Chapter 95 May you have good fortune.
Sheng Yi wanted to help, but Wen Shili wouldn't allow it. Ms. Yu Ying hesitated for a moment, then poured them some water and went into the kitchen.
So by the time Wen Shili had unloaded all the things he was carrying, quite a while had passed.
Sheng Yi quietly reached out and took his hand, "Are you alright?"
A family photo of the three of them was displayed on the TV cabinet. Sheng Yi looked quite young in the photo, and besides Yu Ying, a tall and refined man stood behind them. Sheng Yi's appearance was likely largely inherited from her mother, but the difference was that one was more gentle and demure, while the other was more charming and delicate.
Although she doesn't usually talk about her family, a girl like her, who works hard alone in a foreign land and manages to go from obscurity to becoming a viral sensation online, cannot do without the love and support of her family.
He had been prepared for a tough battle from the start, wanting to abduct someone else's daughter. As long as Sheng Yixin was with him, there was plenty of time for everything else. Wen Shili patted her head and whispered in her ear, "Our mother is just reluctant to let go."
Sheng Yi was speechless. In front of her, he called her "Mom," but when they were actually face to face, he didn't call her that anymore.
Yu Ying peeked out and saw Sheng Yi slap Wen Shili in an annoyed tone. Her eyebrows twitched, and she called out, "Sheng Yi, come and serve the rice."
She was speaking to Sheng Yi, but her eyes were fixed on Wen Shili.
When she learned that her daughter was dating someone in the entertainment industry, her first reaction was that it wasn't a good fit. The entertainment industry is full of temptations, and men who are truly virtuous are extremely rare. Sheng Yi's career had just started to take off, and she immediately said she wanted to bring her boyfriend home. She was afraid her daughter would be deceived by those smooth-talking, irresponsible boys who only wanted to take shortcuts.
When she finally saw the face under the mask, all her previous assumptions vanished. Although she wasn't a fan of celebrities, she knew Wen Shili was very popular; even the middle-aged women dancing in the square downstairs could hum a few lines of his songs. She just hadn't expected that Sheng Yi was dating him.
Yu Ying's sudden appearance startled Sheng Yi, making her feel as if she had instantly returned to the age when secretly holding hands with someone would result in being forced to write a self-criticism in front of her parents. She awkwardly withdrew her hand, saying, "You're here."
In her memory, her mother had always been easy to talk to, but unexpectedly, she seemed genuinely unwilling to face her today. Look at this, she even called her by her full name.
However, upon entering the kitchen, she saw that all the dishes being cooked were the ones she had mentioned in their previous conversation, blatantly revealing her insincerity. Wen Shili noticed this as well and quickly struck up a conversation with Yu Ying about it, his words revealing his familiarity and doting affection for Sheng Yi.
Yu Ying glanced at her daughter, who was obediently burying her head in her food, and smiled casually. "You're all so busy with work. It's not easy for you to sit down and have a meal together. Try more of it."
Gentle and kind, she was the very demeanor of an elder caring for a younger generation. Sheng Yi strained her ears and caught the unspoken meaning in her mother's words.
We don't even have many opportunities to sit at the same table for a meal, so how can we talk about having a deep understanding of each other?
But thinking back carefully, she realized she had eaten quite a few meals with him. Remembering those days when she was forced to eat so much that her dress was so tight around her waist, Sheng Yi kicked Wen Shili under the table in annoyance.
Wen Shili seemed completely oblivious to her dissatisfaction, and continued to answer Yu Ying earnestly, "No matter how busy I am with work, I can still find time to eat. It's just that when Yiyi gets busy, she inevitably forgets..."
Before he could finish speaking, Sheng Yi guessed what he was going to complain about and promptly coughed twice to interrupt him. When she looked up, she met her mother's reproachful gaze, clearly indicating that she had already sided with Wen Shili.
Sheng Yi: "..."
They were just maintaining polite formalities, and now they're united against a common enemy. I don't know whether to say her mother is fickle or someone else is just good at setting the pace.
Yu Ying knew her daughter's character all too well. She glared at her and said, "That brat is just like that. She doesn't like to eat breakfast when she's running late for school. Who knows what she'll do when she's out there on her own. You better keep an eye on her."
Only after she finished speaking did she realize how she had entrusted herself to someone when things were still far from settled. Just as she was about to correct herself, Wen Shili nodded slightly and readily agreed: "I will. And from now on, I will devote more of my time to family business."
No, that's not what she meant. Yu Ying clicked her tongue inwardly, then couldn't help but think further. Although it was a bit premature to say, could he really bear to withdraw?
Sheng Yi was stunned after hearing this. Did this mean Wen Shili was planning to reduce his workload? She had never heard of him having such plans before; given his usual style, aside from the regular album releases and a few concerts each year, he didn't take on many other commercial contracts. If he reduced it further…
Sheng Yi thought about his semi-retired state and realized she needed to find time to have a detailed talk with him, since today's main task was to win over her mother.
However, her mother didn't seem to want to engage with the topic and had no intention of delving deeper into it. She only asked Wen Shili if the food was to her liking and said it was a pity that Sheng Yi's father wasn't home, making it clear that she was a housewife who didn't participate in family decisions.
Sheng Yi didn't know when her father had become the one in charge of their family, but she didn't try to undermine her mother.
The atmosphere at the table became increasingly lively. Sheng Yi ate her rice while listening to their conversation, which mainly revolved around her daily life. No one went any deeper into the subject.
After dinner, Wen Shili volunteered to wash the dishes, and Sheng Yi didn't bother to stop him. She sat on the sofa with her tea and chatted idly with her mother. But after only a few words, sleepiness crept in.
She barely slept a few hours last night, and tears welled up in her eyes when she yawned. When Yu Ying saw her like this, she shooed her back to her room in a huff, "I told you not to come back, but you insisted. Go get some sleep now."
Sheng Yi glanced into the kitchen but didn't stay there to get in her mother's way. As for that person, well, good luck to them.
She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she groggily woke up, she saw Wen Shili sitting by her bedside, flipping through a book from the shelf. Wen Shili's room was next to her bedroom. Before leaving, she secretly slipped him a key when Ms. Yu Ying wasn't looking.
"Awake?" Hearing the noise, Wen Shili turned to look.
Sheng Yi, wrapped in the blanket, slowly blinked. Her space, always her own, now had another person, yet it didn't feel too out of place.
What are you looking at?
Wen Shili showed her the book, and Sheng Yi saw her doodles on the pages—all scribbles she'd done out of boredom. It had been so long that she didn't even know what she'd scribbled at the time. She threw back the covers and tried to snatch it away. Wen Shili scooped her up in his arms and took the book with his other hand, saying, "So cute."
This is her private domain, filled with her presence. From a little girl to a graceful young woman, every detail of the room reflects her will. The casually placed ornaments, the neatly arranged books, the stickers on the cabinet, and the photos in the frames are all marks of her growth.
Sheng Yi had kept many of her student-era belongings but never looked at them again. But now, she enthusiastically brought out several photo albums and looked at them one by one. Some stories had become blurry, while others she could still clearly remember, recalling how she felt when she pressed the shutter.
Sheng Yi sat up and asked him with a smile, "Hey, want to go out for a walk?"
Wen Shili naturally agreed. The two disguised themselves again, blended into the crowd, and headed straight for the gate of Ancheng No. 1 Middle School. When they arrived, they found that the school was on holiday for the next two days, and only the graduating class students remained at school, with the sound of students reading aloud filling the air.
The former teaching buildings and dormitories have undergone several renovations and reconstructions. Only the faint remnants of the old scenes can still be linked to certain memories. Sheng Yi took his hand and strolled around the campus. "Were you the kind of student who was easy to manage when you were in school?"
Some people shine from a very young age, always enjoying the best reputation, without ever encountering any hardships or obstacles.
Rumors about Wen Shili online are always incredibly exaggerated. Beyond his career, his student days are also embellished with fantastical tales, such as a child prodigy admitted to a prestigious university without taking the entrance exam. The sources of these rumors are unverifiable, but given his aura, few even dare to question them. Wen Shili's studio, however, completely ignores these claims, resulting in a confusing mix of truth and falsehood, making it impossible to discern his true origins.
"Curious?" Wen Shili smiled faintly, and perhaps the environment added a filter to him, but standing on campus, he seemed to be bathed in a soft glow. The simple gesture of a smile brought out the innocence and exuberance of youth, full of spiritedness.
If someone like that appeared on campus during her school days, Sheng Yi clutched her heart, thinking that she might actually get her parents called in.
Wen Shili spoke in a gentle tone, as if he were talking about something perfectly normal, “My mother should have a lot of experience with this topic. You can talk to her about it when you have time.”
Sheng Yi paused subtly as she shook his hand. "Hmm, we'll talk about it later."
The gentle ringing of the school bell was like celestial music, startling her from her daze. On the teaching building, students poured out of the classrooms like birds leaving their nests, standing in the corridor and gazing into the distance.
At that moment, the two turned around without making a sound. Sheng Yi smiled and pointed at the buildings, some familiar and some unfamiliar, trying to share her life from many years ago with him.
Yu Ying was reluctant to leave her daughter again tomorrow morning. When Sheng Yi sneaked into the kitchen to help in the evening, she finally received a kind look from her.
Give her a little attention and she'll start acting like a tyrant. She even mocked her mother in front of her, saying, "Who was it that told me to bring my boyfriend home in the first place? What are you doing now?"
Yu Ying was annoyed. She picked up a bunch of vegetables and pretended to hit her, but seeing that she looked silly and just grinned, she couldn't bring herself to hit her. She muttered as she picked the vegetable leaves, "If you're going to date, just date. Why did you suddenly bring her home? You didn't even tell us beforehand."
Well, how should I put it? It's true that she's been dragging her feet on this matter. Sheng Yi reached out and took a portion of what needed to be done, explaining as she did so, "This was just a spur-of-the-moment decision for me." She paused, then straightened her tone, "What's your opinion?"
She brought her home without even getting a single vaccination; what could her opinion possibly matter? Yu Ying looked at her for a long time with an ambiguous expression, then sighed softly, "Just like me."
Sheng Yi raised an eyebrow. Many people would say she looked more like her mother when she went out, but what Yu Ying was saying now clearly didn't refer to that.
She adopted a docile demeanor, and Yu Ying didn't seem to need her to respond. After a moment of silence, she continued, "Back then, there were at least eight or ten boys pursuing me. If it weren't for your dad's decent looks, you probably wouldn't be here now." There was a hint of melancholy in her tone.
Sheng Yi pursed her lips and chuckled to herself, quickly reverting to her original expression before her mother could look over. So, is being a sucker for good looks hereditary? But could this be interpreted as a high compliment to her taste?
However, her mother was right about one thing: she and Wen Shili were both busy, so they didn't stay in Ancheng for long. The next day, she went directly from the airport to her next work site.
When her father rushed back after finishing his work, he hadn't even seen a trace of his daughter. Sheng Yi video-called him and reassured him, raising her hand and promising to come back next time she had time, before her father finally let her go.
In the years after graduation, she was busy making a living and was always on edge. Her parents' concern inadvertently became a source of pressure, so she could only hide herself and contact them less, afraid that they would discover her distress and helplessness from the slightest clue. It seems that from some point onwards, their relationship slowly returned to the state it had been long ago.
During the conversation, her father only asked about her condition, seemingly unaware that she had recently brought someone back home. From this, Sheng Yi subtly sensed the thoughts of parents, realizing that Wen Shili, this young wife, indeed still had a long way to go.
Just before hanging up, her father said something roundabout: "I heard it from your mother." He left it at that, as if he couldn't say anything more. He then asked her, "Are you doing alright out there?" As he spoke, he even sighed.
The two seemingly unrelated sentences made Sheng Yi want to laugh, but she didn't know what he was asking. She simply hummed in agreement, "Everything's fine."
She thought she would be happier if her schedule weren't so tight.
After nearly half a month of continuous busy work, Sheng Yi finally stopped. As Wen Shili had said, he hadn't arranged too much work for her during this period. Before she joined the crew, he seemed to have studied her script even more carefully and thoroughly.
Sheng Yi suspected that he wanted to examine the script with a microscope to see if there were any scenes unsuitable for children, so she snatched the script from him in an annoyed tone, saying, "Don't worry, Teacher Ji personally handled it. He wouldn't stoop to any gimmicks to attract attention."
With a seasoned screenwriter, renowned for his accolades, personally involved, it was a sure win for them. However, judging from Wen Shili's expression, he clearly didn't trust him.
Sheng Yi sat down next to him, not objecting to his continued participation, "Why don't you help me go over the lines if you have time?" She just wondered what the screenwriter would think if they knew someone was doing this.
Wen Shili let her take the script, only lazily curling his lips, "Who knows?"—his reply to her previous sentence.
He released her hand, then looked at her again, his gaze unwavering. "You admire him a lot?"
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