Chapter 35 "The Pretender?"
After washing up and eating something, Zhou Pingchuan suddenly called to him, "Xia Mian, come with me."
"Where are you going?"
"Meet someone."
The next dungeon won't start recording for another three days, so Xia Mian wasn't in a hurry to leave and got into the car with Zhou Pingchuan.
The sky over Nangang is always clear, and the sunlight shines like gold foil on the sea, making even the waves shimmer with gold.
The car sped along the overpass and finally stopped by the coast in front of a small two-story building.
This two-story building doesn't look like a villa; it's more like a rural dwelling. Vegetables are planted on both sides of the small courtyard, and two baskets of dried radishes are drying in the middle. Several hens stroll leisurely in a line, pecking at insects and corn as they go.
A woman sat in a rattan rocking chair at the entrance of the small two-story building, enjoying the sea breeze and dozing off, peaceful and leisurely, a picture of tranquility and contentment.
“She is my wet nurse, you can call her Aunt Xue,” Zhou Pingchuan introduced in a low voice.
As an important supporting character, Xue Chunling was given a detailed character design in "Love in the Palm of My Hand". Xia Mian had a slight impression of her.
Zhou Pingchuan's biological mother died during childbirth, and his father passed away shortly after his birth. Xue Chunling raised Zhou Pingchuan single-handedly, and the two were as close as mother and son.
After Zhou Pingchuan forcibly married Xia Mingzhao, he brought her to see him a few times. She was very fond of the gentle and kind protagonist, and felt extremely sorry for the villainous boss's struggle in love.
Finally, it was her terminal illness that brought Zhou Pingchuan to his senses. She said she didn't want to see the young master struggle with unrequited love, nor did she want such a good child as Xia Mingzhao to suffer so much. She advised Zhou Pingchuan to let Xia Mingzhao go, and to let himself go.
In the end, Zhou Pingchuan truly had the heart to let go.
Xia Mian smacked her lips.
I wonder if she could have spoken up for him on the day he was killed, so that he could have died with a little more dignity?
"What's with that expression?" Zhou Pingchuan asked, seeing his conflicted look.
"...Nothing," Xia Mian said nonsensically. "I was just wondering what would happen if chicken droppings got on dried radish. Would people just eat them?"
Zhou Pingchuan looked at the boy in front of him and suddenly found him very interesting.
The Xia family kept their two sons' true parentage a closely guarded secret, but they couldn't escape the Zhou family's network of connections. A few days ago, Zhou Pingchuan learned that Xia Mian was Xia Dongbo's only biological son, who had been switched at birth and had grown up in a slum.
It's not that slums are bad, but the limited conditions inevitably lead to a gap in knowledge and behavior compared to the upper class.
But Xia Mian has a generous and uninhibited personality, and can adapt to any situation. She dares to call a Hong Kong tycoon an "old coffin pot" in the world of fame and fortune, but she will also ponder with her pretty little head in front of a residential house what to do if chicken droppings are on dried radish.
Zhou Pingchuan looked at the boy in front of him and suddenly found him very interesting.
"Pingchuan? Oh my, when did you arrive? Come in quickly!"
At this moment, Xue Chunling saw the young master, quickly got up, and opened the courtyard gate.
Zhou Pingchuan looked away: "Aunt Xue, slow down."
Xue Chunling greeted them and welcomed them into the house. Unlike the outside, the interior of the small two-story building was decorated in a very modern style, with many convenient facilities suitable for the elderly, such as smart beds, massage chairs, and robot vacuum cleaners.
"This must be the Xia family's child, right? He's so handsome! What would you like to eat? Auntie will make it for you now." Xue Chunling couldn't stop smiling when she saw Xia Mian.
“Aunt Xue, this is Xia Mian. Please don’t bother, I just finished breakfast and I’m not hungry yet.”
"No trouble at all, Auntie will just make it for you. Try Auntie's cooking, Pingchuan really likes it."
Xia Mian was about to refuse—he had read the original text and knew that Xue Chunling had already been diagnosed with a terminal illness. But she wouldn't listen to him at all, washed her hands, and hurried off to the kitchen to busy herself.
Xue Chunling worked quickly and efficiently, soon preparing four dishes and a soup. Xia Mian was already standing by the table with his chopsticks, and before Xue Chunling could call him, he picked up a piece of eggplant and exclaimed, "Wow, so delicious!"
Seeing his greedy little cat-like appearance, Xue Chunling smiled so hard her eyes disappeared.
The three of them ate a hot home-cooked meal. During the meal, Xue Chunling asked Xia Mian about her family situation. Xia Mian didn't hide anything and told her everything about being switched at birth and growing up in the slums.
Hearing about the hardships he had endured, Xue Chunling's eyes reddened. Xia Mian, on the other hand, comforted Xue Chunling: "It's alright, Aunt Xue. I have two fathers, two mothers, and now you cook such delicious food for me. I am truly God's favorite!"
Xue Chunling never married, and Zhou Pingchuan was precocious, so they didn't get to experience much of the affection and respect of their younger generation. Hearing him say this, her heart melted: "Not just us, but also Pingchuan. If Pingchuan treats you badly, tell Aunt Xue, and Aunt Xue will teach him a lesson for you."
Xia Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Hehe, another lucky charm.
While there was certainly an element of acting involved, it was mostly genuine. Xia Mian could sense that Xue Chunling was a very traditional mother who poured all her love into her children. Especially Zhou Pingchuan, who wasn't her biological son, yet she was willing to remain unmarried for life for him—a truly admirable and moving story.
After lunch, Xue Chunling asked Xia Mian to accompany her for a walk. Xia Mian opened a parasol for her, took her arm, and the two of them strolled along the beach, enjoying the afternoon sea breeze.
“Mianmian,” she asked, “how far have you and Pingchuan’s marriage progressed?”
Xia Mian had previously blamed Zhou Pingchuan for not telling him the date of the betrothal ceremony, and she didn't understand why Zhou Pingchuan had called her to Nangang. Only today did she realize that Zhou Pingchuan wanted to bring her here first so that the wet nurse could see her.
Clearly, Xue Chunling was very satisfied with him. If he told Xue Chunling that the Zhou family had just submitted their betrothal letter and hadn't yet set a date for the wedding ceremony, Xue Chunling would definitely help him urge Zhou Pingchuan.
But suddenly he didn't want to talk anymore.
He couldn't bring himself to take advantage of a mother.
"It's progressing normally, so don't worry. Just wait for our good news."
"Alright, alright. Pingchuan is busy with work and often neglects his own affairs, so please try to understand him. If there's anything he's overlooked that makes you unhappy, just tell Aunt Xue, okay?"
They just added each other on WeChat.
“Okay,” Xia Mian smiled, “If you miss him, tell me and I’ll secretly take a picture and send it to you.”
"You're so clever, haha..."
Zhou Pingchuan has an inspection mission tomorrow and needs to return to Beijing before evening. After taking a walk with Xue Chunling, the two left first.
On the way to the hotel, Xia Mian took a short video and sent it to Xue Chunling: "[We passed a sea of flowers, it's so beautiful, we can come here for a walk next time]"
He clicked send and planned to film another short video of Zhou Pingchuan for Aunt Xue, so that she could watch it when she missed her child.
As soon as the camera was pointed at the person in question, they were caught red-handed.
"What are you doing?"
"...It's nothing." Xia Mian casually turned off the camera, opened WeChat, and pretended to be chatting.
To prove his innocence, he even laid his phone screen flat on his lap.
So, the newly opened WeChat interface was exposed to the air, with all the screen content, including the text, clearly visible.
And...the notes Xia Mian gave to everyone.
Zhou Pingchuan sat beside him, glanced at him, and said in a strange tone, "You're pretending to be a brother?"
Holy crap! How could I have forgotten about that!
Xia Mian laughed awkwardly, "Ah, what are you talking about? I don't understand. I ate too much at lunch, and I'm feeling sleepy now. I'm going to take a nap~"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com