ISWMQ – Chapter 112

Rong Guang forcefully twisted the brass-colored key in her hand. The tip of the key pressed into her palm, hurting a little, but when she saw the very girly bow tied on it with a red ribbon, she laughed again. “Sister, this bow is really…”

Quite original.

Chu Feiliang awkwardly touched her nose and said with a smile, “I was originally planning to give it to you in a gift box. My sister stopped me, saying it was a bit weird to give a key with a gift box.”

“It… really is pretty weird.” Rong Guang couldn’t help but imagine it.

Why did it feel like the image of Chu Feiliang waving her hand grandly and presenting her with a gift box, inside which a key lay quietly… was very much like a domineering CEO who would say something like, “The weather’s turned cold, let them go bankrupt”?

It was really starting to have that vibe.

Rong Guang chuckled and said, “Then I’ll accept it.”

“Mhm.” Chu Feiliang nodded. “A cleaning lady comes by regularly to tidy up the house. Zaixiang has been staying with a friend these days. If you have time in the next few days, you can go get familiar with him. He’s still young, so he’s friendly with everyone.”

Rong Guang’s eyes lit up. “Zaixiang?”

How old was Zaixiang this year?

He should be a little puppy, not even a year old, right?

In her past life, Zaixiang had always been very healthy. Even as an old dog of a full nine years, he was still relatively active every day. He loved going out for walks and would stop in his tracks whenever he saw a pretty lady.

“Yes.” Chu Feiliang let out a soft laugh. “He’s learning some basic commands. As for the timing…” Chu Feiliang glanced at the calendar, thought for a moment, and said, “His training should be over in the next few days. It depends on his trainer, specifically.”

Rong Guang nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll go see him tomorrow.”

“There’s no rush,” Chu Feiliang said. “Zaixiang is too young right now, so commands have to be repeated several times. To get close to him, you’ll have to talk a lot, and you can’t strain your voice anymore. Everything can wait until you’re better, at least in a few days.”

Such warm and considerate words… A wave of heat spread through Rong Guang’s heart. She nodded and said softly, “Okay.”

Chu Feiliang’s schedule was probably very tight. With filming nearing its end, her role as the protagonist meant her workload was imperceptibly increasing.

In the end, she only had time to share a long, lingering kiss with Rong Guang before hurriedly driving off toward the company.

Rong Guang sighed, unable to resist fiddling with the key as she stood by the road for a while.

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t been apart before, so why did this time feel… so unbearable?

She was a little troubled.

It was still early, and today was a bright, sunny day. But a sunny day in winter always carried a desolate atmosphere. The fallen leaves, accompanied by the biting cold wind, offered no warmth as the sun shone on her.

She sniffled, blinked, and took out her phone again, wanting to send Chu Feiliang a message.

But thinking that she was driving right now, Rong Guang paused, her hand stopping over the keyboard, and deleted all the words.

Suddenly, a message popped up on her phone screen.

Chu: Let’s video call tonight.

Chu: Don’t be shy. I won’t make you do anything embarrassing.

Chu: At a red light now.

Rong Guang froze, still thinking about how to reply, and didn’t manage to send a message back.

After a moment, the “is typing…” indicator appeared for Chu Feiliang.

Then Chu Feiliang sent three words: Is that okay?

Rong Guang instantly broke into a smile: Okay.

Rong Guang: Rest for a bit after you get to the set. Don’t rush to video call me. If I get a chance, I’ll definitely come visit you on set.

Chu: Okay.

Then Chu Feiliang sent a sticker.

The moment Rong Guang saw it, her entire face turned red.

—Where on earth did Chu Feiliang find someone to photoshop that picture? She had actually taken her previous advertisement photo and edited it into a kissing pose!

And it was so big!

Chu: Is it pretty?

Rong Guang’s inner thoughts: “…”

Chu: I have others.

The hand Rong Guang was holding her phone with began to tremble slightly. She even started to wonder if this Chu Feiliang was still the Chu Feiliang she knew.

How could a person change so quickly?

It was as if she had become a completely different person!

Rong Guang’s face was a mask of conflict. Seeing Chu Feiliang’s excited and incessant messaging, she thought about it and felt a little tempted. She couldn’t help but type out a few words: We can… look at them together sometime.

Who’s afraid of whom?

She had a bunch of her own.

It’s just photoshopping, who doesn’t know how to do that!

Rong Guang herself didn’t even realize how deep the smile on her face was at that moment.

She went upstairs in a great mood. The moment she entered the apartment, she noticed something was off.

Rong Guang finished changing her shoes, pushed aside the beaded curtain hanging in the doorway, and subconsciously called out, “Grandma, do we have a guest?”

“Is that Guangguang?!” A very excited female voice suddenly rang out. Rong Guang froze and subconsciously looked toward the sofa.

A well-maintained woman was sitting there, around forty years old. Her hair was styled in exquisite waves, and she wore a light-colored long trench coat. Around her neck was a silk scarf, the kind particularly favored by middle-aged people, and on her feet were a pair of currently fashionable pointed-toe leather boots.

Rong Guang paused, her expression returning to one of indifference.

After a moment, she resumed her movements, taking off her coat and hanging it on the rack to the side, without even greeting the person.

The woman in the room, with her expectant and anxious expression, stood in stark contrast to Xu Mingli, who sat not far from her with a look of indifference, and Chacha, who was studying on the balcony. Rong Guang took a quick glance and understood the situation.

Her grandmother couldn’t just kick her out, and she knew that if her mother could find her once, she could definitely find her a second time.

Rather than letting Rong Guang and her mother meet alone a second time when she wasn’t around, it was better to have them meet under her watch to see what her mother was really up to.

Rong Guang poured herself a glass of water and said, “Are you here to see me about something?”

Her voice was still very hoarse, but she had rested for a few hours at the Chu residence and had taken medicine after waking up. It was much better than that morning when she had lost her voice completely. At least she could speak normally now, though her voice still sounded rather weak.

Xu Mingli immediately noticed Rong Guang’s throat. She reached out, stopped the glass of water Rong Guang was about to drink, and without another word, went to replace it with a glass of warm water.

Rong Guang was taken aback, and some of the frost on her face melted.

When you truly care about someone, the details are impossible to hide.

Seeing this hint of a smile, Xie Xian found a bit of courage.

“Guangguang…” Xie Xian pursed her lips. Her posture was still very reserved, but she had turned her body to face Rong Guang. “I’m your mother. Do you still… do you still remember me?”

As she said this, she herself lacked confidence.

She had returned to their old hometown before.

Although the old lady had never allowed her to take Rong Guang to raise, over the years, she hadn’t stopped her from seeing Rong Guang either.

Although… she didn’t go very often, and when she did, she couldn’t bring her husband along.

But in the past, there had been a family photo of them in the house.

But when she went to the countryside this time, she was told that Xu Mingli had actually gone to B City with Rong Guang, and she had been completely unaware.

The folks back home didn’t know Rong Guang’s specific address either. They only knew that Xu Mingli had gone to attend some concert of hers. It was around the New Year, and every household was busy, so not many people asked for details.

So Xie Xian could only search aimlessly in B City by herself. She remembered that Rong Guang’s group was called NO.1, and she actually managed to find them.

However, by the time she found them, it was already too late. The concert was over. As for Rong Guang’s address, not only did the staff not know, but even if they did, they would never have told her.

The only reason she was able to find her way here today was because she had coincidentally run into Xu Mingli, who was out grocery shopping. Worried that Xu Mingli wouldn’t let her see Rong Guang, she had secretly followed her all the way here and confirmed Rong Guang’s current address.

The last time she saw Rong Guang… was probably a few years ago.

But back then, Rong Guang’s attitude towards her had been reasonably good, not like now… so cold that she felt she was less than a stranger.

Seeing that Rong Guang didn’t answer, Xie Xian couldn’t help but ask again.

Rong Guang came back to her senses, took a sip of water, and said, “I’m not an idiot. Of course I remember who you are.”

Xie Xian was stunned by these words, and the smile on her face became somewhat awkward.

She also felt deeply ashamed.

She licked her lips and said, “You’ve grown up…”

Rong Guang nodded.

Every time Xie Xian saw her, it was the same conversation, the same opening line.

She just didn’t know what the reason was for her to suddenly go to such great lengths to find where she lived this time.

But whatever the reason, Rong Guang didn’t want to worry her grandmother too much.

She glanced at Xu Mingli, who was sitting next to her watching TV with a blank expression, thought for a moment, and went over to say, “Grandma, I’m going out with her for a bit. Tonight, I’d like to have the fish soup you make—I just saw we have fish.”

Rong Guang knew how to cook a little of everything, but she was helpless when it came to things like seafood that needed to be prepared. She was a bit afraid of handling those things and was also quite sensitive to fishy smells, so she couldn’t stand them.

Plus, since she had always lived alone, she usually ordered takeout for big dishes like chicken, duck, or fish. A half portion was enough, and she didn’t have the time or energy to prepare them herself, nor the appetite to finish them.

Therefore, she rarely got to eat fish.

She really did miss her grandmother’s fish soup.

No grandparent would be unhappy to hear that their precious granddaughter loved their cooking.

She smiled, patted Rong Guang’s hand, and said, “Alright, tonight I’ll make all your favorites.”

Rong Guang nodded, took out her backup phone, thought for a moment, and then handed her usual one to Xu Mingli, saying, “Grandma, my phone is dead, so I’m leaving it at home. If Teacher Chu video calls me, but I’m not back yet… um, could you or Chacha answer it for me? Just say I’ll be back later.”

Xu Mingli stared blankly at the dead phone in her hand.

After a moment, she glanced at Xie Xian, who had already walked to the elevator, and then whispered conspiratorially to Rong Guang, “You’ve made plans so quickly? So clingy, you even have to make video calls…”

As Xu Mingli spoke, she started laughing herself.

Rong Guang smiled shyly, a dimple appearing on her cheek. Her face was a little red as she said, “You know, I’ve liked her for so long…”

“Grandma knows.” Xu Mingli gave her a mock-reproachful look, squeezed her hand, and said, “That’s why Grandma is telling you to hurry up. If you can cook the rice, then cook the rice. Don’t miss a good opportunity. You never know, if you miss this chance, you might not get another.”

Rong Guang froze. After a moment, she couldn’t help but open her mouth, but seeing Xu Mingli’s completely matter-of-fact expression, she couldn’t get a word out.

Cook… cook the rice?

Did her grandmother mean “cook the rice” in the way she was thinking?

Why did it seem like everything everyone said today had a hidden meaning…?

Rong Guang couldn’t help but touch her throat again. Chu Feiliang’s words, “You shouted yourself hoarse yesterday,” were still echoing in her ears, refusing to fade.

Could it be that to get one back at her, she could only say, “We cooked the rice yesterday?”

Rong Guang couldn’t help but look at Xu Mingli.

Xu Mingli looked at her with an encouraging expression.

The advantage of the bond between grandparents and grandchildren was on full display at this moment. If it were her parents’ generation, they might worry about their child’s embarrassment and be too shy to say many things.

But her grandmother, after all, had weathered great storms. Her many years had not been lived in vain. When she gave advice, it was sound and well-reasoned, and mostly based on her own successful experiences.

Rong Guang… felt like she was actually a little tempted.

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