Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 241: Heartbreaking +1+1+1…

Teacher An was heartbroken.

His daughter is returning to China today, without his prior knowledge.

I only learned of this news yesterday morning; it was Liu Jing who told him.

His wife already knew, but she never told him.

He didn't mind being the last person to know the truth; he'd gotten used to it over the years.

Upon learning of her daughter's return to China, Ms. An was overjoyed. She hadn't seen her for several weeks; had she gained or lost weight? Had she been bullied? Was she eating well? Was she dressed appropriately?
He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, and as long as he got home, he could talk about anything.

These past few days I've been trying hard not to contact my daughter, but I'm still heeding my wife's advice: "The more anxious you are about her, the less she'll want to come back. If you ignore her, she'll get bored and be eager to go home."

He took the day off today to wait for his daughter to come home. He had been home alone for a while, but recently his work has been relatively relaxed, so he practiced his cooking skills to prepare his daughter's favorite dishes.

He could hear the roar of the car engine and the sound of Liu Jing opening and closing the door.

At the last minute, realizing his clothes weren't quite right, he quickly ran back inside to change.

Then, he heard the word "Old An".

When Sisi saw her dad, she jumped up from the sofa as if a spring had been pressed into her bottom. "Dad, what are you doing home?"

She glared at Liu Jing. "Old An was home, why didn't you tell me?"

Liu Jing smiled broadly, gloating, "You didn't even ask me."

Sisi wrinkled her nose and said, "You just wait, we'll settle the score later."

Liu Jing chuckled. "Who's settling scores with whom is still up in the air. You'll have to get past Lao An first."

The sofa was only a dozen or so steps from the bedroom door. The two exchanged a silent exchange with their eyes.

"Oh? You're not Old An anymore?" Old An was just putting on an act. When he saw his daughter come up and grab his arm, he couldn't hold back anymore.

“Dad, this is what Mu Tou taught me.” Sisi betrayed Liu Jing without hesitation.

"Hey! I'm still here." Liu Jing pushed his suitcase aside and said, "Take it yourself."

The father and daughter didn't even glance at Liu Jing, acting as if he didn't exist.

Teacher An even felt that Liu Jing was now a bit of an eyesore, more of an eyesore than a light bulb.

"Filming's wrapped up?" Teacher An smiled; he believed him. Years ago, Liu Jing dared to call him "Old An" behind his back. His daughter had easily picked up bad habits from Liu Jing.

"Filming hasn't wrapped up yet, but I missed you so much. That's why I made a little time to come back to China to see you," Sisi said with a fawning smile.

"Really?" Teacher An remained noncommittal. *I don't believe you for a second.* If you really missed me, why haven't you sent me a single message in forty days? You're constantly messaging Liu Jing.

"Mmm-hmm..." Sisi nodded repeatedly, her sincerity was beyond words.

"Korean food is pretty good." Teacher An chuckled, looking a bit heavier than before she ran away from home.

"If you relax and feel better, your appetite will improve," Qianqian explained, sounding a little guilty. She had originally planned to go home and play the victim, but it seemed that wouldn't work.

"Yes, I understand. A broad mind makes one healthy." Teacher An nodded.

"Dad, that character is pronounced 'pan,' like 'pi-an,' not 'pang.'" Qianqian corrected him. A translator, huh? That's all?

“You pronounce it as ‘pang’.” Teacher An shook off the girl. “I’ve been worried about you for so long, and you’ve been having a good time outside. Now it’s your turn to comfort me.”

Old An was about to sit on the sofa, waiting for his daughter to apologize to him.

Good grief, I almost got so angry my nose crooked.

Liu Jing lay on the sofa where Qianqian had just been lying, holding a handful of sunflower seeds in his hand, leisurely cracking them open.

He snorted and sat down on the small sofa opposite him, realizing he was within Liu Jing's line of sight. Reluctantly, he got up and sat at the dining table, deciding to avoid seeing him altogether.

Sisi didn't care. This scoundrel was capable of anything. She'd settle the score with him later.

She opened her suitcase and took out a bag containing a gift. "Dad, this is a gift I bought for you. This box is green tea from Gwangju, South Korea..."

"I usually drink Xinyang Guangshan green tea." Teacher An replied dismissively.

Normally, Sisi would have slammed her fist on the table.

Feeling guilty today, I chuckled and said, "Dad, this tie cost over 30,000 yuan, it's a custom-made style. It's a gift from your daughter, let me put it on for you..."

“It’s so expensive, I dare not wear it. Wouldn’t that be blatantly telling everyone that I’m a corrupt official? This isn’t a gesture of respect, this is a trap. You want to send me to jail, you want to exile me…” Teacher An kept rambling on and on.

He verbally resisted, but his body language betrayed him, allowing his daughter to put a bow tie on him.

Liu Jing found it amusing that Lao An, who was usually quiet, became a chatterbox in front of his daughter and wife.

"Hmm! Not bad, my judgment is indeed excellent." Sisi didn't listen to what her father said at all. After putting it on, she stood a little further away to look at it and nodded in satisfaction.

Liu Jing scoffed, expressing his disdain. "Your taste is truly terrible. Your outfits are all bizarre and outlandish—either ugly or weird—far inferior to Yang Mi's."

"It's alright." Teacher An was quite satisfied.

"This is a watch, a Vacheron Constantin Quai de l'Ile collection..."

"Give this to Liu Jing, I can't wear it." Teacher An quickly stopped her, not because she was worried about her daughter spending money.

My daughter earns tens of millions a year; this money wasn't stolen or robbed, it came from the ground up.

Spend some money on him and buy him some gifts, and he enjoys it without feeling guilty.

A bow tie is fine, since it's a custom-made item. You could say it costs 30,000, or you could say 300.

Teacher An is considered an old-fashioned person by her family, but she is actually very knowledgeable and knows a bit about fashion.

He knew the price of that Vacheron Constantin watch; it cost hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Not only did he know, but many people do know that Vacheron Constantin is not a no-name brand.

Teacher An is strict with herself and often attends international events; how could she possibly make such a mistake?

"You can wear it in private," Sisi suggested.

"No way." Teacher An refused. She said that if she wore it privately, she might wear it out in public one day.

"We won't report you," Sisi persisted.

Teacher An grunted and looked at the girl, "You should just run away from home. Without you, I can suffer less in this house."

"Mu Tou doesn't like wearing random things; he finds it troublesome. I bought him a ring, but he's never worn it." Sisi pouted, realizing she couldn't give the gift away.

Teacher An is really hurtful. What does that mean? If Liu Jing likes these things, then you won't give them to me.

"What ring?"

"Don't worry! It's not a wedding ring. If he dares not wear it, I'll tear him apart." Sisi waved her fist, threatening Liu Jing.

Liu Jing winked and said, "Who's afraid of who? Come and tear me apart if you dare. Let's see what you're capable of."

Heartbreaking +1
Teacher An took a deep breath. Are you trying to reassure me, or are you trying to break my heart?

Forget it! I'll just go out; out of sight, out of mind.

"Dad, where are you going? You don't like watches, these are sunglasses I bought for Mu Tou. You can have them, I need to collect three gifts." Sisi chased after her father.

Heartbreaking +1
"I'll go cook." Teacher An clutched her chest, wondering if she should still show off her cooking skills. All her excitement had vanished.

"Dad, make more, some friends are coming over later," Sisi instructed.

She abandoned her father and sat down next to Liu Jing. "Wood, I also brought you three gifts: sunglasses, a lighter, and this Vacheron Constantin watch."

"I don't want Vacheron Constantin." Liu Jing also refused. If Lao An doesn't want it, I don't want it either.

"Alright! If neither of you wants this watch, I'll give it to my godfather in a few days..."

"I want..." Liu Jing and Teacher An said in unison.

"Are you two crazy?" Sisi frowned. These two were really something else, treating their godfather like a thief.

Between two evils, the lesser one was chosen, and the watch ultimately ended up in Liu Jing's hands.

"Hey! When is that musical Mom was talking about filming?" Old An went to the kitchen to cook, and Qianqian grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started cracking them open too.

"Next spring, when the flowers bloom, the team is currently scouting locations, most likely in Guangxi or Yunnan," Liu Jing replied lazily, feeling a bit sleepy in the warm room.

"The lyrics written by my childhood teacher are so good, can I sing them?" Sisi asked expectantly.

"Give it a try," Liu Jing encouraged. Qianqian cleared her throat, placed the sunflower seeds in Liu Jing's hand, and clapped her hands, singing, "A road leads to the ends of the earth, two hearts are bound together. The wind cannot blow away our vows, the rain cannot dampen our romance. Our hearts are with the world, sharing joy and happiness..."

Sisi had done her homework; she could recite the lyrics and the tune was accurate.

"How is it?" Sisi waited for two minutes, and seeing that Liu Jing remained silent, she couldn't help but push him twice.

Liu Jing was wondering whether he should spend money on public relations for the Grammys next February.

Sissi's English album still caused quite a stir.

Liu Jing had originally wanted to give it a try and see if he could make it to the Grammys, but suddenly he hesitated.

"The singing was not bad, but it lacked something. The high notes were off, and the low notes were ineffective. There was no emotion in the song, and no lingering feeling after the singing," commented Liu Jing.

"Can't you just say something nice to me?" Sisi protested, clearly not knowing how to make a girl happy.

While I was unhappy, I was also somewhat relieved.

Luckily, he's not good at charming girls, otherwise he would have attracted even more attention from them.

"Hmm! You're beautiful, and your thoughts are even more beautiful," Liu Jing mocked.

"You wish..." Sisi straddled Liu Jing and started hitting him with a pillow.

"Liu Yifei, a gentleman uses words, not fists. If you keep this up, I'll tickle you," Liu Jing warned.

"I'm a villain, if you dare tickle me, I'll bite you to death..." Sisi gritted her teeth, ignoring the warning, and went even further, biting directly.

"Are you a dog? You actually bit me." Liu Jing pinched Qianqian's cheek.

"Waaaaa...waaaaa..."

Heartbreaking +1
"Cough cough cough cough cough..." Teacher An coughed lightly, and when that didn't work, she coughed heavily.

The two used to be siblings, and seeing them playing around like this warmed his heart.

Now that the relationship is different, the same actions only hurt him.

"Dad, you didn't stir-fry any chili peppers. Do you want me to get you a slice of watermelon frost?" Sisi rolled her eyes. What an old-fashioned guy.

She muttered to herself, "Having a third wheel around is really inconvenient. Looks like I'll have to move out too."

Heartbreaking +1
"Xixi, come and help me out," Teacher An called out.

"Dad, would you really let me do this? Mom never lets me cook when she's home," Sisi replied.

"Liu Jing, could you chop the vegetables for me?"

"Dad, you're working hard. Mu Tou and I have things to do, we'll help you later," Qianqian interrupted.

Chop chop chop chop chop…

Teacher An chopped ginger, making a sound like chopping pork belly.

Heartbreaking +1 +1 +1...

Sisi stuck out her tongue. Daddy seemed angry. Fine, let's calm down for a bit.

"Where were we?" Sisi asked softly.

"Speaking of your beauty," Liu Jing reminded him, but didn't finish the sentence.

"Pah! Pervert..." Sisi smiled radiantly, quite pleased, and automatically ignored the last sentence.

"Why don't we let Liangying sing? She has a great voice, much better than mine." Xixi was still thinking about her employees, even though she had been a hands-off manager for several dozen days.

Liu Jing thought it was a small car, Zhang Liangying's voice is indeed good, I haven't really tested the width of her vocal range yet, but it's definitely better than Xixi's, after all, she hasn't warmed up her voice yet.

“She won’t do either.” Liu Jing shook his head, then explained, “During the time you ran away from home, Sister Li took your childhood teacher to meet all the singers at Red Starwood and its holding company. In the end, they selected Xianzi, who loves music, but unfortunately, after two rounds of interviews, the team still felt there were flaws.”

"I Love Music" is a Taiwanese record company that represents artists such as Penny Tai, Hsiao An, Chiang Hui, and Hsien Tzu.

A few months ago, Hongxingwu acquired a portion of the company's shares, and some of its distribution channels were integrated into Hongxingwu.

Xianzi is a signed singer with Love Music. In 2004, she rose to fame with her song "Drunken Breeze" and was signed by Chen Zihong to Love Music.

"Even with such a great voice, Xianzi couldn't pass. Their team has such high standards." Xixi was surprised. She knew who Xianzi was.

“Chen Zihong helped Xianzi release an album and wanted to use Red Starwood's channels to distribute it in mainland China, Japan, and South Korea. After two rounds of interviews, I felt that Xianzi had a lot of potential. I spent some money to buy out Xianzi's contract and signed her to Red Starwood,” Liu Jing explained.

"Oh, you decide." Sisi didn't take it seriously and didn't pay much attention to it; she was just a singer.

"Who is the teacher going to invite to sing this song?" This is where Sisi's curiosity lies.

"Teacher Song Zuying, and also Tan Jing, Zhou Xiaolin..."

"The national team? Forget it, we won't compete." Sisi gave up completely.

"By the way, I was invited to the 2007 Spring Festival Gala (Year of the Pig)." Liu Jing said smugly. He had received an invitation, while Qianqian had not, and he was very happy about it.

"Tch! What can you do? Perform magic or martial arts?" Sisi looked disdainful. Inviting a pig like you to the Spring Festival Gala for the Year of the Pig is indeed quite fitting.

Liu Jing is emotional. What should I do? Is it embarrassing?
Singing? Forget it, I don't want to drag others down with me.

Singing opera? You can still sing after having a few drinks, but the organizing committee doesn't allow people to perform while intoxicated.

Crosstalk? The Spring Festival Gala only has crosstalk plays, where can you find pure crosstalk anymore?

A skit? I'm not a comedian...

The doorbell relieved Liu Jing's frustration, but Qianqian wanted to press her advantage and make fun of him, so she had to run out to open the door.

Before the person even entered the house, Liu Jing already knew who it was.

"Sisi, waaaah, you're finally back! I missed you so much! From now on, we're family, you have to stand up for me!" Shu Chang cried and sobbed, looking utterly miserable.

"Who bullied you?" Sisi asked in surprise.

"Waaaaah, Woody, Woody bullies me. While you were away, he took advantage of me all the time, and then abandoned me. You're my sister and my sister-in-law, you have to stand up for me! Waaaaah..." Shu Chang's voice gradually faded as she entered the house and discovered that Teacher An was there.

Liu Jing covered his face with a newspaper, as if to say, "Do you think I don't exist?"

He was too lazy to refute, and he didn't dare to refute in front of Teacher An.

They only kissed briefly that day, and it was Shu Chang who took the initiative.

After that night, Shu was busy filming multiple projects, and the two never saw each other again.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed; Shu Chang is best at this.

"Godfather, I'll help you out. Those two, Qianqian and Mutou, are really something, they don't know how to be filial at all." Shu Chang took off her coat, threw it on Liu Jing, rolled up her sleeves, and ran to the kitchen.

Teacher An was amazed; the acting was truly superb, as if the person who had just been pretending to cry and talking nonsense wasn't Shu Chang at all.

"You should go out," Teacher An said, preferring to do it herself.

On Liu Jing's birthday, Shu Chang wanted to show off. She actively helped Sister Li, almost flooding the kitchen in the process.

From then on, another name was added to Sister Li's kitchen blacklist.

"Okay." Shu Chang answered readily, then pulled Qianqian aside and whispered about her experiences over the past month.

Shu Chang returned from Northeast China. She was filming "Assembly" and came back to attend the Star Awards.

Teacher An was somewhat relieved. Shu Chang's arrival was still somewhat useful; at least she no longer had to watch the two unfilial sons bickering.

His relief came a little too soon. As Shu Chang arrived, it was as if a signal had been given, and everyone gradually arrived at the scene.

Tang Yan, Zhou Yang, and Zhang Liangying were present, but Yang Mi was absent; however, Yao Beina was present.

The other three were unfamiliar with Teacher An, but Yao Beina and Teacher An were old acquaintances.

The room was filled with beautiful women, and Teacher An seemed somewhat dazed; the scene felt strangely familiar.

No wonder Sisi asked for more food; it turns out it's another matriarchal society.

Why are there always so many girls wherever Liu Jing is?
Teacher An suppressed her deep doubts and displeasure, took off her apron, and prepared to go out to buy some groceries.

"Dad, where are you going?" Sisi asked, puzzled.

"I ran away from home."

(End of this chapter)