King of Kings, start with a perfect record and strive for the top spot.

Chapter 296 Xu Zhiqiang's Boast

In the evening, Ye Lan and Lin Xueyao were taking a walk downstairs after dinner when they happened to catch a glimpse of a wobbly little boy.

The little boy seemed to have injured his right foot, walking with a limp and a pained expression on his face, occasionally grimacing.

Ye Lan greeted him with a cheerful smile, "Xiao Long, what happened to your leg?"

The boy named "Xiaolong" was stunned for a moment, his eyes darting around in a panic, unconsciously glancing to the side.

"I swayed a little while walking, but it's nothing serious."

"With such heavy snow, please be careful and avoid breaking your bones."

"Thank you for your concern, big brother."

Xiao Long limped as he caught up with the main group.

Lin Xueyao raised her head and asked curiously, "Was it him who kicked down the snowman we built?"

"Hmm, that should be the kid."

How did you manage to cripple his leg?

"I piled the snowman on the stone block. This kid must have used all his strength, otherwise his leg wouldn't be injured like this."

Ye Lan looked smug. Once bitten, twice shy, this little guy probably won't dare to kick a snowman anymore.

"Aren't you afraid his parents will come to your door and cause you trouble?" A hint of worry flashed in Lin Xueyao's eyes, and her face was full of concern.

Most of the residents in this old neighborhood are related by blood or marriage, and they have countless connections with each other.

Therefore, many things become very troublesome to handle, because everyone is a relative and no one wants to go too far.

However, Ye Lan is different. As the saying goes, the first generation is close, the second generation is distant, and the third and fourth generations do not associate with each other. Ye Lan, who is in the third generation, has already shown signs of severing ties with her relatives.

Of course, this is mainly because there is no lucky money during the Chinese New Year.

It's one thing to not give New Year's money, but now he's asking other kids to give New Year's money too. This is not only against all reason, but also against the law.

"Don't worry, even if his parents come knocking on our door, it won't do any good. The kid made a fool of himself by kicking the snowman, so it's not my fault."

Ye Lan believes that not all victims deserve sympathy, and everything should be considered in terms of cause and effect. Just like driving on the street, if you don't follow traffic rules and get hit, can you blame others?

The situation is similar: you injured your foot because you tried to knock down my snowman, not because I built a snowman and your foot got hurt for no reason. There is a fundamental difference between the two; you can't confuse the two.

........

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, it's time for the familiar routine of visiting relatives and friends.

Ye Lan got up early, put on her shoes and socks, washed up, and then picked up the New Year's goods she had bought to go out.

The commotion attracted Ms. Zhang Fengxia, who was cooking. She immediately waved her spatula and asked, "Where do you want to go during the New Year? Your second uncle's family is coming over to pay their respects later. It would be impolite if you weren't there."

"Go to Xu Zhiqiang's house."

Zhang Fengxia frowned. "Why go to his house? We're not related."

Although Ye Lan and Xu Zhiqiang are childhood friends, their parents don't actually have any connection. Therefore, Ms. Zhang Fengxia was very puzzled by Ye Lan's decision to visit Xu Zhiqiang's home on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

"Isn't the Spring Festival a time for visiting relatives and friends? You visit relatives, I visit friends, and we don't interfere with each other."

Ye Lan smiled slightly, grabbed the car keys from the counter, turned around and went out, gently closing the door behind her. Then she quickly went downstairs and left.

"That stinky boy."

Ms. Zhang Fengxia shook her head helplessly, but she was also aware of the thoughts of young people nowadays.

The so-called relatives are actually relatives of the elders. They may only meet once a year during holidays, and in most cases, they will never have any contact with each other.

Moreover, everyone is very busy now, and relationships will only become more distant. Instead of spending time visiting relatives, it's better to make more close friends.

Xu Zhiqiang's residential area is right next to Ye Lan's; it's just a turn at the intersection, and it only takes half an hour by car.

Not long after, Ye Lan arrived at the residential area where Xu Zhiqiang lived.

The two had known each other since childhood and knew each other's addresses like the back of their hand. Ye Lan arrived at Xu Zhiqiang's doorstep with familiarity.

dong dong dong~

Ye Lan gently knocked on the door, and soon a burly, broad-shouldered middle-aged man opened it.

It was Xu Zhiqiang's father, Xu Zhong!

"Hey, Ye Lan's here! Come in, come in! Honey, heat up the pig's trotters I just bought yesterday. I'm going to have a couple of drinks with my buddies."

Xu Zhong warmly welcomed Ye Lan in and spoke to Xu Ma, who was busy in the kitchen.

Ye Lan, who was standing at the door, was taken aback when she heard this. She wondered if the generational order was a bit messed up.

"Uncle, I don't have much to give you for the New Year, these are some tonics."

"Oh, you're so particular! Just showing up is enough, why bring a gift!"

"And please don't call me uncle anymore, it sounds too formal. If you don't mind, just call me brother."

With a big smile, Xu Zhong led Ye Lan to the living room, then ran into the kitchen, seemingly preparing to cook himself.

While tying his apron, he shouted at Xu Zhiqiang, who was lying on the sofa playing on his phone, "You brat, don't you have any sense of propriety? Hurry up and entertain your Uncle Ye!"

Xu Zhiqiang impatiently put down his phone. "Oh, it's here."

Then he took out a bar of AD calcium milk and Want Want rice crackers from the New Year's goods cabinet and threw them in front of Ye Lan, saying, "Have a bite of these first."

Ye Lan took the things handed to her and asked curiously, "What happened to your dad?"

"It's nothing. Just be prepared. I reckon he'll try to become sworn brothers with you when he's drunk later."

Xu Zhiqiang was on the verge of tears. In this way, Ye Lan had truly become his godfather!

"Why does your dad want to become sworn brothers with me?" Ye Lan was still full of confusion.

“I made tens of thousands of yuan following you, and when I came back from vacation I told my dad. He was overjoyed and insisted on becoming sworn brothers with you. No one could persuade him otherwise.”

Ye Lan was furious. "Didn't I tell you not to tell your dad about this yet!"

"I've made so much money, I can't help but show it off!"

Xu Zhiqiang looked aggrieved. He had earned more than 70,000 yuan in two months, and of course he wanted the whole world to know about it.

Ye Lan was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.

The editing industry has peak and off-peak seasons. The reason why Ye Lan is making so much money now is because her live streams have popularity and traffic.

However, once Ye Lan loses her traffic, Xu Zhiqiang's subsequent revenue will naturally decrease.

If the decline in profits is not significant, everyone will naturally be happy.

However, the editing profession is fraught with uncertainty; while the potential for growth is high, the downside is also surprisingly low. If earnings were to plummet, Xu Zhiqiang's parents would likely blame Ye Lan.

At that time, Ye Lan will be unable to defend herself.

"What should we do? I've already bragged about it, saying that if I work for you for a few years, I'll buy a house in the city." Xu Zhiqiang panicked.

Ye Lan pointed at Xu Zhiqiang's nose and cursed, "You dare to brag about anything? I should really find a needle and sew your mouth shut!"

"How can it be called bragging if you don't exaggerate a little?" Xu Zhiqiang said sullenly.