Chapter 39: Jiang Xiao puffed up his mouth and kissed the corner of his mouth actively.

Ahead was a red light lasting sixty seconds. Zhou Xiulin turned his head and noticed Jiang Xiao’s expression, which seemed strange. He gently called out, “Xiao Xiao–“

Jiang Xiao composed herself and softly said, “Your grandmother passed away and went to another world.”

Little Bean Sprout frowned, “When did Grandma pass away?”

Jiang Xiao’s voice filled with sorrow, “When Mom was born.”

Little Bean Sprout asked again, “Did Grandma get sick?”

Jiang Xiao embraced his little head, “Yes, Grandma got sick and left.”

Little Bean Sprout felt sad too, “Grandma was really pitiful.” He patted Jiang Xiao’s shoulder with his small hand, “I used to not want to become a doctor, but now I can consider it.” He was afraid of getting injections and always found various excuses to avoid them. But he also knew that doctors save people.

Jiang Xiao’s sorrowful emotions gradually faded. “When you grow up, you can pursue your own interests. No matter what you do, Mom and Dad will always support you as long as you enjoy it.”

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Jiang Xiao nodded, “You’re already packing so early? We’re not leaving until the weekend.”

Zhou Xiulin looked at the little figure on the bed, “Someone couldn’t wait and insisted on taking a bath. I told him twice.”

Jiang Xiao smiled, “I was very quiet as a child. Dad said you didn’t like to talk either. Who does he take after?”

Little Bean Sprout finished his milk, put down his toy, and rolled on the bed, moving towards Jiang Xiao’s side, seizing the opportunity to hug her. “I take after Mom.”

Jiang Xiao looked at Zhou Xiulin, “I wasn’t this sweet-mouthed when I was a child.”

Zhou Xiulin arranged Little Bean Sprout’s luggage, looking at her with a half-smile. His gaze fell on the corner of her mouth as he whispered, “You’re sweet now.” A warm breath grazed her cheek.

Jiang Xiao blushed and pushed him, “You should go do your things. I’ll put him to sleep first.”

After much effort, Jiang Xiao finally managed to put Little Bean Sprout to sleep. When she returned to the bedroom, she said, “Little Bean Sprout asks so many questions, and sometimes I struggle to answer.”

Zhou Xiulin closed the book and walked over to her casually. “I received a message from my dad tonight.”

Jiang Xiao felt slightly nervous, “Did he also see the video online? Did they say anything?”

Zhou Xiulin sighed, “It’s a message from my father-in-law.”

Jiang Xiao’s expression relaxed slightly, “What did he say? It’s been a long time since he returned.”

“He’s planning to come back for May Day and sent me a few photos.” Zhou Xiulin opened WeChat.

“Dad seems to have lost a lot of weight,” Jiang Xiao frowned, “and he looks darker.”

Zhou Xiulin agreed, “Maybe the living conditions there are tough, and he’s not good at taking care of himself.”

Jiang Xiao nonchalantly curled her lips, “My dad is in a self-imposed exile. He…” she didn’t finish her sentence, “I always feel that my dad has been through too much in his life. It’s not just physical hardship.”

Zhou Xiulin understood. Some in the art world had analyzed Jiang Yi’s works, which portrayed conflicting emotions, a mix of despair and hope, the turmoil in a person’s soul. Many people believed that perhaps the loss of a loved one had caused him immense emotional trauma.

Jiang Xiao’s eyes dimmed slightly.

Zhou Xiulin knew she was worried about her father, but Jiang Yi’s personality was not something anyone could advise. Zhou Xiulin also felt that the way Jiang Yi and Jiang Xiao interacted as father and daughter was not the typical parent-child relationship. It wasn’t that Jiang Yi didn’t love Jiang Xiao; it’s just that he seemed unable to face her openly. He left all his money to Jiang Xiao, but what she really wanted wasn’t money. Now, after Little Bean Sprout was born, Jiang Yi would make a bit more time to come back and see his grandson.

“Don’t worry too much,” Zhou Xiulin said.

Jiang Xiao sighed, “By the way, did my parents mention anything about Yanyan and Song Yiwen?”

Zhou Xiulin said directly, “They don’t have much confidence in them. They’ve always thought that Yanyan entering the entertainment industry was just a passing interest, especially since her career hasn’t made much progress in recent years. Mom has been hoping she would quit.”

Jiang Xiao understood, “The entertainment industry is full of temptations. Mom is worried about Song Yiwen.” Mothers are all the same; they can’t bear to see their children suffer even a little bit. With Little Bean Sprout, she understood that feeling even more.

Holding her in his arms, Zhou Xiulin asked, “What do you think?”

Jiang Xiao paused for a moment, “I hope Yanyan finds happiness.” Honestly, these past few years had not been easy for Yanyan. Perhaps the deep impression left by Qin Heng in her heart had made it hard for her to move on. In certain aspects, Song Yiwen had some similarities with Qin Heng. She could sense that Yanyan must have felt it too.

Zhou Xiulin patted her shoulder, “You can’t persuade her. She’ll have to handle her own affairs.”

Jiang Xiao smiled, “The people in your Zhou family are all stubborn.” She thought for a moment, “Back then, when I said I didn’t want Little Bean Sprout, on the day of the surgery, if I didn’t change my mind, would you really have let me go through with it?”

Zhou Xiulin looked into her eyes and said firmly, “No, I wouldn’t have.”

Jiang Xiao raised an eyebrow, “Zhou Xiulin, when did you start to like me?”

Zhou Xiulin chuckled, “You tell me your little secret first.”

Jiang Xiao pouted and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the corner of his lips. “I’ll tell you slowly in the future.”

…

As they reached the end, Jiang Xiao was exhausted. She held onto him, feeling weak and accustomed to this gesture, and murmured, “Husband, give me one more year. I’ll quit being a talent agent and find a nine-to-five job. When you have time, we can take Little Bean Sprout out to play.”

Zhou Xiulin was stunned for a moment but then gently adjusted her hair strands. “Okay.”

For one year, Jiang Xiao planned the paths for the other two talents she was handling. After that, she could hand them over to someone else and finally let go. From then on, she would never step into the entertainment industry again.

In the blink of an eye, it was the weekend.

It was Little Bean Sprout’s first time going on a business trip with his mom, and he was very excited. He sat in the car, curious, and looked out at the world. Every now and then, he would ask, “Mom, how much longer until we arrive?”

When they finally reached the film and television city, the little guy’s amazed expression melted people’s hearts. “Wow, Mom, this place is so—”

“So what?” The three-year-old got stuck on his words.

Jiang Xiao helped him out, “So magnificent.”

Little Bean Sprout nodded eagerly, “Mom, did people from ancient times live in houses like these? Why are the houses they lived in different from ours?”

Jiang Xiao patiently explained everything to him.

Little Bean Sprout nodded, seeming to understand, although not entirely. In any case, everything here was novel and interesting to him.

In the afternoon, Jiang Xiao had a meeting with the program director. Little Bean Sprout accompanying her didn’t seem out of place. The director’s assistant received her and asked, “Jiang Jie, where did you find this little angel? Hello, Little Bun!”

“Hello, sister. My name is Little Bean Sprout, I’m three years old.”

“Haha, Jiang Jie, is this the child artist you just signed?”

Jiang Xiao briefly explained that he was a relative’s baby, and they wanted to visit the film and television city, so she brought him along for two days.

Little Bean Sprout was smart. He remembered all the instructions from his parents, and in front of outsiders, he only called Jiang Xiao – Xiaoxiao.

Today, the little guy was dressed in a light khaki windbreaker, and on the way to the film city, Jiang Xiao had put a thin scarf around his neck to protect him from the wind. He indeed looked adorable.

Jiang Xiao asked, “Which guests did Director Huang invite for this episode?”

The assistant replied, “It’s Xia Lan and Teacher Liang Yue.”

Jiang Xiao was taken aback, “Teacher Liang is participating in the program too?”

The assistant looked somewhat helpless, “The first episode didn’t have enough viewership, and Teacher Liang has some friendship with the director, so he invited her.”

Jiang Xiao was curious, “Why did Xia Lan also come?” Xia Lan and Cheng Ying were now on the same level, both big stars in the industry with strong abilities and top-notch resources. It was rare for her to participate in variety shows.

“There’s a topic for this episode – look-alike faces in the entertainment industry.”

Jiang Xiao smiled gently, “I’ll go talk to Director Zhang first. Can you please watch the little guy for me?”

“Sure. Don’t worry.”

There weren’t many people backstage, and this makeup room was specifically for the big stars who came to record the show; ordinary people couldn’t enter.

Jiang Xiao quietly reminded again, “Mommy is going in to talk to the director, and I’ll be back soon. Don’t wander around alone. If you need anything, tell the assistant.”

Little Bean Sprout wobbled his short legs, “Got it. Xiaoxiao, you go do your thing. I’ll wait for you.”

“Such a good boy. I’ll take you to eat something delicious tonight, and tomorrow we’ll go sightseeing and show you ancient houses.”

Little Bean Sprout happily covered his small hands and giggled.

Once Jiang Xiao left, he sat quietly on the couch and played with his toy car for a while. Then, he curiously observed the makeup room, his eyes rolling around. When he became familiar with the environment, he started to walk around.

At that moment, a young girl rushed in, one hand holding coffee and the other carrying a large bag of other things.

She hurriedly entered and almost bumped into Little Bean Sprout.

She quickly put the coffee on the table and some items from the bag fell out.

“Sister, let me help you pick up—”

The girl glanced at Little Bean Sprout, “Oh! Where did this child come from?”

“I’m here for a trip,” Little Bean Sprout replied.

The girl said, “Oh.”

Little Bean Sprout excitedly picked up a box, but he was too small, so he had to tiptoe to place it on the table. Accidentally, he knocked over the coffee, which spilled down, soaking a pair of shoes below.

The girl let out a cry, “Oh my God!” She hurriedly went to pick up the shoes, but it was already too late. The white leather shoes were stained with coffee and ruined in an instant. The girl looked at the shoes, her fingers clenched tightly, and she was on the verge of tears; she couldn’t afford to compensate for them with half a year’s salary.

Little Bean Sprout knew he had done something wrong, standing nervously by the side, his forehead wrinkled.

At this moment, the program in the studio had finished recording, and Liang Yue and Xia Lan came to the backstage makeup room. As soon as they entered, they saw the scene.

A beautiful little boy stood there with a distressed expression.

Liang Yue noticed the shoes in the assistant’s hand and asked, “What happened?” These shoes were a gift that Shuyan specially brought back from France for her. She had only worn them once after receiving the award last year because she treasured them and was reluctant to wear them frequently.

“Liang Teacher, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. This child bumped into the coffee—”

Liang Yue looked at Little Bean Sprout, “Whose child is this? How can you let a child casually enter the makeup room?” She had always been strict with all requirements, so her expression had turned cold.

As a junior, Xia Lan didn’t speak at this moment. She looked at Little Bean Sprout and showed a hint of a smile. “Is this a child from some drama crew?”

Little Bean Sprout bit his lip, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.” His mommy had taught him that when he made a mistake, he should take the initiative to admit it, and that’s what a good child should do.

Liang Yue restrained her expression and waved her hand, “Find someone to take this child away.”

Little Bean Sprout’s eyes turned red, and he held back the tears.

Jiang Xiao was in the middle of a conversation with the assistant director when the assistant came in a hurry, “The little boy ruined Liang Teacher’s shoes.” This incident happened while she went to get something, and it had caused trouble for both parties.

Jiang Xiao’s face tightened, and she greeted the assistant director, “I’m sorry, I’ll go take a look.”

She didn’t have the mood to listen to the assistant’s explanation; she just wanted to go there as soon as possible. When she rushed into the makeup room, she saw Little Bean Sprout standing there all alone. In that moment, her heart seemed to have been fiercely squeezed.

Liang Yue, Xia Lan, and two assistants stood there without saying a word, all looking at Little Bean Sprout.

The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

Jiang Xiao quickly walked over, squatted down, held Little Bean Sprout’s hands, and checked him up and down with a trembling voice, “Did you get burned?”

He sniffed, “Xiaoxiao, I did something wrong, but I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Jiang Xiao’s heart felt a pang of pain, and she hugged him tightly, saying, “You corrected your mistake, and you’re still a good boy.”

Little Bean Sprout couldn’t hold back his tears any longer, “Wuwu…”

Jiang Xiao continued to comfort him gently, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Little Bean Sprout buried his face in Jiang Xiao’s shoulder and refused to lift his head again.

Jiang Xiao gradually calmed down. She noticed the pair of leather shoes in the assistant’s hand—branded and worth tens of thousands of dollars, not cheap, and a limited edition.

The young assistant spoke weakly, “These were given to Liang Teacher by Miss Jin as a birthday gift. She rarely wears them.”

Jiang Xiao’s throat felt choked, unable to express her feelings. A pair of shoes… She faced Liang Yue’s gaze with the calmness of a millennium-old lake.

“Liang Teacher, I’m really sorry. It was my negligence. I’ll pay you the full price for your shoes.” She took a deep breath, her face strangely serene, and with Little Bean Sprout in her arms, she slightly bent her body towards Liang Yue. “I’m truly sorry.”

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Sansukini: Sometimes the names are so redundant in the way that every sentence/paragraph says the names of the characters that I just want to use pronouns. Especially “Little Bean Sprout” is so long, I wished I used the Chinese nickname instead, “Xiaoduya(Little Bean Sprout)”. But I already used Little bean sprout from the beginning, it’s hard to change it.

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