Chapter 137
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Seeing
Chi Cheng's guarded look made Tong Jiashu suddenly laugh. She's quite
beautiful, so why are these children treating her as a bad person?
Her intuition tells her that this child's identity is not simple. It’s valid if Yueyue has a grudge against her, but surely he shouldn’t have.
Although,
it’s normal to see similar faces in this world, however, Cheng Cheng’s facial
features still made her contemplate.
There
is a high probability that this child has a connection with the Lu family.
The
thought made Tong Jiashu's mouth curl into a smile, “Come on, little boy, these
are for you.”
Tong
Jiashu conjured a box of candies like magic. The cute tin box was graffitied
with gorgeous children's drawings, which she generously and cheerfully handed
to Chi Cheng.
Chi
Cheng’s eyes widened as he looked at the candy box, for a moment his heart
moved slightly. But his hands remained behind his back, not making any move to
pick it up. He thought it was nice-looking, but it was from a stranger.
Tong
Jiashu raised her eyebrows, shouldn't a child of this age be easily deceived?
She
squatted down and said, "Little boy, don't you like it? Tell aunt what you
like to eat and aunt will buy it for you.”
Tong
Jiashu suddenly became friendly which confused Chi Cheng. He was frowning when
he shook his head stubbornly and uttered, "No, I want to go home.”
Tong
Jiashu turned a deaf ear and enumerated, "Do you like electro-optical
toys? Like remote control planes, cars, ships, etc.?"
Tong
Jiashu knew that Xia Youzhi had bought these toys for Yueyue. It was a pity
that Yueyue was a typical squeamish little girl who doesn't like them at all.
As soon as she brought it home, she just threw it all into the corner. She had
been distressed about the money she wasted to buy those toys before, but now it
came in handy.
Before
Chi Cheng could answer, Tong Jiashu instructed Xia Youzhi to clean up those
remote-controlled toys and bring them over. She had no intention of letting Chi
Cheng go home just yet.
Chi
Cheng stomped his feet anxiously, "I want to go home.”
Tong
Jiashu still smiled and said, "No hurry, no hurry, it's still early, can’t
you play at Auntie's house for a while? Auntie won't treat you badly.”
At
the same time, Yueyue was shrinking in the corner looking at Chi Cheng with desperate
eyes.
She
said pitifully, "Chengcheng, why don't you stay with me again.”
Yueyue's
tone was the same as when she was bullied by older children in kindergarten.
She didn’t want Chengcheng to leave, probably because if he leaves, she will be
bullied by her mom.
Chi
Cheng sighed, raised his white and tender index finger, and said earnestly, "Then
just a little while, only a little while.”
Tong
Jiashu listened to the children’s conversation without saying a word and happily
interrupted, "So your name is Chengcheng. What is Chengcheng's last
name?"
Chi
Cheng was still on guard, “I don't know, my name is Cheng Cheng .”
Tong
Jiashu pretended to be doting and nodded, "Oh, I understand.”
It
turns out the kid's surname is "Cheng".
Not
surnamed "Lu?”
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Suddenly,
Xia Youzhi brought a large box of electric toys in her arms.
Most
of the toys remained unpacked in their boxes since they were bought. The toys
were still brand new, bright, and spotless.
Even
though Chi Cheng was a sensible child, his
kid heart couldn't help but have a strong interest in them.
His
eyes were unknowingly attached to the miniature cars, planes, and ships. His mother
never gave him a lot of toys like that.
Tong
Jiashu noticed Chi Cheng's mood improved and contentedly handed a toy to him.
"What
does Cheng Cheng like? I'll give it to you.”
Chi
Cheng was in trouble, his little head tilted thinking the Auntie didn't seem so
bad.
Tong
Jiashu quickly added, "If Chengcheng wants to go home. You can tell Auntie
the phone numbers of your parents and Auntie will ask them to pick you up after
a while, okay?"
Chi
Cheng didn't want to hear people mention the word “Dad.”
He
said warmly, “Aunt Xia knows my grandmother's phone number, so just call my
grandmother.”
Tong
Jiashu realized in an instant that Chengcheng and Yueyue got along so well, that
they must be good friends.
She
gave a meaningful “Oh”
“Okay,
since Chengcheng and Yueyue are having a good time. I'll just ask Aunt Xia for your
grandmother's contact information and have her come to pick you up.”
Tong
Jiashu smiled and said, “By the way, you can call me Auntie Tong.”
Upon
hearing that he could go home Cheng Cheng felt relieved and in his eyes, he no
longer see Tong Jiashu as a “trafficker” who loved to catch children.
He
politely replied, “Oh, thank you, Aunt Tong.”
It
wasn't until she saw Tong Jiashu leave the room that Yueyue slowly stretched
her curled body and stood up from the corner.
Chi
Cheng asked her suspiciously, “Yueyue is Aunt Tong your mother?”
Yueyue
bit her lip and mumbled reluctantly, “Um.”
Chi
Cheng looked complicated. Why did Yueyue say that her mother was dead? Even at
his young age, he knew that "death" was not a very good word, it’s
even sad. Does she not love her mother? Isn't the best parent in the world, a mother?
Moreover,
the word "death" is bad so Chi Cheng doesn't like to talk about it. That’s why he didn't ask Yueyue his doubts and
just thought of it dully.
Yueyue
lowered her head knowing that he was not happy. Her voice sounded aggrieved, “I'm
sorry, I didn't mean to lie to you. It's just that I don't like my mother. If
she dies, then I can never see her again.”
Chi
Cheng’s emotional development hasn’t fully grown yet. His mother was his whole
world, so he couldn’t understand Yueyue's thoughts. He inexplicably asked, “Well...
why don't you like your mother?"
“There
are many reasons more than the stars in the sky.” Although there was a ceiling
above her head, Yueyue still looked up dejectedly at the sky. Then she remained
silent. (T/N: Yueyue is such a drama queen, so cute)
In
Yueyue’s mind, her mother left her to her godmother ever since she was a child and
she could count on her fingers the number of times she went home each year. Although
she’s a child, she knows who treated her well.
Moreover, when her mom returns home she would bring her a lot of gifts, especially beautiful dolls. However, she also often brings unfamiliar uncles on her return. She saw they didn’t wear a single piece of clothing inside the room. She was frightened. (T/N: poor baby, what an irresponsible mother)
Seeing
her silence, Chi Cheng had his thoughts in his little brain. He asked
seriously: “Yueyue, are you upset because Aunt Tong said she would give me
candies and toys? Don't worry, I won't take them, they are still yours.”
Yueyue
waved her hand quickly, imitating her godmother's gesture, then softly said, “No,
it's not your fault. Chengcheng can have and eat whatever he wants.”
There
were plenty of toys and snacks around them and there were no adults present to disturb
them. Soon after, the two resume their fun and laughter broke out in the room.
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Tong
Jiashu was immersed in deep thought. Seeing Chi Cheng's appearance, her first
reaction was a mini Lu Jingyan.
Even
though it was absurd and unreliable to recognize relatives by looks since almost
everyone can find a person on the earth who is 80% similar to themselves. Yet,
Chi Cheng is extremely similar to Lu Jingyan.
He
was the exact copy from his facial features, facial shape, and even his temperament.
Also,
there was Shu Bai. She and Lu Jingyan had a connection.
She
couldn’t reach Shu Bai, after the last time she contacted and talked to her.
She
had no idea what Shu Bai decided on. Tong Jiashu thought with Shu Bai's
temperament, she would probably put the matter on hold.
Tong
Jiashu sighed softly, that friend of hers is tiring. She is such a blockhead
that if you didn’t go to her, then she will never take the initiative to come
to you. Although, there’s no way Tong Jiashu can be identified as a "righteous"
friend for a lifetime.
Tong
Jiashu accidentally became pregnant during an illicit affair with an investor. Fortunately,
his financial support allowed her to give birth to Yueyue and she managed to gain
several local properties.
She
thought, that having a pregnancy accident was trivial. For the women in the
circle, it was just one night in a thousand and one nights.
But
what about Shu Bai?
To
the outside world, Lu Jingyan is a calm and restrained man which Jiashu agrees
with. Not to mention that Lu Jingyan is
a man— to miss out for five years.
Judging
from the tone of his voice, it took him a lot of effort to find that woman.
Tong
Jiashu thought that Shu Bai was the only woman who had a relationship with Lu
Jingyan. But in her memory, although Shu Bai did not have any particularly good
resources, she had never stopped her heavy schedule from beginning to end.
She
had starred in supporting roles in more than a dozen movies and TV series and
had always appeared on the screen. There was no sign of pregnancy or childbirth
at all. Therefore, Chengcheng can't be her child.
She
pulled Xia Youzhi to the room farthest from the princess room. The room was cramped
and the whole space was filled with the strong scent of her perfume.
Tong
Jiashu asked her in a low voice, "Youzhi, what's Chengcheng's name?"
Xia
Youzhi had no relation with Chi Cheng, but she has a good relationship with Tong Jiashu and
she asked her to be Yueyue’s caretaker which covered food and shelter.
So,
she told Tong Jiashu the truth, "His name is Chi Cheng. He is Yueyue's
classmate in kindergarten and a very good friend of Yueyue. He often comes to
the house as a guest.”
Tong
Jiashu was startled and asked, "Chi Cheng? Is 'chi' for ‘pool’ of a pond
or the chi as in ‘late’?"
Xia
Youzhi shook his head shyly, "I don't know this. I haven't seen the name
register, but I just heard it from Yueyue's headteacher .”
Tong
Jiashu’s powder-covered eyebrows twitched and suddenly became serious, “Okay, I
figured it. You go watch the children first, I still have something to do.”
"Thank
you, Youzhi.”
"You're
welcome." Xia Youzhi nodded and turned to leave.
Tong
Jiashu leaned against the cabinet with her entire body, feeling a chill down her
spine.
She
suddenly recalled the conversation between Lu Jingyan and Chi Ying in the
bamboo forest and recalled Chi Ying disappeared for several years.
Chi
Cheng's "late" in his name, could it be the same in Chi Ying's "late"...
There
are so many people with the same surname and similar features in the world.
However, why can't she find a reason to convince herself otherwise. It was all
too coincidental.
So,
what happened to Shu Bai? Tong Jiashu couldn't imagine it any longer, so she immediately called her.