Chapter 55 The light bulb is on again.
Si Yuming said there was no need to worry about Lin Qiliang, so Lin Ke didn't go and cause any more trouble. She only called him before returning to Moscow and chatted for about ten minutes, and then didn't have any further contact with him.
Si Xiaotie was always very sad every time they parted. Lin Ke had to coax the little girl for a long time before she would let go. After she came back, it took her two days to recover before she could get back to work.
As the year draws to a close, various foreign affairs activities increase, and their workload increases accordingly, keeping them busy every day.
After a few months, Lin Ke has become familiar with all the work content and procedures, and can handle things on her own even when Sister Zhang and Xiao Qin are away.
She is growing at a visible pace, not only in translation skills, but also in interpersonal skills, organizational skills, and all aspects that she couldn't access before in the company.
In mid-December, the publicity department said they were coming to film a New Year's Day promotional video, and Sister Zhang and her colleagues asked her to participate.
During every meeting, exhibition, or visit, the translator would appear briefly in news clips, but nameless. Sister Zhang said, "This is your first time shining in front of the whole country and the world, so you have to prepare well."
Lin Ke was a little nervous. As soon as she got home from get off work, she started picking out clothes. Si Yuming and Si Xiaotie were on the other end of the video call.
"Mom looks good in this."
"This one looks good too."
Wow, this is so beautiful!
Lin Ke put down the dress in her hand and smiled helplessly: "Baby, which one doesn't look good?"
Si Xiaotie laughed happily and leaned against his father's chest, saying, "Mom looks good in everything!"
Lin Ke was unsure of what to do, so she looked to her child's father for help.
Si Yuming made a decision directly: "The apricot color suits you; it's a gentle color."
She looked at the apricot-colored suit on the bed and thought it was quite suitable, so she didn't hesitate any longer: "I'll take this one."
It was already very late in China. After making a few phone calls, Si Xiaotie fell asleep, and Si Yuming took his phone back to his room.
Lin Ke leaned against the bedside, "Si Yuming..."
"Um?"
I'm a little nervous.
Si Yuming sat down at the small desk in the bedroom and looked at her intently. "What are you nervous about?"
"I don't know, maybe...maybe my name will be on the screen this time."
"This isn't the first time; it's happened several times before."
Lin Ke asked in surprise, "How did you know? Did you see it?"
“I saw it,” Si Yuming said. “This is an opportunity for everyone to get to know you. Don’t be afraid. Just be your most authentic self. There’s no need to put on an act.”
Lin Ke was still worried. She picked up a mirror from the dressing table next to her and looked at herself, saying, "Have I become uglier lately... Hmm... Why does it look like I have a pimple?"
Remove the mirror, and Si Yuming sees a bitter face. Lin Ke points to her forehead, "Look, here!"
Si Yuming chuckled softly, "I see it, it's huge."
"..." After two seconds of silence, the woman glared at him, her previous coquettish tone turning "cold," and said, "I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm hanging up."
Si Yuming quickly comforted her: "Whether you have pimples or not doesn't affect your beauty and confidence. In Xiao Tie's and my eyes, you are the most beautiful wife and mother in the world."
Lin Ke curled her lips into a smile and glanced at him: "Disgusting, I'm hanging up."
She pressed the hang-up button immediately, somewhat dazed, but her smile deepened a few seconds later.
That's such a cliché statement.
......
I arrived at the office early the next day.
In the promotional video, she mainly represents the translation department. The video first shows her working, and then she says a blessing to the camera.
At nine o'clock, several colleagues came over carrying a camera, making quite a scene.
While they were setting up the equipment, Lin Ke sent a message to Si Yuming: "We're here, get ready to begin."
Si Yuming: [Take a picture and let me see it.]
Lin Ke sent him a photo of the office, and he replied: "I'm not looking at them, I'm looking at you."
She paused for a moment.
I'm not replying.
Xiao Qin, sitting next to her, swiveled her chair, wanting to speak to her, but before she could even open her mouth, she exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, Sister Lin, why are your ears red? Are you nervous?"
"No...no, it's about to start, isn't it?"
"Yes, I heard that this promotional video will be broadcast on Russian state television. The ministry attaches great importance to it, and even the minister will appear on it."
"oh."
Lin Ke didn't quite hear what Xiao Qin said.
She glanced down at her phone, then quickly turned off the screen.
The entire shoot lasted half a day, and my colleague said it would all be edited out before New Year's Day.
After waiting a few days for the rough cut, Lin Ke sent it to Si Yuming. Si Xiaotie replied with a voice message: "Mom, you're amazing!"
Lin Ke replied: 【Thank you, baby.】
Si Xiaotie: [Mom, I'm on vacation next week, wait for me!]
Lin Ke: [Okay, I'll wait for you.]
Then it was Si Yuming's turn: "Honey, we're going over next Friday. Aunt Chen is coming too. I bought a house near your place, so we'll stay there."
Lin Ke initially wanted to say he was wasting his time, but in the end he didn't. He was an adult, and he had his own considerations. Besides, Aunt Chen was coming over, and her little house really couldn't be lived in.
Upon hearing her two sentences, Xiao Qin looked on with envy: "Sister Lin, is your daughter coming over?"
"Yes, her kindergarten is on holiday, so her dad brought her here."
"How many days will you stay?"
"I'll go back after the New Year and when school starts."
"Go back after school starts?" Xiao Qin's voice grew increasingly envious. "What about your husband? Is he coming with you?"
"I don't know yet."
Si Xiaotie is going to stay for the entire winter break. I guess he'll only stay for a few days before going back.
At this point, Lin Ke sent a message asking: "[How many days will you be staying?]"
Si Yuming: [I'll stay the same number of days as Xiao Tie.]
Lin Ke: [?]
Si Yuming: [The company's cooperation with Moscow and West Asia has been deepening recently. Si Yun is setting up an office in Moscow, so I'm here to coordinate the work.]
Lin Ke: [?]
This time it was Si Xiaotie who replied. He must have been taught; his little voice was soft and sweet: "Mommy, be a good girl and wait for Daddy and me to come find you, okay?"
After putting down her phone, Xiao Qin began to complain: "Sister Lin, I really envy you. Your husband is so handsome and rich, and most importantly, he's willing to spend time and effort on you. My husband hasn't come once in almost two years since I moved here."
Lin Ke didn't know how to comfort her, so she could only lean closer and listen attentively to what she had to say.
Xiao Qin rambled on for seven or eight minutes, and Lin Ke felt bad listening to her.
Just like Sister Zhang said, if the couple can get through the hurdle of being stationed in a foreign place, everything will be fine; if they can't, everything will be a mess.
She and Si Yuming also faced difficulties, but fortunately they pulled through.
As Xiao Qin finished speaking, she repeated, "Sister Lin, I really envy you."
Lin Ke looked over and gently advised, "Xiao Qin, outsiders can't interfere in your and your husband's affairs, but things haven't been as smooth as you imagine. After my daughter was born, my husband and I went through a lot of things. He was often away on business trips, and we almost got divorced."
"Huh? Really? Your husband seems to treat you so well."
"It hasn't been easy for us to be where we are today." Lin Ke slowly came to understand many truths and gradually matured in this marriage. Her gaze drifted into the distance, and her voice was gentle: "Whether two people come together because of love or other reasons, it is fate. If you want to go on for a long time, it can't be just one person giving. There must be love and responsibility. Both sides should communicate honestly and not keep things to themselves."
“He is my lover, not my enemy. After the children grow up and my family leaves, he will be the only one who stays with me until the end of my life.”
“Being good to him is also being good to myself.” Lin Ke seemed to have figured something out and looked at Xiao Qin again: “Of course, the premise is that the person is worth it.”
Xiao Qin bit her lip, her eyes reddening: "Sister Lin, I want a divorce."
Lin Ke neither supported nor opposed it: "Divorce is the result, not the method."
...
The promotional video was broadcast on Russia's official state television the day before New Year's Day, and was also shown several times on CCTV in China. At the same time, it was pushed out by all the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' new media accounts.
The promotional video showcased the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' overseas presence. Lin Ke only appeared briefly for about ten seconds in the three-minute video, but in those ten seconds, she received countless admiring glances.
Her colleagues back home praised her for her excellent photography, her teachers and classmates congratulated her on the start of her career, and her former colleagues from the translation company sent her many messages, especially Ma Chanchan, who called her for half an hour.
Of course, there were also family members; Si Yun, unusually, took the initiative to send her a congratulatory message.
Over the course of the year, her relationship with Si Yun gradually changed. They weren't very close, but they were no longer distant either. When they were alone at home, they could still talk and chat.
What was most surprising was that Si Yuming said in the evening: "Today, Xiaotie asked Teacher Bai to play this video several times in class. Teacher Bai said that every time she saw Xiaotie, she would loudly introduce her as her mother, and in the end, the other children complained."
Lin Ke was speechless: 【This Si Lezhen!】
Si Yuming turned on the video, pointing the camera outwards at the little figure who was packing his luggage. The little figure was muttering something:
"I need to bring all of these: dinosaur socks, panties, and my dinosaur pajamas."
"Don't forget the storybook for the baby Stegosaurus, and the water bottle too, drink plenty of water."
The little girl with short legs ran to grab a bunch of storybooks and stuff them into her suitcase, then went to the bedside table to get a water bottle. When she came back, she finally saw her dad's webcam, tilted her little head in front of the lens, and saw a big face in the picture. "Daddy, are you talking to Mommy on the phone?"
"right."
Si Xiaotie immediately went around to the front and snuggled into his father's arms, crying, "Mom!"
Si Yuming switched to the front-facing camera, and the mother and daughter met.
The girl blinked: "Mom, are you ready?"
Lin Ke knew what she was talking about, blinked, and replied with a smile, "Ready?"
Si Yuming's house is not far from the embassy. The house had been cleaned in advance, and the furniture and appliances had been purchased. She also moved some essential items over last night and made the bed.
She herself was equally prepared to welcome them.
See you tomorrow!
"See you tomorrow."
......
The next day was New Year's Day, and Lin Ke went to pick them up from the airport early.
The international arrivals hall was bustling with people of all races, hurrying through their journeys.
After waiting for a while, the people waiting to pick up their loved ones all got together, and every now and then a couple or lovers would embrace tightly.
Around 5 o'clock, the flight from Beicheng, China, finally landed. Twenty minutes later, Si Xiaotie's bright little face appeared around the corner.
The mother and daughter's eyes met instantly: "Mom!"
The three approached, and Lin Ke first made eye contact with the man pushing the suitcase, then looked away, squatted down, picked up Si Xiaotie, and spun her around twice. The little girl giggled.
I hugged Aunt Chen again and thanked her for coming with me.
Instead of cooking dinner, Lin Ke took them to a Russian restaurant that Si Xiaotie really liked last time, so that Aunt Chen could try a new flavor.
When they got home around 9 o'clock, Si Xiaotie was a little sleepy, so Aunt Chen took her to take a bath.
Lin Ke packed her luggage, which included clothes and personal belongings brought by the father and daughter, as well as many things she had moved from her dormitory.
The new house is a large single-level apartment. The master bedroom, along with the bathroom and walk-in closet, is about 60 to 70 square meters. It has an American style and is decorated elegantly.
Lin Ke hung the clothes of the family of three in the walk-in closet. When she hung Si Xiaotie's light yellow sweater, someone came up behind her.
Si Yuming wrapped his arms around her slender waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, and whispered warmly in her ear, "Wife..."
Since meeting, Lin Ke had been focused on Si Xiaotie and hadn't said much to him.
It tickled a little, so she turned her head away.
Seeing this, the man chuckled softly: "Why are you always avoiding me?"
"I wasn't avoiding you..."
"No? Why didn't you let me sit next to you at dinner tonight? Why did you hang up so abruptly on the phone last night?"
Lin Ke was speechless. "You took a shower last night, and I'm not supposed to hang it up?"
"It's not like we haven't seen it before."
"......"
"Also, why didn't you look me in the eye when we were video chatting earlier, and why didn't you look me in the eye when we were eating just now?"
"......"
It's not that I didn't watch... it's just... Lin Ke couldn't explain it either.
Ever since the "confession," she has felt strange at times. She is fine when talking to Si Xiaotie, but she feels a little "panicked" whenever they talk on the phone alone, as if she doesn't know how to get along with him anymore.
Just like now, the familiar intimacy of the past seems to have taken on something else... She doesn't understand.
Si Yuming lowered his eyes and saw the bright pink little ears in front of him. He couldn't help but kiss them.
The woman flinched in surprise, then asked in a coquettish voice, "What are you doing?"
Why are you blushing?
He didn't intend to hear the answer; his voice was several octaves lower as he restrained himself from calling her, "Wife."
The kisses spread from behind the ears to the cheeks and lips, conquering and plundering little by little.
The narrow walk-in closet grew increasingly hot, and the sweater in Lin Ke's hand fell to her feet.
She turned around, about to climb onto his neck—
"Da da da—"
The sound of Si Xiaotie running grew louder as he approached.
"Mother!"
The little girl, wearing a fluffy dinosaur pajama, pushed open the door, looked around with her big eyes, and finally found her mother hugging her father in the room of clothes.
"Mom, I've finished my bath, let's go to sleep!"
Si Xiaotie ran inside, his little bottom squeezing past his dad, then he opened his arms, looked up, and tiptoed up, shouting, "Hug me, hug me, sleep with Mommy~"
Lin Ke glanced at the man whose face was so gloomy it could drip water, and thought to herself that this wasn't the first time, so he should be able to bear it, right?
She crouched down, about to hug the little girl, but someone snatched her away.
"Xiao Tie will sleep by himself tonight."
Lin Ke looked up and saw the resolute look in the other person's eyes.
Si Xiaotie wouldn't have it, squirming in his father's arms, "No, no, I want to sleep with Mommy!"
Si Yuming held the little girl firmly with one hand and strode out.
"Ahhh, Mom, save me!" Si Xiaotie was full of bull-like strength, kicking his little legs wildly as he struggled.
The man stopped quickly.
A flicker of unbearable pain crossed his dark face.
Lin Ke looked down.
—My daughter's little feet were kicking in a certain spot.
Startled, she quickly stepped forward, "Are you alright?"
Si Xiaotie, now free, threw himself into his mother's arms, turned around and glared fiercely at his father, "Hmph! I want to sleep with Mom!"
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