VB had become popular in the last year or two, and many people like to discuss things on VB.
The TV series adapted from the novel "Home and Country" had generated a lot of discussion because the screenwriter, director, and main actors were all highly accomplished and well-known figures in the industry. It could be said that this TV series was a hit even before it aired, and it had already trended on VB several times.
Once the review of "Home and Country" was approved, the fact that Hunan TV bought the first broadcast rights for 100 million yuan was leaked and it immediately caused a heated discussion on VB.
An investment of a hundred million would make ordinary people think, "Wow, that's a lot of money."
Actually, for those old CEOs and investors, it was not a big deal and won't take it to heart. Besides, she only broke even. Unless she invested 100 million and earns 200 million or 300 million, it won't attract their attention.
Most of the people discussing these things in high society were young. Some think that it's already good that Luo Zhengzheng didn't lose money, given it was her first time investing in a TV series and not everyone was an investment expert. This group looked at her more highly.
Some people were skeptical; predicting her downfall, believing she was just spending money to gain publicity, and possessing only the title of investor without the actual ability. They think she should just stay a good socialite and not try to do business like others.
They didn't just mouth it. Some of them even went online to VB and spouted off.
Even Su Zhilan made some veiled remarks about Luo Zhengzheng to her group of friends on VB.
Because of her few VB posts, there was a lot of gossip about Luo Zhengzheng in high society circles.
Gu Shi had overheard some gossip and seen the discussions, and told Luo Zhengzheng, "Don't worry about those things."
Luo Zhengzheng didn't care at all. With a wave of her hand, she said in a very bold manner, "My conduct is beyond reproach. History will judge whether I am right or wrong."
Gu Shi chuckled as he looked at her and teased, "Your mindset is already that of a qualified businessman."
Luo Zhengzheng then added in a literary style: "Let them say whatever they want, the breeze still caresses the mountain ridge."
After saying that, she leaned back on the bed, "I'm not afraid of what they say. Some people can't do things well themselves or are unwilling to take initiative, but like to criticize others. There's no need to argue with these people. Anyone who works hard deserves respect.."
Seeing that she was completely unaffected by external opinions, Gu Shi felt a strange sense of pride. This was his wife.
Luo Zhengzheng patted Gu Shi's arm and asked him, "Do you think this is a marketing strategy by Hunan TV? They deliberately leaked the price of the show to generate buzz and promote the drama in advance, saving on advertising costs?"
This was actually quite common in later generations.
Gu Shi glanced at her and said approvingly, "Very likely, their marketing staff are worth hiring at a high price."
Seeing his eager look, it was clear he really wanted to poach that marketing person. Luo Zhengzheng laughed and fell back onto the bed: "Go ahead and poach their marketing person. As expected of a businessman, so unethical."
Gu Shi squeezed her fingers, looking serious: "Nonsense, a good person should of course work in a good company."
Luo Zhengzheng thought to herself that this person was shameless: "Are you saying that a TV station isn't a good company?"
Gu Shi glanced at her: "What the TV station could give them, I could give them too. What the TV station can't give them, I could still give them. The key is whether they really have the ability to create value for the company."
Luo Zhengzheng looked at him: "You're really going to poach people from the TV station?"
Gu Shi nodded: "We can get someone to make contact and see what happens."
Luo Zhengzheng stared at him and said, "I admit defeat and am ashamed of myself."
Gu Shi patted her: "Don't be ashamed, I'll let you be on top."
Luo Zhengzheng: "......"
Was this flirting?
Was this flirting?
Right? Right?
Gu Shi then added, "You're quite clever to be able to see through Hunan TV's marketing strategy."
Luo Zhengzheng smiled smugly, "That's more like it."
In the morning, after Gu Shi went to work, Luo Zhengzheng got out of bed. After having breakfast, she received a call from Liu Hanyue. Liu Hanyue's voice rang out happily on the phone: "Go check VB, Fourth Younger Brother posted VB."
He hung up the phone after saying that.
Luo Zhengzheng sat lazily on the sofa, with little Jiajia lying on her lap playing with toys. She opened VB and checked her own account first, only to realize that she hadn't followed Gu Shi's VB account yet.
There was no need to search for Gu Shi's account at all. His VB post was already ranked fifteenth on the trending list, and she could find his account simply by clicking on the trending topics.
She spotted the VB he posted at a glance.
There were no pictures, just a few dry paragraphs.
Ms. Luo said: "My conduct is beyond reproach. History will judge whether I am right or wrong."
Ms. Luo added: “Let them say whatever they want, the breeze still caresses the mountain ridge”
Ms. Luo also said: “Some people can't do things well themselves or are unwilling to take initiative, but like to criticize others. There's no need to argue with these people. Anyone who works hard deserves respect.”
I agree with all of these statements.
Luo Zhengzheng blushed after reading it. Wasn't this what she said last night? The first part was fine as a quote, but the second part was her own feeling. Why did he post it online?
She scrolled through the comments below, and the first comment stood out—it was Chen Zefa's comment.
"Your Ms. Luo is very magnanimous."
Few comments followed, asking who Ms. Luo was.
The next day, the comment was posted by Liu Hanyue.
"Fourth Younger Sister-in-law is right. From now on, my idol will be Fourth Younger Sister-in-law."
Upon seeing this comment, some people asked her if Ms. Luo was President Gu's wife.
Liu Hanyue did not answer.
The third comment was posted by Director Lu, who probably also found Gu Shi's VB account through trending topics. His comment was: "Where is Ms. Luo's VB account?"
Most netizens were familiar with Director Lu, and upon seeing his comments, they jokingly criticized him, saying that he directly asked for someone's wife's VB account—did he want to get beaten up? Did he not want to be a director?
Later, some actors from TV dramas invested in by Luo Zhengzheng also posted comments, all imitating Liu Hanyue, jokingly flattering Ms. Luo for her domineering nature and saying that she would be their idol in the future.
Later, comments from other employees of the Ye Group appeared one after another, the most eye-catching being Guo Yao's comment: "President Gu is so domineering, he really supports his wife!"
This comment was followed by a string of replies, all saying, "President Gu is so domineering, he really supports his wife." They were clearly comments from Ye Group's employees.
Even a certain fruit-themed TV station jumped on the bandwagon, posting a comment: "Turn on 8 PM on January 18th to watch 'Home and Country,' produced by Ms. Luo."
Fans of "Home and Country" were blown away by this comment. They thought it was a perfect opportunity to ride the wave of popularity.
Luo Zhengzheng laughed. This fruit station's ability to find a way in and take advantage of every opportunity was amazing. They were really good at climbing up any trough.
Now Gu Shi probably felt even more strongly that the marketing person should be poached.
She thought to herself, you guys should keep a low profile, otherwise all the talent will be poached by others.
She glanced through the comments posted by acquaintances, then stopped reading. In the blink of an eye, she saw little Chengjia sitting on her lap with his little legs crossed, happily munching on an apple.
Luo Zhengzheng immediately laughed and said, "You really know how to enjoy yourself."
Little Chengjia glanced at his mom, sat up, took a piece of apple, and handed it to her: "Mom, eat apple?"
Luo Zhengzheng smilingly said, "I won't eat it, you eat it."
Little Chengjia ate the apple himself and made a deal with his mom: "After I finish apple, can we go to Uncle's house to see younger brother?"
As he grew up, his speech became increasingly clear and articulate.
Luo Zhengzheng opened her phone, intending to send a text message to Gu Shi, and said to her son without looking up, "Okay, go see younger brother."
Yu Shuang finally gave birth to a son, but parents-in-law's reaction was indifferent. It was hard to tell whether the couple was happy or disappointed.
Regardless, they got their wish of having a son.
As for little Chengjia, after becoming an older brother, he instantly felt a sense of responsibility and would visit younger brother at his third uncle's house from time to time.
Luo Zhengzheng opened Gu Shi's number and edited a message: "You actually posted what I said on VB."
Gu Shi wasn't busy today, and when he saw Luo Zhengzheng's text message, he immediately had time to reply to her: "Good words should be shared with others."
Luo Zhengzheng complained, "Originally, only the two of us knew, but now many people know. Luckily, many people don't know me."
Gu Shi: "You invest in TV series and movies, and second elder sister-in-law has also entered the entertainment industry. She's in the spotlight and will inevitably have to appear in the media. You need to be prepared."
Luo Zhengzheng: "Since I've chosen this line of work, I'm definitely well-prepared. Don't worry."
Gu Shi: "Have you had breakfast?"
Luo Zhengzheng: "I ate it."
Gu Shi: "Want to come to the company for lunch?"
Luo Zhengzheng: "Your son is going to visit his younger brother, and I'm going to have lunch with the little handsome young man. As for you, the handsome old man, enjoy your lunch time by yourself."
Gu Shi: "Truly heartless."
Luo Zhengzheng was even more ruthless than he said: "The little handsome young man gets more pampering."
Gu Shi: "......"
Luo Zhengzheng closed her phone, washed her son's face and hands, changed his clothes, picked up two bags, and left the house.
Their house was next to Yu Shuang's villa, just a few minutes away.
They could hear a baby crying before they even entered the house.
Little Chengjia was a little anxious and tugged at his mom's hand: "Mom, is younger brother crying? He must miss me."
Luo Zhengzheng glanced at him and thought to herself, "Son, you're really being presumptuous. Younger brother might be crying due to hunger or he had pooped. He's so young, he can't possibly be missing you."
Little Chengjia didn't care about any of that. He privately thought that younger brother missed him. After all, if he missed younger brother, how could younger brother not miss him?
Once inside, Yu Shuang was seen holding her son and sweating profusely with anxiety. Seeing them arrive, she said, "Please sit down first, I'll try to coax him."
Luo Zhengzheng looked over and asked, "Is he hungry?"
Yu Shuang replied, "I just fed him."
Little Chengjia ran over: "Third Aunt, younger brother misses me, let me see him."
Yu Shuang smilingly said, "Let's see after he stops crying."
Little Chengjia pulled Yu Shuang to sit on the sofa, insisting that younger brother was crying because he missed him. Yu Shuang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and could only sit down on the sofa.
Little Chengjia took out a small bell, shook it gently, and looked at his younger brother, saying, "Younger brother, elder brother is here? Don't cry."
When the younger brother heard the bell, his crying actually stopped gradually. He opened his big, dark eyes and looked at elder brother and started giggling.
Little Chengjia was extremely proud and looked at his mom and third aunt: "Now that I'm here, younger brother won’t cry."
After saying that, he said to his third aunt, "Next time younger brother cries, come and find elder brother. He won't cry if he finds elder brother."
Yu Shuang was deeply moved by him. He was already acting like an older brother at such a young age: "Alright, if younger brother cries, third aunt will bring him to you."
Luo Zhengzheng found it amusing: "He talks about younger brother every single day."
Yu Shuang glanced at her and teased, "Since he really like younger brother so much, why don't you give him a little brother or sister?"
Hearing third aunt's words, little Chengjia secretly glanced at mom. Seeing mom shake her head, he disappointedly went to tease younger brother. He couldn't think of anything for the time being, so he decided to dote younger brother.
Yu Shuang asked her, "Why don't you want to have children anymore?"
Luo Zhengzheng leaned back on the sofa: "I'm rather lazy, I don't have the energy to raise another child, I just need to take good care of Chengjia."
Yu Shuang knew she couldn't persuade her, so she stopped and started talking about other things.
"Elder Brother, are you going to have a competition with Little Gesang?" Yun Shu heard their words, ran back with her short legs, sat down in front of them, and asked expectantly with her little head craning her neck.
Many fireflies followed behind her.
The area around Yun Juan and Gesang quickly became bright.
"You want to compete?" Yun Shu blinked and asked again.
Looking into her puppy-like eyes, which were brighter than fireflies, Gesang couldn't resist reaching out and pinching her chubby cheeks.
Yun Juan, itching to do the same, pinched her cheek and hummed in agreement, saying, "Horseback riding competition."
Yun Shu raised her chubby little hand: "Then I want to participate too!"
“Okay, I won’t hold back,” Gesang said with a smile.
Yun Shu stuck out her tongue shyly: "Even if you go easy on me, Little Gesang, I still can't win."
Upon hearing this, Gesang laughed out loud.
Yun Juan curved his mouth corner as he looked at Younger Sister.
"Little Yun Shu, your voice is the most beautiful voice I've ever heard, even better than Elder Sister Meiduo's," Laughing enough, Gesang leaned back and laid down on the grass. She cheerfully said, "Little Yun Shu, can you sing one more song? I may never hear it again."
Never hear it again?
Yun Shu was stunned for a moment, then quickly remembered that she was leaving the day after tomorrow.
Her eyebrows drooped, and she said sadly, "Little Gesang..."
Gesang looked at her and said with a slightly coquettish smile, "Little Yun Shu, sing!"
Yun Shu glanced at her, pondered for a moment, moved to her side, took her hand, and began to hum softly.
Gesang slowly closed her eyes, listening attentively and with enjoyment to her singing.
Yun Juan braced himself with his hands behind his back, tilting his head back as he gazed at the night sky that belonged to this place. The black curtain was adorned with countless stars. He thought that such a starry sky could only be seen in cartoons, but he never expected that it existed in reality.
He loved the starry sky, the grasslands, and the food here, and he also loved the feeling of riding horses with Yun Shu and Gesang.
Yun Juan pouted, as if he were learning the meaning of the word "separation" for the first time.
Yun Chuman watched them quietly from afar, observing the scenery around them, while the sound of Yun Shu's singing carried on the wind reached her ears.
She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her face on her knees, feeling a sense of peace.
Cheng Yaran, who was beside her, suddenly called out softly, "Chuman..."
Yun Chuman lazily turned her head and saw that she and Feng Yan's gazes were fixed on the three children in the distance. She asked, "What's wrong, Elder Sister Ranran?"
Cheng Yaran suddenly turned her head, looking at her intently with anticipation and excitement, and asked, "Can Feng Yan and I record a song with Little Juan and Little Shu?"
Yun Chuman was stunned for a moment, then sat up straight and said, "Record a song?"
"Yes, I've almost finished writing it."
Cheng Yaran nodded vigorously. She had been bursting with inspiration these past two days, partly because she had come to this place with its rich ethnic atmosphere, and partly because she had heard Yun Shu's voice.
She had originally planned to discuss it with Yun Chuman after she finished writing, but after hearing Yun Shu's voice again and being influenced by the current scenery, she couldn't resist the urge to extend an invitation.
Feng Yan added, "We have a recording studio in S City. Chuman, if you agree, Ya Ya and I can come and find you, Little Juan, and Little Shu."
Although Yun Chuman was somewhat surprised, she thought it made sense, as they had been dragging Yun Shu to sing quite a bit these past two days.
Smiling, she said, "We can ask Little Juan and Little Shu what they think about this. If they're willing, I won't stop them, but..."
She scratched her cheek, embarrassed, and said, "Elder Brother Feng Yan, Elder Sister Ranran, you may not know, but Little Juan is actually tone-deaf just like me."
Upon hearing this, Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran exchanged a glance and laughed.
“We noticed it a long time ago, but Little Juan’s voice is very good, so we want him to record the song with Little Shu,” Cheng Yaran said with a smile.
Feng Yan waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, we have a way to handle this little thing."
Since Yun Juan’s off-key could be sorted, did that mean hers could be fixed too?
Yun Chuman asked curiously, "How do you do it? By using a sound engineer? Like a million-dollar sound engineer?"
"Of course not, we don't do those things," Feng Yan said with a smile, shaking his index finger mysteriously. "You'll find out when the time comes."
Yun Chuman pursed her lips. If it weren't for sound engineer, then she probably couldn't be saved. Still, she didn't ask any further questions.
Cheng Yaran smiled and looked at her: "Chuman, you think very differently from us."
Feng Yan nodded in agreement and then couldn't help but say, "Back then, the guests that Ya Ya and I least wanted to be paired with were you guys."
Yun Chuman paused and subconsciously looked at the distant scenery and then at the sky.
This environment! This time! This beginning! It seemed Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran were about to open up to her!
Smiling, she went along with their words, saying, "Are little Juan, little Shu, and I scary?"
Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran shrugged and frankly admitted, "You could say that."
Cheng Yaran rested her chin on her hand and looked at the three children in the distance: "You know what we've always believed in, right? We don't want to get married or have children."
Yun Chuman hummed in agreement.
Cheng Yaran didn't take her gaze off the three children and her eyes gradually softened: "But we're not actually afraid of children, especially well-behaved ones like Little Juan and Little Shu. After spending these two days with Little Gesang, I've found that cheerful children are also very cute."
Feng Yan added, "We just don't know how to get along with children."
Yun Chuman revealed a look of sudden realization: "So it was me who you all initially resisted."
Feng Yan chuckled, turned to look at her, and asked without any attempt to hide his feelings, "Then do you know why we're against you?"
"Afraid I'll pressure you to get married and have children?" Yun Chuman laughed, this was the only reason she could guess.
"Yes, we've met so many people with children, whether they're elders, friends, or even my younger relatives. When they see us, all they do is tell us what the benefits and significance of having children are, and what problems there will be if we don't have children."
Cheng Yaran covered her face and sighed heavily, saying in despair, "Help, just thinking about those words makes me feel suffocated."
Yun Chuman put herself in Cheng Yaran's shoes and found it quite suffocating, so she couldn't help but pat Cheng Yaran's shoulder sympathetically.
Feng Yan said, "Before we met you, Ya Ya and I thought you were like that too. After all, Little Juan and Little Shu are so cute and well-behaved. You are one of those people who understand better how great it is to have children."
"But I didn't expect that from the time we met until now, you haven't said a single word of advice to us. You even helped us out of a predicament in front of Little Juan and Little Shu, and brought us here to experience freedom."
Yun Chuman couldn't help but laugh: "Little Juan and Little Shu have brought a lot of joy to my life. They are like heartwarming little angels who can always heal me in certain moments. With them around, I feel very happy."
If it weren't for the two children, she would have had a very difficult time when she first transmigrated. Although she had a healthy body, she was forever separated from her loving family.
Yun Chuman paused and then said, "But I think that what makes me happy is not necessarily what makes you happy, so I have no right to force you to have children. Everyone's thoughts should be respected. You must have your reasons for not wanting to get married and not wanting children."
She turned and asked, "But I'm quite curious about your reasons for insisting on this."
Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran exchanged a glance and gripped each other's hands tightly.
After a long silence, Feng Yan sighed and said, "You're the first person to ask us why. We tried to explain at first, but no one listened, so we gradually stopped."
Cheng Yaran smiled and slowly said, "My family and Feng Yan's family are not very good. His parents divorced and remarried and then divorced again. My parents favored sons over daughters and fought each other because of the son born to a mistress."
“Before we met each other, we didn’t even know what it felt like to be cared for and loved,” she paused and continued, “We didn’t get married because we felt that the piece of paper is dispensable. As long as we loved each other, we wouldn’t separate. Our parents did have that piece of paper, but what was the result?”
Feng Yan put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, not having a child is because we aren't ready yet. We don't know how parents should act."
He suddenly laughed and said, "It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but neither of us has ever seen what normal parents were like, so we don't have the confidence to become parents. We're afraid that we won't do a good job and that our children will end up like us in the past."
Yun Chuman remained silent, feeling as if she had seen the situation described by Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran somewhere before.
Xiaoxi and the cameraman, who had been acting as invisible bystanders, sighed slightly, realizing that this was the reason why Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran insisted on being childless. They had previously thought that the two were just too individualistic.
Cheng Yaran looked at Yun Chuman and smiled, "But after seeing you, little Juan, little Shu, and Meiduo's family, Feng Yan and I seem to know what a normal, happy family looks like, and we seem to know how to be qualified parents."
Feng Yan clenched his fist and made a decision: "When we are stronger and know more, I think we would consider having a child."
He and Cheng Yaran exchanged a glance and said at the same time, "But not now!"
Yun Chuman looked at them with gentle eyes and gave a soft "en".
She didn't know if that day would ever come, but she was certain that if it did, it would at least prove that Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran were no longer troubled by their childhood.
The cameraman didn't point the camera at them, but instead kept focusing on the three children who had started humming together.
However, they weren't far apart, so Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran's conversation was heard intermittently by the viewers in the live stream.
—This is the scene I've been waiting for: Feng Cheng's unexpected truth, but I can't smile.
—To be honest, their childhoods were quite tragic...
—Feng Cheng CP fans are in tears, it's so good to have met Yun Chuman, Little Juan, and Little Shu.
—I used to envy Yun Chuman for having two adorable children, but now I'm a little envious of the children themselves. They have a mommy who loves and respects them very much, so their childhood must be very happy.
—I just want to ask Yun Chuman, do you still need children?
—The person upstairs return my feeling of being touched… Really not, no need to reach that point.
The three children played for a while longer before riding their horses home under the moonlight.
Yun Chuman and her group avoided their sight and followed at a distance.
Three children quietly entered the house.
Gesang whispered, "Little Yun Juan and Little Yun Shu, see you tomorrow."
After saying that, she slipped into her bedroom like a little eel.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu watched the other person in the darkness before tiptoeing toward their bedroom.
Yun Shu blinked uneasily, only now realizing her fear: "Elder Brother, Mommy probably hasn't found out we sneaked out, right?"
Yun Juan wasn't sure either. He opened the bedroom door a crack and, seeing that it was still dark inside, breathed a sigh of relief: "No, Mommy hasn't woken up."
"Thank goodness." Yun Shu patted her chest in relief and tiptoed with Elder Brother to sneak in through the crack in the door.
The bedroom was dark and quiet and they could hear their breathing.
The two children were startled when they regained their senses. They tried to find Yun Chuman in fear, but they discovered something was wrong as soon as they reached the bedside: there was no one on the bed!
Yun Shu patted the blanket twice with her chubby little hands: "Mommy's gone!"
Yun Juan stared wide-eyed for a while, hurriedly turned around, walked to the wall, and snapped the light on.
The bedroom light came on, and the two children instinctively squinted, eager to see what was happening on the bed.
Once their vision returned, they confirmed that Yun Chuman was indeed not in the bedroom.
Yun Shu stamped her feet in distress, tears welling up instantly: "Elder Brother, where did Mommy go? Did she find out we were disobedient, so she doesn't want us anymore?"
Yun Juan's face turned pale and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her outside, saying, "Go find Mommy."
The two children scurried to the door, and as soon as they opened it, they saw Yun Chuman standing outside with her hair down, wearing a coat, and smiling at them.
Yun Shu jumped on her, hugging her leg and calling out sincerely, "Mommy!"
Yun Juan's lips trembled twice, as if he was about to cry. He pursed his lips tightly and frowned, "Mommy, where did you go? It's so dark, you shouldn't be wandering around."
“You know that too?” Yun Chuman raised an eyebrow and flicked his forehead. “Shouldn’t I be the one saying that to you?”
That brat actually turned the tables and accused her!
Yun Juan covered his forehead guiltily and remained silent.
Yun Chuman closed the door and let the two of them sit on the edge of the bed. She then dragged a chair over and sat down opposite them, saying, "Do you two know how I feel when I open my eyes in the middle of the night and don't see you?"
The two children lowered their heads and secretly glanced at each other. It turned out that their mommy had known all along that they had sneaked out.
Yun Chuman sighed and said, "I won't restrict your actions, but at least tell me what you are going to do."
"Especially on such a dark day, what if the three of you kids run out alone and get into danger?"
Knowing they had done something wrong, Yun Juan and Yun Shu obediently apologized, saying, "Mommy, I'm sorry."
Yun Shu jumped to the ground, moved slowly to her side, and then suddenly leaned against her arm, tilting her little head up and saying softly, "Mommy, don't be angry anymore, okay? Little Shu knows I was wrong."
Yun Juan also went over, wrapped his arms around her fingers, and said pitifully, "Mom... Little Juan knows I was wrong too."
Yun Chuman lightly patted their bottoms: "I'll let it go this time, but if you dare to do this again next time, I'll really beat you up and it’ll be hard."
Knowing that she had forgiven them, Yun Juan and Yun Shu smiled and rushed into her arms, saying in unison, "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare."
Yun Chuman patted their little heads and said, "Good children, go to sleep now, we have to get up early tomorrow."
Viewers in the live stream were impressed by Yun Chuman's approach to educating her two children.
—Oh~ I think I know how to educate my child now.
—An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, hahaha.
—When Yun Chuman stood at the door, I wanted to ask the two kids, "Aren't you surprised?"
Gu Jijing suddenly realized that this method also worked.
When he saw Yun Juan and Yun Shu run out, he was pondering about how he would make the two children realize that their behavior was wrong if he were in that situation. He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with an effective method. It was even more difficult than his collaborative projects.
Unexpectedly, Yun Chuman resolved the issue in just a few moments.
Gu Jijing frowned and reviewed the entire process again, silently taking notes in his notebook. He had learned something.
Early the next morning.
Yun Chuman, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu got out of bed with dark circles under their eyes.
The costumes for the Wangguo Festival were more gorgeous than usual. After washing up, the adult and the two children were dragged away by Meiduo to get dressed.
After quickly finishing their breakfast, they took the things they had prepared the day before and went out.
The Wangguo Festival was a festival for the Tibetan people to celebrate the harvest.
Local villagers carried the harvest tower around the farmland, chanting scriptures, offering hadas (ceremonial scarves), and sprinkling barley wine, among other things. Many of these rituals were related to religious customs, making the event both solemn and lively.
Yun Chuman, Yun Juan, Yun Shu, Feng Yan, and Cheng Yaran all participated with great interest.
The production team was too large to participate, but they used drones to broadcast a short segment of this grand event.
Most people were probably attracted by ethnic characteristics.
The #Wangguo Festival Live Stream# quickly became a trending topic, and the number of viewers in Yun Chuman's live stream also reached a new high.
Li Rufei was overjoyed and kept telling his assistant that he was lucky and smart enough not to let Xiaoxi stop Yun Chuman and the others from running away.
There were many entertainment programs after the Wangguo Festival, including horse racing, theatrical performances, singing and dancing.
Horse racing was definitely one of the most popular events, as it was exciting, entertaining, and highly watchable.
The children's race horses were placed at the front as a warm-up event.
Besides Yun Juan, Yun Shu, and Gesang, many children also participated.
As soon as the command was given, they rode off on their foals.
In about ten seconds, the children were divided into groups.
Yun Juan, Gesang and two other children were in the first group, while Yun Shu was a little slower and was in the second group.
Yun Chuman's gaze was fixed on them. She wasn't nervous at all, after all, Yun Juan and Yun Shu had only been riding horses for a short time, and it was impossible for them to win first place.
She just didn't want to miss watching her two children compete.
Yun Shu had the same thought and because she wasn't very competitive, she gradually fell behind and fell into the third group.
But Yun Juan seemed determined to compete with Gesang, charging forward with all his might, and soon they left the other two children behind.
In the end, Yun Juan and Gesang were evenly matched, vying for first place.
The black Wuduo and Hongzao chased each other, and the surrounding audience couldn't help but shout excitedly.
As they approached the finish line, Yun Juan and Gesang's upper bodies were almost parallel to the horses. They looked at each other and charged toward the finish line together. In the end, Yun Juan narrowly won by a horse's nose.
Yun Chuman stared blankly at Yun Juan that was being held high by the unfamiliar yet enthusiastic Tibetan people around him.
She slowly covered her cheek. It hurt so much…
The prize for the children's group horse racing champion was a medal and a learning machine.
After Yun Juan received the prize, Gesang walked up to him with a smile and said, "Little Yun Juan, you're amazing! You actually beat me. You can be proud of this for ten years!"
She paused and then said, "I won't go to your city. I can't leave my hometown, and I can't leave my parents."
Yun Juan pursed his lips, glanced at her, and forced a smile before replying, "En..."
He actually knew that Gesang had let him win in the end. Otherwise, with his skill level, he would never have been able to win the competition.
But he also knew that Gesang did this because she wanted to make him happy.
Yun Chuman and Yun Shu were unaware of what had happened. When they saw him win the competition, they excitedly surrounded him and kept congratulating him.
Yun Juan was infected by their enthusiasm and his smile became more genuine.
The Wangguo Festival lasted from morning till night, and in some places it could even last for several days.
Yun Chuman and her group watched from beginning to end, and even after the show ended, they still felt like they hadn't had enough.
After spending the whole day outside, Yun Chuman and the two children returned to Meiduo's house, washed up quickly, and went to sleep.
The next day, they were woken up by the production team before six o'clock.
The show was about to end, and Yun Chuman and the others were leaving. Meiduo wouldn't be returning to Fengnian Village for the time being, so they could only take the production crew's car to the airport.
Yun Chuman and her group enjoyed a final meal of Tibetan specialties before heading off around 7. with their suitcases.
Yun Chuman held Meiduo's hand and said, "Meiduo, thank you for inviting us to your hometown. We've had a great time these past few days, and we'll definitely keep in touch."
Meiduo laughed heartily, "Definitely."
Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran had been frequently consulting with Meiduo's parents about Tibetan traditional music these past few days, and had already established a friendship with them across age gaps. Before leaving, they reluctantly told them to take care of their health.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu stood aside watching the adults say goodbye, and they looked around.
Yun Shu gripped her small bag tightly and whispered anxiously, "Elder Brother, where's Little Gesang?"
"She's probably still sleeping." Yun Juan lowered his eyes. His small backpack still contained the prize he won in yesterday's horse race.
Yun Chuman also noticed that Gesang was missing, and she asked, "Meiduo, where is little Gesang?"
Meiduo sighed, "I don't know. I went to wake her up this morning and found she wasn't in her bedroom at all. My younger sister..."
Yun Chuman smiled and patted her shoulder. Meiduo was also very worried about Gesang all day and every day.
Seeing that the two children looked restless, she wanted to wait for Gesang, but there was simply not enough time, so she could only apologize and say, "Little Juan and Little Shu, we should go now."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu took one last look in the direction of Gesang's bedroom, and with great reluctance, they could only bid farewell to everyone and leave.
The production team arranged for the guests, including Yun Chuman, to ride in the RV.
After the two children got on, they didn't even bother to look around. They went straight to the last window and clung to it. After the RV drove a distance away, Gesang still hadn't appeared, so the two children dejectedly sat back down next to Yun Chuman.
Yun Shu leaned on Yun Chuman's arm and said in a muffled voice, "Mommy, why doesn't Little Gesang say goodbye to us?"
Yun Juan leaned on Yun Chuman's other arm. Eyes lowered, he remained silent.
Yun Chuman patted their little heads and sighed as she looked at Yun Juan, who seemed particularly listless.
Gesang was probably Yun Juan's first friend besides Yun Shu.
Yun Chuman wasn't surprised that Yun Juan and Gesang became good friends. It was all due to their personalities.
Just as Yun Shu was kind by nature and would unconsciously take care of Yang Qingshu, whom she felt was pitiful, Gesang had a frankness and cheerfulness that Yun Juan lacked. Judging from Yun Juan's unrestrained behavior these past few days, it was clear that he must be very happy to be friends with Gesang.
Yun Chuman felt a little sorry for the child, having to separate after only knowing each other for a few days.
At this time, a childish voice came from outside, accompanied by the sound of horses' hooves: "Little Yun Juan, Little Yun Shu!"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu's eyes lit up and they looked up at Yun Chuman in disbelief.
Yun Chuman opened the window and the two children immediately looked outside. They saw Gesang, dressed in red, riding a foal and calling to them as she chased after them from behind.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu instantly broke into agrin and turned around to say, "Elder Sister Xiaoxi, please stop the car, Little Gesang is here!"
Xiaoxi smiled and gave them an OK sign, signaling the driver to stop.
Yun Chuman got out of the car with the two children, and Gesang caught up with them at that moment.
She nimbly dismounted, panting, and said, "Thank goodness I caught up with you."
Yun Shu pouted, rushed over and hugged her, saying aggrievedly, "Little Gesang, where did you go? I thought I was never going to see you again."
Gesang smiled and hugged her back: "I went to find you gifts."
As she spoke, she opened her small bag and took out two well-preserved little flowers.
Yun Shu released her, blinked, and asked in confusion, "What is this?"
Gesang laughed and said, "Gesang flowers are much less common now that the weather is hot. I searched for a long time before I found any."
She gave the flowers to Yun Juan and Yun Shu respectively: "Little Yun Juan and Little Yun Shu, I hope you can be happy forever like the Gesang flower. We will always be good friends!"
Yun Shu gently touched the petal: "I will preserve it carefully."
She opened her bag, took out a voice recorder, and said shyly, "Little Gesang, this is a song my Mommy recorded for me. You can listen to it anytime you want."
Gesang's eyes lit up, and she took it like a precious treasure: "I will listen to it every day!"
Yun Juan pursed his lips, took off his small backpack, took out a medal and a learning machine, and pushed them in front of Gesang.
"What are you doing?" Gesang asked, puzzled.
“This should have belonged to you in the first place,” Yun Juan said, frowning.
Gesang laughed and said, "You noticed? I'm sorry, I just wanted to cheer you up."
"I'm not happy if you let me have it easy," Yun Juan said awkwardly.
Gesang scratched her head awkwardly.
Yun Chuman had been listening nearby and only then realized that Gesang had went easy in the race yesterday.
She pondered for a moment, walked over, squatted down, and said to Yun Juan, "This isn't fair. Let's have another competition next year."
Yun Juan looked at her in confusion: "Next year?"
Yun Chuman smiled at the two children and said, "Since you have become good friends with Little Gesang, I promise you that I will come here once a year so that the three of you can meet, okay?"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Yun Chuman said with a smile.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu rushed over and hugged her at the same time: "Mommy, you're the best!"
It took Gesang a moment to react. Her clear black and white eyes darted around and then she smiled and said, "So I can see pretty auntie every year now?"
Yun Chuman looked at her, both amused and exasperated, wondering why she was so fixated on her appearance.
Yun Shu nodded innocently, bouncing and jumping, "Okay! You can see me and Elder Brother again! I'll also learn lots and lots of new songs and sing them for you next year."
Gesang smiled and leaned closer: "I'll be looking forward to it!"
Yun Juan pushed her away with a stern face: "Let's have another competition next year, and I will beat you fair and square."
Gesang raised an eyebrow, put her hands on her hips, and laughed loudly, "Haha, I'm waiting! I won't hold back next year!"
The three children made a promise to meet again next year, and then happily waved goodbye.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu got into the car, pressed their face against the rear window, and only sat down again when they could no longer see Gesang's figure.
Two children sat on either side of Yun Chuman, clutching Gesang flowers tightly in their hands.
Yun Juan thought for a moment and said, "Mommy, I invited Little Gesang to come and play at our place before."
"Did Little Gesang refuse? I'd also want to invite her to come over."
Before Yun Chuman could speak, Yun Shu pouted regretfully, but she quickly cheered up, "Although Little Gesang didn't come, she gave us Gesang flowers and we'll meet again next year!"
Yun Juan paused for a moment, then gave a firm “en".
Yun Chuman patted their little heads and said with a smile, "I heard that Gesang flowers are very resilient. Let's grow one when we get home."
The two children looked up at her and hugged her arms. With identical smiles and sparkling eyes, they drawled, "Okay~"
Yun Juan twirled the pink flower in his hand, frowned, and asked, "Mommy, can I plant a different color?"
Yun Shu stretched out her two short, chubby arms to the sides and exclaimed dramatically, "Mommy, I want to plant so many!"
Luo Zhengzheng entered Gu Shi's office but didn't see him. She assumed he had gone out. It was past 2 PM. She had planned to take a nap at home, but Gu Shi had asked her to come to the company. Since Gu Shi wasn't there, she decided to go to the break room for a few minutes.
Upon arriving at the lounge, the bathroom door opened with a snap, and Gu Shi emerged wearing a bathrobe.
Luo Zhengzheng stared at him blankly: "Why would you take a bath in broad daylight?"
Gu Shi glanced at her, walked over, touched her slender waist, and pinched it: "Dressed so beautifully?"
After saying that, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
Luo Zhengzheng smelled the fresh scent of shower gel emanating from him and tried to push him away, but couldn't. Just as she was about to speak, he silenced her with a kiss.
Luo Zhengzheng whimpered a few times. His kisses were gentle, but his arms around her were very strong, holding her firmly in his embrace, making her unable to move at all.
Kissing her, he took a few steps and pulled her onto the bed together.
Luo Zhengzheng punched him lightly and he said in a low, hoarse voice, "Don’t mess. It's been half a month." Then he continued to kiss her.
What half a month?
When she wrapped her head around, she punched him again in annoyance.
He grabbed her hand: "Focus." With his other hand, he grabbed her foot, took off her shoes, threw them on the ground, and then went to find the zipper on her skirt.
A few minutes later, she said, blushing, "Be gentle."
She was worried that people outside might hear it as she didn't know how well the room was soundproofed.
He hummed in agreement and softened his movements.
Guo Yaozheng had a document that Gu Shi needed to sign. Knowing that Madam had arrived, he knocked on the door before coming in, but no one answered for a long time.
Thinking that President Gu hadn't been home for many days, he smiled knowingly. A qualified secretary and special assistant should naturally consider the boss's needs. The boss's work was important, but cultivating a relationship between the boss and his wife was equally important.
He cleverly hung a sign outside Gu Shi's office that said "Resting" to avoid being disturbed. He also went to the secretary's office to tell the secretary that President Gu was taking a break in the afternoon and not to disturb him.
Guo Yao returned to his office triumphantly. With his boss happy and pleased, was a raise far away?
In the lounge, Gu Shi held Luo Zhengzheng, who was covered in sweat, and closed his eyes to rest.
Luo Zhengzheng felt weak all over. Was this man trying to kill her? She thought to herself that he had so much strength. It seemed that even when he was working overtime, he hadn't forgotten to exercise.
She nudged his arm: "I'm going to take a shower. It's so hot. Aren't you hot too?"
Eyes closed, Gu Shi said, "Let me hold you for a while."
Luo Zhengzheng glanced at him helplessly. She was too tired to continue and simply closed her eyes to sleep. As for taking a shower, she'd deal with that after she woke up.
A few minutes later, Gu Shi heard her soft, long breaths. He opened his eyes, glanced at her, pulled up the white silk quilt to cover them both, and then fell asleep with her in his arms.
When Luo Zhengzheng woke up, the sun had already set. She took a shower, and when she came out, Gu Shi was leaning against the headboard looking at her.
There were no clothes for her here, so she could only wear a Gu Shi shirt. The oversized shirt covered her hips, looking like a short-sleeved nightgown.
Gu Shi looked her over with a faint smile on his face: "Don't you look like a child who's stolen and worn adult clothes?"
Luo Zhengzheng rolled up her long sleeves, glared at him, and said, "Isn't it all your fault?"
She glanced at her dress. Thankfully, he hadn't torn it, and she could still wear it.
Smiling lazily, Gu Shi noticed her movements: "I just had Guo Yao bring you some clothes."
Luo Zhengzheng blushed and glared at him angrily: "You asked Guo Yao to bring me clothes?"
Gu Shi looked at her: "Is there a problem?"
Luo Zhengzheng walked over and pinched his arm: "You actually asked Guo Yao to bring me clothes? Then wouldn’t he know what happened between us in here?"
Gu Shi pulled her into his arms: "You think he won't know if you don't let him buy clothes?"
Luo Zhengzheng covered her face and a muffled voice came from her palm: "Lost face all the way to your company. It's all your fault."
Gu Shi comforted her, "Okay, it's all my fault."
After scolding him, Luo Zhengzheng felt much better. Sitting up, she asked, "Are you going home tonight?"
Gu Shi glanced at her and said in a good mood, "Of course. The company has finished its busy period, and things will be more relaxed from now on. I won't have to work overtime every day."
Luo Zhengzheng nodded. The air conditioning was on in the room, so she pulled the blanket over her legs, asking, "When is Secretary Guo coming?"
Gu Shi picked up his watch from the bedside table: "It should be soon."
Luo Zhengzheng was playing on her phone while nestled in his arms when she suddenly saw a photo and burst out laughing.
Gu Shi glanced at her: "What's wrong?"
Luo Zhengzheng pointed to the photo on her phone and asked him, "Is this from high school or middle school?"
Gu Shi looked at it and said, "It should be me in middle school."
Luo Zhengzheng looked at him and teased, "You look so silly."
Gu Shi patted her head: "That was a candid shot."
Luo Zhengzheng examined the photo carefully: "Actually, if you look closely, he's not that silly. Little Chengjia will probably look like this when he grows up."
She knew very well what her son would be like when he grew up. He looked just like his dad.
Slacking, Gu Shi looked at her. She had already said everything. What could he say?
After Guo Yao delivered the clothes, they went back.
When they got home, Jiajia hugged his dad's neck tightly and wouldn't let go.
Gu Boyuan glanced at the father and son and said, "You haven't seen your dad for many days and you miss him."
Little Jiajia poked his head out from his dad's arms: "I miss Dad."
Gu Boyuan lectured his son: "No matter how busy you are, you should take some time to come back and spend time with the child. Look how much the child miss you."
Gu Shi nodded and hugged his son tightly.
A few days later, Chen Hui called Luo Zhengzheng and said that she had made an appointment to see the preview clips that day, and asked if she wanted to go see the preview clips together.
Luo Zhengzheng naturally wanted to see the preview clips. She looked at Gu Shi, who was at home spending time with his wife and child, and invited him to join her: "I have a preview screening today for the TV series I invested in. Do you want to go to Wanhua Entertainment to see the preview clips together?"
Gu Shi was naturally willing to accompany her.
The two arrived at Wanhua Entertainment and went to the screening room with Chen Ze.
There were many people sitting inside. Apart from Director Lu, the screenwriter, and Chen Hui, the rest of the people were there to watch the film.
Instead of disturbing them at the front, they chose a seat in the back row and sat down to watch.
After watching it, Luo Zhengzheng was very satisfied. As expected of Director Lu, he made excellent movies and TV series.
Chen Ze was naturally in charge of negotiating prices with the screening companies, since he knew a lot about this area.
Gu Shi and Luo Zhengzheng did not participate.
It was unknown how he negotiated it, but he sold the first broadcast rights to Hunan TV for 1.6 million per episode, for a total of 68 episodes. That was a total of 108.8 million yuan.
This drama was said to have an investment of 100 million yuan, but in reality, it only had an investment of 90 million yuan. After selling the first broadcast rights and paying taxes, it almost broke even.
Chen Hui breathed a sigh of relief. At least Luo Zhengzheng hadn't lost money. If the show became a hit, the second-run broadcast rights might even fetch a higher price. Adding the streaming rights from video websites, she secretly smiled. What profit. As the producer, her reputation would also be boosted.
Luo Zhengzheng asked Chen Hui, "When will they start broadcasting?"
Chen Hui said, "It will be a few days after New Year's Day, around the time of winter vacation."
Luo Zhengzheng said, "Okay."
Chen Hui then said to her, "That Qing Dynasty drama is almost finished filming, do you want to go visit the set?"
Luo Zhengzheng shook her head, "I don't have time lately." She then asked, "When will the movie 'I Am a Robot' be released?"
Chen Hui glanced at her: "This year, the two dramas you invested in are airing at the same time during the Spring Festival."
Luo Zhengzheng smilingly said, "That's alright. One is a TV series and the other is a movie. It doesn't matter much."
When Luo Zhengzheng returned home, she was surprised to see Liu Hanyue. She walked up to her and, seeing her resolute expression, teased, "Anyone who didn't know better would think you joined the army. All your former pampered airs are gone."
Liu Hanyue touched her short hair, which had been cut short for filming: "I'm sacrificing myself for my career."
Luo Zhengzheng sat down: "You reap what you sow. The first broadcast rights for the TV series 'My Country' have been sold. Guess how much they sold for?"
Liu Hanyue immediately sat up straight: "How much?"
Wang Yaning and Yu Shuang, who were standing nearby, also looked over. They knew that Luo Zhengzheng had invested nearly 100 million yuan in filming this drama and were worried that she would lose money.
Luo Zhengzheng looked at them with a smile: "1.6 million per episode, 68 episodes in total."
The group stared wide-eyed, silently calculating how much it should add up to.
Meanwhile, Gu Xian, who was sitting on another sofa, secretly took out his phone and started calculating. After he finished, he looked at the string of numbers and felt envious.
Yu Shuang tried counting on her fingers for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so she simply took out her phone, pressed some buttons on the calculator, and then exclaimed in disbelief, "1088 followed by five zeros, how much is that? Has it reached a hundred million?"
Liu Hanyue suddenly hugged her and jumped up happily: "That's great! This is only the first broadcast. There will be a second and a third broadcast later."
Gu Xian couldn't resist remarking from the side, "Do you think this is 'Journey to the West,' which is broadcast every year? It's good enough if it's broadcast even once."
The few sisters-in-law didn’t pay him any attention.
Hearing his daughter-in-law's words, Gu Boyuan smilingly said, "The broadcasting station isn't stupid. If it wasn't worth that much money, they wouldn't have offered such a high price. Zhengzheng had already succeeded by breaking even."
Smirking, Luo Zhengzheng glanced at Gu Xian. Then she looked at Father-in-law and said, "I didn't originally intend to make money. Being able to recoup the costs and learn a lot of experience is the profit."
Gu Boyuan gave her an approving look: "This mindset is very good. Do things seriously, and as for how much the reward will be, that's up to fate."
He spoke in a very profound way, but Luo Zhengzheng understood. She smilingly said, "I'll listen to Dad."
If a TV series was of good quality, it would naturally attract people who appreciate it. Its fate was inevitable.
If a TV series was bad, naturally no one would appreciate it, and it couldn't escape its fate.
Gu Boyuan glanced at his sons and directed to Luo Zhengzheng, "You have the right attitude. Whether you invest in TV series or movies, as long as you are determined, fortune will not let investors like you go. Keep this attitude."
Although he went to the company every day, he did pay attention to the TV series that his fourth daughter-in-law invested in. He knew that she had very strict requirements for filming TV series, and she strictly controlled everything from the script to the actors. With such a serious investor and a good director, the TV series produced wouldn’t be bad, even if they were not top-notch.
Luo Zhengzheng: "Okay, Dad."
Gu Ming and Gu Xian suddenly realized that their father actually admired their fourth sister-in-law quite a bit, praising her investment in television dramas and speaking highly of her. A pang of sadness struck them. Wasn’t their father too strict with them? He could see the daughters-in-law's abilities, but not theirs? Was his prejudice against them too great, or were they truly incapable?
But their father didn't give them a chance to prove their abilities either.
In the evening, when little Chengjia saw his grandparents come back, he pouted and asked them to hold him.
Gu Boyuan held his grandson in his arms: "Oh, look at that little mouth, what happened?"
Luo Zhengzheng sat on the sofa and shot him a glare. This brat, he could continue the grievances in the morning into the evening.
Gu Shi explained from the side, "He got a vaccine shot today."
Little Chengjia looked at his grandfather and covered his arm, saying, "Shot, hurts."
Seeing her son's actions, Luo Zhengzheng said, "Didn't you say you weren't in pain? You little drama queen."
Gu Boyuan hugged him tightly and his face full of heartache: "Really? Then Grandfather must dote on baby."
Little Chengjia nestled obediently in his grandfather's arms to let him dote on him.
After Grandfather finished doting, he ran to find Grandmother to for more doting.
Luo Zhengzheng couldn't bear to watch. She asked Gu Shi, "Who does this personality resemble?"
Gu Shi looked at her: "Resemble who?"
Luo Zhengzheng stared at him.
Gu Shi glanced at her: "I wasn't like this when I was little."
Luo Zhengzheng, of course, would not admit that she was like this when she was a child.
Neither of them admitted it and it was unclear who he resembled.
Wang Yaning glanced at them from the side, and upon hearing the couple's words, couldn't help but retort, "Who else could your child resemble? Naturally, he'd resemble you two."
Gu Shi: "......"
Luo Zhengzheng: "......"
The two exchanged a glance and mutually fell silent.
After Lunar New Year's Day, winter vacation would begin in no time.
As soon as winter vacation started, Luo Can wanted to go home. Gu Shi dragged him to the company, ostensibly saying, "Come to the company and help me out."
In reality, he was handed over to Guo Yao so that Guo Yao could teach him.
Looking at Guo Yao's smiling face, Luo Can felt a chill. The brighter the smile, the more ruthless he was. No wonder he was called a smiling tiger.
This year, Luo Zhengzheng’s family of three went back to maternal home for a few days during the Spring Festival.
After the Lunar New Year, filming for "Home and Country" wrapped up in March. By then, little Chengjia had already turned two and was a two-year-old baby.
"I Am a Robot" was currently undergoing post-production with staff working overtime.
Chen Ze wanted to release the film during the winter vacation, but obviously couldn't make it. He could only aim for the Spring Festival slot.
Last year, with the advent of the 3G era, Gu Shi had been extremely busy this year. Sales of mobile phones produced by Ye Group's have surged, and he was either on business trips or working overtime.
Luo Zhengzheng wasn't idle either. She took a liking to two more scripts, one a modern mother-in-law-daughter-in-law drama, and the other a Qing Dynasty time-travel drama.
Almost everyone in the upper-class circles knew about Luo Zhengzheng's actions. Apart from the Gu Family, they were not very optimistic about her investments. After all, the two dramas she and Gu Shi invested in have not yet been broadcast and she had invested again. Wasn’t she afraid of losing money? It seemed that Ye's mobile phone business had made money, which had given Gu Family’s rural daughter-in-law, a lot of confidence.
Since playing the role of the Empress in "Home and Country", Liu Hanyue had hardly been home. She had been playing small roles on set to accumulate experience. Most of her resources were introduced to her by Chen Ze. Now her acting skills were acceptable, and playing an important supporting role should not be a problem.
Originally, Luo Zhengzheng wanted her to act in that Qing Dynasty time-travel drama, but she took a fancy to the role of the younger sister-in-law in that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law drama, so they let her have her way.
In July, after the post-production of "Home and Country" was completed, Chen Hui submitted the sample tape for review.
Once the film passes review, arrangement for people to watch it could be on the agenda and discuss the price.
But by the end of August, she still hadn't received any news that the application had been approved. She waited another half month, but still no news came out.
She frowned. Logically, they should be notified whether the application passed or not. What did it mean when there was no information provided?
She ran to ask Chen Ze, who frowned, "Is there anything against the rules in that film?"
Chen Hui hesitated: "I checked, there shouldn't, right?"
Couldn’t she pick out whether it went against the rule?
Chen Ze tapped the table: "Even if it didn't pass the review, I would have told you. It can’t be that it is getting suppressed?"
Chen Hui instantly looked at him: "Who would suppress it? This drama is invested in by Zhengzheng, and it's the first drama she's invested in. It's unnecessary for others to be wary of her, isn't it?"
"There’s no news at all. Doesn't that prove something?" Chen Ze thought about it more and more and felt that made sense. He looked up and said, "You go ahead and do your other things. I'll check it out and then we'll talk."
Chen Hui nodded: "Okay, I'll leave it to you." She didn't have as many connections as her younger cousin brother, so she figured he could find out something.
After leaving Chen Ze's office, Chen Hui made a phone call to Luo Zhengzheng.
After hearing the whole story, Luo Zhengzheng frowned. Who was picking on her?
She considered herself to be a low-key person who hadn't offended anyone. If anyone had a problem with her, it would only be Su Zhilan, who often used Liu Hanyue to annoy her.
Su Zhilan? Could it really be her?
She didn't want to make assumptions about someone, so she dialed Gu Shi's number, but the line was busy.
A few minutes later, Gu Shi called and said on the phone, "I was just talking to Chen Ze."
Luo Zhengzheng asked, "Why did he call you?"
Gu Shi: "About your TV series."
Luo Zhengzheng: "You know? What do you think is the problem?"
Gu Shi: "It’s linked to me."
Luo Zhengzheng: "Why?"
Gu Shi: "The company's mobile phone sales are good in the first half of the year. Su Chenyang saw the potential profits and wanted to invest as well, but I refused. Someone in the Su Family works at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. Since he holds a grudge against me and can't do anything to me, he can only resort to underhanded tactics by going against the TV series you invested in. Simply lower than a snake’s belly."
Luo Zhengzheng: "Aren't the Su family and the Gu family old friends?"
Gu Shi: "Uncle and Aunt Su are decent people."
Luo Zhengzheng couldn't help but ask, "What about Su Chenyang and Su Zhilan?"
Gu Shi: "In conclusion, be careful of them. They're not good people."
Luo Zhengzheng exclaimed. No wonder Wang Maoxiu's tone was so cold when he talked about Su Chenyang. A rich young master who couldn't win a woman's heart actually resorted to coercion. How despicable! No wonder his family went bankrupt in his previous life.
Luo Zhengzheng nodded: "I won't tell. After all, it's their private matters."
Gu Shi: "I'll handle the review submission of the TV series. You don't need to worry about it."
Luo Zhengzheng smilingly said, "With you taking care of things, I naturally have no worries."
Luo Zhengzheng didn't know how Gu Shi managed it. A week later, Chen Hui called her to say that "Home and Country" had passed the censorship.
Luo Zhengzheng was overjoyed and immediately called Gu Shi to tell him the good news.
Gu Shi had just finished a meeting and stepped out of the conference room when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Luo Zhengzheng calling. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he answered, "What are you busy with?"
Luo Zhengzheng: "Chen Hui just called me and said the TV series had been approved."
Gu Shi smilingly said, "That's great."
Luo Zhengzheng naturally praised him without reservation: "It's all thanks to you."
As Gu Shi walked, he asked, "So, how do you plan to reward me?"
Luo Zhengzheng: "Old children should be rewarded for doing good deeds."
Gu Shi: "There's an adorable little wolf cub here, of course, with white eyes."
Luo Zhengzheng internally grumbled that wolf eyes were initially white: “You're indirectly calling me a little white-eyed wolf. Since that's the case, I'm taking back the reward I was going to give you."
Gu Shi didn't have the mind to care about anything else. Since there was a reward, he was determined to get it. He said, "Come to the company. I'll be waiting for you there."
Without waiting for Luo Zhengzheng to speak, he hung up the phone.
Luo Zhengzheng curled her lip and mentally chewed out the man.
Luo Zhengzheng put on makeup, changed into a tight-fitting dress, went downstairs to check on her son who was still taking a nap, and then went to the Ye Group headquarters with her bag.
Upon arriving at Ye Group's headquarters, a few receptionists secretly sized her up.
Upon seeing her enter the president's private elevator, they all started gossiping in the group chat. This had become their habit. Whenever Luo Zhengzheng came to the company, they would always have a long discussion in the group.
"Madam’s dress is really gorgeous."
"The price is also quite attractive. I just checked, it's 200,000 or so."
"Our company's salary is considered high in the industry. Even if I don't eat or drink, I still have to pay the mortgage and car loan. Can't afford to buy anything."
"I have to admit, Madam is really lucky. President Gu is not a womanizer, and there's not a single scandal about him."
"Look at those female celebrities in the entertainment industry who married into wealthy families, and then look at our madam. Can't be any more happier."
"Does President's wife count as the happiest example of a Cinderella who married into a wealthy family?"
"A while ago, a new female college graduate joined the secretary department on the top floor. She's beautiful and charming. Our company has been very busy lately and President Gu often works overtime until late at night, sometimes even staying at the company. The female college graduate thought that he and his wife had a bad relationship and tried to seduce President Gu. However, the charms were directed to a blind. President Gu only had his work on his mind and didn't see her attempts at seduction at all. This matter has become a joke in the secretary department."
"No matter how beautiful someone is, can they be as beautiful as Madam?"
"Hilarious! Which of us long-time employees doesn't know that President Gu only cares about work, not gender?"
"It's not like no one tried to get President Gu's attention back then, but what happened to them? They were all fired."
"Perhaps Madam is less important to him than his job."
"Don't talk nonsense."
"......"
Luo Zhengzheng stepped out of the elevator and walked directly to Gu Shi's office.
Apart from the two new employees, everyone in the secretary department knew her, and no one stopped her.
Zhang Yiran came out of the restroom and saw an unfamiliar woman walking towards President Gu's office. She quickly went over to stop her: "Who are you? You can't just walk in here."
Before Luo Zhengzheng could speak, a middle-aged female secretary rushed over and called out, "Zhang Yiran, this is the president's wife."
Luo Zhengzheng smiled at the middle-aged female secretary and said, "You guys work away." Then she walked towards Gu Shi's office.
After hearing what the middle-aged female secretary said, Zhang Yiran stared blankly at Luo Zhengzheng. When she saw Luo Zhengzheng open the door to President Gu's office and walk in as if no one else was there, Zhang Yiran's face turned slightly pale.
The middle-aged secretary glared at Zhang Yiran. She had worked in the secretary department for so long and had never seen such a shameless girl.
When the chairman was in charge of the company, these things didn't happen.
Later, President Gu came to the company. The young and handsome president naturally attracted the attention of many unmarried girls, causing a bit of chaos. Several female employees were fired, and then they became more obedient. At that time, President Gu was not married, so it was understandable.
It had been years since such an insensitive girl appeared in the company. She was still too young. She knew that President Gu was married, but thought she could rise to the top just because she was pretty. She didn't even know what kind of person President Gu was. She might lose her job if she was not careful.
"Hold one rein in each hand, but don't pull too hard. Keep your upper body straight and don't hunch your back. Use the front part of your feet to step on the stirrups."
Gesang, dressed in red and having a blade of green grass between her teeth, spoke as she slowly steered her little red foal in circles.
Though she appeared relaxed on the surface, her eyes were bright and alert, constantly watching Yun Juan and Yun Shu.
The two children had just climbed onto the horse's back under her guidance.
Yun Shu was a little scared. Beads of sweat appeared on her nose. She pressed her upper body tightly against the white foal, and her little arms instinctively wrapped around its neck.
“Little Yun Shu, don’t be afraid. You’re more likely to get hurt if you’re like this,” Gesang came to her side, gently patted her back, and smiled. “Sit up straight.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Shu gritted her teeth and tentatively straightened her upper body little by little.
The little white foal Flower beneath her stayed obediently in place, motionless.
It only took two small treads of its front hooves after Yun Shu had fully straightened her back.
"Great job! Little Yun Shu, you did it!" Gesang praised without reservation. "Flower is happy for you too!"
Upon hearing her words, Yun Shu beamed brightly.
The different height excited her, and the tension she had just felt vanished completely.
Her chubby little hand stroked Flower's mane, and she said softly, "Little Gesang and Little Flower are so thoughtful, thank you, I'm not scared anymore!"
Flower let out a long neigh, as if in response to her praise and gratitude.
Gesang returned her a smile and rode her horse toward Yun Juan.
If Yun Shu and Flower were a loving couple, then Yun Juan and little Wuduo were rivals.
As Gesang walked over, she saw Wuduo excitedly trying to rush into the middle of the grassland. Yun Juan on his back sat straight, his hands gripped the reins, and his lips tightly pressed together as he competed with the creature.
After two unsuccessful attempts to resist, Wuduo finally gave in and could only circle around in place.
Yun Juan raised an eyebrow, patted his head, and uttered a single word: "Good boy."
Wuduo turned his head, gazed at him for a moment, and snorted.
A hint of appreciation flashed in Gesang's eyes. She said to Yun Juan and Yun Shu, "Don't run at the beginning. Walk slowly for a while to get a feel for it. Learn to use your center of gravity to coordinate with the horse's movement. If you feel your legs and buttocks are chafed, you can press down hard on the stirrups to lift your body."
She thought for a moment and then added, "The most important thing is, never let go of the reins."
After she finished speaking, she tapped Hongzao's belly with her legs: "This will make the horses move. The harder you tap them, the faster they will go. You can try it, but you must take them lightly."
Upon hearing this, Yun Juan and Yun Shu tried the method she gave, and sure enough, the little foal beneath them slowly moved forward, its hooves making a crisp, clattering sound.
Their eyes lit up immediately, and they followed Gesang carefully and attentively.
Yun Chuman had noticed them long ago and had been watching quietly from a distance.
She was happy to see how quickly they were learning.
Seeing the three children leisurely riding horses, she had the urge to join them.
So Yun Chuman turned her head and smiled, "Elder Sister Ranran, I'm going to check on the three children."
Cheng Yaran had already given up riding horses and was sitting under a tree feeding the horses. When she heard this, she leaned to the side and was stunned when she saw the three children not far away. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Little Juan and Little Shu are so amazing. They can ride horses so quickly, unlike me and Feng Yan."
She gazed wistfully to the left front.
Feng Yan's horse was unruly and kept running around wildly, leaving him flustered and overwhelmed on its back.
Meiduo kept telling him what to do, and the scene was in complete chaos.
Yun Chuman smiled.
Cheng Yaran couldn't bear to watch and looked away, smiling at her, "Go and play with the three children."
Yun Chuman responded, gently tapped the horse's belly, and then steered Kawa towards the three children. Her current skill level was similar to Yun Juan and Yun Shu. She could only ride slowly and couldn't yet gallop.
Her gaze was fixed on the three children and didn't pay attention to her surroundings. She had only taken a few steps forward when she heard Feng Yan exclaim from behind: "Chuman, get out of the way!"
Yun Chuman subconsciously turned around and saw the blue roan horse neighing and galloping towards her, looking very excited, while Feng Yan, who was originally riding on its back, was anxiously chasing after it.
Her eyes widened slightly, and after realizing what was happening, she instinctively tried to lead Kawa to the side to avoid the blue roan horse behind them.
However, Kawa was timid and was startled by the blue-and-white horse. In her panic, she ran away recklessly.
Meiduo reacted quickly and chased after, but the blue roan horse turned around and charged at her like a madman. Helpless, she could only subdue the blue roan horse first, thus missing the best opportunity to catch up with Yun Chuman.
Yun Chuman gripped the reins tightly, the wind whistling past her ears. For the first time, she experienced what terror truly meant.
But she quickly calmed down, trying to get Kawa to stop while soothing it: "Kawa, don't be afraid, good girl, stop! Whoa!"
Kawa's speed decreased, but she was still startled and out of control.
At this time, Yun Chuman heard the voices of two children behind her.
"Mommy, hold on tight to the reins, don't let go!" Yun Juan said.
"Mommy, don't be afraid, we're here to save you!" Yun Shu said.
Yun Chuman was startled and turned around with her remaining strength, only to see two children riding foals approaching her.
It turned out that the moment she was carried away by Kawa, Yun Juan and Yun Shu had already sensed that she was in danger.
The two children turned pale and, without thinking, simultaneously increased the force of their kicks against the horse's belly, charging towards Yun Chuman like the wind, completely disregarding their previous caution or fear.
Yun Chuman, who had calmed down, panicked when she saw them: "Little Juan, Little Shu, stop!"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu wouldn't listen. Seeing Yun Chuman getting closer and closer, they leaned forward and sped up again.
But a red figure quickly overtook them.
Gesang pressed hard on the stirrups, lifting her body slightly. Her eyes were fixed intently on Yun Chuman. Seizing the opportunity, she quickly moved closer, gripping the stirrups tightly with both feet. With a swift movement of her small arm, she grabbed Kawa's reins, frowned, and with a skillful tug, shouted, "Whoa!"
Kawa raised her forelegs high, let out a long bellow, and was completely under control.
Yun Chu was suddenly thrown backward. Her eyes widened as she struggled to keep herself from falling.
Once Kawa's front hooves touched the ground and Yun Chuman regained her upright position, her first reaction was to turn back and find Yun Juan and Yun Shu.
Fortunately, neither child was injured, and Meiduo had already helped them stop the foals.
Yun Chuman breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that her heart was pounding and her breathing was heavy and rapid.
She dismounted and quickly said, "Thank you, Little Gesang."
Gesang laughed heartily: "It's okay! I'd be sad too if pretty Auntie got hurt."
Yun Chuman pinched her cheek, then turned and ran quickly toward Yun Juan and Yun Shu.
The two children were clearly still shaken. Their legs trembled as they landed.
Yun Chuman ran up to them and squatted down, anxiously asking, "Little Juan and Little Shu, how are you? Are you hurt?"
The two children shook their heads.
Yun Juan calmed down considerably upon seeing her. He frowned and asked, "And Mommy? Are you hurt?"
Only then did Yun Shu realize she wanted to cry and tears well up in her eyes: "Mommy, don't be afraid, everything's alright now."
It was unclear whether she said those words to comfort Yun Chuman or to herself.
Yun Chuman stretched out her arms and hugged them both, stroking their little heads repeatedly to comfort them, "I'm fine, I'm fine, Little Juan and Little Shu, don't be afraid."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu pouted when they heard the comforting words, and buried their faces in her shoulders, one on each side.
Yun Chuman soon felt her clothes on both shoulders were soaked with warm tears.
At this time, Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran walked over quickly, and the first thing they said was "I'm sorry".
Feng Yan said with a face full of guilt, "Chuman, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I didn't hold the reins when I dismounted and it ran away."
Cheng Yaran said with lingering fear, "It's a good thing you and the two children are alright, otherwise we would have to atone with our deaths."
Hearing her exaggerated words, Yun Chuman couldn't help but laugh: "Elder Brother Feng Yan, you don't need to blame yourself so much. I also have my faults. I was so focused on the three children that I didn't pay attention to the situation around me."
Feng Yan still wanted to take the blame, but Meiduo interrupted him with a smile, saying, "Alright, alright, stop arguing. It's my fault. I'm not a good coach. I didn't keep an eye on Brother Feng Yan's horse and failed to catch up with Manman."
Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran shook their heads repeatedly: "No, no, no..."
Yun Chuman looked up and sincerely thanked her, "Meiduo, I also want to thank you. Thank you for protecting Little Juan and Little Shu for me."
Seeing her sincerity, Meiduo felt a little self conscious.
"Auntie, don't thank Elder Sister Meiduo. It's just that her skills aren't good enough."
Gesang walked over, leading Hongzao and Kawa, and said in a crisp voice.
Meiduo rolled her eyes at her, but didn't refute her.
Kawa hesitated for a moment before moving closer to Yun Chuman and calling out to her softly with an apologetic look in her eyes.
"I know you didn't mean it," Yun Chuman said with a smile.
Kawa blinked gratefully, hummed, and rubbed her cheek against her.
Gesang walked around behind Yun Chuman, stared at the two little heads buried in her shoulder for a while, and laughed, "You two cried?"
Yun Juan stiffened, secretly wiped his face hard, and stubbornly raised his head, saying, "No."
Yun Shu still clung to Yun Chuman's clothes with lingering affection, revealing her red eyes like a little rabbit, and hummed softly with a sob.
Gesang patted Yun Shu's little head: "Don't cry, don't cry, Auntie is alright."
Yun Chuman chimed in, "Yes, Mommy is fine."
She helped Yun Shu up and looked at the two children seriously: "Little Juan and Little Shu, do you know how dangerous your actions were just now?"
The two children pouted and didn't say anything.
Yun Juan scrunched up his pants. He didn't think he had done anything wrong. Wasn't it right to protect his mommy?
Yun Shu lowered her head, clutching Yun Chuman's clothes tightly, thinking that what had just happened was indeed quite dangerous, but she didn't regret it at all.
“I’m glad you’re so concerned about my safety, but that’s no excuse for doing something so dangerous. I would be very sad if something happened to you.”
Yun Chuman pinched their cheeks, "Little Juan and Little Shu, promise Mommy you won't do such dangerous things again, okay? If Mommy encounters danger again, you must do what is within your ability."
The two children stared at her for a while and seeing her serious expression, they reluctantly hummed in agreement.
Yun Chuman sighed as she looked at them with an expression that said, "I know I was wrong, but I'll do it again next time." She couldn't really blame the two children, after all, they were doing it for her.
But it was best to avoid this happening again. She was even more frightened when she saw Yun Juan and Yun Shu chasing after her than when she was being dragged along by Kawa. It seemed she needed to think of a way to increase their safety awareness.
Seeing that their atmosphere was a bit off, Gesang’s mind spun, tilted her head, and smiled, "But little Yun Juan and little Yun Shu have learned to ride horses! Isn't that great?"
The two children paused for a moment and looked at each other. Yes! They could run now!
Yun Chuman wondered, "Does that mean I've learned it?"
Meiduo laughed heartily, "Manman, don't be so serious. Little Juan and little Shu were just worried about you, that's why they did those things."
She winked at Gesang and then gently nudged Yun Juan and Yun Shu's shoulders, saying, "Little Juan and little Shu, while you still have the feeling, hurry up and go for a run with Gesang."
Upon hearing this, the two children immediately tried to walk out, but stopped after taking just one step.
They turned their heads and stared longingly at Yun Chuman.
Yun Shu held her fingers and shook them: "Is it okay, Mommy?"
Gesang patted her chest: "Don't worry, Auntie, I'll protect them!"
Logically speaking, given what just happened, Yun Chuman should definitely not agree.
However, she couldn't bear the pleading looks in the two children's eyes, and with Gesang, who could be considered her "guardian angel," by their side, she couldn't bring herself to do something like "once bitten, twice shy."
She could only nod helplessly: "Go ahead, but be careful."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu cheered and kissed her cheeks on both sides, saying, "Mommy is the best!"
"Eh? Eh? I want to kiss Auntie too!"
Upon seeing this, Gesang quickly ran over.
As a result, Yun Juan and Yun Shu exchanged a glance, then each took one of her arms and walked away. The two siblings smiled at each other and said in unison, "No way!"
Gesang pretended to struggle a couple of times: "Two against one! This is so unfair!"
The viewers in the live stream all got a fright from Yun Chuman, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu’s situation.
—That scared me to death! Is horseback riding really that dangerous?
—Those two kids were so brave! They really love Yun Chuman.
—But just as Yun Chuman said, Little Juan and Little Shu's actions were too dangerous.
—Am I the only one who's been charmed by Gesang's handsomeness?
—To be honest, me too!
Gesang, who impressed many viewers with her handsome appearance, stepped outside, nimbly mounted her horse, and laughed heartily, "Let me take you on a lap. I guarantee you'll love this feeling after we finish."
Yun Shu rode her horse slowly to her side and said with a smile, "Little Gesang, thank you for saving my mommy just now."
Gesang scratched her head shyly: "You're welcome. This kind of thing happens all the time here. I'm used to it."
Yun Juan came to her other side, looked at her with a serious face, and said earnestly, "Thank you."
Gesang paused for a moment and laughed: "Isn't it good to be frank? You shouldn't be so awkward in the future!"
After she finished speaking, she gave a shout, pushed off with her legs, and the foal beneath her instantly galloped away.
Yun Juan pursed his lips into a smile and chased after them with Yun Shu.
After what had just happened, Feng Yan had completely given up on horseback riding. He sat on the grass with Cheng Yaran, Yun Chuman, and Meiduo, watching the three children from afar.
As the sun sets, foals of various colors gallop across the grassland with their manes fluttering in the wind.
The orange-red sunlight shone on the three children, and they seemed to be surrounded by light.
Gesang ran in the lead, turning back every now and then to laugh.
Yun Juan pursed his lips, leaned his upper body slightly forward, and followed closely behind her.
Yun Shu had no intention of competing, so she lagged behind a distance and watched them with a smile. The red marks on her face blended into the sunset.
When Yun Chuman saw this scene, she had the urge to draw it.
Cheng Yaran looked at them with envy and suddenly said, "In the prime of youth, when one is dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse."
Feng Yan, who was standing next to her, sighed: "It feels so good to be young."
Yun Chuman was grooming Kawa's mane when she heard this and couldn't help but grin.
Meiduo looked at them and asked in bewilderment, "Elder Brother Feng Yan, Elder Sister Ranran, you're not old at all, so why are you lamenting about being young?"
"Besides, the three of them are still children, far from being youth."
Although Yun Chuman said that, her gaze remained fixed on the three small figures galloping across the grassland.
This feeling was really good. Being carefree and unrestrained was how children should be.
Just looking at it made one feel a few years younger.
The viewers in the live stream shared similar feelings.
—I love this scene!
—Reminiscing my bygone youth
—This makes me want to go to the grasslands too.
After finishing the meeting, Gu Jijing stayed in the live broadcast room. He touched his chest and found that his heartbeat had calmed down. He felt that his emotions had not fluctuated so much in a long time.
He gazed at free Yun Jun and Yun Shu on the screen and at Yun Chuman, who was watching them with tender eyes, and a hint of longing and envy unconsciously showed in his eyes. He pursed his lips, thinking that perhaps he could also take advantage of his free time to learn how to ride a horse.
On the other side.
Yun Juan, Yun Shu, and Gesang rode their horses tirelessly across the grassland.
Even as the sun set and it was time to go home for dinner, they were still reluctant to get off the foals. Meiduo had no choice but to let the three of them ride home on horseback.
Tonight's dinner wasn't as grand or lavish as yesterday's.
Because the Meiduo family still needed to prepare for tomorrow's Wangguo Festival, Yun Chuman suddenly remembered her original intention for coming here.
After dinner, she, along with Yun Juan, Yun Shu, Feng Yan, Cheng Yaran, and others, helped Meiduo and the others prepare.
The Wangguo Festival required many things. In addition to taking out the more formal clothes for the next day, a lot of barley wine and butter tea needed to be prepared. Finally, a harvest tower out of wheat ears had to be weaved.
The group worked until midnight before washing up and going to bed.
Yun Chuman, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu had been playing outside since they opened their eyes this morning, and were busy until midnight. They squeezed together and quickly fell asleep.
After watching for a while longer and confirming that they had fallen asleep, the viewers in the live stream decided to leave and go for a stroll neighboring the broadcast.
However, at that moment, they suddenly noticed a small figure silently slipping into Yun Chuman's room.
The audience perked up, and upon closer inspection, they recognized the small figure as Gesang.
They wondered why the little girl was sneaking into someone else's room so late at night. Was she sleepwalking?
They quickly dismissed this idea, because they saw Gesang walk to the bedside, gently pat Yun Juan and Yun Shu's cheek, and whisper, "Little Yun Juan, little Yun Shu, wake up."
Yun Juan's sleep was never very deep and her voice was almost right next to his ear. Soon. He groggily opened his eyes and what came into view was Gesang's smiling face.
He instantly opened his eyes wide, almost screaming in fright.
Gesang quickly covered his mouth and whispered, "Shh! Shh! Don't shout, it's me!"
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Yun Chuman and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was still asleep.
Yun Juan shook his head vigorously, shoved her hand away from his face, sat up, and asked with a frown, "What are you doing here?
Gesang ignored him, tiptoed to Yun Shu's side, and gently poked her cheek: "Little Yun Shu."
Yun Shu sat up in a half-dreaming state, opening her eyes a crack, but then closing them again the next second.
She pulled the blanket over herself, curling her small body into a ball, nodding repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, and mumbled, "Strange, I think I saw Little Gesang..."
Gesang covered her mouth and chuckled, then poked her chubby cheek with her finger.
Eyes closed, Yun Shu scratched twice.
Gesang smiled and whispered in her ear, "Wake up, little Yun Shu, I'll take you to a nice place."
Yun Shu rubbed her eyes, squinted at her, and stared blankly for a while before she came to her senses and said, "Little Gesang, it really is you! I thought I was dreaming."
Gesang quickly shushed her twice: "Keep your voices down, or Auntie will be woken up!"
Yun Shu subconsciously covered her mouth with both hands, and blinked her dog-like eyes twice.
Yun Juan leaned closer: "Why aren't you sleeping at this hour? Where are you taking us?"
“You’ll see when we get there,” Gesang said with a smile and a wave. “Hurry up and catch up.”
With that, she ran out.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu exchanged a glance, looked at Yun Chuman who was still fast asleep, got out of bed quietly, put on their clothes, and tiptoed out, closing the door behind them.
The viewers in the live stream were going crazy when they saw this.
—Holy crap, Yun Chuman, wake up! The children has run away!
—Since Little Juan and Little Shu came here, they've become more and more unrestrained.
—Honestly, where are they going? Isn't it dangerous for them to be out so late at night?
—The production team, wake up Yun Chuman!
—You can call Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran, they're writing a new song next door!
Li Rufei, who was staying up all night monitoring the viewership, was worried that something might happen to the three children, so he quickly made a phone call to Xiaoxi.
Xiaoxi had already gone to sleep after Yun Chuman fell asleep.
Upon receiving Li Rufei's call, she was startled and instantly snapped back to reality.
Without saying a word, the cameraman grabbed a piece of clothing, shouldered the camera, and rushed out with a staff member acting as the driver.
The two were fast enough that they ran into three children who had just mounted their horses as they went out.
The cameraman and another staff member secretly followed them in a small car belonging to the production crew.
On the other side, Xiaoxi hurriedly ran to call Yun Chuman. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran coming out from next door.
"Xiaoxi, what's wrong?"
Cheng Yaran's smile vanished instantly, and she asked with concern.
She had been bursting with inspiration these past two days, and had just finished working out a piece of music with Feng Yan. She was happily preparing to go out and get some water when she ran into Xiaoxi, who looked out of sort.
Xiaoxi ran so fast that she clutched her stomach, which was hurting from the side, and couldn't utter a single word for a moment.
Feng Yan quickly handed her a glass of water.
Xiaoxi drank all the water in one gulp.
Before she could speak, Yun Chuman rushed out of the bedroom in a panic, her disheveled hair slightly messy, her face pale, and said, "Little Juan and Little Shu are missing!"
Yun Chuman usually sleeps with her two children in her arms. She felt that there was no weight on her arms, so she subconsciously reached out to look for Yun Juan and Yun Shu, but after touching them for a while, she couldn't find anything.
She immediately sensed something was wrong and woke up with a start, only to find that the two children were not in the room at all.
Yun Chuman touched the spot next to her. The bed was still warm, so she knew they hadn't gone far and hurriedly ran out.
Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran were shocked: "Missing?"
Xiaoxi was finally able to speak. She took a couple of deep breaths and said in a hoarse voice, "I know where they are."
Yun Chuman strode up to her and gripped her arms tightly with both hands: "Take me there!"
Xiaoxi gasped, not expecting Yun Chuman to have such a strong grip.
She patted Yun Chuman's arm: "Manman, calm down. little Juan and little Shu went out with Gesang. Dazhuang and Xiaoqi are with them."
Yun Chuman was stunned for a moment, and then her emotions calmed down a little. She let go of Xiaoxi's shoulder and said, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Xiaoxi smiled, went into the bedroom to get her a coat, and casually draped it over her shoulders. "Come on, I'll drive you to find them."
Yun Chuman nodded quickly: "Okay, thank you for your help."
Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran exchanged a glance and quickly said, "Let's go together, we can help if anything happens."
Yun Chuman forced a smile and thanked them. Her mind was entirely on Yun Juan and Yun Shu, wondering what the two children were doing running out in the middle of the night.
As soon as Xiaoxi left, she contacted the cameraman and, after getting the exact location, drove off with Yun Chuman, Feng Yan, and Cheng Yaran.
The three children didn't go far. It wouldn't take more than five minutes by car.
Upon arriving at the destination, Yun Chuman hurriedly got out of the car, only to be stunned by the scene before her.
In the middle of the boundless grassland, there was a lake, and the stars in the sky were reflected in the lake, making it impossible to distinguish between the sky and the earth for a moment.
The three foals huddled together, nodding at each other listlessly and occasionally nibbling on some grass, looking quite content.
Three children were not far from them.
Gesang sat in the middle, with Yun Juan and Yun Shu sitting on her left and right.
As the evening breeze blew, there were waves of “ripple” across the grassland.
Yun Shu's humming was carried by the wind to everyone's ears. Her ethereal voice gave those who heard it a sense of healing.
Feng Yan and Cheng Yaran showed a hint of infatuation on their faces.
"Go find them?" Xiaoxi asked.
"No."
Yun Chuman shook her head, relieved to see that the three children were safe and sound.
It was obvious that Gesang had called Yun Juan and Yun Shu to show them the scenery before them.
These were children's friendships and secrets. Adults shouldn't intrude.
Yun Chuman pulled Xiaoxi, Feng Yan, and Cheng Yaran to sit in a more distant spot and quietly watched, making sure the children wouldn't notice them.
Suddenly, specks of light gathered around the three children.
Yun Shu stopped singing, raised her little face with bright eyes, and said, "They're fireflies!"
As she spoke, she stood up and skipped after them.
"Isn't this place nice?" Gesang said with a smile. She had her hands behind her back and a blade of grass between her teeth. "It's my secret base, even Elder Sister Meiduo doesn't know about it."
Yun Juan took a deep, relaxed breath: "Mmm."
"You rarely see fireflies in your city, right? Why don't you go and chase after them like little Yun Shu?" Gesang asked curiously.
"It's just bugs with a glowing butt, what's there to chase?" Yun Juan looked at her with suspicion.
Gesang: ...
She removed the grass and clicked her tongue twice: "Little Yun Juan, you're not only awkward, but also very straight-man."
Yun Juan frowned: "I'm just stating the facts."
He paused and muttered under his breath, "What did your Chinese teacher teach you? Earlier face con and now straight man."
Gesang chuckled and didn't argue with him: "You're leaving the day after tomorrow?"
"Yes, we'll miss our flight if we're late," Yun Juan said.
The two remained silent for a moment, gazing at Yun Shu in the distance.
The little girl was surrounded by fireflies, and one landed on her red mark. Too afraid to move, she stared at it until her eyes almost crossed.
Gesang couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Yun Juan glanced at her a few times and then mumbled, "How about you come with us?"
"Huh?" Gesang turned to look at him in surprise.
Yun Juan awkwardly looked away: "Little Shu and I had a lot of fun here. I think you can come and visit us for a few days too."
He didn't know why he suddenly extended the invitation, but after spending the last two days together, he felt that Gesang was a nice person and could be a friend.
Gesang did not answer Yun Juan's question, instead her gaze returned to Yun Shu.
Yun Juan said anxiously, "Little Shu and I can take you to the amusement park and we can also go see the sea!"
“Oh, the sea…” Gesang swung her legs, turned to look at him, and smiled, “There’s a horse riding competition after the Wangguo Festival tomorrow. Do you want to race with me?”
A note from the author:
Yun Shu: Fireflies are so beautiful!
Yun Juan: Just bugs whose butt glows.
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Many readers have questioned the age at which a child is riding a horse, so I'll explain it in the author's notes.
The Equestrian Association stipulates that children can start riding horses at the age of three, as they tend to have a better natural talent for horseback riding. I have a video saved on my Weibo of a three-year-and-five-month-old child riding a big horse. If you can't imagine it, you can check it out! The movements were really smooth and cool!
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"In my youth, I was dashing and spirited"—Yue Fei, "The Magpie Bridge Fairy"