Chapter 67

"Godmother." Upon seeing the person who came, Luo Mingxiu instantly sobered up and tried to cover himself with his body.

Chen's mother pushed him away and saw her daughter hurriedly getting dressed inside.

Shen Li turned her head and smiled awkwardly: "Mom."

"You two," Mother Shen waved her hand at Luo Mingxiu, then bit it and put it down, "you two are really driving me crazy! Get down here right now!"

Downstairs, Chen's mother cursed the boy and then complained to her husband, "You still think he's pursuing our daughter? They've gotten to this point, and he's been keeping it from us. I told him yesterday that I asked him to go to the banquet, but he was so reluctant. He was on his phone the whole way, probably chatting and thinking I couldn't see him."

As she spoke, Mother Shen looked at the two people who stood honestly in front of them, without saying a word, but her hands remained tightly clasped together.

"Sigh—" Mother Shen sighed heavily, then turned her head to the side, "Look at this, is this how it looks? The two people who were raised together are now dating!"

Mr. Shen placed his hand on his wife's shoulder to comfort her, then turned to them, his face sharp: "You two, explain yourselves clearly. When did you start dating? How long have you been dating? Who liked whom first?"

“I liked the older sister first,” Luo Mingxiu said, “I was the one who pursued her.”

Mother Shen: "How dare you call me 'elder sister'?"

"I'm sorry, godfather and godmother, I like Shen Li."

Luo Mingxiu raised his head and met his father's serious expression. "I've liked her for a long time. After coming to this family, I received your and my sister's love and protection. I admit that my initial feelings for her were like a younger brother's attachment to his older sister. This feeling accompanied me throughout high school. I paid more and more attention to her. She made me experience my first crush, jealousy, and longing."

During the days when Shen Li was rarely home after becoming an actress, my longing for her grew wildly. I constantly thought about growing up quickly, catching up with her, and becoming a man worthy of her.

"Mingxiu." Shen Li glanced at Luo Mingxiu and reached out to pinch him.

Seeing this, Shen's mother was about to speak again, but Shen's father stopped her and gestured for Luo Mingxiu to continue.

Luo Mingxiu: "I had this kind of greed for my sister. I know that if I tell you, it would be a betrayal of you for taking pity on me and taking me in. So all these years I have kept this feeling buried in my heart. But my mother found out by accident back then. She also felt guilty towards you. After the college entrance examination, she took me away from this family."

"I once thought of never bothering Shen Li again and trying to get over this relationship, but it didn't work. Love doesn't just disappear so easily. I couldn't control my thoughts from thinking about her or watching her. It was watching her plays that helped me get out of my depressed days and made me fall in love with acting."

I started learning acting and entered the entertainment industry, thinking of silently following her and striving to be her role model.

That's what I thought when she was still married, but it wasn't until I found out she was divorced that I felt I had another chance. I'm sorry, godfather and godmother, for not telling you sooner. Please forgive me.

It took me a long time and a lot of courage to let my sister know about my heavy feelings before I dared to face myself and pursue her.

"Stop talking." Shen Li pulled him away. She didn't want to mention these painful memories, nor did she want him to think about them.

She looked at her parents and said, "Mingxiu and I only started dating in May of this year. It hasn't been long. I didn't mean to hide it. I just had my own considerations. I wanted to wait until we had dated for at least a year and our relationship was more stable before telling you the news. But now that we are going to film a movie with a kissing scene, I'm telling you in advance so you can be prepared."

Mother Shen gave a soft hum: "Just because of that?"

Shen Li blushed: "Of course there's more. Mingxiu and I grew up together. I'm afraid you won't be able to accept it right away."

Father Shen: "That's the main reason, isn't it?"

"Mm." Shen Li nodded.

Mr. Shen said to Mrs. Shen, "My daughter has always had her own ideas and her own pace."

"Yes, you've never caused me any trouble since you were little, my good daughter," Mother Shen said with a wry smile. "But when will you ever let your father and me worry about your love life? Your ex already hurt you, and now that you're starting a new relationship, you didn't tell me right away. Do you know how scared I was when I heard you never wanted to date? My heart is always with you!"

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Shen Li said. “It was my oversight. Now that you know everything, can you accept us?”

“No,” Mother Shen said, supporting her forehead. “To be honest, I can’t really accept it.”

Sure enough, Shen Li's tone was also very unconfident when she asked the last question; she knew that it was unlikely that her mother would accept it quickly.

“One is my daughter, and the other is my godson. You two have been siblings since childhood. How can I change my feelings for Mingxiu? Besides, are you two really a good match?”

Luo Mingxiu's heart sank, and he finally brought up the issue, a fact that had always existed between them and that he currently had no ability to eliminate.

Shen Li is far more outstanding than him, and he has not yet met his own expectations.

"You are inferior in age, ability, and mindset. Right now, your hormones are making you ignore these points, but that doesn't mean they won't be obstacles in your future lives."

Mother Shen looked at her daughter again, speaking earnestly, "After Fang Wei, I thought you understood that your mother hopes your partner is a man who can support you and whom you can rely on, not a man who needs your help and has to depend on you."

Luo Mingxiu's hand trembled. He had made his point very clear: the gap between them was the source of his inferiority complex. He lacked confidence, and he wouldn't have been so eager to confess if it weren't for filming a kissing scene.

But now that he's already confessed, he can't back down.

Luo Mingxiu straightened his back and said firmly, "Godmother, I've always been clear about the issue you raised. Unlike Fang Wei, I won't get married until I'm on par with Shen Li in terms of ability. We might encounter many problems in a relationship, but we'll actively resolve them..."

"How long do you want her to wait?" Chen's mother interrupted him. "You're still young, but Lili is already thirty-one. Have you thought about how much you'll hold her back if you never get ahead? Can your relationship last until marriage?"

Luo Mingxiu fell silent; he couldn't answer.

He truly hadn't considered it. He held onto hope, his goal of marrying Shen Li and spending his life with her. Rather than saying he never considered failure, it would be more accurate to say he wouldn't give himself the chance to fail.

Just like when Shen Li asked him if he would never see her again if he didn't act?

He said there are no "ifs".

He wanted to become Shen Li's man, and from the very beginning, he never made the assumption that he would fail.

Shen Li: "Mom, I have considered what you said. Because I was hurt by Fang Wei, I understand better how to treat new relationships. My whirlwind marriage with Fang Wei was the biggest mistake I ever made. I only knew one side of him and didn't listen to your advice."

"But Luo Mingxiu is different. You've watched him grow up since he was a child. You know his nature, character, and even his mother's personality very well."

Moreover, I learned from my previous experience. When I was still filming "Detective," Luo Mingxiu confessed his feelings to me. I thought it over carefully and realized that I really liked him before we started dating.

Regarding the gap, I didn't really care much about it before, but after getting to know Luo Mingxiu and understanding his thoughts, I realized that this was a problem we had to face. From the moment I signed the contract to the company, I wasn't trying to help him in any way.

Signing actors and providing resources isn't something I decide alone. Directors and investors also weigh the options. I value his acting talent, which is why I'm willing to invest in him.

The investment I made in him is no different than what I did with Sun Qi. His progress over the past year is all documented in data by Cheng Qingqing. Mom and Dad, I'm not just an actor now, I'm also a businessman. I won't hire useless people.

After these words, the villa fell silent. For a moment, the confrontation reached a stalemate. Mother Shen couldn't control her emotions and suddenly got up and walked towards the door. She secretly wiped away her tears behind their backs.

She didn't want to make them feel bad, but as a mother, she was still testing Luo Mingxiu no matter what, fearing that being soft-hearted would cause her daughter's love life to repeat the same mistakes.

Father Shen spoke up: "Alright, whether you accept it or not is not an answer we can give you right now. Let's give each other some time to think about it. I'm going to help your mother compose herself."

She had expected things to turn out this way if she came out honestly, but she wasn't discouraged. However, she couldn't bring it up again for the time being. There were still several days left until National Day, and considering her mother's feelings, Shen Li couldn't be affectionate with Luo Mingxiu. She asked him to go back early to prepare for joining the film crew.

To dispel the tense atmosphere at home, she booked plane tickets and went on a trip with her parents. During the trip, they consciously avoided mentioning the topic of romance until the end of the vacation.

Just before leaving, my parents brought up the matter again.

Father Shen: "It's right for us to know about your relationship. Your mother and I don't dislike Mingxiu, we just can't get used to it right away. You two went from being siblings to lovers."

Shen Li: "I know, and Luo Mingxiu knows too. He understands you."

“It’s good that you know,” said Mother Shen. “We’ve discussed it these past few days. We don’t object to dating, but we must be careful about marriage. We can’t let things get out of hand like before and get the marriage certificate behind our backs.”

"Although we know Luo Mingxiu very well, different people always have to go through a period of adjustment when they are together. If you have had conflicts, overcome difficulties together, and still love each other deeply and are willing to make sacrifices for each other, then it is the best time to work together."

Only then, when we discuss marriage and lifelong commitment, can we truly feel at ease and offer our heartfelt blessings.

"I understand, thank you Mom, thank you Dad, thank you so much." Shen Li couldn't say anything more than gratitude. She reached out and hugged them both, her heart aching yet warm.

Just as Cheng Qingqing said, her mother still puts her feelings first. She is very lucky to have such parents, who are the people who care about and understand her the most.

.

The last two months before the Lunar New Year were packed with work. Shen Li was dealing with a backlog of business matters, discussing next year's film and television projects with Cheng Qingqing, and also receiving an invitation to the Spring Festival Gala, which required her to make time for rehearsals.

As for Luo Mingxiu, he finished filming the spy drama after New Year's Day. Due to his singing performance at the meet-and-greet, his funny clips went viral.

Just in time for the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival, I unexpectedly received an invitation from a TV station to perform at their New Year's Eve gala. In addition to singing, I will also be collaborating with a comedy teacher on a stage.

With work proceeding at a rapid pace, Luo Mingxiu and Shen Li could only squeeze out a little time to chat online after their busy schedules. Including today, the two hadn't met for over a month.

After the recording of the gala ended, Luo Mingxiu was scrolling through his chat history in the car. The last message was sent three days ago.

When they get busy, they usually send messages in the morning and reply in the evening, or they might reply after one or two days, or even three days, as if the signal is bad.

Meeting in person is out of the question; even though we live in the same city, it feels like a long-distance relationship.

As I was flipping through the pages, an incoming call appeared on the screen: Mom.

"Hello, Mom," Luo Mingxiu answered the phone. Two dog barks came from the other end before he heard his mother's voice, "Hey son, I'm walking the dog outside. I was just wondering if you're coming home for the New Year?"

“I’ll be spending this year in City B,” Luo Mingxiu said. “Shen Li isn’t going back either. She was on the Spring Festival Gala, and I want to spend New Year’s Eve with her.”

“I guessed it,” Luo Qiuli said. “Mom didn’t want to spend the New Year alone at home, so I told you that I took Xiuxiu to Xiaoye’s house on New Year’s Eve. Her husband’s mother also came. Xiaoye said that if you weren’t going back, she wanted me to come over for the New Year’s Eve dinner to make it more lively.”

Luo Mingxiu felt a little ashamed upon hearing this: "I'm sorry, Mom."

"What's there to apologize for? Ever since you told me last time that you'd won over Lili and even told her family, Mom has been urging you to keep going and let me propose. Gold, property deed, and car are all ready. Even though Lili has everything she needs, we should still show our sincerity!"

Luo Mingxiu said, "I'm capable of preparing these myself, you can keep them for yourself."

"Wow, you've really made something of yourself, but what your mother-in-law gave you is still different. Don't try to take it from me. Oh, and I also dug out my dowry from when I got married. It was almost all ruined by that gambler before, leaving only a jade bracelet, which is a valuable antique. Oh dear, I'll give it to Lili too. I hope she won't mind."

"Stop, Mom." As his mother spoke, Luo Mingxiu couldn't help but smile. He had only mentioned that he wouldn't be going home for the New Year, and his mother had already started to imagine the future with him. Sure enough, the mother and son were just like each other.

Luo Qiuli: "Isn't thinking positively giving you more motivation? Okay, okay, I won't say anything more. Mom wishes you a Happy New Year in advance!"

Happy Chinese New Year!

"come on!"

On New Year's Eve, after listening to these two voice messages, Shen Li handed her phone to her assistant and went on stage with the other three celebrities who were about to perform together.

As the first song and dance performance of the Spring Festival Gala, she was both nervous and excited, and this feeling lasted until she made no mistakes and did not dissipate even after the performance was over.

Because she needed to rush back to see the person she missed.

This is the advantage of scheduling the show as the first episode.

Shen Li got into the car and replied to Luo Mingxiu: My performance is over!

Pear's Little Dog: I know, I'm watching the show, waiting for you to have your New Year's Eve dinner.

Luo Mingxiu took a picture of a table full of dishes, making everyone's mouths water instantly.

Shen Li typed happily: Wait, I'll be right back.