That night, Zhou Simu was once again secretly moved by his biological father in the middle of the night, and he was transferred to the adjacent children’s room. From that day on, Zhou Xiulin decided to completely break his “bad habit” of sleeping with his parents. There was no way around it, he was too young and had no resistance.1In short, he’s evicted from their room
The next day, the entertainment industry was buzzing with joyous news. At 8 a.m., Star Beauty Pictures issued a notice that Mo Yiheng and his non-industry girlfriend were engaged, along with a wedding photo. Zhao Xinran’s fans were furious. Some of them flooded Star Beauty’s official account to criticize Mo Yiheng as an unfaithful man, while another group went to Zhao Xinran’s Weibo to console her and encourage her to stay strong.
Over the past few years, Zhao Xinran had starred in several highly-rated TV dramas and had a few quality films under her belt. Her acting skills were top-notch, and she had garnered quite a number of fans. Combined with her kind and low-key demeanor, her romance with Mo Yiheng ended up with this result. Even the bystanders sided with her, feeling that Mo Yiheng had played with Zhao Xinran’s feelings.
Not long after, Zhao Xinran took the initiative to post on her Weibo.
【When Mr. Mo and I were in love, both of us were sincere. We couldn’t make it to the end, perhaps due to destiny. I wish Mr. Mo happiness! At the same time, I also wish to find my own happiness.】
Zhao Xinran was truly clever. Even if they couldn’t be lovers after breaking up, they could still be friends. With no influential background, as she grew older, she would still have to continue striving in her entertainment career. By doing this now, she left a lingering impression on Mo Yiheng, ensuring that he would have lingering concerns for her. It must be said that Zhao Xinran’s emotional intelligence compared to a few years ago was truly transformed.
Meanwhile, at this time, Jiang Xiao received a message from Zhao Xinran.
“Jiang Xiao, can we meet sometime? I want to talk to you.” One sentence, full of sorrow.
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.
Kkydt Dkys zssjle yv vbl Elkcs rspv ytykd, cwv vbkp vkxl, pbl qlzv dsvbkdt. Mawvb yde zklp olal sdzu nzlya vs vbspl ekalnvzu kdhszhle.
Nyvla yv 10:10 y.x., Fsdt Zkold rspvle sd bla Elkcs ycswv bla alzyvksdpbkr okvb Hbsw Zyduyd.
【Tyrru vs xllv usw, usw yal xu zkqlvkxl @Hbsw Zyduyd】 Hbsw Zyduyd alvollvle.
Rd yd kdpvydv, Elkcs lmrzsele.
Ohld vbswtb vbl dlop bye yzalyeu clld alrsavle lyazkla, kv oyp lhld xsal kdvldpl obld nsdqkaxle cu vbl ryavklp kdhszhle.
Mbl pvweks bye clld lytlazu oykvkdt qsa vbkp xsxldv.
“Mbl nsxxldvp byhl pwarypple 100,000, yde vbl nzknjp byhl lmnllele 300,000. Xb xu…”
“Ebu nyd’v R ynnlpp kv…”
As the reposts and comments on this Weibo continued to increase.
Jiang Xiao sighed and touched her forehead. Song Yiwen insisted, and she wouldn’t object. From the bottom of her heart, she wished him and Zhou Yanyan well. After a while, she said, “The studio can repost to send blessings.”
“Okay. But it might take a while, Weibo is overloaded.”
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh. “I feel sorry for the tech guy.”
Although the two had announced their relationship, many of Song Yiwen’s fans were skeptical. Many of them left comments on Zhou Yanyan’s Weibo, hoping they would break up soon.
Some of Song Yiwen’s overly enthusiastic fans even formed an “Anti-Song-Zhou Love Alliance,” digging up embarrassing incidents from Zhou Yanyan’s past. For example, her high school grades were average, her college entrance exam scores were nothing exceptional, and she went abroad for further studies.
The alliance even uploaded a video of Zhou Yanyan participating in a school singing competition during her sophomore year, a video that lasted for ten minutes.
The first half of the video showed Zhou Yanyan singing “Fulfillment,” and the latter half showed her duet with Lin Wu, singing “Tonight I Feel Close to You.” Both girls were wearing blue and white school uniforms, tied up in ponytails, their voices melodious, and perfectly on pitch.
The sharp contrast between the two halves skewed the topic in an instant.
【The two girls at the back are so beautiful!】
【Their singing is so lovely!】
【The young girls is so adorable! Envious of such friendship!】
…
Later, someone replied: Impressive! She’s the campus beauty of Class XX at B University’s Medical School.
Someone else replied: Our high school senior! I’ve seen them at school before! Just saying, both senior sisters are stunning. Their singing is amazing.
When Jiang Xiao saw it, the video had already been reposted over ten thousand times. One can imagine that Zhou Yanyan was probably fuming. On her big day, she was once again overshadowed by Jiang Xiao and Lin Wu. Jiang Xiao felt her temples pulsating; was it fate or debt!
Many people had watched this video, even Jin Zhongbei sent her a message, asking: Jiang Xiao, are you considering switching to a career in singing?
Jiang Xiao replied with a helpless expression: Professor Jin, are you back?
Jin Zhongbei had been busy filming a commemorative film recently, and news online said he had already finished.
Jin Zhongbei: Yes. It’s quite lively today. If there’s a chance, I’d like to invite you to sing the theme song.
Jiang Xiao: Professor Jin, how can I sing the theme song with my amateur level?
Jin Zhongbei: Jiang Xiao, when can we go for hotpot?”
This hotpot dinner was something she had casually mentioned before. She didn’t expect him to remember.
Jiang Xiao felt a bit embarrassed, “I’ll be going to the film and television city next week. Can we arrange it after I come back?”
Jin Zhongbei: Sure.
Jiang Xiao: There’s a hotpot restaurant near the city library, owned by a Chongqing native. The flavor is very authentic.
Jin Zhongbei: I’m looking forward to it.
The relationship between Jiang Xiao and Jin Zhongbei was quite unique, a mix of mentor and friend. The brief encounter during “The Prosperous World” back then unexpectedly paved the way for their relationship.
Jin Zhongbei came downstairs, and Jin Shuyan was still in the living room. The little girl had been in a low mood for the past few days, and her work had come to a halt.
“Yanyan—”
“Big Brother—”
Jin Zhongbei walked over to her, “What are you doing?”
Jin Shuyan didn’t hide anything and showed him the presentation she had prepared for Zhou Xiulin, filled with news about him.
Jin Zhongbei sighed, “Silly girl.”
Jin Shuyan lowered her head, tears dripping down slowly. “Big Brother, I feel really miserable. I always thought he was too focused on his career to be in a relationship. But who would have imagined that he already has a child? Sister Chengying encouraged me earlier to confess my feelings to him sooner. If I had done it earlier, would there have been a chance?”
Jin Zhongbei put his arm around her shoulder. “Yanyan, you’re still young, and there are many things you don’t understand.”
Jin Shuyan shook her head. “I understand. It’s impossible between me and Brother Zhou.”
Jin Zhongbei patted her. “Silly girl. All I can say is that you and Zhou Xiulin aren’t meant to be.”
Jin Shuyan cried softly, her sobbing reminiscent of a time when she lost her beloved toy. “I used to think that he and his assistant, Jiang Xiao, had something going on.”
Jin Zhongbei was taken aback. “You know Jiang Xiao?”
Jin Shuyan sniffled. “We met before.”
Jin Zhongbei licked his lips. “What did you talk about?”
Jin Shuyan said with a hint of grievance, “Just a few casual words. She’s not Brother Zhou’s assistant anymore. Besides, saying anything now won’t make a difference.”
Jin Zhongbei ruffled her hair. “Don’t be upset. I’ll take some time to accompany you for a few days out. Dad and Aunt Yue would be sad if they saw you like this.”
Jin Shuyan reluctantly agreed, “Big Brother, have you ever thought that Jiang Xiao looks a lot like Mom when she was young?”
Jin Zhongbei raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? How so?”
Jin Shuyan bit her lip. “It’s just that when Mom was young, you know, she had some work done on her face, right? I saw pictures of Mom when she was young, and Jiang Xiao somehow resembles her a bit. But then again, Jiang Xiao also has a bit of a resemblance to Xia Lan.”
Jin Zhongbei furrowed his brow. “There are many people in the entertainment industry who look alike.”
“Yeah. It’s a pity that Jiang Xiao isn’t an actress, otherwise we could have her play the role of Mom when she was young.”
Jin Zhongbei didn’t say anything more and urged her to go wash her face quickly.
In the afternoon, Jiang Qin came to the office, finished signing the documents, and asked, “CEO Zhou, have you seen the video?”
“What video?” Zhou Xiulin rarely used Weibo, so he naturally wouldn’t know.
“The video of Miss Zhou and Madam when they were young. I didn’t expect Madam to sing so beautifully,” Jiang Qin sighed. He glanced at Zhou Xiulin’s expression and was surprised. “President Zhou, you haven’t heard Madam sing before?”
Zhou Xiulin had only heard Jiang Xiao sing children’s songs. He opened Weibo, an account registered several years ago when Weibo was just gaining popularity: “It’s me,” 0 following, 6 followers – probably random fake followers assigned by Weibo. He searched for Zhou Yanyan’s name and found the video. He listened to it from beginning to end, a smile unconsciously appearing on his lips. Now he finally knew where the beautiful singing talent of the little bean sprout had been inherited from.
Unfortunately, over three years had passed, and she seemed to have never sung a proper song in front of him.
Zhou Xiulin chuckled softly, took out his phone, and dialed her number.
Jiang Xiao was busy and harried, but she answered his call.
Zhou Xiulin: “Mrs. Zhou, when are you planning to sing a song for me?”
Jiang Xiao knew he must have seen the video. She squinted, looking at the bouquet of purple forget-me-nots in the vase. Suddenly, a poem came to her mind: “In a quiet corner, it speaks to me for you.” (Xu Zhimo’s “Forget-Me-Not”)
With a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, Jiang Xiao softly sang:
“I like you
Those captivating eyes, and your laughter even more charming
Wishing I could lightly caress you again
Your lovely face, holding hands and talking in dreams
Just like yesterday, you and I”
It’s in Cantonese, and Zhou Xiulin doesn’t understand the lyrics, but he knows she sings well. “Sounds great, even though I don’t understand. What’s the name of this song?”
Jiang Xiao licked her lips, her heart beating fast. It’s really strange – they’re an old married couple, so why is her heart racing? “It’s called ‘Xi Huan Ni’ (‘I Like You’).”
“Hmm?”
“‘Xi Huan Ni,’ the title of the song.”
Zhou Xiulin smiled. “Thank you for liking it.” He raised his voice a bit. “So, how many secrets do you still have that I don’t know about? Hmm?”
On the other end of the phone, Jiang Xiao remained silent for a moment and then hummed a song. “I have many little secrets, I won’t tell you, I won’t tell you…”
Zhou Xiulin laughed. This was a song Zhou Simu liked to sing, always wagging his little tail at home while singing this song. He cleared his throat and said, “Assistant Jiang, would it be convenient for you to pick up Zhou Simu together today?”
Jiang Xiao adjusted her expression. “Give me ten minutes, I still have some work to do.”
Zhou Xiulin agreed, “The usual spot, see you there.”
Jiang Xiao: “…” Why does this feel like eloping?
Zhou Xiulin drove another car that he didn’t usually drive, and they set off for the kindergarten. Jiang Xiao got out to pick up Little Bean Sprout.
This was her second time at the kindergarten, the first being when they came to visit during the selection process.
They were a bit late arriving today, and most of the children had already been picked up.
Jiang Xiao entered the building and saw through the large glass wall that Little Bean Sprout was sitting next to a little girl. He was holding a book and reading aloud with determination, while the little girl was listening attentively.
Jiang Xiao greeted the teacher and walked in softly. As she entered, she heard her son’s clear voice.
“The little tadpole saw a frog with four legs and cried out in fear. The frog mom doesn’t look anything like them! Definitely not their mom. Mistaken, mistaken. The little tadpole kept swimming. What should they do if they can’t find their mom? They sang a sad song—’In this world, only mom is good. Children with moms are like treasures…’ His little hand was still pointing at the words in the book, as if he took those words seriously. Even though he doesn’t know many words. Who gave him this confidence?”
Jiang Xiao cleared her throat softly.
Both little kids turned around.
Zhou Simu’s little face was full of surprise. “Duoduo, I found my mommy.”
The girl named Duoduo shyly looked at Jiang Xiao. “Zhou Simu, congratulations.”
Jiang Xiao: “…”
Zhou Simu hugged her leg. “Mommy, I looked for you for a very long time. I really missed you.”
Jiang Xiao: “Darling, mommy finally found you. Let’s go home.”
Zhou Simu nodded his little head. “Duoduo, I’m going first. I’ll tell you new stories after I learn them.”
Little friend Duoduo obediently agreed with an “Mmm.”
Jiang Xiao smiled. “Then we’ll head back. How about coming to our house as guests when you have time?”
Duoduo was well-behaved. “Auntie, I have to ask my mommy before I can tell you.”
“Sure.” Jiang Xiao patted her little braid. The young girl was really adorable. Zhou Xiulin had mentioned that he wanted a daughter.
Zhou Simu held her hand, bouncing and skipping along the way. “Mommy, why did you come to pick me up today?”
Jiang Xiao smiled. “Mommy got off work early today.”
Zhou Simu raised his little head. “I like it when mommy picks me up.”
Jiang Xiao’s lips curled into a smile. “Mommy isn’t busy with work, so she came to pick you up.” When she was a child, she had fantasized countless times about the day when her mother would come to pick her up, even just once. But in the end, she never had that opportunity in her entire life.
After getting in the car, Little Bean exchanged sweet words with Zhou Xiulin again. “Daddy, the teacher said that kids should ‘share’.”
Zhou Xiulin asked, “What do you want to ‘share’?”
Little Bean grinned, “I want to share a Thomas train with each kid, then we can all play with the train together.”
Jiang Xiao suppressed a smile and said to Zhou Xiulin, “Little Bean’s language ability seems to be exceptionally good. He’s been in school for a few days, and he seems different.”
Little Bean suddenly tugged on Jiang Xiao’s hand. “Mommy—”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t call me ‘Little Bean Sprout’ when you come to kindergarten in the future.”
Jiang Xiao was puzzled.
“We have a pot of bean sprouts in our classroom’s tray. I don’t want to be a bean sprout. The other kids will make fun of me.” He blinked his eyes and his voice turned soft.
Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “Alright, mommy will only call you that at home. I promise not to let the other kids know.” Even this little guy understands embarrassment. What’s wrong with the name “Little Bean Sprout”? It’s so cute!
Little Bean happily hummed a tune, and after a while, he continued, “Mommy, Duoduo said she’s going to her grandma’s house on Saturday to play. Her grandma will buy her a baby chick. She said she’ll bring me a baby chick when she comes back. Grandma’s house seems like a lot of fun. Mommy, I want to go to grandma’s house too, but why does it feel like I’ve never seen my grandma? Where did my grandma go?”
The smile on Jiang Xiao’s face froze in an instant, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Sansukini: So you might be confused because obviously, Mumu is always with his grandma, Xiulin’s mom. So he’s talking about grandma, Jiang Xiao’s mom. In Chinese, the grandparents have different designations from the paternal and maternal side.
The grandma from the father’s side is called “奶奶” (nǎinai) or “祖母” (zǔmǔ), while grandpa is called “爷爷” (yéye).
The grandma from the mother’s side is called “外婆” (wàipó), while the grandpa is called “外公” (wàigōng).
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
Oh ….. About the identity of Jiang xiao’s mom …. Is she linked with Liang Yue. … ?