Going back to being twenty, taking her heartbroken son to a massage parlor.

Chapter 023 Don't Push Too Hard

Xia Qingwu took off her gold-rimmed glasses and moved closer to Su Mu.

Su Mu instinctively tried to lean back, but the back of his head had already hit the wall, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

He said helplessly, "President Xia, don't push too hard. This is workplace harassment, you know?"

This pose is too suggestive.

Xia Qingwu tiptoed slightly, her stunningly beautiful face almost touching his nose.

Warm breath sprayed onto his face.

"Su Mu, take another look."

"Have you really forgotten this face?"

Su Mu stared wide-eyed at Xia Qingwu, who was standing right in front of him.

He was too far away, his glasses were blocking his view, and the domineering female CEO aura was too strong, so he didn't dare to look closely.

Now that I'm looking at it up close...

Those eyebrows, that nose, especially those eyes with slightly upturned corners, give off a fierce and stubborn look when they look at people...

It does look somewhat familiar.

I feel like I've seen this somewhere before?

Just as Su Mu's brain was working at high speed,

Xia Qingwu reached into the pocket of his white shirt and pulled out two photos.

She held the photo up to Su Mu's eyes.

The first photo is yellowed and has curled edges; it looks quite old.

The background of the photo is a mud-brick house in the countryside. A little girl, as thin as a monkey, wearing ill-fitting dirty clothes, is squatting in the corner, holding a chipped bowl in her hands, staring fiercely at the camera, like a little wolf cub guarding its food.

Su Mu's pupils suddenly contracted.

This……

Isn't this the "money-losing brat" from Old Xia's house next door?

The floodgates of memory were instantly flung open by this photograph.

That was more than twenty years ago.

At that time, Su Mu was still living in his old home in the countryside, and he was at the age where he could frolic all over the mountains and fields.

A family moved in next door, with a little girl named Xia Youwu.

I heard that she was abandoned by her parents at her grandparents' house in the countryside because they wanted to avoid being fined for having too many children.

In those days, the preference for sons over daughters was very strong in rural areas.

Xia Youwu's grandparents didn't treat her like a human being at all. They would beat and scold her, and in the dead of winter, they would make her kneel in the snow to wash clothes until her hands were frozen like carrots.

The worst thing is that they don't get to eat.

The old woman's cursing could be heard throughout half the village: "You worthless wretch! What are you going to eat! You might as well starve to death!"

Although Su Mu was a guy who roamed around back then, he was soft-hearted.

Every time he saw that little girl kneeling at the door, shivering with hunger, he would secretly take two steamed buns from home, or half a bowl of braised pork, and slip them to her when the adults weren't looking.

This girl is a freak too.

I never say thank you.

He took the bowl, squatted in the corner, and wolfed it down until his cheeks were bulging. Even when he choked and his eyes rolled back, he wouldn't stop.

That look in his eyes was cold, filled with hatred.

After finishing their meal, they would throw down their bowls, wipe their mouths, and leave.

Su Mu wasn't angry. He thought the little girl was quite interesting, like he was raising a stray cat.

Over time, feeding them became a habit.

until one day.

Su Mu was roasting sweet potatoes with Xia Youwu on the edge of the field.

He had just dug it out of the ground; it was roasted until it was dripping with oil and smelled delicious.

Xia Youwu squatted to one side, her hands covered in black dirt as she ate sweet potatoes, her face covered in ash. It was a rare moment when she showed a hint of satisfaction.

Just then, Jiang Yiyao appeared.

She was Su Mu's childhood sweetheart, and later his ex-wife.

Back then, Jiang Yiyao wore a pretty floral dress and had two pigtails, looking like a proud little princess.

She covered her nose and looked at Xia Youwu with disgust:

"Brother Su Mu, why are you playing with such a dirty beggar? She stinks, she smells like pig manure!"

"This child looks like no one wants him."

"I'm not playing with you anymore, and I'm going to tell everyone else too, so they won't talk to you either!"

That sentence was like a knife.

Xia Youwu, who was eating a sweet potato, froze.

She suddenly stood up, slammed the half-eaten sweet potato in her hand to the ground, and her eyes flashed with astonishing ferocity as she rushed forward to hit Jiang Yiyao.

"You're the one nobody wants! I'm going to kill you!"

Jiang Yiyao was so frightened that she burst into tears.

Su Mu didn't think much at the time and instinctively stopped Xia Youwu and pushed her away.

"Xia Youwu! You can't hit people!"

"You're all girls, what are you doing!"

Xia Youwu was pushed and fell on her butt.

She sat on the ground, staring intently at Su Mu.

Finally, she got up and ran away without saying a word.

Su Mu never saw her again after that.

I heard that her parents took her away and moved to a big city.

Su Mu felt a pang of regret for several days afterward; he was quite unaccustomed to losing his little shadow.

did not expect……

The dirty, skinny little girl from back then is actually the aloof and stunning Xia Qingwu, worth hundreds of billions?

This change is too drastic!

Su Mu tentatively patted Xia Qingwu's cheek.

Xia Qingwu bared his teeth instinctively.

have to.

He even bared his teeth.

It's definitely Xia Youqing.

Before he could even process this bombshell, Xia Qingwu shoved a second photo right in front of him.

That was a group photo from our university days.

The photo shows Su Mu in high spirits, at the peak of his good looks. Wearing a white shirt, he smiles brightly, a true campus heartthrob.

Standing next to him was an inconspicuous girl.

He had thick bangs, wore black-rimmed glasses that almost covered half his face, and hunched his shoulders, looking timid and gloomy.

Looking at the photo, Su Mu's mind went blank again.

What the hell!

Isn't this...that guy?

In his sophomore year, he was the president of the student union and had a close relationship with the counselor, often helping students from poor families to find part-time jobs.

There was a girl named Xia... yes, Xia Qing!

He changed one character in his name, and at the time he never even associated it with his childhood playmate!

Back then, Xia Qing was incredibly withdrawn and had a tendency towards depression. She would keep her head down and not speak all day, like a ghost.

Su Mu took pity on her and took her in as his assistant.

There wasn't much work to do; it was just running errands for him and organizing documents.

Su Mu has a lively personality and loves to tease people who are usually quiet and reserved.

On one occasion, the two of them took the elevator to deliver some materials.

The elevator was packed with people.

Su Mu suddenly had a mischievous streak, cornered Xia Qing, and deliberately said loudly:

"Little sister-in-law, do you know your sister knows you're coming to a hotel with me?"

"How about we tell your sister the truth?"

In an instant, everyone in the elevator turned to look at them, as if they were watching a melon seed.

Xia Qing's face turned bright red, almost bleeding, and she wished she could disappear into the ground. She clutched the hem of her clothes helplessly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Su Mu burst into laughter, finding the girl's shy demeanor particularly amusing.

To cheer her up, Su Mu did even more outrageous things.

He became obsessed with motorcycles at that time and spent all his savings to buy a second-hand Kawasaki.

After evening self-study, he insisted on dragging Xia Qing into his car and handing her a helmet.

"Let's go for a drive, don't refuse!"

"If you don't listen to me, I'll deduct your credits. I'm the student council president."

That night, he sped at 100 miles per hour on the ring road.

Xia Qing screamed in fright at first and clung tightly to his waist.

Later, she gradually relaxed, and amidst the howling wind, Su Mu heard her suppressed but heartfelt laughter.

Xia Qing did change during that period.

She became much more cheerful, and would even smile at Su Mu occasionally.

But then...

Jiang Yiyao later became pregnant.

That was a turning point in Su Mu's life.

Out of a sense of responsibility, for the sake of marriage, and to give Jiang Yiyao a better life.

He quit the student union and started working part-time jobs frantically to earn money, so he was overwhelmed with work and couldn't take care of Xia Qing at all.

Xia Qing came to see him several times, but hesitated to speak.

Su Mu was very annoyed at the time, and with Jiang Yiyao making a fuss beside him, he could only quickly send her away.

The last time I saw her was at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Xia Qing blocked his way, her head lowered, her voice barely audible, "Senior, I...I have something to tell you."

Su Mu was in a hurry to buy plum juice for Jiang Yiyao, and waved his hand impatiently:

"I'm busy right now. Oh, by the way, I put 10,000 yuan on your meal card. That'll be enough for you to eat until you graduate. You don't need to do any part-time jobs anymore."

"Don't come looking for me anymore. I'm getting married, and Yiyao doesn't like me getting too close to other girls."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

After that, Xia Qing disappeared completely.

It was as if he had vanished into thin air; he never appeared at school again.

At that time, Su Mu was busy preparing for the wedding and dealing with Jiang Yiyao's various antics, and soon forgot about this inconspicuous junior schoolmate.

until today.

until now.

Two long-forgotten memories perfectly overlapped at this moment.

That little girl who never had enough to eat.

That insecure and depressed junior schoolmate.

And then there's this sickly, aloof female CEO in front of me.

It's...the same person!

Su Mu felt his throat go dry and his heart pounding.

What kind of melodramatic plot is this?!

I'd like to request permission to film a 100-episode short drama series featuring Guoguo!

"You remember now?"

Xia Qingwu looked at his expression.