CH 51

On the second day after Xiang Wan’s graduation, Ms. Zhao announced that she was finally retiring and going back to “serve”  Yu Zhou’s father.

“I finally know who you inherited your servant genes from, it’s from your mother-me.” Ms. Zhao packed her bags in leggings while cautioning the two girls, “It’s autumn already, you should cover up your legs and take care of yourself. If you don’t pay attention now, your knees will hurt terribly when you get older.”

Xiang Wan squatted on the side, obediently helping her fold clothes.

“Guaiguai[1], remember to think of Auntie, okay?” She looked at Xiang Wan, wanting to wipe away her own tears.

This “second daughter” was even more considerate than Yu Zhou, allowing her to finally use the nickname “Guaiguai” that she had prepared for her own daughter.

Xiang Wan curled up the corners of her mouth as she looked up at Yu Zhou, her eyes gleaming with a smile.

“If you want to laugh, then laugh. She’s a drama queen, you’ve known that for a long time.” Yu Zhou leaned against the door.

Ms. Zhao turned around before punching Yu Zhou’s calf, “What do you know! You, little girl, have no heart, don’t corrupt Wanwan.”

Then she turned back to gently stroke Xiang Wan’s hand.

Xiang Wan looked at Yu Zhou with bright eyes as she pursed her lips, looking like a young wife being pulled along by Ms. Zhao.

Yu Zhou couldn’t stand it and left.

Just you wait, she thought angrily, your “Guaiguai” is the biggest faker, looking all sweet and innocent like a little oriole. You’ll see how mischievous she is in the future.

Her phone buzzed before she picked it up, it was a message from Su Chang: “Auntie is leaving?”

Yu Zhou exited the private message before scrolling through her Moments, where she saw a picture of Ms. Zhao and Xiang Wan holding hands, with the caption “leaving, reluctant to part with my Guaiguai.”

When she arrived, the “dear daughter” was Yu Zhou, but now the “Guaiguai” had become Xiang Wan.

Yu Zhou smirked, mother and daughter were truly two of a kind.

After calming down, she remembered that she still hadn’t replied to Su Chang, so she typed, “Yes, finally.”

Su Chang sent a voice message back, seeming amused by her use of the word “finally.” The background sound was muffled as if she was driving.

“I’ve been wanting to treat Auntie to dinner but I haven’t had time. Is Auntie free tonight?”

“Well, you’ll have to ask her. Where are you?”

“Milk Cat’s eyes are a bit inflamed, I just got back from the hospital.”

“Oh, it must’ve gotten heatiness[2] because of the cat food. By the way, have you given your cat a name yet? Always calling it ‘Milk Cat,’ doesn’t it sound awkward when you call it that?”

“I don’t call it.”

……

Okay, Su Chang really didn’t seem like someone who would play with cats at home.

But thinking about the mute Su Chang and the mute cat keeping silent at home, it was so funny.

But it seemed not good to remark about a CV being mute. Yu Zhou silently apologized in her heart.

After watching TV for twenty minutes, Ms. Zhao did come over with her voice raised. She had wrapped a shawl around her arm when packing her luggage and was now holding her head high like a wealthy woman walking down the street.

“Hey, Changchang just invited me to have dinner, Zhouzhou.” She blinked rapidly, trying hard to hold the curvature of her mouth.

No need to act like this, Yu Zhou thought.

Ms. Zhao sat down between Yu Zhou and Xiang Wan and replied as she held her phone, “Changchang, Auntie has time, where should we meet? Any time and place are okay, you decide. Hehehehehe Thank you, Changchang!”

Putting down her phone, Ms. Zhao sighed while watching TV, “I’m a person who values loyalty and gratitude. Since Changchang has the intention, I won’t avoid it because of any so-called issue. I also believe that Wanwan has good manners. As a teacher treating us to a meal, she should definitely attend.”

She held Xiang Wan’s hand and rubbed it again.

“But I don’t know about some people, someone invested in your audio drama but then you refuse to give face to go out for meals, that’s also possible.”

So sarcastic.

Xiang Wan frowned as she glanced at Yu Zhou.

Feeling annoyed, Yu Zhou stood up and went back to her room, thinking that Zhao Qingxia was really annoying.

The dinner was hotpot and the four of them had a private room. Considering that Ms. Zhao did not eat spicy food, Su Chang ordered a half-and-half pot for them.

It had been a while since they last met and Su Chan’s hair had grown a little bit longer. It was now autumn and winter, so her skin looked even paler, with hardly any trace of color on her face when she pursed her lips to greet them.

Ms. Zhao was very enthusiastic and hugged Su Chang as soon as she came in.

Su Chang hugged her back and gently patted her on the back.

Due to Su Chan’s height, she looked like she was coaxing a child, which made Yu Zhou want to laugh.

“Let’s sit down,” Yu Zhou stifled her laughter while whispering to Xiang Wan.

Xiang Wan smiled and called Su Chang “Miss Su” before sitting next to Yu Zhou.

They chatted while cooking their food. Ms. Zhao talked incessantly about her recent life, like the leader in her square dance team wasn’t actually a good leader but only got the job because the sound was good. She also complained about how the flowers she had planted for Yu Zhou would probably die once she left.

Su Chang listened patiently, occasionally holding up her chopsticks and making a gesture of pause with her thumb to show she was truly listening to Ms. Zhao’s rambling.

Yu Zhou didn’t want to listen to their chatter but focused on devouring her food. She even used a ladle to give Xiang Wan a quail egg while she ate.

“I don’t eat this,” Xiang Wan said.

“You love eggs so much, why don’t you eat quail eggs?” Yu Zhou wondered.

“It’s not the same,” Xiang Wan shook her head.

Yu Zhou took the quail egg from Xiang Wan’s bowl and dipped it in soy sauce before eating it. “If you develop this picky habit, I’ll kick you out.”

Su Chang glanced over at Yu Zhou’s action, her fingertip motioning with the chopsticks placed between them.

After finishing the first round of dishes, Ms. Zhao remembered an important matter.

“Changchang, about the training course? Do you know our Guaiguai’s exam score? Is there a chance for her to sign with what studio?”

“Guaiguai?” Su Chang was taken aback.

“Oh, it means Wanwan.”

Su Chang glanced at Xiang Wan and then at Yu Zhou.

Yu Zhou was also a little curious, eating while looking up at her and waiting for her response.

Su Chang lowered her head while picking off a Sichuan peppercorn from the beef in her bowl, “Xiang Wan did very well, with a gift for learning. I don’t know her exam score, but in my experience, the chance of signing is not high,” she said seriously.

Xiang Wan stopped eating and Yu Zhou frowned.

“In recent years, the industry’s popularity has increased relative to the past. Nowadays, studios signing actors also consider resumes and education, at least a bachelor’s degree,” Su Chang explained.

Yu Zhou understood. Even if Xiang Wan’s household registration was approved, the previous eighteen years were a blank slate, not to mention any kind of resume.

Ms. Zhao let out a disappointed sigh and then comforted Xiang Wan, “It’s okay, Guaiguai. You’re still young and should focus on learning before working. Voice acting can still be a hobby and you can still pursue other careers. I think you can become a flight attendant.”

“Puff.” Yu Zhou remembered Ms. Zhao said Xiang Wan sat up early like a flight attendant and couldn’t help laughing.

“Mom!” Yu Zhou lightly hit her mother’s hand holding the chopsticks.

“What’s wrong? Flight attendants earn good money and you won’t have as many expenses if she has a formal job. Now I see her transferring even ten to twenty yuan to you. Is she really so poor?” Ms. Zhao defended.

“It’s not like she’s transferring money to me,” Yu Zhou retorted. “They are all bound to my card. It’s just that she’s not used to having money in her wallet.”

“I don’t understand you two,” Ms. Zhao shook her head.

Xiang Wan smiled as she watched the two bickering like usual, accustomed to their behavior and resumed eating her food with a grin.

Su Chang blinked in silence, her chin slightly dropped as she picked up a small piece of chili on the beef.

She remembered the first time she went to Yu Zhou’s house. Ms. Zhao was truly warm and hospitable, welcoming her inside and out. She loved Ms. Zhao’s crispy meat, so Ms. Zhao had even gotten up early and fried it for three days straight.

At that time, she probably never thought that one day, she would be sitting here, listening to Ms. Zhao ask about Guaiguai’s grades with a closer stance to others, telling jokes about the “flight attendants” that Su Chang didn’t understand and sharing daily trivialities that cost ten or twenty yuan.

The gap between people’s relationships can be subtle, which often just lies in the word “explain.”

If a situation requires an explanation of its origins and outcomes, it means the person being explained to hasn’t been involved from start to finish.

What is even more brutal is that they haven’t even made any deliberate moves.

Su Chang actually knew Yu Zhou very well. She knew that she was especially fond of meddling in other people’s affairs, especially kind-hearted, which was why she didn’t hesitate to take in Xiang Wan despite her own difficulties. So, when Su Chang saw the milk cat in the grass, she not only really wanted to save it, but also had a bit of her own hidden agenda that she didn’t want to be seen by others.

She knew that if she asked Yu Zhou about raising the kitten, she wouldn’t ignore it and might even take the initiative to tell her a lot more.

Then she could use these “a lot” of words to talk about other things.

She thought they were slowly getting better.

But at this moment she realized that if Yu Zhou was still living with her and she kept up with Yu Zhou’s daily life as they talked a little more, that might be what it means to “slowly get better.” But now with Yu Zhou having her own life, she only separated a couple of sentences from her life for Su Chang, during the rest of the time, Yu Zhou had never waited for her.

And time had never waited for her.

Everyone is moving forward.