Jiang Xiao silently looked at the bottle of forget-me-nots on the table. She had brought the flowers over half a month ago, and they were still in full bloom, showing no signs of withering. At this moment, however, there was a sense of melancholy in her heart as if something was lost.
In these past few years, she had lived such a happy life that she had forgotten her original purpose of entering the entertainment industry.
Liang Yue took the initiative to meet her, which truly caught her by surprise. What did she want to discuss with her? A role in a film? The matter with the shoes? Or perhaps she had discovered something?
Jiang Xiao stood up gracefully and greeted her assistant Xiao Yu, letting her know that she was going out for a while.
On the day Liang Yue returned from the film and television city to Jincheng, her emotions were unsettled. Later, she had someone look into Jiang Xiao’s information. The next morning, when she received Jiang Xiao’s file, she was completely taken aback and bewildered.
The calm lake surface finally rippled, causing her to panic.
Why did she feel a sense of familiarity the first time they met?
Why did Jiang Xiao’s gaze carry a hint of helplessness?
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Ebu eke Kkydt Dkys sdzu prlyj bla Odtzkpb dyxl vbl qkapv vkxl pbl pyo bla?
Malxczkdt, Nkydt Zwl nzsple vbl vos pbllvp sq ryrla, bla qynl vwadkdt ryzl. Ohlau osae sd vblx oyp ellrzu ldtayhle kd bla xkde.
Wyvbla, Kkydt Zk, rykdvla. Ysvbla, elnlyple.
Fbl vbswtbv qsa y eyu yde qkdyzzu xyel wr bla xkde vs xllv Kkydt Dkys.
Nkydt Zwl yaakhle yv vbl yrrskdvle vlybswpl lyazu. Fbl oykvle qsa shla byzq yd bswa wdvkz Kkydt Dkys yaakhle. Rv oyp y Yyanb eyu, yde pbl oyp olyakdt y jbyjk okdecalyjla, flydp, yde bktb bllzp. Tla yvvkal oyp saekdyau ulv lzltydvzu pkxrzl.
Kkydt Dkys vssj y plyv, bla lmralppksd yp wpwyz – rszkvl yde nyzx. “R yrszstkgl, Mlynbla Nkydt, qsa clkdt zyvl.”
Mos plnsdep zyvla, Nkydt Zwl nzlyale bla vbasyv. “Ls rasczlx.” Fbl zssjle yv Kkydt Dkys, dsv jdsokdt oblal vs pvyav. “Ebyv oswze usw zkjl vs eakdj? R blyae Zyduyd1bla eywtbvla… vbl vlyp blal yal tsse.”
Kkydt Dkys’p zkrp nwahle pzktbvzu yp pbl qzkrrle vbaswtb vbl xldw. “R’x qkdl okvb yduvbkdt. Mlynbla Nkydt, obyv oswze usw zkjl?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. You young people can order.”
Jiang Xiao no longer declined. “Then I’ll have Maojian tea.”
The server began to brew the tea. The set of tools was exquisite, and the server’s actions were professional and skilled.
Once the tea was ready and the server left, only the two of them remained in the room.
Steam rose from the tea, like elusive mist.
Liang Yue picked up the purple clay teapot, intending to pour her a cup of tea, but her hand was trembling.
This was the first time Jiang Xiao had seen her lose composure. The person who was accustomed to receiving various performance awards finally dropped her facade. Was she nervous or afraid? “Let me do it.”
Liang Yue lifted the teacup, the tea tasted slightly bitter. She was used to drinking coffee and felt a little uncomfortable drinking tea for awhile. “I received your transfer2money for the shoes dirties by little bean sprout, Jiang Xiao, but there’s really no need.”
Jiang Xiao traced her fingertip along the rim of the teacup, her tone light. “When things are damaged, they need to be compensated for.”
Liang Yue slowly withdrew her hand, placing it under the table, fingers tightly clenched. “You already know who I am, don’t you?”
Despite the short distance of a table between them, it felt as if they were separated by the vast Pacific Ocean.
Jiang Xiao smiled softly. She had envisioned this moment of their reunion countless times.
She imagined rushing up to her, proclaiming loudly, “I’m your daughter!”
She wanted to ask her, “Is your heart made of stone?”
She intended to tell her that even without a mother, she was doing well.
She wanted her to regret! Regret abandoning her in the first place.
She wanted her to see how well she was doing now, how accomplished she had become. Even without a mother, she could still thrive.
But now, her mother was merely asking her if she knew who she was.
After a prolonged silence, Jiang Xiao finally spoke with a hint of bitterness. “Teacher Liang, you’re joking. How could I not know who you are? You’re a famous actress.” She lowered her head to sip the hot tea, its warmth diluting the chill in her chest.
It turned out, over these years, she had changed so much.
She was no longer the resentful young girl she once was.
Liang Yue’s emotions were a mixture of various feelings. “I don’t know about you…”
Jiang Xiao felt a pang of self-mockery. Of course, you’ve forgotten me already. Your heart is with your other daughter, your husband, your family. If you had even a trace of nostalgia for the past, why did you never doubt all those times you saw me?
Liang Yue had pondered many things. There must be a connection between Jiang Xiao’s entry into the entertainment industry and herself. Was she here to find her? “Xiao Xiao, I’m truly sorry.”
Jiang Xiao wasn’t devoid of emotions but she wasn’t affected by Liang Yue’s apology. A simple apology couldn’t change anything, and she remained calm as ever.
“Since I was old enough to understand, I knew I was different from other children. I didn’t have a mother. I asked my dad where my mom was. He told me that she had passed away. I was young then, and I thought my mom had just gone to a faraway place. I always believed that my mom would come back. I didn’t want to study, but I had to do well in school. I wanted to earn awards so that my mom would be happy when she came back. Because whenever my classmate got an award, her mom would reward her. Later, I understood what ‘passed away’ meant. I stopped yearning and wanting awards.” Jiang Xiao took a deep breath. “Actually, I had always believed the explanation my dad gave me.”
Liang Yue’s eyes were red, her beauty shining even through her sadness. Time had treated her well; she didn’t look her true age at all.
Jiang Xiao thought of her father who looked ten years beyond his actual age.
Liang Yue was silent for a while, and eventually found her voice. “Xiao Xiao, I know that all my explanations now are in vain. I can only say that I, too, was constrained by circumstances3a.k.a. selfishness, ambitions.”
Constrained by circumstances…
Those four words could easily become a justification for anything.
Whether it was for vanity, fame, or money.
Everyone had their own struggles.
Jiang Xiao understood. Her father had them, and so did she, but she couldn’t empathize with Liang Yue’s struggles.
Jiang Xiao pursed her lips, her voice measured, “Teacher Liang—” her voice hoarse, tinged with an imperceptible quiver. She didn’t want to reveal her weakness to her, “Since we didn’t bother you these 26 years, we won’t be bothering you in the future either. You are just Jin Shuyan’s mother, and my mother’s name is Feng Wan. As for me, I’m just a manager. I swear I won’t have any further involvement with you.”
After saying all this, she was surprised at her own composure. Her heart was unexpectedly calm.
“Xiao Xiao—” Liang Yue sighed inwardly, “I am still your mother, and now that we’ve met, I can’t just ignore you.”4The hypocrisy!
Jiang Xiao shook her head. “No. I’m not a child anymore. I’m living well now.”
Liang Yue cleared her throat. “Is your father doing okay?”
Jiang Xiao squinted her eyes, her fingers clenched tightly. “Thank you for your concern. He’s doing well.”
Liang Yue could sense that Jiang Xiao had inherited her father’s strong will. This aspect of her really resembled Jiang Yi. She asked again, “Who is that child to you?”
Jiang Xiao remained composed. “A friend’s child.”
“The little one is adorable.”
Jiang Xiao couldn’t quite express her emotions upon hearing Liang Yue’s praise for Little Bean Sprout. She didn’t know what to say either.
“You’ve been working in Huaxia for several years now, and Zhou Xiulin is an accomplished person. Xiao Xiao, if you need anything, you can come to me.” She took out a personal business card from her bag.
Jiang Xiao suddenly smiled, “The last time you gave me a business card too, but it’s different from this one.” She remembered how much effort she put into obtaining Liang Yue’s personal contact information. When she was eighteen, she even interviewed for a job as Jin Zhongbei’s personal assistant.
Liang Yue smiled wryly, “The first time I saw you, I felt you were different.” She had never dared to think about it though.
Jiang Xiao felt her phone vibrating in her bag, but she didn’t have the energy to retrieve it. She squinted at Liang Yue. They had the same eyes once, but Liang Yue had undergone a slight change, maybe due to corner cutting surgery.
Jiang Xiao actually resembled a both her parents, but her eyebrows and eyes were quite like Liang Yue’s.
“That wasn’t our first meeting.” She didn’t know why she said it; maybe there was still some resentment in her heart.
Liang Yue chose her words carefully, “When did you first see me?”
Jiang Xiao smiled faintly, her voice distant. “I forgot, a long time ago.” Her phone kept ringing; she took it out and saw that it was Zhou Xiulin calling.
“Teacher Liang, there’s something I need to take care of. I’ll be leaving.” She stood up gracefully.
“Xiao Xiao—” Liang Yue called after her again.
Without hesitation, Jiang Xiao walked to the door but suddenly halted her steps. “Teacher Liang, once we step out of this door, we can pretend that today’s meeting never happened. You’ll still be you, and I’ll still be me.”
After saying this, she walked out quickly.
Now, she didn’t feel wronged anymore, not even a tear could be shed.
It turned out that her heart had grown so strong unconsciously. Time had smoothed everything out, or perhaps Zhou Xiulin and Little Bean Sprout had filled her life. What had once been missing was now compensated in a different way.
Jiang Xiao left the teahouse and even remembered to pay the bill. Ah, she truly has a big heart.
Outside, the sunlight was bright. How wonderful!
She wanted to suggest to Zhou Xiulin that they take Little Bean Sprout to the zoo over the weekend.
She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the dazzling sunlight, memories vivid in her mind.
The first time she saw Liang Yue was during her freshman year’s winter break. She had a high fever, and when Zhao Xinran took her to the hospital, they passed by Liang Yue’s chauffeured car.
Xinran looked envious, “That’s Liang Yue’s car, wow, a luxury car!” With great ambition, she declared, “Jiang Xiao, I’ll have a chauffeured car like that in the future too!”
Her lips, already dry, cracked a bit more. “You will. Keep at it!”
She turned around and glanced back. Liang Yue was currently helping a little girl adjust her clothes, radiating affection. In hindsight, that little girl was probably Jin Shuyan.
Who could have foreseen that years later, Zhao Xinran would indeed achieve everything she had wished for initially, just like Jiang Xiao.
Those who work hard will eventually have their share of good luck.
As Jiang Xiao walked, she dialed Zhou Xiulin’s number and the call quickly connected. “Mr. Zhou, what can I do for you?” Her tone was casual.
Zhou Xiulin sat still in his chair, maintaining the pose he had been in. “I just called your office number, and your assistant said you were out?”
“Yeah. Teacher Liang invited me for a talk. It should be over now, and I’m heading back.”
Zhou Xiulin had been looking at the documents in front of him, his gaze deep.
Jiang Xiao: “Is there something you need?”
“Nothing important. I was just watching a video of Simu at kindergarten. He seems to get along well with a little girl.”
“That’s his good friend, Duo Duo. She’s a very pretty little girl.”
Zhou Xiulin smiled slightly, a hint of amusement in his voice, “Indeed, very pretty.”
“Little Bean Sprout really likes her. Your son has good taste.”
Zhou Xiulin responded with a light chuckle, “Like me.”
At the other end of the phone, Jiang Xiao laughed with a clear, melodious sound. “I won’t keep you on the line. I’ll drive back.”
“Alright.”
Zhou Xiulin composed his expression, placed the phone down, and then picked up the papers again. Some things were done very discreetly, but if someone looked hard enough, they could still find traces.
Now everything made sense.
Jiang Xiao’s initial reactions all had their reasons.
She wanted to become a manager for the sake of her mother.
She didn’t want children because she feared it would hinder her career.
Zhou Xiulin stood up with the papers and walked over to the shredder. He fed the papers in until they were reduced to fragments, as if they had never existed.
His girl had borne so much grievance over these years.
Sansukini: I think Jiang Xiao didn’t try to initially approach her for revenge. She wanted validation from her. As a mom myself, I really can’t imagine leaving my baby like she did. And even when she left, she didn’t even check secretly if her daughter is doing fine.
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I feel like Teacher Liang’s apology was insincere and lacking. I am baffled by the fact she never even thought of the daughter she abandoned yet she had another daughter. Did it never eat up at her conscience ?
I feel really sad for Jiang Xiao but I’m glad she doesn’t need that validation anymore and she is experiencing motherhood differently .