"Okay!" Zhang Hongmei knew that Huang Meihua was not feeling well today and that there was a bit of oxygen deprivation in the room, so she was afraid that Huang Meihua would feel uncomfortable and withdrew as she wished.

"You must be incredibly bored following this old woman, right?"

"How could that be? You don't know, I don't have any playmates. The girls don't play with me. In the village, I just chat with the older people."

"You can do that?"

"Of course, my great-grandmother loves me very much, as do my first aunt, my second aunt, my third aunt, and all my aunts love me very much."

"Why aren't there any girlfriends?"

"They all don't play with me, except for Er Ya, who is from my third aunt's family and doesn't look down on me."

"Let me tell you, none of my girlfriends like me."

"They're just jealous of you."

"Is that so?"

"Of course! I have girlfriends too. Girls can be incredibly jealous. In the village, where things are a bit more innocent, you wouldn't believe it. Your grandfather was especially popular with the girls back then. Whenever he had a party, the girls would always try to sabotage each other. The worst time was when a pretty, introverted girl had her clothes ripped off, just because your grandfather glanced at her."

Actually, your grandfather was only ten years old at that time. What could he possibly know?

That girl hanged herself when she got home that night. What a tragedy.

"They're so fierce! My grandfather is ten years old, how old are they?"

"The oldest was ten years old, and I'm only just beginning to remember things, but I've never forgotten this incident in my entire life. It feels like it just happened. I can still clearly remember what they looked like, what they said, and what they did."

"It's unimaginable; the malice of children is even more terrifying." Zhang Hongmei was a little scared. In both her past and present lives, she had always lived in ordinary families and had never encountered anything like this before. It had completely overturned her understanding of the world. From now on, she would stay away from girls no matter what; who knew when they might go crazy?

"That's why I say it, it's not a bad thing that you suffered when you were young. Even if the girls in the countryside are very jealous, they still have their limits. But you don't know, the malice of those girls who live in the backyard all day can kill you."

"That's terrifying, I'm scared."

"Hehe, can I say that you've been too well protected?"

"Me? If it's really about scheming and backstabbing, I really wouldn't do it. I hate that kind of life."

Also, I wouldn't do anything crazy for a man.

I've always believed that what's mine is mine, and what's not mine, I wouldn't even dare to hope for.

“Hongmei, I’m really disappointed. My godmother actually had her eye on you from the beginning to make you the matriarch of the McCann family. No matter that you’re already married, or that he’s some big shot, as long as you have feelings for Carlos, I wouldn’t hesitate to offend him.”

But you didn't give Carlos a single chance. I'm too old for that; I would never force someone to do something against their will. So I can't wait any longer. I want Carlos to get married and to have an heir as soon as possible.

Not to mention Anne, my thinking is particularly old-fashioned; the head of the McCann family can only be a man.

Zhang Hongmei nodded; she understood Huang Meihua's thinking. That's how traditional thinking works.

“Annie really angered me yesterday. If our family were just average and she wanted a better life, I would pretend I didn’t have this granddaughter and let her do whatever she wanted. But this family cannot have someone who smears our reputation like this.”

She's really getting old; the topic has come up again, and it really upset her.

The two of them were lounging on the sofa, chatting casually, but they both felt their relationship growing closer. It was starting to feel like they were best friends.

Anne woke up and was escorted downstairs by the maid.

The little girl was still listless, especially after seeing that her grandmother wasn't as affectionate towards her as usual. She became even more upset.

Zhang Hongmei sat up straight, took Annie's hand, and made her sit next to her.

"Baby, are you awake? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Annie shook her head. "Mom, I'm much better now. Grandma, are you unhappy? Did Annie do something wrong?" the little girl asked cautiously.

Huang Meihua sat up straight. "Annie, Grandma is telling you this for the last time today: people in the McKen family can't be actors. If you really insist on going, then you're no longer a member of this family. Not with me. No reason why."

If you obey, that's fine. But if you insist on doing things your way, then you're not a member of this family, you're not our child.

Annie burst into tears, "Grandma, I don't want to be an actress, please don't abandon me!"

Zhang Hongmei patted her back and said, "Okay, don't cry. Annie, tell Grandma what you saw today."

Let's change the subject quickly; I honestly don't know how to mediate between them.

Annie sobbed, nestled in Zhang Hongmei's arms. She stole a glance at her grandmother, then quickly looked away, startled.

It took Zhang Hongmei a while to coax Annie into stopping crying.

I poured her a glass of water and coaxed her to drink it.

Huang Meihua was filled with regret, wishing that this were her daughter-in-law. Unfortunately, Carlos didn't have that kind of luck.

Annie calmed down. "Grandma, I really don't want to be an actress anymore. Today I finally realized how hard they work and how little dignity they have."

Huang Meihua reached out and touched Annie's face. "Baby, you'll understand what Grandma means when you grow up. You are the eldest daughter of the McCann family. You should be a dignified and elegant goddess, not a prostitute who sells her smiles. You will bring shame to the McCann family."

"Grandma, I won't do it again. I'll be good."

Zhang Hongmei didn't know what Annie was really thinking, but she still decided to tell her. "Annie, because of what you said, Grandma got sick. Grandma isn't feeling well, so she has to go to the hospital tomorrow."

After Zhang Hongmei finished speaking, Annie burst into tears again, this time clinging to Huang Meihua's arms. "Grandma, please don't be angry. I will be good from now on and will never make you angry again."

Huang Meihua's eyes also reddened, and she kept stroking Annie's back. "Yes, Grandma believes in you. My Annie is an obedient and sensible child."

Beth and his son returned home early today, as they were still unsure of how things were going with Annie. When they got home, they found the mother and her three children huddled together watching TV.

Carlos sensed that Annie was definitely different from usual today, and glanced at Zhang Hongmei with some concern.

Seeing her smile, I finally felt half relieved.

Before dinner, Zhang Hongmei thought it best to say it now: "Godfather, I'll accompany you and Godmother to the hospital for a full check-up tomorrow."

Beth immediately looked at Huang Meihua; his wife really seemed a bit listless and her complexion wasn't good.