Chapter 29

After the first day of filming wrapped, Jiang Lai went straight home that same day.

She turned down Gu Xizhou’s invitation and got into the car without looking back.

Half-asleep, she felt her phone light up beside her. In the dim car interior, the glow was especially glaring.

She pressed her temples and glanced at it casually.

“Be careful on the road.”

Only four simple words. Jiang Lai didn’t even need to look at the signature to know who had sent them.

She shifted in her seat, staring boredly out the window at the passing scenery. Gradually, her thoughts drifted.

On the other side, the woman who had waited a long time without getting a reply also put down her phone and stared blankly ahead.

“Mom, what are you thinking about?”

Xia Wanwan leaned toward her and waved a hand in front of her eyes.

The woman came back to herself and shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Thinking about A-Lai?”

Xia Wanwan’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she teased her mother.

“No. It’s you, running around with me every day. Doesn’t A-Zheng mind?”

“Nope.”

The girl stuffed a bite of snack into her mouth and shook her head. “A-Zheng isn’t home either; he’s out filming. It’s so boring being alone at home. I’d rather follow you guys around and have some fun.”

The woman sighed helplessly and reached out to brush the crumbs from the corner of her mouth. “You’re about to be a mother, and you’re still so careless?”

“Oh? So now you think I’m not good enough?”

Xia Wanwan deliberately leaned closer, her tone aggrieved. “Right, A-Lai is always better than me. Someone there, once they have A-Lai, forgets all about me…”

“What nonsense are you talking about now?”

The woman shot her a glare, though the look held no real force.

Xia Wanwan’s eyes flicked to the screen of her phone, and she understood immediately.

Caught by her direct stare, the woman felt a little guilty and turned her head awkwardly to the side. “What are you looking at?”

“Mom, I’m your daughter. I know exactly what you’re thinking. Just wait.”

Before the woman could react to what she meant, the girl had already fished out her own phone and dialed a number.

“Who are you calling?”

“Hush.”

The girl put a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

“Wanwan?”

The familiar voice came through the receiver the next second.

“A-Lai, where are you?”

“…On the way home. Why, do you need me for something?”

“Can’t I call you if I don’t need anything?”

Hearing the complaint in the girl’s tone, Jiang Lai laughed softly and coaxed her in a gentle voice. “Sorry, that was my mistake, all right? I’m apologizing.”

“I just wanted to ask what you’re doing later. Do you want to go out somewhere?”

“Sure. You can pick the place.”

Several women’s voices could be heard on the other end. Xia Wanwan had sharp ears and caught them right away, unable to help asking, “Who are you with?”

The question made the woman beside her keep glancing over.

“Oh—friends, huh!”

She dragged out the last syllable on purpose. “Then I won’t disturb you. I’ll just…”

“Wanwan, wait!”

Jiang Lai tugged at her sleeve. “Is Aunt Cheng beside you?”

“My mom?”

The girl looked at the woman and answered with an mm-hmm.

“…Can you let her take the phone? I have something I want to ask her.”

The girl didn’t think much of it and simply handed the phone to her mother. “Here. A-Lai wants you.”

The woman hesitated for a moment before taking it. When she spoke, her voice trembled in a way even she herself didn’t notice. “A-Lai.”

“Hello, Aunt Cheng.”

“Mm, hello.”

The two of them fell quiet for a moment, as if the long chat they’d had by the seaside a few days ago had only been an illusion between them.

“I wasn’t ignoring your message on purpose just now. My phone had no signal; I was about to reply when Wanwan called…”

“You don’t need to explain to me.”

It was such a clumsy excuse. Cheng Shuyang was older than her by so many years; how could she not hear that the girl was brushing her off?

“If there’s nothing else, I won’t keep bothering you and Wanwan. I put motion sickness medicine in your bag in advance. If you start feeling uncomfortable, remember to take it.”

The woman’s hand around the phone was slightly unsteady. After a long while, she finally found her voice again and managed not to lose composure in front of the girl.

“All right. Thank you. You were thoughtful.”

The call ended.

Cheng Shuyang turned slightly and, sure enough, found a bottle of white pills tucked into a corner of her backpack. Her heart softened. She stroked the bottle, countless emotions surging in her eyes, but in the end they all dissolved into a single sigh.

It was already past midnight when Jiang Lai finally dragged herself home, exhausted. The house was quiet, with only a bowl of steaming white porridge sitting on the table not far away.

“You’re back?”

At the sound, Zhao Dan carefully came out of the bedroom. Her voice was still rough with sleep.

Jiang Lai nodded, put her suitcase in her bedroom, and then came back out.

“Did I wake you? Sorry.”

The woman shook her head and pulled out a chair for her. “No. I was just waiting for you to get back and accidentally dozed off for a bit.”

“You don’t need to wait for me next time. I’ll be home very late. You should rest earlier.”

“It’s fine. I’m old anyway, and I can’t sleep. Seeing you come back makes me more at ease.”

As she spoke, the woman pushed the porridge she had kept warm all this time in front of her. “Eat quickly. You definitely haven’t had anything at this hour; be careful or your stomach will hurt later.”

Jiang Lai didn’t say anything else. She just sipped the porridge in small mouthfuls; the spoon clinked against the white porcelain bowl, making crisp sounds.

“How have you been lately? Have you been unhappy?”

The woman looked at her daughter with eyes full of tenderness.

The girl’s hand paused, then returned to normal after a moment. “No. Everything’s been pretty good.”

“Liar.”

“Hm?”

“I said you’re lying. You’re clearly not doing well; why are you lying in front of your mother?”

“I didn’t…”

Her lack of confidence made the lie obvious at a glance.

As a professor at the film academy, the woman saw through her immediately, but she didn’t press further. She only patted Jiang Lai’s shoulder. “It’s very late. Go to sleep early.”

It seemed the warmth of the woman’s hand still lingered on her shoulder. Jiang Lai set down the bowl, and the smile on her face slowly faded.

Was she happy?

Seeing Cheng Shuyang, she was perhaps happy…

But was Aunt Cheng happy?

Once that thought surfaced, it spread wildly like vines, winding tightly around her heart until she couldn’t move.

These days back home had been pretty good overall, except that she rather missed someone.

The next day, Jiang Lai was still asleep.

Muffled laughter drifted in from the living room, disturbing her completely. She yawned and blindly reached for her phone with her right hand.

The notification bar was empty. No one had messaged her.

She stretched and sat up with effort. The moment she looked over, she saw Jiang Xiao sitting obediently in a corner, playing with toys. The little girl looked so well-behaved it tugged at the heart.

At the sight, Jiang Lai smiled, clapped her hands toward her, and opened her arms. “Xiaoxiao, come here. Let your sister carry you out.”

The girl obediently burrowed into her arms. Jiang Lai gathered up her long hair and asked in a hoarse voice, “Are there guests here today?”

“Mm. Mom said Sister knows them too.”

“I know them too?”

Still confused, Jiang Lai opened her bedroom door.

The laughter stopped at once, and all of them looked up at her together.

Jiang Lai froze in place.

She couldn’t see anyone else; in her eyes and heart, there was only the woman sitting in the middle.

Could it be that what she’d been thinking about all day and dreaming about at night had gotten mixed up? She had to be dreaming, right? Otherwise, how could Cheng Shuyang possibly be in her house?

She pinched herself hard. A piercing pain immediately shot back to her brain.

Seeing her action, Zhao Dan reproached her a little, though fondly. “You child, what are you doing? You don’t even know how to greet people when you see them?”

The woman stood up, her brows curved with a smile as she greeted her. “A-Lai, hello.”

“Ch-Cheng… Aunt Cheng, hello.”

She still hadn’t fully recovered from the shock, so even a simple sentence came out haltingly.

“Shuyang, don’t mind her. A-Lai probably just hasn’t woken up yet.”

Knowing her daughter’s temperament, Zhao Dan quietly stepped in to smooth things over.

“Teacher, you’re joking. I know A-Lai too; she’s a very good child. I like her very much.”

Jiang Lai said nothing, only kept her head down, mortified and eager to escape this place.

“Mom, you and Aunt Cheng chat. I’m going to wash up.”

Before either of them could respond, she bolted into the bathroom.

Watching the girl flee in such a panic, the woman’s smile deepened. For some reason, she suddenly felt that this side of her was a little cuter…

Zhao Dan had seen everything. It looked like her own foolish daughter wasn’t the only one with one-sided feelings after all.

Inside the bathroom, the sound of running water drowned out the conversation in the living room.

Jiang Lai lowered her head and splashed cold water on her face; her thoughts gradually cleared.

Looking at her childish pajamas and her mess of hair, Jiang Lai felt as if the sky were about to collapse. She was a little on the verge of tears.

She was doomed…

After she got herself together, she walked out slowly and sat wordlessly beside Zhao Dan.

“Oh, right.”

The woman bent down, took a carefully wrapped gift box from her bag, and handed it to her. “Wanwan knew I was coming to see you, so she especially told me to bring this for you.”

“Then please thank Wanwan for me.”

Jiang Lai took it, but still couldn’t quite believe it and asked again, “Aunt Cheng, why did you come to my house?”

Before the woman could answer, Zhao Dan spoke first. “I asked Shuyang to come. I had something I needed to talk to her about.”

“Mm, I also didn’t expect that the daughter Professor Zhao mentioned before would be you.”

“…It’s fine. No one knew.”

“It’s rare for us all to get together. Ya, stay for lunch at my place. I’ll cook myself.”

The woman hurriedly waved it off. “No need to trouble yourself, Teacher.”

“Just listen to my mom. Her cooking is delicious; you can try it.”

Since she hadn’t meant to refuse in the first place, she agreed.

Once Zhao Dan went into the kitchen, only the two of them were left in the living room. Jiang Lai scratched the side of her nose. “Aunt Cheng, I’m going out to buy something…”

The woman cut her off. “I’ll go with you.”

“No need. I can go by myself.”

“Let’s go together. I want to look around outside too.”

Cheng Shuyang stood by the entryway waiting for her.

Jiang Lai bit her lip, then still took her keys and went out the door.