After watching two episodes of the TV series, Meng Xi lifted the blanket, sat up, and prepared to go upstairs to rest.
Although this world was somewhat unfamiliar to her, it was not complicated because she knew the plot inside and out.
She didn't need to use her brain much. She could simply deal with whatever comes her way.
"Does Madam want to rest?" Ah Lan came over and put away the blanket.
Meng Xi nodded, stretched comfortably, and said, "Yeah, I need to rest now. You should go to sleep early too. You must be tired after a long day."
"..." Ah Lan was so moved she wanted to cry.
Madam was so easy to get along with. She actually said "You must be tired" to her.
Ah Lan couldn't help but pray silently in her heart.
Good heavens, please let Madam continue to be so gentle and kind. She would be willing to accept even a hundred less in salary!
Meng Xi turned and walked towards the stairwell. Before she could even step onto the stairs, her phone rang. It was her agent, Jian Yue, calling.
She guessed it was about that matter again.
Meng Xi answered, "Hello."
"My goodness!" Jian Yue exclaimed, "I never expected your family’s President Huo to be so protective of his wife."
President Huo? Protective of a wife?
Was she referring to Huo Mingcheng?
Meng Xi was puzzled. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
Jian Yue: "What, you don't know yet? Your family’s President Huo retweeted your VB post, slapping those trolls in the face. Not only that, he even got into a fight with some of the haters. You should go take a look."
The internet had indeed exploded again.
The hashtag #MengXi#, which was originally at the top of the trending searches, had been replaced by #HuoMingcheng#, and several new hashtags have appeared below it, including #MengXi'sHusband#, #HuoMingcheng'sNetWorth#, #DongyuFilm#, and #ShengshiChangge'sSugarSponsor#...
Clicking on each entry in turn revealed a lively discussion in the comment sections.
"Holy crap, Meng Xi's husband is Huo Mingcheng???"
"I'm starting to understand the meaning of 'very successful' now. With a husband like Huo Mingcheng, who would even look at Jiang Heng, Pan Jiayu, or Ye Xiangyuan?"
"The main sponsor of 'The Long Song of Prosperity' is President Huo, but the director kicked President Huo's wife out of the show. That's ridiculous."
"So the question is, when did these two get married?"
Meng Xi went to Huo Mingcheng's VB again, and sure enough, he got into a fight with two trolls in the comments section.
1st Floor: Hello! May I ask which eye is blind enough to actually be interested in that slut Meng Xi?
Huo Mingcheng: May I ask where this dog came from, barking here?
Netizen A: Haha, Mr. Huo is really protecting his wife.
Netizen B: Brilliant reply.
Netizen C: I never expected that the aloof President Huo would actually be such a loyal dog. I love it!
2nd floor: President Huo, do you know that your wife is a "public bus" in the entertainment industry?
Huo Mingcheng: I know you just ate [poop][poop]
Netizen A: I support President Huo and Xixi. Some people's mouths are stinking more than a cesspool.
Netizen B: How could someone who married her not understand her as well as a hater like you do?
Netizen C: Haters spreading rumors like this is ridiculous.
Pff.
Meng Xi was amused by Huo Mingcheng's reply.
She guessed he might come out on his own, but she didn't expect him to clash with the haters.
Was it the man's pride that was acting up?
After thinking for a moment, Meng Xi politely commented below, "You're welcome."
...
Meng Yao had already arrived home. She changed her shoes at the door and went inside, only to find that Gu Sinian hadn't returned yet.
She placed the rose tea she had brought back from Huo Mingcheng on the coffee table, then took out her phone and dialed Gu Sinian's number, but no one answered.
She dialed again, but still no one answered.
The call went on and on, for almost five minutes, until Gu Sinian returned, brought back by his assistant.
"What happened?" Meng Yao frowned as she looked at the incoherent man in front of her and asked the assistant, "How did he get so drunk?"
"This..." The assistant's eyes flickered for a moment, but he answered without changing his expression, "The client had a high alcohol tolerance, so Mr. Gu drank a bit more with him."
Meng Yao hated drunkards the most.
After having his assistant help him lie down on the sofa, she immediately instructed the nanny to bring him hangover medicine and force-feed it to him.
After a long while, Gu Sinian opened his eyes groggily, but he still looked completely disoriented.
Meng Yao was so angry that she started scolding him, accusing him of coming home so late and being drunk.
Gu Sinian grew impatient and, fueled by alcohol, kicked over something on the coffee table before staggering to his feet.
Face flushed, he abruptly grabbed Meng Yao's collar and retorted rudely, "What the hell are you yelling at? I should come home early and you go entertaining clients? How can I do business if I don't drink? Where the hell do you get the money to live a carefree life if I don't do business?"
Meng Yao couldn't believe her ears.
She couldn't believe these words were coming from Gu Sinian's mouth. She felt a surge of grievance and tears streamed down her face.
"Crying! All you do all day is cry!"
Gu Sinian pushed her away irritably and was about to go upstairs to take a shower when his eyes were immediately drawn to something on the ground as he turned around.
Rose tea was nothing special. Meng Yao liked to drink it, so there was a lot of it at home.
It seemed that only Huo Mingcheng's family had these kinds of gift bags that could hold flower tea.
Gu Sinian picked up the gift bag, a spark igniting in his eyes. He held it up to Meng Yao, suppressing his emotions as he questioned, "Where did this come from? Did you go to Huo Mingcheng's house?"
"I..." Meng Yao was a little flustered. Her anger and grievances from before disappeared instantly.
Gu Sinian disliked her getting too close to Huo Mingcheng, especially after their marriage.
Quickly gathering her thoughts, she explained guiltily, "Meng Xi had been smeared. I went to check on her."
"Check on Meng Xi... When did you become so concerned about that younger sister? Are you checking on her or Huo Mingcheng?" Gu Sinian threw the gift bag back on the ground and stomped on it. "You still have feelings for him, don't you?"
"No, I just..."
*Smack*
Before Meng Yao could finish speaking, a loud slap echoed throughout the living room.
Gu Sinian laid a hand on her.
Meng Yao stood frozen in place for a long time before she came to her senses. She glared at the man in front of her with hatred and then ran upstairs crying.
Her face was burning with pain, and her heart felt like it was being stabbed with a knife.
For a moment, she doubted her own choice—why did she choose Gu Sinian?
Huo Mingcheng was clearly gentler, more reasonable, and even better looking than him.
Was it simply because he saved her when she accidentally fell into a lotus pond when she was thirteen?
Meng Yao's mind was in complete chaos.
She picked up her phone, wanting to talk to Huo Mingcheng and vent her frustrations, but suddenly saw a news post that had been pushed to her VB account not long ago.
"Actress Meng Xi's husband revealed: He's from the Huo Group..."
Meng Yao felt as if she had been hit on the head with a stick. When she logged into VB, she saw that Huo Mingcheng had actually reposted Meng Xi's VB post and proactively announced their relationship.
Furthermore, he got into a fight with haters in the comments section for Meng Xi.
After breakfast, Luo Zhengzheng picked up her phone and discovered that she was trending on social media again.
The reason was that the VB she posted last night was reposted by Hunan TV for profit. They shamelessly claimed that there was a village where the whole village stopped eating in order to watch "Home and Country". They even threatened their daughter to give away spoilers or they wouldn't cook. They also seriously advised her that she still had to eat, to watch the show in peace, and that the ending would come soon. Good food was worth waiting for, and good shows were worth waiting for, etc.
Upon seeing this, Luo Zhengzheng once again marveled at how, even as a reborn person, she was occasionally impressed by their opportunistic and ruthless marketing tactics. No wonder even Gu Shi wanted to poach them.
Luo Zhengzheng had been trending on social media a few times already. It was become commonplace for her to make headlines even for posting a VB.
The comments below were quite funny .
They even wanted to peek at a show that the whole village would go hungry to watch, just to see what kind of phenomenal show it was that captivated them so much.
Even the author of Home and Country joined in the fun, asking Luo Zhengzheng on her VB post: "Where is Auntie's address? I'll mail her a few autographed copies of the novel so she can know the rest of the story right away."
A group of readers behind him laughed and scolded him for being so unethical as the original author of the show, blatantly giving away spoilers.
Some comments even asked, "Are you sure you're not just promoting your own book?"
Director Lu got up late at night and replied to him: "Get lost!"
A group of people followed behind, laughing and saying that Director Lu was getting anxious, that this man was getting anxious.
At this moment, the village chief arrived at the house carrying half a sack of purple sweet potatoes. Luo Zhengzheng invited him to sit down and poured him a cup of tea.
Yuan Mei asked him, "Fourth Uncle, what are you carrying?"
The village chief tapped his pipe, sat down in a chair, took a sip of water, and said, "Yongsheng said yesterday that Zhengzheng wanted to eat purple sweet potatoes, but didn't have any at home, so I went to the cellar and got some for her. Wanting to eat purple sweet potatoes is easy. We might not have other things to eat here, but we have plenty of sweet potatoes."
Luo Zhengzheng said happily, "Fourth Grandpa, you brought me so many purple sweet potatoes? Mom, shall we steam some to eat?"
Yuan Mei poked her head: "You just ate, how can you still eat?"
Luo Zhengzheng covered her head and looked at Chengjia: "Son, your maternal grandmother hit your mom."
Chengjia grinned and said, "Mom is greedy and got scolded by Maternal Grandmother."
Yuan Mei glared at her daughter: "Look, Jiajia isn't on your side at all."
Luo Zhengzheng got glared at by her mom, so she could only glare at her son instead.
Little Chengjia wasn't afraid at all and hid in his maternal grandmother's arms.
Gu Shi sat down next to her and said, "Tell mother-in-law that I want to eat purple sweet potatoes, and she will definitely agree to steaming them."
Luo Zhengzheng rolled her eyes at him: "Are you implying that I'm not as important to Mom as you are?"
Gu Shi glanced at her, conveying wasn't it very obvious!
The young couple was trying to figure out how to get the mom's permission to steam purple sweet potatoes now.
After finishing his tea, the village chief looked at Yuan Mei and said slowly, "I heard you aren’t properly watching the TV series and you even wanted to cheat to know the ending in advance? That's not right of you. The whole village watches that TV series that Zhengzheng filmed because they want to help the child. If you cheat, wouldn't that be a waste of their help?"
Actually, he didn't know why knowing the ending in advance meant he couldn't help Zhengzheng. If he couldn't know the ending in advance, then so be it. What difference would it make? Already at this age and still making such a fuss over a TV series that one couldn't even have a proper New Year.
"Huh?" Yuan Mei was stunned. After hearing what the village chief had said, she sat up straight and asked, "Fourth Uncle, who told you that?"
As she spoke, she glanced at her daughter, the meaning of which was self-evident: She suspected Luo Zhengzheng.
Luo Zhengzheng was truly wrongly accused. Heaven knew she only dared to vent online. How could she dare to tell the uncles, aunts, grandpas, and grandmas in the village? What secrets could there be in the village? She suspected that if she told them, they would reach her mom's ears the very next minute.
The village chief glanced at Yuan Mei, his gaze like that of a teacher looking at a naughty, unmotivated child: "Do I need to say it? It's all over the internet. Da Qiangzi told me about it when he got back. You guys are really something, making a scene over a TV series. Can’t have peace at all."
They invested so much money in the village, building schools and repairing roads, and when they asked them for a small favor, things went wrong. How could he not be furious?
Seeing that Ms. Yuan's face was getting darker and darker, Luo Zhengzheng quickly said, "Fourth Grandfather, it's really nothing. They're just captivated by the TV drama plot and want to know the ending in advance. It's understandable. I was wrong yesterday too, venting online. It's all a small matter."
The village chief looked at Yuan Mei: "You call this nothing? If nothing happened, why would Zhengzheng think of complaining online? It's rare for a child to come home, so she should be allowed to have a proper New Year. But you tossed around to the point where she could only complain online. Next time anyone complains to me that their child is unfilial and doesn't come home for the New Year, I definitely won't listen."
He had originally planned to treat Zhengzheng's husband well during the Spring Festival, to show him the unity, harmony, friendship, and diligence of the people in their village, and that he might be able to invest in their village someday. But they couldn't even handle a small matter properly, so what could he expect from them? They all kept dropping the ball.
Yuan Mei's cold gaze kept shooting at her daughter, Luo Zhengzheng, who looked at her innocently. She really didn't mean anything by it.
Would Yuan Mei believe her? Certainly not.
The village chief said a few words and went home. Once home and feeling uneasy, he thought for a moment and then broadcast over the loudspeaker: "Just watch the TV series, stop making a fuss about spoilers. What spoilers are you talking about? Just watch the TV series honestly. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at by other villages?"
As Luo Zhengzheng listened to the radio, she felt gusts of cold air rushing towards her, but she didn't pay heed at all. She hugged little Chengjia tightly for safety, thinking to herself that her fourth grandpa was really helpful. She would definitely remember to bring him a pack of good cigarettes next time she came back.
Gu Shi looked at Luo Zhengzheng and said, "Let's just wait for your mom to steam purple sweet potatoes for you at noon."
Luo Zhengzheng said with a smile, "You doubt that bringing up yourself would work?"
Gu Shi looked at his fuming mother-in-law, who was so furious that no one could reason with her.
Finally, noon arrived, and Luo Zhengzheng asked Yuan Mei, "Mom, what are we having for lunch?"
Yuan Mei looked at her with a cold expression: "Make your own food, don't call me."
Luo Zhengzheng: "......"
Fine, she would cook for herself and make whatever she wanted to eat.
When "I Am a Robot" was released on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Ze called Gu Shi early on to ask him to help promote it. Gu Shi refused outright, saying that he was only responsible for investing and that the Lunar New Year was a time to spend with his wife, children, and family, and he would not discuss business.
Luo Zhengzheng thought she could help promote it. In their hometown, there was no movie theater. Their home was not far from the county town. It only took half an hour to drive there.
She booked the entire theater and took her family to see a movie.
After watching the movie, she posted on Weibo: "Happy Lunar New Year! I went to see 'I Am a Robot' with my parents, younger brother, husband, and child today. In short, it was great. Two word -brilliant watch. Three words - extremely brilliant watch..."
She turned to Gu Shi: "Wouldn't this be considered helping with the publicity?"
Gu Shi saw her perfunctory "brilliant watch" and said, “Yes."
Luo Zhengzheng said, "You invested 200 million after all, so you can't be too indifferent. Otherwise, Chen Ze will be sad, and it will make us seem like we have a lot of money and aren't afraid of losing money."
A few minutes later, she saw many comments saying that Ms. Luo had also gone to see the movie "I Am a Robot," and since it was so good, they would go see it too.
With such a large investment, it was impossible for "I Am a Robot" to falter at the final promotional stage. Everyone on the internet knew that Director Lu's sci-fi film would be released on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Director Lu's reputation was so great that many people flocked to the cinema. When they came out of the cinema, most of them gave positive reviews, with only a very few negative ones.
Some people who were initially hesitant read the comments and decided to buy tickets, only to find that tickets for that day were sold out.
There were many good movies released on the first day of the Lunar New Year, with a few big directors competing, so the average screening rate of each movie was not very high.
Even so, "I Am a Robot" still had the highest box office today, reaching over 80 million yuan. It was a great start, and Chen Ze was so delighted that his mouth was crooked from smiling.
He arrogantly called Gu Shi: "Guess what your return rate is after investing 200 million?"
Gu Shi wasn't that bored, and said, "Congratulations, you received good news on the first day of the Lunar New Year."
Chen Ze struck while it was hot: "My movie starts filming in March after the new year. Why don't you invest some more?"
Gu Shi leaned against the headboard: "This movie only premiered today, are you so sure it will make money at the box office?"
Chen Ze rolled his eyes: "You're trying to dampen my spirits during the New Year."
Gu Shi said, "You want me to invest in another movie when one is only being released during the Lunar New Year?"
Chen Ze knew he had gotten a little carried away. The box office performance of the movie would depend on the audience's reaction: "If the movie makes money after it's finished, you must invest some more."
Gu Shi: "You're already making money, why would you need me to invest?"
Chen Ze: "A movie has a few investors, but in the end, I don't get much money. Besides, I also have two TV series waiting to be filmed. I need money everywhere."
If they could manage to get some investment from Gu Shi, they should. Otherwise, they won't be able to get any more when Luo Zhengzheng's company starts up.
Gu Shi did not give a definite answer: "We'll talk about it later."
Chen Ze: "Okay, a video company had contacted me about Luo Zhengzheng's TV series. They want to buy the video streaming rights and want to see what price you're willing to accept."
Gu Shi: "Aren’t you negotiating this?"
Chen Ze: "I'm really destined to be a workaholic. I'm still busy even during the Lunar New Year."
Gu Shi: "I'll give you a big red envelope then."
Chen Ze: "Being busy was fine. Anyway, I'm a single man, no one cares about me, and I don't need to spend time with my wife and kids."
Gu Shi: "......"
Little Chengjia really liked robot movies. He watched one and wanted to watch it a second time.
Luo Zhengzheng did not agree to take him to see it again.
He sat next to his maternal grandmother and whispered to her, "Maternal Uncle said that Dad paid for the robot movie, so support Dad."
Luo Zhengzheng, standing beside him, asked with a smile, "Oh, so Jiajia just want to support Dad, not to see the robot."
Little Chengjia sat in the chair, looking at his mom with a serious expression: "I support Dad, not because I want to see robots."
Luo Zhengzheng smilingly said, "Okay, give your New Year's red envelope to Mom. That will be considered supporting dad."
Chengjia clutched his pocket tightly: "Maternal Grandmother gave it to me, I won't give it to you."
Luo Zhengzheng: "Didn't you say you'd support Dad's movie? Then give me the money, and I'll buy you a movie ticket."
Little Chengjia looked at her, as if to confirm the truth of her words and tilted his head to ask her, "You're not lying to me?"
Luo Zhengzheng smilingly said, "I'm not lying to you."
Little Chengjia suddenly shook his head: "No."
Luo Zhengzheng asked him in surprise, "Why?"
Little Chengjia pointed to his eyes: "You smiled, you're lying to me."
Gu Jijing never imagined that his pants would rip one day. When that moment finally came, he felt that it wasn't just his pants that were ripped, but also himself.
He was so stiff he didn't dare move. The heat from his cheeks quickly spread to his ears and neck, and finally throughout his entire body.
The two children were a little unhappy because half of their faces were covered by his large hand.
Yun Juan shook his little head and asked seriously, "Mr. Gu, why are you covering my eyes?"
Yun Shu pouted and said softly, "Mr. Gu, your hands are so hot, my face is melting."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jijing quickly calculated the possibility that the fact that his pants were ripped could be kept from the two children. The final result was, of course, zero, since the two children were sitting right next to him.
His lips trembled and he hesitated before withdrawing his hand, whispering, "I'm sorry."
Both children had their eyes closed. When they sensed the heat on their faces leaving, their long eyelashes fluttered twice before they slowly opened them. They tilted their little heads up and looked at Gu Jijing, finding him somewhat strange.
Yun Juan blinked in confusion: "Mr. Gu, why is your face so red?"
Yun Shu stretched out her chubby index and middle fingers and opened and closed them twice, saying innocently, "Mr. Gu looks like a cooked little crab."
Gu Jijing's cheeks flushed even more upon hearing this. He pursed his lips, lowered his head, and dared not look at them. After a long while, he managed to say with difficulty, "Little Juan, Little Shu, my... my pants seem to have ripped."
The two children stared wide-eyed in surprise upon hearing this.
Yun Juan frowned and said, "I knew I heard some sound."
Yun Shu scratched her head: "I thought Mr. Gu had farted."
Gu Jijing: ...
He didn't know why, but he felt inexplicably comforted.
With their short, chubby arms supporting themselves from behind, the two children leaned back in unison.
Then they noticed Gu Jijing's black suit trousers, with a slit below the waist. If it weren't for the loose threads around them, it wouldn't have been very noticeable.
Gu Jijing had no idea what was happening behind him. He only felt that the two children's gazes were like branding irons, making his back feel hot and painful from their stares.
The two children stared at the crack for a long time before making a move.
Their upper bodies were almost parallel with the ground as they hid behind Gu Jijing and looked up at each other. They both smiled, their chubby little faces full of joy.
Yun Juan glanced at Gu Jijing, who was flushed red, and still gave him face by putting his index finger to his lips and whispering to Yun Shu, "Shh~"
Yun Shu covered her mouth with one hand, hunched her shoulders, and nodded with a twinkle in her eyes.
Mr. Gu was so pitiful, they couldn't laugh out loud.
Yun Juan suppressed a laugh as he stood up, tiptoed, and patted Gu Jijing's shoulder, "Mr. Gu, don't worry, it's not really that noticeable."
Gu Jijing wanted to ask "Really?" when he heard his words of comfort, but before he could even turn his head, he caught a glimpse of his constantly shrugging shoulders, and the question stuck in his throat.
Yun Shu patted his back sympathetically. Then her eyes lit up as if she had remembered something.
She braced herself on her chubby little hands, spun around, and stood up with a thud. Running toward Yun Chuman's bedroom, she shouted, "Mr. Gu, wait a minute, I'll go get you some new clothes!"
Yun Juan took off after him, "I'll go take a look."
Gu Jijing was slightly taken aback. He really wanted to tell them that he had spare clothes in his car, but when he turned around, the two children had already run into the bedroom, and he could only see a little bit of their backs.
He wanted to get up and look for them, but when he thought about the state of his pants, he was too embarrassed to stand up. In the end, he could only sit there blankly, staring vacantly out the window.
Actually, there was nothing wrong with the quality of his pants; the reason this accident happened was largely due to his own actions.
Although a tailor-made suit wasn't quite form-fitting, it left relatively little room for adjustment.
He was so happy when the two children invited him that he forgot to lift his trouser legs a little before sitting down to prevent them from becoming too tight or even tearing.
Gu Jijing rubbed his throbbing brows and sighed. He seemed to have been socially inept lately.
Fortunately, only Yun Juan and Yun Shu were present this time. The two children were very kind and did not laugh at him loudly. Thinking of this, he felt much better.
"Mr. Gu, I've found the clothes!"
Yun Shu's clear, childlike voice came from behind, followed by the sound of pattering footsteps.
Gu Jijing subconsciously turned his head, and the little girl happened to run to his left. Her chubby little face was flushed, and the blush blended with the red marks on her cheeks. Smiling, she said, "This is it."
She raised her hand as she spoke.
Gu Jijing's gaze shifted downwards, and he saw that she was holding a set of sportswear in her hands, a striking light pink one at that.
He was stunned for a moment. Could Yun Shu have wanted him to wear this?
Yun Shu squatted down and placed the clothes on the ground, smoothing them out little by little. She slowly explained, "Mr. Gu, this outfit was bought by my mommy a long time ago. Because it was too big and baggy, she kept it in the closet without wearing it. It's still brand new. You can try it on."
After she finished speaking, she tilted her little face up, and the puppy eyes were full of anticipation.
Before Gu Jijing could react, Yun Juan ran to his right, his little face serious and hesitant, and said, "If you don't like pink, you can try this one. It's brand new too. Mom said she doesn't like it, so she hasn't worn it."
Gu Jijing turned his head and saw the blackness and breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the next second he froze.
With a flick of her hand, Yun Juan revealed the full form of the clothes in mid-air—it was actually a black dress!
Gu Jijing: ...
He suddenly felt a little down. Did the two kids really dislike him? Was that why they were teasing him now?
But he quickly dismissed the idea. Yun Juan and Yun Shu were both lovely and kind children. They would never do such a thing. He was just being narrow-minded!
Yun Shu blinked, looking troubled. "Mr. Gu, don't you like either of them? These two are the biggest pieces of clothing in our house."
Yun Juan peeked his head out from behind the short dress, frowning, and said, "Don't you want to wear girls' clothes? But you can't fit into my clothes."
Gu Jijing felt a warmth in his heart when he heard their words. Just as he had thought, the two children did not mean to tease him; they were simply trying their best to find him clothes to wear.
He smiled and his awkwardness easing considerably. He reached out to pat their little heads, but hesitated before pulling back. "Thank you, Little Juan and Little Shu, but I have spare clothes."
The clothes were a gift from his younger brother a couple of days ago, and he had kept them unopened in the trunk.
"You should have said so sooner," Yun Juan said with a resentful tone, squatted down, and put the little dress on the ground again to fold it neatly.
Gu Jijing subconsciously said, "Sorry."
“Mr. Gu, there’s no need to apologize,” Yun Shu winked at him secretly and whispered, “Elder Brother just finds tidying up the wardrobe troublesome.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Juan wrinkled his little nose at her.
Gu Jijing realized that's how it was, and he volunteered, "I can help you clean up."
"Okay, then come with us after you change your clothes. We've made a huge mess of Mommy's closet."
Yun Shu stretched her arms out to both sides in an exaggerated tone.
Gu Jijing found her expressions and movements very interesting. Seeing that she was not very skilled at folding clothes, he took the initiative to reach out and fold them for her.
Seeing this, Yun Shu simply sat down next to him, tilted her head, and smiled, "Mr. Gu, where are your spare clothes? Elder Brother and I will go get them for you."
“It’s in the trunk of the car,” Gu Jijing said, looking out the window at the parking space below. His car was the only one parked there all alone. “You don’t need to help me get it.”
He was worried about the two children going downstairs alone, but he didn't say it aloud.
Yun Juan asked in surprise, "You're going to go get it yourself, wearing those ripped pants?"
Gu Jijing was taken aback for a moment and quickly explained, "No, no, I'll have someone bring it up for me."
Yun Juan put her hands on her hips, leaned close to him, frowned, and asked suspiciously, "Looking for someone? Who?"
"My assistant."
Gu Jijing took out his phone from his pocket, and just as he was about to make a call, a chubby little hand pressed it down.
The child's hands were soft and warm, and Gu Jijing's fingers trembled slightly. He looked over and saw Yun Shu asking in confusion, "Is he in the car?"
Gu Jijing shook his head: "At the company."
The two children were somewhat bewildered. Although they didn't know where Gu Jijing's company was, they were certain it wasn't nearby.
They had lived here for so long and knew the area like the back of their hand, yet they had never seen Gu Jijing's company.
Yun Juan asked with a stern face, "Is it long to get here from the company?"
Yun Shu's smile vanished and she said earnestly, "Mr. Gu, this isn't good of you. You're troubling others too much."
Gu Jijing opened his mouth, unsure how to explain that this was one of Yang Feng's responsibilities, especially since he had paid the other party five times the normal salary.
Yun Shu took the phone from his hand and put it on the ground, smiling as she said, "Mr. Gu, let Elder Brother and I help you get it."
Yun Juan wrinkled her nose: "You distrust us just because we're young, right?"
Gu Jijing really wanted to say yes, but he had a gut feeling that the two children would get mad if he said it, so he finally chose to remain silent.
Yun Shu pointed to the window: "Mr. Gu, you can watch over us from here. If we make a mistake, just open the window and tell us what to do."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Gu Jijing expectantly, radiating an aura of eagerness.
Gu Jijing finally understood why Yun Chuman often compromised in her arguments with Yun Juan and Yun Shu during the variety show live broadcast. No one could resist their soft tone and bright eyes.
He sighed helplessly and resignedly took out the car keys: "Okay, I'll teach you how to open the trunk."
The two children looked at each other, squatted down beside him, nodded seriously, and said in unison, "Mr. Gu, please speak."
Gu Jijing never knew he was so patient. He repeated each step almost three times before finally handing the car keys to the two children, reminding them again, "Be sure to be careful."
Yun Juan pouted and said with dissatisfaction, "We're just young... not idiots."
Yun Shu didn't mind at all. She patted her chest and said, "Mr. Gu, don't worry, we will definitely complete the mission!"
After they finished speaking, they ran out with their short legs.
Ever since the door was closed, Gu Jijing's brows had been furrowed. He listened carefully to the footsteps of the two children, and when he could no longer hear them, he nervously looked out the window and stared downstairs. Only when he saw the two familiar little figures did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu were very well-behaved. After going downstairs, they didn't run around but went straight to Gu Ji Jing's car.
The two went around to the back of the car and opened the trunk as Gu Jijing had instructed them.
Seeing this, Gu Jijing felt a hint of pride, but he still didn't completely relax.
From his angle, he could only see the front of the car and the slowly rising trunk, completely obscuring the two children.
Gu Jijing waited for a while and found that the two children had been behind the car for almost ten minutes and still hadn't come out.
He gradually became anxious. Just as he was about to go downstairs in his ripped pants, the trunk was finally locked back up, and two children ran out from behind the car, carrying bags of clothes.
Gu Jijing breathed a sigh of relief. After thinking for a moment, he got up and walked to the door. As the footsteps of the two children grew closer, he opened the door ahead of time.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu looked very anxious. Before the door was fully open, they squeezed in through the crack like a little eel.
Yun Juan shoved the bag of clothes into Gu Jijing's hand, panting, and said, "Mr. Gu, you can go to my and Little Shu's room to change your clothes."
Yun Shu returned the car keys to Gu Jijing, and before she could catch her breath, she pulled Yun Juan and said, "Elder Brother, let's go quickly!"
Gu Jijing was taken aback, but quickly grabbed their little arms. The soft feel made him subconsciously loosen his grip and asked, "Little Juan, Little Shu, where are you going?"
The two children exchanged a troubled look, and finally Yun Juan pursed his lips and nodded to Yun Shu.
Yun Shu looked at Gu Jijing and said anxiously while gesturing, "Mr. Gu, we just found an injured kitten, and Elder Brother and I are going down to rescue it!"
Gu Jijing finally understood why the two children had stayed in the back of the car for so long.
He frowned slightly: "Wait a minute, I'll change my clothes and come down with you."
An injured kitten could easily injure someone in self-defense, so the two children should not be allowed to go alone.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu hesitated for a moment, but remembering that Yun Chuman had said to be obedient, they agreed in the end.
They urged, "Mr. Gu, please hurry, the kitten looks like it's in a lot of pain."
Gu Jijing was also a little anxious because of their emotions, but after taking a few steps he calmed down and turned around to ask, "Little Juan, Little Shu, do you have any cardboard boxes at home?"
Yun Juan stamped his foot anxiously: "What do you need a cardboard box for?"
Yun Shu frowned and nodded in agreement. Mr. Gu was so long-winded!
Gu Jijing tried to calm them down: "Little Juan and Little Shu, don't worry. We need to prepare in advance to rescue the kitten."
"The kitten is injured and definitely needs to be taken to the vet. Are you going to carry them the whole way there?"
The two children exchanged a glance, and realizing the point, they said in unison, "Would a milk carton work?"
Gu Jijing nodded.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu took off their shoes and ran into the room.
Gu Jijing breathed a sigh of relief as he watched their hurried little figures disappear. It seemed the two children wouldn't sneak out while he was changing clothes.
The two children rushed into the kitchen and slowly took out the unfinished milk.
Yun Shu touched the thin cardboard at the bottom of the box; it was hard and cold. She asked worriedly, "Elder Brother, won't the kitten feel uncomfortable?"
Yun Juan looked around, took a small, unused cushion from under the sofa, and carefully placed it in the cardboard box: "That should do!"
They happily carried the cardboard box out of the kitchen, just as Gu Jijing finished changing his clothes, and came out of the bedroom with a note for Yun Chuman. He was afraid that she would be worried if she suddenly came back and couldn't find the two children, so he told her that he had taken them to the vet.
The two children froze in place when they saw him.
Yun Shu blinked, and after a long while, she said, "Mr. Gu, you seem to have become younger."
Yun Juan stretched out his chubby little hand and said in a serious tone, "At least by five years."
Gu Jijing was slightly taken aback. "Younger?"
He used to wear suits often, and his hair was always neatly combed back.
As soon as he entered the room and opened the bag of clothes, he discovered that the clothes his younger brother had given him were casual wear.
Oversized short-sleeved shirt, beige casual trousers, and a pair of exaggerated sneakers.
Gu Jijing disliked it, but thinking it was better than a pink tracksuit and a black dress, he reluctantly put it on. In his haste, he didn't care about his hair and all his black hair fell straight down.
He didn't know how to respond to the two children. Could it be that he was actually quite young?
Gu Jijing pondered for a moment and finally decided to change the subject: "Did you find the cardboard box?"
As expected, Yun Juan and Yun Shu's attention was diverted, and they immediately raised the modified milk carton in their hand.
Gu Jijing took it and followed them downstairs.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu darted around on their short legs, running incredibly fast. They called out anxiously, "Mr. Gu, over here!"
Gu Jijing followed them closely and soon heard a faint, pitiful meow.
He followed the two children around to the back of the car and immediately spotted the little black cat on the lawn. It was about the size of a palm, with its front paws pierced by steel nails, and it was pitifully hiding in a corner.
The two children rushed forward anxiously.
Yun Juan bent down slightly, frowned, and said softly, "Kitty, don't be afraid."
Yun Shu didn't dare blink and said softly, "We're here to help you."
Due to its injury, the little black cat reacted violently. When it saw them approaching, its fur stood on end, and it bared its sharp teeth and meowed loudly!
Gu Jijing frowned, reached out, and pulled the two children back. He handed them the cardboard box and said in a low voice, "Little Juan and Little Shu, I'll do it."
The two children were actually a little scared. The little black cat was different from the cats in Mo Rongwen's family. They could sense the kitten's rejection.
Yun Juan scratched his cheek and said awkwardly, "Mr. Gu, you need to be careful."
Yun Shu's eyes sparkled as she clenched her little fist: "Go, Mr. Gu!"
Gu Jijing almost laughed. He gave a soft "hmm" and walked towards the little black cat.
The little black cat's fur stood on end even more when he approached.
The two children nervously clenched their little fists and pressed their lips tightly together, afraid of making the slightest sound.
Gu Jijing remained silent, staring intently into the little black cat's eyes.
The little black cat was visibly startled when it met his calm eyes. Then, it miraculously fell silent.
Gu Jijing seized the opportunity, quickly walked up to the little black cat, skillfully avoided its wounds, and picked it up.
The two children jumped up excitedly and gave a silent "Yay!" They quickly handed the cardboard box to Gu Jijing as he approached.
Gu Jijing deftly put the little black cat inside.
The little black cat lay on the cushion, its ears drooping, looking at them pitifully, and meowed softly twice.
The two children immediately felt sorry for the kitten.
Yun Juan frowned slightly: "Don't be afraid, we'll take you to see a doctor."
Yun Shu said softly, "Your pain will be gone soon."
"Meow~" the little black cat meowed again.
Gu Jijing opened the back door of the car, put the little black cat and the cardboard box on the back seat, and said to the two children, "Little Juan and Little Shu, get in the car."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu ran over, only to find that Gu Ji Jing's car was too tall; their short legs simply couldn't get up there!
The two children looked up at Gu Jijing with an accusatory and aggrieved expression.
Gu Jijing was stunned for a moment, and wanted to laugh, but he knew that if he laughed, the two children would definitely get angry.
Finally, he pursed his lips, which were trying to curl upwards, and picked up Yun Juan and Yun Shu, placing them on either side of the little black cat.
He fastened the seatbelts for the two children, turned around, and got into the driver's seat. While locating the nearest pet hospital, he thought that he should buy two child safety seats if he had time tomorrow.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu watched his retreating figure and glanced at the little black cat in the cardboard box. Mr. Gu didn't seem so bad after all. If he didn't fight with them for their mommy, they would stay with him.
They looked at each other, turned to each other, and said in unison, "Thank you, Mr. Gu."
Gu Jijing gave a slight smile and said calmly, "You're welcome. Little Juan and Little Shu, sit still and don't touch the little black cat. We should get going."
"Okay~" the two children replied in a drawn-out tone, swaying their little bodies.
Gu Jijing drove the car out steadily.
Although this was the old town area, the surrounding area was fully developed.
In less than ten minutes, Gu Jijing arrived at the pet hospital with the two children and the little black cat.
The vet was a girl who wore glasses. She paused for a moment when she saw the little black cat.
Yun Juan frowned slightly: "Elder Sister, how is little Black?"
Yun Shu asked worriedly, "Elder Sister, is little Black seriously injured?"
The vet smiled gently: "It's nothing serious. Little Black is lucky and isn't injured at any vital areas. As long as the wound is properly disinfected and he rests for a while, he'll be fine."
The two children breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and the little black cat also meowed.
"I'll go take care of it, please wait a moment." The vet picked up the little black cat and turned to go into another room.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu sat in the chair, their eyes fixed on the room, and their little faces scrunched up with tension.
Gu Jijing looked at them and hesitated for a long time before speaking, "Little Juan and Little Shu, it’s okay. Little Black will be fine."
The two children nodded.
Yun Juan suddenly sighed, worriedly asking, "What will happen to little Black after this? It's so small, won't it get hurt again outside?"
Yun Shu blinked and said sadly, "Poor little Black."
Gu Jijing's heart stirred and he said, "If Little Juan and Little Shu can take good care of it, we can ask Ms. Yun if we can adopt it."
The two children's eyes lit up.
Yun Juan clapped his hands: "That's right!"
Yun Shu said happily, "Mommy is so kind, she will definitely agree to let us raise little Black!"
Gu Jijing smiled and said, "It's okay if Ms. Yun doesn't agree. I can adopt little Black, and you can see it anytime."
The two children suddenly looked at him, and their smiles vanished.
Gu Jijing was slightly taken aback. Had he said something wrong again?
Yun Juan and Yun Shu said earnestly, "Mommy will definitely agree!"
At this time, the vet returned carrying the little black cat.
The little black cat, with bandages wrapped around its front paws, meowed pitifully when it saw Gu Jijing, Yun Juan and Yun Shu.
The two children immediately jumped off the chairs, and were about to ask about the adoption when they heard the vet laugh and say, "I was wondering why the stray cats around here were so restless today. It turns out the eldest cat's son had gone missing."
The vet smiled and said to Yun Juan and Yun Shu, "Thank you for bringing it back, kids. Otherwise, the stray cats in the neighborhood would have caused quite a commotion."
Gu Jijing, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu were all taken aback.
The vet said to herself, "Don't underestimate little Black just because it's young. It's very mischievous and fierce because its mommy was the boss cat on this street. It probably got bitten while playing outside today."
Gu Jijing, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu realized that although the little black cat was a stray, it had an owner in a certain sense.
The two children looked up, and the little black cat meowed at them.
Yun Juan asked reluctantly, "Elder Sister, are you going to send little Black back to its mommy?"
Yun Shu tried to argue a little more, pleading, "Can't we adopt it?"
When the vet looked into the two pairs of puppy eyes, he couldn't even bring himself to refuse.
She turned her head away and said ruthlessly, "Logically speaking, adopting a stray kitten is a good thing, but this one is too special. Its mommy probably won't agree."
She gestured with her chin toward the door: "A cat had already come to report."
The two children turned around and, sure enough, saw a large orange cat lingering outside.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu still don't want to give up.
Gu Jijing pondered for a moment and said, "Little Juan and Little Shu, would you be willing to leave Ms. Yun?"
The two children's eyes widened in horror, and they replied without hesitation, "No!"
Gu Jijing pointed at the little black cat: "How could you bear to let little Black leave its mommy?"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu exchanged a glance, pouted, and said dejectedly, "We're not raising little Black anymore."
Seeing that they were about to cry, the vet quickly comforted them, "Don't worry, I'll let little Black rest here before it goes out. The cat boss's territory is very large. The fact that little Black appeared in your neighborhood means that it's also the cat boss's territory. It will definitely come looking for you in the future."
With this, the two children were a little happier and they talked with the little black cat for a while before leaving.
Gu Jijing saw them looking anxious with drooping shoulders in the rearview mirror, wondering if his earlier statement to give up on little Black had been too harsh.
He frowned, wishing Yun Chuman were here right now. Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.
With slender shoulders, simple sportswear, and her signature droopy eyes, every feature of her face was exquisite—it was Yun Chuman!
Gu Jijing's eyes lit up as if he had seen a lifeline. He was about to call out to Yun Chuman when he noticed that her expression was off, and there happened to be a hospital behind her!
Gu Jijing was startled, realizing something was wrong. A flood of thoughts rushed through his mind: Why was Yun Chuman leaving the hospital? Why did she look so in despair? Had something happened? Was this the reason for her unusual behavior today?
By this time, Yun Juan and Yun Shu had composed themselves. They wiggled their short legs and thanked them again, "Mr. Gu, thank you for bringing little Black over for us."
Gu Jijing saw the two children sitting up straight in the rearview mirror. With a turn of a head, they could see Yun Chuman.
He panicked slightly and his first reaction was to drive the car away so that the two children couldn't see Yun Chuman.
If he wasn't mistaken, Yun Chuman had asked him to take care of the two children today because she definitely didn't want them to know she had gone to the hospital.
Looking out the car window, Yun Juan said with some sadness, "I wonder if Mom has gone home yet."
Yun Shu clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and made a wish: "I hope I can see mommy when I get home soon!"
Gu Jijing felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, recalling Yun Chuman's expression just now, and could only hope that nothing bad had happened.
On the other side.
Yun Chuman hadn't been home for so long because she went to a few hospitals for checkups.
After leaving home in the morning, she deliberately avoided the hospital where the original owner had been treated and went to a hospital that was farther away. She spent the whole morning completing the examination, and the only result she received was: her physical health was far above that of an ordinary person, and she would have no problem living to be a hundred years old.
Yun Chuman was stunned. She walked out of the hospital with a solemn expression. On the one hand, she felt that the test results were fine and the doctor could not have lied to her. On the other hand, she also felt that the original owner did not seem to be lying. The overwhelming sense of despair could not be faked.
So she went to another hospital, and the test results were still that she was in excellent health and had a great appetite.
Yun Chuman couldn't figure out what was going on. After hesitating for a moment, she went to the hospital where the original owner had been treated. It was still the closest hospital to her home, and she even found the original owner's attending physician.
The first thing the attending physician said to her was, "You look great lately. I've seen the variety show. It's also important to be happy and relaxed. Keep it up."
The second sentence is: "But we can't give up on treatment. Let's consider chemotherapy."
Yun Chuman really wanted to ask if it was a misdiagnosis, but she hadn't figured out how to ask it tactfully.
The attending physician glanced at the large stack of films in her hand and sighed heavily: "Sigh, you've been going to various hospitals for tests again? I know you don't want to believe you have a disease, but you can't... Sometimes you have to face reality and actively seek treatment."
Yun Chuman now realized that the original owner of this body had done the same thing as her, going to various hospitals for physical examinations.
However, what she wanted to verify was whether her body was healthy or not, while the original owner wanted to verify whether she had cancer.
According to the attending physician, the original owner had visited several hospitals, and the results were still that she wouldn't live much longer, so there was no misdiagnosis. That's why the original owner finally chose to receive treatment at the hospital closest to her home.
Yun Chuman felt a little heavy-hearted, but she forced a smile and said, "I will consider it."
After saying that, she walked out of the hospital.
She couldn't understand how this body had suddenly recovered. Was it some kind of medical miracle? Or was it an effect of her transmigrating into this world?
She stood outside the hospital, looking up at the sky, completely baffled, unaware that at the same time, Gu Jijing and the two children were not far away.
Yun Chuman stood there for a long time, but finally, unable to understand it any longer, she stopped worrying about it. After all, as long as she was healthy, that was all that mattered! She didn't need to worry about what would happen to Yun Juan and Yun Shu if she died!
Yun Chuman walked home happily, having bought a cake and lots of food to celebrate.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Gu Jijing standing in a row with two children at the entrance.
While she was in a daze, the two children rushed up and hugged her legs.
Yun Juan looked up, his little face upturned, his brows furrowed, and said softly, "Mommy, you're back so late."
Yun Shu rubbed her cheek against the back of her hand: "Elder Brother and I missed you."
Yun Chuman felt a warmth in her heart. She actually missed the two children quite a bit. Even though it had only been a day since she last saw them, it felt like an eternity.
She squatted down, gently pinched their cheeks, and smilingly asked, "Were you good today, Little Juan and Little Shu?"
Yun Juan nodded vigorously: "Little Shu and I were very well-behaved!"
Yun Shu counted on her fingers: "We've done a lot of good deeds, like getting Mr. Gu his pants and saving little Black."
"Huh?" Yun Chuman clearly didn't understand, but still smiled and said, "Little Juan and Little Shu are so great!"
Gu Jijing had been worried about her ever since he returned from outside. Seeing her forced smile now, he suddenly felt a pang of heartache. He frowned, stepped forward, and called out, "Ms. Yun..."
Yun Chuman looked up and noticed that he was unusually dressed in casual clothes. She looked him up and down, blinked, and smiled, "Mr. Gu, you look so much younger! At least five years younger!"
Gu Jijing's heartfelt concern and worry got stuck in his throat: ...
Upon hearing this sentence for the second time, he suddenly became unsure whether he was still young or not. Had he looked old before?
“Your Elder Brother-in-law is working overtime at the company, so I took some time to come and see you.”
As soon as Meng Yao entered the room, she put on a show of sisterly affection, "How is it? Still okay? The comments people made online are simply too much."
Meng Xi smiled, thinking to herself that this actress's acting skills were indeed quite good. No wonder she could become famous so quickly without relying on her family's influence.
She now held a top-tier position in the entertainment industry and was the first female celebrity to surpass 80 million VB followers.
If someone was unaware of the situation, it was easy to be blinded by her feigned affection. Unfortunately, this trick won't work on her.
"I'm fine." Meng Xi led Meng Yao to the living room. "It's just a baseless rumor. There's no need to take it to heart. Elder Sister, you don't need to worry."
Meng Yao was slightly surprised.
That shouldn't be the case.
Given Meng Xi's fiery temper, shouldn't she be furious at this point after being slandered like this?
But why was she so calm?
"It's good that you think that way."
Meng Yao nodded and changed the subject to Huo Mingcheng, "That Mingcheng is really something, I don't know what he's thinking all day long. The matter had blown up so much, he must have known about it, right? He didn't even bother to come forward and make a statement to help you clarify things."
Ha.
Wasn't this exactly what she wanted?
Meng Xi sat down on the sofa with her, forcing a smile. Meng Yao continued to ask, "By the way, where's Ming Cheng? Isn't he home?"
"He said he has a social engagement, so he came back, changed his clothes, and went out again."
Ah Lan brought over a cup of tea, Meng Yao's favorite rose tea. Even though Huo Mingcheng never drinks this kind of thing, he always kept some on hand.
Quite attentive.
"Miss Meng, please have some tea."
Ah Lan respectfully placed the tea in front of her. After thanking her, Meng Yao picked it up and smelled it, her nose filled with a faint fragrance.
In front of Meng Xi, she deliberately smiled and said, "Ah Lan, tell your family’s Mister that although I like to drink rose tea, Meng Xi prefers green tea, so in the future, don't buy so much rose tea and leave it there. Buy more green tea instead."
Ah Lan glanced at Meng Xi, unsure of what to say. She felt that Madam was the mistress of the house, and that it was inappropriate for Miss Meng to say such a thing.
It sounded as if the wife had no say in front of her husband, and if she wanted some green tea, Miss Meng had to ask for it.
But as a nanny, she couldn't say much, so she nodded and left.
"Elder Sister, you're being too polite," Meng Xi said generously. "We'll always remember what you like. But since you don't come here often, it's not good to leave so much rose tea there all the time. Why don't you take it home and enjoy it slowly?"
"Ah Lan, go and pack up the rest of the rose tea so that Elder Sister can take it with her later."
Meng Yao's hand holding the cup froze.
To her surprise, her words did not arouse Meng Xi's jealousy; on the contrary, she was so generous as to give her all the rose tea.
When Meng Yao raised her eyelids, she met Meng Xi's smiling face and couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
Three years ago, when she first met Meng Xi, she had a face covered in heavy makeup, and she had been like that for years. It was rare to see her without makeup.
Now, looking at it closely, without the exaggerated eyeshadow and lipstick, her face was clean and beautiful, like a lotus emerging from the water.
Everyone thought that Meng Xi's face was surgically altered to resemble hers, but little did they know that the two were born from the same mother.
Two months later, when she was officially introduced at the company's annual meeting, it will probably cause quite a stir.
The only daughter of the Meng Family suddenly had a younger sister. Meng Yao would often secretly grumble about it in her heart.
More than twenty years have passed, so why was Meng Xi showing up again to compete with her for her parents' love?!
There was also Huo Mingcheng.
Even if she didn't want him, she didn't want to give him to someone else.
Meow~ Meow~
Fatty came over to join in the fun.
It wagged its tail and swaggered over to Meng Yao, rubbing against her leg.
Meng Yao immediately picked it up, poked its round belly, and said jokingly, "Little fatty, are you hungry? Meng Xi didn't feed you, did she?"
“Ah Lan had already fed it,” Meng Xi said.
“That means it wants to eat snacks.” Meng Yao said as if she knew it very well. “Fatty is a bit like me. He often doesn’t eat his regular meals properly and always likes to pitifully beg for snacks. I remember when we were in school, Mingcheng would specially bring me a bag of snacks to school every day.”
The author didn't describe the cat much in the novel, so Meng Xi naturally didn't know much about it, nor did she know what kind of snacks it liked to eat.
Seeing Meng Yao take out a bag of dried fish from her bag, she couldn't help but find it a little funny.
It turned out that she not only wanted to keep Huo Mingcheng hanging, but also wanted to bribe his cat as well.
When Huo Mingcheng returned after his social engagement, Meng Yao had already left.
Meng Xi was lying on the sofa watching TV, covered with a blanket. Fatty was lying at her feet. Hearing a noise at the door, it jumped down and ran over quickly.
As soon as Huo Mingcheng entered the house, he heard it meow and report, "Meng Yao came by and even fed me dried fish."
Meng Yao?
Every time Huo Mingcheng heard those two words, his heart would stir with emotion. She must have come at this time because of Meng Xi's scandal.
Looking around again, the woman embroiled in scandal was leisurely lounging on the sofa watching TV.
When he returned, she didn't react at all.
"Mister, you're back." Ah Lan came over, smelled the alcohol on him, and quickly said, "I'll go heat up some milk for you."
Huo Mingcheng used to need a cup of hot milk every time he came back from drinking.
But today, seeing Meng Xi's completely disregard for him, he was inexplicably a little angry.
He didn't even want to drink dragon milk anymore, let alone milk .
Strange!
He clearly wanted this to happen, so why was he feeling unhappy about it now?
"No need." Huo Mingcheng waved his hand and went upstairs.
Meng Xi gently raised her head, glanced at his back, scoffed, and continued watching TV.
Inside the room, Huo Mingcheng was surprised to learn from Fatty about the conversation between Meng Xi and Meng Yao.
She was so kind as to give all the rose tea to Meng Yao?
On the first day after she moved in, Ah Lan threw everything away...
Filled with doubt, Huo Mingcheng sat down and opened VB.
He had been busy all day, and all he knew was that Meng Xi was involved in another scandal, but he didn't know the specifics.
Upon opening it, anger erupted.
Because under Meng Xi's VB post that said "Not a mistress, have a husband, and he's very successful," all the comments were insults directed at him.
"So what if you have a husband? He's still just a coward."
"My intuition tells me that your husband isn't a good person either."
"He's probably a gigolo."
...
In a fit of anger, Huo Mingcheng retweeted the VB post, saying, "Thank you for the compliment."
Huo Mingcheng's expression gradually turned ugly, his eyebrows furrowed, and he angrily threw Fatty onto the bed.
Oh.
He was a dog man?
She'd rather like a piece of char siu than him?
But a few days ago, Fatty's daily reports clearly stated:
Meng Xi kicked it.
Meng Xi slapped the nanny.
Meng Xi called a friend for advice on how to make him fall in love with her. And so on.
Why did her attitude suddenly change so drastically?
Was she deliberately using some kind of trick?
Very likely!
Huo Mingcheng narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly making a decision in his mind.
Otherwise, if she heard him come home, she would have rushed downstairs with Fatty to greet him long ago. Why hadn't she come out of her room yet today?
He really regretted marrying such a scheming and vicious woman.
Huo Mingcheng gave a disdainful snort, changed into a suit, and went out again.
Meng Xi really didn't do it on purpose, because she didn't take Huo Mingcheng, that dog man, seriously at all.
Whether he came back or not, what did it have to do with her?
The original owner was willing to humble himself before Huo Mingcheng and try her best to please him; that was her business.
She wouldn't waste her time putting hot face on cold butt. It would only make her look foolish.
As human beings, who didn't have self-respect?
Meng Xi put aside her VB posts, opened the walk-in closet to change into comfortable loungewear, and stood in front of the mirror to carefully examine the original owner's body.
The person in the mirror had a slender figure, and even in loose clothing, her perfect curves were still faintly visible.
She looked nine-tenths like her, but because of her exaggerated makeup, her eyes and brows have a sharp edge, making her look unapproachable.
Too tacky.
Meng Xi immediately went to the bathroom, removed the heavy makeup from her face with disgust, and after carefully washing her face, she felt much more refreshed.
"Knock knock knock—" There was a knock on the door.
Could it be Huo Mingcheng?
Meng Xi frowned immediately and walked to the bathroom door, asking, "Who is it?"
However, it wasn't Huo Mingcheng's voice that came from outside. Instead, the nanny, Ah Lan, cautiously replied, "Madam, it's time to come downstairs for dinner."
Madam……
It was quite difficult for her, a third-year film school student, to suddenly become a madam.
But she was indeed quite hungry.
Meng Xi acknowledged and went to open the door.
Standing at the door, Ah Lan instinctively took a step back like a startled deer. When she looked up again, she was stunned.
Standing before her, Meng Xi was wearing a white knitted sweater paired with black casual pants. Beneath her smooth, lustrous long hair, her unadorned face exuded an indescribable purity.
Those eyes, which used to be so intimidating, have softened considerably.
Wow, she was so beautiful even without makeup!
In this respect, she actually seemed to be slightly better than Miss Meng Yao.
Ah Lan was mesmerized.
"Where is Mister?" Meng Xi asked, her tone becoming much gentler.
Ah Lan quickly stepped aside to make way for her, "Mister said he has a social engagement, so he changed his clothes and went out again."
Ha.
Not having to sit at the same table with that dog man was exactly what she wanted.
In November, the weather outside was bitterly cold, but inside it was warm and cozy.
Meng Xi didn't feel cold despite wearing only thin clothes, and as soon as she went downstairs, she smelled an enticing fragrance.
It smelled like sweet and sour pork ribs.
Ah Lan helped serve the rice and handed it to her.
Meng Xi accepted the invitation and said, "Ah Lan, sit down and eat with me. I can't finish all this food by myself."
Seeing Fatty stride over and stand beside her, she bent down and picked him up, stroking his smooth fur back and forth.
It felt great.
“This…” Ah Lan was stunned.
What was wrong with Madam today?
Something was not right.
From the very first day she moved in, she never looked at her, the nanny, properly, and her tone was always shrieking and hollering around.
Why would someone suddenly be so kind as to invite her to dinner?
There were also Fatty.
She could tell that Madam disliked Fatty very much and had even secretly kicked him. In front of Mister, she would put on an act.
"Sit down, what are you standing there for?"
Meng Xi knew that the original owner must have left her with a fierce impression, which was why she was so careful in her words and actions.
But subtly, she shifted the blame onto Huo Mingcheng, saying, "All the rules Mr. Huo set for you don't need to be followed in front of me. Do whatever makes you comfortable."
"Also, don't call me Madam anymore, just call me Elder Sister Meng Xi."
The book mentioned that Ah Lan was only seventeen years old this year. Due to family difficulties, she dropped out of high school and started working to earn money.
So it was not unreasonable for her to call her "Elder Sister".
"Ah...Ah Lan wouldn't dare."
Hearing these words, Ah Lan almost began to doubt whether she was hallucinating. Meng Xi had clearly told her strictly to call her "Madam," so why had she changed it again?
If she actually called Meng Xi by her full name, she'd probably slap her across the face the next second.
Fatty was also filled with doubts.
He opened his mouth and howled twice: "This woman is acting strange today. I wonder what tricks she's up to this time. She actually hugged me, the cat. Is she going to pinch me later?"
[Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, escape is the best. Goodbye!]
Fatty jumped off Meng Xi and onto the sofa, nestling down and staring at her with wary eyes.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Ah Lan, Meng Xi let her be and decided to eat her fill first.
No sooner had she put down her bowl, Meng Yao showed up at my door.
As Ah Lan ushered the person into the house, she turned to Meng Xi and called out, "Madam, Miss Meng is here."
Upon hearing the title "Madam," Meng Yao unconsciously frowned.
Although she was the one who gave up on Huo Mingcheng, she still couldn't help feeling a little jealous when she thought how he was now someone else's husband.
It had been a full week since he and Meng Xi got their marriage certificate, and she wondered how their relationship was going.
Should be……
Not very good, right?
Otherwise, given how much the matter had escalated online, he wouldn't have remained silent.
In Huo Mingcheng's eyes, Meng Xi was nothing more than a substitute for her.
Thinking of this, Meng Yao felt a surge of pride.
Ah Lan hurried to the kitchen to make tea. This young lady of the Meng Family held an extraordinary position in Mister's heart, so she must not be neglected.
"Elder Sister, you came."
Meng Xi stood up, walked over with a smile, and affectionately took Meng Yao's arm. "Why are you here so late? Didn't Elder Brother-in-law come with you?"
This was a rhetorical question.
The other party must be here to see the joke, and also to see how Huo Mingcheng, who had been pursuing her for so many years, treated his new wife.
As for Gu Sinian, who knew where he was messing around right now. If he were at home, Meng Yao wouldn't dare to run over to Huo Mingcheng's place.
Seeing that they had decided to register a company, Director Lu smiled broadly and said to Luo Zhengzheng, "President Luo, once you have your own company, don't forget me if you have any script. I'll be there whenever you call."
Among so many investors, he still preferred to work with Luo Zhengzheng. Even Chen Ze had to take a backseat.
Having made so many films, he must have some savings. It was not impossible for him to invest in a movie or TV series himself.
But which truly capable director would finance their own film? It was usually investors vying to fund their projects, which was how they demonstrated their abilities.
Chen Ze crossed his legs, picked up a piece of cantaloupe and ate it. After finishing, he said, "Director Lu, this is going too far. You're always available whenever she calls? Are you not going to take care of our Wanhua Entertainment's productions? You can't just make all the films for Luo Zhengzheng because she has plenty of funding, can you?"
Luo Zhengzheng didn't want to discourage him, but his words were too irritating, so she said, "With Director Lu's current status, I believe that as long as he says he wants to make a movie, plenty of people will invest in it. Why would he lack funds? He chooses to make my movie instead of Wanhua Entertainment's, isn't it because my script is more attractive to him, and your script is too boring?"
Chen Ze really wanted to say "bullshit," but after glancing at Gu Shi beside him, he wisely kept quiet and said, "Do you think your eye for books is better than mine?" Why was that so unbelievable?
Director Lu chipped in from the side, "I only shoot scripts that I like. None of the scripts you have are of interest to me."
Chen Ze became withdrawn. Ultimately it was because the other party didn't like the script on his side.
Seeing his sullen expression, Gu Shi said, "What else did you think it was?"
Chen Ze fell silent, secretly pondering which directors could make the film he was working on. He refused to believe that without Zhang the butcher, people would still be eating hairy pigs.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, Gu Boyuan didn't plan to spend it in the capital this year. Celebrating the Lunar New Year in the capital every year was getting boring, and besides, people came to visit every day. Normally, after a busy year, they just wanted to rest, but the endless stream of guests was getting to him. He said goodbye to his sons and then went on a trip with Ye Li.
With all the elders of the family off on vacation, the house was quiet and deserted. Naturally, Luo Zhengzheng didn't want to stay in the capital for the New Year, so she took her husband and son back to maternal home to celebrate with them.
During Lunar New Year, many young people who work outside the village have returned, making it a lively and bustling place. Every day, villagers came to visit Luo Zhengzheng and took a look at her CEO husband to satisfy their growing curiosity. Gu Shi patiently let them satisfy their curiosity.
Recently, Luo Zhengzheng had a new worry.
Since the premiere of "Home and Country," Yuan Mei called on the whole village to watch it since she knew that the TV series was invested in by her daughter. Every night at eight o'clock, all the villagers, young and old, would sit in front of the TV to watch it. Since Luo Zhengzheng and her partner had built a school and roads for the village, they also wanted to do their part to help the children. It was just a TV series. Anyway, they would watch the TV, so why not watch the TV series that the lass Zhengzheng invested in?
As they watched, they became obsessed with the TV series. Without anyone urging them, they spontaneously and regularly sat in front of the TV to watch it.
When Luo Zhengzheng returned, people would come over from time to time and ask her to spoil the plot.
Not only did the aunties and grandmas in the village ask her to spoil the plot, even Ms. Yuan Mei from her own family would block her every day, asking her to spoil the plot.
Was Luo Zhengzheng someone who would easily abandon her principles? Of course not.
Even with her own mother, she adhered to her principle of not spoiling the plot. The joy of watching a show lies in not knowing what will happen next. That suspenseful feeling was captivating. Knowing the plot in advance would diminish the excitement of watching, and she might gradually lose interest altogether. Of course, she wouldn't ruin her future.
Yuan Mei glared at her and was about to turn hostile: "This lass, tell me. I won't tell anyone else. What's the big deal? You cook dinner tonight. I want to watch TV, not serving."
Luo Zhengzheng felt that Ms. Yuan Mei was being unreasonable. Fine, she’ll cook then. It was not like she couldn't cook.
No matter what she said, even if she goes on strike, she just wouldn't give her any spoilers. Not only will she not give her any spoilers, but she'll also complain about her on VB.
"In my memory, my mom, Ms. Yuan, has always been a gentle, virtuous, and hardworking woman. But this time, bringing President Gu and son home for the Lunar New Year had completely changed my impression of her.
Home and Country is a very good show. Everyone in the country knows it. Ms. Yuan is also watching Home and Country and has encouraged everyone in the village, young and old, to watch it together. I’m deeply moved. She is truly a wonderful mother.
When a daughter brings the son-in-law and grandson back to maternal home, we are always warmly received.
Now Ms. Yuan had asked me to tell her the plot of Home and Country’s later episode, but I naturally cannot agree to her request.
She used every trick in the book to force me to agree to her request. First, she tried to please me, and when that failed, she tried to morally blackmail me by contacting everyone in the village. When that also failed, she threatened me.
Therefore, Ms. Yuan turned against me, went on strike and stopped cooking dinner for us, and even stopped caring about the son-in-law whom she had always praised.
I can cook, but my mom, who's obsessed with the TV drama, is like a child. Even her almost three-year-old grandson is more obedient and well-behaved than her, which gives me a real headache.”
She was editing the VB post by her bedside. Gu Shi naturally saw it but didn't look at what she was editing until she finished sending the VB post. After reading it, he left her a comment: "Naughty, be careful that mother-in-law finds out."
Luo Zhengzheng saw his comment and kicked his leg: "Why are you getting involved?"
Gu Shi looked at her and chuckled, "You post VB, so I'll naturally warm up the atmosphere for you."
Luo Zhengzheng looked at him and warned, "You could try to liven things up, but you can't tell my mom about this, or I'm doomed."
She had wanted to complain about Ms. Yuan online for a long time, but it wasn't until today, when Ms. Yuan went on strike and refused to cook for the whole family, that she finally couldn't help but complain about her online.
Gu Shi said with a mocking smile, "I thought you weren't afraid of mother-in-law finding out. Since you're afraid of her finding out, why did you still do it against the grain? Can I say you're quite bold?"
Luo Zhengzheng looked guilty: "...Don't worry, as long as you don't tell her, she won't know."
Gu Shi held his phone and gave her a meaningful look: "Take another look at VB."
Luo Zhengzheng clicked on VB and was immediately surprised: "When did that brat Luo Can start following my VB? He already knows! How long until my mom finds out?" Should she be glad her mom doesn't use VB?
Luo Zhengzheng quickly closed VB, dialed Luo Can's mobile phone number, and after the call was connected, she hurriedly said, "You are not allowed to tell Mom about me complaining about her online, or you're dead."
Luo Can's voice came through the phone: "I'm sitting right next to Mom, and I've already told her. She even saw it herself."
Then she heard Ms. Yuan's voice coming from inside: "Luo Zhengzheng, are you asking for trouble? Criticizing me online?"
Luo Zhengzheng quickly hung up the phone and then looked at Gu Shi pitifully: "Will I be able to have a peaceful New Year?"
Gu Shi patted her head, comforting his wife who was afraid of being scolded by her mom for being naughty: "Don't be afraid, your husband and son will protect you."
Luo Zhengzheng's eyes lit up: "That's right, I have my son as a magic talisman. Whenever mom scolds me, brings her grandson over. How could she bear to scold the mother of such an obedient and adorable grandson?"
Gu Shi: "......" So, was the husband useless now?
Luo Zhengzheng mentally praised herself for her cleverness, saying while looking at her phone, "A son is a mother's overcoat, a mother with a son is a treasure..."
While everyone else was on holiday for the Lunar New Year, Liu Hanyue had taken on a role in a drama series and was still filming on set. When she saw Luo Zhengzheng's VB post, she chuckled: "Auntie is so cute. It's you, the daughter who's causing so much trouble - not even give the spoilers when mom wants it."
Luo Zhengzheng was replying to Luo Can's comment. She had just seen the kid comment under her VB: "Sis, Mom said you're too tight-lipped, she wants to loosen your muscles."
She replied, "Don't worry, I have a treasure."
After replying to Luo Can's comment, she saw Liu Hanyue's comment, replying, "I said I wouldn't spoil anything. Tomorrow I'm planning to play the Empty City Stratagem with Gu Shi."
Liu Hanyue asked her, "What do you mean?"
Luo Zhengzheng: "If she doesn't cook, I'll starve myself and her son-in-law. I'm determined to fight against unfair spoilers to the end."
Liu Hanyue: "Having a daughter like you is too hard for Auntie."
Luo Zhengzheng was about to reply when Gu Shi tugged at her arm: "It's getting late, you should rest."
Luo Zhengzheng checked the time: "It's only a little past nine."
Gu Shi said, "Mother-in-law won't make breakfast for us tomorrow morning, so we need to get up early to prepare it. Let's go to bed early."
Luo Zhengzheng looked at him amusedly: "You don't really think Mom won't make us breakfast tomorrow, do you? Don't worry, she'd rather let me and Luo Can go hungry than let you, the son-in-law, go hungry. You're such a good son-in-law."
Gu Shi pulled her down to lie down: "Even so, let's get up early and try to get lenient treatment. Considering you got up early to make breakfast, mother-in-law might be lenient with you."
Luo Zhengzheng: "......"
Just after six in the morning, Gu Shi turned on the light and woke Luo Zhengzheng. Luo Zhengzheng opened her eyes groggily, picked up her phone and looked at it: "Why did you wake me up so early? Let me sleep a little longer."
This person pulled her to tousle around last night, and then woke her up early this morning. Was he even human?
Gu Shi got up and dressed: "Eat breakfast and then come back upstairs to sleep for a while. Hurry up and get up to cook. I'll help you burn firewood."
Luo Zhengzheng sat up lazily: "I think you want to play with firewood. What kind of hobby is this of yours, liking to start fires?"
Gu Shi glanced at her helplessly. When did he ever like playing with firewood? He was doing something important, helping mother-in-law cook. She made it sound like he was just playing around.
The two of them quietly put on their clothes, turned on the light at the bottom of the stairs, and went to the kitchen.
Luo Zhengzheng looked at the clean and bright kitchen, and blew on her cold hands: "Shall we make some porridge?" After saying that, she washed the pot and started pouring water into it.
Gu Shi had already sat down and started a fire on his own initiative.
After pouring the water, it was time to wash the rice.
While rinsing the rice, Luo Zhengzheng looked up and suddenly found her mom, Ms. Yuan, standing at the kitchen door, which startled her.
She patted her chest and said, "Mom, you scared me! It's not even dawn yet. Why did you get up so early? Go back to sleep."
Little Chengjia was still asleep when her mom got up. If her mom scolded her, what talisman could she possibly have to defend herself?
Yuan Mei glanced at son-in-law before saying to the troublesome daughter with a dark face, "I thought your boldness was very high, but it seems it’s not that much."
Luo Zhengzheng chuckled twice, about to speak, when Gu Shi said, "Mom, she knows she was wrong, so she got up early to make breakfast to apologize to you."
Yuan Mei looked at son-in-law and her expression softened slightly: "Gu Shi, don't speak up for her. Don't I know what kind of person she is?"
Gu Shi looked at Luo Zhengzheng, signaling her to be quick-witted.
Luo Zhengzheng caught his hint and quickly said, "Mom, what Gu Shi said is true. You said you wouldn't cook, and I was afraid you'd go hungry, so I got up early to make breakfast. I was wrong. I shouldn't have complained about you online."
Yuan Mei smiled, looked at her, and said, "Then tell me, did the two main characters in that TV series end up together?"