After Crossing Over, I Just Want to Live Well – Chapter 8

Ch 8: Investigating the Yu Family

“Hmm, I know, thank you, Second Brother. What’s the current situation with the Yu family?”

“Hmm, how should I put it?” Shi Yichen thought for a moment, adjusting his wording. “The Yu family used to be considered a third-tier aristocratic family, but ever since their main husband, Lu Yiting, passed away, the family has fallen into decline.

Not only do they lack any exceptionally talented children, but their businesses have been dwindling too. Most importantly, the head of the Yu family, Yu Yao, is incompetent and loves extravagance to an excessive degree. Her other husbands couldn’t stand it and took their respective children back to their own families.

The only one still living with the Yu family head is her second husband, Lu Zhengting—your uncle, and also the husband she dotes on the most.

Recently, there’s been a rumor circulating in high society that the Yu family has latched onto the second-tier Zhou family, and the two families are planning a marriage alliance.

But from what I know, all the eligible sons of the Zhou family are either married or engaged, and their daughters are still minors. So, I suspect the Yu family might be aiming to marry the head of the Zhou family, and as for the candidate, I’d guess it’s you.”

After saying all this, Shi Yichen felt a bit at a loss for words. Regardless of whether the marriage alliance involves Duoduo, this trip back won’t be peaceful.

“Can we find out more detailed information?”

“Well, although the mechas I’ve been making are quite popular in high society, I haven’t really managed to break into their circles.”

Shi Yichen scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Sigh! Once again, he hadn’t been able to help Duoduo much.

“Duoduo, how about we look into this through the dark web?” Leng Ruoheng suggested another approach.

Yu Duoduo considered it. If there really was no other way, they might have to resort to that, but there were still other options. Didn’t they say on Blue Star that “money makes the world go round”?

She could spend a little money to get this done, though it would take more time since she’d need to find the right people first.

The three of them sat there with furrowed brows, none of them speaking.

“Let’s stop overthinking it. How about we go out for a walk? Maybe we’ll stumble upon a solution.”

Adjusting her mindset, Yu Duoduo cheerfully said to her two older brothers.

“Alright, let’s not dwell on it anymore. Let’s go out, have a stroll, and grab a meal while we’re at it!”

Leng Ruoheng was the first to respond. He figured going out might be a good idea—maybe he could look around and see if there were any interstellar hunters on Imperial Star.

For hunters on a planet, there’s only one organization. The staff there are all intelligent robots, and the tasks are issued by the Main Brain and the Emperor. They usually pick up missions through their optical brains and only visit the organization to submit completed tasks. Today, he wanted to try his luck and see if he could run into a familiar hunter.

However, the hunters coming and going often disguise themselves, so recognizing anyone would depend entirely on his sharp eyesight. The chances were slim, but he still wanted to give it a shot.

“Alright, let’s go together!” Shi Yichen said, though his mind was elsewhere. He vaguely recalled that a descendant of a second-tier aristocratic family had once approached him about crafting a mecha.

Back then, the deal fell through because the price was too high for them. No matter—he’d contact them later, offer a discount, and ask them to help dig up some information.

With these ideas in mind, the three of them felt their plans were feasible, so they happily headed out to eat.

They arrived at the Morning Star Restaurant, the closest one to their hotel, and ran right into Jimo Yao.

Jimo Yao had initially planned to pretend he didn’t know them, but his body acted faster than his brain, and before he knew it, he was standing in front of Yu Duoduo. By the time he realized it, it was too late to back out.

With no other choice, Jimo Yao forced himself to greet her. “Hello, I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

He’d originally wanted to address her by name, but then he remembered that they hadn’t exchanged names during their previous encounter.

Yu Duoduo looked at this strikingly handsome man. “And you are? Have we met?”

She said this aloud, but inwardly she was thinking, Of course we’ve met! You’re the most good-looking man I’ve ever seen.

“On the Lezheng Starship, my friend—the staff member who greeted you,” Jimo Yao explained, cautiously watching Yu Duoduo’s expression as he spoke.

After a long pause, Yu Duoduo finally seemed to recall. “Oh, I remember now! The little brother who said I could ask him for help if I needed anything. You were his friend sitting not far from us.”

Seeing that Yu Duoduo remembered, Jimo Yao’s expression shifted in an instant, reverting to his usual serious demeanor. “Yes, that’s me. But might I know the lady’s name? My friend has been hung up on not being able to help you last time.”

Yu Duoduo gave an awkward smile. “No need to worry about it, sir. Actually, he did help me last time, and I’m very grateful. My name is Yu Duoduo.”

“Yu Duoduo—‘Yu’ as in abundance year after year, ‘Duoduo’ as in more and more. What a great name! I bet your parents hoped you’d live a life free of worries about food and clothing.”

Having done his homework on Yu Duoduo beforehand, Jimo Yao effortlessly found common ground. “I once had a comrade-in-arms who had a younger sister named Yu Duoduo too. But he went off on a long-term mission, though he should be back soon, I think.”

Yu Duoduo excitedly grabbed Jimo Yao’s arm. “Please, what’s your comrade’s name? Is he really coming back soon?”

“My comrade is indeed returning soon. Wait—don’t tell me you’re his sister?” Jimo Yao feigned a sudden realization.

“My older brother is Lu Yunye. He went on a long-term mission too, and I’ve heard he’s supposed to be back soon.”

Shi Yichen and Leng Ruoheng had intended to interrupt Yu Duoduo, but she got so excited that she blurted everything out before they could stop her.

“You’re really his sister? After he left on his mission, I heard his sister was so heartbroken that she moved to a remote star. So, are you back this time because of that rumored marriage alliance they’re talking about?”

Hearing about the marriage alliance, Yu Duoduo wanted to dig for more details. “I still don’t know your name, sir. Could you tell me?”

“My name is Yao Mo. If you’d like, you can call me Big Brother Yao. You’re here to eat, right? Why don’t we join you? And these two are…?”

“Great, Big Brother Yao. These two are Big Brother Leng and Second Brother Shi, who’ve been looking out for me. Duoduo happens to have some other questions for Big Brother Yao, so why not join us?”

And so, the four of them entered the restaurant together. As soon as they sat down, Yu Duoduo couldn’t wait to ask, “Big Brother Yao, what’s this marriage alliance you mentioned?”

Jimo Yao looked at the eager Yu Duoduo but didn’t answer right away. Instead, he quickly ordered some dishes.

“The Yu family wants to form a marriage alliance with the Zhou family. Everyone assumes it’s just to cling to their third-tier status, but that’s not the full story.

According to some rumors, it’s the head of the Zhou family who’s taken a liking to the Yu family’s daughter, Yu Baobao. The terms are that the Zhou family head would become Yu Baobao’s main husband, and in return, the Zhou family would provide Yu Baobao with a high-level talent potion to awaken her abilities.

But I’ve heard Yu Baobao already has someone she loves and only wants that person to be her main husband.”