Cousin's Visit

Silence remained in the dialog box for a long time.

Zhang Yang didn't pay much attention. Most people would be quite amazed to see the Huangpu River and the Bund from this angle for the first time.

However, this wasn't the first time he'd seen it; having seen it so many times, he'd naturally become accustomed to it.

Just as I was slowly finishing my fried rice, Meng Baihan's message came through.

"It's so beautiful. I can't imagine how optimistic I would be if I lived here."

"You're still not optimistic?" Zhang Yang chuckled.

Yes, compared to him, she can't compare, but in Yinghai, Meng Baihan's family background, including her own job, is something many people envy.

"Although I'm optimistic, I do have worries sometimes, but with your optimism, I really can't imagine what worries you could possibly have," Meng Baihan said.

Zhang Yang was taken aback, and subconsciously wanted to say a few more words of self-deprecation.

Then he realized that Meng Baihan was absolutely right. Worries? Speaking of worries, he really didn't have any right now.

Zhang Yang chatted idly with Meng Baihan.

We happened to chat about her summer vacation travel plans.

With the start of summer vacation at school, she, as a music teacher, is also about to enjoy a long summer break.

"How about hiking or going to the beach? Interested? You can bring your girlfriend."

"We'll see," Zhang Yang replied.

He certainly wanted to see all the famous mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, but for the moment, he didn't feel the urge to just pack up and go. Maybe one day he would suddenly get the urge and take a plane, and that would feel right.

As night deepened, Zhang Yang chatted casually with Meng Baihan, without any particular topic, just chatting aimlessly, and before they knew it, several hours had passed.

After taking a shower, Zhang Yang glanced at his phone and saw the goodnight message Meng Baihan had sent him not long ago.

"It's been so long, I'm not going to post anymore," Zhang Yang said casually.

There were many messages waiting for his reply on WeChat. Apart from the important ones, he suddenly saw an unexpected message.

"Song Yumeng?"

Who is Song Yumeng? She's his maternal uncle's daughter, his younger cousin, and she's currently studying at a university away from home.

Although my aunt and uncle are a harsh couple, their daughter is very well-behaved, cute, generous, and kind from a young age, which is quite strange.

Naturally, Zhang Yang and his little cousin had a very good relationship.

"Brother, I'm on summer vacation and planning to go to Magic City for a few days. How about I treat you?"

"Come on in, I'll take good care of you. By the way, are you coming alone? No handsome guys or beautiful girls with you?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile.

"Trying to fool me? No way. It's just me and my roommate. She's in Magic City see her sister." Song Yumeng sent Zhang Yang a series of playful emojis.

"Okay, what time? I'll pick you up," Zhang Yang replied.

A short while later, my little cousin sent me the time and location.

It just so happens that the high-speed train is tomorrow morning, around 10 a. m.

"That's fine, I'll go eat first after I pick it up." Zhang Yang muttered to himself, checked the time, and gradually drifted off to sleep with his hands behind his arms.

The next morning, Zhang Yang didn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky.

It is said that facing the sea brings warmth and flowers.

When he woke up, he saw the golden Huangpu River, felt the breeze blowing from the riverbank, and witnessed the endless stream of people coming and going on the Bund.

Although it doesn't face the sea, the atmosphere is similar.

"Has the bus departed?" Zhang Yang glanced at the message his little cousin Song Yumeng had just sent, then leisurely walked towards the restroom.

Take a shower and wash your face.

On a hot summer day, Zhang Yang, wearing pajama bottoms and shirtless, strolled onto the balcony to chat with his younger cousin while drying his hair.

Just now, my little cousin sent him a photo of them together.

Inside were her and her roommate.

Although it's just a simple peace sign, the two girls, each more beautiful than a flower, together give the simple photo an instant touch of magic.

"Brother, see you in Magic City at ten o'clock," Song Yumeng texted.

"Okay," Zhang Yang replied, then turned around and leisurely went to make breakfast.

After finishing breakfast, he checked the time, then put on a refreshing and sunny tracksuit. This time, he wasn't going for a mature look; instead, he opted for a sunny, sporty, and masculine style.

Zhang Yang's fashion sense is now superb. This outfit, combined with his physique and appearance, immediately gives rise to the image of a sunny, handsome school heartthrob.

He's incredibly handsome.

Before leaving, Zhang Yang looked at his car keys on the table, hesitated for a moment, and then took the Porsche.

It wasn't that he wanted to keep a low profile, but if his little cousin found out, the whole family would know immediately. Since he wanted to take things step by step, it was better to be a little more discreet in front of his little cousin.

A moment later, he went straight to the underground parking garage, and amidst a sea of luxury cars, he picked up an incredibly understated Porsche Cayenne and headed straight for Magic City Station.

···

On the high-speed train that was about to arrive, Song Yumeng and her roommate Le Yue were sitting together, chatting.

The two girls were pretty and had a youthful air about them; they looked like the kind of girls who had just started college.

"This novel is infuriating!" Song Yumeng exclaimed in anger after reading a passage from the novel.

Le Yue, who was standing nearby, looked over curiously.

"What novel is it that's making you so emotional?"

"The male lead's white moonlight went abroad. In order to give his family an explanation and to make his white moonlight jealous, the male lead agreed to a marriage of convenience with the female lead. For three whole years, a stone should have been warmed up by now. But what actually happened? Three years later, when the white moonlight returned to the country, the male lead immediately abandoned the female lead to go find his white moonlight." Song Yumeng said angrily.

She was actually referring to a theme that's been overused in female-oriented fiction.

But the melodramatic subject matter doesn't matter; the author's writing is captivating, the characters are vividly portrayed, and the author sometimes gives readers hope while delivering a cruel blow at other times.

It's so relatable; you almost wish the female lead would take revenge on the male lead and make him regret it.

"Is that how it happened?" Le Yue blinked, then suddenly fell silent.

Song Yumeng didn't pay attention at first, but after looking up for a while, she noticed that Le Yue, who was looking out the window and hadn't said much, immediately noticed something was wrong.

"Le Yue, what's wrong?" Song Yumeng asked softly.

"It's nothing," Le Yue said, turning her head. "By the way, I have a question for you: do you believe that novels are based on reality?"

Song Yumeng blinked.

"Of course I believe it! Reality is always more fantastical than fiction. But why are you bringing this up out of the blue?" she asked curiously.

"To be honest, my sister is almost exactly like the heroine in your novel," Le Yue said with a slightly complicated expression.

Song Yumeng's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly felt an overwhelming curiosity, but she didn't want to show it too obviously.

"Oh? If you don't mind, you can tell me."

"It's no big deal to tell you," Le Yue gently shook her head and began, "My sister met my current brother-in-law three years ago..."

Song Yumeng listened, her eyes widened.

Listening to this melodramatic real-life drama, I suddenly felt that the novel in my hand had lost all its appeal.

It turns out that Le Yue's older sister had just started working as an intern at a company a few years ago. At that time, the company boss's son was infatuated with his white moonlight (his first love), but their families were at odds with the white moonlight's family, so naturally, the two of them didn't end up together.

The white moonlight has gone abroad.

In order to fight back, the boss's son went to his sister and the two agreed to a marriage of convenience, becoming husband and wife in name only.

"I asked my sister, how could she agree to such outrageous conditions?" Le Yue shook her head speechlessly.

"Yeah, why would they agree?" Song Yumeng exclaimed incredulously.

"Because he's handsome, and because he's the boss's son, many girls in their company have a crush on him. When they approached my sister, she still had some illusions, thinking that in a few years, she could surely win him over. Who would have thought that as soon as her 'white moonlight' returned to China, my cheap brother-in-law would go looking for her."

Three years of her youth were wasted, and Le Yue truly felt sorry for her sister.

"And then?" Song Yumeng asked eagerly, even more curious about what would happen next than if she were reading a novel.

"My sister was heartbroken, and the two agreed to a divorce. The other party was quite generous, offering a settlement of ten million," Le Yue said.

"However, unlike the heroines in novels, the male lead didn't end up crying and begging to remarry her. In the end, his heart wasn't with my sister, and no matter how hard she tried to warm it up, she couldn't."

Hearing Le Yue's words, Song Yumeng felt somewhat disappointed.

According to the novel's plot, the male lead only gradually discovers her good qualities and realizes that she is the right person for him when the female lead voluntarily withdraws.

While it's true that novels are based on reality, ultimately, their trajectory is too idealistic.

Reality is reality, and not every story has a happy ending.

"It's better to separate. It's good to find your own happiness again," Song Yumeng said softly. "Well, your brother-in-law is alright, ten million!"

"I'll tell you a secret, that guy never even touched my sister, all for the sake of making a promise to my white moonlight," Le Yue whispered.

"Huh?" Song Yumeng opened her mouth wide in surprise, unable to believe it.

"Don't think my sister is ugly, okay? If I were half as pretty as her, I'd be laughing in my sleep." Le Yue opened her phone and secretly showed Song Yumeng a picture of her sister.

Song Yumeng leaned closer, looked at the photo, and was immediately stunned.

The fair-skinned, dignified, and radiant beauty in the photo, who exudes both elegance and intellect, is actually Le Yue's older sister.

To be honest, what Le Yue just said was indeed not an exaggeration.

But on second thought, Song Yumeng found it not strange at all.

He's practically the company's future CEO; even if he were to marry just anyone, how could his taste be bad?

"Your sister is indeed a combination of elegance and intellect, she looks like the perfect wife and mother. To be honest, I really don't know what your brother-in-law is thinking, or rather, I'm genuinely curious about what that white moonlight looks like?" Song Yumeng couldn't hide her surprise.

"What you can't have is always the best, right? Anyway, I think my sister is the best," Le Yue said sullenly.

The two chatted about this topic for quite a while.

"Oh, by the way, if you know any suitable guys, remember to introduce them to my sister. Although my sister is divorced, as I just said, well... anyway, that's the gist of it," Le Yue said, pulling Song Yumeng along.

"With your sister's looks and qualifications, there's no need for an introduction," Song Yumeng said with a smile.

As they were talking, a sudden idea flashed into her mind, and she said half-jokingly, "Perfect timing, my brother is coming to pick us up later, how about I introduce him to your sister?"

It's obviously inappropriate for her younger sister to introduce a divorced man to her cousin.

However, this woman just received tens of millions in assets, is so beautiful, and most importantly, the marriage is only in name, which is a fantastic opportunity.

She felt that if this matter succeeded, her brother would definitely have to thank her.

"Your brother?" Le Yue smiled. "Sure, by the way, do you have a photo? Let me see. Don't get me wrong, it's not like we're obsessed with looks here. I just want to see if we click."

"Love at first sight? And you still say you're not a sucker for good looks?" Song Yumeng retorted sharply, dismissing this excuse. "We'll see in person later, won't we?"

She had the photos, but her brother in the photos was far from handsome. However, in the last video call, she saw that her brother had lost weight and looked more energetic, which gave her a little confidence.

It might actually work out!

"Alright then, I'll check it out first." Le Yue recovered from her earlier mood and started playfully teasing Song Yumeng.

Both of them knew that what they had just said was mostly a joke.

Who would take that seriously, right?

Around 10 o'clock, the high-speed train pulled into the station and stopped at Magic City Station.

Song Yumeng and Le Yue, the two girls, took their suitcases and slowly got off the train with the flow of people, walking together towards the exit.

Along the way, Song Yumeng kept looking down at her phone, contacting Zhang Yang.

After a moment, she put down her phone and looked at Le Yue beside her.

"My brother is waiting for us outside. Let's go, he said he'll treat us to a big meal at noon."

"Oh? That's not a good idea, after all, I..." Le Yue said a little embarrassedly.

"No, don't be so polite with me. If things go well, aren't we still hoping you'll introduce your sister to my brother? If it works out, you'll be my sister-in-law. What's wrong with treating your sister-in-law to dinner?" Song Yumeng joked, her words getting increasingly absurd.

"Does your brother even know what you're planning?" Le Yue said, amused.

The two followed the endless stream of people, slowly walking out of the station and all the way to the roadside.

Song Yumeng pulled Le Yue along, looking around.

Just as they were hesitating whether to make a phone call, a Porsche Cayenne came to a smooth stop in front of the two girls.

The car door opened, and a tall figure stepped out.

The two girls watched as a handsome, sunny boy, whose looks could rival any university's most popular guy, walked towards them.

That smiling face was so handsome it dazzled them.

"Song Yumeng, get in the car! What are you standing there for?"

The moment the incredibly handsome man in front of her opened his mouth, Song Yumeng was completely stunned.

She stared wide-eyed at the figure before her, then gasped in surprise, "Cousin?! Cousin Zhang Yang?"

Le Yue, who was standing to the side, was also stunned.

While in the car, Song Yumeng talked, but didn't show her any photos. She could roughly guess what kind of person Song Yumeng's cousin was.

But the handsome guy in front of her, who could be any girl's dream man, turned out to be Song Yumeng's cousin.

Is this a joke?

"Never mind, I'll take the suitcase. By the way, this is your roommate, right?" Zhang Yang looked at the two girls' blank expressions, shook his head and chuckled, then took the initiative to greet the pretty girl next to Song Yumeng.