second call Wen Jiu’s mom made to her.
As her family came on screen, her mom’s sharp voice shouted: “That 1.2 million is a loan!…”
During the call, her mom hadn’t thought it was a big deal. Now, seeing the marketing staff’s faces behind the camera, she realized something might be wrong.
Oddly, she felt she’d messed up badly.
However, she couldn’t read the small text on the distant phone screen, so she didn’t realize they were cursing her.
[So disgusting. I really thought the fiancé had 1.2 million for the dowry, no bride price needed, marrying her sincerely. Who knew it was a loan?!]
[Loan to be repaid together after marriage, maybe not even for Ms. Wen herself.]
[Listen earlier, they said 1 million for the brother’s house, he’s her backing… ridiculous.]
[From just this recording, I support Ms. Wen. I don’t know about the rest. I’m a girl; I can’t watch girls suffer like this. Selling your daughter like this, and acting justified!
[I suspected Ms. Wen’s brother was problematic early on, now hearing her mom confirms it. Another “Crown Prince.]
[Adding to that, an uneducated “Crown Prince.” Family running the exam room, accuses her of cheating? Clearly jealous her older sister went to Beicheng University.]
[But still, Ms. Wen is a producer. Village people don’t understand, but we do online. She’s rich, what’s wrong with supporting her family?]
[Exactly. Even if the 1.2 million is a loan, it’s not like an ordinary family could access that. Ms. Wen marrying into it is enjoying a good life.]
[The first few comments were way too harsh.]
Wen Jiu’s mom couldn’t see the screen, but Wen Jiu’s brother could.
He snapped, yelling: “Why would I be jealous? What’s there to be jealous of? My sister didn’t even have a phone until she was 18. No allowance, not even a full chicken leg, just the leftovers from my bones. Am I sick for being jealous?”
“She just studied a bit better and got into Beicheng University. With her grades, cheating is the only explanation. Don’t believe me? Look at the rankings from that year, she never made the top fifty in the first three exams.”
The original memories only triggered when relevant.
Hearing Wen Jiu’s brother, she found a tiny clue in her memory.
The original self didn’t have a phone, waking up only by habit and alarm.
For the first exam, Wen Jiu’s brother had deliberately set her alarm an hour late, causing her to miss the Chinese test.
For the second exam, he locked her room; she had to break out and missed the Chinese test again.
For the third exam, he put something in her food, leaving her with diarrhea and a high fever, her vision blacking and whitening during the first two tests.
The biggest victims were Wen Jiu’s Chinese grades and her teacher, she was actually very good at Chinese.
Wen Jiu didn’t let him off easily and retorted: “The first test, you messed with my alarm…
How about apologizing to my Chinese teacher first, brother?”
Wen Jiu’s brother never admitted fault and boasted about his misdeeds. He scoffed: “As if passing the test would guarantee a perfect score. You didn’t even get 100 in Chinese or math in elementary school.”
Wen Jiu searched her memory again.
Turns out the original self had scored 100 once. She took the test home and overheard her parents:
Father: “Don’t let the girl study too much, or she won’t listen and marry well.”
Mother: “If she’s good, stop her studying. If bad, let her get a degree, no cost for a few years. Later, when she works, the money she earns goes to our precious son.”
Wen Jiu, being smart, ruthlessly altered her test score to 80. From then on, she learned to control her scores.
Only in the high school and college entrance exams did she show her true ability.
Her high school tuition? Her parents refused to pay; her middle school teacher covered it. Later, the high school teacher applied for aid, covering tuition secretly.
During college, Wen Jiu repaid the teachers multiple times through part-time work. She hadn’t returned to Nancheng to see them yet.
Wen Jiu rubbed her chin, no need to explain all this.
The original self’s life was even harsher, but she couldn’t reveal everything. Overexplaining would be seen as self-pity.
She just planned to clarify the basic slander to avoid affecting The Rich Family’s release and reputation.
As for setting boundaries with her family, one livestream wouldn’t suffice. She’d ask Lin Yu later about the formalities she completed when leaving.
For now, even if the netizens’ opinions shift quickly, they all felt a little uneasy, realizing they’d been used.
Some were just malicious, hoping both sides failed, ignore them. The rest split into two: those who came to criticize Wen Jiu but switched sides, and curious onlookers who, after listening, sided with her.
[Ms. Wen is independent. I support her not going home. This family doesn’t deserve her support.]
[If not for Ms. Wen’s work being public, this family wouldn’t even know what she does, let alone contact marketing accounts.]
[So many families like this in Nancheng. I escaped, my sister stayed. I can’t take it. I wish I could slap them through the screen.]
[Ugly faces, disgusting manners. I’m from the same village. Going home for New Year, hiring a driver.]
[Hitting isn’t right, but Wen Jiu’s brother is clearly not human. My support.]
Seeing the comments, Wen Jiu’s brother shivered several times.
He thought it was natural for Wen Jiu to give him money. He wasn’t used to feeling insecure or being criticized online. He just feared these netizens might come to the village.
“Mom, speak up!” Wen Jiu’s brother urged, realizing he needed his mother.
Wen Jiu’s mom couldn’t see the flying comments, couldn’t read or understand them, only felt like eggs were hitting the screen.
She didn’t know these were virtual “eggs” from the platform, thinking Wen Jiu had set it up.
Raising her hand: “Yaozu, throw some eggs too.”
Wen Jiu’s brother sighed. “Mom, don’t bother with eggs. They’re on TV; they won’t become real. If you don’t talk about sister, we won’t get the money.”
He whispered, thinking it wouldn’t be recorded.
The marketing team was dumbfounded, moving the mic now was too late. Let the family handle themselves.
“No money? How can there be no money?!” Wen Jiu’s mom panicked.
“That brat, you earn so much yet let your parents and brother live in this house. Bring us to Beicheng! Buy a villa for us, one for Yaozu too. Find a rich, virtuous, beautiful girl to marry him, and get him a car…”
The marketing staff had completely given up.
This family ignored scripts, even reciting parts they shouldn’t during the livestream, digging their own grave. Staff rushed: “I’ll deliver the content.”
If the family had just sat crying, they could’ve earned hundreds of thousands in gifts from the massive traffic.
Now, the screen was full of one-yuan virtual eggs.
More eggs meant more money, even tiny flies count.
Netizens swarmed, drawn by the drama.
The livestream reached five million viewers, not fans, just curious. Huge traffic meant platform promotion, and viewers couldn’t leave once they tuned in.
Gossip about other families entertained everyone.
Wen Jiu: “Mom, take a nap first. Dreams are faster.”
“Even if I could afford all you said, I wouldn’t give it to you,” her mom replied.
She shifted gears, getting revenge for Yaozu: “And brother, stop eating. Don’t become a 300-pound rectangle by New Year, you’d be the pig of the festival. People might think you’re stealing pig feed daily.”
Still live, Wen Jiu added: “Of course, I’m not saying pigs or chubby people are bad. Cute and plump, except for Yaozu.”
“Mom! Wen Jiu is bullying me!” Yaozu wailed, no tears, just loud cries.
In her panic, even the nickname “brat” was shouted.
No need to recount how hard the family had “raised” Wen Jiu, they never considered her human.
Her father remained invisible, acting like a mute emperor.
“Oh, my Yaozu, don’t cry.”
“Brat, don’t ever come back, or I’ll kill you!”
[Whoa, going violent now? Ms. Wen has us netizens backing her. Cry all you want, Yaozu.]
[Violence against violence. This family makes hands itch.]
[So in patriarchal families, boys really get names like Yaozu? Thought it was online fiction.]
“I won’t go back. I’ll have a lawyer sever ties with you,” Wen Jiu tested.
She knew they’d ask for a lot, but needed to gauge their stance.
“Sever ties? Dream on!”
Her father finally spoke, telling her mother: “If she wants to sever ties, let her. Make sure she repays all we spent raising her first.”
Her mother thought it unfair but ultimately agreed, following her husband.
“Repay what you owe us, include future support payments, then we agree to sever ties.”
[Wow! This is amazing. TV dramas aren’t this good, reality is truly dramatic.”
[Ms. Wen, I hail you as queen! Slap this family hard!]
[Support severing ties! Do it for me.]
[Haha, do it for me too, what I can’t do but want to do.]
As word spread, more curious viewers joined the livestream, replacing those who left, growing larger.
None were fans, just came for the spectacle.
They didn’t send gifts, didn’t like the stream, and certainly didn’t follow, just there to watch the drama.
“Five million to sever ties?” Wen Jiu was exaggerating a bit.
She remembered Lin Yu using the 5 million from the Su family when severing ties with her foster parents, but not all of it. It excluded money for college tuition and the ticket to Beicheng.
“Five million? Dream on. You’re rich now. At least fifty million” Wen Jiu’s mom started pointing out a number, but Wen Jiu’s dad jabbed her side.
She immediately held up three more fingers. “One hundred million, then we’ll sever ties with you.”
[What a lion’s demand!]
[Do they think producers are banks? My goodness, even a top actress earns 30 million a year.
[Do they even understand what a hundred million means? Their whole family probably hasn’t made that much since the Qin dynasty.]
[Well, you can’t say it like that. If Ms. Wen can casually propose five million, she’s obviously got more. To leave her family, a little sacrifice is fine. Raising her wasn’t easy either.]
If this livestream had moderators, I’d have them remove these people upstairs. Fakes.
[Besides being fakes, he could just be a “Yaozu” type.]
Wen Jiu restrained herself, no eye-rolling.
Her lawyer was watching the stream and had already sent her a message.
Wen Jiu searched the original self’s memory while talking to her family on the livestream: “Since you’re dissatisfied, let’s settle the accounts.
Mom, after giving birth to me, you realized I was a girl. You never gave me formula, only porridge and soup. If I survived, it was luck.
When I was young, you tried multiple times to sell me, but fortunately times changed, and Nancheng strictly regulated such acts, you never had a chance.
The clothes I wore were picked up by you from others. I had to wash them myself. You never let me use the household sink; I had to go to the village stream. All year round. Barely any water was used.
Baths over five minutes? You’d switch off the lights and leave me in the bathroom, no matter what.
My schooling relied on compulsory education and the support of my teachers and school. You never bought me even a one-yuan pen…
In summary, Mom and Dad, do you think you deserve a hundred million? Even five million would be generous.”
You didn’t provide living expenses for college. You even tried to tear up my acceptance letter so I’d work in a factory to earn money for my brother.
Based on eighteen years at home, ten thousand a year is already generous. I only need to pay you 1.8 million. And let’s not talk about the future, you never properly raised me anyway.”
[Sisters had it rough, how can it be worse than me?]
[Ms. Wen, you’re like a superwoman, standing firm in Beicheng despite that environment and becoming a producer!]
[Listening makes me furious. Support Ms. Wen! Courageously speak out and smash their faces!]
“Can’t accept 1.8 million? Then speak to my lawyer. It won’t just be about not getting money, you’ll have to answer for letting Yaozu abuse me… well, maybe not jail, but compensation will be needed.]
Family disputes at home aren’t criminal, so the police wouldn’t intervene. But Yaozu had gathered thugs to trap and assault the original self.
She had to charge out with all her strength, escaping onto the street. Later, Lin Yu informed the teacher; Yaozu stopped out of fear of expulsion.
Wen Jiu’s mom didn’t know, but her brother often bullied his sister.
Family matters aren’t crimes; she wasn’t scared. But if she caused a scene, she wouldn’t get the money.
“Dad, what do you think?”
“1.8 million, fine.”
Wen Jiu’s eyes curved into a smile, the first one since the morning livestream. But her gaze was icy; the smile didn’t reach her eyes.