Actually, this is also Zhang Ya's fault. Xu Yi's first shopping trip was taken by Zhang Ya to this place full of luxury goods, so Xu Yi didn't know how people who really didn't have money bought shoes.
On the way back, Xu Yi found a secluded spot and changed Bao Xiaoxiao's clothes and put her shoes on.
Looking at the little boy who had been dressed up, Xu Yi felt a strange sense of accomplishment and happiness.
She was still a fair-skinned little girl with two little tufts of hair on her head. She wouldn't allow anyone to change her hairstyle. Her red bib and red pants had been replaced with a pink princess dress, and she had a pair of small feather wings on her back. She looked like a little elf who had just come to the human world.
"As expected of my and Miss Gu's child, so adorable." Xu Yi chuckled to herself, her expression unchanged.
Xiao Xiao was a little uncomfortable with the dress and shoes, and nervously tugged at the dress with both hands. Before she could adjust, Xu Yi reached out and took the invisibility talisman off her neck.
"My daughter is so pretty." Xu Yi picked her up. "Come on, let's go play."
Xiao Xiao didn't even have time to adjust to her new clothes and shoes she'd never worn before. When Xu Yi praised her for looking good and said he'd take her out to play, she burst into laughter in Xu Yi's arms.
Xu Yi also received a small, enthusiastic kiss.
A note from the author:
Xiao Xu: We're almost starving.
Gu Yueyue: Come find me! I have money, I can support you all.
Chapter 41
Xu Yi played with Xiao Xiao until dark before returning home. As before, she found a secluded spot and put a concealment talisman on Xiao Xiao.
After returning home, He Xiaojing was still at home today.
"Didn't you go to work today?" Xu Yi asked, somewhat surprised to see her.
He Xiaojing was holding a book, and in front of her was a tablet computer playing video lessons. When she heard Xu Yi's words, she looked up at Xu Yi and replied, "I got a role. It's a supporting role with quite a lot of screen time, and the contract is all signed. I plan to study hard before joining the crew and not do any extra work."
"Hmm. That's good." Xu Yi wasn't much of a talker. After briefly understanding the situation, she led Xiao Xiao back to her room.
For the next few days, Xu Yi stayed in her room cultivating, letting her divine sense repair her damaged body.
And the well-behaved Xiaoxiao stayed by her side the whole time.
Because she stayed inside for long periods of time, He Xiaojing would often come and knock on the door, fearing that something might have happened to her inside.
A week later, the second round of the Star Idol Project began, and it was also the day He Xiaojing was to join the group.
Xu Yi saw He Xiaojing off. He Xiaojing told her to go out more often and not stay cooped up in her room all the time. She suggested that she go out to buy some food and learn to cook instead of always eating takeout.
Xu Yi agreed to everything, and in the end, He Xiaojing even gave her a book, "The Art of Winning Hearts in Love".
This was a book she bought to study the romantic journey of the female supporting character in the script. She benefited greatly from reading it and now that she has learned almost everything, she simply gave the book to Xu Yi, hoping to help Xu Yi win over the person she likes as soon as possible.
Xu Yi sincerely thanked them, took the book home, and began reading it as if it were a precious treasure.
"Will the methods in this book work?" Xiao Xiao glanced at the book after seeing how intently Xiao Xiao was reading it, but gave up after reading it because it was too profound.
Xu Yi nodded thoughtfully, "It's pretty much the same as what Miss He told me back then, but with many added details, so it shouldn't be easy to implement in practice."
Xiao Xiao seemed to understand but not quite. She estimated that the second round of the qualifying matches was about to start, so she asked Xu Yi to lend her his phone to watch the live stream.
The second round of the competition begins.
Following the program's requirements, Gu Yueyue eliminated another 22 contestants. This time, the three mentors chose between Han Shixue and Shen Ningjiao as originally planned.
The other contestant is the captain of Villa No. 1. Like Ji Wenwen before her, she is capable, ambitious, and resilient. Keeping her in the revival round to compete against Xu Yi and the others will be very interesting.
After the second round of eliminations, those who remain are all very strong contestants, and that's where the real excitement of the show lies.
The next two weeks will be a period of truly closed training, during which live streaming will also be suspended, allowing the mentors to get a short rest.
The show will occasionally release behind-the-scenes footage of the trainees' training, as well as interviews with mentors and live interactions with celebrities.
They won't overexpose themselves, keeping the audience in a sense of mystery, nor will they disappear completely and be forgotten; they've made ample preparations in terms of marketing.
Gu Yueyue got into the car, feeling exhausted.
Ono's mother had a successful surgery and is recovering. She took care of her mother for a while and has now returned to work.
When Xiao Ye picked up Gu Yueyue, he looked her up and down, and finally said with heartache, "Sister, you've lost so much weight again."
Gu Yueyue chuckled, "It's good to be thin. Female celebrities aren't thin anyway." Then, she changed the subject and asked, "How is Auntie's health?"
Ono carried her luggage and spoke to her, "She's much better now. I even accompanied her downstairs for a walk yesterday. She's regained her energy and spirits."
Ono's tone was relaxed and even had a smile, which reassured Gu Yueyue a lot.
"I've been too busy lately, I'll go see Auntie tomorrow." Gu Yueyue got into the car, looking exhausted. Xiao Ye felt guilty and remorseful. If she hadn't taken so much leave, Gu Yueyue wouldn't have been so busy and tired.
Hearing Gu Yueyue's words, Xiao Ye quickly advised her, "Sister, you should rest well. My mom's surgery was very successful. The doctor said she can go home after a period of recuperation. My mom wants to come and thank you in person after she is discharged. You don't need to come."
"How can that be? Auntie is an elder, it's only right that I visit her. How can I let Auntie thank me?" Gu Yueyue said with her eyes closed, her voice weak, but her words left no room for argument.
Ono couldn't refuse her, so he had no choice but to agree, feeling both amused and exasperated.
On the way back, Xiao Ye stopped talking and drove quietly, playing some soft car music. When they arrived at Gu Yueyue's neighborhood, Gu Yueyue regained some of her energy.
"Sis, for the next two weeks, you can just stay home and rest peacefully. The company has finally done something for once and hasn't assigned you any work."
Gu Yueyue smiled. She had already promised the company that she would promote Zheng Wan. Even if the company valued money, it wouldn't be foolish enough to break ties with her now. Otherwise, if she quit or deliberately sabotaged Zheng Wan, it would be too much of a loss for the company.
As before, Ono helped her move her luggage and stayed to tidy up the house.
Gu Yueyue took the rag from her hand and smiled as she advised her to go back and keep her mother company. "This house is newly built, and I only lived here for a few days before going to the production team. There's not much to clean up; I can manage by myself."
Xiao Ye refused to do it. She had been absent from work for more than ten days, making the boss lose weight. How could she let Gu Yueyue do such a small thing as cleaning the house? Xiao Ye took back the rag and cleaned her house spotless in no time.
Gu Yueyue couldn't refuse her, so she went to the neighborhood supermarket, bought some groceries, cooked a simple lunch, and invited Xiao Ye to eat before leaving.
Ono was in a hurry to go back to take care of his mother, so he helped wash the dishes after dinner and then left.
After Ono left, Gu Yueyue moved the only green plant in the house, a cactus, to the balcony. Because it hadn't seen any light for a long time, the cactus had become somewhat wilted.
The room was still the same as before, not very big, and felt empty and deserted because she was the only one there.
The next morning, a woman in full disguise appeared at the Seaside Morning Sanatorium.
Dean Wei personally accompanied him.
"I'm so glad to see you. How long will you be able to rest this time?" Dean Wei asked her.
Gu Yueyue chuckled softly, her tone slightly tense, "Half a month. Is she alright now?"
"It's good, go see him. When he's sober, he always says sorry to you."
"I'm sorry to her." Gu Yueyue's voice was muffled and heavy, perhaps because of the mask, or perhaps because of her emotions.
Dean Wei sighed softly, "Nobody wants to be sick. There's no such thing as being fair or unfair. You should live your life well, and she should focus on getting better. Being able to be fair to yourself is the best thing you can do."
The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the door of a private ward.
Gu Yueyue looked up at the familiar ward, standing at the door, hesitant to push it open.
"She's waiting for you. Knowing you were coming today, she woke up very early this morning and asked me several times this morning when you would arrive."
Gu Yueyue mustered her courage and pushed open the door, just like when she was a child and would muster the courage to open the wardrobe where her mother hid after school.
A woman sat by the window in the ward. She was very thin, with a poor complexion, and her long black hair was streaked with noticeable white. She was staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.
Gu Yueyue's nose suddenly stung, and she breathed much softer.
Hearing the door open, the woman turned around.
"Yue'er." The woman's voice trembled, her tone filled with joy and surprise.
This is Gu Yueyue's mother, Gu Yinmei.
"Mom." Gu Yueyue walked over quickly, but her mother got up and came over even faster than she did.
Gu's mother held her hand; both mother and daughter's hands were icy cold. Gu's mother's gaze remained fixed on Gu Yueyue's face, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at her.
"You've lost weight, you've lost weight." Gu's mother touched her face with heartache. "You've grown up and become more and more beautiful. Have you been very busy with work lately?"
"It's alright. Work isn't too busy usually, and the company even gave me a day off lately because of the hot weather." Gu Yueyue never talked about her difficulties. Her mother's lucid moments were few, and she didn't want to leave her with bad memories.
“Great. It’s good to have a holiday, get some rest. Mom is doing well here, don’t worry about me. The doctors and nurses here are all very nice.” Mrs. Gu looked at Dean Wei, who was still standing by the door, and smiled, “Dean Wei has also been very kind to me.”
Following her words, Gu Yueyue thanked Dean Wei.
"Why are you being so polite with me? You two get along well, I'm going to get back to work."
After Dean Wei left, Gu's mother asked Gu Yueyue to sit down and chat with her.
Mrs. Gu washed an apple for her, and said with a slightly embarrassed smile, "There's no knife here, so I can't peel it. I washed it very clean, so please try it."
"Mmm." Gu Yueyue took the apple and took a bite; it was quite sweet.
Gu's mother asked her if she wanted some water, and then poured her a glass.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Gu's mother asked her.
Gu Yueyue was stunned by the question. She had never heard her mother ask such a thing before. Why did she bring it up today? Was it because she was getting old?
"Not yet. I'm busy with work." Gu Yueyue also wanted to find someone compatible to live with, but whether she could find someone was another matter entirely.
Gu's mother looked at her with some disbelief, "Is it true? You're not lying to your mother, are you?"
"Why would I lie to you about something like this?"
With a mix of regret and lingering hope, Gu's mother asked, "So you and Zhao Yuan aren't dating?"
Zhao Yuan? Zhao Sheng's younger brother, she worked with him and they were even paired up as a couple.
"Mom, where did you hear that from?" Gu Yueyue was both amused and exasperated. "It's a publicity stunt arranged by the production team. We signed a contract to pretend we were dating, and our contract will end once the TV series is finished filming. How could it be real?"
Gu Yueyue explained it to her again, and assured her very firmly that she and Zhao Yuan really had no private contact.
Gu's mother looked heartbroken, as if her favorite couple had just broken up with her.
"I heard it from the new caregiver. She said you two are a perfect match, and your relationship is so sweet. She also said..."
Gu Yueyue blushed. She was naturally shy, and now that her mother was talking about her rumored boyfriend, she became even more embarrassed.
"Okay, Mom... stop talking. I don't like him." Gu Yueyue stopped her from continuing, afraid that if she kept going, her mother would bring up the thing that CP fans often say, like having a baby.
When Gu's mother was interrupted and saw that her daughter's face was red, she naturally knew what was going on and stopped teasing her.
"Do you have someone you like?"