Gu Chu opened the WeChat app, and Fu Chen's profile picture was blinking with a red dot.
She frowned as she opened the chat window, which displayed a message:
"Have you thought about what we discussed last time?"
Below the text was a humorous meme. Gu Chu pressed her tongue against her cheek and typed in the chat box:
"Not considering it!"
The reply came instantly:
"Really?" followed by three crying emojis.
Gu Chu quickly responded:
"What do you think?" with a fierce-looking emoji.
She put her phone back into her handbag, pondering why Fu Chen had been acting so strangely lately, always looking for her and even making awkward small talk.
At that moment, Yuan Bao waddled over to her feet with its chubby body. She bent down and cradled the soft, squishy Yuan Bao in her arms.
"Yuan Bao, what do you think is wrong with him lately?" Gu Chu murmured, snuggling her face against Yuan Bao. Yuan Bao seemed to understand, letting out a small hum and revealing its white teeth.
Last time, Fu Chen had tried to persuade Gu Chu to become his fashion designer, offering a salary several times higher than what she currently made. But Gu Chu wasn’t short on money; she wanted to achieve something through her own efforts rather than relying on the help of friends.
Snapping back to reality, Gu Chu smiled and turned to say, "Weiwei, go try it on. If it doesn't fit, I'll take it back and adjust it."
"My belly isn't that big yet, so it should fit fine. Thank you, Chu Yi." Luo Wei walked over to Gu Chu and linked her arm through hers.
Gu Chu clicked her tongue, pretending to be annoyed, "Why are you saying that? We're as close as steel; this little favor is nothing."
"Hehe, have a meal before you go," Luo Wei said with a smile, her face full of joy.
"No, no, I still have to go back and work overtime later," Gu Chu quickly declined, her gaze sincere. "You know I’m a workaholic."
Luo Wei nodded in agreement, "Of course, that’s so you. I won't keep you then."
After Gu Chu left, Luo Wei spread the maternity dress on the sofa, opened her phone camera, and took a photo.
Luo Wei then opened the Mo family WeChat group. Speaking of this group, it was originally created by Fu Chen, and included her, Mo Huai, Fu Chen, Mo Father, Mo Mother, and Fu Chen’s parents.
Luo Wei sent the photo with the caption: "A friend made this maternity dress by hand, it's both comfortable and beautiful."
Mo Mother replied almost instantly: "Wow, a friend? Someone I know?"
Luo Wei looked at the screen and smiled, replying: "Yes, Gu Chu Yi."
Fu Chen sent a message: "Chu Yi? Did she just bring it to you?"
Mo Father also chimed in: "It looks great," with a thumbs-up emoji.
Luo Wei tagged Fu Chen: "Yes, she just left."
Mo Mother responded: "Oh, it's Chu Yi. Her craftsmanship looks really good, she deserves praise."
Fu Chen replied to Luo Wei: "Oh!"
... The group chat became lively, and Luo Wei was so busy she couldn’t keep up with all the replies. Suddenly, someone snatched her phone away.
Luo Wei instinctively turned her head and found Mo Huai's handsome face right in front of her, his demeanor refined and aloof. "You've had enough screen time today. It's time for your nap. Be good," he said sternly.
Luo Wei pouted, feeling disappointed, and lowered her head. "But I haven't finished replying..."
Mo Huai's tall figure loomed over her. Luo Wei's voice became playful as she asked, "Can I play for another half an hour?"
Mo Huai's tone was cold and firm, "No."
Luo Wei huffed and reluctantly handed over the phone. This was one of Mo Huai’s rules—she could only use her phone for two hours a day; the rest of the time had to be spent with him or doing prenatal education.
Mo Huai's lips curled into a smile, his eyes filled with tenderness as he gazed at her.
Luo Wei stood still, unwilling to return to her room for a nap, pretending to protest. Suddenly, she was scooped up in the man's arms.
Luo Wei was startled and opened her mouth to speak, but the man's deep, husky voice interrupted her.
"Weiwei, be good. The chat is full of meaningless chatter. It’s more important to take your nap; you can reply later."
"Oh," Luo Wei agreed, though she was only half-listening.
The Luo family.
After Zhu Shulan had a falling out with Luo Qianqian, she had been sulking for days, waiting for an apology that never came, which only made her angrier.
Zhu Shulan was also worried about her dwindling bank balance, causing her sleepless nights.
Luo Qianqian walked out of her room and stood in front of Zhu Shulan, "Mom." She called out softly.
Zhu Shulan’s face was dark, and she didn't even lift her eyelids, her expression cold. Although she had been furious that day, Luo Qianqian was still her daughter after all.
How could a mother and daughter hold a grudge overnight? Zhu Shulan only wanted to teach her a lesson so that she wouldn't lose her temper with her elders in the future.
If she hadn't been so short on money lately, she wouldn't have bothered lowering herself to apologize to this woman who disgusted her.
Luo Qianqian took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "Mom, I'm sorry. I was impulsive the other day. Can you forgive me?"
Zhu Shulan finally looked up at her, and after a long silence, she said, "Qianqian, I know the bankruptcy of the Luo family has been hard for you, but I hope you can stay strong and stop throwing tantrums." Her tone was stern, her gaze sharp.
Luo Qianqian bowed her head, suppressing her dissatisfaction, and replied with a tone full of apology, "I understand, Mom. I was wrong."
She then sat next to Zhu Shulan, wrapping her arms around her shoulders, appearing very fragile.
Zhu Shulan sighed and began speaking softly, "Our Luo family will get through this. Your father is looking for a job, and once he finds one, we won't have to worry about food."
A smile tugged at Luo Qianqian's lips as she thought to herself, Who wants to live a poor life? The Luo family may have fallen, but isn't the Zhu family still around?
Luo Qianqian had her own plans, believing that the Zhu family wouldn’t refuse her when she asked for help.
Just as she was thinking this, she heard the door open and instinctively turned around. "Dad, you're back."
Luo Jianguo walked over to the sofa with a weary body, poured himself a glass of water, and gulped it down.
After drinking, he put down the glass, and Zhu Shulan walked up to him, asking with concern, "How did the job search go? If you don't find something soon, we'll have nothing left."
Luo Jianguo's face was heavy as he tossed his briefcase aside, his tone dejected, "No luck."
"What?" Zhu Shulan exclaimed, scolding him, "I told you not to be so picky! Do you think we're still the family we used to be? We’re struggling now, you can't afford to be choosy! You're not young anymore, so take whatever job you can get, even if it pays less, and stop—"
"Bang—" Luo Jianguo slammed his hand on the table, irritated by the noise, feeling overwhelmed by the nagging and insults he had to face at home.
"That's enough!" Luo Jianguo roared, his face clouded with anger.
Comments
Post a Comment