Early the next morning, while Jin Qiao was sleeping soundly, she felt a small force persistently pushing her hand.
Still half-asleep, she opened her eyes and realized it was her son.
“What time is it?” she muttered, reaching for her phone and turning it on.
Good grief—after eleven already. The flight was at one!
The night before, Jin Qiao’s mind had been looping nonstop around Yu An’s words—
“From the past until now, the one I’ve always liked… is you.”
It nearly drove her crazy. She barely slept at all.
She got up in one go, finished washing up, and stood in front of the wardrobe, staring at the clothes inside.
…Better go with a sports outfit.
The two of them—one big, one small—sat down to eat lunch.
“Madam, I’ve packed your luggage for you,” Wu Ma said. “I put in your usual medicines and some clothes. I’ve also packed the young master’s clothes, along with the things he wanted to bring himself. Everything’s placed by the door.”
Jin Qiao turned her head toward the entrance.
A large suitcase and a small one stood side by side.
“Wu Ma, what would I do without you?” Jin Qiao sighed.
“These are all things I should do, Madam.”
After finishing lunch, Jin Qiao took Yu Siyì and headed straight for the airport.
..
The other families had already arrived one after another.
The livestream had started as soon as the first family showed up.
【Zhizhi is so well-behaved. As expected of the Bai family’s little princess.】【Best Actress Song arrived really early.】【The Yuchen family is here too!】
The first to arrive was Qin Qiqi’s family. Song Qiruo had worried about being late and misjudged the timing, so they ended up coming too early—and Qin Qiqi started throwing a small tantrum.
The second group was Bai Zhizhi’s family. The little princess, dressed in a beautiful gown, held her mother’s hand and hopped toward the lounge.
The third was Chen Siyu and Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao followed behind, holding a game console.
Then came Yan Yuyu and his mother, Yuan Qingning.
“Long time no see, Best Actress Song,” Chen Siyu greeted her.
They had worked on the same drama before, and among everyone present, they were the most familiar with each other.
After some small talk and introductions, Jin Qiao finally arrived.
The moment the livestream audience saw this, some people couldn’t help typing again.
【As a mother, she has zero sense of time. How is she supposed to set an example for her child?】【Making everyone wait for her—doesn’t she feel embarrassed?】【Wait, Jin Qiao didn’t arrive late, did she?】【So by your logic, whoever comes last should feel guilty?】【Are you people sick or what?】
Holding Yu Siyì’s hand, Jin Qiao asked a little nervously,“Sorry… I didn’t come late, did I?”
Yuan Qingning, who was closest to her, glanced at the time and replied coolly,“No.”
“Phew—thank goodness.”
【Yuan the goddess is really kind.】【Of course. Beautiful and doesn’t talk much—that’s our Yuan Yuan.】
“Hello, I’m Yu Siyì’s mom. My name is Jin Qiao.”
“I’m Yuan Qingning, Yan Yuchen’s mom.”
A cool, elegant woman—Jin Qiao screamed internally.
The two boys beside them greeted each other as well.
“Hi, my name is Yan Yuchen. I’m seven years old.”
Yu Siyì broke into a huge smile and held up the self-introduction he had written in the car.
[I’m Yu Siyì. I’m five years old.]
“Then I’m the big brother,” Yan Yuchen said seriously, his small face solemn.
Yu Siyì nodded happily in agreement.
“He can’t speak for now,” Jin Qiao said gently as she crouched down. “Could you help take him to meet the other kids?”
Yan Yuchen’s serious little face turned red, stiffly responding with a quiet “Mm.”
【Yuchen blushing—rare sight! So cute!】【That sense of responsibility though.】【‘41’ smiling really hits me right in the heart.】【I love them all—I want to take them home!】
Jin Qiao stood up again.
“Sorry to trouble your son.”
“It’s fine. Boys need plenty of training.”
Bai Zhizhi was about to run over to greet Yu Siyì, but the bow on the back of her dress had come loose from all the running around. Xia Wan quickly pulled her back to fix it.
Once freed, the little princess dashed over, grabbed Yu Siyì’s hand, and introduced herself enthusiastically.
“Hi! My name is Bai Zhizhi. You can call me Zhizhi! I’m five years old too!”
Xia Wan smiled awkwardly at Jin Qiao. Her daughter truly took after Bai Jin—an absolute social butterfly.
【Socially anxious mom and her ultra-social daughter.】【Didn’t expect Zhizhi to be this outgoing—more than her brother ever was.】【So Zhizhi is a looks-lover after all.】
“What month is your daughter born?” Jin Qiao asked.
“March. She just turned five.”
“Then my son’s younger. He only turned five in September, but we just count him as five anyway.”
【‘41’ is actually the youngest—and he really looks like a tiny little ball.】【The kind you could scoop up and run off with.】【Hey, I’m calling the police 😂】
Hearing that Yu Siyì was younger made Bai Zhizhi even happier. She hugged him and tried to lift him up—but she was still a little girl after all.
“Then I’m the big sister! I finally have a little brother!”
Yu Siyì’s face turned bright red. He looked helplessly toward his mom, who was laughing nonstop.
【This is way too funny.】【Zhizhi, be a bit more ladylike—Bai Jin is probably crushing his phone at home.】【I really want to see Bai Jin react to this clip.】【I’m shipping this kid CP already.】【‘41’ asking for help, but mom pretends not to see.】【His cheeks are about to roast—so cute!】
Qin Qiqi and Chen Xiao, who had been chatting about games nearby, walked over curiously when they saw the new little brother.
“I’m six, so I’m a big brother too,” Qin Qiqi said.
“Me too—I’m six,” Chen Xiao added.
【Kids together really are so healing.】【As someone in education, I feel personally attacked.】【I get you, sis—it’s painfully accurate.】
Yu Siyì tugged lightly on Yan Yuchen’s sleeve.
You’re the biggest brother.
Seeing that the youngest only clung to him and not the others, Yan Yuchen felt a strange sense of pride and stood up straighter.
【Did anyone notice Yuchen’s posture the moment ‘41’ grabbed his sleeve? 😂】【That’s probably what being a big brother feels like.】
“His name is Yu Siyì. He can’t talk right now, but he writes in a notebook to communicate.”
“Wow! Doesn’t that mean you can write a lot of words? I can’t!” Chen Xiao exclaimed.
【Kids really think differently from adults.】【When you put it that way, it’s true—‘41’ isn’t even fully five yet, but he already knows so many characters.】
Yu Siyì nodded.
Bai Zhizhi silently decided she would learn to write lots of words too—to be a good example for her little brother.
“Will you be able to talk later?” Chen Xiao asked curiously.
Yu Siyì nodded again, smiling the whole time.
【Such adorable kids! I don’t care how dumb the production team is—I’m watching till the end.】【Support +1,000,000】【I’ll keep watching just for these little cuties!】
Seeing that her son wasn’t as resistant to socializing as she’d feared—and had actually blended in so well—Jin Qiao finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.