For a child as big as An’an, every corner of the house is his adventure playground. But from some unknown day, Xiao An’s curiosity shifted from Fu Junyan’s folders to the small knife used for cutting fruit. The first time I saw the little guy foolishly playing with a fruit knife in his hand, I was nearly scared to death. I quickly grabbed the fruit knife from An’an’s hand, carried the little one away, and put the knife high up before telling him: “An’an, you can’t touch this, it will cut your hand and it will hurt a lot.” At that time, Xiao An nodded in confusion, his little body curling up in my arms, and he didn’t even look at it anymore.
But after just a few days, An’an was again curiously looking with wide eyes, his little hand gripping the knife handle, his chubby face full of seriousness as he studied and explored the fruit knife. I repeatedly stopped him many times, but it was still ineffective, which made me feel very helpless. As a result, every time I left Xiao An’s side, I would worry about whether he would hurt his hand by playing with the fruit knife. In the end, I had to nudge Fu Junyan and say: “I’ve said it so many times and it’s no use, you should also manage it, tell An’an not to play with knives.”
But Fu Junyan’s attitude was contrary to usual. He just glanced sideways at the small knife I had carefully placed high up, reached out to take it down, and casually placed it on a low table that An’an could reach. Then he said to me without hesitation: “Next time An’an plays with the knife, just let him be.”
I was confused at the time, wanting to say what if An’an cuts his hand? But when I met his knowing and determined eyes, I moved my lips and finally just nodded obediently. Although I trusted Fu Junyan, I couldn’t help but grumble in my heart, how could such a dangerous thing be allowed for such a small child to play with? This way, I had my heart in my throat every day because I was constantly watching An’an’s little body.
That day, An’an’s cry was especially loud, and Xiao Qi’s barking was also unusually mournful. When I hurriedly threw down the hanger in my hand and ran in from the windowsill, I saw Xiao An curled up standing in the living room. His little hand had already been cut with a large gash, the blood-stained fruit knife had fallen to the ground, and the off-white long-haired carpet had also been stained with blood. And Fu Junyan was standing to one side, looking almost indifferently at Xiao An, who was crying so hard his little face was a mess of tears.
An’an had already closed his eyes in pain, his little face tightly scrunched up, his little body still shaking and gasping. He cried out in pain, his voice becoming a bit hoarse. Xiao Qi was also circling around Fu Junyan, letting out almost mournful and anxious barks with his eyes red. But Fu Junyan still didn’t move.
I was heartbroken at the time, but just as I was about to go forward to hold An’an, I was blocked by Fu Junyan. His arm blocked me, just shaking his head slightly at me, the mercy and reluctance in his eyes flashed by and disappeared without a trace. It wasn’t until An’an was crying so hard he could barely breathe that Fu Junyan walked forward, crouched down to be at eye level with Xiao An, but he didn’t hug An’an, he didn’t even look at An’an’s constantly bleeding wound. He just asked with utmost seriousness and in a low voice: “An’an, does it hurt?”
Xiao An saw that Fu Junyan was finally paying attention to him, nodded obediently, his little nose also sniffling, looking very pitiful. Then, the little guy reached out with the hand that wasn’t injured, wanting Fu Junyan to hold him in a coquettish manner. But Fu Junyan shook his head, didn’t reach out, and didn’t smile at the child.
Seeing this, I became anxious inside. He’s not stopping An’an’s bleeding, what’s he saying all these useless things for? But at this time, I heard Fu Junyan speak in a stern tone he had never used before: “An’an, don’t be afraid of pain. Once you’ve experienced pain, you need to remember that knives will hurt your hand. In the future, you need to think clearly before using them, do you understand?” Xiao An was startled by his tone, but quietly sniffled and nodded obediently, not even daring to cry anymore.
Fu Junyan’s expression finally softened after hearing the response, then he reached out to ruffle An’an’s hair, and continued saying: “An’an, pick up the knife that fell on the ground, put it back where you took it from, then let your sister bandage your wound.” This time, his tone had more tenderness and affection.
Hearing this, the little guy’s watery big eyes looked pitifully at Fu Junyan, then lowered his head to look at the small knife by his feet. There was a flash of fear in his eyes, and he looked up again at Fu Junyan who had already stood up. Fu Junyan nodded at him, his eyes full of encouragement. Finally, Xiao An’s little head looked at the small knife, then at his chubby little hand that was still hurting, pouted, hung his little head, but still bent down obediently to pick up the small knife. Relying on himself alone, he carefully put the still blood-stained small knife back on the side table. After putting it back, An’an looked up at Fu Junyan again with a thick nasal voice, soft and sweet, saying: “Brother-in-law, An’an has put it back…”
Fu Junyan smiled approvingly, patted his little head gently, and said in a warm voice: “An’an, well done! Now go to your sister, let her bandage your wound.” Hearing him give permission, how could I be willing to wait any longer, I quickly went forward and hugged Xiao An, smoothed his back, and took the little guy back to the room to treat the wound.
That night, I came out of the room to drink water and found a dim light in An’an’s small room. Pushing the door open, Fu Junyan was sitting by the small bed, with a basin of water beside him, and An’an’s forehead was covered with a wet towel.
“What’s wrong? Does he have a fever?” My heart trembled, I walked over and took off the towel on An’an’s forehead, then reached out with the back of my hand to test the temperature on An’an’s forehead.
Fu Junyan didn’t stop me, he just kept looking at me gently, knowingly shaking his head to comfort me: “Don’t worry, the fever has already gone down.” As he spoke, he pulled me to sit beside him, furrowing his brow slightly and said: “Children are prone to fever when they’ve been frightened, but… once the fever passes, it’s fine, don’t worry.”
I also furrowed my brow slightly, uncertainly feeling An’an’s wrist again, making sure there was nothing wrong before I truly relaxed. But then I turned my head and looked at Fu Junyan worriedly again. Now, it’s already past four in the morning! Has he been quietly taking care of An’an all by himself like this? At this time, Fu Junyan looked very tired, with dark shadows under his eyes and weariness between his brows, but his eyes were always clear.
I couldn’t help but ask him: “Fu Junyan, have you not slept all night?” Just watching over An’an like this…
He rubbed his temples, looking at me comfortingly, not answering but softly saying: “It’s okay.” His face was calm, but his fine, handsome brows and eyes kept looking at An’an’s little injured hand exposed outside the blanket, his eyes no longer concealing his heartache. I heard him say: “Xiao’ai, don’t blame me for being harsh. When you told An’an not to play with knives, that playing with knives would hurt, and An’an wouldn’t listen no matter what, I knew that saying more would be useless. An’an is too young and too curious, although this child is obedient, he won’t necessarily remember adults’ advice. Just like a child can’t learn to walk without falling, this time he’s hurt, he knows that doing the wrong thing results in pain that he has to bear himself, in the future, he won’t make the same mistake again. Xiao’ai, pain is what makes memories deep. Blindly protecting is not a good thing…”
After hearing this, I shook my head, held his hand, deeply apologetic for my initial lack of understanding, and finally I pursed my lips and said: “How could I blame you for being harsh, I just couldn’t understand you at first. Fu Junyan, I only now realize that compared to me, you’re the one who loves An’an the most…” Unwilling to see him hurt, clearly heartbroken, yet still having to endure the pain, watching him grow step by step, fall, get up again, fall again, get up again. Such love, how deep and heavy must it be?
I thought silently for a while, then patted my own thigh, suddenly raising my eyebrows at Fu Junyan and said: “Come, lie here!”
Fu Junyan also raised his eyebrows and turned to look at me, at this time he seemed a bit dazed due to exhaustion. And I simply pulled Fu Junyan over without another word, pulling him to rest his head on my lap. At this time, I stroked his soft hair with one hand while reaching out to massage his temples with the other. I thought carefully again before saying: “Fu Junyan, later when you let An’an pick up the knife himself, not only was it to let An’an learn to take responsibility, but also to let him overcome the fear brought by the injury, right…”
He said nothing, just looked at me attentively and gently, nodding slightly.
I sighed, suddenly feeling a rush of heat in my eyes. This man, with such far-reaching thoughts, such decisive actions, yet loves so deeply…
“Fu Junyan, you will be a good father…” Hearing my involuntary sigh, he slightly raised the corners of his lips and closed his eyes.
When the piano was delivered, Fu Junyan was about to start work. At that time, he was holding the plane ticket to Dubai, packing simple carry-on luggage. Although I was very puzzled in my heart about why he had to go to Dubai for work, I pretended to be virtuous and held back from asking too much.
In this world, every piano has its own unique sound. The one in our home was carefully selected by Fu Junyan after much consideration. The Steinway piano comes from Germany, it’s recognized worldwide as the king of pianos. Its tone is light and distant, with strong infectiousness and expressiveness, and most importantly, it has an undisguised air of elegance and nobility. Personally, I think that although this piano was bought for An’an, it’s not inferior to Young Master Jun. It’s just a pity that An’an has injured his hand, the little guy hangs his chubby face in self-pity every day, not because of pain, but because he can’t play the violin recently. And now we’re all going to be busy, there’s even less time to sit down and play the piano.
Fu Junyan had long seen through my regret. I leaned against the doorframe looking at him, and he childishly reached out his finger, hooking his finger with mine saying, “There will be time, we have a long future ahead.” As he spoke, he bent down to kiss my forehead, lightly pecking my lips.
At this time, Xiao An also ran out of his small room with Xiao Qi to see Fu Junyan off. Fu Junyan crouched down to hug him, also kissing the little guy’s forehead. Xiao An clung to him reluctantly, his little head resting on Fu Junyan’s shoulder, his little hands grabbing Fu Junyan’s clothes, not willing to let go, calling out: “Brother-in-law, don’t go, stay with An’an… An’an will be good…” And Xiao Qi was also whimpering beside them, flashing his dark, round eyes. With the two little ones acting like this, the atmosphere inexplicably became sad…
At that time, I also inexplicably didn’t want him to leave, didn’t want Fu Junyan to leave, feeling that just being locked in a room like this for a lifetime would be quite good…
The recruitment fair of Star Entertainment was grand, but in the end, not many applicants made it to the final interview. The final interview was presided over by CEO Mo Nuoyun himself, of course, plus me. That spoiled Xiao An, with Fu Junyan not around, was droopy every day, even making Xiao Qi lie softly in the corner without even wagging his tail. The little brat didn’t have his usual excitement when he heard about going out, but when he heard I was going to see his cousin, Xiao An’s big eyes opened wide, and he threw a tantrum wanting to come along.
Walking in the company corridor, I ran into Wan Qing. She was startled when she saw me, I smiled at her, and An’an also cutely waved his chubby little hand. Wan Qing returned us an awkward smile, nodded at me, then led the few people behind her into an office.
As we approached the final interview hall, the door outside was already full of applicants coming for the final interview. My appearance with An’an caused no small amount of discussion. I smiled confidently, while the little guy nestled in my arms, opening his big eyes and looking around curiously, his eyes full of wonder.
Pushing open the door of the final interview hall, only my cousin was sitting inside. He was wearing a white suit with a pretty pink handkerchief tucked into the suit pocket. The old man was sitting casually with his legs crossed in the boss’s chair, lazily looking at documents, his peach blossom eyes set off by thick long eyelashes, having a unique charm. I patted Xiao An’s head, put the little guy down and pointed at my cousin.
Xiao An turned his head to look at Mo Nuoyun, but then turned away, pouting a bit sullenly. I tilted my head and stared at Xiao An, pursing my lips at him. An’an then flattened his little mouth, facing in my cousin’s direction with a very reluctant expression, twisting his little butt, and called out in a milky voice: “Brother! Bad brother! An’an is here!” But that expression, it was really, really unwilling…
My cousin had already looked up at us when we entered the door. He was seen looking teasingly at Xiao An, who was twisting his butt with his back to him, while I lowered my head and impatiently pinched An’an’s chubby little face asking: “You spoiled brat, how rude! What did he do to you?” This differential treatment! If it were Fu Junyan and Daddy, An’an would rush up to greet them! But for my cousin, he uses his butt…
But when Xiao An heard my question, he puffed out his little chest, supporting his little chin with his hand covered in OK bandages, and complained to me with his tiger head: “Brother! Stole An’an’s grandma! Pulled Xiao Qi’s fur! Stole sister!!!” In this string of milky words, the last sentence was especially loud and extremely indignant. As he spoke, An’an even pushed his little butt in the air, both funny and cute.
“I’ll just steal your sister! What about it!” By this time, Mo Nuoyun had already walked behind Xiao An. He grabbed An’an’s little collar, lifted him lightly and brought the little guy into his arms.
While Xiao An waved his little hands, struggling a few times but to no avail, he finally had to puff up his chubby face, his big eyes glaring at my cousin like an angry cat. The big and small ones were at a stalemate like this, and in the end, An’an was defeated. His little face twisted, he let out a milky “hmph”. Then he turned back to look at me pitifully, pouting his little mouth and reaching out his tender little hand like a lotus root segment.
My cousin completely ignored An’an, hugging him and walking back, patting An’an’s little head while mumbling: “You little fox, stop pretending to be pitiful, grandpa will hold you for a while.”
In the end, An’an was quickly pacified by my cousin’s chocolate offensive. Xiao An was seen sitting obediently in my cousin’s arms, puffing up his chubby face, not paying attention to my cousin touching him here and there. He just stared at the big bag of chocolate in his arms with bright, shining eyes. The serious atmosphere of the final interview also became a bit funny because of this little dumpling hugging chocolate and smiling foolishly in my cousin’s arms.
The new agent I found for myself is called Fang Qing. She had worked in six talent agencies before, but always quit and changed jobs midway. When I asked her why she had so many job changes, she replied: “In the companies I worked for before, I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. I hope to cultivate artists who are not just good at making money, but who have real talent and can produce good works with effort. Some people work for profit, some work for dreams. Those who only dream will starve to death. But I want to stay true to my dreams while being able to make a living.”
“What is your dream?” I asked.
Her long, slender eyes curved, and she answered with a gentle smile: “To make good movies, to discover truly talented artists. Not just for fame and fortune, but to do things for the sake of doing them well.”
“Your philosophy is very good. If we hire you as an agent for our company, what expectations do you have for the artists under you?” I raised my eyebrows at my cousin, then turned to ask.
“I hope I can wholeheartedly manage just one artist, that’s enough. They don’t need to be highly productive, just need to have solid works. Even if it’s just one work a year.” She answered calmly.
Hearing this, my cousin raised his eyes, ignoring my look, and just asked with a cynical smile: “But I’m a businessman, I run a company to make money, not for some dream or to contribute to art. How much benefit do you think you can bring me like this? Maybe after ten years of persisting like this, you’ll still be managing a bit player.”
“Artists in the industry come and go in waves, and the trainees under your company are also batch after batch. The entertainment circle never lacks people, but it lacks long-lasting legends. Truly excellent actors or singers are irreplaceable and never out of date. Blindly pursuing benefits can only bring short-term gains.” She raised her eyes to look at me and said: “Of course, not everyone can become such an existence. Your company’s cultivation of Miss Gu seems unhurried and very promising.”
I smiled. This isn’t what you call unhurried, this is me being lazy while shouting a few slogans about dreams being paramount.
Turning to look at my cousin whose eyes were changing unpredictably, he tilted his head to look at me dotingly, shrugged at me and then turned his face away. But this time, there was more seriousness in his eyes as he said: “Water that’s too clear has no fish. If this is the market rule, going against the current carries great risks. In anything, not following the game rules will lead to losses. You’re too serious, which would be fine elsewhere, but for a job like being an agent that requires flexibility, you’re bound to suffer big losses.” He paused, then added: “Coincidentally, your philosophy happens to align with a lazy person’s.” At this point, my cousin turned to look at me, gesturing for me to speak.
I smiled and looked up to ask Fang Qing: “Are you willing to be my agent? Although occasionally you might need to help me look after the child.” As I said this, I pointed to the little dumpling Xiao An in Mo Nuoyun’s arms, who was licking his face and stuffing chocolate into his mouth.
Hearing my words, Fang Qing opened her mouth in surprise, even covering her mouth in disbelief. She quickly nodded and stammered for the first time: “I… I’m willing… I’m very willing…” And I, seeing the light of joy flashing in Fang Qing’s eyes, smiled knowingly.
With the agent already found, looking at An’an who was starting to doze off, I originally wanted to leave with the child. But my cousin shook his head. He seriously hugged the sleepy An’an while walking out, saying earnestly: “She alone is not enough.” Then, with a businesslike manner, he pulled me into the CEO’s office.
After that, my cousin called for Wan Qing. At first, I just sat in the corner hugging An’an who was drowsy from dozing off, quietly staying in the corner watching them.
Seeing Wan Qing knock and enter, Mo Nuoyun didn’t speak for a long time. He just tapped his fingers on the desk, looking at her with a half-smile, and after a long while, waved his hand and said: “Sit.”
Then I heard my cousin say almost flippantly: “The woman I love most in this life, apart from my mom, is her.” As he spoke, he pointed his finger at me, and even winked at me suggestively.
This time, because I guessed my cousin’s intention, I didn’t scold him, but tilted my head and smiled silently at him.
And while Wan Qing was still in a daze, my cousin asked again: “Wan Qing, do you know who the largest shareholder of Mo Corporation is?”
“The young miss of the Mo family, the CEO’s cousin,” Wan Qing quickly answered him, suspicion growing in her eyes.
“Also your real big boss,” my cousin added lazily, leaning back in his chair.
“Ah…” I finally smiled, but still sighed from the side. This smile caused my cousin to look at me, and Wan Qing also turned her head to look at me again in confusion.
From the moment my cousin said Fang Qing was not enough and called Wan Qing into the office, as soon as he opened his mouth, I gradually understood my cousin’s meaning. Although Fang Qing shares the same philosophy as me when I’m not being lazy, people who are so devoted to their dreams are often stubborn and inflexible. In the bizarre entertainment industry, not knowing how to be flexible and smooth enough is bound to lead to big losses. So, although Fang Qing is very good in some aspects, I still need experienced people to assist me in certain areas. And Wan Qing, her tactics and thoughts, if truly used on me and working for me, will make my future entertainment career much easier. Just like the rumor about Jay’s official website confession last time, she handled it very beautifully, separating me from the incident very cleanly.
If we could pair them up…
I turned my head to look at my cousin, nodded to him to indicate, and then spoke: “Wan Qing, I know working with me is tiring. Because of my non-cooperation, you can’t fully utilize your abilities with me. Maybe this is the first time you’ve encountered such an uncooperative artist, and sometimes I even make you look after An’an for me, which is indeed a waste of your talents.”
I smiled lightly, looked down at the little brat who was already sound asleep on me, and continued: “But for me, when money and wealth are already enough to satisfy my life, money to me is just numbers on a bank statement. I came into the entertainment industry by chance, but I’ve gradually fallen in love with the feeling of this work. I want to make good films, I hope to have audiences who truly like me, I want to work hard for my fans, I hope that even ten or twenty years later, there will still be people talking about my works, liking my works. But at the same time, I’m also greedy. I hope that while achieving all of that, I can still guarantee my quality of life, can have enough rest and private space.”
Saying this, I smiled and pointed to Mo Nuoyun who was tilting his head looking at me: “And also, I do indeed have a close relationship with him, but Sister Qing, you misunderstood before. He will love me for a lifetime, because he is that cousin who has doted on me since childhood and has a blood relationship with me…”
Mo Nuoyun also smiled, he looked at me with deep eyes, turned his face and tapped his pen, but this time there was more seriousness in his eyes as he said: “People all think that the daughter of the Mo family should have the surname Mo, but they forget that she can also follow her mother’s surname like me. Wan Qing, you don’t even know how much we trusted you at the beginning…”
The result of this carrot and stick approach was that in the end, I had two agents. Wan Qing sighed: “I always wondered, how could there be such an uncooperative artist, no wonder…” Then, more of it was relief, and long, thoughtful gazes.
On the way back home, my cousin winked very stylishly and said: “How about that? Repaying evil with kindness turned out pretty well! Wan Qing is ambitious, if you didn’t handle it this way, you couldn’t truly win her heart.” Hearing him say this, I began to suspect that he had anticipated everything leading up to today, and suddenly felt dizzy.
I was very speechless, but I had to admit, when my cousin wasn’t being flamboyant, he was really strong.
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