YABE - 53

Early the next morning, Wen Siyu accompanied Wen Siyuan to see Wen Jingyao off at the airport.

After getting out of the car, the little girl scanned her surroundings and then pulled a mask out of her bag, quickly putting it on.

Seeing this, Wen Siyuan clicked his tongue twice and shook his head: “Our little sister has changed—her idol image is becoming heavier by the day. I feel like you’re growing further away from me.”

Wen Siyu rolled her eyes at him: “Brother, I think the closest distance between us lately is the fact that we came from the same womb.”

Wen Siyuan: “….”

The little girl ignored her brother’s gritted teeth and walked straight into the airport. Standing in the terminal hall, Wen Siyu teared up as she looked at her father: “Dad, I’ll miss you so much.”

Wen Jingyao thought about how this wasn’t the same daughter who had thrown a tantrum over her boyfriend yesterday. Feeling a pang of sadness for five seconds, he contemplated saying, If you’ll miss me this much, I can stay.

But just then, he saw Wen Siyu’s watery eyes instantly dry up, replaced by a beaming smile as she waved at him: “Bye, Dad! Don’t forget to send me gifts!”

Wen Jingyao: “….”

He was deeply suspicious that this girl wasn’t his biological child.

After seeing off the elder of the household, Wen Siyu turned to her brother and blinked: “Brother, aren’t you going back to the company?”

Wen Siyuan raised an eyebrow, his expression prompting her to continue.

The little girl grinned mischievously: “You go ahead—I’ll go home by myself. The subway here is convenient anyway.”

Faced with such a surprisingly mature Wen Siyu, Big Brother remained calm: “Alright, did you bring your wallet?”

Wen Siyu nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes!”

“Then be careful on your way home,” Wen Siyuan paused, then added, “Oh, by the way, I took your ID card out of your wallet last night. You won’t be able to take the high-speed train or anything like that, so you’d better go home quietly.”

Wen Siyu: “….”

Wen Siyu: “???”

Wen Siyu: “…Oh.”

As the saying goes, old ginger is always spicier, and there’s always someone more cunning than you. That evening, when Wen Siyuan returned home from work, pleased with himself, he found the house empty. There was no trace of his sister sulking and waiting for him.

The wealthy Miss Wen had simply taken a taxi and left.

At that moment, she was sitting cross-legged on Jiang Xu’s Hello Kitty carpet, discussing what to have for dinner with the man.

Wen Siyu had originally suggested that since Teacher Jiang now knew how to cook, he could handle dinner tonight while she helped out.

Jiang Xu said there was no problem—but he only knew how to make the dishes from the previous day. He didn’t know how to make anything else. Did she want to eat those again?

Wen Siyu hesitated for a moment and decided that in that case, Teacher Jiang should rest. They would order takeout instead.

Jiang Xu: “….”

In the end, they ended up ordering takeout. When the doorbell rang, Jiang Xu got up to answer the door but was stopped by Wen Siyu, who pressed him back down firmly.

The little girl gave him a serious look, silently stopping him from moving.

Jiang Xu didn’t react in time and let her push him back down. She then grabbed a pillow from the bed and went out.

Wen Siyu walked to the entrance, opened the door, and hid half her face behind the pillow, leaving only her eyes peeking out as she stared intently at the delivery guy. She extended one hand toward him.

The delivery guy, encountering someone hiding their face behind a pillow to receive their food for the first time, stood frozen and handed over the bag in his hand.

Wen Siyu nodded and said thank you, then wasted no time turning around and heading back inside.

A soft “click” was heard—the door was locked.

Delivery guy: “….”

Did he really look that much like a bad guy?

Wen Siyu’s actions were smooth and practiced. Jiang Xu leaned against the bedroom doorframe, watching her with amusement: “I used to just go and pick it up myself.”

The little girl was unpacking the takeout bags and glanced at him: “Teacher Jiang, you lack self-awareness as a public idol.”

The public idol shrugged nonchalantly: “When I’m at home alone, they usually don’t recognize me as Jiang Xu.”

Wen Siyu: “….”

She looked him up and down carefully—light-colored loungewear, slightly messy black hair, unshaven beard.

But his face was still incredibly handsome. How could anyone not recognize him?

Wen Siyu sat on the carpet in front of the coffee table in the living room and waved at Jiang Xu to come over.

The man obediently walked over, folding his long legs and sitting beside her.

Wen Siyu raised her arm, cupped his face, and gently held his chin, her fingertips brushing against the faint stubble. With a mischievous grin, she teased: “Ah, young man, you’re so handsome. Aren’t you Jiang Xu?”

She stared directly at him, her big, clear eyes filled with sincerity: “No matter how Teacher Jiang looks, I’ll always recognize you.”

No matter the distance, no matter the appearance, one glance was all it took for her to recognize him instantly.

I only need to look at you once.

Wen Siyu smiled brightly: “Teacher Jiang, do you want to come with me to meet the most terrifying authority figure?”

Jiang Xu froze.

“Yesterday doesn’t count. Let’s go meet the scariest one—the kind who can crush you into dust with just a glance.”

Jiang Xu: “….”

Xu Qiubai, after filming his last movie four years ago, swept all the major domestic awards and even successfully made a run for the Oscars. Since then, he had remained silent. There were many rumors circulating, but only his family knew the truth: the elder had no plans to make any more films.

As he put it, he was old, his talent had run dry, and he could no longer create anything that surpassed his previous works. The future of cinema now rested in the hands of the new generation.

The house was located in a suburban villa area, at the end of the slope, in the last row.

Wen Siyu and Jiang Xu arrived at noon, right around mealtime. Xu Qiubai was sitting on a lounge chair in the garden, playing with his dog. Hearing the sound of a car engine, he looked up and saw Wen Siyu and Jiang Xu getting out of the car.

Although the elder was no longer in the entertainment industry, he was still very well-informed, knowing everything he needed to know. Seeing the two together, he was only slightly surprised.

Wen Siyu had always been sweet-tongued and endearing since she was young, being the youngest in the family. Naturally, her grandfather doted on her endlessly. Her main task this time was to boost Jiang Xu’s favorability in front of Xu Qiubai.

She remembered what Wen Siyuan had told her before—that when Jiang Xu first debuted, he had been rebellious and hadn’t been spared by Director Xu. Their relationship had been extremely strained.

Of course, that was merely what she thought.

When Jiang Xu got out of the car, carrying their things and following her inside, Xu Qiubai’s eyes lit up.

Jiang Xu bowed slightly and respectfully called out, “Director Xu.” The elder smiled so widely his eyes nearly disappeared, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes radiating kindness: “Don’t call me Director Xu—just call me Grandpa.”

Wen Siyu: “….”

Wen Siyu: “???”

This wasn’t what she had expected at all.

Wen Siyu stared dumbfounded as the two conversed like old friends, chatting naturally and happily. There wasn’t even a hint of the tense, bitter relationship Wen Siyuan had described.

She tried to interject several times but couldn’t get a word in. Helpless, she glared at Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu immediately understood and stopped talking.

Wen Siyu looked at Xu Qiubai and blinked: “Grandpa, are you really this close with Teacher Jiang?”

Xu Qiubai smiled warmly: “When you were six years old, he was already filming with me. Do you think we’re familiar or not?”

“But Brother told me that you used to dislike Teacher Jiang and scolded him harshly back then.”

“Even unpolished jade needs to be carved,” the elder said, sipping his tea. “Besides, how can a young actor survive without a bit of rebellion?”

Wen Siyu: “…Oh.”

She never would have guessed that what she thought would be the biggest obstacle turned out to be an unexpected assist.

No wonder when she mentioned it to Jiang Xu yesterday, he didn’t seem half as nervous as when Wen Jingyao invited him over for dinner. In fact, he seemed quite enthusiastic about it, letting her drag him along willingly.

The two stayed for the entire afternoon, leaving only after dinner when it was already dark.

Before they left, Xu Qiubai held Wen Siyu’s hand and lectured her again.

The gist of it was that although her mother made good films, she always made love stories. He urged her not to follow in her footsteps and make those kinds of movies because they were too俗 (mundane).

Wen Siyu nodded earnestly, assuring him that such films were indeed extremely mundane. “Rest assured, I will never make them. I have patriotic ideals—I’ll make war resistance films!”

Finally, after getting into the car, Wen Siyu let out a long sigh of relief.

Jiang Xu couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer.

Wen Siyu glared at him.

Suppressing his laughter, Jiang Xu cleared his throat: “Feeling relieved now?”

Since the morning, the girl had been holding her breath, looking even more nervous than him. It was as if she were the one meeting her partner’s parents.

Her reaction would have been fine if he hadn’t asked—but once he did, Wen Siyu remembered again. She sighed dramatically: “To help you marry into my family, I’ve worked so hard, Jiang Xu.”

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow: “Little girl, your courage has grown—you’re calling me by my name so casually now.”

“What should I call you? Should I call you ‘Teacher Jiang’ for the rest of my life?” Without looking at him, Wen Siyu busied herself with fastening her seatbelt.

With a “click,” the belt locked into place. Just then, she heard the man chuckle softly.

Jiang Xu leaned toward her, his arm stretching across her view as his large palm pressed against the car window.

His body moved closer, gradually narrowing the distance between them. He tilted his head slightly, his straight nose now directly in her line of sight. His familiar scent enveloped her with every breath.

“You can also call me ‘hubby,’” he murmured in a deep, hoarse voice.

Wen Siyu: “….”

The sudden romantic line and term of endearment left her brain foggy, her whole body feeling weak. Her small hand pushed feebly against his chest, unable to muster much strength. Wen Siyu’s face reddened as she stammered, looking at him: “Ji… Teacher Jiang.”

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, Wen Siyu forced her trembling voice under control and looked at him seriously: “Can you move a little farther away? You’re so close, I’m going cross-eyed just looking at you.”

Jiang Xu: “….”