Chapter 19: Family

Chapter 19: Family

“Back already?”

Kaotosan held his teacup. Knowing in advance that his son’s girlfriend would visit, he had donned a suit and shirt at home, his Mediterranean hairstyle lending him an air of leadership.

“Back, this is Daria.” Gaoyun took Daria’s hand and introduced her to everyone.

“Hello everyone, I’m Daria.” Unfazed, Daria smiled like a professional model and greeted them in perfectly standard Mandarin. Perhaps because she said this often, her pronunciation was flawless, like a broadcast host’s. However, if she spoke more, her thick accent would inevitably slip through.

“Ah, hello, hello.”

“Please, have a seat, don’t stand.”

“Yes, have some fruit.”

The family welcomed her warmly, their expressions tinged with surprise. Though they had seen photos before, it was the first time meeting her in person.

Daria stood 181 centimeters tall, with a perfect 5:8 golden ratio between upper and lower body, flawless curves, and the appearance and aura of a supermodel. For ordinary people, the impact was truly overwhelming.

Don’t think this is an exaggeration. Perhaps when watching Victoria’s Secret runway shows on TV, you think the models look good, pretty impressive, but nothing more.

But if you search for photos of actresses you consider beautiful standing beside supermodels, you will understand the gap at once — the aura, the presence, the entire image utterly eclipses them.

Supermodels exist to define the aesthetic standards of the general public. Actresses? They’re always trailing behind the models.

If you ever get the chance to visit a supermodel runway show in person, seeing the contrast up close will make you understand what it means to be a Snow White among dwarfs, what it means for someone’s legs to reach your chest, what it means to possess mythical-level beauty.

When showcasing one’s looks becomes a profession that can earn unimaginable wealth in just a few minutes, physique and appearance are not comparable to those of internet celebrities or campus idols.

“Thank you,” Daria said, sitting upright at the edge of the sofa, crossing her legs gracefully and with poise.

“Here, have an apple. They’re peeled and cut into pieces.”

Wang Hui sat nearby, enthusiastically offering a toothpick with a piece of apple, clearly impressed by Daria’s first impression.

Gaopeng chuckled, “Daria, try this black tea. I just brewed it for you. It’s sweet, not bitter.”

Daria bowed slightly in thanks. “Thank you, thank you. I brought gifts for everyone. Yun will hand them out.”

Kaotosan stirred the tea in his cup and laughed heartily. “You’re too polite. Consider this your home; no need to bring anything.”

“Yeah, it’s too much trouble.”

Clearly, the family was very pleased. Although she was Russian, her Mandarin was excellent, she was polite, and she was incredibly beautiful!

Concerns about differing cultural values, whether they would get along, or what her family was like—all these worries were cast aside.

Sorry, looking good really grants one the power to do as they please.

While listening to their conversation, Gaoyun began distributing gifts, including clothing, jewelry, watches, electronics, cosmetics…

“Here, brother-in-law, this is for you.”

Qiao Liran stood beside him, not joining the conversation but casually accepted the gift box Gaoyun handed over. Upon opening it, he exclaimed in surprise, “A Giorgio Armani suit?”

Armani has many brands, eight in total, but only Armani Privé and Giorgio Armani are true international luxury brands. The other sub-brands fall short in price, prestige, and materials.

“Yes, Armani Privé is bespoke; it takes a long time and requires precise body measurements. Too troublesome, so I just bought off-the-rack,” Gaoyun said, then pulled out another box and handed it over. “MacBook Pro 16-inch. I suggested Daria give this. She must use this computer for coding, right?”

Qiao Liran put down the Armani box, opened the packaging and widened his eyes. “Wow, this laptop alone costs over twenty thousand yuan. How much did you spend in total with the suit?”

“I forgot the exact price of the suit, maybe seventy to eighty thousand yuan.”

Gaopeng, overhearing this, stood and leaned in, exclaiming, “Brother, just for your brother-in-law, you two spent nearly a hundred thousand yuan?”

Gaoyun laughed, “Not much. I still remember when my brother-in-law helped me build my computer.”

Gaoyun’s knowledge of computers was limited to basic use. Hardware upgrades were always handled by Qiao Liran, a professional software engineer. Qiao Liran charged Gaoyun only half the cost for upgrades; the other half was reimbursed. Over the years, Gaoyun had lost count of the total amount.

Qiao Liran laughed, “Ha, that’s chump change. When your sister first told me, I didn’t quite believe it. Seems like you’ve really made a lot from futures trading, huh? Living large!”

Gaoyun pulled out two large gift bags and handed them to Gaopeng. “One is a Cartier necklace and bracelet, from me. The other is from Daria—a set of Lancôme makeup and skincare.”

Gaopeng took them and asked, “How much are these worth?”

“Over a hundred thousand yuan. The bracelet and necklace are pricey; the two pieces of jewelry alone are 120,000.”

Gaopeng inhaled sharply. “That’s too expensive. In total, you two spent two hundred thousand yuan on gifts? You might as well have just given me the money.”

Gaopeng earned 4,000 yuan monthly. Qiao Liran worked in IT in the capital city and made over 30,000 yuan monthly.

But both had just bought a new house, had mortgage and renovation loans, and were supporting Qiao Huan, who was a financial drain with various tutoring classes. After living expenses, little was left over each month. Hearing these gifts were worth over 200,000 yuan naturally pained them.

“Two hundred thousand?”

Wang Hui, who had always been frugal, was stunned. Having no concept of luxury goods, she was incredulous. “Just these few things worth two hundred thousand?”

Kaotosan sipped his tea calmly. “They even bought a Ferrari worth over seven million yuan. This little gift is nothing. Son, what did you get me?”

Gaoyun rummaged and handed him two more bags. “A men’s clothing set and leather shoes from Daria. She also gave a leather belt. All are Louis Vuitton.”

“How much?”

“About 100,000 yuan. Bought so much, I forgot.”

“Tsk, let me see,” Kaotosan said with a complicated expression as he took the bags. He thought to himself, these two bags alone must be worth 100,000 yuan. Holding them felt heavier than carrying that amount in cash. Worth it!

“What did you buy me?” Wang Hui wore a dark expression, biting back her anger. She had long scolded prodigal sons in her mind but refrained from losing her temper with Daria present.

Gaoyun, of course, noticed and handed the last gift bag to his mother with a sheepish smile. “Same as my sister’s—bracelet, necklace, cosmetics. The price is about the same.”

Wang Hui snatched the bag and muttered through gritted teeth, “You really have too much money!”

Gaoyun smiled without replying. The expensive luxury gifts, including their types, were all carefully considered.

First: Should he give gifts?

Definitely yes! And they had to be valuable!

Otherwise, what’s the point of having money? Happiness is multiplied when shared. Having wealth means not only enjoying it yourself but also bringing joy to family and friends.

Some protagonists in stories become rich and live extravagantly, indulging in food, drink, gambling, and showing off, while their parents and relatives still live in shacks eating meager meals. The protagonists ignore them or even hide their wealth, citing reasons like questionable origins of money, valuing simplicity, or being orphaned without friends.

Gaoyun found the last excuse somewhat acceptable since it’s a set storyline, but the first two reasons made no sense. Objectively and emotionally, they just didn’t hold up, full of contradictions yet flawless in their own way.

However, gifts shouldn’t be given blindly. Originally, Daria suggested men give watches and women give handbags.

Gaoyun rejected this reasoning. He believed that luxury watches and bags require periodic maintenance, only possible in a handful of first- or second-tier cities, and maintenance costs are not negligible. This would only cause unnecessary hassle for his family.

Secondly, simply wearing a luxury watch or bag can easily raise suspicions of counterfeit goods. Clothing and jewelry felt more genuine and straightforward.

Of course, he had prepared something even more practical and direct…

Seeing the family busy unwrapping gifts, Gaoyun pulled two bank cards from his jacket pocket and placed them on the coffee table, then sat down beside Daria.

“There’s one last gift.”

(End of chapter)