Sun Sinuo sat on the sofa in the living room, fidgeting with her fingers, and took out her phone, looking at it over and over again.
The screen displays an Instagram account with over three million followers, whose profile picture is a side profile shot taken on the snowy plains of Altay.
Foreigners often have trouble recognizing Asians because they lack distinctive features and are difficult to remember.
Song Shi'an is a rare Chinese person who can be remembered just by his face.
She doesn't follow celebrities or watch variety shows, but she does find Song Shi'an attractive.
However, she could never reconcile the image of the incredibly handsome man on the variety show with that of her cousin in front of her, wearing a floral apron and cooking.
If I had known, I would have flaunted it to death, making those foreign friends who call Song Shi'an "angel boy" on Instagram every day envious. Their idol is her brother, how cool would that be!
Foreigners admire the aesthetics of strength; they look down on mere pretty faces. They prefer women who possess both strength and beauty.
"You're glued to your phone all day. Is it really that fun?" Song Qiaoyun frowned in displeasure as she looked at her daughter.
"It's fun." Sun Sinuo pouted. "Don't you watch those ridiculous short dramas every day too? You watch them all day long."
At this moment, Song Shi'an and his Mother Song came out of the kitchen carrying dishes.
Mother Song placed the last dish of braised fish in the center of the table. "The food is ready, everyone, please sit down."
Father Song walked in carrying two bottles of fine wine and placed them on the table. "Weiguo, let's have a drink today. It's been a long time."
"Alright, alright," Sun Weiguo said with a smile, pulling out a chair. "It's been many years since we brothers have gotten together."
Judging from the situation, Song Shi'an figured that his Father Song and uncle were probably good brothers before, and at least Sun Weiguo's attitude was much more normal than Song Qiaoyun's.
Song Qiaoyun was equally sharp-tongued, complaining that the food was too salty while eating heartily.
Song Shi'an gripped his chopsticks tightly. "If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it."
Sun Weiguo kicked Song Qiaoyun several times under the table before she calmed down a little.
" Shi'an, we didn't have time to come back last year when you got into university." Sun Weiguo put down his wine glass. "I heard from your mother that you got into Jingchen University, which means your future is bright."
Song Shi'an sighed with relief that someone who knew how to talk had finally arrived, and quickly put down his chopsticks. "Thank you, Uncle."
"The job market is tough right now; it's hard to find a good job even after graduation," Song Qiaoyun started again, wiping her mouth. "Unlike my Sinuo, who went straight to learning how to take over the company from Wei Guo after graduation."
Sun Sinuo was still eating her rice with her head down, reminiscing about the hardships she had suffered abroad.
Then she heard her mother call her name. She looked up abruptly. Oh my god, her own mother! She should say less. Her brother is doing just as well as their family now.
"Ahem." Sun Sinuo put down her chopsticks. "Mom, my cousin works at Stars Entertainment now, and he seems to have a better future than me."
"What does Stars Entertainment do?" Song Qiaoyun frowned. "It doesn't sound like a legitimate company. Don't be fooled."
Sun Weiguo sighed, "Qiaoyun, Stars Entertainment is a leading company that has emerged in recent years and ranks among the top in the country. It's quite an achievement that someone as outstanding as Shi'an was able to get in."
Song Qiaoyun kicked Sun Weiguo under the table. Sun Weiguo picked up his wine glass, took a swig, and didn't say anything more.
"Let the child figure things out on his own from now on, we shouldn't interfere too much, right?" Father Song quickly raised his glass to smooth things over, "Come on, let's have a drink."
Song Shi'an kept his head down and ate his meal the whole time. Throughout the meal, his words were full of hidden barbs. He was either showing off how well he was doing or comparing how his children were doing.
He now understood why this aunt wasn't in the original owner's memories; even seeing such a relative once a year felt like too much.
As soon as they finished eating, the adults went to play mahjong. Soon, the clattering of mahjong tiles and Song Qiaoyun's loud "Pong!" echoed from next door.
Sun Sinuo looked at Song Shi'an guiltily and diligently helped him tidy up the table.
She picked up a stack of plates and carefully followed him into the kitchen.
Song Shi'an didn't like them much to begin with, and seeing his cousin staring at him, he wondered what kind of wicked idea she was plotting.
He turned around and met Sun Sinuo's furtive gaze. "Do I have words on my face?"
Startled by the noise, Sun Sinuo's hand slipped, and the plate fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces. She instinctively squatted down to pick them up.
"Don't move!" Song Shi'an quickly stopped her. "I'll get the broom and sweep."
Sun Sinuo trembled as she withdrew her hand and stood awkwardly to the side. At the kitchen door, Song Shi'an walked over with a broom. She felt like she was about to burst into flames.
Ugh! Sun Sinuo, what are you doing?! How many more times are you going to embarrass yourself in front of him?!
After Song Shi'an finished cleaning up the broken pieces, he was about to go upstairs for a nap. Sun Sinuo lifted her foot to follow him, but he stopped and turned around. "Is there something you need?"
Sun Sinuo withdrew her foot, rubbing her hands somewhat awkwardly. "It's nothing, it's nothing. Mom and Dad went to play cards, and I had nothing to do, so I was a little bored..."
Song Shi'an sighed, "Okay, I forgot this person is at least his cousin."
He led her to the small living room on the second floor, handed her the remote control, and then took out his phone to open a food delivery app.
Surprisingly, this village could be delivered to, and the milk tea shop in the township was even within the delivery range.
He handed over the phone. "Order whatever you'd like to drink."
Sun Sinuo took the phone, tears streaming down her face. She had just eaten too much; her brother's cooking was so delicious that she couldn't stop eating. Now, she couldn't even swallow a drop of water.
She casually ordered a milk tea and handed the phone back to Song Shi'an.
"Sit there and wait a bit, watch some TV." Song Shi'an took the phone, ignoring her, and plopped down on the sofa, opening a game. He was completely absorbed in tapping the screen, his brows furrowed.
Sun Sinuo quietly opened the camera and held it up at an extremely tricky angle.
In the photo, Song Shi'an only shows half of her face; she blocks most of the shot.
After the shoot, she immediately started editing the photos, making herself look better so that she wouldn't look out of place standing in the same frame as Song Shi'an.
After it was fixed, I posted a picture on my WeChat Moments with the caption. "My cousin, whom I haven't seen for many years, is still as striking as ever."
Within seconds of posting, someone replied in the comments section.
"Your brother looks very familiar..."
"You say you don't like celebrities, but at least make them look better in photoshopped images."
"Oh~ Honey, want to join the fan group? I've always said investing in this group would be a win-win!"
Sun Sinuo looked at the comments section speechlessly. She had originally wanted to share it, but no one believed her.