{Chapter: 164 Mei Yuxian wearing a school uniform!}
Mei Yuxian paid no attention to her daughter's flustered reaction and turned her full attention toward Lin Yuan, her eyes bright with interest as she spoke warmly, "You must be Xiao Yuan, right? Ever since Qingtong came back from your blind date, she hasn't stopped talking about you. I feel like I've heard your name more times than I've heard my own."
She let out a gentle laugh, then continued, "And it's not just her. My dear friend Song Xuan is always singing your praises as well. Even though I hadn't met you until today, I felt like I already knew you. They both say you're talented, kind, and devastatingly handsome. I'll be honest, I didn't quite believe them at first. I thought they were exaggerating."
"But after seeing you in person today… well, I can see now that they weren't exaggerating at all. You really are quite impressive." Her tone was filled with sincere appreciation. "I'm a close friend of your Aunt Song Xuan, so feel free to call me Aunt Mei."
As she finished speaking, Mei Yuxian offered a radiant, welcoming smile. Her demeanor was poised and confident, yet warm and inviting.
It was clear that Mei Yuxian wasn't just a beautiful woman—she was someone who knew how to speak with charm and intelligence. She had a natural talent for creating a friendly atmosphere and putting others at ease with just a few well-chosen words. In just a few sentences, she had brought Lin Yuan closer to her, establishing a connection through their mutual acquaintance, Song Xuan.
Lin Yuan returned her smile with equal warmth and said, "Aunt Song has spoken about you as well. In fact, she praised you quite highly not too long ago when we were chatting."
"She told me that among the original four great beauties of Jiangbei, Aunt Mei was the most dazzling. I didn't fully grasp what she meant at the time, but after meeting you today, I understand completely. You're still incredibly beautiful even now—so much so that it's hard to imagine how breathtaking you must have been in your younger days."
He then gave a playful chuckle and added, "To be honest, even now, standing next to Qingtong, you don't look like her mother at all. If you hadn't told me, I would've assumed you were her older sister."
Hearing Lin Yuan's smooth and flattering words, Mei Yuxian couldn't help but laugh softly. A smile bloomed naturally on her lips, not forced, but genuine.
"Oh Xiao Yuan, you really do have a silver tongue. No wonder when I saw Song Xuan last time, she looked like she'd turned back the clock twenty years. I thought it was a new skincare routine, but now I see—it must have been your sweet words keeping her young at heart."
She paused, her smile deepening. "And no wonder Qingtong's heart was taken the moment she met you. It all makes sense now."
"Mom!" Gui Qingtong cried out in protest, her face bright red from embarrassment. She couldn't believe her mother was saying these things in front of Lin Yuan. Her voice was half a plea and half an exasperated groan.
But Lin Yuan remained composed, his smile never fading. "I'm just speaking the truth," he said sincerely. "Honestly, calling you Aunt Mei feels a little strange. You look more like Sister Yuxian. Truly, if you were to wear a school uniform and walk side by side with Qingtong into a university campus, I don't think anyone would believe you're her mother."
His eyes twinkled as he added with a hint of mischief, "And I must say, Sister Yuxian, your figure is just as elegant as Qingtong's. Especially your waist—it's so slender and graceful. You're still a stunning woman, and Aunt Song often said she always admired your elegance and hoped she could age as gracefully as you."
"Oh?" Mei Yuxian's eyes sparkled with delight at those words. Her hand instinctively rested on her waist, and for a moment, she glanced down, as if to confirm Lin Yuan's compliment.
It wasn't just empty flattery—his words had struck a chord with her.
In the past, when people praised her, they often did so during formal dinners or social gatherings, and those compliments tended to feel obligatory. But this was different. Lin Yuan's tone was natural, effortless, and charming. It made her feel truly seen and appreciated as a woman.
There isn't a woman alive who doesn't enjoy hearing genuine praise about her beauty—especially from someone younger and charismatic.
And in Mei Yuxian's case, she was used to receiving compliments. After all, she was regarded as one of the top beauties of her generation. People often lauded her figure—especially her voluptuous curves, the fullness of her chest and hips that gave her an irresistible allure.
Others spoke of her rare emerald-green eyes, eyes that seemed to hold a thousand secrets and glowed with both wisdom and seduction. Some were captivated by her flowing golden-blonde hair, like sunlight captured in strands, soft and radiant.
From the tender age of twelve—perhaps even earlier—Mei Yuxian had grown up surrounded by praise. Compliments followed her like a shadow wherever she went. Whether at school, on the street, in social gatherings, or at family dinners, she had heard it all.
"You're so curvy and womanly!"
"Your golden-blonde hair is like sunlight itself."
"Those emerald green eyes... they're mesmerizing."
"You're the definition of feminine perfection."
At first, it felt nice. A pleasant thrill. The admiration of others was like music to her ears. Who wouldn't enjoy being recognized for their beauty?
But as the years passed, and the same lines were repeated over and over again—hundreds, even thousands of times—they began to lose their meaning. Those compliments, once flattering, became predictable, mechanical, and tiresome. It was like hearing a song you once loved played too many times on repeat.
Now, whenever people praised her beauty—her voluptuous curves, her figure, or her vibrant hair and eyes—she'd smile politely and pretend to listen, but in truth, she had long stopped registering their words.
She had grown numb to it.
It was as if she had built up a natural immunity to compliments—at least, the kind that lacked originality.
But when Lin Yuan praised her slender and graceful waist… something stirred.
It was such a specific, unexpected compliment—subtle yet deeply personal. One no one had ever given her before. Her voluptuousness had always overshadowed the finer details of her figure, and most people never looked past the obvious.
Yet Lin Yuan did.
He had noticed something no one else had ever taken the time to appreciate.
For a moment, Mei Yuxian felt a strange emotion rising in her heart—like the sweet, fluttery joy of a teenage girl experiencing the first bloom of a crush. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in decades, and she barely recognized it.
Of course, she wasn't sixteen anymore. She had long since learned to control her emotions. As quickly as it came, she tamped the feeling down. But the warmth lingered in her chest.
The corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly, her gaze softened, and when she looked at Lin Yuan again, it was with a faint glimmer of admiration in her emerald eyes.
He was growing more and more pleasing to the eye.
"Xiao Yuan, you really are quite charming," Mei Yuxian said with a gentle smile that was half amused and half approving.
[Ding! Mei Yuxian's favorability +10! Reward: 200 Counterattack Points!]
A mechanical chime echoed in Lin Yuan's mind, the familiar system prompt ringing crisply.
Hearing the notification, Lin Yuan smiled inwardly. As expected.
This wasn't just luck. Everything had gone according to plan.
He had studied Mei Yuxian's personality thoroughly from the original novel—the story he had transmigrated into. He wasn't winging it. His words, his timing, even his expressions—they were all part of a carefully crafted performance.
Oscar-worthy, in fact.
He knew that Mei Yuxian, for all her outward confidence and beauty, secretly longed to be seen beyond her surface. In the original plot, it was mentioned that while she was constantly praised for her curvaceous figure, what she truly envied were the girls who were admired for their elegance and slenderness.
Ironically, Mei Yuxian did have a slim waist. But it was overlooked because of her naturally full figure. Next to her daughter Qingtong, who had a delicate willow-like waist but a flat chest, Mei Yuxian's charms were more mature and eye-catching. Yet this often left other, finer qualities unnoticed.
So Lin Yuan did what no one else thought to do: he complimented the detail that had been ignored for years.
That one line about her waist—simple yet deliberate—carried a freshness and authenticity that couldn't be faked. And Mei Yuxian felt it. She believed it.
The sincerity, the novelty—it cut through the noise of a thousand recycled compliments.
But Lin Yuan didn't stop there. He paired his words with calculated changes in how he addressed her.
Calling her Aunt Mei was polite, but it created a generational distance. It boxed her into a specific role—one tied to age and status.
But Sister Yuxian?
That changed the dynamic entirely. It erased the age gap, placing them on more equal footing. It suggested familiarity, youth, and a sense of closeness that was far more intimate.
Of course, Lin Yuan was careful not to jump ahead too quickly. If he had addressed her as Sister Yuxian from the very start, she would have likely corrected him and insisted he call her Aunt Mei, as was proper given her friendship with Song Xuan.
But he eased into it with perfect timing.
By first charming her, building rapport, and giving her a compliment that caught her off-guard in a good way, he made her feel special. He made her feel seen. So when he finally called her Sister Yuxian, she didn't object. She accepted it with a smile.
After all, why ruin a moment that made her feel young again?
It may have seemed like a trivial detail—just a title. But Lin Yuan understood the nuances. He understood that emotions were layered, and the smallest shift in tone or address could carry deep psychological weight.
Besides, if he continued calling Song Xuan "Aunt" while calling Mei Yuxian "Sister," it could cause some confusion regarding seniority. Under ordinary circumstances, people might have corrected that kind of inconsistency. But not this time.
So after Lin Yuan called her Sister Yuxian, he praised how slender her waist is and Mei Yuxian felt happy, so she did not bother correcting him.
This is only the first point. Another point is…