Study System: I'm a 38-Year-Old Student

Chapter 368 - 247: Life Is Like a Play, All Depends on Acting Skills

On the other side, Shen Qiushan was stunned by Liu Qingwu’s story.

He seemed to have only seen similar things in some social news reports, where some families had deeply ingrained thoughts of valuing males over females, as if daughters were born to be money-making tools, while only sons were considered their real children.

Parents in such families often instill the "brother first" mindset in their daughters from a young age, creating countless "brother supporters."

Therefore, many men are reluctant to marry women who have younger brothers when choosing a spouse.

Because you never know if you’re marrying a "brother supporter"!

On the internet, it’s common to see news of women secretly using all their savings to buy houses, cars, and pay bride prices for their brothers.

But news is just news. Liu Qingwu is someone around him, and it had quite an impact on Shen Qiushan.

Fortunately, Liu Qingwu chose not to be a "brother supporter" with no boundaries. She chose to bravely distance herself from her original family.

"Now my mom has the money in her card, and I’m worried she will really buy a house, so I have to keep her stable first."

"Old Shen, I might need a favor from you..."

Going to court to file a lawsuit takes time, so Liu Qingwu thought to stabilize her mother and brother first, and a plan quickly formed in her mind.

After ending the call with Shen Qiushan, Liu Qingwu adjusted her mood.

At this moment, her mother Li Guilian, brother Liu Xiaojie, and several neighbors just walked out of the building.

"Qingwu, your mom and brother just told us about the situation. The way they handled it was indeed inappropriate."

"But Xiaojie also said he was in a desperate situation and acted recklessly. After all, you’re a family, don’t let money ruin the harmony."

Liu Yufen stepped up to mediate.

"Sis, it’s all my fault!"

"It was my idea, don’t blame mom!"

Liu Xiaojie quickly apologized, taking all the responsibility on himself.

"What does that girlfriend of yours do?"

"When did you meet?"

Liu Qingwu didn’t talk about money anymore, instead, she showed concern for her brother’s marriage.

"We met through a friend. She used to work in Sanjiang, and since New Year’s is approaching, she returned early."

"We’ve been dating for two months now, Sis, I really like Lili. She’s so much better than my previous girlfriends..."

Talking about his girlfriend, Liu Xiaojie suddenly perked up and started talking animatedly.

"Qingwu, if you want to meet Xiaojie’s girlfriend, you can come with us to the real estate agency."

"Help us check out the house!"

Li Guilian suggested.

"Alright, I’ll go meet her."

Liu Qingwu nodded, appearing to compromise.

"That’s the way!"

"We’re all a family, nothing we can’t get through!"

Liu Yufen tried to ease the tension: "Besides, Xiaojie’s getting married is a joyous occasion. If money is needed, we old neighbors can help gather some."

"Indeed."

"We can’t let money ruin the relationships!"

The neighbors all chimed in, seemingly very kind-hearted, saying nice things.

But Liu Qingwu knew they were only saying these things. If it actually affected their interests, they’d be the loudest to protest.

"Aunt Liu, Aunt Zhang, having neighbors like you is truly a blessing for our family."

"I hope you mean it!"

Liu Qingwu responded with a fake smile, appearing enthusiastic.

"We’re speaking from the heart."

"We’ve been neighbors for so many years, of course, we hope everyone can do well."

Liu Yufen immediately replied with a smile.

"Aunt Liu, then I won’t be polite."

"Xiaojie needs to buy a house, and he’s short a bit of money. Could you lend us 20,000?"

Just now, Liu Yufen said to speak up if short of money, and everyone could help gather some.

Liu Qingwu spoke directly, not being polite. Her goal was simple, to expose the hypocrisy of these people.

Didn’t you say you’d help?

Now is your chance to help!

As expected, after hearing Liu Qingwu’s words, the smile on Liu Yufen’s face disappeared, replaced by a look of embarrassment.

She was stunned for a moment before stammering: "Oh dear, even though 20,000 isn’t much, it’s just unfortunate that I lent the money to my brother’s child’s marriage recently."

This outcome was already within Liu Qingwu’s expectations. She turned to Zhang Yayun, who was also there to watch the commotion, and had been the loudest in chiming in earlier.

"Aunt Zhang, is it convenient on your side?"

"Just 20,000, after Xiaojie’s wedding and getting gifts, it’ll be paid back..."

"Uh, my husband hasn’t had much work recently, our family really doesn’t have much money."

"Oh right, I need to go buy groceries."

Zhang Yayun gave a perfunctory excuse and quickly left.

With her leading, Liu Yufen and the others also scattered, fearing Liu Qingwu might ask them for money.

What was a bustling scene just now turned into only Liu Qingwu and her family of three.

"These people just want to see our family as a joke."

"None of them truly want to help."

Having been neighbors for decades, Li Guilian naturally understood each one of them. They all speak nicely but run faster than anyone when it gets serious.

"Exactly, at crucial moments, I still have to rely on my sister!"

Liu Xiaojie immediately chimed in and flattered.

Liu Qingwu didn’t respond to that, instead pointed towards the direction of the community gate: "Let’s go, to the real estate agency!"

The county isn’t big.

The three of them took a cab and arrived in ten minutes.

Liu Xiaojie’s girlfriend, Xu Huili, was already impatiently waiting at the door of the agency, just about to call Liu Xiaojie again. But as soon as she took out her phone, they arrived.

Xu Huili initially thought only Li Guilian and Liu Xiaojie would come, but surprisingly, there was also an additional beautiful woman.

Knowing Liu Xiaojie’s family situation, Xu Huili immediately guessed Liu Qingwu’s identity.

"This must be the sister, right?"

"I’ve often heard Xiaojie mention you. I heard you’re a teacher at Sanjiang University, that’s really impressive!"

Xu Huili was good with words, starting by praising Liu Qingwu upon meeting.

Liu Qingwu, on the other hand, sized up Xu Huili. The latter was slightly shorter than her, probably around 163 cm, and looked decent, but her makeup was a bit heavy.

At first glance, her clothing and style seemed fashionable, but a closer look revealed that those clothes with big brand logos were all knockoffs, giving off a sense of powerless pretense without financial backing.

"Hello."

Liu Qingwu politely nodded and then casually asked, "Xiaojie said you used to work in Sanjiang. What kind of job was it?"

"Sales."

Xu Huili simply replied without giving a detailed introduction of her work.

From this, it could be inferred that her job in Sanjiang was probably not very respectable.

"If I may ask, do you not plan to return to develop in Sanjiang in the future?"

"You might have some idea of our family situation. If you buy a house in our hometown, it’s almost impossible to buy one in Sanjiang."

Liu Qingwu threw out the bait she had prepared.

Sure enough, hearing Liu Qingwu’s words, Xu Huili’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t suggested buying a house in Sanjiang because she knew Sanjiang’s housing prices were too high, and Liu Xiaojie probably couldn’t afford it.

But hearing from this "big sister-in-law," it seemed like the Liu family could afford a house in Sanjiang, which would be much better.

In an instant, the house she was about to negotiate for no longer seemed appealing to Xu Huili.