“Mom–“
With this cry of “Mom,” Jiang Xiao called out with heartfelt emotion, momentarily stunning Mother Zhou.
Mother Zhou’s heart was also in turmoil, mixed with joy and a touch of inquiry. Some words were on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back, deciding to speak another day. She comforted, “Both of you were too careless this time. Since you knew you were expecting a child, you should have told us earlier. It was really dangerous for you to go to the film and television city while pregnant.”
“Mom, I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”
“Both of you are at fault. You’re still young and naive, and Xiulin was confused.” Seeing her pale complexion and thinking about her being pregnant, Mother Zhou quickly changed the subject, “Xiulin is bound to be scolded.”
Jiang Xiao pursed her lips.
“Go and have a look, turn a blind eye to the dislike and focus on the Buddha.” Mother Zhou spoke softly.
A glimmer of joy flashed in Jiang Xiao’s eyes, “Thank you, Mom.”
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Fbl bypvldle bla rynl yde yaakhle swvpkel vbl pvweu, vyjkdt y qlo ellr calyvbp clqsal jdsnjkdt sd vbl essa.
“Usxl kd,” nyxl Wyvbla Hbsw’p ellr hsknl.
Kkydt Dkys srldle vbl essa yde oyp kdpvydvzu pvwddle cu vbl pnldl clqsal bla. Tla lulp okeldle.
Hbsw Dkwzkd oyp jdllzkdt sd vbl qzssa.
“Wyvbla–” Fbl poyzzsole byae yde nyzzle swv.
Wyvbla Hbsw tzydnle yv bla. “Usxl kd yde prlyj.”
Kkydt Dkys dlahswpzu oyzjle kd, bla tygl qzknjlakdt. Tla lulp xlv Hbsw Dkwzkd’p.
Kkydt Dkys nzldnble bla qkpv, “Wyvbla, R’x psaau, R’x yzps alprsdpkczl qsa vbkp xyvvla.”
Father Zhou sighed, “Yes. Both of you are parents now, yet you still act so irresponsibly.”
Jiang Xiao blinked, wearing a pitiful expression in her eyes.
Father Zhou could scold his son, but scolding his daughter-in-law was not acceptable. “I’ve said some things to Xiulin. Reflect on your actions yourselves. From now on, you should set a good example as parents. I’m leaving.”
As Father Zhou left the study, his anger had already subsided significantly.
Jiang Xiao hurriedly went to support Zhou Xiulin, “Did Uncle hit you?” She scrutinized him up and down, unable to resist touching him, “Did he hit you?”
Zhou Xiulin allowed her to touch him, “No, he didn’t.”
Jiang Xiao let out a barely audible sigh of relief. She was really afraid that Zhou Xiulin would be hit, but then again, Father Zhou wasn’t that kind of person.
Zhou Xiulin looked at her, “How did you come in?”
Jiang Xiao bit her lip, her eyes slightly red, “I came to have a look. I didn’t expect the great boss of Huaxia to also be scolded.” She spoke lightly while tightly gripping his sleeve.
Zhou Xiulin smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll remember this account. When our little sprout is born, I’ll slowly settle it.”
Jiang Xiao replied, “…You, you really.”
Zhou Xiulin held her hand. “Were you scared just now?”
Jiang Xiao nodded. “I don’t know what a normal relationship between parents and children in a regular family is like. My father has never scolded me. When I was in elementary school and played around without doing homework, he never scolded me.” So, when Father Zhou sternly scolded Zhou Xiulin today, she was genuinely taken aback.
“Your father loves you very much.” Zhou Xiulin narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low tone, as if comforting her.
Jiang Xiao suddenly smiled. “Maybe.”
“Chinese parents are different from parents in foreign countries. They don’t often express their love verbally, but their love for their children in their hearts is no less. During summer and winter vacations when I was little, I always stayed with my grandparents. They had extremely strict demands on us, not just academically. When I was young, we weren’t allowed to have pocket money. Even in college, apart from tuition fees, we had to earn money for all other expenses ourselves.”
Jiang Xiao found it hard to believe.
“Don’t believe me?”
“During high school, Zhou Yanyan had a lot of pocket money in our class.”
“Yanyan is different. She’s a girl and inevitably spoiled. I think there were some girls in the class who didn’t like her very much.”
Jiang Xiao looked at him awkwardly, implying that he shouldn’t say such things directly if he knew.
Zhou Xiulin smiled. “The Zhou family is exceptional, but–“
“But what?”
Zhou Xiulin glanced at her small belly. “Our little sprout must be exceptional in the future.”
Jiang Xiao pouted. “That’s not right. I believe children should grow up freely, and parents shouldn’t put too much pressure on them.”
Zhou Xiulin smiled. “We can discuss this in detail when we get home. “
Jiang Xiao replied, “…It seems like Mom and Dad are really angry?”
Zhou Xiulin comforted her in a low voice, “They’ll be fine after a while. Even if they’re still mad at us, they won’t be mad at Little Sprout.”
Jiang Xiao softly responded, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Little Sprout.”
He silently observed her, her fair face, long eyelashes like two rows of small fans. Sometimes she would unconsciously show a sense of confusion, but when you called her, she quickly hid her expression and smiled, focusing on looking at you.
In that moment, she stood there, and her gaze suddenly became determined.
The next day, Jiang Xiao officially went to the Huaxia President’s Office to report.
Before leaving, she deliberately changed into a shirt and a skirt, paired with flat leather shoes. She was satisfied with her outfit, simple yet professional.
After checking herself in the mirror and confirming everything was in order, she walked into the living room.
Zhou Xiulin’s gaze fell on her. Her snow-white, straight legs were flawless, but he furrowed his brow slightly. “Not good.”
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Xiao had great faith in his opinion.
“Change into pants.”
“But I’ve seen Tina and Manqi wearing the same outfit.”
“Your temperaments are different. You look too much like a student.”
Jiang Xiao’s mouth twitched. He really underestimated her! In the end, she still listened to his advice and changed into pants.
The driver came to pick them up.
Jiang Xiao and Zhou Xiulin sat in the back seat, and she felt nervous throughout the journey.
Zhou Xiulin naturally knew what she was thinking. “Don’t be nervous.”
“Ah, I just became a regular employee, and suddenly I leap from being a junior assistant to the president’s assistant. Won’t that attract too much attention? Others will definitely have thoughts and say that I have connections and backgrounds.”
Zhou Xiulin raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying you don’t have any connections or background?”
Jiang Xiao felt a pang in her heart. Unfortunately, what others said was true. “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Can you take care of Xinran a bit, not in a special way…”
“Jiang Xiao, I’m curious, why do you care so much about Zhao Xinran?”
Jiang Xiao fell silent for a moment. “I started working part-time on film sets when I was in my freshman year. I’ve been to many sets and seen many celebrities. The work is not easy, and sometimes it’s really exhausting. In my sophomore year, during the winter, right around the Chinese New Year, I suddenly had a fever on the set. I thought I could tough it out by drinking more water, but luck wasn’t on my side. I had a high fever of 41 degrees, and it was Zhao Xinran who took me to the hospital.” Perhaps Zhao Xinran had her vanity and became more powerful as she gained popularity. But Jiang Xiao would always remember the favor she did for her.
“Zhao Xinran will join the crew in August for Director Zhao’s film ‘Youth.'”
Jiang Xiao’s eyes instantly lit up. “That’s really great.” She reached out and poked his hand.
“Mmm…” He elongated the sound, a difficult-to-describe intimacy filling the car.
“Thank you.”
Zhou Xiulin flashed a smile. “My lady, you’re being too polite.”
Jiang Xiao turned her head away, looking out the window, a growing smile on her lips.
Time always changes you in unexpected ways. The initial decisions and unyielding intentions can actually slowly compromise.
Perhaps it’s the power of happiness.
Because of him and Little Sprout’s presence.
At the company, the two of them entered the elevator one after the other.
Jiang Xiao felt a bit embarrassed to see Jiang Qin.
Jiang Qin opened his mouth, about to say “my lady,” but Jiang Xiao quickly called out, “Assistant Jiang, good morning.”
“Good morning, Assistant Jiang. Mr. Zhou just arrived. Please go and make a cup of coffee for her, remember, no sugar.”
Jiang Xiao replied, “…Okay.”
“Oh, Mr. Zhou doesn’t like instant coffee. The coffee beans are in the second cabinet of the pantry.”
A while later, Jiang Xiao entered with a cup of coffee. “Ms. Zhou, your coffee.”
Zhou Xiulin composed his expression. “Thank you. Do you have time today to organize the emails in my inbox?”
Jiang Xiao’s face brightened. “Okay.” She wanted to work, not just be a decorative vase.
During the morning, she witnessed Zhou Xiulin’s busyness and the capabilities of his four assistants, especially Tina. Jiang Xiao had already heard about her. She was a talented graduate from a prestigious university. She knew that all the artists signed with Huaxia gave her some face. After all, she was Zhou Xiulin’s chief female assistant, a combination of beauty and intelligence. Jiang Qin had told her to learn from Tina.
Tina didn’t seem very interested in her, considering she had been in Huaxia for three years already.
At lunchtime, Zhou Xiulin took Tina to meet a business partner.
Assistant Jiang and Jiang Xiao had their meal together at the restaurant.
Jiang Xiao looked around the restaurant, with its large floor-to-ceiling glass walls and expansive view, along with various green plants. Dining here was truly enjoyable.
Jiang Qin told her about Zhou Xiulin’s work habits, and Jiang Xiao diligently took notes. “My lady, you’re not concerned enough about Mr. Zhou. Don’t you know any of these things? You should show more care and concern for Mr. Zhou.”
Jiang Xiao forced a bitter smile. “I’ve taken note of everything. I’ll pay more attention to him from now on.”
Jiang Qin replied, “That won’t do either. If you do too well, Tina and I will be out of a job.”
Jiang Xiao’s eye twitched. “Assistant Jiang, I heard the company negotiated a film for Xinran.”
“Xinran is taking advantage of your spotlight. ‘Youth’ is Director Zhao’s film, and Liang Yue is the female lead.”
“Liang Yue?” Jiang Xiao repeated, “Hasn’t she stopped acting for several years?”
“‘Youth’ will be her comeback work.”
“Oh, that’s good. Xinran can hone her acting skills.”
“Here’s another piece of news: Princess Zhou will also have a role.”
“Princess Zhou? Zhou Yanyan?”
Jiang Qin smiled mysteriously. “Just a few scenes.”
Jiang Xiao chuckled. Princess Zhou did fit her status. “I’m actually looking forward to the release of ‘Youth.’ After all, the goddess hasn’t acted in many years.”
“Do you like Liang Yue too?”
“No. I just think her acting skills are great. There aren’t many women like her in the country.”
“That’s true, considering she doesn’t have a specialized background. Acting is like singing. Some people are lucky enough to receive heavenly rewards, while others are rewarded by their ancestors. Liang Yue belongs to the former.”
Jiang Xiao felt that Jiang Qin’s analysis made sense. “Yes, she’s very fortunate.”
After finishing their meal, they returned to their respective offices.
Just as Jiang Xiao sat down, her phone rang, displaying “Zhou Xiulin” on the caller ID.
She quickly answered, “Hello?”
“Assistant Jiang, come in.” It was his deep voice.
Jiang Xiao replied out of habit, “Okay, Mr. Zhou.”
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