Chapter 287 Can Call Me Mom

Li Rujun left in anger.

But Qi Xi's good mood was also affected.

Zhou Heran, who had originally planned to go on stage with Qi Xiaoyun to sing a celebratory song, had his mind on his wife the whole time.

Looking around, I noticed my wife sitting alone in the corner, holding a glass of red wine, clearly drinking alone in a sullen mood.

Zhou Heran immediately handed the microphone to Qi Xiaoyun.

"I have something to do, you go up and sing."

Qi Xiaoyun was completely exasperated. "Hey, hey, this is a medley, you know. I didn't memorize your lyrics. How am I supposed to sing it all by myself if you leave?"

But Zhou Heran didn't turn around, saying, "My wife is unhappy, I have to go keep her company."

Qi Xiaoyun, left alone to clean up the mess and forced to eat a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), was speechless.

"Zhou Heran, you son of a bitch! I'm Xiaoxi's second brother, you should at least call me 'second brother' too. Is this how you respect your second brother?"

Unfortunately, Zhou only had his wife in his eyes and completely ignored Qi Xiaoyun's complaints.

With no other option, Qi Xiaoyun had to bite the bullet and go for it.

After all, it was he who volunteered to show off his skills at his little cousin's 100-day celebration and to bring Zhou Heran along.

If their fans knew that they were singing together on stage, and in a medley no less, they'd probably think Mars was about to collide with Earth.

Zhou Heran patted his butt and left, but Qi Xiaoyun couldn't leave, because it was the promise he made to Qi Chenyan back then.

If he dares to mess up this performance, then he's finished too.

*

"Is Xixi hiding here eating all by herself? Why didn't she invite me?"

Hearing that comforting, familiar voice, Qi Xi looked up, and the moment she saw Zhou Heran, tears welled up in her already red eyes and fell instantly.

"Zhou Zhou".

The little girl's tearful cry of "Zhou Zhou!" almost broke Zhou Heran's heart.

Zhou Heran didn't care about anything else and immediately pulled Qi Xi into his arms, gently stroking the back of her head.

“I’m here. If anything upsets you, just tell me. If someone bullies you, I’ll go and beat them so badly they won’t recognize their own mother. Let’s see if they dare to bully my wife again!”

Qi Xi retorted, "What if it were my own mother who bullied me?"

Zhou Heran paused, then clenched his fist and said, "I don't care if she's my biological mother or my stepmother, anyone who bullies my wife is unacceptable! Just wait, I'm going to settle the score right now..."

Seeing that Zhou Heran was about to go over, Qi Xi stopped him.

"Looks like Zhou Zhou is going to become the first brave woman to meet her mother-in-law?"

"I was indeed quite angry just now, because in her eyes, interests are far more important than me, her daughter. She was even afraid that Xiaoxiao would compete with me for the inheritance of the group. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

Zhou Heran also said in a deep voice, "Although I know she has done a lot of outrageous things before, Qi Siyue has already gone to South Africa to make amends for his mistakes, yet she still hasn't fully woken up and is still thinking about fighting for control of the group?"

"It's utterly absurd. She should be exiled to South Africa along with Qi Siyue. Only by experiencing the customs and culture of South Africa will she not have time to think about those irrelevant things."

Qi Xi's mind conjured up the image of Li Rujun tanned to the point of looking like an African chicken, and he burst out laughing.

"After the 100-day celebration goes smoothly, I'll have a talk with Shen Yan. After all, we're her children, so it's not appropriate for us to take direct action. Otherwise, she might gain the moral high ground."

"When the time comes, let Shen Yan take action. He'll teach her a lesson she won't dare to covet anything that doesn't belong to her."

Qi Xi nodded and hummed in agreement, her voice still slightly nasal from crying.

Zhou Heran used one hand to carefully wipe away her tears, little by little.

"Shall we go listen to your second brother's ghostly wails now?"

Qi Xi was amused again, "Second Brother is at least a top star in the music industry, just like you. If you describe his singing like that, he'll probably fight you to the death, right?"

"That's an understatement. If he weren't your second brother, you wouldn't know how awful the insults we exchanged back then were."

Qi Xi said that of course she knew: "Then you definitely didn't say as bad things as I did. I remember that my second brother's fans came to the super topic to make sarcastic remarks. It was the middle of the night."

"When the big fan shouted in the group, we all rushed into the super topic and fought fiercely inside. The battle results can be verified."

Zhou Heran chuckled as he hugged his wife. "I never imagined that my wife would be so brave and selfless in fighting for me in places I didn't know or could see. I'll go to the supertopic later and save all the records of my wife's bravery for me."

"When we get old, I can take it out and show it off to other old men. That's the glory my wife earned fighting for me, something they definitely don't have."

Very well, poor Qi Xiaoyun, once again became the mediator in their relationship.

Qi Xiaoyun, who had just breathed a sigh of relief after finally finishing the medley, suddenly sneezed.

He touched his nose. "It must be Zhou Heran talking badly about me behind my back!"

*

Xiaoxiao suddenly started talking when she was about ten months old.

Normally, babies start making babbling sounds between six and nine months of age.

They usually start talking around twelve to eighteen months old, so Yu Li and Qi Chenyan simply taught her to say "daddy" and "mommy".

But they only taught them briefly, as they all felt that this matter couldn't be rushed and that it was best to proceed step by step.

And this day, it seemed, was just an ordinary afternoon.

Yu Li is on vacation and is having afternoon tea with her baby in the garden.

A thick, very soft Persian blanket was spread on the grass, making it easy for Xiaoxiao to crawl around on it.

Although Yu Li was on leave, she was promoted to director after returning to work from maternity leave.

The workload increased significantly, so even on her vacation, she still had work to handle.

The laptop is on the small table, and I'm replying to emails.

Although she was busy, Yu Li kept an eye on Xiao Xiao out of the corner of her eye.

Suddenly, Xiaoxiao, who was crawling on the ground, stood up.

Yu Li's fingers stopped typing on the keyboard immediately.

She was both delighted and afraid to make too much noise, lest she frighten the baby.

"Xiaoxiao, come here to Mommy."

Yu Li put down her computer, squatted down, and opened her arms to Xiao Xiao.

Since it was the first time she had stood up and walked, Xiaoxiao was still wobbly.

But when she heard Yu Li calling her, she swayed but walked toward her mother with great determination.

Yu Li called out to them while taking out her phone to record a video.

The moment my baby learns to walk for the first time is such an important one, it must be recorded.

Just as Xiaoxiao was about to walk up to her, her little mouth opened and closed, uttering very clear words.

"Mother."

Yu Li almost dropped her phone. "Xiaoxiao, what did you call me just now? Can you say it again?"