“Xiaonuan… who?” Wen Han was completely confused.
He didn’t understand why his mother wanted to find a stranger who shared his own childhood nickname.
Chu Xingxing gripped her phone tightly and looked at Grandma Sheng Shuwen in confusion.
“Wen Han, your nickname actually started out as…”
Grandma Sheng Shuwen sighed, shook her head, and continued, “It belonged to an older sister you never met, even though you two aren’t related by blood.”
Wen Han was even more baffled.
Chu Xingxing covered her mouth, completely shocked that she had stumbled upon such huge family drama.
Grandma Sheng Shuwen rested her right hand on her knee and gently recounted a memory: “After your mother gave birth to your two older brothers, she always wanted a daughter. But when she had your second brother, she had postpartum eclampsia and nearly lost her life. Your father, along with us aunts, didn’t agree with her taking the risk of having another child, hoping for a daughter.
Back then, Xiaolan was also at the peak of her career as an actress. It was the best time for her, and she produced many of her best works during those years.
The year your oldest and second brothers both went to study in the US, she happened to be filming ‘Memories of Yucheng’ in Yucheng. There was this little girl from an orphanage who was really good at painting, and she played her thirteen-year-old daughter.
Xiaolan often called me back then to talk about this little girl. She’d tell me how talented and smart the kid was, how well she painted, and how she had a natural gift for acting, picking things up instantly.
Xiaolan also said that if she ever had a daughter, that little girl was exactly what she imagined her daughter would be like…”
“So, did Mother adopt her?” Wen Han frowned, looking uneasily at Sheng Shuwen.
Grandma Sheng Shuwen nodded and continued, “Xiaolan really connected with that little girl. And when she found out the girl had grown up in an orphanage, she felt even more protective of her.
Filming ‘Memories of Yucheng’ took a long time, about seven or eight months. By the time the movie wrapped, Xiaolan and the little girl had already grown very close.
After that, your mother waited until Christmas, when your two brothers came back from overseas, to have a family meeting. Of course, she had also discussed it with us sisters beforehand.
Adopting a young girl in her early teens required careful thought about many things. It was a very serious decision, and Xiaolan thought it over time and time again before she finally decided to go through with it.
Your brothers were very supportive of your mother’s decision, and we were too. The only resistance, surprisingly, came from your father.
Not that he didn’t want to adopt a child without biological ties. He was worried because neither he nor your mother had experience raising a girl. At thirteen, a girl is about to go through puberty, and he figured there would be many tricky issues.
If not handled well, combined with the huge change in environment, it might actually harm the girl’s development.”
Wen Han listened, then smiled and shook his head: “But Mother would have insisted. Once she sets her mind on something, she has to see it through. And Father could never win an argument with Mother.”
“Yes, Xiaolan was really stubborn. She wouldn’t even listen to me.”
Grandma Sheng Shuwen smiled too. Her memory of that little girl was already quite faint, having only met her a few times.
All she remembered was a delicate, pretty little girl who spoke with a slight Southern accent and seemed very shy.
All of them, the group of close sisters, were “unlucky” when it came to having daughters. Everyone wanted a daughter, but they all ended up with sons.
Only Wen Xuelan finally got a daughter, so all her friends really wanted to get close to the girl. It’s just that the girl didn’t talk much and kept some distance from strangers.
“Actually, your father’s concerns weren’t unreasonable, but that’s another story for later.”
Grandma Sheng spoke calmly, without rushing, and continued: “Your mother still went ahead and brought the little girl home.
Since it was an inter-provincial adoption, the paperwork was very slow. But your mother’s sincerity touched the orphanage director, who made an exception and let her take the child home first. There were still some loopholes in the system back then.
Your mother kept telling us that if she had a daughter, she wanted her to carry her last name. So she changed the little girl’s name to Wen Nuan, nickname Xiaonuan.
Xiaolan introduced Xiaonuan to us, transferred her to the same private elite school your brothers had attended.
But six months later, Xiaonuan suddenly disappeared from school one day. Your mother and father searched frantically but couldn’t find her anywhere. Calling the police didn’t help either, because it was a boarding school. They almost sued the school for negligence.
Half a month later, the director of the Yucheng Orphanage called your mother and said Xiaonuan had returned to Yucheng on her own, and under no circumstances would she go back to the capital.
The information from the police and the orphanage stated clearly that Xiaonuan didn’t want to be adopted. She wasn’t adapting to life in the capital and missed her friends at the orphanage. Since the adoption paperwork wasn’t finalized, they put it on hold.”
“I was naughty when I was little, and Father did hit me. And I heard my brothers got hit too…” Wen Han was silent for a few seconds, then dismissed his own thought: “But from what I know of my father, he would never hit a girl. And my mother certainly wouldn’t abuse a child.”
Grandma Sheng Shuwen also looked puzzled and sighed: “Sigh, not only was your mother completely baffled, but we were too. At first, your mother also suspected that your father might have habitually used harsh discipline. But your father traveled a lot for work. When your mother wasn’t filming, there were always female nannies and tutors looking after Xiaonuan at home.
We aunties also often came over to help take care of Xiaonuan. Everything seemed perfectly normal. We really couldn’t think of any reason for her to run away.
Later, your mother went back to Yucheng several times, hoping to talk to Xiaonuan personally. But Xiaonuan refused to see her.
After spending over a year together, from filming to bringing her home, how could there not be a bond? Xiaolan was heartbroken for a long time. She and your father went to the school many times to investigate. The school said Xiaonuan was introverted, struggled a bit at first, but later performed excellently in her studies.
They also talked to students in her class. They generally said Wen Nuan was very quiet and didn’t want to interact much. No abnormalities were found.
But this incident left a knot in your mother’s heart. She always felt there was a reason, but no matter how much she looked into it, she found no clues.
Your mother kept a quiet eye on Xiaonuan, wrote letters, and sent things. She never got a reply, and the packages were always returned. She was very sad.
Then later, your mother unexpectedly became pregnant with you. She was forty-one then. She held on to the hope of having a daughter and decided to have you. As for your nickname… she called you Xiaonuan. Maybe it was an obsession.”
Wen Han fell silent, his emotions complex.
The origin of his own nickname brought him an unfamiliar feeling he couldn’t quite describe.
Should he be grateful that Wen Nuan left?
Maybe he should be. If Wen Nuan hadn’t left, Wen Han probably wouldn’t exist in this world.
But from his mother Wen Xuelan’s perspective, this incident probably became a lifelong regret.
Even though nearly thirty years had passed, deep down, she would still want an answer.
“Ah…” Chu Xingxing had been listening intently when her phone suddenly vibrated.
She glanced down. It was a notification for a new unread email.
Sender: nuan.w.1980@
“Sister Xiaonuan replied to the email!”
Chu Xingxing shook her phone for everyone to see, opened the email, and tilted the screen slightly towards Wen Han.
After quickly reading it, she relayed the email content to the grandmas: “Sister Xiaonuan says that Ms. Wen Xuelan is with her, safe and sound, so we shouldn’t worry. It’s too late today, and the mountain roads would be dangerous to drive. She suggests Grandma Wen stay the night with her. Early tomorrow morning, Sister Xiaonuan will bring her back.”
“Thank goodness! At least she’s safe!” Little Grandma Jiang patted her chest, relieved.
Grandma Emily nodded coolly: “See, I said there was nothing wrong with Xiaolan’s driving. She’s very careful. But just in case, let’s lock up the car keys at night from now on.”
Grandma Sheng Shuwen patted Wen Han’s shoulder: “Hopefully tonight, Xiaonuan can resolve the issues with your mother. After all these years, Xiaolan still gets sad and blames herself when she talks about it. She always feels she failed as a mother, that she should have focused more on the family and spent more time with Xiaonuan.”
The grandmas chatted a bit more, comforted Wen Han not to overthink, and then gradually returned to their rooms.
Only Chu Xingxing and Wen Han were left in the spacious living room.
——-
Inside the living room.
Chu Xingxing sat cross-legged on the sofa, her oversized T-shirt reaching her knees.
She propped her cheek on her hand and tilted her head to look at Wen Han sitting beside her.
“Sorry for making everyone worry because of my mother,” Wen Han said, looking up with his usual gentle tone.
But the smile on his face wasn’t as bright as before, a little forced.
Chu Xingxing, imitating Grandma Sheng, somewhat clumsily raised her hand and patted Wen Han’s shoulder: “What do you need to apologize for? It’s not your fault, and it’s not Ms. Wen Xuelan’s fault either. This just happened to come up.”
She wasn’t very good at comforting people. She hadn’t been shown much gentle patience growing up and couldn’t fully relate to family upheavals.
But since Wen Han was her friend and something was bothering him, he probably needed some comfort.
“Thank you,” Wen Han said, looking a bit embarrassed.
His upbringing made him feel he shouldn’t show vulnerability in front of the girl he liked.
Or maybe, Chu Xingxing had misunderstood him?
He wasn’t feeling too much sadness, just confusion, just wanting to know the truth.
But quickly, Wen Han decided to go with the flow and let Xingxing think he was sad and upset.
“Still want to swim? Or how about we go for a walk on the beach to clear your head?” Chu Xingxing couldn’t think of a better idea.
“It’s late. Let’s get some rest,” Wen Han smiled and shook his head.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Chu Xingxing asked, still a little worried.
Wen Han shrugged, his tone calm: “I’m fine. It’s just… suddenly, I feel like I don’t know my mother. And I never expected my whole family to keep this from me.”
Chu Xingxing blinked, as if something clicked.
So Wen Han just felt left out, not important enough for his family to tell him.
This, Chu Xingxing understood!
She sat up straight and said, word by word: “Wen Han, your family kept it from you because they love you. They didn’t want you to know, afraid you might feel like an unwanted child.
If your family didn’t love you, they’d constantly mention how you weren’t the girl they wanted, repeating their desire for a daughter to show their disappointment in your gender.
Like complaining could turn back time and change something…”
Wen Han felt even more embarrassed by her words.
Guys weren’t usually that sensitive, honestly. He just really wanted to know what made Wen Nuan leave.
Wen Han was the only one among the three brothers who took his mother’s last name, but after all, he was still a son, not as close to a mother’s heart as a daughter.
He didn’t dislike this older sister he’d never met, who wasn’t even related by blood.
In fact, he thought it would be nice if his mother could resolve this emotional knot and have a daughter by her side.
Chu Xingxing had never lived in a warm, supportive family like Wen Han’s.
But she could still sense what a normal, happy family should look like from the daily interactions between Wen Han and his mother, Wen Xuelan.
Even though Ms. Wen Xuelan pretended to ignore Wen Han, she still quietly remembered his dietary habits, ordering a separate portion of oil-free, salt-free boiled shrimp for him when getting seafood takeout at a restaurant.
After returning to the villa, Ms. Wen Xuelan would pretend the restaurant made a mistake, complaining about the healthy dish and asking Wen Han to help eat it.
Wen Han wasn’t a ‘mama’s boy’ who constantly mentioned his mother. During the trip, he didn’t fuss over her, just helped out when needed, maintaining a comfortable distance.
And besides being good to each other, they were both equally kind and thoughtful to everyone around them.
When talking about other family members, both Wen Han and Ms. Wen Xuelan joked gently, but never held back praise for them.
People raised with that kind of love and security carried a warm, sunshine-like aura.
Chu Xingxing lifted her small face, a hint of unnoticed envy in her voice: “Wen Han, your parents and your two older brothers really care about you. In their eyes, if something has a chance of hurting you, they’d rather hide it. Maybe the method was a bit presumptuous, but the intention was definitely good.”
Wen Han looked down at Chu Xingxing, carefully studying her face.
The girl’s eyes were slightly lowered, her incredibly thick eyelashes casting a shadow underneath. Her small, straight, pert nose tilted up slightly as she tried to look serious and earnest.
For a moment, Wen Han was distracted, thinking of Chu Xingxing’s own family.
With such a lovely, thoughtful daughter at home, you’d want to hold her carefully in your palm, afraid to drop her, and hold her gently in your mouth, afraid she’d melt. You’d spoil her rotten.
He wondered if anyone had ever told her that her earnest, comforting look was adorable.
“Thank you, Xingxing. I feel much better.”
Wen Han played along, using his award-winning acting skills to show a healed expression.
“Good,” Chu Xingxing nodded, satisfied.
The ‘feeling down’ alert was canceled~
Besides wanting to live past 100 herself, Chu Xingxing also hoped her few close friends would live long, healthy, safe lives.
One of the biggest factors affecting lifespan is negative emotions, that “slow poison.”
The World Mental Health Organization’s statistics show that when negative emotions arise, there’s a seventy percent chance they will directly damage the body’s organs and shorten one’s life.
Chu Xingxing said seriously: “If you’re still feeling a bit down, we can go to the supermarket tomorrow and buy some yellow foods like pumpkin, bananas, or soybeans.”
“Why yellow foods?” Wen Han asked, confused.
Chu Xingxing hopped off the sofa and pulled her little health notebook out of her small bag. Reading seriously, she said: “Because anxiety harms the heart and lungs, worry damages the spleen and stomach. Too much brooding seriously hurts spleen and stomach health. Eating more yellow foods can nourish the spleen and protect the stomach.”
“Xingxing, hanging out with the ‘old babies’ has made you more and more health-conscious,” Wen Han laughed, genuinely amused. “Okay, if I’m still anxious tomorrow, I’ll listen to you and buy plenty of yellow foods.”
Chu Xingxing made a fist and shook it by her ear: “Fighting! Let’s all strive to reach the maximum human lifespan.”
——-
At the same time.
Inside the small wooden house located on the higher part of Antler Forest Path.
Outside, only the rustling sound of wind moving tree branches could be heard. A Golden Retriever lay comfortably under the round, wood-colored dining table, occasionally letting out a yawn.
Inside, water could be heard as Wen Nuan washed fruit by the sink.
Ms. Wen Xuelan held a cup of mint tea, sitting uneasily on a floral printed fabric sofa, like a child who had done something wrong.
She admitted it, she had been too willful that night.
Impulsively, she had snuck the car keys and followed the GPS route Chu Xingxing had set earlier, slowly navigating up the mountain, almost getting lost.
Wen Xuelan also felt guilty. The evening’s drama had probably worried her close friends, as well as Xingxing and Wen Han.
She had only wanted to see Wen Nuan, to know how Xiaonuan was doing.
When Wen Nuan first returned to the Yucheng Orphanage, Wen Xuelan could still get updates from the director, who sometimes mailed her photos of Wen Nuan.
Later, after Wen Nuan left the orphanage for university, Wen Xuelan had difficulty getting any news about her.
Through much investigation, she managed to piece together fragments of Wen Nuan’s life.
She learned that Wen Nuan had passed the college entrance exam and gotten into an art institute, and after graduation, she became a teacher at a school in Yucheng.
Then, when the old director of the Yucheng Orphanage died and the orphanage closed, Wen Xuelan had almost no way of finding out about Wen Nuan.
It was at an auction that Wen Xuelan saw the work of Calentito’s designer, NUAN.W, in the catalog. There was something strangely familiar about the lines and colors on the porcelain.
Her husband was still alive then. They hired a private investigator and only got uncertain information.
The Calentito designer NUAN.W might be living on some island.
From then on, every vacation trip Wen Xuelan and her husband took was to islands all over the world.
The old man never said it directly, but he understood Wen Xuelan’s feelings. He just told the children he loved the ocean the most and wanted to see all the world’s oceans in retirement.
Wen Xuelan knew her husband was doing this to help her find Wen Nuan.
Maybe the older you get, the lonelier you feel.
After her husband’s sudden accidental death, Wen Xuelan’s two older sons thought their younger brother Wen Han was too busy with acting to care for their mother, so they brought Wen Xuelan to the US.
For Wen Xuelan, your children are your children, yet they aren’t. Especially sons with their own families.
Wen Xuelan never adapted to life in the US or the rhythms of her sons’ households.
Both sons and daughters-in-law were very good and caring. But Wen Xuelan hated that overly cared for feeling.
Her daughters-in-law were busy with work every day. Wen Xuelan didn’t want to bother them. Her grandchildren understood Chinese but didn’t like to speak it, and they didn’t have much to talk about with their grandmother.
Over time, Wen Xuelan felt like she was getting depressed.
Her sons thought in broad strokes, and she wasn’t used to sharing her true feelings with them.
When she talked to her longtime friends, they all said that even if she found Xiaonuan, it might be hard to go back to how things were.
In those moments, Wen Xuelan missed having her “little cotton-padded jacket,” Wen Nuan, so much.
That year-plus of being with Wen Nuan made Wen Xuelan realize the joy of having a daughter.
As a child, Wen Nuan was a quiet, good, and heartbreakingly sweet child.
Winter in Yucheng was typical Southern winter: damp and bone-chillingly cold. It was miserable for Wen Xuelan, who grew up in centrally heated houses.
The little girl, afraid she would get cold, would insist on putting her own hot water bottle into Wen Xuelan’s coat. She’d change the water several times a day to ensure the coat was always warm whenever Wen Xuelan put it on.
Knowing Wen Xuelan had period cramps, the little girl would use her limited pocket money from the orphanage to buy brown sugar and red date cake for her.
The girl would shyly hide in a corner, secretly drawing Wen Xuelan in her treasured sketchbook. If caught, she’d cover her face, blushing furiously.
Wen Xuelan praised her drawings.
The girl hesitated for a long time, then said it wasn’t that she drew well, but that Wen Xuelan was as beautiful as a celestial maiden from heaven, like a princess from a fairy tale.
Having worked with countless child actors over many years, Wen Nuan was the only little girl who touched Wen Xuelan’s heart the moment she laid eyes on her.
That kind of connection was hard to explain.
Yet the knot in Wen Xuelan’s heart remained. She just couldn’t figure out why Wen Nuan had left the family back then.
——-
Inside the small house on Antler Forest Path.
“These wax apples are very sweet and juicy. Would you like some?”
The soft sound of a ceramic plate on the solid wood table, along with Wen Nuan’s words carrying a hint of Southern accent, snapped Wen Xuelan back to reality.
The Wen Nuan before her eyes was as pretty as she was as a child.
Only, she was no longer the little girl in Wen Xuelan’s memory, but a middle-aged woman with fine lines around her eyes.
Wen Xuelan touched her own cheek. The skin under her foundation wasn’t as firm as in her youth.
Time flies fast. She was an old lady herself.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me, Xiaonuan.”
Wen Xuelan had so much she wanted to say, but at that moment, she couldn’t utter a single word.
She just looked at Wen Nuan, her eyes feeling dry and tight.
Wen Nuan forced a smile, her straight, long black hair falling behind her, appearing brownish in the warm light of the cabin.
“I should thank you. Thank you for still thinking of me. When I was little, I did many foolish things that I thought were right. I never had a chance to apologize to you face to face. You, Uncle, and the brothers were all so good to me. It was me who wasn’t good enough…”
Wen Nuan’s eyes reddened as she lowered her head.
Back then, Wen Nuan wasn’t called Wen Nuan yet.
Her name was Dang Xiaowen. She grew up in the Yucheng Orphanage in that small southern city, where all the children had the surname Dang.
The director thought she looked warm when she smiled, so she gave her the nickname Xiaonuan.
As a child, Xiaonuan’s world was the courtyard enclosed by the orphanage’s big iron gate, the sketchbooks and brushes the director gave her, and her friends who came and went like a changing merry-go-round.
Xiaonuan’s best friend back then was named Dang Xiaoxiang. He was a “stubborn resident” of the orphanage, having arrived at five and been repeatedly returned by adoptive families.
One day, Xiaonuan was drawing in the art room of Yucheng Experimental Middle School when a director saw her by chance and asked her to audition. That was Xiaonuan’s first real taste of the outside world.
And because of Wen Xuelan, her first experience of that world was full of kindness, making her naturally assume everyone else was like that too.
She didn’t yet know what the real world was like.
Nor did she know that within the seemingly glamorous noble school in the capital, there would be so many “devils.”
“Xiaonuan, Mom doesn’t want things to be so formal between us,”
Wen Xuelan paused for a moment, then put down her teacup. “The past is the past. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask. Just knowing you’re doing well now is enough. I just want to know one thing… Xiaonuan, would you still be my daughter? All these years, Mom never forgot you. Your father and I… we’ve been looking for you.”
Wen Nuan was stunned. She hesitated, then asked: “How is… Dad’s health?”
“He passed away three years ago. Heart attack,” Wen Xuelan said flatly.
At her age, birth, aging, sickness, and death were just facts of life.
Even when the dearest person leaves, sad as it is, you have to accept it.
“I’m so sorry…” Wen Nuan sighed, then took the initiative to hug Wen Xuelan, who was much shorter than she remembered. She softly said, “Mom.”
………
—
Wen Nuan’s cabin had only one bedroom.
Inside the bedroom was a modest double bed, a little snug for two people.
On the small bookshelf in the bedroom, Wen Xuelan spotted a familiar hardcover notebook.
It was a European imported journal her husband and she had bought together at a boutique bookstore in the capital, a gift for Wen Nuan.
Wen Xuelan had checked Wen Nuan’s room back then. When she left, only that diary was missing.
“The bed’s too small. I’ll sleep on the sofa, Mom can take the bedroom. I’ll get another blanket…”
Wen Nuan stopped mid-sentence, looking at the little old lady in front of her, and smiled helplessly.
Wen Xuelan blinked her big eyes, sitting on the bed, hugging her arms pitifully, looking at her: “Mommy is scared to sleep alone…”
The Triple-Gold Best Actress didn’t even need to use thirty percent of her acting skills to make Wen Nuan raise her hands in surrender and agree to sleep with her.
But only after Wen Nuan waited until Wen Xuelan was in a semi-dreamlike state did she return to the bedroom.
Wen Xuelan sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes: “Xiaonuan, why are you sleeping in your socks?”
“It’s a habit. You should go back to sleep,” Wen Nuan said, turning off the bedside lamp and groping her way onto the bed.
Wen Xuelan turned over, fumbled to pull the blanket up for Wen Nuan, gently patted her arm, and hummed softly in a low voice: “The moon is bright, the wind is still, the leaves block the window lattice, the crickets chirp, like the sound of fiddle strings…”
This was the “Lullaby” that northern children grew up hearing.
Wen Nuan tried hard to control her breathing, but tears slowly fell, soaking her pillowcase.
During the filming of ‘Memories of Yucheng,’ after a long night shoot and in heavy rain, when the director couldn’t come to get her in time, Wen Xuelan had taken her back to her hotel suite.
That was the first time Wen Nuan had seen such a large bathtub, such hot and endless water, such a big, wide bed, and felt the warm embrace and gentle singing of her on-screen mother.
That was the first time twelve-year-old Wen Nuan had heard this lullaby.
During filming, little Wen Nuan had secretly written a wish in her diary on her birthday: ‘I hope Wen Mama isn’t just my movie mom, but becomes my real mom.’
Privately, little Wen Nuan shared this wish with her best friend, Dang Xiaoxiang.
But Dang Xiaoxiang didn’t support her unreservedly like he usually did.
The boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes was silent for a long time, biting his lip, and then said something that made her sad for ages: “Xiaonuan, you’re dreaming. You want a sparrow to turn into a phoenix. Even if rich people adopt you, a girl won’t be happy. Everyone in this world prefers boys.”
Later, Wen Nuan’s wish really did come true. But in some ways, Dang Xiaoxiang’s words also proved true.
Not everyone preferred boys, but the odds of a girl being unhappy were probably much higher, weren’t they…
Soon, Wen Nuan fell asleep.
Sleeping very soundly and sweetly.
Because her mother was by her side.
—
Wen Xuelan lay in bed for a long time, hands clasped over her stomach, staring at the cabin ceiling.
Listening to Wen Nuan’s steady breathing, she finally made a decision. She carefully sat up in bed.
Wen Xuelan tiptoed to the bookshelf, quietly pulled the diary out…
For the rest of the night, Wen Xuelan barely slept a wink.
—
The next morning, 7:00 AM.
Chu Xingxing, holding a cup of raw cacao milk, was drinking it while waiting on the viewing platform next to the garage.
Wen Han had gotten up even earlier. At 6:30 AM, he was already waiting outside for his never-before-met older sister to bring back his unreliable mother.
While waiting, Wen Han did two sets of HIIT.
Chu Xingxing finished her cacao milk and followed along with one set.
Because she had been worried about Ms. Wen Xuelan and Sister Xiaonuan the night before, Chu Xingxing, who usually slept very well, had a rare restless night, tossing and turning until late.
On insufficient sleep, Chu Xingxing wouldn’t force herself to do high-volume exercise.
While doing HIIT, Chu Xingxing simplified some of Wen Han’s moves.
For example, when Wen Han did the most advanced version of burpees, Chu Xingxing would simplify it into squat jumps.
And so on, simplifying many moves.
It had rained the night before, so the island morning was cool, comfortable, and very peaceful.
The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, and a sea breeze gently played with Chu Xingxing’s long hair.
The young girl had a long, lean figure. Each of her movements was precise and on point. Her cheeks flushed a delicate peach-pink. Bare-faced, she looked as fresh and lively as a little peach.
Surrounded by such beautiful nature, breathing the fresh air, and starting a wonderful day of travel with exercise, Chu Xingxing felt super happy!
As soon as the live stream of ‘Granny, Let’s Travel!’ started, six or seven thousand viewers poured in.
[Good morning Xingbao! Check-in! Check-in! Check-in! Seeing a beautiful girl first thing in the morning makes me super happy!]
[Saying good morning to our two ‘porters’! I missed running on the treadmill with them yesterday morning, but today I can do HIIT with the ‘porters’!]
[Doing HIIT with Xingxing will definitely help me lose weight!]
[Wen Han’s HIIT livestream was great before, just a bit tough. My current fitness level makes it hard to keep up, but!!! Today is such a nice surprise! Xingxing is a blessing for us girls! She made a simplified version of HIIT!]
[I’ve also gotten into the habit of exercising early with Xingxing and Wen Han. My energy is so much better. Go girls! If we don’t work hard in March and April, how can we wear beautiful dresses in May and June?]
[Waking up early every day to catch the livestream feels like I’m on vacation too!]
[Watching Xingxing and the grandmas travel is such a pleasure~ Good morning sisters! I’ll get up and do a HIIT set too!]
The comments section was warm and peaceful. Viewers, whether regular or new fans of Xingxing and the grandmas, were all very friendly.
The comments and discussion area for ‘Granny, Let’s Travel!’ could be called the most ‘peace and love’ in history, with a unique, healthy, wellness-oriented flavor!
Some viewers were still thinking about Ms. Wen Xuelan, who had ‘disappeared’ last night.
[Did our Ms. Wen Xuelan find the tea bags she wanted? The grandmas are probably still getting ready. The live streams for the four old babies are still black screens.]
[Did Grandma Wen make it home safely last night? Driving out on her own was really bold. She’s truly our tough Grandma from the Northeast!]
[Grandma Wen Xuelan is really something!]
Just as Chu Xingxing started her cool-down stretches, she heard the sound of tires crunching on gravel.
“The baby’s back!”
Chu Xingxing stopped her movement, flipped over the railing, and landed lightly from the top of the garage in a standard parkour move.
[Here she comes!]
[Speak of the devil, hehehe!]
[Wow, no matter how many times I see it, Xingxing’s spontaneous parkour is so cool! Xingxing, hubby!!!]
Wen Han and the two camera operators following him twitched their mouths, even though they were already used to Chu Xingxing, the ‘little porter,’ not taking the usual route.
The cameraman following Chu Xingxing was a chubby guy. He lifted his camera and started running, ‘huffing and puffing’.
He felt that on this assignment, he could lose several kilograms. He’d definitely have to eat more roast duck to make up for it when he got back to the capital!
Actually, Chu Xingxing had deliberately arrived a step ahead of the others to meet Sister Xiaonuan and Ms. Wen Xuelan first.
Last night, Chu Xingxing had been worried that Grandma Wen Xuelan wouldn’t be able to keep up the ‘story’ the next day, making viewers suspicious.
For the viewers, it might just be a juicy piece of drama to enjoy, but for Grandma Wen Xuelan and Sister Xiaonuan, maybe there were some unknown, hidden circumstances from back then.
To protect the two people involved, Chu Xingxing had replied to Wen Nuan’s email last night, briefly explaining the show’s situation and coordinating with Wen Nuan on the reason for bringing Ms. Wen Xuelan back to the villa this morning.
—
CBM Entertainment Building, Capital City.
Xiao Xiang had pulled an all-nighter at the company.
As a senior figure in the company, second only to Jiang Haidong, Xiao Xiang had always opposed inviting Shengshi Group to act as a ‘white knight’ against a hostile takeover.
But in the final vote, Xiao Xiang’s opposition couldn’t overcome founder Jiang Haidong’s support.
In the end, Shengshi Group became CBM Entertainment’s largest shareholder.
But by now, Xiao Xiang’s loyalty had wavered.
He didn’t trust Shengshi Group or Jiang Haidong, who always preferred a cautious, moderate development path and was unwilling to take risks.
Xiao Xiang had his own plan. He intended to take CBM Entertainment’s top artists and start his own entertainment company.
So over the years, Xiao Xiang and his team had firmly controlled CBM Entertainment’s core artists, including Jiang Haidong’s eldest son, Jiang Chang’an.
Emotionally and professionally, Xiao Xiang could honestly say he had helped Jiang Chang’an more than his own father, who was too busy to even know what grade his son was in.
Crucially, Jiang Chang’an felt the same way and wasn’t close to his father.
Jiang Chang’an disagreed with many of Jiang Haidong’s decisions for the company, very unsatisfied with his father’s gentle, almost ‘weak’ management style.
So Xiao Xiang was confident that if he wanted to take Jiang Chang’an, he would leave CBM Entertainment, which no longer belonged to the Jiang family, and follow him.
Besides Jiang Chang’an and a group of core actors and singers, in the past two years, Xiao Xiang’s apprentice Chen Dong had trained Tian Mengtong, along with a few decent acting traffic stars, he would take them all.
Dawn had already broken. Xiao Xiang took his coffee from his assistant and opened the livestream for ‘Let’s Travel Together!’.
Xiao Xiang’s expression was extremely serious, staring at the screen with dissatisfaction.
‘Let’s Travel Together!’ was CBM Entertainment’s most anticipated variety show for the year. Hype was huge before launch.
But after airing, reception was lukewarm.
Xiao Xiang urgently needed to turn things around. Most of the artists on this show were his cash cows.
Xiao Xiang put down his coffee cup and yelled at his assistant: “How many times have I said to do more data management? Why are there still so many negative comments? Have them cut more engaging clips and segments. Where are the results? What are those marketing accounts we pay for doing? Where is all the short video platform traffic going?”
“Brother Xiang… well, let me explain…”
The assistant timidly stuck their head out, speaking hesitantly: “Chairman Jiang transferred several of our team’s key people to the side project ‘Grandma’s Journey’. I’ve been pushing the remaining staff all night, but we’re shorthanded now and tired. We can’t make everyone work without sleep, can we?”
Xiao Xiang muttered a curse under his breath: “What good will marketing do? How many people watch a senior variety show? Shengshi Group really thinks they’re something.”
As he spoke, his finger accidentally brushed the screen, skipping past the live stream. The screen showed the livestream for ‘Grandma’s Journey’.
Xiao Xiang was about to turn it off when his finger stopped in front of the screen.
The livestream camera focused on a woman wearing a light blue dress and a beige cardigan.
The woman seemed to be saying goodbye to friends.
Morning light fell on her, gilding her fair cheeks in a warm, fuzzy gold.
The lines of time were visible on the woman’s face, but her smile was undeniably stunning.
Xiao Xiang recognized her immediately. Instinctively, he looked at an old, worn music box displayed in his office’s glass cabinet and muttered to himself in disbelief, “Xiaonuan?”
—
‘Grandma’s Journey’ Livestream.
When the camera showed Chu Xingxing again, she was holding a basket of still-warm bread.
The basket held various flavors of bread, all looking crispy, fragrant, and delicious.
Chu Xingxing and Wen Nuan stood at the villa gate. Another car could be heard nearby.
Probably Wen Nuan’s, as she and Wen Xuelan had driven two cars down the mountain.
“Thank you so much, Xiaonuan. I’ll go park first.”
Wen Xuelan stuck her head out of the car window, waving at them. Her tone was natural, but her eyes were a bit swollen.
Chu Xingxing guessed that maybe Ms. Wen Xuelan, like herself, hadn’t slept well.
Then, Wen Xuelan drove the car directly into the garage.
“Thank you, Sister Xiaonuan. Such a coincidence to run into you again!”
Chu Xingxing looked down, her nose filled with the aroma of baked wheat and fruit. She squinted her eyes in happiness: “Wow, these smell amazing! Thank you, Sister Xiaonuan, for helping our Ms. Wen Xuelan find such delicious bread.”
Wen Nuan: “Nice to see you again, Xingxing.”
Wen Nuan smiled calmly and quietly, shaking her head as she continued: “You’re welcome. I was just going down the mountain to buy bread from a friend’s bakery. I met that auntie at the convenience store who couldn’t communicate with the staff. I helped her find the tea bags she wanted, and on the way, I brought some of the bread over. You and your friends can try it. This is special Pearl Island bread, made with fruit-fermented yeast. Also, I brought some of my homemade jam to sell at my friend’s bakery. I heard from the auntie that you all really liked yesterday’s kumquat jam, so I brought some pineapple and apricot jam too. They go perfectly with the bread.”
[Wow! What a coincidence! Was this Sister Xiaonuan the one who helped Xingxing get her camera back from the monkey yesterday?]
[Okay, so now we have two ‘Xiaonuans’ – a male Xiaonuan and a female Xiaonuan /dog head]
[Sister Xiaonuan looks like she’s in her forties, but she’s really beautiful. She has this classical elegance, with an artistic aura?]
[A sister in the comments yesterday mentioned the Calentito porcelain brand – could Xiaonuan really be the owner? Wow! This is like some romantic novel heroine – a beautiful, wealthy, independent sister living a cool life on a remote island!]
[I’m just going to assume Xiaonuan is her. Even if not, she’s still a cool, awesome older sister! I’m so envious of Xingxing, always getting to meet such amazing women!]
[Sister Xiaonuan has her own little house on the island, an obedient dog, tends a beautiful little garden, makes delicious scones and jam – total life winner! Envious~]
At that moment, Wen Han also arrived at the villa entrance.
“Hello, Sister Xiaonuan. I’m Wen Han. Thank you for helping my mother.”
Wen Han smiled gently as usual, reaching his hand out to Wen Nuan. “Nice to meet you. I hear from Xingxing we share a nickname. My nickname is also Xiaonuan.”
“Hello, Wen Han.”
Wen Nuan reached out, shook his large hand politely, and said: “I won’t disturb your trip. I hope you enjoy your time on Pearl Island.”
Even though this was a ‘scene’ arranged in advance by Chu Xingxing.
At this moment, she truly admired these three people with the last name Wen.
Biological ties or not, it felt like anyone from the Wen family was an excellent actor, with no trace of performance visible.
No wonder their family had a Best Actress mother, a Best Actor son, and a daughter who’d won a Best Supporting Actress award.
Wen Xuelan parked the car and hurriedly trotted back.
Hearing Wen Nuan’s goodbye, Wen Xuelan felt reluctant to part.
It was Wen Han who spoke: “Sister Xiaonuan, we’ll be on the island for two more days. You’re the first friend we’ve made on Pearl Island. On our last night here, could we invite you to join us for dinner?”
Chu Xingxing chimed in: “Yeah, Sister Xiaonuan, let’s do it! Wen Han’s cooking is very… healthy and also very wholesome!”
[Hahaha! I can’t tell if Xingbao is complimenting Wen Han or roasting him?]
[I’m dying of laughter, is Xingxing serious?]
[Honestly, Wen Han’s cooking is so healthy that even Grandma Sheng, the biggest wellness advocate, can’t stomach it. Only Xingbao is respectful and finishes it all, which isn’t easy!]
[I strongly suspect Xingxing has a ‘no food waste’ compulsion /doge]
“It’s healthy, alright, but it’s not good,” Wen Xuelan never hesitated to tease her son. She walked over to Wen Nuan, her eyes hopeful as she asked, “Will you come, Xiaonuan?”
“I… I can come, but…” Wen Nuan looked into Wen Xuelan’s eyes, a spark in her own. “I should be the host and invite you all to dinner. It’s just that my place is too small to fit everyone. How about this: tomorrow, I’ll prepare dinner for you.”
“Let’s do it together. I’ll help you,” Wen Han didn’t refuse.
Chu Xingxing raised her hand immediately: “I’m not good at cooking, but I’m the best at helping out!”
“Then we’ll see you tomorrow,” Wen Nuan smiled at Chu Xingxing. She really liked this interesting young girl.
Chu Xingxing was very independent. When she didn’t smile, she had a cool, slightly aloof vibe. But when she smiled, she looked like an innocent little girl.
Wen Nuan turned to leave.
Reaching the corner of the lane, Wen Nuan turned back and waved at them.
Against the backlight, the dust and particles in the air seemed illuminated. Wen Nuan’s expression was calm, a smile on her lips.
But somehow, Chu Xingxing saw a hint of complex emotion in her eyes.
That look was familiar to Chu Xingxing.
Then she remembered.
In the apocalyptic world, one of her comrades had severe PTSD. After a long time of therapy, he still showed extreme unease in certain specific situations.
But because of his professional discipline as a soldier, he always hid that emotion.
Eyes, however, cannot lie.
