CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: NEW MELON: ZHAO GUANGYAO EDITION

Lunch was pleasant enough, with scenic views and the kind of satisfaction that only came after sweating under the sun. But if anyone were to ask An Ning, Zhao Guangyao probably felt otherwise.

There had been a flicker of panic on his face the moment Sun Qiaolian mentioned his "farming background," and the little melon had promptly confirmed what she already suspected.

The little melon drifted closer, voice dripping with gossipy delight. "Host, host, new melon just dropped."

An Ning lifted her cup slightly, as if to hide her smile. "Go on."

"Zhao Guangyao," the little melon began dramatically, "is the treasured youngest son of his family. His parents saved every spare cent for him, even sent him to live with his uncle in town so he could study and escape rural life."

An Ning hummed, not particularly surprised.

"But," the little melon continued, spinning in a slow circle, "he also has three older sisters. Three!"

He lowered his voice, as though delivering forbidden lore.

"The eldest worked from childhood to support the family and wasn’t allowed to attend school. She eventually married a man who drinks every night and, unfortunately, likes to use his fists."

An Ning’s fingers stilled for a brief moment.

"The second sister," the little melon continued, "married a man with the IQ of a child. Her life is basically a full-time caretaking job."

Lovely.

"And the youngest sister..." The little melon shuddered. "Her husband wants a son. Desperately. So she works the fields, the house, everything, hoping to give him one so he will stop scolding her."

An Ning’s brows lowered, not out of sympathy for Zhao Guangyao, but for the sisters who clearly deserved better.

The little melon floated closer, conspiratorial. "So you see... Zhao Guangyao did not grow up farming. He grew up being protected from it."

An Ning glanced at Zhao Guangyao, who was poking at his rice with the expression of a man whose past had just been unearthed and displayed for the world to judge.

"I see," she murmured.

The little melon bobbed proudly. "Melon delivered."

[Ding! Melon Consumed!]

[Total Luck Value = +25]

"He is practically like a leech, sucking his sister’s blood." The little melon said.

"So now that he is considered successful in his life, did he do anything for his family at all?" An Ning asked.

The little melon’s light dimmed for a second, as though preparing a dramatic reveal.

"That," he said gravely, "is where things get interesting."

An Ning arched a brow. "Interesting rarely means good."

"You are very correct." The little melon floated closer, voice dropping to a scandalised whisper. "Because as far as the novel’s timeline shows... Zhao Guangyao has not done anything for his sisters. Not a cent. Not a visit. Not a gift. Nothing."

An Ning tapped her fingers against her bowl. "Not even the bare minimum?"

"Ningning," the little melon said, sounding offended on behalf of the universe, "the man bought himself a limited-edition watch last year but claimed he ’could not afford’ sending his sisters money for New Year."

An Ning paused, chopsticks halfway to her lips. "Ah."

"He even posted the watch online with the caption ’hard work pays off’," the little melon added.

An Ning’s expression didn’t change, but something dangerously close to laughter curled at the corner of her lips. "Hard work done by whom, exactly?"

"By his sisters," the little melon declared. "Obviously."

Across the table, Zhao Guangyao chuckled nervously at something Sun Qiaolian said, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. His hand tightened around his chopsticks, betraying the tension he thought he hid well.

An Ning observed him for a quiet moment.

"So," she said, "he escaped the village, left the burden to his sisters, and now pretends he rose by his own abilities."

The little melon spun with excitement. "Yes! And the best part is—"

He leaned in dramatically.

"—he is extremely sensitive about it. Anything related to the countryside? Farming? Hard labor? Instant panic."

"That explains his face earlier," An Ning murmured, sipping her soup.

"It explains a lot," the little melon agreed.

They both looked at Zhao Guangyao, who was once again subtly checking if Wu Shiyun was looking at him. She wasn’t. She was too busy staring at her tofu like she wished it were wine.

An Ning tapped her bowl lightly, amused.

"So on top of being a leech," she said softly, "he is also insecure."

"A powerful combination for future melons!" the little melon chirped gleefully.

An Ning allowed herself a small, elegant smile before asking the little melon. "What about his parents?"

The little melon paused mid-spin, as if debating how much scandal to unload at once.

"Oh, them?" he finally said, voice growing pitying in a way that was absolutely not for Zhao Guangyao. "His parents adore him. Adore him. He is their precious youngest, their future hope, their golden ticket out of hardship."

An Ning lifted an eyebrow. "And the daughters?"

The little melon let out a sound that was somewhere between a scoff and a sigh. "In that household, daughters were considered temporary residents. Sons were the investment."

"How archaic," An Ning muttered.

"Mm. And unnecessary," the little melon said. "Especially considering the daughters were the ones who sacrificed everything. Even until now, they still go to their daughters for money despite knowing their circumstances. The parents believed the best way to repay them....was to give Guangyao opportunities."

"How touching," An Ning deadpanned.

"They gave him the money saved from the daughters’ dowries. They gave him the good meals. They gave him every advantage."

"And he gave them...?"

"An occasional phone call during New Year," the little melon replied flatly. "If he wasn’t too busy."

An Ning pinched the bridge of her nose. "And yet, he walks around acting as though he built his success with his own two hands."

"Yes!" The little melon brightened again, thrilled. "Isn’t it poetic how people like him always forget the foundation they stood on? Especially when that foundation was three exhausted sisters and two parents who believed in the wrong child."

An Ning took another sip of her soup, the corners of her mouth curving just slightly. "If this were a drama, he would be the villain pretending to be a side character."

"He is the villain pretending to be a side character," the little melon corrected cheerfully.

An Ning set her chopsticks down, expression cool and thoughtful. "So he has wounded pride, buried secrets and a fragile ego. Wonderful. Just the sort of mess that attracts more mess."

The little melon hummed in agreement. "Ningning, you have such a way with words."

An Ning flicked a calm glance toward Zhao Guangyao, who was now laughing a little too loudly at something Wu Shiyun said, hoping she noticed him.

She didn’t.

An Ning smiled faintly.

"Oh," she murmured, "things are going to be entertaining."

*****

Zhao Guangyao was feeling a little uneasy from what Sun Qiaolian said.

He was trying his hardest not to show it, but of course, anyone paying attention would have noticed the slight stiffness in his shoulders, the pause of his chopsticks mid-air, and the way his smile no longer reached his eyes.

Even though people back home knew parts of his past, that didn’t mean he wanted to air his dirty laundry in public.

Which was exactly why he kept quiet about his sisters.

And his parents.

And everything else he had chosen to bury long ago.

He only ever mentioned being from a "rural town" because it earned him sympathy — and because it made getting scholarships so much easier when he was younger.

But now, at this stage of his life, he couldn’t afford for anyone to know that his so-called success had been built on the misfortune of his family.

Not when he had worked so hard to rewrite the story.

After all, wasn’t he working hard for their sake?

That was what he told himself whenever guilt pricked too sharply.

If he could just make it big, truly big, then one day he would go back and provide for them. Lift them out of their difficult lives. Make everything right.

That was the story he repeated in his head.

A very convenient one.

His gaze drifted again, almost involuntarily, to Wu Shiyun.

If he could secure someone like her...

If he could enter that world...

If he could stand beside a woman from the Wu family...

Suddenly everything would become easier. His career, his reputation, his future.

He could skip ten years of struggle.

Ten years of unstable jobs, unpredictable roles and constant competition.

One relationship.

One opportunity.

One step into the right circle.

And all the things he ever wanted would fall into place.

He tightened his grip on his chopsticks.

It wasn’t greed, he told himself.

It was strategy.

A quicker path.

A smarter path.

And once he succeeded, once he secured wealth and stability, he would repay his family.

Eventually.

He just needed to reach that point first.

Zhao Guangyao inhaled quietly, smoothing his expression back into something calm and pleasant.

No one needed to know the truth beneath the smile.

No one needed to know what he was chasing.

Or why.

He would smile.

He would act.

He would charm.

And he would make sure his past never caught up to him.

Not here.

Not now.

Not when he felt this close.