“Everyone looked at her, especially when she received Su Yue’s gaze. Jiang Xuan smiled kindly at Su Yue. “Before, I mistakenly thought that Yueyue was interested in acting and even helped her find a role in a crew, but she refused at that time. Yueyue, do you remember?”
Su Yue did remember the incident. Jiang Xuan had mentioned a character in her crew that suited Su Yue’s image, but Su Yue had declined. Seeing Su Yue’s expression, Jiang Xuan knew she recalled it. “Being an excellent actor is my dream and goal, so I entered the entertainment industry. I misunderstood at that time, thinking you also liked acting, which is why I wanted to help. I’m sorry.”
Hearing this, Song Xiaoqing laughed. “It turns out I misunderstood.” She had indeed been worried when she saw the news about Su Yue wanting to join the entertainment industry and would have vehemently objected. The Jiang family could not have two daughters-in-law in the entertainment industry; it would made them a laughingstock.
Su Yue calmly placed a piece of deboned fish into Jiang Haoyan’s bowl. The little guy, after a brief pout, obediently ate the fish. After Jiang Xuan and Song Xiaoqing finished speaking, Su Yue calmly stated, “Acting? I like it too.” In her past life, she had entered the entertainment industry for money. With her looks, simply standing there was enough to captivate. Later, she fell in love with acting, as if she were born for it, transforming into any character. Her exceptional looks and acting skills had allowed her to overshadow all her contemporaries, becoming the brightest star in the industry. This, however, had also made her the target of envious rivals, leading to her downfall.
“What?” Song Xiaoqing gasped, shock etched on her face. “No way!” She interrupted without thinking. “How could our Jiang family allow both daughters-in-law to go to the entertainment industry? How would outsiders look at the Jiang family? A good rich lady doesn’t live virtously but goes to be an actor?” Song Xiaoqing’s well-maintained face was stern.
Jiang Xuan’s fair face also registered surprise. Su Yue said she liked acting too? She looked at Su Yue, an inexplicable feeling stirring within her. Su Yue had only participated in the school celebration performance last night. Was it because she had said she liked acting that Su Yue now claimed to like it too? Otherwise, how could Su Yue, who had never stepped into the entertainment industry or acted before, suddenly develop a fondness for it?
“Yueyue, the entertainment industry is very complicated, and you don’t have any acting experience. I hope you don’t want to try because of my influence.” Jiang Xuan’s wet black eyes gazed at Su Yue. “I hope you…”
Thump!
A small, carved golden bowl fell onto the smooth black marble floor, shattering instantly, interrupting Jiang Xuan’s words.
“It’s so noisy!” Jiang Ci lazily lifted his eyelids, a hint of annoyance crossing his otherwise expressionless face. He sneered, “You talk so much after eating, why don’t you sing?”
The sweet smile on Jiang Xuan’s face, now interrupted, froze, and her fair complexion flushed with embarrassment.
“Big brother, Xuanxuan doesn’t mean anything else; she just cares about Su Yue,” Jiang Muhang, seated beside her, quickly interjected, seeing his wife’s mortified expression.
Jiang Ci sneered, his voice gloomy. “It’s okay for my wife as i care about her; others don’t need to meddle in her business.” He pulled at the corners of his mouth, a sneer gracing his lips. “Besides, Su Yue can do whatever she likes. Why do you need to offer so much nonsense?”
Jiang Xuan was utterly stunned, as if she were seeing Jiang Ci for the first time. In her previous life, she had been married to him for several years. He had been indifferent, strange, and gloomy. They lived under the same roof like strangers. But if he had protected her then as he protected Su Yue now, her life would not have been so miserable and cold.
“Big brother…” Jiang Muhang’s eyes darkened, and his handsome face grew cold.
Hearing Jiang Ci’s words, Song Xiaoqing’s face became ugly. “Jiang Ci, what kind of nonsense are you talking about? We are a family. We care about Su Yue, not meddling! We’re just giving her some advice.” She would prefer Su Yue stay at home all day or visit a beauty salon rather than entering the entertainment industry.
Su Yue reached out and tugged at the hem of Jiang Ci’s clothes, motioning for him to stop. “I just casually said I like acting, Mother and Jiang Xuan. You really don’t need such a big reaction. After all, I still have classes now. Whether I want to act or not is a matter for the future. There’s no need for you to worry about what will happen to me.” Su Yue smiled beautifully, her words polite but her meaning clear. She had merely made a casual remark, and they were overreacting. Her future was her own business, and they didn’t need to interfere.
Song Xiaoqing and Jiang Xuan were instantly stifled, feeling a knot in their chests. Jiang Xuan bit her lip and explained coquettishly, “Yueyue, don’t misunderstand. I just care about you. In the future, if you still like acting, tell me anytime. Although I don’t have any great ability, I can help you more or less.”
Su Yue smiled but said nothing more. She disliked Jiang Xuan’s seemingly gentle and harmless demeanor, which often masked actions that hurt others under the guise of kindness. The rest of the meal passed in a tense and awkward silence.
Mr. Jiang had planned to discuss company matters with Jiang Ci, but after the argument, Jiang Ci’s expression was far from pleasant. Mr. Jiang knew his grandson had a temper and wouldn’t agree to anything in this mood. He decided to choose another time.
Upon returning to Xiaoyanglou, Jiang Haoyan ran off to play with Cilantro and Scallion, the pets. Su Yue placed the prepared mango cake on the table and smiled at Jiang Ci. “The mango cake I made for you. Eat it.” During dinner, he had supported her, and she felt he deserved a reward.
Jiang Ci sat down, leaning lazily against the back of the chair, his long legs casually crossed, swaying idly. He glanced at the bright yellow cake, covered with mango slices, and his cold brows relaxed. He grunted, “Didn’t you say I’d should eat it twice a week?”
Su Yue picked up a small silver spoon, scooped a bite, and fed it to Jiang Ci. “This is a reward. You’ve been so kind to me recently. I’ll cook you what you like, which is only fair.”
“Don’t treat me like a child!”
Looking at Su Yue’s small, snow-white face, enlarged before him, and her black eyes full of water, with a hint of doting, Jiang Ci felt a strange constriction. His thin lips unconsciously parted, and he ate the mango cake.
“I didn’t treat you as a child.
Is it delicious?” Su Yue asked with a smile.
“Hmm,” Jiang Ci responded casually. He didn’t know if it was Su Yue’s beautiful face or the delicious mango cake, but a faint itch stirred in his chest, making him want to reach out and scratch it.
It was the final exam, and Xu Xue also appeared in the examination hall. After the exam, as they walked out, Jin Mingyuan immediately caught up with Xu Xue. “Xue Xue, how did your exam go?”
“Thank to, Yueyue, for lending me the notes. The main points from the teacher were all there. I think it went pretty well,” Xu Xue replied, her face back to its normal, healthy color.
“Are you feeling better?” Su Yue asked.
Xu Xue smiled and nodded. “Yes, much better, thank you.” That day, after Su Yue and Jin Mingyuan visited Xu Xue, Jin Mingyuan quickly arranged a hospital and ward for her, and the operation had been successful. Since then, Xu Xue had been recuperating at home. Her father was an absentee parent, and her stepmother didn’t care much for her, so when Xu Xue said she was ill and needed to recuperate, they simply ignored it, unknowingly allowing her to recover in peace.
“Xuexue, have you thought about how to deal with that scumbag?” Jin Mingyuan asked. She had seen Gu Chengfeng holding another girl’s hand at the school gate; he had to be the scumbag who had gone back to flirting with others.
Xu Xue didn’t want Su Yue and Jin Mingyuan to know about her compromising photos. She lowered her eyes and whispered, “I was too stupid before. Now, I just want to have nothing to do with him and stay away.” Gu Chengfeng demanded 150,000, and she had some savings from her mother, which she planned to give him in exchange for the photos.
Jin Mingyuan had wanted to confront the scumbag for Xu Xue, but hearing her friend’s words, she conceded. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
Su Yue observed Xu Xue’s slightly furrowed brows, then looked away, refraining from asking further questions.
Three days passed, and all the final exams were complete. Su Yue lay comfortably on the sofa. Remembering something, she walked over to Jiang Ci. “Is the day after tomorrow Xiao Haohao’s birthday?”
“I don’t remember,” Jiang Ci replied lazily, leaning back in his chair, his long legs casually crossed and swaying.
“That’s fine then.” Su Yue wasn’t bothered by Jiang Ci’s indifference. She squatted beside him. “Jiang Ci, let’s go to the amusement park the day after tomorrow.”
Jiang Ci lazily opened his eyes, his voice equally languid. “Are you asking me out?”
“Let’s go to the amusement park to celebrate Xiao Haohao’s birthday. He must be very happy,” Su Yue said, looking at Jiang Ci, her black eyes bright and watery, seemingly reflecting his image. “What do you think?”
Jiang Ci’s lips twitched. “Whatever you want.”
“Then I’ll tell Xiao Haohao. He must be very happy.” With that, Su Yue left the room to find Jiang Haoyan.
As her slender figure disappeared through the doorway, Jiang Ci’s eyes narrowed slightly. He pulled out his phone and made a direct call. “Mr. Jiang,” his subordinate answered immediately.
“What should men and women do on a date at an amusement park?” Jiang Ci’s casual question came over the phone, causing the young subordinate to gasp in surprise. The next second, he heard Jiang Ci snort coldly, and the subordinate quickly composed himself, frantically searching his computer before relaying the answer to Jiang Ci.
“Boring,” Jiang Ci said, hanging up the phone.
On the day of their outing, Su Yue rose early. After washing, she took off her pajamas, intending to find a casual outfit in her closet. Today was for playing, and a skirt would be impractical.
Jiang Ci woke the moment Su Yue left his arms. He sat up, leaning lazily against the headboard, his hands casually clasped behind his head. His dark eyes watched Su Yue’s graceful back with interest. Even though her long black hair partially concealed it, he could discern the alluring, snow-colored beauty of her lower back.
Suddenly, Su Yue felt a strange sensation behind her. She instinctively turned around, meeting Jiang Ci’s dark and deep eyes. For no reason, she was startled. “When did you wake up? Why didn’t you make a sound?”
His gaze lingered on her back, Jiang Ci glanced at it, then slowly lowered his eyes, his voice a little hoarser. “Why should I speak out?” Should he have announced he was looking at her? He wasn’t stupid!
Her long eyelashes trembled, and her face flushed slightly. Su Yue instinctively covered her chest and turned away. “Get up quickly. We’ll go to the amusement park after an early breakfast.” She then pulled out a pale yellow shirt to wear.
It was his birthday, so Jiang Haoyan had also woken up early to get dressed and brush his teeth. The little guy had deliberately put on the new clothes Su Yue had prepared for him: a pair of denim overalls and a small white shirt with a Tyrannosaurus Rex printed on it. A few wisps of hair stood up on the top of his head, making him look incredibly cute.