Zhōng Zhuóhuá chatted with her agent while drinking, and before she knew it, she had downed two glasses of red wine.
Later, when the conversation petered out and she no longer felt like talking, she leaned back on the sofa and fell asleep.
She woke up just before dusk and finally saw Jiang Jingyuan’s message.
Since their breakup, she had considered blocking his number several times, but thinking of their daughter stopped her each time.
Zhōng Zhuóhuá stared at the line, “The child is doing well, no need to worry,” and paused for a moment before deleting the message outright.
That was her child—no matter how well things were, a mother always worried.
Jiang Jingyuan always knew exactly where her weakness lay.
He was so infuriating, always playing the pitiful act!
As if she was the one bullying him, betraying him.
“What’s wrong?” the agent, waking up on the other sofa, rubbed his temples.
Zhōng Zhuóhuá snapped back to reality. “Nothing.”
“Nothing? Then why are you staring at your phone like that?” the agent pressed.
“Just thinking about my baby.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá got up from the sofa, shuffled into her slippers, and went to the study.
She turned on her computer and simultaneously called the Yuer Shi, asking if the little one was home and requested a video call.
The Yuer Shi replied, “Xiuxiu is at home. Mr. Jiang is feeding her now.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá said, “No rush. Let her finish eating, then call her.”
After hanging up, the Yuer Shi headed to the dining room.
It was only half a bowl of rice, but Jiang Jingyuan had been feeding her for almost an hour and still hadn’t finished. The rice had been reheated twice.
Jiang Jingyuan blocked their daughter’s way, not letting her run around anymore. “Sweetheart, be good.”
Xiaozhong Yi was putting shoes on her doll, leaning against her father’s chest, shaking her head like a rattle, “No, no.”
The Yuer Shi sighed inwardly but didn’t say much, knowing it wouldn’t help—Mr. Jiang was stubborn, and the household staff spoiled the child too. Xiaozhong Yi took forever to eat, playing while eating, and the Ayi constantly praised, “Our little Yi is so good!”
The Yuer Shi coaxed Xiaozhong Yi to eat by herself and told her she could video call Mommy after finishing her meal.
At the mention of seeing her mother, Xiaozhong Yi put down her doll, had the Yuer Shi lift her into her high chair, and earnestly ate her meal.
Jiang Jingyuan glanced at the Yuer Shi and asked, “Did she call you?”
“…Yes. Madam wants to video call Xiuxiu.”
Though Jiang Jingyuan said no more, the low pressure in the room was palpable.
It seemed Zhōng Zhuóhuá was now ignoring even his calls.
In less than ten minutes, Xiaozhong Yi finished the rest of her meal.
“Daddy, pick me up. Daddy, hurry, Mommy’s waiting.”
Jiang Jingyuan knew Zhōng Zhuóhuá didn’t want to see him, but he still carried their daughter to the study.
However, he didn’t show himself in the video—only his left arm appeared, letting her know he was nearby.
The white shirt was inconspicuous, but for some reason, Zhōng Zhuóhuá felt the white sleeve in the video was more eye-catching than the red dress on their daughter, and she kept glancing at it unconsciously.
Xiaozhong Yi leaned toward the camera. “Mommy, you look thinner.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá smiled with relief. “Mommy hasn’t lost weight.”
It was a phrase she often told her daughter, but she didn’t expect her daughter to care about her today.
She really hadn’t lost weight. To fit a movie role, she had gained six pounds, and after wrapping filming, she managed to lose two but was still four pounds heavier than before filming.
Hearing that she had slimmed down, Jiang Jingyuan held himself back from looking at the camera, afraid she might forbid him from being around during video calls with their daughter.
“Mommy, when will you come back?”
“Mommy will come get you in a few days, okay?”
Xiaozhong Yi’s eyes instantly welled up with tears, her voice soft and quivering, “No.”
“Why not? Don’t you like it here?”
“I want Mommy to come back to see Hydrangea.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá hated seeing her daughter cry and coaxed her for quite a while.
Xiaozhong Yi wiped her tears and leaned on the computer, hugging it tightly with both little hands.
All that could be seen on Zhōng Zhuóhuá’s screen was a patch of red dress. “Baby, what are you doing?”
“Want Mommy to hold me.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá’s eyes suddenly reddened. For a child just over two years old, video calls couldn’t soothe the longing. She just wanted her parents’ embrace.
“Daddy hold you.” Jiang Jingyuan scooped up their daughter.
The red dress suddenly moved away, leaving only his left arm and the edge of her skirt in the video.
Xiaozhong Yi thought about the flowers she had planted that refused to bloom, knowing Mommy would only come back once the flowers blossomed.
The more she thought, the sadder she became, crying nonstop.
Eventually, she cried herself to sleep, resting her head on her father’s shoulder.
Even in her sleep, she whimpered occasionally.
Children’s moods were often changeable, but Jiang Jingyuan felt a heaviness in his chest.
Regardless of whether she replied or not, he sent another message: 【For the baby’s sake, don’t break up with me, okay?】
Zhōng Zhuóhuá still didn’t respond.
A child’s emotions come and go quickly. Upon waking, Xiaozhong Yi had already forgotten the tears she shed the evening before.
She realized Daddy wasn’t there, rubbed her eyes. “Daddy?”
The bedside lamp was still on. She rolled out of bed and ran out barefoot.
“Daddy?”
Jiang Jingyuan heard his daughter’s voice from the study. “Sweetheart, Daddy’s in the study.”
He said to Li Secretary on the video call, “Give me two minutes.”
He took off his headset and hurriedly stood up.
“Daddy.” The little one ran inside. “Good morning, Daddy.”
Jiang Jingyuan smiled and scooped her up. “It’s not even dawn, just ten o’clock. Daddy will hold you and keep sleeping.”
“But, but…”
But she couldn’t say what was on her mind.
“Babies have to sleep at ten at night, that’s what Mommy said.”
So she buried her head in Daddy’s arms.
Jiang Jingyuan sat back down at the computer, holding his daughter and putting on his headset again.
Li Secretary spoke by voice call; he replied by typing.
Li Secretary: “You and Madam jointly hold shares in Tongxin Capital as well?”
Jiang Jingyuan: 【Yes. I’ll notify the lawyer to draft the agreement first thing tomorrow.】
Li Secretary: “Understood.”
The shares in Jinghe Group and Tongxin Capital, including other assets under his name, would be shared with Zhōng Zhuóhuá.
Li Secretary asked the boss, “Once the agreement is ready, should I bring the lawyer to Madam or…?”
Jiang Jingyuan: 【I’ll speak to her personally.】
This way, he could take their daughter to see her.
Half an hour later, after finalizing all details with Li Secretary, his daughter, obedient as ever, had fallen asleep in his arms at some point.
Jiang Jingyuan gently put her back in bed and went outside to transplant Hydrangeas.
The Hydrangea his daughter planted had drooping leaves; whether it would survive was uncertain.
That evening, after the video call where their daughter had cried herself hoarse before falling asleep, he instructed Butler Liu to buy potted Hydrangeas.
But it was too late—the flower market in the city had already closed.
Fortunately, a neighbor had Hydrangeas in full bloom and gave two pots to Butler Liu.
Jiang Jingyuan transplanted their daughter’s Hydrangea elsewhere and planted the two pots from the neighbor, fertilizing and watering them.
***
With everything tidied up, night had fallen deep.
He absentmindedly rinsed his hands at the garden faucet, hesitating whether to call Zhōng Zhuóhuá, worrying it was too late and she might be asleep.
But remembering their daughter’s words, “Mommy, you look thinner,” he couldn’t wait until morning to call.
He turned off the faucet, neglected to dry his hands, and pulled out his phone from his inner pocket.
It rang three or four times before the call was cut.
Jiang Jingyuan sent a message: 【Honey, please answer.】
Zhōng Zhuóhuá neither answered nor replied.
Standing in the dark garden, feeling helpless, the sound of a car came from outside the courtyard wall.
Several families in town had cars, so it was normal for someone to come home late from business.
But inexplicably, he felt it was Zhōng Zhuóhuá’s car.
Without a second thought, he strode toward the gate.
Almost running, he hurriedly pulled the latch open.
The car stopped by the roadside, its headlights turned off.
The town’s night was exceptionally quiet, and he could clearly hear the car door slam.
The gate opened, and Jiang Jingyuan saw the person he had longed for day and night.
The driver followed behind, carrying the suitcase she had taken when leaving.
The moment their eyes met, Zhōng Zhuóhuá hesitated.
They had been apart less than three months, but it felt like many years had passed.
She said nothing, circled past him, and walked straight into the courtyard.
Jiang Jingyuan’s heart, which had been suspended for months, finally settled at that moment.
He took the suitcase from the driver. “Thank you for your hard work.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá went inside to change into loungewear, washed up simply, and then went to hold their daughter.
The moment their daughter hugged the computer, wanting to be held by her, Zhōng Zhuóhuá suddenly couldn’t hold back anymore.
She no longer wanted to vacation abroad; she canceled her ticket and hotel reservation and had the agent buy a bag of toys.
As soon as night fell, she headed straight to the small town.
Planning to sleep with her daughter that night, she reached up to turn off the wall lamp.
The little one seemed to sense her presence and snuggled deeply into her arms.
Zhōng Zhuóhuá hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. “Mommy’s back.”
Footsteps came from behind, but she squinted her eyes, too tired to respond.
Jiang Jingyuan placed a pillow beside hers and lay down next to her on his side.
Zhōng Zhuóhuá instinctively kicked him away, but her legs were caught by his.
He pulled both mother and daughter into his arms. “I was wrong. Please forgive me?”
Worried about waking their daughter, Zhōng Zhuóhuá didn’t struggle.
She said softly, “I don’t even know what you did wrong.”
Jiang Jingyuan replied, “No matter what, I shouldn’t have seen her again. I won’t make you angry anymore.”
His cheek pressed against hers, their body heat exchanged.
“Even if you don’t come back tonight, I’ll find you tomorrow.”
“If you want to get married, we’ll register our marriage tomorrow. If not, I’ll stay with you anyway. Married or not, all my assets and shares are shared with you.”
“If you don’t believe I love you, or that we can grow old together, then wait twenty or thirty years and see. See if I only ever care about you and our daughter.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá remained silent.
Jiang Jingyuan said, “Let go of the baby. Let me hold you and see how much weight you’ve lost.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá: “I haven’t lost weight! I’ve gained a few pounds.”
Still, Jiang Jingyuan insisted, “Just let me hold you for half a minute.”
He took her hands off their daughter and forcibly turned her around into his arms.
Once held, how could it be only half a minute?
Jiang Jingyuan said, “Go to sleep. I’ll hold you.”
***
The next morning, Xiaozhong Yi woke up to find both Daddy and Mommy in her bed, though Mommy had her back turned to her.
“Mommy!”
“Mommy!”
Xiaozhong Yi climbed up and pulled Zhōng Zhuóhuá awake.
Jiang Jingyuan opened his eyes. “Come to Daddy and Mommy.”
He pulled their daughter over, and she fell between them, kicking her legs excitedly.
She first kissed Mommy, then turned to kiss Daddy, giggling.
Seeing her so happy, Zhōng Zhuóhuá felt it had been worth coming back.
“Mommy, get up! Let’s go see the flowers!”
“What flowers?”
“The flowers I planted for Mommy.”
She had whispered to the flowers many secrets yesterday, telling them to behave, eat well, sleep well, and grow up fast.
Mommy was back, and the flowers had grown!
Zhōng Zhuóhuá dressed her daughter in a beautiful dress. Just after washing up, her daughter pulled her hand and headed to the garden to see the flowers.
Xiaozhong Yi led Mommy straight to where she had planted the flowers.
“Mommy! The flowers bloomed!”
Xiaozhong Yi jumped for joy.
In the morning light, a blue and a pink Hydrangea swayed in the breeze.
From that moment on, Xiaozhong Yi fell in love with Hydrangeas.
That midsummer morning was forever captured in Jiang Jingyuan’s camera.
Twenty-five years later, Zhōng Zhuóhuá flipped through old photos; the past was as vivid as if it were yesterday.
After returning from their daughter’s Wedding at Fengche Village, Zhōng Zhuóhuá organized the photos from the Wedding. Once done, she habitually backed them up to an external hard drive.
The drive held old photos, and she opened the first folder.
From when she was pregnant with their daughter to when their daughter was two and a half years old and planting flowers for her, all the photos and videos were there.
Opening the first photo, she couldn’t stop.
“It’s eleven o’clock, still not sleeping? Finish organizing tomorrow,” Jiang Jingyuan urged.
Zhōng Zhuóhuá: “Already done, just looking at the photos where you made me angry!”
“I haven’t made you angry recently,” Jiang Jingyuan said confidently, having spent these months coaxing her and never letting her feel unhappy.
“Not recently, but before, you annoyed me all the time!”
Jiang Jingyuan leaned closer to see what photos she was looking at. On the screen, she was holding their daughter while looking at Hydrangeas.
He vividly remembered those two plants—he had transplanted them into the garden late at night to cheer their daughter up.
That was also the night Zhōng Zhuóhuá had proactively returned to see their child after their breakup.
Jiang Jingyuan pulled his wife into his arms, kissed her forehead, and apologized again:
“My fault.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá retorted, “You said you wouldn’t make me angry again, but you still did!”
After that reconciliation, they broke up once more.
Their next breakup came five years later when Yang Jiayuan donated money to the Tongxin Charity Foundation, a foundation they jointly managed, and his first love appeared again.
That time, she was heartbroken for two years until their daughter’s tenth birthday, when she finally forgave him.
Jiang Jingyuan: “That time doesn’t count as me upsetting you. I never contacted Yang Jiayuan.”
“I didn’t say you contacted her!”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá grabbed his shirt collar. “You still upset me! If you’d ever publicly acknowledged having a partner, she would have held back, and she wouldn’t have donated in her own name!”
Jiang Jingyuan reflected, “You’re right, it was my fault.”
That year, when she attended a charity gala and was hounded by the media, she asked reporters to ask him if he was willing to date her.
He should have grabbed the opportunity and publicly declared his willingness.
If he hadn’t feared rumors back then, maybe things would have been very different.
No need to hide the marriage—just keep their child’s identity private.
“At that time, I only considered your acting career, fearing gossip would affect your filming, never thought about taking the risk another way.”
If he had thrown caution to the wind and made their relationship public, perhaps after the storm, everything would have returned to normal, and they wouldn’t have separated so many times.
But what conflicts might have arisen on that path—no one knows.
Jiang Jingyuan lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. “Even if not public, it wasn’t because I didn’t love you.”
He closed the computer. “Photos can wait till tomorrow.”
He slipped through her legs, intending to carry her back to the bedroom.
Zhōng Zhuóhuá pushed him away hurriedly, not daring to let him carry her. “We’re not spring chickens. If you hurt your back, I’ll have to take care of you!”
Jiang Jingyuan smiled helplessly. “You’re so light, I can still carry you.”
He bent down and easily scooped her up in his arms.
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