NOVEL WEB Chapter 50 - "Your Uncle is Still at Home"
Chapter 50: “Your Uncle is Still at Home”
Cao Shaoyang didn’t have to wait long.
Xin Chun Jiao emerged from her apartment dressed modestly in a casual tracksuit suitable for jogging. She cautiously poked her head out first, and upon seeing Cao Shaoyang still there, she inexplicably felt a wave of relief.
Perhaps she was glad he hadn’t left. After all, if the young man irresponsibly shared the photos he had taken online, her current reputation as a popular live-streamer would take a severe hit. Though she might gain fame, it wouldn’t be the kind of fame she wanted.
Worse, if the neighbors, her daughter’s classmates, or their parents found out, it would devastate her daughter’s critical academic period.
So, summoning her courage, Xin Chun Jiao decided to face the situation head-on and see if she could negotiate a solution that would satisfy them both.
Cao Shaoyang greeted her first with a bright, boyish smile.
“Hi, Auntie! It’s been a while since we last met.”
Forcing a smile, Xin Chun Jiao replied awkwardly, “Y-Yes, it has. The last time we met in the elevator was… um…”
“Haha! Auntie, have you forgotten when we last met? It’s okay! Honestly, I don’t remember either. But I do know there’s a beautiful auntie like you in the building, and we’ve run into each other a few times.”
“Haha… hehe…” Xin Chun Jiao chuckled nervously, unsure how to respond.
“Um… about what happened earlier…” she began hesitantly.
“Oh! Auntie, you mean the photos I took just now?” Cao Shaoyang interjected casually.
“Yes! Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk about. Actually… actually, I was just…” she stammered, struggling to come up with an excuse. She wanted to say she had been exercising, but who exercises in the hallway facing the elevator? Her brain worked furiously to find a more reasonable explanation.
“No need to explain, Auntie,” Cao Shaoyang said with a knowing smile. “The photos turned out great. You have a fantastic figure, and I’m grateful you let me witness such… heroic scenery.”
“W-What?”
Xin Chun Jiao was genuinely stunned. She couldn’t believe how casually this student spoke about such an embarrassing situation. Worse, his words were shockingly blunt.
She briefly considered snatching the phone from his hands and deleting the photos herself. However, looking at his tall, athletic frame, she realized it would be futile.
Left with no choice, Xin Chun Jiao forced a smile and spoke in a pleading tone, “I’m glad you like them, but could you please delete those photos from your phone? I… I can even pay you. If you enjoy my pictures, I have plenty of selfies and private photo shoots I could share with you. Just… please delete those.”
Her voice trembled slightly as she looked at him expectantly, hoping he would agree. She believed that most boys his age were thin-skinned and wouldn’t easily go back on their word once they agreed to something.
Unfortunately for her, Cao Shaoyang was not like most boys.
He neither agreed nor refused outright. Instead, he looked at her with a faint smile.
“Auntie, are we really going to have this conversation out here?” he asked, tilting his head toward the elevator doors.
“W-Where else should we talk?” Xin Chun Jiao asked nervously, her scalp prickling with unease.
Cao Shaoyang brushed imaginary dust off his clothes with an air of casual confidence.
“How about we go inside your apartment to talk?”
Xin Chun Jiao’s heart skipped a beat. That was precisely the scenario she had feared.
“N-No, that’s not a good idea. Your uncle is still home!”
Instinctively, she tried to scare him off with the mention of a non-existent man. If she let him into her home, she feared what might happen next.
Unfortunately, Cao Shaoyang wasn’t so easily deterred. He saw through her lie with a mischievous grin, his gaze fixed on her with a playful glint.
“Auntie, if I’m not mistaken, this apartment is only you and your daughter living here, right? And since you moved in, your uncle hasn’t visited even once. Am I correct?”
That was it. The student standing in front of her seemed to know everything—he had clearly been keeping an eye on her for a long time. This seemingly coincidental encounter had handed him leverage over her. The situation wasn’t going to be easily resolved.
With her lie now exposed, Xin Chun Jiao could only offer a forced smile.
“Haha… hehe… well, Auntie’s just been busy, and the house isn’t exactly tidy. It’s not great to have guests, you know?”
Cao Shaoyang didn’t let up.
“Auntie, how about we go to a restaurant instead? I’ll book a private room, and we can sit down, have a few drinks, and talk things over while enjoying some lunch. What do you think?”
He glanced at his watch—an ordinary mechanical one—showing 11:13 AM.