When the dishes were finally served, Lu Qingyuan recognized the man carrying them behind the waiter.

It was the same man who had been peeking through the kitchen window earlier.

Tan Chang’an’s uncle.

“Enjoy your meal,” Uncle Tan said with a smile as he and the waiter placed the dishes on the table before turning to leave.

When they returned to the kitchen, a waiter looked at him curiously and asked, “Uncle Tan, you were secretly watching that table just now, and then you insisted on following me to serve the dishes. What’s going on?”

Another waiter who knew the situation chuckled.

“You don’t know, but that young lady at Table Three went on a blind date with Uncle Tan’s nephew yesterday, and it didn’t work out. But today, it’s clear she’s on a successful blind date with someone else.”

“My nephew just wasn’t lucky.” Uncle Tan said as he continued cooking, tending to other customers. “Such a good girl… tsk, he really missed out.”

Meanwhile, as Lu Qingyuan and the others were eating, Fifth Aunt took the opportunity to ask Shu Beiqiu all sorts of questions. Shu Beiqiu understood that she wanted to learn more about him so she could report back to the elders in the Lu family.

So, he answered honestly.

Lu Qingyuan had eaten too many snacks earlier and didn’t have much of an appetite. She simply sipped her tea and listened to their conversation.

From time to time, she glanced at the red text floating above Shu Beiqiu’s head. Suddenly, a new line appeared.

【Tan Chang’an’s uncle is sighing in the kitchen, saying his nephew isn’t lucky. Well, of course, he isn’t!】

【Exactly! In the original story, our poor Qingyuan married his nephew and suffered terribly!】

Lu Qingyuan agreed. In the original story, she had indeed been unlucky—doomed to a life of hardship as a tragic heroine, constantly toiling, with Tan’s family being nothing but trouble. It truly was a terrible fate.

【Wait a minute, the original story you guys are talking about doesn’t match the version I just checked. Mine hasn’t updated yet. What’s going on?】

Lu Qingyuan noticed this comment and became puzzled. She paid closer attention.

【Basically, before the livestreaming started, the novel was already completed. But after the livestream began, because of certain factors, the main characters made different choices or changes, causing the story’s direction to shift. So now, there are two versions: the original and the live-updating version.】

Lu Qingyuan suddenly understood.

In the original version, she and Tan Chang’an had successfully gone through with the match and gotten married.

But in this live-updating version, she and Tan Chang’an didn’t work out, and instead, she ended up with Comrade Shu. Naturally, the storyline had changed.

【Why did the protagonist’s path change from the original? Could it be that she was reborn?】

Lu Qingyuan stared at that comment.

Reborn? Did that mean living life all over again?

【No, no, it’s not that. Just keep watching. There’s another novel where the cannon fodder female lead went berserk after the livestream started, and she began beating up the main characters—so hilarious!】

【Maybe after the livestream started, the characters gained their own consciousness? They woke up and started thinking for themselves instead of being bound by the author’s writing like unthinking puppets.】

【That explanation actually makes the most sense!】

【Now I’m interested! I didn’t want to read this before because the tragic heroine’s life was too miserable. But if things are changing, I’m in! Following this for sure—I hope the female lead doesn’t have to suffer anymore!】

Lu Qingyuan also felt that this explanation was the most reasonable.

“Are you done eating? Do you want to take a walk to digest?”

Hearing Fifth Aunt’s suggestion, Lu Qingyuan and Shu Beiqiu exchanged a glance. Lu Qingyuan was thinking about her grandmother, so she declined and explained why.

Shu Beiqiu then smiled and asked, “When would be a good time to visit your family?”

“At the end of the month?” Understanding what he meant, Lu Qingyuan replied softly.

Hearing this, Shu Beiqiu knew she was accommodating his schedule.

“Xiao Shu, didn’t you already use up your leave this month?”

Before he could answer, Fifth Aunt asked with a smile.

“No, I have four days off this month. I came back last night, and today is my first day off,” Shu Beiqiu explained.

“I covered for a colleague last month, so he’s returning the favor by covering for me for two days this month. Added to my two regular rest days, I have a total of four days off.”

“Oh, so you’ll be home for another three days.”

Although Fifth Aunt said this, she was actually looking at Lu Qingyuan and winking at her.

Lu Qingyuan pursed her lips and smiled. “The day after tomorrow?”

“Alright, my family and I will visit in the morning.”

Shu Beiqiu’s lips curved into a slight smile.

“Okay.”

Being stared at by him made Lu Qingyuan’s face warm. She picked up her tea and took a sip to cover it up.

Shu Beiqiu went to settle the bill and returned with four neatly wrapped parcels in oil paper, giving two to Lu Qingyuan and two to Fifth Aunt.

On the way home, Fifth Aunt couldn’t stop praising Shu Beiqiu. “He’s a good one. The things I asked him about matched everything I had heard.”

“Mm.” Lu Qingyuan turned back for a quick glance—he was still standing at the entrance of the commune, watching them.

Seeing her turn around, Shu Beiqiu raised a hand and waved.

Lu Qingyuan smiled slightly and waved back.

Fifth Aunt noticed and covered her mouth, laughing.

When they arrived home, Fifth Aunt went inside to chat with Grandma Lu for a bit before leaving with a bright smile.

Lu Qingyuan unwrapped the oil paper to find that both packages contained mung bean cakes.

She called over her two young nephews and gave them each a piece. “Did you wash your hands?”

“We did!”

Jiasheng and Lusheng raised their hands to show her.

“Is your Uncle Qingjun home?”

“No, he went out to look for fiddlehead ferns,” Jiasheng shook his head.

So, Lu Qingyuan took four pieces of mung bean cake and a bowl of warm water into Grandma Lu’s room.

Grandma Lu was beaming with joy. When she saw Lu Qingyuan enter, bringing snacks, she smiled even more. “Did Xiao Shu bring these?”

“Mm, Fifth Aunt got some too.”

“He’s a thoughtful one.”

Grandma Lu was very satisfied.

Lu Qingyuan handed her a piece of mung bean cake. “Grandma, try it. It has white sugar in it—sweet but not overpowering. It’s really good.”

“Oh, it has white sugar?”

Grandma Lu had bought mung bean cakes before, but they were often sweetened with saccharin. Hearing that this one had real sugar, she was more than happy to take a few bites.

At this moment, Lu Qingyuan saw a familiar red font floating above Grandma Lu’s head.

Only then did she remember that after parting ways with Shu Beiqiu, the system never announced that the livestream had ended. How many followers had she gained?

Did this mean the livestream had been running the entire time?

Lu Qingyuan watched as Grandma Lu ate half a piece of mung bean cake and quickly handed her a cup of water to help her swallow. “How is it? Tasty, right?”

“It’s delicious,” Grandma Lu nodded repeatedly. “It’s sweet to my heart. You got engaged today. You have no idea how happy that makes me!”

【Sigh, I went back and checked the original version. Grandma Lu wanted her to get married quickly because she didn’t want to leave this world with any regrets.】

【But she knew Qingyuan didn’t want to, yet she still pushed her into several matchmaking meetings.】

【That’s how many elderly people are. They want to see their loved ones settle down before they pass away. Different times, different mindsets. Don’t be too harsh on the old lady.】