Chapter 005
The video call ended, and He Nianzhu stood there bewildered, holding her phone in the wind.
His mind was filled with the cub's spirited face. To be honest, that delicate, porcelain-doll-like face was seven-tenths similar to his sister, Xu Niancheng, even their pouty, angry expressions were exactly the same.
He Nianzhu felt her hands trembling.
No way...
After hesitating for a moment, he decisively grabbed his coat and walked out: "Brother Wen, I won't be attending the celebration banquet tonight. I have something to do and need to rush home."
"Ah, is it about Madam?"
He Nianzhu nodded solemnly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
People in the industry knew that his mother, Xu Yirou, was seriously ill and guessed that she would soon pass away. Therefore, his agent had no doubts and agreed immediately.
*
After breakfast, Xu Qingyan was washing the dishes and tidying up the table.
Xu Yirou sat cross-legged on the sofa, with a plate of cut fruit in front of her. She picked up a fruit fork and ate a piece of cantaloupe one moment and a piece of kiwi the next.
Her little mouth was stuffed full, making her look like a little hamster. Her lips were stained red and glossy with juice, making her even more adorable.
When Xu Qingyan came out of the kitchen, the first thing that caught my eye was her small figure swaying back and forth, laughing heartily.
His stern features softened unconsciously.
Xu Qingyan approached and brushed aside Xu Yirou's messy hair, then bent down to ask, "Mom, do you need me to tie your hair up?"
She still had her soft hair loose since she woke up, and she would occasionally raise her hand to play with it, which bothered Xu Qingyan, who suffers from mild obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"Okay, okay." Xu Yirou nodded like a chick pecking at rice, a hint of doubt showing on her fair face. "But Da Bao, do you know how? Have you ever braided a girl's hair before?"
"I probably will."
Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've at least seen pigs run. Tying hair can't be more difficult than a job, the domineering eldest son of a powerful CEO thought casually.
—not long after
"Ouch, that hurts!"
"Dabao, I don't want it tied too tightly, my head hurts so much~ Waaah!"
She felt that her round almond-shaped eyes were almost squeezed into slanted eyes.
Xu Qingyan was startled and let go of his hand.
He experienced defeat for the first time, going from being relaxed and confident to being on high alert, only to admit that tying his hair was more difficult than handling his work, and had to give up in disappointment.
"I'm sorry, Mom, I'm so stupid." He lowered his eyes and whispered, a black rubber band hanging forlornly on his two fingers.
Xu Yirou rubbed her scalp, wincing, and upon hearing her eldest son's words, her brows furrowed sharply in protest:
"Who said you're stupid? You're not stupid at all!" She raised her chin. "You're my son, and my son is the best and smartest!"
Xu Qingyan was exceptionally intelligent from a young age and had the most composed temperament. He participated in various international competitions from childhood, winning numerous awards. There was even a room in his house dedicated to displaying his various trophies and medals.
Watching him shine in various competitions, it would be a lie to say that Xu Yirou, as his mother, wasn't proud. Occasionally, she would have a dark thought: if his biological parents who abandoned him knew that he was such an outstanding child, they would definitely regret it to the core.
Xu Qingyan: "Thank you, Mom."
The faint sense of frustration in my heart dissipated.
"You're welcome." Xu Yirou's big eyes darted around, glancing at him expectantly yet shyly. "If you really want to thank me, then buy me ice cream! I want the kind that's bigger than my face and taller than a flowerpot!"
"..." Xu Qingyan reminded her with difficulty, "Mom, you just finished eating breakfast."
"Isn't that a thank-you gift you were going to give me?" Xu Yirou said matter-of-factly, scratching her head with one hand. "Look, you said you would help me tie my hair, but you didn't even do it properly."
Rationally, Xu Qingyan knew he should firmly refuse, but emotionally, he hesitated and couldn't bear to.
Xu Yirou switched to a wronged expression: "Dabao, can't you even fulfill such a small request from Mommy? Am I not your dearest mom anymore?"
Xu Qingyan couldn't stand his mother's pitiful look. Although he had no choice but to compromise, the last shred of rationality made him buy only the smallest size ice cream.
Xu Yirou happily ate the ice cream, which was much smaller than she had imagined.
*
At nine o'clock in the evening, He Nianzhu, who had driven back from neighboring province Z, finally arrived at her doorstep and rang the doorbell.
Xu Qingyan opened the door.
"Brother, I'm back."
The moment He Nianzhu entered the room, he was attracted by the little girl in the pink loungewear in the living room. The moment the little girl saw him, she rushed over like a cannonball.
Without saying a word, with lightning speed, she raised her chubby little hand and slapped his bottom twice.
"..." He Nianzhu was stunned.
"You're being rude for not recognizing me! I'll spank you!"
The little girl, with her short legs spread apart, hands on her hips, head held high, and a huffy, stern face, said, "Now you know who I am, right?"
He Nianzhu was shocked and tentatively opened her mouth: "Mom?"
His tone and expression perfectly matched his mother Xu Yirou before she got sick. Even though she had shrunk, the familiar feeling in her eyes made him recognize her at a glance and confirm without hesitation that she was his mother!
"Hmph, it's me." Xu Yirou wrinkled her little nose and glared disdainfully at the brat who had made her so angry. "Didn't you say you didn't want me as your mother anymore?"
He Nianzhu gasped. Although she didn't know what had happened, she was eager to admit her mistake, demonstrating her ability to be flexible and adaptable.
He squatted down with a grin, subtly looking his mother up and down at her shrunken eyes, and his heart was instantly melted by her cuteness.
Fair skin, big eyes, long, curled eyelashes like small fans, a pink cherry-like mouth, deliberately making faces to show a fierce expression.
What seemed like a powerful tiger was actually just a whimpering kitten, utterly intimidating.
"Mom, it's all a misunderstanding. How could I not want you?" He Nianzhu coaxed ingratiatingly. "No matter what happens, no matter what you become, you will always be my mom. I will only recognize you as my mom for the rest of my life."
"I thought you wouldn't recognize me anymore if I shrunk."
Xu Yirou has the mindset of a child, but she can't let go of her maternal side. When He Nianzhu didn't recognize her immediately, she felt flustered and wronged.
She blinked, her thick eyelashes gradually becoming wet, and a large tear slid down her cheek.
"Isn't it embarrassing for me to turn back into a child and have you call me 'Mom'?"
Xu Qingyan and He Nianzhu felt a tightness in their chests, their hearts aching so much they didn't know what to say.
He Nianzhu shook her head like a windmill, frantically rummaging through her pocket for tissues to wipe Xu Yirou's tears, stammering, "How could it be shameful? Mom, you're overthinking it. Didn't I say that no matter what you become, you'll always be my mom? It has nothing to do with age?"
"Waaaaahh ...
The three siblings had never seen Xu Yirou cry in all their years, let alone know how to comfort a crying baby mother.
He Nianzhu quickly looked to her older brother for help. Xu Qingyan, having received the signal, pondered for two seconds and then lowered his voice:
"Mom, don't cry. We'll take you to the amusement park tomorrow."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Yirou's doe eyes lit up: 0.0
"Really?
"Really, I'm not kidding you."
Xu Yirou sniffed, and the next second she went from tears to laughter. Her quick change of expression left He Nianzhu dumbfounded.
No, you've already appeased them?
Xu Yirou seized the opportunity to make a request: "I want to hear a story tonight, who will tell me a story?"
"Mom, let me do it!"
He Nianzhu immediately raised his hand to answer. He had just made Xu Yirou cry and felt extremely guilty. He had finally got a chance to show off, so of course he had to seize it.
Xu Yirou pouted: "Erbao, are you sure you can do it?"
She was more inclined to listen to Da Bao because Da Bao had a deep, resonant voice, while Er Bao was too outgoing and she was afraid that listening to him would make her more energetic.
"Mom, don't you believe me?" He Nianzhu felt resentful and tried her best to promote herself, "My original voice acting is in the top 3 among young actors, and I've also done voice acting for several popular animated films. I'm a professional!"
Xu Yirou was in a daze for more than half a year, and forgot most of the things, including the fact that her youngest son was in the entertainment industry.
After He Nianzhu's reminder, she immediately realized and widened her eyes slightly: "Okay, okay, then Erbao, you can do it."
He Nianzhu revealed a victorious smile.
It's not a big problem if you don't have fairy tale books at home. With the internet so readily available, you can easily find tons of them with a simple search on your phone.
He Nianzhu rushed back, covered in dust, and took a hot bath before lying down next to Xu Yirou to tell her a story.
In the bedroom, the bedside lamp cast a soft, dim light.
Xu Yirou, curled up in the blanket, was getting sleepy while waiting. She rubbed her eyes, tears welling up in her eyes, and yawned.
A soft, gentle complaint: "Erbao, you're so slow."
He Nianzhu leaned against the headboard with his slender waist, his long, fair arms loosely encircling her, forming a protective circle.
His eyelids were lowered, and in the dim, soft light, Xu Yirou's face, exposed outside the blanket, looked even rounder and more plump, like a freshly baked, white, chubby bun, making one's hands itch to give it a good rub.
He Nianzhu held back, knowing his mother would be furious if he dared to touch her at this moment.
"Mom, would you like to listen to 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'?"
This is a long story; it could take half a year to tell.
"..." One sentence woke Xu Yirou up from her drowsiness. She raised her face and asked incredulously, "Am I not a baby?"
She's a little baby.
If you tell a four-year-old the story of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and her lords come and go, aren't you afraid that she'll dream about those big, dark-skinned men?
I don't want to hear it!
Xu Yirou frowned slightly and refused in a haughty manner, saying, "I want to listen to Snow White, the Princess and the Pea, and the Little Match Girl!"
Snow White would also work.
He Nianzhu stroked his chin. These were all familiar fairy tales. When Chengcheng was little, her mother often told her these stories, and he could recite them by heart.
“Okay.” He Nianzhu cleared her throat and slowly began to tell the story of Snow White, following her memory.
"In a faraway land, there lived a king and queen who longed for a child, so they prayed sincerely to the heavens..."
When the Queen learned from the magic mirror that the fairest of women was Snow White, she angrily exclaimed, "How awful! How can there be someone more beautiful than me? I must get rid of her!"
Xu Yirou, who had been listening quietly, suddenly opened her eyes and corrected him with dissatisfaction.
"No, no!"
"Impossible, something's not right."
He Nianzhu, who was interrupted, was very puzzled. Actors have a longer and deeper memory of a story than ordinary people, especially a story that has been told to death all over the world.
"Your mood is off!" Xu Yirou pointed out incisively, then gave a disgusted look. "How could you read the wicked queen's lines in such a gentle voice? You should have read them in a vicious and sinister voice."
"And Snow White should have a clear and sweet voice."
"The king should use a rougher voice."
"Erbao, you're so unprofessional."
He Nianzhu, who had been inexplicably stabbed in the chest, burst into tears: "..."
He was actually disliked by his mother!!
He Nianzhu was speechless. The king was one thing, but Snow White and the queen were both young female characters. He couldn't possibly have a grown man like him reciting his lines in a strained voice.
"Mom." He touched the goosebumps on his arm and tried to reason with Xu Yirou, "How about we just listen to it for now? It's getting late, we should get some rest."
I'll have my older brother take over telling the story tomorrow.
To everyone's surprise, Xu Yirou glared at her with her small eyes and fired off a string of words: "No way! Your mother has always taught you three to be serious about what you do and not to settle for less. Now that you're all grown up, you're ignoring what I said? You think I'm easy to bully now that I'm small?"
He couldn't afford to offend his original mother, and he couldn't afford to offend his shrunken mother even more.
He Nianzhu quickly slid down and knelt down to admit defeat: "No, no, Mom, how could I dare to bully you? I'll study properly from now on, please don't be angry."
Xu Yirou snorted: "Hurry up."
After much painful reflection, He Nianzhu decided to demonstrate his talent to his mother by adopting the same serious and professional attitude he showed when doing voice acting.
He started telling the story a second time from the beginning, pouring out his fullest emotions and immersing himself in the entire story. He used a high-pitched voice to play fifteen different roles, including the narrator and the seven dwarfs.
"...Amidst the blessings of the entire nation, the prince and Snow White will live happily ever after."
After reading the last sentence, He Nianzhu was so tired that his mouth was dry. He let out a breath and squeezed his throat.
I was just about to ask my mother if she was satisfied when I looked down and saw the little girl breathing heavily and steadily, her cheeks as red as little apples.
The only response he received was a soft snoring.
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