Chapter 55
Even her former adoptive mother, though famously elegant and gentle, had her own pride and was nothing like Yuan's mother, who could care so much for her family.
To be honest, Gao Yinxi felt quite different when she was with her.
Yuan Er hugged her more gently, "There's a little surprise. I called Ahua today and told her not to overstep her bounds and interfere in our family affairs. She said she won't do it again."
Gao Yinxi looked at him in surprise, "You knew?"
“Mom told me everything today,” Yuan Ergeng sighed. “I’m sorry for making you suffer like this. I should have dealt with family matters sooner.”
...
Li Chi'an was invited by a popular island bookstore in Xianghai City to hold a book signing event at the store.
This was her first time facing readers in Xianghai City as a bestselling author, and the closer the date got, the more nervous she became.
“You don’t need to overcome nervousness; it’s our fear of making mistakes that is often the source of our anxiety,” Yu Shi said, sitting down beside her to comfort her.
Tension is the inevitable consequence of many other causes. Since tension is placed in this position, many theories say that humans have an amygdala, which constantly pays attention to the outside world. When someone is watching us, we want to escape. It is something that is hidden in our blood and genes and cannot be controlled.
Li Chi'an is a nervous person. He gets nervous when facing a group of people, let alone when he is the main character on stage.
“The closer it gets, the less I can hold back,” Li Chi’an said with a wry smile. “I try my best not to think about what it will be like on stage, but I can’t.”
"The Pink Elephant Effect".
She was told not to think about it, but she had already thought about it dozens of times.
“Yes.” Li Chi’an covered his face.
"If you need to ease your nervousness a few minutes before going on stage, I have a little trick for you."
What is it?
"You can imagine tension as a piece of paper, crumple it up, and throw it away, or imagine it as water in your hand, shake it a few times, and shake it off."
"Okay," Li Chi'an nodded. "What if it doesn't work?"
She feared that even with thorough preparations, she would still be unable to guard against it.
"Then let yourself go." Yu Shi lowered his head and kissed Li Chi'an's lips.
...
"Mom, your tie is crooked."
Before leaving home for the book signing, Chen's youngest child was busy following his mother around. But as she was leaving, he suddenly spoke up again.
She adjusted her tie and saw her son's hesitant expression in the mirror.
"What's wrong?"
"Mom, can I... go with you?" Chen asked the youngest child. "I want to go play with you."
“Sweetie, Mommy isn’t going to play, Mommy is going to work.” Li Chi’an squatted down to comfort her son. “Mommy won’t be able to take care of you when she goes on stage later.”
"Mom, give me your phone."
"What do you need my phone for?" Li Chi'an asked, pulling his phone out of his bag with a puzzled look.
After taking it from her, Chen, the youngest child, said, "I'll call my grandma now and ask her to come with us."
“Sweetie, you have a really good idea,” Li Chi’an said with a smile. “But Grandma lives a bit far away, so it’s too late for her to come over now.”
She wanted to go to the site to go over the script with the staff, which required a high degree of concentration. She couldn't take care of her son alone, but she was also worried about entrusting him to others.
She had originally asked her neighbor to help take care of Zui Zui, as the neighbor had two children who could play with Zui Zui. Zui Zui usually enjoyed playing with the brothers. However, the youngest child changed his mind at the last minute after the agreed-upon arrangement.
"Can I just stay still and not move around?"
Looking at his son with such longing eyes, Li Chi'an couldn't bear to refuse him.
After thinking for a moment, he took the phone from his son and called Yu Shi.
The two finished their conversation in just a few words.
After she hung up the phone, Chen Zui grabbed her hand and asked with wide eyes, "Mom, can I go with you?"
“Of course!” Li Chi’an took her son’s hand. “Come on, Mom will take you to change into a handsome outfit.”
"Mom, have you found someone to keep me company?" Chen Zui asked excitedly.
Li Chi'an said cheerfully, "Do you still remember Uncle Yu? He would drive to pick us up and go to the bookstore with us."
"I remember, is Uncle Yu coming? That would be great!"
Li Chi'an pulled out a set of clothes for his son to wear outside from the closet. "Honey, let's put on a coat, okay? It'll be cold outside."
“Okay.” Chen, the youngest child, happily picked out clothes with his mother.
After changing his clothes, Li Chi'an gave his son a heads-up, "Baby, it might be boring later... If you can't stand it, you can't leave early."
"It's okay." Chen Zui had already put on his little backpack and hung his water bottle around his neck. "I want to watch Mom work."
The mother and son ran into the grandmother next door at the elevator entrance. The grandmother praised Li Chi'an with eyes full of amazement, "So beautiful, so beautiful, you are beautiful every day."
Chen, the youngest child, said with a grin, "Grandma, my mom is going to a book signing event. We're going to the Island Bookstore."
"A book signing event? Are you going to the island?"
The elderly neighbor, who is in her seventies or eighties, doesn't really understand what this means. She just repeats what Chen Zui says, but that doesn't hinder their communication.
"Yes."
...
Li Chi'an led his son downstairs, and a short while later, they waited at the entrance of the community for Yu Shi to drive over.
When Chen saw Yu Shi, the youngest child was very happy and even said, "Mom, I can't sit in the front, you can sit in the front."
After saying that, he opened the car door himself, climbed into the back seat of the Land Rover, and fastened his seatbelt.
Yu Shi and Li Chi'an exchanged a smile. "I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on him today."
"rest assured."
The crowds at the bookstore exceeded Li Chi'an's expectations.
The air was filled with the aroma of coffee and the distinctive scent of new book ink. A line of people stretched from the entrance to the street corner, almost entirely women, talking in hushed tones, their eyes sharing a common expectation of seeking some kind of answer.
The queue stretched outside the door, forcing security guards maintaining order to limit the number of people allowed in.
Just before the show was about to start, Li Chi'an took Chen Zui to the restroom.
When I came out, I found Yu Shi standing in the hallway outside the bathroom waiting for me.
She led her son to his side and asked softly, "Do you think the zipper on my skirt is working?"
Yu Shi smiled and walked behind her, carefully checking her zipper. "Your bottom line is solid."
He understood what she meant almost as soon as she asked.
"That's good. As long as my zipper doesn't come off, I'm not afraid of anything else."
After laughing, Li Chi'an tossed his son to Yu Shi, saying, "I won't be able to control you guys in a bit. I believe you can manage yourselves, right?"
She said this to Shi, but her eyes were fixed on her son.
As expected, Chen, the youngest child, earnestly promised, "I know, Mom, I definitely won't run around, and I'll stay close to Uncle Yu."
Chen Zui and Yu Shi were placed in the staff area, with juice and cookies in front of them.
Li Chian had a final conversation with the staff in the waiting area, and when the time came, the bookstore manager said respectfully.
"Teacher Li, please begin."
Li Chi'an took a deep breath, walked to the signing table and sat down. Before the signing, there was an interactive session with the readers. The host invited by the bookstore this time was Yang Fan, a well-known local host from Xianghai City TV Station. She was a smart and capable lady.
As soon as the host took the stage, he introduced Li Chi'an in a calm yet humorous tone, saying, "She became an internet sensation because of a short video she edited herself to prove her husband's infidelity, and her book 'Unexpected Joy' quickly became a bestseller. The book is not only about betrayal and rebirth, but also about a cold, hard, almost cruel clarity. I think today's book signing can be called the coronation of a victor."
A round of applause erupted from the audience.
Li Chi'an's gaze met that of Yu Shi and Chen Zui, who were sitting in the front row. Yu Shi's eyes were smiling, while the youngest member of the group, Chen Zui, looked serious and was clearly listening attentively.
The interactive session begins.
As someone who used to work in the media industry, Li Chi'an knew Yang Fan and was aware of her reputation for asking tricky questions while maintaining composure.
As the host of this book signing event, she certainly didn't disappoint, quickly steering the conversation into deeper topics.
"...So do you think that the price of a woman's 'self-awakening' in a relationship is necessarily accompanied by some kind of drastic tearing apart?" Yang Fan asked.
Li Chi'an held the microphone, his voice clear and calm through the speakers, "Awakening means seeing the truth. And the truth itself carries a blade. But from now on, the one holding the hilt is oneself, not fate or others."
The applause from the audience was continuous, and the eyes of the female audience members, in particular, shone brightly.
Yang Fan's tone shifted, becoming gentler yet sharper, "We all know you have a lovely son. As a mother, how do you assess the impact of this...necessary rift on your child? How will you explain everything that happened to him?"
The question was answered, and the room fell silent for a moment.
This was a pre-planned segment, and Li Chi'an was well-prepared for it.
She took a small breath, turned her head and met her son's gaze. The little boy looked bewildered, but Li Chi'an knew deeply that her son understood more than anyone else thought.
“Since my son was born, I have treated him as an independent individual. In my family, I tell him everything that happens. I never hide anything from him; I only tell him the objective facts. He may not understand now, but as a member of the family, he has the right to know, and I believe he will understand sooner or later.” She smiled slightly at her son, then said in a gentle yet firm tone, “The breakdown of a marriage inevitably affects children, but fortunately, every child is born with the ability to heal no more than 30% or 40% of the trauma in their life. As for the rest, I can only do my best in my role as a mother. The rest is beyond my control, and we all have to learn to accept it as we grow up.”
The microphone in front of her amplified her calm and even voice, making it resonate clearly in the silent air.
At this moment, all eyes, breaths, and even the flickering light from cell phone cameras were focused on her in the center of the beam of light.
Li Chi'an sat there with his back ramrod straight, like a bamboo that becomes even more resilient after weathering storms.
She paused slightly before continuing, "A famous education expert once said that a child who loses his father loses the whole world, but to lose his mother is to lose the entire world. My first priority is to be the best version of myself, and only then can I focus on the rest."
The spotlight shone on her cheeks, making them slightly hot, but she kept looking at her son with gentle eyes.
Yu Shi sat quietly beside them, observing the mother and son. He found that Chen Zui was much calmer than he had imagined.
When Li Chi'an turned his head to look elsewhere.
Yu Shi lowered her head and asked Chen Zui softly, "Zui Zui, can you understand what your mother is saying to the host?"
“I understand,” Chen’s youngest child replied softly.
Yu Shi raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, what are they talking about?"
“They’re saying my mom and dad are divorced,” Chen’s youngest child answered fluently. “My mom said she will take good care of me and love me.”
Yu Shi smiled and mentally gave Li Chi'an a thumbs up, "Perfect score in reading comprehension!"
He couldn't help but rub the little guy's head, thinking to himself, "Your mother has raised you so well."
After the host's Q&A session ended, the interactive session with the audience began. The hands of the audience rose up like a jungle, and some even started to jeer.
Li Chi'an smiled and said, "You're all taking pictures of me with your phones, I'm so nervous. If my photos are ugly or I say something wrong, please forgive me. As for the ugly photos, please be gentle. Either help me Photoshop them, or don't post them on social media. I'm afraid I'll get criticized."
The audience burst into laughter.
The group that had just started the commotion sat down quietly again, and order and harmony were restored to the scene.
During the allotted time, Li Chi'an patiently answered everyone's questions one by one, and then proceeded to the autograph session.
The first reader was a middle-aged woman with tears in her eyes.
“Teacher Li, I have a similar experience to you.” The woman handed over the book. “After reading your story, I finally had the courage to get a divorce.”
Li Chi'an paused in signing his name.
She looked up at the stranger and suddenly realized that her words were truly changing other people's lives. "Thank you for your trust."
She said sincerely, "I believe that you will have a better life after leaving the wrong person."
The autograph session lasted for two hours, and the line was still very long.
Li Chi'an's wrists began to ache, but he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
She occasionally glanced at Chen Zui and noticed that the boy was intently observing everything, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Many fans wanted to take photos with her, and she obliged them all.
After signing another book, Li Chi'an greeted him with his head down, "Hello."
Then I heard a deep male voice.
"Ms. Li, could you please sign 'To Zhou Mingyuan' for me?"
Li Chi'an looked up and met a pair of smiling eyes.
The man was about thirty-five years old, wearing a dark blue shirt, khaki trousers, and glasses. His well-defined face exuded the calm demeanor typical of a scholar.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
