How the Canary Became Head of the Household

Bai Shu climbed up from the bottom in his previous life and became a natural-born idol in the public eye.

After more than a decade of working hard, he died suddenly onstage at a concert. Given another life, he decisively signed a contract to be kept. This time, whoever wants to dance can dance. He's going to lie flat.

But unexpectedly, perhaps because of the butterfly effect, Lu Zhinian, who had once enjoyed limitless glory, was on the brink of bankruptcy in less than a year. Bai Shu, who had planned to lie flat, had no choice but to get himself together and return to his old career.

But then he saw Lu's proud, high-spirited mother learn that her husband had been cheating on her, and spend every day in tears.

The second son, once a spoiled playboy who loved yachts and esports, became a gaming shut-in overnight.

The younger sister, always spoiled and willful, dropped out of her elite school and became a shut-in who hardly said a word all day.

Aside from Lu Zhinian, who went out every day to do who knew what, the whole family was dispirited.

Bai Shu raised an eyebrow, ordered takeout, picked up packages, and had one new outfit after another delivered to the house.

Less than two days later, the gaming shut-in second brother was the first to speak up. "We're here worrying about my brother, and you're out here shopping! Dad just died, and you..."

Bai Shu: "What does it have to do with you if I buy things? Your dad died on his way to see his mistress, when he got hit by a car. I wasn't driving, and I didn't hit him, so what does it have to do with me?"

The second brother's face turned livid.

"I still have a few packages to pick up. I'll send you the pickup codes. I want everything delivered to my room before lunch."

Second brother: "You!"

Ten yuan per package.

Under pressure, and with empty pockets, the second brother gave in. Fine, I'll do it.

Once he had the money, he started taunting Bai Shu again. "It's all my brother's money. You don't give him a single cent, but you've got plenty of plans for yourself."

Bai Shu: "Oh, and I rent the place you're standing in." He went back to his room, and just before closing the door, said, "Bring in the takeout later and arrange it nicely on plates."

Lu's mother gave him a resentful look. Bai Shu calmly ate his meal. "Use more dish soap when you wash the dishes next time."

The little sister spent all day in a daze, doing nothing but zoning out alone. Bai Shu promptly found her several dog-walking jobs.

Lu's mother cried in the morning, and by the afternoon Bai Shu had sent her to a mahjong parlor.

Bai Shu had no heart. The only reason he got together with Lu Zhinian in the first place was that Lu Zhinian had been far too quick and generous with his money.

And now, Bai Shu still meant to give himself the best things in life and pursue the happiness he'd missed out on in his previous life.

On Sunday, Bai Shu dressed up and took his second brother, who had a dark cloud hanging over his head, to buy clothes at a mall where a variety show that had been doing pretty well lately was being filmed.

"Don't shave your beard. Put a little more eyeshadow under your eyes."

Second brother: "...What?"

Bai Shu smiled faintly. "Even the most beautiful person needs someone to set him off."

Then he put on his sunglasses. His face, which looked like a top-tier decorative vase, seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

A big, handsome top who gives great massages is hard to find, and he even comes with a few house-trained extras... Ahem. Bai Shu would just have to find a way to make a living and carry on enjoying his life!

A few months later, after Lu Zhinian had eliminated the biggest obstacle in his way and taken complete control of the Lu family, he discovered that his wife, who was usually half-dead with boredom, had appeared on the giant screen in the plaza outside his own home.

Watching Bai Shu, who wore sequins and trousers that showed a third of his legs, had barely ever left the house, and had spent half a year in the same few T-shirts, shine like a star onstage, Lu Zhinian learned for the first time that a person could laugh with anger.

But just as he went all out to compete with the fans for his wife, his own mother, younger brother, and younger sister each managed to get in his way more than the last.

"Xiao Shu just likes singing. Can't people have a hobby?"

"Please, big brother, I'm about to become a top agent. Don't show up, whatever you do. Fans are most afraid of a real sister-in-law, so don't go and stir up rumors about Brother Shu!"

The only younger sister: "Brother, if you really have too much free time, why not walk my dog? That way you won't lose your abs, in case Shu-ge starts disliking you one day."

Lu Zhinian took a deep breath, then lifted his shirt to take a look. Thank goodness. He'd work out an extra hour every day from now on.

Theme: Choose your own life.