183: Chapter 183 Poor family background? That doesn't make sense!

Chen Yu took a deep breath, trying to make the upward curve of his lips look as natural as possible.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The moment the door lock turned, Chen Yu’s heart nearly jumped into his throat.

Opening the door was a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. His shirt was ironed so perfectly that there wasn't a single wrinkle, and his gaze fell on Chen Yu through his lenses with a scholar's characteristic scrutiny.

"Dad!" Su Lingyin's voice was as light as a lark's. "This is Chen Yu."

"Hello, Uncle." Chen Yu gave a forty-five-degree bow, nearly flinging the gift box in his hand.

Professor Su pushed up his glasses, a kind smile appearing on his face. "Xiao Chen, right? Lingyin's mother is preparing sweet and sour fish. When she heard you were coming, she insisted on showing off her skills."

"Come on in!"

At the corner of the entryway, Su Lingyin quietly pinched Chen Yu's lower back, the smile in her eyes overflowing past her eyelashes.

A grand piano sat by the bay window in the living room, its lid weighed down by a thick stack of legal monographs. In a group photo on the wall, a lady in a lawyer's robe looked down authoritatively at the guests.

The sound of stir-frying in the kitchen suddenly stopped. A lady wearing an apron poked her head out, holding a spatula. "Old Su, the rock sugar I asked for—oh, the guest is here?"

Chen Yu quickly stood up. "Hello, Auntie."

This seemed a bit different from what he had imagined; he had thought Su Lingyin's mother would have a stern face.

But now, she looked no different from any other housewife.

"Hello. You two chat first. Old Su..." She gave him a look.

Su Weimin immediately understood. He turned and went to the kitchen to get the rock sugar and handed it over.

Mother Su took it and waved the spatula in her hand, her tone brisk and decisive. "Dinner will be ready soon. Lingyin, look after Xiao Chen."

Her gaze lingered on Chen Yu for a moment. Although she was smiling, she possessed a sharpness akin to scrutinizing a case file, which then vanished back into the culinary atmosphere of the kitchen.

Chen Yu breathed a small sigh of relief. That glance just now had put immense pressure on him.

Su Lingyin pulled him down onto the sofa and laughed softly. "What are you nervous about? My mom isn't going to eat you."

But her fingertips scratched his palm gently, revealing that she was actually a little nervous herself.

Su Weimin brought over some tea, and the atmosphere temporarily relaxed.

He asked casually, "Xiao Chen, are you doing music full-time now?"

The couple had also looked into Chen Yu's background. When they asked their daughter, she had been too embarrassed to say much.

They could only search for information online.

"Yes, Uncle. I mainly focus on composing and singing, and I also do livestreams on the platform." Chen Yu sat up straight, trying to make his answer as clear and appropriate as possible.

"Oh? An emerging industry, very dynamic." Su Weimin nodded, his tone gentle, but he immediately shifted the topic.

"I've heard that the schedule in this line of work is very irregular and the competitive pressure is high. Do you have any specific plans for the future?" The questions progressed step-by-step with a scholar's logical inquiry.

Just as Chen Yu was about to answer Su Weimin's question about his career planning, Mother Su, Lu Yunmeng, walked out carrying a plate of bright, fragrant sweet and sour fish.

"Planning is very important. It's good for young people to have passion, but the sustainability and risk mitigation of a career path cannot be ignored."

She set down the fish and took off her apron, her posture crisp. "It's like when we take on a case. Having a heart full of passion is far from enough. The chain of evidence, legal provisions, subsequent execution—every step must be solid."

She didn't speak quickly, but every word carried weight. Her gaze fell on Chen Yu again. She was no longer the housewife holding a spatula at the kitchen door, but a lawyer in the middle of a cross-examination.

"Mom!" Su Lingyin called out softly, her tone carrying a hint of coquettishness and dissatisfaction. Hadn't they agreed not to make things difficult for him?

Sensing her protection, Chen Yu gently patted the back of her hand under the table to signal her to be at ease.

Then he took a deep breath and met Lu Yunmeng's sharp, inquisitive gaze, his tone sincere yet confident. "Auntie, you are absolutely right. Career development cannot rely solely on inspiration; it indeed requires a clear plan."

"My current plan is to take it in several steps. First, I'll maintain popularity and build a fan base through livestreams and variety shows, which provides a more direct source of income and exposure."

"Secondly, I place great importance on music copyrights and the accumulation of original works. This is the foundation for a musician and can bring long-term, stable royalty income."

"Additionally, I'm participating in some film and television scoring or song production. I hope to gradually expand from the front of the stage to behind the scenes, increasing the diversity of my income and my ability to withstand risks."

Chen Yu's answer was textbook; no one could find fault with it!

It was practically a template for a standard answer.

As Lu Yunmeng listened, the expression on her face softened slightly.

At least this young man in front of her wasn't just a romanticist who only knew how to pluck at strings. He was organized and sounded like he had thought things through, rather than just taking things one step at a time.

"Hmm, your thinking is clear." Su Weimin nodded, his tone still gentle.

"Let's eat first. We can talk while we eat. Yunmeng, you sit down too. The children are hungry."

At the dining table, the atmosphere was in a delicate balance.

The sweet and sour fish was delicious, the ribs were stewed until tender and flavorful, and the vegetables were green and crisp, but the conversation was like a carefully controlled offense and defense.

Lu Yunmeng's questions remained precise. Just as she would organize the clues of a case, she naturally transitioned from work to personal and family circumstances.

"In your line of work, income must fluctuate a lot, right? In terms of stability..." She picked up some vegetables with her chopsticks and asked seemingly casually.

Chen Yu put down his chopsticks and sat up a bit straighter. "Yes, Auntie. The income is indeed quite unstable and depends largely on projects and market response.

"For example, this month, because a song gained some popularity, along with the income from livestreams and music copyrights, it's about several hundred thousand.

"If the new song is well-received next month, it should be even more." He tried to speak plainly, neither boasting nor hiding anything.

Su Weimin and Lu Yunmeng glanced at each other, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

This figure far exceeded their expectations.

Although it was unstable, this "high salary" was undoubtedly a significant bargaining chip, temporarily easing their concerns about their child's future financial situation.

It seemed he had preliminarily passed the test of economic strength.

Lu Yunmeng's tone unconsciously softened a bit more, but her lawyer's instinct drove her to dig deeper. "What about your family? What do your parents do? Do they... support your choice of this path?"

From their daughter's fragmented words and the vague information online, they had previously pieced together that Chen Yu seemed to come from an ordinary background, and had even gone through a difficult period living in a basement, which inevitably made them worry.

At the mention of his family, a faint, imperceptible trace of bitterness appeared at the corners of Chen Yu's mouth, an expression that did not escape Lu Yunmeng's eyes.

He had already confessed his family situation to Su Lingyin before, and she had been extremely shocked at the time.

He took a light breath and said, "My family situation is a bit special. My mother is in the beauty industry; she has her own chain of beauty salons and a makeup brand."

A look of astonishment flashed in the Su parents' eyes. This didn't seem to match the "poor background" they had imagined!

What was going on?!"