Over the next few days, Su Huan did nothing but recover from her injuries and scroll through her social media feed.
Her account had many people from inside and outside the industry, with someone posting new messages every day. She had never liked looking at these before and had no interest in other people's shared lives.
But now there were two people in her social media feed who shared their daily lives.
One was Shi Qiubai, who had been lying dormant in her contact list for a long time, and the other was Shen Nian'an, who had just learned to use social media.
Shi Qiubai now seemed to have unlocked her meridians, either showing off every day or on her way to showing off. Her public social media accounts hadn't revealed Shen Xiaoyu yet, so she hadn't posted content about her there, but her private social media feed was completely full of it!
Dozens of posts every day, with very few people liking them. It seemed people didn't want to see her messages and had blocked her.
Su Huan also wanted to block her, but she couldn't control herself from stalking her social media feed, masochistically inferring from scattered clues just how far their relationship had progressed.
Fortunately, Shi Qiubai's posts hardly contained any photos of Shen Xiaoyu, only landscape and food photos, but traces of Shen Xiaoyu were everywhere.
Su Huan sat on the hospital bed in a daze. The wound on her wrist had already scabbed over and was somewhat itchy, but she couldn't scratch it. She could only find something to distract herself.
So she opened Shi Qiubai's social media feed again, seeing a beach photo she had posted an hour ago. Imagining the two of them walking hand in hand together, her heart couldn't help but ache.
Su Huan took a deep breath and continued scrolling, looking at content she had already seen countless times, enlarging each photo to search for traces of Shen Xiaoyu.
Finally, she saw Shen Xiaoyu's figure in one photo.
She was holding Shen Nian'an in her arms, her perfectly shaped lips curved in a dazzling smile.
Su Huan was mesmerized, gently caressing the photo with her finger, stroke after stroke, as if trying to touch her soft cheek through the screen.
She missed her so much.
She really wanted to hold her again.
As this thought crossed her mind, Su Huan's smile faded. Just as she exited Shi Qiubai's social media feed, she saw an incoming video call.
After connecting, Shen Nian'an's bright little face appeared on screen. "Mommy~ Did you miss me~"
She was sitting barefoot on the beach, with a sand castle beside her. As she spoke, another hand appeared in frame, sneakily digging at the base of the castle, causing it to immediately collapse by half.
The camera turned to focus on the two people sitting beside her.
Shi Qiubai sheepishly withdrew her hand, nonchalantly piling sand on top to fill the gap at the bottom of the castle. Shen Xiaoyu sat to the side watching, even covering her ears with her hands.
The next second, Shen Nian'an's screams rang out, followed by the sounds of two people scuffling.
The camera began shaking with Shen Nian'an's movements, making everything blurry and unclear.
"Alright, alright, we can just rebuild it." Shen Xiaoyu's voice was flat, her words seeming to come from a script, spoken without thought. "Stop fighting, everyone's already starting to laugh at you. That little kid is going to come over again soon."
Su Huan quietly watched and listened to their interaction, feeling like a third party peering into others' happiness.
This should have been hers! But...
Su Huan suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest. She clutched her heart, gasping for air with a pale face, taking a long time to recover.
Looking at the screen again, she found the image had changed. The person holding the phone was no longer Shen Nian'an, but Shen Xiaoyu, who had been watching the whole time.
Shen Xiaoyu didn't want to chat much with her and only said to wait a moment.
"Xiaoyu!" Su Huan hurriedly called out, but saw the camera had already turned to the other two who were still scuffling.
Ignoring Shen Nian'an who was riding on top of Shi Qiubai, she said urgently, "Xiaoyu, let's talk."
Shen Xiaoyu didn't speak, and the camera swayed left and right.
Su Huan pretended not to notice and continued talking to herself: "Ever since that day, I can't help but think about our past. If I had told you the truth from the beginning, wouldn't we have ended up in this situation?"
"Even when I dream, I dream about the first time I see you again, telling you the whole truth." She knew the person on the other end could see her and smiled bitterly. "I thought it was the initial mistake, but I forgot that everything afterward only pushed you further away."
"I've always owed you an apology." She let out a long breath, and a smile appeared on her pale face. "I won't do anything to make things difficult for you anymore, and I won't burden you in any way."
"Could we be friends? Even if it's just for Nian'an's sake, so she can grow up better."
The camera didn't move, and Shen Xiaoyu didn't speak.
After a moment, the video call suddenly showed it had been disconnected.
Su Huan saw her own face reflected on the screen, her warm smile perfectly appropriate yet somehow terrifying.
The next second, the smile disappeared from her face. She turned on her phone again and opened Shen Nian'an's social media feed to see a photo of two people posted an hour ago.
Shen Xiaoyu had her hair in a side braid with a light blue flower by her temple, wearing a water-blue swimsuit that hugged her body's beautiful curves. Her long legs were casually positioned on the ground as she held a cute little girl in her arms.
Beautiful and heartwarming.
Su Huan saved the photo and set it as her phone wallpaper.
Give up?
Impossible.
Since playing pitiful didn't work, she would use another method. She would approach quietly and gently, and when someday Shen Xiaoyu wasn't avoiding her so much, then she could return to her side.
She looked down and opened Li Xiang's chat window. The last message asking whether she wanted to join "Flowers Growing Up" was still there.
Li Xiang said the production team had completed their sponsorship deals and needed to confirm whether she was definitely participating. If so, they would start preparing publicity.
Su Huan didn't hesitate: Definitely participating. But I have one condition—the production team must also invite Shen Xiaoyu. This is a necessary condition.
Li Xiang: Okay, I understand.
After putting down her phone, Su Huan exhaled.
Step by step, getting closer, never letting go.
Shen Xiaoyu wouldn't know her thoughts. After hearing those words, her mood had clearly fallen.
She couldn't find the reason and could only attribute it to really not wanting to see Su Huan, so much so that she became unhappy whenever this person appeared.
Fortunately, her phone had died, so she didn't have to respond to what Su Huan had said.
She would just pretend she hadn't heard it. After all, they wouldn't have many chances to meet again in the future.
Thinking this way, Shen Xiaoyu quickly put it out of her mind and called to Shen Nian'an, "An'an, your phone is dead."
Shen Nian'an immediately let go of Shi Qiubai and ran back to check, disappointedly saying "ah." "I haven't even talked to Mommy for two sentences, how did it shut off already?"
"It's okay, we can video call tonight when we get back."
She put the phone in their small bag and got up to pull Shi Qiubai up from the beach.
"Stop teasing her all the time. Be careful or An'an will get angry again and kick you out tonight."
As Shen Xiaoyu spoke, she brushed the sand off her body.
Shi Qiubai whined and complained, "Sister, why don't you tell An'an not to fight with me?"
"How old is she? How old are you?" Shen Xiaoyu gave her an exasperated look.
Twenty-eight-year-old Shi Qiubai was stunned, then got angry. She grabbed Shen Xiaoyu's arm and pulled her into her embrace, rolling over to pin her down with her hands braced on either side of her head.
"Sister, are you disgusted with me?" Her eyes reddened as she looked down at Shen Xiaoyu from above, her whole aura fierce like an abandoned wife.
However, this state lasted less than two seconds before Shi Qiubai pressed down closer. "I'm only twenty-eight, still very young! If you don't believe me, Sister, take a look."
As she spoke, she pulled up her scattered hair, revealing her perfect figure—her tempting bust, slender waist, and long legs.
Shi Qiubai unceremoniously grabbed Shen Xiaoyu's hand and rubbed it all over her body, chattering as she did: "Sister, look and feel! What exactly don't you like? Do you think my chest is too small? Or my waist too thick?"
"I can work on my waist measurements. As for my chest, natural development might not work at this age, so I'll get implants! Sister, what size do you prefer? I guarantee I'll make Sister satisfied!"
Before she could finish the rest of her words, Shen Xiaoyu covered her mouth. She could only blink her eyes to convey her plans.
Whether it was breast enhancement, waist training, or leg slimming, she had no problem with any of it!
As long as Sister gave the word, she would immediately improve her natural conditions!
Shen Xiaoyu listened with a red face and hot ears, looking around nervously, afraid someone might overhear these inappropriate words.
"That's not what I meant. Stop talking." Shen Xiaoyu pushed her away and hurriedly sat up, but then felt something give way behind her as her clothes unconsciously slipped down.
She suddenly had a bad premonition and hurriedly lay back down, covering her chest with her hands to secure her clothes. When she turned to look, it was indeed her!
Shi Qiubai looked at the strap she had pressed on, innocently blinking at her and deliberately asking, "Sister, what's wrong?"
What's wrong! What's wrong! She had seen everything and still asked what was wrong!
Shen Xiaoyu wanted to knock her head off!
"Let go!" She was embarrassed and angry, her beautiful eyes filled with water as she glared at her coquettishly.
Shi Qiubai looked at her face, her gaze moving down to the area barely contained by the thin fabric. The skin exposed outside had turned pink from shyness, looking delicate and charming.
Her heart was pounding wildly as she unconsciously leaned down to kiss her.
"Shi Qiubai!" The voice by her ear suddenly rose in anger.
Shi Qiubai quickly realized what she was doing. Panicking, she hurriedly looked up at Shen Xiaoyu and saw her face was so red it could drip blood, her eyes full of shyness but no disgust.
Realizing this, her actions became bolder as she acted spoiled and nuzzled around while not forgetting to take advantage.
Hehe, Sister—fragrant, soft Sister with no resistance~
Just as she was immersed in the soft warmth, her head suddenly hurt.
Shi Qiubai cried out and completely collapsed onto Shen Xiaoyu, her lips hitting Shen Xiaoyu's collarbone.
Immediately, both of them showed expressions of pain.
Seeing this, Shen Nian'an, who had come to rescue her mama, was at a loss.
She seemed to have hit the wrong person...
The final result was that Shen Xiaoyu's collarbone skin was scraped, and Shi Qiubai ended up with a slightly swollen lower lip.
And Shen Nian'an, who had caused all this, received a thank-you gift from Shi Qiubai—a doll bigger than herself.
Shen Nian'an: ...Thank you and your whole family.
During dinner that evening, Shen Nian'an sat next to a doll bigger than herself. She looked like a miniature doll, her body completely obscured, drawing quite a bit of attention.
Shi Qiubai laughed heartily, taking photos with her phone.
Shen Xiaoyu was comforting Shen Nian'an at first but ended up laughing too.
"Mama!" Shen Nian'an called out resentfully.
"Alright, I'll stop laughing." She quickly composed herself and comforted Shen Nian'an instead. "Don't you like dolls? With such a big doll to keep you company, you shouldn't be scared sleeping at night, right?"
That was true.
A doll that could take up Shen Nian'an's entire bed—sleeping in its embrace would definitely provide a sense of security.
As Shi Qiubai was taking photos, a phone number suddenly called. She answered casually, "Hello? Yes, it's me."
She paused slightly at whatever was said on the other end. "So soon? Didn't you say before that we'd have to wait longer because of sponsorship? The sponsors came together so quickly?"
The food arrived, and Shen Xiaoyu was peeling shrimp for Shen Nian'an while quietly telling her about going to see the bonfire on the beach tonight.
Shi Qiubai shook her head at her, then frowned as she looked in her direction. "Are you sure? But Sister isn't someone from the entertainment industry. Having her as a guest wouldn't be appropriate, would it?"
Hearing her name mentioned, Shen Xiaoyu turned to look, her eyes questioning what was happening and why she was involved.
"Then, then alright, I'll ask Sister." Shi Qiubai said, "I'll call you back tonight."
After hanging up, Shen Xiaoyu asked, "What's wrong?"
"A variety show finally finished its sponsorship deals. The production team wants to start recording, and my agent called to let me know so I can arrange my schedule to return quickly." Shi Qiubai explained.
"What show? Why did I hear your agent mention me?"
She hesitated for a moment. "'Flowers Growing Up,' a parent-child travel reality show. I have a drama that won't start filming for a while, and the production team hopes I can develop feelings with the child actor from the show beforehand. It happens to be a young artist signed by the company, so Fang Jiong calculated and accepted this variety show for us."
Shen Xiaoyu said "oh." In recent years, variety shows had taken all kinds of forms. It wasn't strange for non-parents to participate in parent-child variety shows, but—
She suddenly had an ominous premonition. "When he mentioned me, he doesn't want me to participate in the variety show too, does he?"
Shi Qiubai gave her a thumbs up. "As expected of Sister! You discovered his little hidden thoughts. That's right. The production team contacted my agent wanting to invite Sister as a civilian guest. He asked me to see what you think."
"But I'm not from the entertainment industry. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to participate in a variety show, would it?" Shen Xiaoyu frowned. "And my reputation doesn't seem very good. Participating in a variety show would affect the show's reputation, wouldn't it?"
Shi Qiubai waved her hand. "None of that matters. Having controversy means having buzz, and the production team would be happy about that. How could they be unwilling? So Sister doesn't need to worry. You just need to decide whether to go or not."
"Then forget it. I can't handle that kind of situation. You go record it, and I'll wait at home for you to come back."
She made a sound and put on a pitiful expression. "Sister, won't you reconsider? Money isn't important—the main thing is I'd have to be away from Sister for a long time, and I can't bear it~"
"I'd rather not." Shen Xiaoyu refused again. "Have him decline for me."
"Sister~" Shi Qiubai opened her arms to hug her. "Sister, think about it—participating in the show is like a free vacation! We can also travel around and see places. Otherwise, we won't have this opportunity in the future! And you can observe other families to see how they raise children and learn from each other's experiences!"
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyu hesitated.
That was true.
Around her were only Shi Qiubai and Qiu Ye, both still young and unmarried without children. When it came to child-rearing, she didn't even have anyone to discuss it with.
The child's other mother was available, but her personality was warped. Leaving Shen Nian'an with her would only make things worse.
Thinking about it this way, this variety show seemed like a good opportunity.
Shen Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment and said, "Then, then alright, let's go together."
"Great!" Shi Qiubai had succeeded. "I'll tell him right now."
Shen Nian'an didn't understand very well, but vaguely remembered that Mommy seemed to have asked her before if she wanted to participate in a show, and it seemed to be this show.
So she would be going out to play with Mama?
Shen Nian'an decisively ignored the existence of another person and happily ate the shrimp that Mama had peeled for her.
After playing at the seaside for another week, they finally received an urgent call from the agent and reluctantly returned home.
While waiting for their flight, Shen Nian'an asked Shen Xiaoyu before sending their flight information to Su Huan.
"Mommy, we're going home~ Wait for me obediently at home~ If I find any more wounds on you, I won't talk to you anymore!"
Shen Nian'an sent voice messages in her sweet voice, sitting in the chair and swinging her little feet contentedly.
Shi Qiubai watched and couldn't help feeling sour. "An'an, if we didn't see each other for a week, would you miss me?"
Shen Nian'an answered seriously, waving her hand. "No."
Why would she miss this bad auntie?
Shi Qiubai said "oh" and sat dejectedly to the side, glancing at Shen Nian'an from time to time with furrowed brows and dim eyes, looking completely heartbroken.
Shen Nian'an paid no attention at first, but later noticed she seemed genuinely sad and felt a bit guilty.
She quietly lowered her head to look at her face, awkwardly trying to comfort her. "I, I wouldn't not miss you at all, it's just, it's just..."
It's just that she wouldn't tell her directly. Who told this bad auntie to always bully her?
"You don't need to explain. I understand everything." Shi Qiubai held her forehead, looking dejected. "After all, I'm just an outsider with no right to be compared to your mama."
"I, I don't mean that, I... you..." The little girl was tongue-tied. During arguments she could use actions to express her thoughts, but in situations like this she couldn't say anything.
She could only anxiously circle around her, trying to think of ways to comfort Shi Qiubai.
Shen Xiaoyu watched their unusual interaction from the side, even seeing Shi Qiubai mischievously wink at her.
Should she say that she was indeed an actress? She could fool a little child completely.
But thanks to her performance, Shen Nian'an didn't quarrel with her the whole way, staying quiet and well-behaved, afraid that saying one more word would make Shi Qiubai unhappy.
The peaceful journey felt strange to Shen Xiaoyu, who was used to their constant bickering. She even pinched herself.
She was really getting too comfortable with the good life. Wasn't this kind of quiet exactly what she had always wanted? She could watch movies, read books, and even get a good night's sleep.
Much more comprehensive. After getting off the plane, Shen Xiaoyu didn't feel the fatigue of travel but was instead refreshed and energetic.
After leaving the airport, they saw Qiu Ye waiting at the entrance.
Shen Nian'an stood on her tiptoes looking around, seemingly searching for something. After confirming it wasn't there, she couldn't help showing a disappointed expression.
"Why didn't Mommy come?" she murmured quietly.
Shen Xiaoyu picked up the little girl and got in the car. "We'll contact your mommy after we get back. After all, being discovered at the airport wouldn't be good."
The little girl said "oh" and started messaging Su Huan after getting in the car.
Shi Qiubai was also on the phone with her agent, discussing her schedule arrangements.
After arriving home, Shi Qiubai shut herself in the kitchen while the little girl went to her room to organize her things.
Ding dong—the doorbell rang.
Shen Xiaoyu got up to answer the door and saw it was Su Huan.
She had already been discharged and looked much better. She wore long sleeves and pants, but a hint of white showed at her wrist, suggesting the wound where she had cut herself hadn't fully healed yet.
"I'm here to pick up An'an."
Shen Xiaoyu withdrew her gaze and nodded at her, maintaining surface courtesy.
"Please come in and sit. Wait a moment while I call An'an."
"Wait." Su Huan suddenly called out to stop her. Looking at her retreating figure, her gaze became infatuated for a moment before returning to normal. "Don't call her yet. I want to talk to you."
Shen Xiaoyu's expression immediately tensed as she slowly turned to face her. "Talk about what?"
Her heart was pounding as she held her breath, waiting for the questions to come.
Su Huan took a deep breath. "I was too impulsive before, only thinking about getting back together with you and forgetting to consider your feelings. I won't do anything to make things difficult for you anymore, and I won't burden you in any way. Could we be friends? Even if it's just for Nian'an's sake, so she can grow up better."
These were Su Huan's questions from last time, but because the phone had died, she hadn't gotten an answer.
This time, standing in front of Shen Xiaoyu, she was determined to get a response.
Yes or... no?
The air seemed to freeze, and the atmosphere gradually became silent.
Su Huan felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. The waiting made her heart restless, and fearful emotions surfaced. She shouldn't have asked, or at least shouldn't have asked face to face.
She had wanted to ease the relationship between them, but this might make things even worse.
"I..."
Just as she was about to speak, the person in front of her had already opened her mouth. "Then let's do that. I hope you can keep your word."
After speaking, she turned toward Shen Nian'an's room, her expression twisting for a moment.
Damn it, she thought she had dodged that one.
Being asked such questions face to face, could she really say no? As they say, you don't hit someone who's smiling. If they made things too ugly, An'an would be stuck in the middle and have a hard time too.
Shen Xiaoyu opened the room door and saw Shen Nian'an organizing her things and muttering to herself. The little one looked so small that it tugged at her heartstrings.
Forget it, she'd do it for An'an's sake.
"Your mommy is here to take you home."
"Okay~" Shen Nian'an sped up, and after organizing her clothes, she ran out of the room.
"Mommy~" Shen Nian'an flew into Su Huan's arms like a happy little bird, giving her lots of kisses. "Mommy, I missed you so much~"
"I missed you too." Su Huan picked up her daughter and kissed her little face. "Did you have fun at the beach?"
The little girl nodded vigorously. "So much fun~ I ate lots of delicious food and collected lots of little stones and shells to make gifts for Mommy! When Mommy isn't busy, can we go to the beach together too?"
Su Huan nodded. "Alright."
Click—the study door opened. Shi Qiubai, who had finished her phone call, came out with her phone and raised her eyebrows slightly upon seeing her.
The two locked eyes, silently confronting each other.
Su Huan's gaze fell on her lips. Although the swelling had gone down, the trace left on her lips still made her imagination run wild. Her breathing became rapid, and her heart felt like it was wrapped in cotton, unable to breathe.
"Alright, An'an, hurry up and pack your things."
Shen Xiaoyu came out of the bedroom. The loose neckline revealed her delicate, beautiful collarbone and the small wound on it.