As the kindergarten drew to a close for the day , Su Yue, with Jiang Ci by her side, waited patiently at the school gate. The moment the dismissal bell chimed, she immediately took Jiang Ci’s hand, and together, they stepped into the lively kindergarten to pick up Jiang Haoyan.
Inside the classroom, little Haohao sat with his two plump hands folded neatly on the table, his small body straight as he attentively listened to the teacher’s instructions . Beside him, his new friend, a stout classmate named Da Zhuang, leaned close and whispered mischiviously , “Later, my mom and dad are coming to pick me up. What about you, Haohao? Are your parents coming too?”
Little Haohao’s lips tightened into a firm line, and he nodded vigorously. “They’re also coming!” Su Yue had promised she and his father would come to pick him up.
Da Zhuang puffed out his chest a little, showing off with a proud smile. “Haohao, my mother is the most beautiful mother in the world. You’ll see her later and you will be stunned .”
Little Haohao rolled his dark eyes, then lowered his head, thinking to himself that Su Yue was also very beautiful, but she wasn’t his mother.
“Everyone, sit down and be quiet,” the kindergarten teacher gently instructed the children. “The students whose names I call can come out with their schoolbags. Your parents are here. If your name hasn’t been called, please remain seated.”
Da Zhuang sat up even straighter. “My parents will definitely come to pick me up!”
Indeed, in the very next second, the teacher called Da Zhuang’s name. Da Zhuang grabbed his small schoolbag, smiled, and said to little Haohao, “My parents are here, I’m leaving. Goodbye!”
“Goodbye!” Little Haohao waved back. He then raised his head and looked out the window. When his dark eyes spotted his tall father standing outside, a wide grin instantly spread across his face. He wiggled his little bottom, unable to stay still. His small hand fumbled for his schoolbag, and the moment his name was called, little Haohao snatched it up and dashed for the door. Of course, ever the polite and good boy he is , he still remembered to wave to the teacher goodbye , no matter how anxious he was. “Goodbye, teacher!”
“Goodbye, Hao Hao.”
Little Haohao burst out, running straight to Jiang Ci. He looked up and shouted loudly, “Dad!”
“Haohao, is this your mother?” A booming voice came from behind him. It was Da Zhuang, holding his parents’ hands, about to leave when he saw little Haohao emerge. “Haohao, your mother is so beautiful!”
Little Haohao’s fair, tender face flushed, and shyness flickered in his big black eyes. He pouted, secretly raising his gaze to steal a timid glance at Su Yue. Would she be angry that others thought she was Haohao’s mother? The little boy lowered his head, his face burning with shyness, a mix of embarrassment and fear. He felt like he wasn’t a good boy either; he was lying just now , and he knew it. His two chubby little hands twisted unconsciously. He dared not look at Su Yue, nor could he bring himself to answer Da Zhuang’s words.
“Hello, I’m Haohao’s mother. Are you his new friend?” Su Yue gently took little Haohao’s hand and greeted Da Zhuang, who stood a short distance away, with a warm smile.
Hearing this, little Haohao looked up at Su Yue in disbelief, his big eyes sparkling.
“Yes I’m Haohao’s friend!” Da Zhuang’s face was a mixture of black and red, clearly impressed by how beautiful he found little Haohao’s mother to be .
Su Yue smiled and nodded to Da Zhuang’s parents in greeting. “We’ll go first. Haohao will see you tomorrow.”
“Mmm, goodbye, Haohao!” Da Zhuang waved.
Little Haohao’s face beamed with pure joy, as his small mouth stretched wide in a grin. He waved his little hand back at Da Zhuang. “Goodbye, Da Zhuang!”
Haohao also has a mother now the little boy was very happy thnking about this .
Back in the car, Su Yue noticed that little Haohao had actually leaned closer to her, and for a moment, she felt a little overwhelmed with happiness. While little Haohao had asked for hugs and held her hand before, he hadn’t shown this kind of clinging affection towards her. Now, his soft, fleshy body was pressed against hers, a newfound dependency evident with this gesture .
Su Yue rolled her eyes playfully. She unscrewed the lid of the prepared kettle and offered a cup of warm water to little Haohao. The weather had been dry lately, so it was important to drink more water, and she worried he might have forgotten it in the classroom. “Blow on it yourself and see if it’s still hot,” she instructed.
Little Haohao took the thermos cup with both hands, puffed out his small mouth, and took a careful sip. Then he grinned and said in a milky voice, “It’s not hot anymore.”
“Good, then Haohao needs to drink more water,” Su Yue said, gently touching his head, a soft warning in her tone.
Jiang Ci glanced at Su Yue’s hand resting on Jiang Haoyan’s head and said coldly, “Su Yue, I want it too.”
“Huh?” Su Yue looked back at him, puzzled.
Jiang Ci raised his chin, his gaze fixed on her hand.
Su Yue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She moved her hand away, then cupped Jiang Ci’s face and rubbed it gently. “Be arrogant, be good. I only prepared one portion for Haohao. If you want water, I’ll get you some when we go back.”
“Dad, there’s still some here. Haohao will give you a sip,” little Haohao offered, very sensible, after taking a few sips, extending the cup to Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci snorted, a clear sign of his displeasure. Whoever wants water, he thought. He just wanted Su Yue to touch his head like Jiang Haoyan!
In the weeks that followed, perhaps due to the move to their new, more spacious home, Jiang Ci became increasingly busy. Men in black suits frequently appeared, seeking him out, and his schedule grew also very demanding. Coincidentally, Su Yue had also started her new school term.
“I swear, it’s only been a summer vacation, Yueyue, but you’ve become even more beautiful!” Jin Mingyuan exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as Su Yue sat down. Unable to resist, she reached out and touched Su Yue’s face with her fingertips. It was so soft and smooth. “Tell me, have you been nourished by Jiang Ci for more than a month and a half?” It was enough to make anyone envious. If she had half of Su Yue’s skin, she’d be content eating steamed buns every day, let alone pickles.
Su Yue gently moved her hand away, her face flushing. “What nonsense are you spouting !” At most, she and Jiang Ci had only kissed. She wouldn’t resist the next step. However, several times she had found Jiang Ci on the verge of losing control, only for him to stop himself. She wondered if he was simply unwilling to move on to the next step .
Xu Xue, who had been organizing her books with her head down, overheard Jin Mingyuan’s words. She looked up at Su Yue, her eyes settling on her fair, smooth face, and smiled. “Yueyue is always so beautiful.” During the summer vacation, Xu Xue had frequently visited beauty salons, received whitening injections, and undergone treatments like photon rejuvenation. She had been quite satisfied, as her skin looked much better than before, whiter and smoother. Yet, now, compared to Su Yue’s clear, almost milky complexion, her own beauty paled considerably. Her skin wasn’t white enough, nor smooth enough. Xu Xue felt a pang of disappointment.
“Xuexue, I just realized you’re very beautiful too!” Jin Mingyuan cupped her own face in her hands, an expression of wanting to cry. “Am I the only one getting ugly?” Even with sunscreen, she had still tanned a lot.
Xu Xue blushed at Jin Mingyuan’s compliment and shyly said, “Yuanyuan is not ugly either.”
“I know, I’m just not pretty like you two ,” Jin Mingyuan wailed. “Oh, right!” Suddenly remembering something, Jin Mingyuan patted Su Yue on the shoulder. She leaned in, her voice mysterious. “Yueyue, I have something I want to ask you.”
“Huh?” Su Yue looked at her. “What is it?”
“My eldest brother is reluctant to go to my dad’s company. He recently started an entertainment company. My dad was very furious about it . However, my brother is stubborn and won’t be reconciled until he fails this venture . So, my dad said, if my brother’s company closes down, he has to hurry home and inherit the family business.” Jin Mingyuan swallowed. “These aren’t the main points. The point is, my brother’s company is planning an inspirational film recently, and he wants to make some noise first.”
Su Yue blinked, unsure what this had to do with her.
“Yueyue, my brother hired Director Guan, yes, the Director Guan who won the highest international honor! My brother spent a fortune to recruit him ,” Jin Mingyuan confessed with a guilty conscience. “Director Guan is very strict about casting, and he’s highly respected. Many of the female stars in the industry were rejected by him. My brother was fuming and couldn’t help, and he finally ask Director Guan what he actually need and he replied to my brother that he had already had selected a female lead.” Jin Mingyuan swallowed again. “Director Guan chose you. You’ve been on the hot search several times before, so he probably remembered you. My brother begged me to ask you if you’d like to star as the heroine in his company’s first movie. He said you can name your price; whatever you ask for, he’ll give, and he promises he’ll never treat you badly.” She knew Su Yue wasn’t short on money; it simply depended on whether her friend was interested in acting.
“I haven’t acted before, so Is your brother really comfortable using me?” Su Yue felt amused.
“It’s fine! Who doesn’t know Director Guan’s ability? That ‘Little White Flower’ who won the movie award a few years ago – didn’t she win under Director Guan’s guidance, and the box office also exploded? Yueyue, are you interested in playing this part ? Anyway, you don’t have to be nervous. If the filming isn’t good, my brother wouldn’t dare say a word about it .”
Although she had never formally entered the entertainment industry in this life , Su Yue still paid attention to it. She knew Director Guan was an incredibly powerful director. He had not only won an international lifetime achievement award, but every film he made became a hit. He was a director every actor dreamed of working with.
Jin Mingyuan, seeing Su Yue’s silence, quickly added, “Yueyue, you don’t have to feel pressured. You can shoot if you like it. If you don’t want to shoot, I’ll directly reject my elder brother. Everything is based on your wishes.”
Xu Xue, from the side, also chimed in, “I’ll support you in whatever you decides.”
Su Yue smiled. “I’ll go back and think about it first, and I’ll give you an answer in two days. Also, is there a script? I want to see the script.” She didn’t necessarily want to enter the entertainment industry, but before she was reborn, she had been filming a movie that was her best chance to become a top actress. However, an accident on set had left her burned, leaving her with regrets.
“Yes, I’ll send you that in a message as soon as I go back!” Jin Mingyuan responded enthusiastically.
That evening, Su Yue received the script from Jin Mingyuan. She flipped through it. The script was excellent. If it were directed by Director Guan, it would undoubtedly be a good film. She felt genuinely excited and wanted to take on the role.
Jiang Ci only returned after dinner. He was dressed in a sleek, black suit with a crisp white shirt beneath. The neckline was slightly open, revealing his prominent Adam’s apple. His bangs were a bit disheveled, somewhat concealing the scars on the left side of his face, giving him an air of reckless charm. Su Yue stared blankly, watching him stride into the room with a lingering aura; she wasn’t used to seeing him like this but she cant’t deny that she still charmed by his dishelved apperance .
“Dinner’s ready,” Su Yue said, lowering her eyes and trying to steady her frantically beating heart.
“Mm,” Jiang Ci replied, settling into a chair at the dining table. He leaned back casually, then used his slender fingertips to pull at his neckline, loosening two more buttons, exuding a nonchalant attitude.
Over there, little Haohao, still clutching coriander , was being led by a servant to wash his hands.
Su Yue pulled her chair closer to Jiang Ci. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Mingyuan asked me for a favor today.” She looked at Jiang Ci and relayed everything Jin Mingyuan had told her.
“You want to enter the entertainment industry?” Jiang Ci raised an eyebrow.
“No,” Su Yue shook her head. “I don’t want to enter the entertainment industry. I just want to make this movie.” She simply wanted to fulfill her unfulfilled wish of her past life .
“Filming a movie ,” Jiang Ci’s dark eyes fixed on Su Yue, his arms crossed over his chest. He asked slowly, “What kind of gener is it ? Are there any intimate scenes?”
“It’s an inspirational film, and there shouldn’t be any intimate scenes.” Su Yue had only casually flipped through the script casually , focusing on the plot. Even if there were kissing scenes, she would address them before filming began.
Su Yue looked at Jiang Ci. “I want to take over the role of the heroine.”
“Oh, whatever you want,” Jiang Ci said, a slight twitch at the corners of his mouth. He didn’t seem to have any objections.
“You don’t object?” Su Yue was surprised. She had thought he would disapprove, and she had prepared many words to convince and coax him. After all, he had insisted on accompanying her even for class group activities before. If she were filming, she would have to stay on set for a long time, and she expected a strong reaction from him.
“You want me to object?” Jiang Ci laughed aloud.
“No,” Su Yue smiled, rolling her eyes playfully. She cupped Jiang Ci’s face and pressed a soft kiss to his scar. “Aao, why are you so good?”
Jiang Ci raised his eyebrows. He wouldn’t object to her doing what she liked.