Chapter 105

Entering the game, Ranlong stood in a room.

Adjusting my perspective, I was greeted by a room full of paintings. From a distance, I couldn't make them out, but as I got closer, I realized they looked exactly like those candid photos in my album!

Looking around, he found a bed in the room with a human-shaped pillow with a strange print on it. After looking up and down, he couldn't figure it out, so he just lay down on the bed.

As soon as she lay down, her ugly, flat sleeping face instantly filled the entire screen...

Walking out of the room, the scenery outside was even more so. The beach was filled with people picking up shells, and the ginkgo trees were filled with people picking up leaves...

She sighed and was about to quit the game, but she saw the sky in the game darken and crackling sounds came from behind her. She turned around and saw colorful fireworks in the sky forming seven big words: Ranlong baby, I love you!

…

Do you have to be so unsophisticated?

She suddenly recalled Boss Huan, who had come to her livestream that day to fight back against anti-fans, the exaggerated unicorn dialog box, and the dazzling typing effects...

There are also those weird-shaped toys on the street stalls, 3D printed dragons...

Isn’t Qiu An’s aesthetic actually a bit uh… primitive?

Having said that, although it is very tacky and very crazy, why is it that when she looks at the photos all over the ground and the fireworks in the sky, she feels a little bit fond of them and a little bit moved?

Aesthetics assimilated?

Well...if he is assimilated by Qiu An, the original point will be fine too.

-

New Year's Day comes after Christmas. Qiu An participated in the live broadcast of Xindu's New Year's Eve Gala this year. Ranlong had work on the two days before and after, so he couldn't make it to Xindu in time. Unfortunately, he had to celebrate the New Year with the two ladies at home.

Ranlong didn't want Hu Fanghui to work hard, so he bought some base sauce, dipping sauce and side dishes and made hot pot at home.

Hu Fanghui taught Pei Chunlai how to make tripe, shrimp balls and dip them in sesame sauce. Ran Long was left out and felt very lonely.

When Qiu An came on stage, the three of them turned off the fire, put down their chopsticks and watched the show carefully.

New Year's Eve parties often feature singing and dancing performances, and Qiu An was no exception. According to the program, she would sing two theme songs from TV series and movies she had appeared in.

The lights gradually dimmed, and when they came on again, Qiu An was already standing in the center of the stage.

She was wearing a long blue dress covered with sequins. The hem of her skirt dragged on the ground, sweeping across the golden ribbons on the ground, like a light boat floating in the shimmering ocean current under the setting sun.

Ranlong didn't seem to remember ever hearing Qiu An sing. Neither of them were singers, and they weren't particularly interested in singing or music, so they hadn't gone to KTV together in college.

After the prelude, Qiu An picked up the microphone. After a brief, gentle intake of breath, a gentle, generous, and moving voice emerged. Her breath was steady and clean, and her pronunciation was clear and unforced. Although her technique was not as good as that of a professional singer, her emotion was as rich as a musical.

After the song was over, the audience's cheers and applause were deafening. The camera swept across the audience seats, and the blue and white fan light boards merged into the sea and waves, surging with the crowd.

Looking at the people and scenery in the camera that were so beautiful that they seemed out of this world, Ranlong smiled foolishly.

The boat has passed through thousands of mountains, and from then on, all the mountains have become the scenery that sets off you.

She heard Qiu An say "thank you" and then heard her say "thank you".

Ranlong replied softly, "You're welcome," and then added, "Thank you even more."

Qiu An finished her performance and left the stage, and Hu Fanghui turned on the induction cooker again. Steam quickly rose, and the eyes of the three people were covered with mist.

Hu Fanghui coughed lightly to break the silence. Even in front of the other woman's mother, her desire to kidnap her daughter did not subside. She said to Pei Chunlai tentatively, "Our daughter is so talented. She is beautiful, can act, and can sing. What an amazing girl!"

Pei Chunlai nodded, as if agreeing to the title "our daughter", which made Hu Fanghui very happy.

Ranlong stretched out his chopsticks to pick up the last shrimp paste rolling in the pot, but before he could touch it, Hu Fanghui knocked the chopsticks away.

"What! What are you doing?" Ranlong picked up the chopsticks indignantly and wiped them clean with a wet towel.

Hu Fanghui scolded her: "You have no respect for your elder sister. Learn more from your elder sister!"

Ran Longhe replied: "Why am I being disrespectful? Also, who is your sister?"

"Of course it's your sister An An! You're already grown up, you should save the last bite of good food for us elders!"

“Tsk!”

She and Qiu An were originally just an ordinary couple. Wouldn't it be a bit too exciting for Hu Fanghui to claim all these relatives?

"Come, sister, you can have this shrimp ball."

Hu Fanghui scooped out the shrimp paste and gave it to Pei Chunlai. Pei Chunlai was polite to her and wanted to give the shrimp paste to Ranlong.

"Hehe! You're already grown up, so of course you should save the last bite of good food for the youngest in the family!" Ranlong was happy, "I'll learn from my sister's mother!"

Arguing, pushing and fighting.

She didn't remember who ate the shrimp paste in the end. She only remembered that Hu Fanghui said something very harsh to her. She said, "Then I don't want to be your mother anymore!"

Hu Fanghui also remembered Ranlong's harsh words. She said, "I don't want Qiu An to be your daughter anymore!"

In the end, they parted on bad terms. When they came back together to apologize, Pei Chunlai had already quietly cleaned up the table.

The three of them continued to sit on the sofa and watch the live broadcast. After half past eleven in the evening, Hu Fanghui leaned on the sofa, drowsy and occasionally snoring, while Pei Chunlai was still staring at the TV alertly.

It turns out that sleep quality can be hereditary, Ranlong thought.

It seems that if Hu Fanghui wants to be Qiu An's mother, the only way is for her to marry Qiu An. Hehe.

When the countdown was about to begin, Qiu An returned to the stage. Ran Long was about to wake Hu Fanghui up when Pei Chunlai gently tugged at Hu Fanghui's clothes and woke her up first.

As Hu Fanghui called out "An An" and "Daughter", the countdown ended and streamers fell like a rainstorm. Outside the house, it was still quiet because of the ban on fireworks. Fortunately, the sound effects on TV made up for this regret.

The host asked everyone to hug the people around them, so Hu Fanghui hugged Ranlong and Pei Chunlai together.

Ranlong wasn't used to such heartwarming family moments, and she awkwardly tilted her head to watch TV. She wanted to see who Qiu An hugged first. Regardless of whether that person was a woman or a man, old or young, they would become Ranlong's mortal enemy for the new year. She was just that petty.

Unexpectedly, Qiu An didn't move, as if she hadn't heard what the host said, or noticed everyone around her hugging each other. She stared silently ahead, letting the ribbons fall all over her, tangling her like a vine monster.

Ranlong felt sorry for her seeing her alone. Although with Qiu An's fame and status, she would not be isolated like this for too long, but the people standing next to her at the moment were colleagues with whom she had little cooperation. It would not be a wonderful thing to hug her work partners at the beginning of the new year.

To Ranlong's surprise, the first person to run over and hug Qiu An was actually Xinlong, who was standing at the other end of the stage. Xinran and Xinchi followed behind and quickly reached Qiu An.

"I caught you, Sister Xiao An! Where is Sister Xiao Ran? Didn't Sister Xiao Ran come?" Xinlong hugged Qiu An, muttering to herself while taking off the messy ribbons on her head.

"Your sister Xiaoran should be watching a show on TV." Qiu An told her.

"Oh, let's say hello to her!"

There were countless cameras at the live broadcast site, and Qiu An didn't have much stage experience, so Xinlong taught her how to capture the shots.

So when the Steadicam swept over, Ranlong saw Qiu An, who was sandwiched between the heart-stealing girls. She was always calm in front of the camera, but now she raised her arms high and made a big heart with Xinlong, and secretly made a small heart with her free hand.

I don’t know if the people in the audience were fans of the Heart-Stealing Girl or Qiu An, but when they saw their idol making sweet gestures of love to everyone, they roared and scared the three people in front of the TV.

Ranlong took the opportunity to break free from his embrace and coaxed Hu Fanghui and Pei Chunlai to sleep. She then returned to Qiu An's room, hugged the pillow that was stained with her scent, and took a few deep breaths.

The scent of cedar in the wind was something she used often. Now that Qiu An used it more often, when she smelled it, she felt a sense of security as if Qiu An was by her side.

Next year, no, this year, she must take on more roles to raise her profile. It would be best if she could win a few more awards, and even be named Best Actress.

She wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with Juan.

This way, she can hug her first on New Year's Eve.

-

The Chinese New Year was celebrated late this year. After New Year's Day, Qiu An had a few days of vacation, but she stayed in Xindu and did not come back.

When Ranlong asked her, she said that she wanted to get together with colleagues and friends in Xindu, and then said that she was tired from the journey and wanted to stay where she was and rest for a while.

Ranlong knew that Qiu An was running away, and she was not ready to face Pei Chunlai.

But she missed Qiu An so much that no matter how sweet or explicit the conversation on the phone was, it couldn't relieve her hunger in the slightest.

Qiu An was indeed still hesitating.

In fact, she also understood that as a human being and a woman, asking Pei Chunlai, a mother, to be brave and stand up for her child was a form of moral kidnapping.

Calling Pei Chun selfish or cowardly is simply human nature. Any condemnation is like stating a fact, irrelevant.

Besides, it makes no sense to blame ordinary, self-protective mothers just because there are great, self-sacrificing mothers in the world.

Qiu An was still thinking that maybe she had no right to blame Pei Chunlai.

When she left Luochuan, she left a mess behind and left without looking back, but she still failed to take Jiang Ting with her.

If her identity and age were swapped with Pei Chunlai's, perhaps she would be as timid as Pei Chunlai and act cold and ruthless in order to protect herself.

Sixteen or seventeen-year-olds are fearless, untouched by the world. With nothing but a desire to make a difference, they assume they can step on the shoulders of their mothers. They often forget that troublemakers are the ones who get into trouble. Mothers in their forties and fifties are always the ones cleaning up the mess. How can we expect someone who knows how difficult it is to deal with milk dripping into the cracks in the floorboards, chili oil, and menstrual blood soaking into clothes to do so with ease?

But it seems unfair to Jiang Ting that they could resolve their differences so easily, reunite as mother and daughter, and live a happy life together.

Qiu An can let it go because no one calls her Jiang Huan now. She can choose to turn a blind eye to the grudge between Pei Chunlai and Jiang Huan.

But Jiang Ting will never have the chance to change her name, never have the chance to forgive, or even have the chance to feel resentment.

Qiu An was leaning on the fence of the hotel terrace smoking when the doorbell rang inside the house.

Maybe they were here to clean, or maybe room service went to the wrong door.

Qiu An ignored him and waited for the man to come in or leave on his own.

But the doorbell rang many times and showed no sign of stopping. Qiu An could only put down his cigarette impatiently and go to open the door.

Ranlong came to pick up Qiu An and took her home. He felt it would be boring to go empty-handed, so he bought a big bouquet of flowers.

Finally, I opened the door and saw the lover I had been thinking about day and night. Before I could say hello, the door slammed shut again.

Ran Long's face turned black, but the wind from the door brought a faint smell of smoke. He immediately understood what was going on and could not bear to blame Qiu An.

She leaned close to the crack in the door and could hear the rustling sound of the fan inside. After a while, Qiu An came over again. She stood at the door, put her hand on the door handle, pressed and released it, pressed and released it again.

Ranlong chuckled. Qiu An was probably the most torn person in the world at the moment. He was afraid that she would wait too long, but he was also afraid that she would smell the smoke. When would be the best and most appropriate time to open the door?

Maybe there is no best time.

Because when Qiu An opened the door, Ran Long was not only waiting anxiously, but he also smelled a hint of smoke.

"You're smoking behind my back again." Ranlong complained softly.

She put down the flowers and picked up Qiu An instead. Qiu An's feet were lifted off the ground. She held Ran Long's shoulders and lowered her head to kiss her gently.

"I didn't mean to hide it from you. I just didn't want you to inhale secondhand smoke."

"I don't smoke secondhand smoke, so you can just smoke firsthand smoke, okay? How about this? If you feel like smoking, just kiss me and I can help distract you."

"don't want."

Qiu An struggled slightly, and Ranlong put her on the bed.

"Why not?"

"Because I want to kiss you every moment, and I don't want you to misunderstand that I kiss you because I want to smoke."

After saying that, Qiu An kissed Ranlong, his tongue rolling heavily over her lips that were chilled by the cold wind, and the warm and eager tongue lingering behind her teeth.

Qiu An reached out and pulled, and without much force, Ranlong fell onto the bed.

She rolled over, straddling Ranlong and stripping off her coat. The sweater clung to her body, outlining her beautiful curves, making Qiu An's mouth water. But her fingers were too cold to dare to intrude, so she had to carefully trace through the clothes.

"Why did you come here alone without even saying hello?"

"Hmph~" Ranlong moaned softly at the teasing, and coughed awkwardly to cover it up. After covering it up, she started to act coquettishly, "Because I missed you so much."

"Since you think so much of me, can you allow me to do whatever I want?"