Chapter 1

My aunt slapped two hundred yuan down on the counter of our roast-meat shop.

“My eldest grandson is having his one-month celebration. Twenty tables. Book them at your seafood restaurant.”

I said, “That restaurant isn’t mine.”

She scoffed. “What are you pretending for? The flower basket has Lin Yuan’s name on it. If it isn’t yours, whose is it?”

After that, she led more than a hundred relatives to the seafood restaurant for the baby’s one-month banquet.

Australian lobster, as much as they could eat.

King crab, boxed up to take home.

Two bottles of Moutai at every table.

When it was time to pay, a waiter brought over the bill.

“Three hundred and eighty thousand yuan. Please settle the payment.”

My aunt’s hand trembled. “Didn’t I tell you to put it on my nephew’s account?”

The seafood restaurant’s actual owner stepped forward with a smile.

“I’m sorry. My name is Lin Yuan too, but I’m not your nephew.”

My name is Lin Yuan.

I’m no big-shot businessman.

And I don’t own a seafood restaurant.

My family has just one roast-meat shop, with three storefront bays beside the market. We sell char siu, roast goose, and braised meats.

The work is hard, but at least it’s an honest, steady business.

That morning, I was slicing dark char siu in the kitchen.

My knife had barely come down when my aunt, Zhang Guilan, boomed from the shop entrance.

“Xiaoyuan, I’ve got wonderful news for you!”

I looked up. She came in beaming, with my mother behind her.

My aunt slapped two red banknotes down on the counter.

“My eldest grandson is having his one-month celebration. Twenty tables. Book them at your seafood restaurant.”

I stared at her. “Which seafood restaurant?”

She glared at me. “Which one do you think? The one you opened.”

I wiped my hands. “Auntie, I don’t own a seafood restaurant.”

She sneered and shoved her phone in my face.

On the screen was a picture of a flower basket.

It had been placed outside a newly opened Cantonese seafood restaurant.

The red ribbon read:

“Congratulations to Boss Lin Yuan on his prosperous grand opening!”

My aunt looked smug. “I even took a picture of the flower basket. It clearly says Song Lin Yuan.”

“Enough pretending. Your name is right there. If that restaurant isn’t yours, whose is it?”

I patiently explained, “The restaurant owner is also named Lin Yuan. He isn’t me.”

“You have the exact same name?”

She acted as though she’d just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“Xiaoyuan, if you’re going to make something up, at least make it believable.”

“Just answer me: twenty tables next Saturday. Are you doing it or not?”

I lowered my eyes to the two hundred yuan on the counter.

My aunt pushed the money toward me.

“If you won’t do it, fine. Keep the two hundred as your labor fee.”

“And you still refuse me again and again.”

“Xiaoyuan, you’ve opened such a big restaurant. What’s the harm in hosting one or two banquets?”

My voice cooled. “This isn’t about money.”

She immediately raised her voice. “What did you say?”

I met her eyes and enunciated each word.

“I said that restaurant isn’t mine. I’m not hosting the banquet.”

Her expression darkened at once.

“Fine. You won’t do it?”

“Go ahead and try me.”

“Next Saturday, twenty tables. Anyone who doesn’t come is showing me disrespect.”

She grabbed her phone and left.

My mother hurried to stop her, but I held her back.

“Mom, don’t.”

I knew Zhang Guilan all too well.

She hadn’t come to discuss it.

She had come to tell me what she’d decided.

Less than ten minutes later, the family group chat was in an uproar.

My aunt sent a voice message.

“Uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters—the one-month celebration for my eldest grandson is next Saturday. We’re holding it at a seafood restaurant. My nephew Lin Yuan is treating everyone. It’ll be a full seafood feast!”

Relatives immediately chimed in.

“Guilan, is your nephew really a big restaurant owner now?”

My aunt replied at once. “What big owner? He just opened a restaurant.”

Someone asked, “Would it be a bother if we brought our families?”

“Bring everyone!” my aunt said. “There’ll be unlimited Australian lobster.”

Another relative joined in. “Guilan, will there be Moutai?”

“Of course. Two bottles per table.”

I stared at my phone, my temple twitching.

I sent one message to the group.

“That seafood restaurant isn’t mine. Please don’t get the wrong idea.”

The chat went quiet for a few seconds.

Then it got even louder.

“Xiaoyuan, your Aunt Guilan already said so. Stop being modest.”

“Exactly. You’ve opened a whole seafood restaurant. Why hide it from your relatives?”

“It’s good to be successful. No need to keep it secret.”

My aunt tagged me directly.

“Keep pretending if you want. The whole group saw it, and you’re still denying it.”

“Xiaoyuan, all you have to do is show up Saturday. Don’t worry about anything else.”

I replied, “I’ve already said it. That restaurant isn’t mine.”

My aunt sent a laughing emoji.

“There you go again.”

“See you Saturday.”

I stared at the words “See you Saturday” and suddenly found it a little funny.

It wasn’t as if I’d never tried to reason with her.

But some people had to run headfirst into a wall before they’d understand it hurt.

That afternoon, my aunt came back.

This time, she didn’t come alone.

She stood in front of the roast-meat shop with her hands on her hips, deliberately raising her voice.

“Why are you pretending? More than two hundred people in the group are watching.”

“Are you hosting this one-month banquet or not?”

I was weighing a roast goose for a customer and couldn’t be bothered to answer.

My aunt slapped another two hundred yuan down on the counter.

“You won’t do it? Here, two hundred yuan. I’m giving you two hundred.”

“You think it’s too little?”

I looked up at her. “What are you trying to say?”

She sneered. “You think it’s too little?”

“Xiaoyuan, don’t make me take harsher measures.”

I set down the tongs. “And what would those be?”

Her voice dropped, her eyes full of threat.

“Don’t you dare regret this.”

“You really think I have no way to deal with you?”

“Do you know what your grandfather said?”

I looked at her. “What did he say?”

She lifted her chin. “He said if you won’t host the banquet, you can stop calling him your maternal grandfather.”

My heart sank.

My mother, standing beside me, went pale too.

My maternal grandfather was old and in poor health. He cared deeply about appearances and had always favored Aunt Guilan, his eldest daughter.

But I still pushed the two hundred yuan back.

“I won’t take your money.”

“Don’t come to me about the banquet.”

My aunt gritted her teeth. “Just you wait.”

I nodded. “Take care on your way out.”

The next afternoon, my aunt went to the Cantonese seafood restaurant herself.

I didn’t go.

But relatives sent me videos.

In one of them, my aunt was sitting in the dining hall with a teacup, looking pleased with herself.

She pointed at a waiter.

“Waiter, call your Boss Lin Yuan down here.”

“Give us a discount on this table.”

A relative beside her immediately chimed in.

“See? See? Even the staff call him Boss. He really is your nephew.”

Another relative sounded doubtful. “Guilan, could there be some mistake?”

My aunt insisted, “Impossible. The staff went in to tell the boss already.”

A moment later, the video shook as my mother called me.

“Xiaoyuan, your aunt is posting about it on her social media.”

I was startled. “Mom, don’t post anything.”

She hurried to reassure me. “I’m not posting. Your aunt told me to, but I refused.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“You did the right thing.”

“If she keeps making trouble, just ignore her. Let her say whatever she wants.”

But Zhang Guilan was not the sort of person who would quietly accept defeat.