The agent didn’t realize that Zhong Zhuohua had broken up until two months later, when the film wrapped.
Unlike usual, she wasn’t in a hurry to rush back to Jiangcheng Town, but instead planned to go abroad for a vacation.
“A family of three going together?” the agent asked casually.
Zhong Zhuohua said she was going alone.
“Finally getting a break, not spending time with Siyin?”
“I’m going to clear my head. I’ll be back to spend time with the baby.”
The agent thought she was still caught up in the role: “Let Boss Jiang keep you company, I’ll stay in town for a few days to keep Siyin company.”
After a moment of silence,
“No need for you to accompany her,” Zhong Zhuohua said. “Jiang Jingyuan and I have broken up.”
The agent was surprised: “When did this happen?”
“A long time ago, in April.”
Zhong Zhuohua lay back on the sofa and closed her eyes. “Suit yourself, I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”
It had been three days since the film wrapped, but she was still trapped in sadness, unable to tell if it was because she couldn’t get out of the character or something internal.
The agent sat on the armrest of the sofa, looking at the exhausted woman. Only now did she realize why last month Zhong Zhuohua had taken Siyin to Shanghai to live for a week.
So, she had split from Jiang Jingyuan.
“What was the reason for the breakup? Can you talk about it?”
“He met with Yang Jiayuan.”
Zhong Zhuohua explained the situation, pausing for a moment. “Maybe it’s my fault.”
The agent massaged her temples to help her relax. “It’s not your fault. You’ve just been too tired lately, under a lot of pressure.”
Knowing Zhong Zhuohua’s stubborn nature, she tried to be indirect: “Breaking up might be for the best. Take some time to calm down. When you figure out what you really want, it won’t be too late to decide.”
After a long silence, Zhong Zhuohua spoke.
“Before I met Jiang Jingyuan, I wanted nothing more than fame—big fame, to prove to my parents that even without a university degree and not following their plans for me, I could still make it by working hard.”
“After meeting Jiang Jingyuan and having the baby, my biggest desire was to become a boss, to secure more benefits for my baby, and to make sure my baby had exclusive access to the father’s resources—”
She suddenly stopped speaking.
The agent didn’t say much. No matter how much was said, Zhong Zhuohua needed to figure it out herself.
Zhong Zhuohua sat up on the sofa, hugging her knees.
“That day was too painful. No amount of money could make me happy.”
“At that moment, I just wanted to escape the pain. And Jiang Jingyuan was the root of that pain.”
***
In recent years, their relationship had been sweet, but who would’ve thought he would meet Yang Jiayuan without hesitation?
To him, she was a deeply unforgettable first love. When they parted, there was so much reluctance—how could their reunion ever be truly calm?
She didn’t believe that the moment he received the call and met Yang Jiayuan, he wouldn’t think back on any of their past love.
She waited at home, hoping he would come back soon.
But he met his first love under the pretense of discussing business.
“He might as well not have said he loved me. That way I wouldn’t have had any expectations and just gone after his money, and things between us would have been easier.”
The agent said, “You can try to think like that. But really, what’s the point of love? It doesn’t fill your stomach. If one day Boss Jiang stops giving you money, that’s when you should cry.”
Zhong Zhuohua suddenly laughed.
The agent poured two glasses of red wine and handed one over. “Congratulations on wrapping! May the box office be a hit!”
Zhong Zhuohua hadn’t been in the mood these past few days and couldn’t feel the joy of wrapping up.
The agent clinked her glass again. “For baby Siyin, you should be happy too. Otherwise, no love, no money, and Siyin won’t even have an identity. Don’t expect a rich man to guard his virtue for you.”
“Let me say something you won’t like: Didn’t Jiang Jingyuan love Yang Jiayuan desperately at first? But in the end, he came back to you.”
Though harsh, it was the truth.
Zhong Zhuohua swallowed the wine with difficulty.
Meanwhile, in the Town.
Little Siyin held her bottle and clinked glasses with Dad. “Cheers! Cheers! One cup! Two cups! A thousand and nine cups!”
Jiang Jingyuan laughed and kissed his daughter’s cheek, teasing, “How much is nine cups?”
“Lots and lots!” Little Siyin rested on Dad’s arm, her little feet stepping on his other arm, clutching her bottle and gulping it down.
Jiang Jingyuan grabbed the camera nearby and started recording.
Little Siyin thought it was for Mom, so she hurriedly took off the bottle and leaned close to the lens. “Mom, I love you!”
An indescribable emotion swept through Jiang Jingyuan’s heart. It had been more than two months since he and Zhong Zhuohua broke up, with no contact or meetings since.
He looked at the child in his arms. “Miss Mommy?”
“Yeah.”
Little Siyin nodded vigorously.
Jiang Jingyuan recorded a bit more, then put down the camera and wiped sweat from her forehead. After finishing a bottle, she always worked up a sweat. “Tired?”
Little Siyin smiled, “Very tired! Very tired!”
Jiang Jingyuan set the empty bottle on the table, picked up his daughter, grabbed a sun umbrella, and headed out.
From their home to Yu Laoshi’s place, his daughter fell asleep on his shoulder.
Whenever it wasn’t raining, he would soothe her to nap this way.
Yu Laoshi took the umbrella and pointed to the living room sofa. “Try putting her down. Carrying her all day is exhausting.”
Jiang Jingyuan hesitated. “I’ve put her down before; she just wakes up. Why make her cry?”
Yu Laoshi teased, never seen anyone raise a child like him.
Jiang Jingyuan sat down on the sofa, took off the child’s shoes, and let her nap leaning against his chest.
Yu Laoshi cut half a watermelon, placing the fruit plate on the sofa armrest. “How long will you keep carrying her?”
Jiang Jingyuan said, “As long as she wants me to.”
“Not many years really. Kids don’t like being held once they get bigger. Zhou Yunlian’s son is six this year, and he won’t let anyone hold him.”
So, he cherished every moment with his child and never complained.
“You and Zhong Zhuohua just broke up like that?”
Jiang Jingyuan didn’t answer.
If it weren’t for the child, Yu Laoshi wouldn’t bother prying.
“The kid is still young, so you can get by for now. But in a few years, when she can tell things apart, what are you going to do?”
Jiang Jingyuan: “It’s not a big deal. I never planned to find someone else or have other kids.”
Their daughter had grown accustomed to the home environment with just the two of them. She’d just think her mom was busy.
Yu Laoshi said sharply, “What if Zhong Zhuohua finds someone else and you don’t?”
Jiang Jingyuan was about to grab a slice of watermelon but suddenly lost his appetite, glancing at his friend. “Have you gotten any inspiration for your paintings?”
Yu Laoshi: “My paintings aren’t your concern. Even if I have no inspiration, I have Jinghe Shares. I won’t starve even if I never paint again.”
Jiang Jingyuan only thought he wouldn’t look for anyone else but forgot to consider Zhong Zhuohua’s side. Perhaps subconsciously, he assumed she’d be like him and not start a new family for the baby’s sake.
But what if she did? How would he feel?
Jiang Jingyuan asked himself.
Yu Laoshi pressed further: “What if she actually meets someone she likes? What will you do?”
Jiang Jingyuan: “She won’t.”
“She probably won’t really reject me and the baby.”
But the tension between them was hard to resolve.
He always felt that he wasn’t loved.
But if she didn’t love him, how could she have gone so far? How could they still share Jinghe Shares?
Yu Laoshi didn’t say more, leaning back on the sofa and dozing off.
Suddenly, the living room landline rang sharply, startling him. He hurriedly grabbed the receiver.
Little Siyin’s small hand trembled.
Jiang Jingyuan hugged her tightly, pressing her forehead. “Don’t be scared, Daddy’s here.”
Soon, little Siyin calmed down in his arms.
Yu Laoshi blamed herself. “Forgot to unplug the phone line.”
Jiang Jingyuan: “It’s fine.”
As long as the child was in his arms, she wouldn’t be scared.
Yu Laoshi only grabbed the receiver and forgot to look at the caller ID.
“Let Jiang Jingyuan talk!”
Before Yu Laoshi could ask who it was, Zhou Yunlian’s voice came through the receiver.
Yu Laoshi: “How do you know Jiang Jingyuan is at my place?”
“Didn’t you say he’s been in town lately? If not at your place, then whose?”
Almost let the secret slip.
Yu Laoshi changed the subject: “What do you want with him?”
Zhou Yunlian: “Can’t explain over the phone. Tell him to answer.”
Yu Laoshi didn’t respond and looked at her friend.
Jiang Jingyuan pointed to the child in his arms, who was still unsettled from being frightened earlier. Answering the call would surely wake her.
Yu Laoshi understood and spoke into the phone, “He’s probably napping. I’ll go check.”
She placed the receiver on the side table and rested her head, dozing off again.
***
After a while, Jiang Jingyuan picked up the receiver and said flatly, “He really is napping. Didn’t he just break up? Let’s pity him and let him sleep a little longer.”
Zhou Yunlian was exasperated: “How long does he plan to stay heartbroken? It’s been years and he still can’t get over it? Don’t wait until I have grandchildren and he’s still stuck in his heartbreak!”
Jiang Jingyuan moved away from the phone so he couldn’t hear the comments, but there was no need to guess—Zhou Yunlian was roasting him.
He glanced at the time. The roasting went on for about three minutes.
Yu Laoshi’s ears ached when the call ended.
Afraid another call might wake the child, Jiang Jingyuan just set the receiver down on the side table without hanging up.
“I almost told Zhou Yunlian you were putting the little girl to sleep.”
Yu Laoshi looked at the adorable little bundle. “You really don’t plan to reveal Siyin’s existence?”
Jiang Jingyuan lowered his eyes to his daughter.
“No plans. Zhong Zhuohua’s negative rumors have never stopped. We know her well enough not to care about what the papers or internet say. But what about those who don’t know her?”
“When Siyin starts school, classmates will know who her mother is. There’ll be all kinds of comments.”
“You go online often too, right? Forums are full of insults. Even if you explain, who believes you? No one. Zhong Zhuohua’s been rumored with so many people, always clarifying in time. How many believe her?”
“Only I believe her. The fans believe her.”
“Everyone else will say whatever they want.”
“If it weren’t for me, would you believe the studio’s clarifications?”
Yu Laoshi said nothing more.
Jiang Jingyuan: “If we reveal her, every word and deed of Siyin’s will be scrutinized and magnified. How do you expect a child to handle that?”
He wanted his daughter to grow up free and healthy.
Of course, he knew that if they didn’t go public, it would be hard for the child to enjoy normal family moments with both parents.
But it was a choice of lesser evils.
They owed her, and he and Zhong Zhuohua would make up with more love.
No more children. Give her their undivided love, as much wealth as possible, and respect all her choices.
“Did Zhou Yunlian mention what he wanted with me later?” he suddenly remembered to ask.
Yu Laoshi: “No.”
“Just busy complaining about me?”
“Not really. He was just venting.”
Jiang Jingyuan saw his daughter sleeping soundly and carefully took out his phone.
Before her nap, he had turned off and muted his phone. Zhou Yunlian called five times but he missed all, no wonder he called Yu Laoshi.
He held his daughter with one arm and called back.
“Hello, Third Uncle, it’s me.”
Xiao Zhou Shiyi’s voice came through the receiver.
Jiang Jingyuan lowered his voice to ask, “Where’s your dad?”
“Dad’s in the study, Mom’s doing the accounts.”
As for what accounts, little Xiao Zhou Shiyi didn’t understand.
“Third Uncle, why are you looking for Dad?”
“Work stuff.”
Just then, little Siyin woke up.
***
Little Siyin was still groggy from sleep, looking around blankly, suddenly unable to recognize where she was.
Jiang Jingyuan kissed her forehead and moved the phone away. “Still sleepy?”
Little Siyin snuggled into her dad’s arms, missing Mom.
She raised her little hand, reaching for the phone. “I want to talk to Mom.”
Jiang Jingyuan: “Not Mom, it’s Brother.”
Little Siyin thought it was Min Ting, her cousin at her aunt’s place. “I want to talk to Brother.”
On the other end was a six-year-old child. Jiang Jingyuan wasn’t worried Xiao Zhou Shiyi would guess anything, so he handed the phone to his daughter’s ear.
“Hello! Brother!”
Xiao Zhou Shiyi had never heard this voice before: “I’m not your brother.”
Little Siyin was stunned. The voice was strange—not her brother.
Then it must be her little brother.
Xiao Zhou Shiyi asked, “Who are you?”
Little Siyin: “I’m your sister.”
Jiang Jingyuan smiled and took back the phone. “Quick, give the phone to your dad.”
Zhou Yunlian came out of the study just in time. His wife was checking the company’s accounts, making him confess honestly.
What was he hiding?
Right now, the person he envied most was Jiang Jingyuan—one person feeding the whole family, no worries, and time to travel and relax.
Jiang Jingyuan: “What do you want?”
Zhou Yunlian: “There’s a dinner next week. Come with me. It’s a good chance to connect on the project signed in April.”
Jiang Jingyuan rejected without hesitation. “No time.”
Zhou Yunlian: “You had time to see old Yu, but no time for a dinner?”
In recent years, Jiang Jingyuan only attended industry conferences and summits.
He rarely appeared at private dinners or banquets—not because he was too busy, but to avoid media creating rumors or whispers about his unforgettable first love.
At such events, most people bring their partners or dates. If he showed up alone repeatedly, people would guess he still missed Yang Jiayuan.
Besides those rumors, he had many admirers in the circle. If he ran into them at a banquet, polite greetings were unavoidable. If photos got leaked, the media would sensationalize everything.
He didn’t want Zhong Zhuohua to be upset or jealous.
So he simply avoided these occasions.
Jiang Jingyuan bluntly said, “No time.”
Zhou Yunlian: “…What do you do all day then?”
Jiang Jingyuan sometimes couldn’t help but boast, “Busy raising a kid.”
“Fine, fine! Just keep busy with your angel investments, live your life with those companies you’re incubating!”
Not on the same wavelength, Zhou Yunlian hung up directly.
After Dad hung up, little Siyin finally spoke, “Daddy, I want to go home.”
“Not playing at Uncle’s?”
“No, I want to go home and water the flowers.”
“You can’t water them every day, let’s do it tomorrow.”
Little Siyin hugged Dad’s neck tightly. “No, no!”
Jiang Jingyuan could only carry his daughter and say goodbye at Yu Laoshi’s.
His daughter had planted flowers for Zhong Zhuohua, watering them multiple times a day, hoping they’d bloom before Mom came back.
Back home, the little girl held a small spray bottle, only lightly misting water on the leaves.
She squatted in front of the few plants, watering and whispering, hoping the flowers would grow quickly.
Jiang Jingyuan sat quietly on a nearby chair, watching his daughter for a moment, then took out his phone and sent Zhong Zhuohua a message:
Jiang Jingyuan
[I miss you. How about you? Have you thought of me these past few months?
I heard your movie wrapped. Find a place to relax well. The child is fine, no need to worry.]
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