Chapter 36: Internet Celebrity

In Shen Siyuan’s memory, Zhang Haibo’s home was a red-brick tile house—not dilapidated, but certainly old.

Built probably in the 70s or 80s, many bricks and tiles had cracked, and shady spots were covered in moss.

The brick walls, worn by wind and sun, were pitted with tiny holes, and in spring, many bees loved to crawl into them.

So Shen Siyuan and his friends would cover the holes with IV bottles, poke a straw inside, and when the bees flew out, they’d land in the bottles—they could catch many in a single day.

They used IV bottles because their wide bellies and narrow mouths made it hard for bees to escape once inside.

But all that was childhood nostalgia; now before Shen Siyuan stood a Western-style villa.

A genuine European-style villa, newly built, clearly not long ago.

“Looks like Zhang Haibo really made it.” Shen Siyuan sighed.

“Your family isn’t poor either—perfectly matched.”

Aunt Qi grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, as if she’d known the place forever.

“Auntie, are you home?” Aunt Qi called out loudly.

A short, dark-skinned middle-aged woman stepped out, followed by a girl, equally short, no taller than one meter sixty.

But her figure was full—curves where they should be, hips lifted, face delicate and flawless, seemingly without a single flaw—but upon closer look, thick foundation masked every imperfection.

She was pretty, but the heavy makeup made it impossible to see her real face.

“Cui Xiang, you’re here!” the woman greeted warmly.

“Auntie, hello,” Shen Siyuan said quickly.

The woman was Zhang Haibo’s mother—he knew her well.

“This is Siyuan? You’ve grown so much! Let Auntie take a good look.”

Zhang Haibo’s mother ignored Aunt Qi, grabbing Shen Siyuan’s hand to examine him closely.

“Auntie, we haven’t seen each other in years—you haven’t changed a bit.”

“Nonsense, I’ve aged a lot,” she said, though her face beamed with joy.

The more she looked at Shen Siyuan, the more satisfied she became—tall, fair, clean-cut, eyes bright and sharp, and someone she knew well—she was very pleased.

But her approval wasn’t enough; her daughter had to approve too.

She turned to her daughter standing behind her and waved her over. “What are you standing there for? Come here—let Aunt Qi introduce you two.”

“No need for an introduction,” Aunt Qi laughed. “Look at how your sister’s acting—you two already know each other.”

Zhang Haibo’s mother nodded. “This boy was classmates with our Haibo. He used to come over all the time as a kid—so mischievous. When you mentioned him, I remembered right away…”

She was about to introduce her daughter stepping forward.

“Mom, no need—you know I know Shen Datou.” She covered her mouth and giggled.

When Shen Siyuan was a child, his head was noticeably larger than others’, hence the nickname.

But no one had called him that in years.

Yet now, back home, first his uncle, and now Zhang Shengnan right here.

Yes, Zhang Shengnan was the girl’s name.

“You two know each other? Wonderful!” Zhang Shengnan’s mother beamed.

“Auntie, we’re way too familiar—I remember her chasing me two miles with a stick covered in shit. I still remember it vividly, haha…” Shen Siyuan burst out laughing.

Zhang Shengnan shot him a furious glare—he was ruining her reputation.

“You little brat…”

Zhang Shengnan’s mother glared at her daughter.

Her daughter’s name was perfectly fitting—she’d been a tomboy since childhood, so she didn’t doubt Shen Siyuan for a second.

“Mom, that’s not true—don’t listen to him.”

Zhang Shengnan instinctively wrinkled her nose.

Zhang Shengnan’s mother instantly knew Shen Siyuan wasn’t lying—when Zhang Shengnan lied, she always wrinkled her nose.

“Aunt Qi, let the kids talk on their own—we adults shouldn’t interfere.”

Aunt Qi pulled her aside—today was for matchmaking, not for disciplining her daughter.

“Stay for lunch?” Zhang Shengnan’s mother added casually.

She was just going through the motions.

“No need to trouble you…”

As they spoke, they walked inside, leaving only Shen Siyuan and Zhang Shengnan standing there.

“Happy now?” Zhang Shengnan grumbled.

“Why’d you call me Shen Datou?”

“Isn’t that your name? I didn’t give you the nickname—I’m just stating facts.”

“I’m stating facts too.”

“Pfft~ You’re a grown man, so petty,” Zhang Shengnan scoffed.

Shen Siyuan didn’t want to argue further—he’d chat a bit, fulfill the obligation, and give his mother a report.

So he changed the subject: “Didn’t your brother come back?”

“No.”

“I heard he got rich—what business is he in in Yē City?”

“Are you here to date me or my brother? Why keep asking about him?”

“Alright, tell me about yourself—did you just graduate from university?”

“Mm…”

Zhang Shengnan didn’t hide anything—she told Shen Siyuan everything plainly.

Of course, hiding wouldn’t help—anyone could find out this information.

Zhang Shengnan and her brother Zhang Haibo were both poor students—Zhang Haibo didn’t even pass college entrance exams and went to Yē City to make his fortune.

Zhang Shengnan did slightly better—she got into Qionghai Normal College, a second-tier university, majoring in elementary education—a field where graduation meant unemployment.

“So what are you planning to do?” Shen Siyuan asked curiously.

Since her brother was successful, she’d probably head to Yē City to join him.

“I signed with an MCN company—I create short video content. Do you have Douyin? Follow me.”

Shen Siyuan, of course, had Douyin—he scrolled it constantly during work breaks.

Zhang Shengnan’s Douyin handle was 【Zhang Dali】—she had eighty thousand followers.

Shen Siyuan clicked on a random video—and gasped.

There she was, dressed as a maid, crushing aluminum cans with her bare hands…

Shen Siyuan stared at her in shock.

She immediately raised both arms into a strongman pose, growling: “What are you staring at? I’ll punch you.”

Seeing her like that, Shen Siyuan almost laughed.

He hadn’t expected this tiny girl to be both violent and comedic.

“Do you think I’ll go viral?” Zhang Shengnan asked.

“You might get small fame, but big fame? Unlikely,” Shen Siyuan said after thinking.

“Why?”

“Because you have no real substance—hard for people to remember you.”

“You don’t know anything.”

Clearly, Shen Siyuan’s words annoyed Zhang Shengnan.

On Douyin, girls who just shake their asses get millions of followers—what substance do they have?

Fine, Shen Siyuan was left speechless.

Actually, they were getting along fairly well—they had childhood ties.

But clearly, Zhang Shengnan didn’t want to date or marry yet—right now, all she wanted was to go viral, become a big internet celebrity.

Shen Siyuan understood, so they exchanged contact info, didn’t stay for lunch, and left straight home—Aunt Qi had vanished already.

Seeing her son return, his mother Huang Huijuan rushed over, beaming.

“How was the girl? Did she like you?”

“No—we’re not compatible,” Shen Siyuan said.

Huang Huijuan’s smile vanished instantly.

“You haven’t even spent time together—how do you know you’re incompatible?”

Shen Siyuan pulled out his phone and opened Zhang Shengnan’s Douyin for her.

“Isn’t that great? Strong arms mean good health—your kids will be tough, and you won’t have to worry about her abusing you.”

“Mom, what are you saying? She won’t abuse me—I’m the one who’s scared!” Shen Siyuan groaned.

“Pfft! Useless! What good are you? You’ve made me happy for nothing—go back to Binhai right away. I can’t stand seeing you.”

His mother turned away, face full of disgust, and walked back inside.

Shen Siyuan: …