Chapter 170: Chapter 167: Can You Stay With Me?
Ye Xiao wiped the emotion off her face, smiled, and walked toward her.
Zhong Qin immediately took her arm warmly as soon as she approached. "Ye Xiao, how long have we known each other?"
She asked suddenly, and Ye Xiao was a bit puzzled but still said, "About four years, I guess."
"Four years already." Zhong Qin mumbled softly, raised a smile, and looked at Ye Xiao. "I don’t think I’ve invited you to my home in these four years. My husband is on a business trip, so why don’t you come over to my place tonight? I’ll personally make you some hairy crabs to eat. How’s that?"
"Tonight?" Ye Xiao was momentarily stunned.
"Yes, tonight." Zhong Qin said.
Ye Xiao looked at Zhong Qin suspiciously.
Zhong Qin’s face appeared calm, but her fingertips had already deeply pinched into her palm. She had never done anything so pretentious like this before, doing it was truly agonizing!
Ye Xiao stared at her for a moment and smiled, "Although your handmade hairy crab is very tempting, I can’t make it tonight. Maybe another day."
"Why? Do you have a date tonight?" Zhong Qin’s eyes flashed with tension as she pulled Ye Xiao forward, staring at her and asked.
The confusion in Ye Xiao’s eyes deepened, but she still smiled, "It’s not a date, just something very important to me."
Seeing the bewilderment in her eyes, Zhong Qin’s eyes flickered unnaturally. "Oh, then, another day."
Ye Xiao gave her a deep look, then turned and continued forward.
After walking a short distance, she realized Zhong Qin hadn’t followed, so she stopped and looked back, "Teacher Zhong."
Zhong Qin replied with a twitch of her lips, "I left something in the car. You go up first, I’ll grab it and then come up."
Ye Xiao pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Watching Ye Xiao walk away, Zhong Qin furrowed her brows tightly, took out her cell phone, and dialed Wan Liwei’s number. "Husband, Ye Xiao can’t come tonight because she’s busy."
Whatever Wan Liwei said made Zhong Qin’s face wrinkle, her tone was filled with difficulty, "Then, I’ll try again."
During the break in rehearsals, the director Lin Dong called Ye Xiao and the male lead Xiao Yuwen to study the script, along with some of his requirements for the male and female leads.
"Yuwen, the emotional change of the male lead is very large from the beginning to the end of this play, which requires the actor to have explosive power. You’ve performed well before, but you’re still a bit lacking in emotion. Ye, you..."
"Ye Xiao."
Before Lin Dong could finish, a figure suddenly rushed over and pulled Ye Xiao away.
Lin Dong was stunned, then pointed at the figure and shouted, "Lin Weiwei, all you do is cause trouble every day. You wait, when we return, I’ll sort you out!"
But the trouble was Lin Weiwei only had one scene.
Lin Weiwei had a fiery personality, reportedly in the late stage of hyperactivity cancer and untreatable, restless, and whenever idle, she was sure to stir up trouble.
Lin Dong truly had mixed feelings for his daughter.
"Weiwei, where are you taking me?" Ye Xiao grabbed the rapidly running Lin Weiwei and asked breathlessly.
Lin Weiwei looked around, saw no one, then whispered to Ye Xiao, "Xiao, I’m taking you to the rooftop to see."
"To the rooftop to see what?" Ye Xiao was puzzled.
Lin Weiwei sighed and leaned toward Ye Xiao’s ear, "Teacher Zhong is crying upstairs on the rooftop. I’m afraid she might be upset and do something impulsive, like jump off the building..."
"..."
"You know I’m not good at comforting people, and Teacher Zhong usually can’t stand me disrupting the set. At this time, I don’t dare to approach, lest I provoke her even more." Lin Weiwei said.
Ye Xiao thought of Zhong Qin’s unusual behavior earlier, pressed her lips together, and looked at Lin Weiwei, "Has anything happened to Teacher Zhong recently?"
"How would I know?" Lin Weiwei shrugged.
Ye Xiao was slightly silent, said nothing, and quickly headed up to the rooftop.
Lin Weiwei followed slowly behind Ye Xiao.
Arriving at the rooftop, the first sight was Zhong Qin’s back trembling, holding a tissue to wipe her eyes.
Ye Xiao furrowed her brows, lightened her steps, and walked over.
Standing beside Zhong Qin, Ye Xiao tilted her head and looked at Zhong Qin hesitantly, "Teacher Zhong, are you alright?"
Zhong Qin turned away slightly, still using her back against Ye Xiao, said nothing, just waved her hand.
Ye Xiao twitched her lips, "Really alright?"
Zhong Qin still said nothing.
Ye Xiao wasn’t good at comforting people, and also didn’t understand what had happened to her. Even wanting to comfort, there was nothing she could do, but she also didn’t dare to leave.
Even though she figured Zhong Qin wouldn’t truly jump off the building as Lin Weiwei said, walking away just seemed a bit heartless.
Ye Xiao didn’t leave but also didn’t speak again.
It was unknown how long they stood like that, suddenly Zhong Qin turned around and held Ye Xiao’s hand.
It was unknown how long she had been standing on the rooftop; her hand was as cold as ice.
Ye Xiao’s back shivered, but she forced herself not to pull her hand away from Zhong Qin’s grip.
"Ye, whenever I think about how he lied to me, saying it was a business trip, but actually it was... My heart feels like someone is squeezing it and hurting me." Zhong Qin said.
"..."
Ye Xiao’s eyelids twitched, stunned.
Her words only meant that her husband was lying to her about going on a business trip when he actually had a woman outside...
Ye Xiao’s lips moved, not knowing what to say.
She had a good relationship with Zhong Qin, but she didn’t think it was this close...
So, when she suddenly confided such a secret, Ye Xiao was a bit shaken inside.
Zhong Qin saw the surprise Ye Xiao couldn’t hide, and a flicker of shame passed quickly in her eyes.
Now in her forties, facing Ye Xiao who was only twenty-four, she was a whole cycle older. Talking about such disgrace in front of her, shouldn’t she feel ashamed?
What’s more, this was just a fabricated story to deceive her, which made Zhong Qin feel even more ashamed.
She had thought of a whole "story," but in this state of mind, she just couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Gritting her teeth, Zhong Qin tightly held Ye Xiao’s hand, looking at her expectantly, "Xiao Ye, I don’t want to be home alone tonight. Can you come stay with me?"
Looking at Zhong Qin’s expectant eyes, like a drowning person grabbing the last straw, Ye Xiao’s eyes flickered, helplessly nodding, "Alright."
Today’s rehearsal went smoothly, and around four-thirty in the afternoon, the director announced the wrap.
Thinking about Xixi and Hanhan’s kindergarten dismissal at 5 o’clock, it was just the right time to go.
Ye Xiao glanced at Zhong Qin, who was looking at her from a distance, pursed her lips, and walked over.
"Xiao Ye."
As soon as Ye Xiao walked over, Zhong Qin held her hand, her eyes anxious, as if afraid she suddenly couldn’t accompany her tonight.
Ye Xiao smiled at her, "Teacher Zhong, I told you this morning I have a very important thing to do..."
"Xiao Ye..." Zhong Qin became nervous, unconsciously gripping Ye Xiao’s hand tighter.
Ye Xiao winced in pain, looking at Zhong Qin, "Teacher Zhong, rest assured, I’ll go straight to your house after I’m done. I won’t break my promise to you."
Hearing this, Zhong Qin breathed a sigh of relief, "Is what you have to do urgent? Do you need my help?"
"No need, Teacher Zhong, I can manage." Ye Xiao said.
Zhong Qin looked worriedly at Ye Xiao, "Xiao Ye, you must come tonight, otherwise, I really don’t know what to do."
Ye Xiao squinted her eyes, smiling, "Don’t worry."
"Ye Xixi, is your mommy picking you up today?" a little boy in a little suit with a bowl cut asked quietly as he watched Ye Xixi seriously pack her little backpack.
Ye Xixi glanced at him with the corner of her eye, pursing her pink lips without saying a word.
"Ye Xixi, both my daddy and mommy are coming today. I can have them take you home." The little boy carefully extended a finger to lightly tap Xixi’s tender cheek, then quickly withdrew it.
"What are you doing?" Ye Xixi frowned, unhappily staring at him.
"I-I didn’t do anything." The little boy blushed, hiding his hands behind his back, breathing softly.
"Hmph." Ye Xixi picked up her little backpack with her chubby hand, turning her head to look at her brother, who was looking out the window and hadn’t noticed them, and called out crisply, "Brother."
Ye Yihan turned around and looked at her. When his big dark eyes landed on the little boy next to her, his eyebrows raised, and he walked over with a serious face. He took the little backpack from his sister’s hand and held her little hand as they walked toward the door.
Ye Xixi held her little water bottle, mumbling in her brother’s ear, "I don’t like Fu Yangming. He’s annoying, poking my face."
Hearing this, Ye Yihan stopped, turned around, and coldly stared at Fu Yangming, who was looking after them pitifully.
Fu Yangming bit his small lips, nervously twirling his fingers.
Ye Yihan turned back, patted his sister’s small head, and then held her hand as they walked out.
"Brother, are we going home in Uncle Wang’s car?" Xixi looked at Ye Yihan.
Ye Yihan lowered his long eyelashes, "Yeah."
Ye Xixi gloomily lowered her head, but after a while, she raised her little head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her brother, "Can we call Xiao Xiao?"
Ye Yihan frowned, looking at his sister, "No."
"..." Ye Xixi pouted in disappointment.
"Daddy, Mommy." Fu Yangming’s cheerful voice rang from behind.
Xixi stopped in her tracks, turning her head to watch Fu Yangming run towards them.
When Fu Yangming reached Ye Xixi and Ye Yihan, he paused, then accelerated towards the kindergarten gate.
Xixi saw Fu Yangming being lifted by a tall man and placed on his shoulders, Fu Yangming laughing and shouting joyfully.
"Sigh." Xixi sighed like a little adult, quietly withdrawing her gaze.
Ye Yihan looked at his sister, pursing his thin lips.
"Xixi."
A clear, gentle voice came from the front.
Ye Xixi looked up in surprise, and when she saw Ye Xiao standing at the school gate with open arms, she almost jumped with joy.
"Mommy..." Ye Xixi called out loudly, pulling her hand from her brother’s, and her round little body started running and jumping towards Ye Xiao.
Afraid she would fall, Ye Xiao hurriedly took a few steps forward and picked up the little one.
Ye Xixi giggled, hugging her mommy’s neck with her chubby hands, her eyes smiling into crescent moons. Her long, black eyelashes were thick and rested against her white eyelids, making her look like a delicate doll.
Ye Xiao lovingly kissed her small face, "Was Xixi good at kindergarten today?"