Chapter 52 The Past

Ling Wei had a recording session in the afternoon, so she reminded her grandmother to be careful a few more times before leaving in a hurry.

Grandma Yu watched her granddaughter leave, her gaze then falling on Qu Chen, who remained silent to the side.

Without saying a word, she slapped the young man on the back as usual, causing Qu Chen to stumble forward unexpectedly.

"Our little Qu," Grandma Yu smiled, her wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out, her tone full of undisguised praise, "is truly a fine girl!"

As clever as Yu Xiufen was, how could she not see that Qu Chen was conflicted?

When I first met him, the child's eyes were vacant, and he seemed listless, as if he had lost his soul.

Standing by the sea, with such a strong sea breeze, she was worried that the child's soul would really be blown away by the wind.

After hanging out with these old folks for a few days, I'm finally starting to act like a child again. Although I still have a stern face, at least I'll avoid the snacks they offer me. Occasionally, when Old Man Li tells a joke, my lips will twitch a couple of times as I try to hold back my laughter.

It's like they've finally straightened him out a bit.

Moreover, he even became a fan of her idol, Weiwei. Don't think she didn't notice; last time, this kid secretly saved Weiwei's stage photos, but she caught him red-handed.

Bringing him to meet his idol this time should give him more energy, right?

During their casual conversations over the past few days, she learned more about the child's situation. It was quite heartbreaking. He only had one uncle, and although his family had no worries about food or clothing, his gloomy personality suggested that he probably felt empty inside, unlike her own Weiwei, who was strong both physically and mentally.

The great Yu Xiufen deserves a round of applause.

Qu Chen steadied himself and watched as Grandma Yu took the lead, borrowing a villager's kitchen to prepare to show off her skills.

"Little Qu, wait a minute, Grandma will let you taste her signature dish, the Golden Braised Pork Ribs!"

Others assisted her, and fragrant white steam rose from the stove, which Qu Chen watched intently.

He had never imagined being so naturally incorporated into such a lively circle.

And the root of all this was his impulsive act of stepping forward.

First impressions... are really important.

And he ruined his first encounter with that person.

Meanwhile, on her way to the filming location, Ling Wei rubbed her temples and asked the system in her mind, "What were the specifics of that guy's childhood?"

The system skipped a beat: "Are you starting to get curious about him?"

They say that developing a desire to explore someone is the beginning of a relationship, could it be...?

"I guess so. What if this guy talks a pitiful game but is actually plotting revenge?"

The system initially told her that this person had been abused by a nanny when he was a child, and she thought he was just a troubled youth who became a potential outlaw due to childhood trauma. But after seeing it today, she felt very conflicted.

system:......

"Wait a minute, let me take a look at the timeline."

The system came back up after a while.

"Well... his childhood was rather complicated. After his parents died early, the inheritance they left behind attracted the attention of some collateral branches of the family. These relatives tried to indirectly control the property by fighting for his custody."

The key incident occurred in the early days after he was taken in and raised by Qu Mingyuan. At that time, the nanny responsible for his care was bribed by a certain branch of the family. This nanny appeared impeccable in public, but privately subjected young Qu Chen to continuous psychological abuse and emotional neglect.

Ling Wei listened quietly.

"...The nanny deliberately ignored him when he woke up from nightmares; after discovering that he liked a certain food, she would never let that food appear on the table again; she also often instilled in him things like, 'Your uncle is busy with work and has no time to take care of you,' 'If it weren't for the money, who would take care of you,' 'You are just a burden,' and so on."

The system sighed deeply at this point. Because its consciousness had sunk into the timeline, it could see more clearly that the little child, who had clearly held back his tears, had repeatedly broken down under the provocation of the nanny's words. The nanny, however, took the opportunity to record Qu Chen's breakdowns as evidence of Qu Mingyuan's inadequate care.

“Even more serious is that once when Qu Chen was sick, this nanny deliberately fed him stale food, which caused him to be hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. Afterwards, she tried to shift the blame to Qu Mingyuan, saying that the guardian was negligent in taking care of him, in order to weaken Qu Mingyuan’s guardianship rights.”

"Qu Chen was too young at that time and could not explain what he had suffered, but the long-term damage made him more and more silent and wary of everyone."

Although Qu Mingyuan later dealt with the nanny and those side businesses, but...

The system did not continue speaking.

Ling Wei understood its meaning.

These experiences have deeply affected Qu Chen's personality, making it difficult for him to trust other people's kindness.

Ling Wei rubbed her hair. Looking at it this way, he really does look like the male lead in a redemption novel.

But what is the current situation?

Could it be that her grandmother rescued this guy without her knowledge?!

The system, sensing Ling Wei's thoughts, said: "That makes a lot of sense. The old generation's hardcore care is just the right way to cure a child like him who is lacking love."

Ling Wei: "......"

It's reasonable, but it feels a bit strange. However, considering how much he suffered as a child, she won't dwell on it.

Something else was bothering her.

Grandma Yu and her old friends have turned their sightseeing trip into a feeding spree.

Using the kitchen of a fellow villager, they prepared various dishes to supplement Ling Wei and the entire team's meals. One day it was a pot of milky white fish soup, and the next day it was a large steamed bun with a hearty filling of vegetables and meat. The aroma always managed to waft precisely into the recording studio.

"Waaah, it's been so long since I've had Grandma's buns." Zhao Xiaohe munched on a bun, her eyes narrowing into slits with happiness. "The filling is so delicious, I wish I could eat it every day."

“Exactly,” Lu Xiaoxiao said, taking a small sip of the fish soup. “It feels like all my fatigue has been cured.”

Even Ye Zhen and Sha Jing, who are usually calm and self-disciplined, couldn't help but bury themselves in showing off their dishes.

Seeing the team's overall idol status teetering on the brink of collapse under Grandma's culinary onslaught, Ling Wei, as the team leader, finally rushed forward and reluctantly blocked this sweet burden when she received another basket of golden and crispy radish cakes from Grandma.

"Grandma, stop! Stop this magic!" She grabbed her grandmother's arm, her attitude resolute. "I can't keep eating like this, or I won't be able to jump anymore!"

It was truly unexpected that their pride in self-control crumbled in front of their grandmother.

"Alright, alright, I won't see you off anymore." Grandma Yu chuckled and put the basket away. "Then you all take care of yourselves and don't tire yourselves out too much."

Ling Wei looked at the fragrant pancakes, tears welling up in her eyes, but she still firmly gave an "OK" sign.

Grandma Yu turned around and muttered, "I wonder where Xiao Qu has gone. She hasn't been seen since early this morning."

Xiao Qu doesn't need to dance; she'll just deliver it to him.