The production crew's car pulled up in front of the villa, and the assistant director urged Mu Hua and Du Xiaoruo to get in.
Although they had only spent less than two months together, everyone was still reluctant to part when it came time to say goodbye, and Xia Qing even had tears in her eyes.
Mu Hua patted Ni An's shoulder with his warm, large hand, then nuzzled the top of her head.
"Don't be sad. Come visit us whenever you have time. It's not far by car."
"Mm." Xia Qing's nose was also red as she nodded. "Let's go quickly, drive carefully on the road."
In the live stream room,
[It's so annoying, I feel like crying every time I see a scene of parting.]
I must reiterate, it's all the fault of the Ha couple; they brought the show to an early end through their own actions.
[I can't bring myself to scold my wife, so I'll scold Boss Ha instead (the kitten points and mutters curses).]
Mu Hua drove her van behind the film crew's work vehicle. The van used to be full of people, but now that three people were missing, it felt empty, like something was missing.
Lele looked like a wounded puppy, resting her chin on the back of the passenger seat, her big eyes filled with loneliness as she stared blankly at the road ahead.
Seeing him like this, Mu Hua felt a pang of heartache, and gently stroked his fluffy, curly hair.
"What's there for a man to be sad about? We'll be able to see Xiangxiang and the others when we get back from the orphanage."
Lele seemed to be in slow motion, slowly raising her head and asking blankly, "..."
"Didn't you say Xiao Tong and the others were coming? Why haven't they arrived yet?"
Mu Hua: "...So that's what you were thinking about. Well...Xiao Tong and the others brought some cakes for the children over there. The production crew went to the cake shop to pick them up. We'll meet at the highway exit."
[Hahaha, it really is you, Qiao Lele, you little pervert.]
[Think about it (very loudly), don't I matter to you?]
When the topic of Fan Ying and the others bringing cakes came up, Mu Hua suddenly asked, "When we're filming the extra episodes, we can use our own money, right?"
The camera nodded, answering Mu Hua's question.
The van braked suddenly, pulled over to the side of the road, and turned around. Mu Hua said, "Let's go to the supermarket too, buy some food and drinks, and send them over."
There is a large Jinchan Supermarket in Yingge, located on the basement floor of Jinchan Department Store. After parking the car, everyone took the escalator into the supermarket.
Considering that we might need to buy a lot of things, everyone pushed a small stroller, and even Xiaoshu and Lele each pushed a small car-shaped children's stroller.
Once inside the supermarket, Xiao Shu habitually headed towards the imported snacks section, picking out expensive imported organic snacks, which were of course ridiculously expensive.
Mu Hua saw this and rushed over to stop them, putting the imported snacks back and letting Xiao Shu choose from the regular snacks section.
Xiao Shu didn't understand. "Don't you always tell me that organic is better? Shouldn't we give the best as gifts?"
Mu Hua was stunned for a moment after hearing Xiao Shu's words.
He stopped taking the snacks back and put them back into the little book cart.
"You're right, gifts should be the best. So you can choose whatever you want."
In the live stream room,
Children are so innocent; they only want to give their friends the best things. They don't yet understand the concept of social class.
[Mu Hua is quite kind; he tacitly approved of Xiao Shu's behavior instead of saying anything more realistic.]
Mu Hua has always been very kind; today, he was the one who offered to buy snacks.
Because the supermarket has a planned shopping route, after you finish shopping, you have to walk around the outer shops for a long time before finally getting to the lobby on the first floor and then going down to the parking lot on the basement level.
Little Shu pushed his little shopping cart and trotted after the adults. When they reached the first floor, his shoelaces came undone. To avoid stepping on them, Little Shu had to spread his chubby little legs apart and waddle forward like a little duck.
Mu Hua, who was only thinking about getting there in time, didn't notice Xiao Shu's predicament and kept urging them to run faster.
Lele was worried that Xiaoshu's short legs would prevent him from keeping up with everyone, so she turned around and noticed that Xiaoshu's shoelaces were undone.
"Stop reading, little book."
Lele quickly stopped her stroller, ran over to Xiaoshu, and half-squatted in front of him to help him re-tie his shoelaces.
Just then, Jin Jin walked into the mall. Jin Jin would occasionally come to the department store for a quick look around before heading to the company.
He walked to the lobby on the first floor and immediately saw Lele squatting on the ground.
Although it was just a view from behind, Lele's signature curly hair was still very noticeable, and there were cameras around him, so Jin Jin was even more certain that it was Lele.
Jin Jin likes smart and quiet children, and Lele just happens to be his type. Not to mention how amazing Lele's decisive move was when watching the game yesterday. Jin Jin even praised it to Zhang Yanshu for a long time in private.
When Jin Jin ran into Lele, she thought she should go up and say hello to the little kid.
He walked behind Lele, bent down, and curiously looked at what the children were doing.
Lele was focused on tying Xiaoshu's shoelaces and didn't notice Jin Jin bending down to tie them. Suddenly, Lele stood up and the back of her head hit Jin Jin's nose.
Jin Jin winced in pain, covered his nose, and took two steps back. A stream of blood trickled from between his fingers.
"Mr. Jin, Mr. Jin, quickly call the medical staff, quick!"
The secretary, pale with fright, quickly took out a handkerchief from her breast pocket and covered Jin Jin's nose.
Du Xiaoruo and the others also noticed the abnormality here. When they turned around, they saw Jin Jin's hand covered in blood from his nose. In Du Xiaoruo's eyes, this blood was practically DNA.
She put down the cart and rushed over.
“I’ll handle it; I have experience in stopping bleeding.”
The panicked secretary quickly handed a handkerchief to Du Xiaoruo.
After using a handkerchief to press and stop the bleeding for Jin Jin, Du Xiaoruo checked his nasal bone and mouth to make sure there was nothing seriously wrong before quietly putting away the blood-stained handkerchief.
"Mr. Jin, the car is here. Please go to the hospital now."
The secretary calmed down a bit, but her voice was still trembling slightly. Such a big boss, so valuable, would be in serious trouble if he were injured or bled.
"It's nothing," Jin Jin waved his hand. "These are all minor issues."
After the initial panic subsided, he first looked at Lele and asked gently, "Lele, were you scared?"
Lele shook her head.
Xiao Shu clenched her little fists and angrily scolded Jin Jin, "Now you know, right? Don't stand behind others without saying a word. You got hurt, didn't you? Wait till you get home, your dad will beat you up."
Mu Hua rushed forward, covered her mouth, and carried the little book away.
[Hahaha, Little Book, do you know who you're insulting? You'll regret this one day, hahaha.]
The little book is right: don't stand silently behind others.
[If Mr. Kim's father crawled out of the ground and beat him up, that would be another ghost story, hahaha.]
"It's alright, you guys go ahead and get busy." Jin Jin's gaze fell on the shopping cart piled high with food, and she could tell that they seemed to still have things to do.
"I'm going to wash my hands first." After saying that, Du Xiaoruo tidied up the blood-stained handkerchief and ran away.
She ran to the women's restroom in the mall, grabbed a few tissues, wrapped the handkerchief in them, and went into a random stall. Standing inside, she pondered how to give the handkerchief to Qiao An.
There are cameras everywhere outside, and the orphanage they're going to and Jinse Little White Building aren't on the same route, so it's obviously not appropriate to just hand them over to him.
She looked up and saw a very high windowsill above the innermost cubicle.
Du Xiaoruo went into the innermost cubicle, stuffed the handkerchief wrapped in tissue paper into the gap on the windowsill, and after making sure it couldn't be seen from the outside, she took out her phone to take a picture before washing her hands and going to meet up with Mu Hua and the others.
After getting into the van, Du Xiaoruo took out her phone and sent a message to Qiao An.
[There was a handkerchief in the women's restroom on the first floor of Jinchan Department Store. The handkerchief was stained with Jin Jin's nosebleed. The handkerchief was tucked between the innermost stall and the windowsill.]
They even thoughtfully included a picture.
Qiao An was probably busy and hadn't replied to the message until the car was almost at the highway entrance.
Why the women's restroom?
Du Xiaoruo: [Then I can't go into the men's restroom either, can I?]
Joan, [So, can I go into the women's restroom?]
Du Xiaoruo, [It's you who wants to find your father, not me.]
After a long pause, Qiao An finally replied with a message: "You've really grown up. Who taught you to talk back?"
After reading the message, Du Xiaoruo did not reply and put her phone away.
The phone rang again.
Joan, [What should I do? I've already started missing you.]
Du Xiaoruo turned her head to look out the car window. Outside was a vineyard, and several pickers were stacking large, heavy bunches of grapes into fruit baskets by the roadside. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of grapes.
The sun is shining brightly, birds are singing, and flowers are blooming. I suddenly feel so happy.
In the master bedroom of Jiangshan Tower in the Qiao family manor, Qiao Qingchuan had just gone mad, smashing all the furniture he could find, leaving the scene in complete disarray.
The hospital doctor had just given him a sedative, and Qiao Qingchuan finally calmed down and was now lying on the bed, fast asleep.
Seeing that Qiao Qingchuan was asleep, the young male doctor came out of the room and closed the bedroom door behind him.
Kim Hee-jin sat in a relatively intact tiger chair in the living room, her face full of worry.
"Doctor, how is my son now?"
The doctor was very handsome, with tanned skin and a physique comparable to a fitness instructor. He was wearing a simple black T-shirt and casual pants, with a pair of cool Doc Martens on his feet. If you didn't know he was a doctor, you would really think he was an outdoor sports enthusiast just by looking at his appearance and attire.
"Auntie, you don't need to worry too much. Patients are often irritable during withdrawal, but they will get better in the future."
"Of course I believe you."
Kim Hee-jin forced a smile.
“You are Xiaomeng’s friend abroad, and you are also a doctor at Shengjing Private Hospital. In terms of both ability and character, you are trustworthy.”
The doctor and Qiao Qingmeng, who was standing behind Jin Xizhen, exchanged a glance. "Thank you, Auntie."
"Mom, Kerr has to work this afternoon, he has to leave."
"Okay, Xiaomeng, you can take it."
The two walked out of the house one after the other. Qiao Qingmeng asked, "Kerr, where did you park your car?"
Kerr didn't answer Qiao Qingmeng's question. He turned around and looked behind him. Seeing that no one was around, he pulled Qiao Qingmeng behind the courtyard wall, pressed her against the wall, and kissed her.
As Qiao Qingmeng felt Kerr's warm, moist lips, her mind wandered, filled with images of Qiao An's hands, which possessed both exceptional bone structure and skin.
She lowered her eyelashes, her gaze falling on Kerr's hands. She had heard that hands that held a scalpel were very attractive, and Qiao Qingmeng started dating Kerr because of his beautiful hands.
But when Qiao Qingmeng accidentally saw Qiao An's hands yesterday, she realized what it meant to be utterly astonished. Her previous infatuation now seemed utterly insignificant.
"Honey, what are you thinking about?"
Kerr sensed Qiao Qingmeng's absent-mindedness, pulled away from her lips, and asked breathlessly.
"No." Qiao Qingmeng pushed him away. "I'm probably not in the mood because of my brother's situation."
“Yes, I understand.” Kerr then asked, “So when do you plan to tell your mother about our relationship?”
The two started dating abroad. After Qiao Qingmeng returned to China, Kerr also gave up his studies abroad and returned to work at his family's hospital. He originally planned to make their relationship public as soon as he returned, but Qiao Qingmeng did not make any move.
When Qiao Qingmeng heard Kerr mention this, she instantly felt a little irritated. She said seriously,
"Kerr, my family is in such a mess right now, my brother is in such a state, and the business is a disaster. How am I supposed to talk to my mom about this?"
“Okay, okay.” Kerr raised his hand to signal a halt. “I’ll wait until you’re ready, don’t be angry.”
After Kerr left, Qiao Qingmeng scratched her hair hard, trying to clear her head.
How could she fall for Joan just because of a pair of hands?
Qiao Anming was clearly his family's enemy. It was because of him that he was transferred by Qiao Rukun and spent more than 20 years living abroad.
It was because of Qiao An that Qiao Qingchuan became addicted to drugs, causing Jin Xizhen to cry every day. Qiao An was like a demon in this family.
Kerr is clearly the ideal marriage partner. He's young, handsome, energetic, and his family owns a prestigious hospital. He's wealthy, influential, and, most importantly, loves her very much. Marrying someone like him would maximize the family's interests.
But... just thinking about Qiao An's beautiful hands, and imagining those hands caressing her body, made Qiao Qingmeng blush, her heart race, and she felt a wonderful sense of suffocation, as if her breath would stop.
At this moment, two voices were arguing fiercely in her mind.
The devil said, "You and Joan are not related by blood. You should boldly pursue what you want. Life should be exciting and unrestrained."
Another rational voice said, "If you fall in love with Joan, you will destroy everything, make your mother suffer a fate worse than death, and plunge your whole family into an abyss of despair."
The two voices clashed back and forth, driving Qiao Qingmeng to distraction. She pounded her head with her fist to remind herself to stay calm and rational.
After a morning of work, the production crew arrived at the city's orphanage around lunchtime. This time, the group was quite large, including not only the guest filming crew but also a site survey and design team.
Director Huang of the orphanage led 36 orphans to line up at the gate to welcome them.
Some of the children were older, some were younger, and the youngest was less than a year old, being held in Dean Huang's arms.
Some were healthy, some were disabled, but everyone's eyes were equally sincere yet timid.
The children were shy but obedient. When Dean Huang told them to stand at attention, they all stood up straight with their backs ramrod straight. When he said "Welcome," all the children clapped enthusiastically.
For some reason, Mu Hua felt a lump in her throat when she saw this scene, and turned away to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.
The live stream was filled with sighs of regret.
I am a child who was abandoned by my biological parents and then adopted by my adoptive parents. I am all too familiar with this scenario. When someone comes to the orphanage to do charity work, we should stand at attention and applaud.
Mu Huaxin is so kind-hearted; he actually cried.
The actors all have a great capacity for empathy; they are very sensitive to emotions.
Mu Hua wiped his eyes, turned around, and put on his usual gentle smile.
"Children, we brought you gifts, but they're too heavy for me to carry. Can you come with me to the car to get them?"
The children were delighted to hear about the gift, but they remained standing still, staring intently at Dean Huang.
Dean Huang nodded gently, "Go ahead, older children carry the heavy things, younger children carry the light things, be careful."
After receiving Dean Huang's approval, the more than 30 children scattered and excitedly ran towards the car.
Lele and the others stood there dumbfounded, unsure whether to go and help, but judging from the situation, they knew they wouldn't be able to squeeze in even if they did.
Dean Huang greeted them with a smile, then asked Fan Baitong, "Are you a boy?"
Fan Baitong touched his short, buzz-cut hair and answered frankly.
"I am a girl, and my hair was donated to a child with cancer."
"Oh? What will you do with the donation?" Dean Huang asked.
Xiao Tong said proudly, "My hair has been made into wigs and given away for free to cancer patients who have no hair."
Dean Huang gave her a thumbs up and said, "You're great."
Lele watched the whole scene with a lovesick expression, then ran over to Du Xiaoruo and whispered, "Mom, I want to donate my hair too."
Fan Yue patted his curly hair. "Then you need to grow your hair long first. The agency has requirements regarding hair length."
Lele hesitated. Would boys be laughed at for having long hair?
Upon hearing Lele's words, Xiaotong ran over and put her arm around Lele's shoulder. "Lele, you're amazing! Let's grow our hair long together and donate it next time."
Lele's face flushed again, and she nodded firmly.
Xiao Tong put her arm around Lele's shoulder, like a big sister, and said, "Come on, let's help move things."
The two children walked away, and Fan Yue smiled at Du Xiaoruo, saying...
"Actually, many parents in China demonize puppy love. Isn't this a good thing? Two souls attract each other and influence each other, and they will become better and better."
Du Xiaoruo laughed, "Does this count as puppy love? Is this just Lele's one-sided crush? Or is it a crush that the whole country knows about?"
Fan Yue's smile deepened, "When I watched the show before, I thought your Qiao An was particularly sharp-tongued, but now I know you can also criticize people."
After listening to Fan Yue's words, Du Xiaoruo suddenly realized that she had been talking more lately and her personality had become much more cheerful.
I haven't felt that nervous, sweaty, and incoherent feeling when facing strangers in a long time.
Just as Du Xiaoruo was wondering if her social anxiety had miraculously disappeared, her phone rang with a text message.
Qiao An, [There are five restrooms on the first floor of Jinchan Department Store. Which one are you referring to?]
Du Xiaoruo, [...I was in too much of a rush at the time and didn't have time to look, but it must be one of these five.]
Qiao An hasn't replied to any messages since then, and Du Xiaoruo thinks that the things he's saying to her now must be quite something.
Qiao An was dressed in a black tracksuit, wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask, standing impatiently in the atrium on the first floor of Jinchan Department Store.
Five restrooms? And they're all women's restrooms! How is he going to sneak in and look for something without anyone noticing?
His tall, handsome, fair-skinned appearance was perfectly suited to this kind of stylish outfit, making him look like a celebrity making a scene. He attracted more and more attention, and some people even took photos of him with their phones.
For the first time, Joan was troubled by his good looks and great physique.
He walked towards the restroom, where the cleaning staff were about to clean it, blocking the entrance with a triangular cone that read "Cleaning in Progress".
Joan had an idea.
He strode forward and, upon seeing the cleaning lady, said urgently, "Why are you still here? Didn't you know the cleaning department was in a meeting?"
"Huh? A meeting? What time?"
Joan glanced at her watch. "Two minutes to go, we'll be in the conference room."
The cleaning lady hurriedly took off her gloves and mask and ran off, shouting as she ran.
"Oh dear, how come I didn't know? Being late once means a 50 yuan fine, that's going to be the death of me."
Qiao An slipped into the women's restroom. It was her first time in such a place, and her heart was pounding.
Du Xiaoruo had mentioned that the handkerchief was hidden in the crack of the window. Since there was no window in this bathroom, Qiao An glanced at it and hurriedly walked out.
It was the time when the cleaning staff were cleaning the restrooms, and Qiao An tried the same method three times before finally getting the handkerchief that Du Xiaoruo had hidden in advance.
He put the handkerchief into a small shoulder bag he was carrying and took the elevator directly to the basement.
Opening the car trunk, Joan took off her hat and sunglasses and threw them in. After thinking for a moment, she took off her black sports jacket as well, and got into the car wearing only a white T-shirt underneath.
He straightened his hair, which was disheveled by his baseball cap, in the rearview mirror, started the car, and drove off.
As the car pulled up to the exit, I stopped and paid the parking fee. The cleaning ladies who had been called to a meeting were standing by the gate complaining.
"I don't know who was so bored as to lie to us and say it was a meeting, when in fact no one was having a meeting at all."
"Is he one of those perverts? I've heard that a lot of perverts have been going into women's brothels lately."
"I don't think so. Although he's wearing a hat, glasses, and a mask, he seems like a handsome guy, not the pervert you're talking about."
Another, slightly overweight auntie scoffed, "You didn't even get a good look at him, so why are you saying he's handsome?"
The eldest sister waved her hand confidently.
"I don't need to look at his face. Just look at those mantis legs, puppy buttocks, and bee waist. I can tell at a glance that even if his face is ugly, his figure is at least that of a toad inlaid with gold."
Hearing such praise, Joan was stunned.
He drove the car for more than a hundred meters, then pulled over to the side of the road with his hazard lights on and sent a text message to Du Xiaoruo.
[Just now, an older woman said I have mantis legs, a puppy butt, and a bee waist, and even called me a toad inlaid with gold...]
Du Xiaoruo replied to the message quickly.
Don't be sad, maybe your older sister used to work in agriculture.
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