Going from "Fanservice" to Reality with My Goddess - Chapter 27

After filming the variety show, Yu Nianzhi finally had a few days to rest. She curled up at home, sleeping in comfortably, and upon waking, she lounged in bed playing with her phone, determined to fuse with her mattress and never part.

While she was lying there in bliss, her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and saw it was a call from her aunt. Yu Nianzhi’s brow furrowed instinctively, and her good mood evaporated instantly. Taking a deep breath, she reluctantly answered, “Hello, Aunt.”

The woman on the other end said, “Xiao Yu, what have you been busy with lately? When will you find time to come home and visit?”

Counting the days, it had indeed been a while since she last saw her younger cousin. She wondered if the girl, Yu Xiaofei, missed her.

Yu Xiaofei’s mother only ever called Yu Nianzhi because she wanted money; Yu Nianzhi didn’t want to see her face at all. But thinking of Xiaofei, she said, “I’ll come over tomorrow.”

She asked Lin Xin to help buy several gift sets in advance and arrived the next day carrying the boxes.

The one who opened the door was her uncle. He was thin and tall, wearing rimmed glasses that gave him a somewhat scholarly air. However, his eyelids were habitually half-drooped and his posture slightly hunched, making him appear weak and cowardly.

Seeing Yu Nianzhi, her uncle smiled warmly and ushered her inside. “Xiao Yu is here? Come in, come in. Why did you bring things? You’re being too polite.”

Yu Nianzhi smiled. “Don’t mention it, Uncle. It’s only right.”

As Yu Nianzhi and her uncle sat in the living room for small talk, a loud voice suddenly cut in: “Oh, isn’t this the big star? Finally found some free time?”

Yu Nianzhi turned toward the voice. Choosing to ignore the sarcasm, she greeted her simply: “Aunt.”

Compared to her tall, thin husband, the aunt appeared overly plump. When she smiled, her already small eyes turned into mere slits. She wiped her hands on her apron, unhooked it, and hung it aside. She didn’t forget to walk over to a room and knock loudly on the door, shouting inside, “Xiaofei, come out! Stop studying for a moment, your sister is here.”

“Coming!” a voice answered. Almost the next second, the closed door opened, and a girl of about seventeen or eighteen walked out. Her features bore a thirty to forty percent resemblance to Yu Nianzhi’s, but while Yu Nianzhi’s eyes and brows were striking and elegant, the girl was more lively and cute.

Yu Xiaofei ran out and sat directly beside Yu Nianzhi, intimately hooking her arm. “Sis, you’re here! I missed you so much.”

Yu Nianzhi ruffled her hair and smiled. “I missed you too, that’s why I came. How have you been? The college entrance exam is only a few months away. You must take care of your health; don’t overwork yourself, or it’ll be a loss if you collapse before the exam.”

Xiaofei nodded obediently. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

Yu Nianzhi asked further, “How did your first mock exam go?”

“It went okay; I moved up five places in class.” Though she said “okay,” she had already raised her head proudly, waiting for her sister’s praise.

Yu Nianzhi couldn’t help laughing and praised her as she wished: “Very good, but don’t get arrogant. As long as you keep improving, you’ll get a great score on the real exam.”

“Mm-hmm, I will!” Xiaofei nodded, her eyes full of determination.

As the sisters were talking, Xiaofei’s mother suddenly chimed in: “By the way, Xiao Yu. Speaking of your sister’s exams, I have something I need your help with.”

What must come, comes. Yu Nianzhi felt like laughing bitterly.

As the aunt spoke, she instinctively rubbed her hands together. Her eyes narrowed, and even the wrinkles at the corners seemed to deepen, inadvertently revealing a fawning posture. “You see, your sister is about to take the entrance exam, and the fees for various materials are quite a significant expense. Her father and I also wanted to cook something good for her during this time to nourish her body. You know our family doesn’t earn much per month, and her father’s company had some issues last month he might lose his job. The pressure on our family is very high lately. Do you think you could…”

Her words were just short of saying directly, “Hurry up and transfer some money to me.”

The uncle remained seated to the side. He opened his mouth to say something, but after being glared at fiercely by his wife, he shut it and only sighed softly.

Yu Xiaofei, however, wasn’t afraid of her mother. Before Yu Nianzhi could speak, she blurted out, “Mom, why are you saying all this? My sister”

The mother was displeased. She was a dominant woman, used to making the decisions at home and intolerant of being contradicted. She barked, “What’s wrong with you, child? Does a child butt in when adults are talking? Your sister’s situation is different now; she’s a big star! Isn’t it easy for hundreds of thousands or even millions to hit her account every month? Would she care about this bit of money?”

She then sighed theatrically. “Alas, your eldest uncle and aunt passed away early. Back then, your father and my wages were pitifully small, yet we had to raise two children. To put your sister through school, we suffered so much. If our family hadn’t taken her in, who knows where she’d be now? Now that she’s successful, isn’t it only right to help the family a little?”

Then, her tone shifted. “Besides, don’t you stars care a lot about public image? What do you call it, a ‘persona’? Your sister has the face of a wealthy young lady, but if the things about her family and background were leaked, the impact would be terrible. We’ve always kept those secrets safe for her and never mentioned them to anyone. People as kind-hearted as us are hard to find.”

Yu Xiaofei was truly speechless at her mother. Setting aside how her mother had actually treated Yu Nianzhi as an “aunt” over the years, just hearing those words made her feel a deep sense of disgust.

As the mother was about to continue, the uncle, who had remained silent, interrupted: “That’s enough. Xiao Yu rarely comes back; why must you speak of such unpleasant things?”

At this, the mother exploded. Her husband always listened to her; this was a rare act of defiance. After scolding her daughter, she turned her roar toward him: “You have the nerve to talk to me? Look at you! You’re at this age and still haven’t achieved a thing. Now you’re losing your job am I going to have to support the whole family by myself?”

The uncle’s face looked pained, unable to bear his wife criticizing him in front of the children. “Just say less. Xiao Yu earned her money through hard work; why should she have to give it to you? I’m contacting the boss about the job; it can be saved.”

Seeing they were about to start a full-blown argument, Yu Nianzhi spoke up: “Alright, alright, stop fighting. I remember all the kindness you’ve shown me. I also care deeply for Xiaofei. I’ll transfer the money to the card when I get back.”

The uncle looked embarrassed. “No need, really, look at this…”

Yu Nianzhi’s expression remained flat. “It’s fine. It’s only right.”

Hearing this, the mother’s angry face instantly transformed into a joyous smile. “Oh, Xiao Yu, this is so embarrassing. Making you spend money again.” She then turned back to her husband: “Some people have no capability themselves, yet they won’t let their daughter show me respect. Look at Xiao Yu what a filial, good child. She knows how to care for her sister and respect her elders.”

Yu Nianzhi felt sickened to her stomach. She didn’t want to stay near her for a single second longer and just wanted an excuse to escape.

Yu Xiaofei felt she was going to die of second-hand embarrassment. “Mom, you’re really something. You guys keep chatting; I’m going to have my sister help me with a few math problems.”

Without a moment’s delay, she grabbed Yu Nianzhi and bolted.

The mother’s voice called out behind them: “Go on then! Your sister was a top student back then. Study hard so you can get into a good university and make your mother proud!”

Xiaofei answered, slipped into the room, and slammed the door shut.

Once inside, Xiaofei let out a long sigh. She pulled Yu Nianzhi to sit on the bed while she collapsed onto it herself, her voice a mix of helplessness and shame. “Sis, don’t listen to my mom’s nonsense. She just got a raise last month, and my dad’s issue isn’t hard to solve. I’m honestly fed up with her; she’ll say anything.”

Yu Nianzhi only gave a faint “Mhm,” neither confirming nor denying.

Xiaofei ruffled her hair into a mess to vent her frustration. To make sure she studied hard, her mother had forced her to cut her hair short after her senior year started. There was no benefit other than it being easy to mess with.

Yu Nianzhi smiled. “Alright, just focus on your studies and get a good score. You’re not even eighteen yet; why are you worrying about this?”

“Sigh,” Xiaofei sighed. “My mom worries me to death. She won’t listen to a word I say; she’s a total ‘matriarch.'” She gave her hair one last tug. “Forget it, let’s not talk about that.” She suddenly bounced up from the bed, the gloom in her eyes replaced by curiosity. “Sis, tell me quickly—what’s going on between you and Movie Queen Shen?”

Yu Nianzhi was startled by the sudden movement and didn’t react immediately. “What?”

Xiaofei gave her a look. “You know, Let’s Travel Together that aired the day before yesterday. You two…”

Yu Nianzhi’s eyes flickered with avoidance. “There’s nothing between us. We’re just ordinary friends.”

Xiaofei thought: Liar. Based on my years of experience shipping couples, you two are just short of getting married on the spot.

Fearing further questions, Yu Nianzhi quickly changed the subject. “You’re about to take the entrance exam; why are you watching variety shows?”

Xiaofei realized she had exposed herself. She coughed and explained, “I just use my break time to relax a little. If I study all the time, I’ll turn into an idiot.” She gave an apologetic smile. “Wasn’t I just concerned about your situation, Sis? Besides this show you just filmed, I haven’t watched anything else.”

Yu Nianzhi laughed. “You better be careful. Acting cute with me won’t help; only a good test score counts.”

Xiaofei nodded obediently, promising, “Sis, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Then she remembered something and became a bit coy. “Sis, can I ask you for a favor?”

“What is it?”

Xiaofei chuckled. “Since you and Movie Queen Shen are already wi—I mean, good friends, could you get me an autograph?”

Yu Nianzhi said, “You’re a fan of Movie Queen Shen? I haven’t heard you mention it before.”

Xiaofei thought: I’m doing this so I can have a matching pair with yours. Not only am I a fan of the Movie Queen, I’m a fan of your ship! Hahaha, you’d never guess.

She had it all planned out but kept a straight face. “I only recently started liking her. I watched her previous movies and then saw this episode of the variety show. I think she’s not only a great actress but also very interesting.”

As Shen Yan’s #1 fan, Yu Nianzhi thought: Student Yu Xiaofei, you have excellent taste.

“I’ll get the autograph for you,” Yu Nianzhi promised, “but only after your exams are over.”

Xiaofei agreed wholeheartedly and vowed, “Don’t worry, you’ll always be number one in my heart. Movie Queen Shen is only my second favorite star.”

Yu Nianzhi laughed. “Then make sure you stick to that; don’t let Movie Queen Shen lure you away.”

As they were chatting, the mother came to call them for dinner. Yu Nianzhi, of course, wouldn’t stay. She didn’t want to spend another second with her aunt, so she excused herself, saying she had work to handle back home, and made a quick exit.