It wasn't until the nanny brought over the cut fruit that she gently patted Xiaoyunyun's back and said softly, "Sweetie, have some strawberries with Aunt Zhang. Your sister will go talk to Grandma."
Watching Xiaojun run away with the strawberry bowl, she turned and walked towards the study on the second floor, her steps very light.
The study door was ajar, and a faint scent of wood wafted out.
Tang Qi was already waiting by the desk. Two wine glasses were placed on the rosewood table. She was holding the wine bottle and pouring wine, the dark red liquid sliding down the side of the bottle into the glass.
Hearing footsteps, she turned around and smiled, but there was a hint of unease hidden in her smile: "You're here? Have a seat."
Luo Shuning sat down on the velvet chair opposite her. Just as she took her wine glass, she heard Tang Qi ask anxiously, "What did Xiao Luo say? Did she agree to write a song for us?"
Luo Shuning didn't answer immediately, but took a slight breath and took out the neatly folded lyrics and sheet music from her canvas bag.
The paper made a soft "rustling" sound as it was unfolded. She gently placed the notebook on the table and pushed it in front of Tang Qi.
Tang Qi was taken aback at first, her gaze falling on the first line of text—the five words "Is a mother or a daughter".
My child, I don't know if I've done enough...
As the lyrics lined up, the notes on the sheet music resembled a beating heart. She read them over and over again, her expression shifting from initial surprise to a strange one, and then to complex shock.
"Xiao Luo just happens to have some creative work in this area?" Tang Qi's voice was a little hoarse. She raised her hand to press the corner of her eye, as if trying to hide something.
“No.” Luo Shuning took a sip of red wine, the rich aroma spreading on her tongue, and an alluring blush spread across her face. The corners of her mouth, which she had been suppressing for a long time, finally slowly turned up, her tone filled with undisguised pride: “This is Xiao Bao’s creation from this afternoon.”
"One...one afternoon?" Tang Qi's voice suddenly rose, her face filled with shock.
She looked down at the sheet music again, her fingertips tracing the notes of the key change—this delicate emotional expression, this precise musical arrangement, would take even a seasoned producer with years of experience in the music industry a long time to polish, but Gu Luo only took an afternoon.
Luo Shuning watched her reaction quietly, her heart filled with sweetness.
The pride of having one's man's excellence recognized is even greater than the pride of receiving praise oneself; even the red wine in one's mouth seems to taste sweeter.
Just then, Tang Qi suddenly closed the sheet music and sighed, "Xiao Luo... Xiao Luo is much better than me and Yi Lin."
“Yes, Xiao Bao is the best.” Luo Shuning smiled and agreed. She never downplayed Gu Luo’s talent, especially since the person in front of her was Gu Luo’s biological mother—they were the two women in the world who loved Gu Luo the most, and their understanding was beyond words.
"If Xiao Luo were to..." Tang Qi opened her mouth, originally wanting to say "If Xiao Luo were to enter the entertainment industry," with his talent and good looks, he would definitely be able to create his own era.
But she swallowed the words back—she owed Gu Luo too much and had no right to interfere in his life.
A brief silence fell over the study. Seeing this, Luo Shuning changed the subject at the right moment: "Mother-in-law, is Father-in-law still away on business? It seems like he hasn't been back to Caizhou for a long time."
Mentioning Gu Yilin, Tang Qi's smile instantly turned bitter.
She picked up her wine glass, downed the red wine in one gulp, and the liquid slid down her throat, leaving a burning sensation.
“Your father-in-law…is actually a very old-fashioned person.” Her voice lowered. “I didn’t listen to him and approached Gu Luo without permission, so…”
Luo Shuning was slightly taken aback, then sighed.
She got up and walked to Tang Qi's side, gently hugged her shoulders, and pressed her palm against Tang Qi's slightly cool knitted cardigan: "Mother-in-law, everything will be alright."
"Yes, everything will be alright." Tang Qi hugged her back, her arms tightly wrapped around her, as if she were clinging to a piece of driftwood.
After a long while, she finally let go of his hand. The redness in her eyes had faded, and her voice returned to calm: "Go and sleep with Junjun tonight. Grandma wants to be alone."
"Okay." Luo Shuning helped her put her empty wine glass back on the tray, then gently smoothed out the creases in the sheet music before turning and leaving the study.
The corridor was dimly lit, and she could hear the study door closing softly behind her, along with a faint, suppressed sigh.
That sigh contained a mother's guilt, as well as her longing for family reunion.
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