On the third day back home, my second aunt invited me for dinner.

This aunt has always been fond of causing trouble and doesn't hold back with her words.

I didn't want to go.

But my mom said since I'm working in Beijing now, it's considered a bit of an achievement, and if I didn't go, she would think I look down on her.

So, I went.

As soon as I arrived at her house, I saw Song Liang holding Xiao Bo, sitting on a bench.

Xiao Yun was playing with toy cars by his feet.

I froze instantly.

Oh, Auntie, Auntie, you sure know how to surprise people...

She explained that my cousin went out to buy supplies, so she called them over for dinner.

She also mentioned that since Song Liang is her cousin's great-grandson, and being a man, he wouldn't know how to cook. Song Liang's parents had gone to Nanjing to visit, so they weren't home.

I stood by the door, feeling uneasy.

Song Liang looked up, surprised, and even managed a smile.

He said:

"Vivi, you've matured and become even more beautiful.

"Vivi, how have you been lately?"

His tone made me quite uncomfortable.

It felt like he was condescendingly comforting someone who had been abandoned.

I casually replied, "Oh really, haha. How come you've aged so much?"

I was genuinely shocked by the wrinkles on his forehead and his noticeably thinning hair.

Subconsciously, Song Liang touched the top of his head.

I added, "Hehe, taking care of kids really ages you."

He froze, clearly feeling uneasy.

Perhaps I said it on purpose.

Who knows?

I sometimes don't fully understand my own dark side.

The meal was tasteless, and after dinner, Song Liang left with the two kids.

Xiao Yun sneakily glanced back at me a few times.

She looked quite similar to her cousin when they were kids, but she seemed timid, probably because she never had a stable and normal childhood.

I planned to slip away too, but my second aunt warmly pulled me aside.

She took me to the bedroom and whispered a bunch of gossip to me.

She said my cousin originally went to Beijing with Song Liang, but couldn't adapt and wanted to come back. So, Song Liang used his savings to open a mother and baby store for her in their hometown.

The business at the store was doing really well, even the landlord was envious and regretted charging less rent.

Later, when Song Liang was on vacation back home, he saw a construction boss parking his luxury car on the roadside, with a big belly, chatting with my cousin in the store.

Neighbors said the boss often came by, bought diapers, formula, and gave them away.

Song Liang was understandably worried, so he took frequent leaves to come back and check on things.

Although he didn't witness anything suspicious, his frequent leaves made the company in Beijing unhappy. Coincidentally, there was an opportunity for talent recruitment here, so he came back.

Song Liang actually gave up his job in Beijing...

Initially, to get into that company, he had practiced past exam questions multiple times, put in a lot of effort to get a referral, and finally landed a core technical position. He was ecstatic when he received the email.

Moreover, he always disliked small towns, often saying that in small places, it's all about connections, wasting one's energy and talent meaninglessly.

It seems he sacrificed a lot for this relationship.

Seeing me lost in thought, my second aunt tugged at my sleeve and started talking about more gossip.

It was said that Song Liang's mother pressured my cousin into having an abortion, and she agreed to go to the hospital for it.

She rambled on until my food had digested completely, finally getting to the point.

"Vivi, you must be earning a lot in Beijing, right? My son is graduating soon, could you introduce him to a job? We're not asking for much, a salary of around ten thousand would be enough. After all, your brother is a university graduate. When the time comes, he can find a Beijing girl, settle down, and you can look out for each other, right?"

I nodded repeatedly, it wasn't a written commitment, so what was there to fear?

Finally free, on the way back, the more I thought about it, the more amusing it seemed.

All that talk was just to please me...

Her way of thinking is truly different from others.