Don't Lie to Your Therapist—She Already Knows Your Fate

They didn’t look like locals; their clothes had a bit of a city flair.

Aunt Zhang pulled Wen Ying to the front row. Seeing her looking, she said, "Oh, them? I think they’re photographers the director hired. Our event is going to be reported on!"

To the people here, being reported on meant it was a big deal, that they were becoming famous!

So, hearing it would be reported on made them feel very happy and honored, just like an ordinary person getting on TV.

"Auntie, what kind of event is this, exactly?"

"A song and dance competition!"

Wen Ying, "..."

Looking at this group of aunties, she wondered what kind of singing and dancing this would entail.

’It couldn’t be square dancing, could it?’

Wen Ying felt a vague sense of dread.

"Little Ying! Don’t you underestimate us just because we’re getting on in years. When it comes to square dancing, we absolutely can’t lose! This is for the honor of our neighborhood!"

Sure enough, it was square dancing.

"So this is Little Ying?"

"Little Ying really is the prettiest girl in our neighborhood!"

"Little Ying, do you have a boyfriend? I was very close to your grandmother. How about I find a match for you?"

"Xiufang, give it a rest! Look at Little Ying, and then think about the kind of guys you know. Do you really think they’re a match? Have you forgotten how much Grandma Wen did for all of us?"

The auntie called Xiufang looked at Wen Ying sheepishly. "I was just getting carried away. Little Ying is in her twenties now, isn’t she?"

"Alright, Little Ying’s business is not for you all to worry about. She’s my daughter now. If you want to introduce someone to her, you talk to me first. Only if they pass my inspection can they meet Little Ying."

Aunt Zhang directly shut down the aunties’ attempts to rush her into a relationship.

Seeing Aunt Zhang say this, they surprisingly didn’t argue back.

Aunt Zhang had a bit of a temper and would start cussing when she was displeased. They didn’t want that kind of trouble.

Still, it seemed like a shame for someone as young as Wen Ying to just be waiting around here.

"Alright, alright, we won’t try to set her up. But you should at least let Little Ying interact with some other young people, right? There are a lot of them here today. I think a TV station is even coming to film in our neighborhood!"

"Right, right! I heard that too. A child of one of my relatives works at a TV station. He said our neighborhood has a certain retro feel, which is perfect for promoting in this modern era of steel and concrete. I didn’t understand most of it, but basically, our neighborhood is going to be on TV!"

"I never thought I’d live to see our neighborhood get famous! Does that mean my house will be worth more then?"

"The Li family has a whole row of houses! How much would that be worth?"

In a place like this, when these older aunties got together, they naturally gossiped about the neighborhood’s comings and goings. And now there were even more people than usual.

"Little Ying, don’t pay them any mind. You’re still young, there’s no rush to date! Look, Auntie sees all the young people are over there. Why don’t you go chat with them?"

No sooner had Aunt Zhang said this than she suddenly stood up, grabbed Wen Ying’s hand, and started walking toward the crowd of young people.

"Aren’t you Zhang Haisheng’s boy?" Aunt Zhang asked, looking with surprise at what was probably the most handsome young man in the crowd. More importantly, she remembered that Zhang Haisheng’s youngest son had gotten into a good university!

He had the best college entrance exam scores in the whole area!

But my, how the boy had changed!

She hadn’t seen him in just a year or two, and he’d gotten so handsome?

He was full of vigor, too!

Zhang Wenliang nodded. "Auntie, that’s me!"

"Oh my! I knew it was you! This is my daughter, Wen Ying. She’s probably a year or two older than you! She’s also Grandma Wen’s granddaughter! Back when you were taking your university exams, your parents brought you to see Grandma Wen for some guidance, remember?"

Zhang Wenliang nodded again. "Auntie, I remember. Hello, Sister Xiao Ying."

The young man seemed gentle and polite, and he really stood out in the crowd.

Unsurprisingly, he was surrounded by a few girls.

Aunt Zhang picked out a few familiar faces and asked around. They were all kids who had grown up on the street, but many had moved to the city in recent years, so she hadn’t seen them in a long time.

She didn’t expect them all to come back this time.

"Little Ying, his name is Zhang Wenliang. He’s the most promising student from our area. He got into a really good university, a top-tier one! The young man is quite handsome, too, isn’t he?"

Wen Ying looked at Zhang Wenliang and sighed internally.

’I can’t believe there’s such a cute younger boy here. It’d be great if I could reach out and pinch his cheeks, but alas, I can’t.’

"Sister Wen Ying, you also graduated from a top-tier university, right?"

Zhang Wenliang took the initiative to speak, which made Aunt Zhang, who had been racking her brain for an excuse to get them talking, beam with joy.

’I knew this kid had good taste!’

"It wasn’t a top-tier university, just a regular one," Wen Ying said after a moment’s thought, not wanting to show off.

"Brother Wen Liang is the one who goes to a top-tier university!" a girl to the side interjected, seemingly displeased that Zhang Wenliang had spoken to Wen Ying first.

Wen Ying glanced at her but didn’t say anything. She then heard Zhang Wenliang turn to the girl and ask, "Sorry, and you are?"

"Sister Xiao Ying, do you know her?"

Wen Ying shook her head. Zhang Wenliang frowned for a moment before his expression smoothed over. "I don’t know her either. I didn’t expect so many people to be here today."

"Brother Wen Liang, it’s me, Xiao Hui! Xiao Hui, who lived next door to you when we were kids! Your parents really liked me back then and even said I should marry you when we grew up!" The girl was a little indignant, but she blushed as she spoke.

It was as if she were trying to stake her claim.

"You’re Big Teeth Zhang’s second daughter?" Aunt Zhang asked, staring at the girl.

"Auntie, that’s me!" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Didn’t you go off to the big city to make your fortune? Did you make a lot of money? Your parents were bragging quite a bit back then, saying you’d found yourself a sugar daddy! Did you bring him back? Let your Auntie have a look, broaden my horizons!"

Aunt Zhang’s words instantly deflated the girl’s entire bravado.

"Xiaoliang, come over to my spot and chat with your Sister Xiao Ying. You’re around the same age, so you’ll surely have things to talk about."

Zhang Wenliang followed behind Aunt Zhang, walking with Wen Ying back to where they were sitting before.

"Zhang Hui! Why did you have to say all that? Now look! Wen Liang has gone off with that vixen!"

"Exactly! If my parents hadn’t told me Wen Liang was back, I never would have returned to this poor place! And now look what’s happened! You’re completely useless, more of a hindrance than a help!"

"Alright, everyone, stop fighting. It’s obvious Zhang Wenliang isn’t interested in any of us. We’re the ones who insisted on crowding around him. What’s the point?"

"Easy for you to say! You came here too, didn’t you? Zhang Wenliang is the most promising guy from our neighborhood! My parents say he’s definitely going to make a lot of money in the future! I heard he’s already participated in some invention thing at school and even won an award! With a man like that, I don’t believe you guys are willing to give up!"

Zhang Wenliang sat on the stool next to Wen Ying. For some reason, even though he had no plans to get into a relationship, the moment he saw her, he found himself liking this older sister.