Chapter 67: Let him recognize his father's childhood life...

Chapter 67

Since Yushan became popular, it has been attracting a steady stream of tourists from all over the country.

Many online celebrities and livestreamers came to do livestreams, and coincidentally, one of the livestreamers' cameras accidentally captured a stepmother and son buying ice cream.

The streamer didn't notice it at first, but when editing the footage that evening, he noticed the two ordinary people with outstanding temperament in the video.

After a moment's consideration, he decided to keep the footage and posted the video with the hashtag "Those amazing ordinary people who accidentally wandered into the camera."

As he expected, his fans were immediately drawn to the good-looking mother and son as soon as the video was released.

[Ahhhh! The opening screen is a beauty overload!]

What's going on? Today's splash screen isn't that ugly face from the main pack anymore? Seriously, did the main pack ever hire a celebrity or an internet celebrity?

I don't recognize her; she seems like an ordinary person.

[The guy is so handsome! The main character looks like a lowly eunuch serving tea and water next to him; the contrast is stark.]

The girl was also very beautiful, like a noble lady from an ancient family. On the surface, she was elegant and poised, but when no one was around, she would reveal a cunning and playful side.

[OMG!!! Did anyone notice the expression on the guy's face when he handed the girl the ice cream? So smug and doting!]

[I suddenly remembered that the second female lead in Director Chen's fantasy drama is a well-bred lady with two contrasting personalities, one in public and one in private. I don't recall they've found a suitable actress yet, right?]

Director Chen loves to use newcomers, so perhaps...

So a group of "enthusiastic" netizens flooded Director Chen's Weibo, offering suggestions in the comments section. When Director Chen went online, he was initially confused by the screen full of comments. But after seeing the screenshots taken by the netizens, he became interested and immediately instructed his assistant to find out about the girl's background—but that's another story.

Jin Ran, who was still in Yushan, was completely unaware of this.

Back at the hotel, she first went to Xu Zhen to find out what was going on. She learned that Wang Pingping had been temporarily appeased and that the homeroom teacher had been asked to keep an eye on her. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Anyway, it's good that it's resolved."

Xu Zhen rubbed her face wearily: "If anyone says being a teacher is easy, I'll fight them!" Even during holidays, I have to be on call at any time, and it's unpaid overtime. I'm even more of a corporate slave than a corporate slave.

While speaking, she also had to move the mouse to prevent the online continuing education course from judging her as having left the site unattended.

Seeing this, Jin Ran remembered that she hadn't finished watching all her online courses. After saying goodnight to Xu Zhen, she also went back to her room to finish watching her courses.

However, before that, she noticed a small red dot appearing in her WeChat Moments.

After clicking on it, I saw the sea view post I had made on my WeChat Moments.

To fit the context, she specifically found a melancholic caption online: "[It's a rare thing to be remembered.]"

Comments section——

Xu Zhen: [Ah, I really want to go see it, but I have to work overtime.]

Teacher A: [Is Xiao Jin on a trip? The scenery is nice.]

Teacher Wang: [You're moving so fast, you've already arrived at Yushan?]

...

Jin Ran's gaze fell on the bottom reply.

Jiang Mingxu: [Someone has their eye on this]

The simple four words made Jin Ran's lips unconsciously curl into a smile. She glanced at the time; it was already twelve o'clock. She tentatively sent Jiang Mingxu a call invitation.

To my surprise, the call was connected very quickly.

After a brief silence following a "beep" notification, the receiver was so quiet that you could hear each other's soft breathing, which brushed against each other's ears with a hint of restraint, making your earlobes feel slightly numb.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Finally, Jin Ran couldn't hold back any longer and coughed, "Um, is something the matter?"

Jiang Mingxu hummed in agreement and casually asked, as if making a casual conversation, "Did you have fun?"

Jin Ran nodded, her racing heart gradually calming down, and said in a relaxed tone, "It's alright."

She then reminisced, listing the reasons why she had a great time: "I ate a lot of delicious food, visited many tourist attractions, and made many new friends."

"Sounds good," Jiang Mingxu commented calmly. Jin Ran seemed to hear the scratching sound of the pen tip gliding across the paper.

She got out of bed and sat in the bamboo rocking chair by the window: "There's a really good grilled fish place. It's a newly opened shop, so you probably haven't tried it before. I'll take you there next time. By the way, did you see that picture of the sea view?"

"I saw it, and it's even more beautiful than I remember."

A night breeze rustled the curtains, and Jin Ran sighed, speaking frankly, "Actually, it's quite different from what's online. The seawater isn't blue at all, and the beach is covered in footprints. These trendy tourist spots are really misleading."

Jiang Xuli smiled and followed her words, saying, "I've never been to Dongwan. When I was a child, I used to play on the beach behind the village. There was no one there, and the sea was quite blue."

Upon hearing this, Jin Ran became interested: "How about I tell Xu Zhen to change the location?"

"Probably not. That area isn't part of the development zone, and it's not safe to go there without professional assistance."

"Never mind then," Jin Ran said. Although she wanted to see the beautiful scenery, she valued her life even more, and then brought up the matter of Jiang Xuli being asked for her contact information.

The conversation jumped around and went off on tangents, but Jiang Mingxu was able to keep up. The two chatted for a long time without realizing it, until Jin Ran accidentally glanced at the clock on the wall and suddenly realized that it was already two in the morning!

Jin Ran was startled. She didn't have to go to work, but Jiang Mingxu did! She suddenly felt guilty, and her voice trembled with embarrassment: "Jiang Mingxu, what time did you go to sleep last night?"

"A little after two o'clock, what's wrong?"

"Let me confirm that it's not too late to contact you now."

Jiang Mingxu said, "It's never too late for you to call me."

Jin Ran had to admit that those words made her feel as refreshed as if she had drunk an ice-cold Sprite.

She rubbed her earlobe, gazing at the night view outside the window, her tone light: "You said it yourself. I might start making surprise visits in the middle of the night often in the future. What if I hear any other sounds..."

Her tone was low, carrying a sinister threat.

Jiang Mingxu found it somewhat amusing, but feigned ignorance: "Sound? For example?"

"For example, what strange woman is speaking?"

To her surprise, the other person fell silent after she finished speaking. Jin Ran's heart tightened. Had she guessed right?

She frowned, about to press for an answer, when she suddenly heard a soft laugh from the other end, as muffled as a clear spring hitting a rock: "Then you're probably going to be disappointed. The only person who could appear beside me in the middle of the night, besides Assistant Wang, is just one other person."

"who?"

When asked this, Jin Ran already had an answer in her mind, and sure enough, she heard the reply the next second: "My wife."

Um.

Mrs.

My wife.

Who says this man doesn't understand romance?

Jin Ran pursed her lips, but couldn't suppress the upturned corners of her mouth. Her round almond-shaped eyes under her willow-leaf eyebrows curved into crescents. Whether what she said was true or false, she was certainly in a good mood at the moment.

When you're in a good mood, you're naturally more willing to say nice things.

So when I hung up the phone, my "goodnight" turned into "I miss you".

"I already miss you after just one day away. I really hope to go back soon."

/

The night was like ink, splashing across the entire world in vibrant colors.

The phone screen gradually dimmed and then went completely off.

Sitting in his study, Jiang Mingxu stared at his phone screen, but his mind was preoccupied with the events of the day.

She says she misses him one minute, and then completely forgets about him the next.

What a little liar.

He shook his head, then raised his hand and opened the computer webpage—it contained the latest flight information. He stared at the screen for a moment, hesitated, and finally closed the page.

Let's wait a bit longer; now is not the time.

/

Traveling is a fulfilling yet tiring experience.

Fortunately, all three members of the group were high-energy individuals, and within a few days, they had explored all the scenic spots in Yushan and sampled many local delicacies based on recommendations.

Some snacks were delightful, while others had rather unusual flavors. The three of them forced smiles in front of the owner, but the moment he turned away, their expressions twisted in disgust.

Jin Ran also went to the beach she had been longing to visit.

Unfortunately, the beach was large and crowded with tourists. The calm sea surface was covered with a hazy, gray mist. Despite wearing a beautiful swimsuit, she couldn't overcome her psychological barrier and, like everyone else, plunged into the sea.

We rented three jet skis and took them for a spin several times with the staff.

On the fifth day, Xu Zhen returned home ahead of schedule.

Their original plan was to stay for five days, and if they had a good time, they would stay a few more days.

But Xu Zhen was worried about Wang Pingping: "That child has never received any favor from her parents since she was a child. If she doesn't even have the opportunity to study, her life will be ruined."

Perhaps because they were substitute teachers, or perhaps because they still retained their initial passion for education, Xu Zhen didn't know how other teachers would react to such a situation, but she herself couldn't sit idly by and turn a blind eye.

Even though she was just a substitute teacher.

Without saying a word, Jin Ran packed some of the Yushan specialties she had recently bought for Xu Zhen: "You haven't bought your specialties yet, have you? Take these back first."

“If a child under the age of 15 is employed as a child laborer, and the parents insist on this, they may be able to consult a lawyer.”

"Also, I remember students have social practice, right? If all else fails, we can try to find a solution from that angle."

No one questioned Xu Zhen's decision throughout the entire process. Xu Zhen was moved to tears and hugged Xiangxiang's best friend, saying, "I'm a little jealous of President Jiang now?"

Jin Ran looked puzzled: "Huh? What's wrong with him?"

"Who told him to marry a fairy like you?"

Jin Ran chuckled, then nodded seriously: "That makes sense. I'll definitely pass on your opinion to him later."

"Then forget it." Xu Zhen immediately backed down. Fairies need sunshine and rain to take care of them, and they eat dew and wind every day, and live under the moon and sleep among the clouds.

Only a capable man like Jiang Mingxu can pamper a rose that blooms freely.

/

Jiang Mingxu's hometown is a village at the foot of Yushan Mountain, a two-hour drive from the hotel. For convenience, they had to cancel their current accommodation and prepare to find a new place to stay in town.

While Jin Ran was packing her luggage, Jiang Xuli had already gone outside to rent a car.

When the drivers heard where they were going, they all raised their prices on the spot. Young master Jiang Xuli had never rented a car before. By the time Jin Ran came downstairs with her luggage, the young man had already paid twice the price to charter a minivan.

Jin Ran... seeing the boy's tense expression since morning, said nothing.

He just sighed silently to himself.

Although she didn't say it aloud, she felt that Jiang Mingxu's ex-wife had never come to see the child over the years, and she had never even heard of him. There must be some unspeakable reason behind this.

I don't know if I'll be able to meet them this time.

Thinking this way, she also remained quiet, giving the boy space to process his thoughts silently.

They set off in the morning, and the minivan didn't arrive in Pingcun until noon. Since Jiang Mingxu said that someone would pick them up, the two of them did not stop in the town and had the driver take them directly to the village.

It was midday, and many villagers were sitting under the big locust tree in the village, enjoying the cool air and chatting. As soon as the car drove in, it attracted everyone's attention.

When Jin Ran and Jiang Xuli got out of the car, the villagers stopped chatting and curiously looked at the two well-dressed strangers.

It wasn't because the two were dressed well, but rather the aura they exuded. Jin Ran wore a light blue dress, her skin as white as snow, while Jiang Xuli wore summer sportswear, tall and thin, clearly a city dweller who had never done farm work.

The villagers couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.

Pingcun is located in a remote area. Yushan's fame is like a cloud floating overhead, visible but untouchable. Now, two out-of-place city people have suddenly appeared in the village, making everyone wary and curious.

Before they could react, the woman walked over.

"Excuse me, where does Jiang Haikuo live?"

The young and pretty girl had a particularly friendly smile, with two shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth, which made people feel good about her without realizing it: "Go straight along this road, turn left after you see the big locust tree, and it's the third house on the left, the one with two stone lions at the door."

The kind-hearted older woman reached out to help with directions, and then tentatively asked, "Where are you from, young lady? Are you related to Hai Kuo's family?"

"We're practically relatives, my husband and Jiang Haikuo are childhood friends."

"Is your husband also from our village?"

“Yes.” Jin Ran smiled calmly, unmoved by the stares from all sides. “My husband’s name is Jiang Mingxu. He used to be from Pingcun. This time, he brought the child back to visit during the summer vacation so that he could recognize the place where his father lived when he was a child.”