“Our family is a little different from traditional families,” Zhou’s mother explained. “Our husband is, how should I put it, introverted?”

On a whim, Zhouzhou's mother said, "Why don't you come to my house later? I'll pick Zhouzhou up and take her home for a meal. You don't need to go back to the shop. Come and visit me."

Xi Xinxin was curious about what kind of family atmosphere it would be, so she agreed. Anyway, she had nothing else to do lately.

The manicure was finished much faster than expected. Xi Xinxin looked at her hands with satisfaction. Zhou Zhou's mother pulled Xi Xinxin aside and took a picture. She then posted it on her WeChat Moments.

Xi Xinxin followed suit and posted one as well.

Xi Xinxin doesn't have many friends. It's always the same few, plus her parents. A few people from her class have added her, and although she accepted, it doesn't really matter if they're just inactive contacts.

However, whenever I post something on WeChat Moments, I usually get likes.

Among the many praises, one comment stood out: Isn't this Aunt Han Qingmeng?

This comment was posted by Liang. And the name she mentioned is indeed Zhouzhou's mother. Do they know each other?

Xi Xinxin sent a message asking.

Yi Liang quickly replied: "How come you always manage to meet such interesting people? Didn't you say you were going to her house at noon? You'll find out then."

Now Xi Xinxin was even more curious. Not just about Zhou Zhou's father, but also about Zhou Zhou's mother.

Upon arriving near the school, students were already starting to emerge. It was only the first morning. But the students who came out first were particularly confident.

Zhou Zhou and Mu Xiaoxue came out together. Mu Xue hadn't returned yet; Mu Xiaoxue checked her phone and said her older sister would pick her up that evening. She had something to do, so she stayed at school for lunch and then prepared for her afternoon exam.

After thinking about it, Zhou Zhou decided to invite Mu Xiaoxue along to her house for lunch.

When Han Qingmeng arrived at her doorstep, she realized she had forgotten her keys. Just as she was about to knock, she remembered something and took out her phone: "I forgot my keys, can you open the door for me?"

Zhouzhou noticed her mother starting to look around anxiously. She secretly smiled and shouted, "Dad! Open the door!"

Han Qingmeng immediately covered Zhouzhou's mouth: "Shh! You child! Do you really want to embarrass your mother?"

The balcony of a house on the left opened, and a short-haired woman, who looked to be about the same age as Han Qingmeng, came out. She was wearing a tank top, holding a bottle of beer, and looked down: "Hey! Going home?"

"Haha, yes, what a coincidence," Han Qingmeng said, sounding completely unnatural.

Fortunately, the door opened at that moment, and everyone went inside. Xi Xinxin heard the woman on the second floor on the left scoff and then went in as well.

What grudge do they have against each other?

On the contrary, Zhou Zhou quietly sidled up to Mu Xiaoxue and Xi Xinxin and said, "My mom has a history of romantic relationships with that aunt."

Mu Xiaoxue assumed it was Zhouzhou's father's feelings. So she nodded in understanding.

The house looked like it was cleaned every day. A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen. There were several dishes. The man who opened the door was still wearing an apron and brought out the last bowl of soup: "Please eat."

After saying that, he went upstairs.

Does your father not like us?

"Oh, no," Han Qingmeng explained. "He's a bit socially anxious. He'll calm down after a while. In our family, we tend to have the woman be the breadwinner and the man stay home. Zhouzhou's dad makes short videos. He usually stays home and does the housework."

Sure enough, Zhouzhou's dad came downstairs a little while later. He even... washed his hair, which was obviously not dry yet.

Zhou Zhou couldn't help but laugh: "Dad, you really do, hahaha, why did you have to wash your hair all the time?"

Zhouzhou's father smiled sheepishly: "At least we leave a good impression on the guests."

Xi Xinxin remembered what Yi Liang had said: "Auntie, do you know Yi Liang?"

Upon hearing the name, Han Qingmeng immediately remembered and clapped her hands: "Ah, I know her, she's a very pretty young lady. I'm good friends with her mother. She even invited me to her wedding, but as you can see, I had to take care of Zhouzhou, so I couldn't go."

"Was that the auntie from upstairs?" Mu Xiaoxue's question startled the man.

Mu Xiaoxue realized she might have said something wrong and shut up, but the man's reaction next puzzled her even more.

Zhouzhou's father lowered his head, his voice sounding very aggrieved: "I know. I knew you would marry me, but I never imagined you would still be in contact with her."

Han Qingmeng, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed Zhouzhou's father's ear and said, "She lives right next to us, so don't try this on me."

This situation left Xi Xinxin somewhat bewildered. She and Xiaoxue waited with bated breath for Han Qingmeng to explain what had happened.

It turns out that Han Qingmeng actually liked the woman upstairs from the beginning. She had been pursuing her relentlessly, but the woman kept refusing to reciprocate. Then Zhouzhou's father appeared. He did many things to finally win Han Qingmeng's heart.

So Han Qingmeng gave up pursuing Zhou Zhou's father. She gradually fell for him. After they got together, the woman finally realized she actually had feelings for Han Qingmeng, but she was too proud to confess.

After Han Qingmeng and Zhou's father bought a house, that woman also became obsessed and bought a house next door.

However, as time went on, Han Qingmeng felt somewhat awkward meeting that woman. This was because the woman had come to her house drunk and told her everything. Zhou's father was also present at the time.

He looked as if he was afraid Han Qingmeng would run away immediately.

After listening, Xi Xinxin felt a pang of emotion. She could only say that she now understood why Zhou Zhou had such a personality. It was truly closely related to her family background.

"Does that auntie have a boyfriend now?" Xi Xinxin asked, raising her hand.

This question made Zhou's father even more dejected. Zhouzhou patted her father's shoulder to comfort him: "Although Auntie doesn't have a boyfriend yet, it will take time for you and Mom to get a divorce."

That was a good way to comfort you, but don't do that next time.

After a short rest, the group took the two to the examination hall. As they got into the car, Xi Xinxin turned around and saw the woman standing on the balcony again. She was still wearing a thin vest, which Han Qingmeng didn't notice.

The woman kept staring at her. Xi Xinxin couldn't help but wonder if she had ever regretted it. Had she regretted not seizing the time to hold onto the person she loved?

Images of the three people flashed through Xi Xinxin's mind as she stepped into the car. What about her? Would she regret it?

Around three or four o'clock, Xi Xinxin had just finished the beauty treatment that Han Qingmeng had asked her to do. When she returned to the vicinity of the school, she saw a very upright girl sitting in the pavilion, taking notes.

"Mu Xue," Xi Xinxin stepped forward, "Have you finished with your work this morning?"

Mu Xue looked away from the notebook and put the pen back into her collar pocket: "It's alright."

"Are you coming to wait again tomorrow and the day after? I happen to be going to the plaintiff's house in the next couple of days. I can take care of Zhouzhou while I'm there, so you won't have to trouble me, Auntie."

“I do have some business to do, but it’s not a big deal. I’ll just spend these few days with Zhouzhou. Xinxin, aren’t you opening your shop?” Han Qingmeng asked.

"I'm actually going to the airport to pick up a friend tomorrow." Xi Xinxin knew Yu Shuwen was returning to China. This time, she and her friends were going to the airport specifically to pick her up. They had all agreed to get together while they were there.

Passengers traveling to xx, please note that boarding for flight xx is now open. Please take your belongings with you, present your boarding pass, and proceed to Gate 1. Have a pleasant journey.

The announcement was repeated several times. Xi Xinxin checked the time: "It should be correct. Shu Wen should be getting off the plane around this time. Let's wait here."

At this moment, Jinian Ya took out a red banner from her backpack: "I've recently learned a good way to pick people up."

She then held up a banner that read, "Yu Shuwen, look here!"

Xi Dai was too ashamed to look and took a step back with Xu Chacha. Xu Chacha was very well covered up, with sunglasses and a mask covering her face, but someone still recognized them on their way there. Someone asked if she was the actress.

Yu Shuwen had actually spotted the group earlier; she had initially been jogging. But when Ji Nianya raised the banner, she switched to walking, taking a long detour to arrive behind Xi Dai: "I'm here."

Ji Nianya put away the banner: "I knew it! My method of picking people up is still the most effective!"

The group struggled to suppress their urge to complain.

However, the group started chatting at this point. Yu Shuwen talked about many interesting things that happened abroad, and mentioned that Ji Nianya and Xu Chacha were now in the same school.

The two of them had so much to say. Their conversation flowed endlessly, as if their feelings for each other had never changed.

"Oh, right. I'm planning to host my own design show. I think a lot of people will come. I've learned my lesson this time! Can you be my models? I'll teach you right now!" Yu Shuwen was clearly very excited.

Xi Xinxin and others said yes.

"However, since there's not much time between you and it's just the two of you, you need to change your clothes quickly," Yu Shuwen instructed.

The group arrived at Yu Shuwen's home. A package she had sent from abroad had just arrived, containing her artwork.

Xi Xinxin opened the package and took a look. The clothes were all very stylish, and unlike the previous glamorous ones, these were clothes that could be worn casually.

One by one, the clothes were taken out and hung on the hangers.

I counted 30 items in total. That shows the sheer volume of work. As for Yu Shuwen, the host, the remaining four of them had to change clothes several times, which was quite physically demanding.

Yu Shuwen was actually a little hesitant: "I look so tired. But I don't have any other close friends in China besides you guys. Hiring models is quite expensive lately. I'll go take a look."

"I think Xinxin, Daidai, and Nianya are all doing well. But I'm afraid I won't be able to fill out these clothes because of my height." Xu Chacha is shorter than the others.

"It's alright. I've thought it all through. If clothes are only designed for height, then I'm not a good designer."

Now that Yu Shuwen has said so, everyone is relieved.

“Actually, we don’t need to spend extra money to find models. If we bring two more people, we might have time to change into the next outfit. Besides, the runway show, including posing, takes quite a long time,” Jinian Ya said. “However, we do need to train a bit.”

Xi Xinxin thought of two people: "I do have two people on my side who meet your criteria. Let me ask them."

Xi Xinxin contacted Yi Liang and Mu Xue, who initially agreed. However, they declined upon hearing about the training involved, as they had other commitments. They promised to bring friends to watch.

Mei Qing went back to her hometown as usual, so Xi Xinxin didn't plan to contact her or trouble her to come. Sasha, on the other hand, said she would come to watch, but she was completely uninterested in doing anything like a fashion show.

He relayed what she said to Yu Shuwen. Yu Shuwen wasn't surprised and still hired several models and staff: "After all, it's my first event. Spending a little money is fine."

The venue had actually been chosen in advance, and the group went there to watch. There happened to be another fashion show happening at that time, though they didn't know who was organizing it.

Since we're already here, let's all take a look and learn something from the experience.

Those people looked like they had received professional training; their steps were very similar. Yu Shuwen observed that their expressions were somewhat conflicted.

"Let's forget about it. It's too much trouble for you. I'll just hire some people instead."

Ji Nianya's eyes widened: "What? Are you kidding us? We didn't say it was troublesome."

“No. I just think…” Yu Shuwen waved her hand: “I’m afraid you’ll find it too troublesome. After all, everyone else is moving at the same pace. What if I take up your time?”

Xi Xinxin walked to the center of the group with one hand on her hip: "I think since we've all agreed, no one will feel it's a hassle. Doesn't that inspire us even more? Or do you think we can't do it, Wenwen?"

Yu Shuwen shook her head, feeling touched. She had some good friends: "Then I'll ask a teacher to teach me tomorrow! Let's do our best!"

The group put their hands together and said, "Keep it up!"

Xu Chacha doesn't have much free time, but she promises she'll practice whenever she has a spare moment.

Xi Dai has recently started working on company matters. However, she still has a lot of free time.

After two days of practice, the college entrance examination this year came to an end.

To celebrate Zhouzhou's liberation, Xi Xinxin bought some gifts and went to her house. She had contacted Zhouzhou beforehand and told her she should be home today. However, when she arrived, Zhouzhou didn't answer the phone.

Xi Xinxin called out from the doorway, "Zhou Zhou."

"Don't call her, little girl, she just went out to pick up a friend. Come sit here for a while." The voice came from the left.

That aunt who had a romantic entanglement with Zhouzhou's mother!

The aunt must have noticed that Xi Xinxin waited a while before opening the door: "Come on in. Standing for a long time must be tiring. I just made some pumpkin pancakes, I'll give you some."

Her tone of voice was different from the frivolous one last time; today it was much more composed and even had a touch of gentleness.

Xi Xinxin said "Excuse me" but still went into the aunt's house. It seemed that she really lived alone. Her belongings were very simple, so everything looked like it was for one person.

"My surname is Jiang, you can just call me Aunt Jiang."