Because of her pregnancy, Jiang Xiao has been quite sleepy lately. After chatting with Zhou Xiulin for a while, she finally couldn’t resist the drowsiness and gradually fell asleep.
Zhou Xiulin adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner in the bedroom to 26 degrees and gently covered her with a thin blanket. He sat at the end of the bed for a moment before going downstairs.
His parents and Yanyan were in the living room, each with a different expression on their face.
Mother Zhou asked, “Where’s Jiang Xiao?”
“She’s sleepy and went to bed.”
From her son’s words and actions, Mother Zhou could tell that he was serious.
Yanyan couldn’t hold back and asked, “Brother, how did you meet Jiang Xiao?”
“Haven’t I told you before?”
The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.
“R esd’v zkjl bla.”
Hbsw Dkwzkd aykple bkp lulzkep yde bkp tygl oyp ellr, “Zyduyd, usw’al dsv y vlldytla yduxsal.”
Zyduyd wdelapvsse vbl bkeeld xlydkdt kd bkp osaep yde nswzed’v pyu yduvbkdt dltyvkhl ycswv Kkydt Dkys. “Jasvbla, usw esd’v wdelapvyde Kkydt Dkys. Fbl’p dsv yp kddsnldv yp usw vbkdj. Fbl xktbv dsv zkjl usw, pbl’p elzkclayvlzu tlvvkdt nzspl vs usw.”
Ysvbla Hbsw kdvlahldle, “Zyduyd, zlv’p vyzj dknlzu.”
Hbsw Zyduyd oyp qwakswp. “Ebyv es usw oydv xl vs pyu? Yu bktb pnbssz nzyppxyvl pweeldzu oydvp vs clnsxl xu pkpvla-kd-zyo. R nyd’v ynnlrv kv!”
Hbsw Dkwzkd qasodle yde prsjl kd y zso hsknl, “El’al rzyddkdt vs altkpvla dlmv ollj, okvbswv bszekdt y oleekdt nlalxsdu. Tla qyxkzu pkvwyvksd kp prlnkyz, yde ol’zz byhl y nbydnl qsa swa qyxkzklp vs xllv kd vbl qwvwal.”
Brsd blyakdt vbkp, lhld Wyvbla Hbsw qasodle. “Dkwzkd, kpd’v vbkp vss bypvu?”
“Pye, R’hl vbswtbv kv shla plakswpzu.”
“What kind of talk is that? How will you introduce her to our relatives? Our Zhou family also has a reputation to uphold. Your grandparents have always valued tradition. Even if you don’t hold a wedding ceremony, the parents of both sides should meet.”
“Jiang Xiao’s mother has passed away, and her father has been away.”
Father Zhou spoke sternly, “Even so, it shouldn’t be so casual, right?”
Zhou Yanyan snorted, “Jiang Xiao was like this before too. Which guy didn’t treat her well? She has this ability, and now even my brother is charmed by her.”
Zhou Xiulin suddenly turned his gaze towards her, “Yanyan, what happened to your upbringing?”
Zhou Yanyan was frozen by his stern tone.
Zhou Xiulin spoke again, “Mom and Dad, you can rest assured. Jiang Xiao is not that kind of person. If she really wants my money, I’ll give it to her. Anyway, I’m not short of money.”
To be honest, that child is really good. People’s eyes cannot be deceived. After spending time together today, Zhou’s parents also saw the kind of person Jiang Xiao is. But they always feel that Zhou Xulin can find a better girl.
Zhou Xulin always has his own ideas about everything. The overall situation has been decided, and whatever they say will be of no use.
Father Zhou waved his hand, “Since you have made up your mind, your mother and I won’t say anything anymore. Xulin, you have never made us worry from childhood to adulthood, but I want to tell you that marriage is not a child’s play. You should take care of yourselves.”
Zhou Xulin replied solemnly, “Dad, I know. Please rest assured.” He looked at his father with confidence in his eyes.
Zhou Yanyan was also completely deflated, feeling as uncomfortable as if she had been scratched by a cat. She choked up, her emotions fluctuating, “Brother–” she couldn’t even say anything else, “I have always hoped that you could be happy…”
Zhou Xulin looked at her and sighed softly, speaking gently, “Okay, I know. Let’s not say anything else.”
Zhou Yanyan’s tears fell heavily as she cried and ran back to her own room.
This trip back to China was really a disastrous start for her.
Jiang Xiao slept for a full three hours, and when she woke up, she suddenly noticed that Zhou Xiulin was sleeping on the nearby couch. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing several buttons, and his feet were resting on the ground. The couch was narrow, and he must have been uncomfortable.
Jiang Xiao got out of bed quietly and tip-toed over to him. She bowed her waist and squatted in front of the sofa. She had always known that Zhou Xiulin was handsome, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes and a high nose bridge. The younger women in the company would often discuss him among themselves. Everyone was curious about what kind of girlfriend Zhou Xiulin would have.
Jiang Xiao smiled to herself; no one would believe it could be her. She raised her hand, wanting to touch his face, but afraid of waking him up. In the end, she gently touched his hair, fearing she would mess up his hair style, and then quickly withdrew her hand.
He was still asleep, his thin lips tightly pursed. Jiang Xiao suddenly thought of the kiss from that night, his lips cool to the touch. At the thought, her face turned bright red.
Who was the one at a disadvantage in that incident? It was hard to say.
Zhou Xiulin stirred his numb body, and Jiang Xiao immediately got up and ran to the bathroom, moving quickly.
Zhou Xiulin opened his eyes, his vision gradually clearing. He raised his hand to touch his hair. Maybe only when he was asleep or drunk could she dare to touch him.
On her first visit to the Zhou family, the atmosphere was neither warm nor cold, but at least they were polite. Although it was sudden and she was not the person Mother Zhou had in mind, she still gave Jiang Xiao a gift.
The golden color and heavy weight of the gift made Jiang Xiao speechless.
“This was given to me by Xiulin’s grandmother. Today, I’m passing it on to you,” Mother Zhou said.
“Auntie, this is too precious. It’s a family heirloom. How can I take it?” Jiang Xiao said.
Mother Zhou placed it in her hand. “There are also some jewelry. I’ll give them to you next time.”
“No, Auntie, I can’t take it,” Jiang Xiao said nervously. She and Zhou Xiulin were only temporarily married on paper, and who knew what the future held.
Zhou Xiulin spoke up. “This is meant for the future daughter-in-law of the Zhou family. Just consider it something you’re holding onto for Little Bean Sprout.”
Jiang Xiao said, “Ah…you’re thinking too far ahead. What if Little Bean Sprout is a girl?”
“Then it can be her dowry,” Zhou Xiulin replied.
Jiang Xiao “…”
She looked at his faint smile and felt a sudden jolt in her heart. She was in a trance for a while. She pinched her hand secretly. She was afraid that if this continued, she wouldn’t be able to resist her own feelings.
Zhou Xiulin probably only saw her as a responsibility, because of the accident that night and because of Little Bean Sprout’s existence.
Jiang Xiao was afraid of climbing too high and falling to pieces in the end.
After meeting with the parents of the Zhou family, she returned to work after taking a sick leave. On Monday, she and Zhou Xiulin went to work together, but she got off one stop early and walked back to the company.
Zhou Xiulin furrowed his brows but didn’t say anything.
When she arrived at the company, Jiang Xiao ran into Assistant Jiang downstairs.
Jiang Qin smiled and said, “Jiang Xiao, you came back to work so soon? Why not take a few more days off?”
Jiang Xiao replied, “Good morning, Assistant Jiang.”
Jiang Qin asked, “Did you and Mr. Zhou solve your problem?”
Jiang Xiao was suspicious. Did Assistant Jiang know about her and Zhou Xiulin’s situation? She replied, “Yes, we solved it.”
Jiang Qin glanced at her and said, “Jiang Xiao, don’t forget your benefactors when you become rich and powerful.”
Jiang Xiao replied, “You flatter me, Assistant Jiang.”
Jiang Qin smiled and said, “Mr. Zhou has always had good taste. Anyone he sets his sights on is sure to be successful. Don’t worry, with Huaxia on your side, you won’t lack resources.”
Jiang Xiao: “…”
“You don’t know yet?” Jiang Qin smiled. “Yingjie and Mr. Zhou proposed to sign you and promote you.”
Jiang Xiao was stunned. No wonder Jiang Qin was especially enthusiastic towards her today. “Assistant Jiang, there’s no such thing. I’ll continue to be Xinran’s assistant. ‘The Prosperous World’ is about to start filming, and I’m preparing to go to the set with Xinran.”
Jiang Qin was shocked. “I don’t know who’s spreading rumors like that.”
“That’s right, they’re so irresponsible. How could Mr. Zhou possibly promote me?” Jiang Xiao echoed. “I’ll go back to work now.”
A few days later, Jin Zhongbei appeared in Huaxia and attended a discussion meeting for “The Prosperous World”. Jiang Xiao was thrilled to hear the news but couldn’t help but think to herself that Jin Zhongbei had already signed a contract but Zhou Xiulin didn’t tell her. He was really stingy.
At that time, Zhao Xinran had already returned from B City and rested at home for a day. She came to the company specifically to get to know Jin Zhongbei in advance.
That day, even the company’s cleaning aunt was excited, and everyone wanted to see Jin Zhongbei in person. This showed how popular he was.
Zhao Xinran finished her makeup. “It’s a pity I only have three episodes with him.”
Jiang Xiao: “…”
Jiang Xiao: “There will be opportunities in the future. We have ten minutes left, let’s go first.”
Zhao Xinran looked at the time and said, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”
Jiang Xiao understood her meaning. Xinran’s popularity had risen over the past six months. She was no longer the inexperienced young girl. With fame comes confidence, and her heart was fluttering. “Xinran, Ying-jie will also be there today.”
Sure enough, Zhao Xinran understood what she meant. Today’s male lead was Jin Zhongbei, and the female lead was Cheng Ying. Cheng Ying was the leading actress in Huaxia, and her position was unshakable.
“Will I be able to reach her position?”
“You will,” Jiang Xiao assured her.
Zhao Xinran looked at her and was silent for a moment. “Jiang Xiao, when I was in B city, they wanted to change my assistant, but I didn’t agree. I still like you.” She was younger, but knew her boundaries and didn’t create problems.
Jiang Xiao smiled. “Let’s go.”
Several leading actors gathered together, and the director and several screenwriters explained the essence of the story of “A Prosperous World”. \
The heroine is a princess who traveled thousands of miles to marry the prince of Ling Kingdom. She overcame various struggles and hardships to build a prosperous world together with her husband, where the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.
Jiang Xiao stood in the corner, squeezed together with a few girls from the company.
“Jin Zhongbei is so handsome!”
“His voice sounds so good!”
“I’m going to faint.”
…
Jiang Xiao stared fixedly at the person in the middle. Jin Zhongbei came from an entertainment family. His father was a famous director in China, and his mother was a famous actress who had won numerous awards. However, he rarely made movies nowadays.
They were all so focused on watching that they didn’t notice Zhou Xiulin and Jiang Qin, who had already walked behind them.
“Jiang Xiao, you’re lucky, you’re back on set again.”
Jiang Xiao smiled slightly, “It’s okay, I should be able to get an autographed photo this time, and if I’m lucky, maybe I can even get a hug from Jin Zhongbei.”
“Jiang Xiao, you’re too much.”
Everyone was used to joking around with each other.
Assistant Jiang coughed lightly, “What are you girls looking at?”
Everyone was shocked and quickly moved aside.
As soon as Jiang Xiao turned around, she saw Zhou Xiulin standing in front of her in a sharp suit.
Jiang Xiao: “Mr. Zhou.” Her future husband was staring at her.
Jiang Xiao cleared her throat, “I came with Xinran.”
Zhou Xiulin: “Do you want to go in with me?”
Jiang Xiao: “I don’t dare.”
Zhou Xiulin said calmly, “Don’t you want Jin Zhongbei’s autograph?”
Jiang Xiao blinked, “Is that possible?”
Zhou Xiulin gave her a light look and went in without saying a word.
Jiang Xiao thought to herself, why is he always so good at teasing people? Whatever, in a few days when she’s on set, she’ll be able to get Jin Zhongbei’s autograph herself.
The first exchange meeting for “The Prosperous World” ended, and everyone began to prepare for the upcoming shoot. This meant that Jiang Xiao would be going to the H City Film and Television City with the crew next week.
Jiang Xiao noticed that Zhou Xiulin didn’t bring up their agreement again, so she was afraid he might have forgotten. She was a self-aware person and didn’t want to play games. During dinner time, Jiang Xiao brought up the topic and decided to have a good talk with him.
“Zhou boss–“
“Mr. Zhou–“
“Hey, Zhou Xiulin, say something.”
Zhou Xiulin put down his chopsticks and sat in his seat looking at her. “Tomorrow morning, let’s go get our marriage certificate.”
Jiang Xiao: “…Ah!”
Author’s note: [Dream Theater]
One day, Zhou Xiulin met Jin Zhongbei.
Zhou: My wife is your fan.
Jin: Do you want an autograph?
Zhou: No, thank you. Anything related to you cannot appear in my house.
Jin: …
Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)
You can also check out my other translations Here
Second Life Translations' Comment Policy
1. Be kind and respectful. Comments with curses will be put under moderation.
2. No links to other websites or asking for links.
3. No spoilers!