Jin Qiao suddenly remembered—yes, there was something like this in the side story!
The little antagonist had met the world’s female lead on that variety show.
The original self had been forced to participate in the show. At first, she could pretend, but soon she didn’t even want to bother. She couldn’t be bothered with the little antagonist at all.
Meanwhile, the world’s female lead would occasionally seek out the little antagonist, insisting on playing with him, and the original just ignored it.
Over time, the little antagonist developed deep feelings for the world’s female lead.
Hiss… she had to go.
If worse came to worst, she could just ensure that the little antagonist and the world female lead didn’t interact too much.
Yu Zhen, seeing Jin Qiao zoning out, thought she was going to find some excuse to refuse the variety show again.
“You must participate in this show. Don’t waste your time trying to persuade me otherwise.”
Yu Zhen’s cold expression stared at Jin Qiao.
Jin Qiao snapped back to reality.
“I’m not looking for excuses. I’ll participate, and I’ll take care of Yu Siyi. You can rest assured—this time, I’ve truly woken up.”
Yu Zhen’s expression softened slightly.
He thought his little grandson had been pitiful—his father was indifferent, and his own mother had despised him.
But this stubborn boy insisted on staying with his mother, even if she barely paid attention to him.
Feeling Jin Qiao’s sincerity, Yu Zhen sighed.
He could only hope that she truly changed this time, providing Yu Siyi with a good environment in which to grow up.
He waved her off, signaling that she could leave.
Jin Qiao walked out of the study.
Just outside, she saw Yu An standing at the door. Lost in thought, she barely noticed someone stepping aside to let her pass.
“Aren’t you going to talk to me about Yu Siyi’s psychological teacher? We can talk now.”
Yu An’s voice pulled Jin Qiao back to reality.
She stared at his delicate face for a moment, then nodded.
“Oh… right. Let’s go talk on the balcony.”
On the balcony, the spring evening wind was slightly chilly.
The breeze cleared Jin Qiao’s mind considerably.
“You don’t need to find a psychological teacher for Yu Siyi anymore. Let me handle it.”
Yu An looked at her doubtfully, but seeing the certainty in her eyes—and recalling why Yu Siyi had ended up like this—he found her behavior rather amusing.
“Don’t you think Yu Siyi’s current state is partly your fault?”
Yu An’s tone carried sarcasm.
Jin Qiao was completely stunned by this question. What had the original done?
“Um… can you explain in detail? My memory seems a little fuzzy.”
Yu An’s expression turned odd. He didn’t quite understand her.
“You told him to shut up and complained that it was too noisy at home all the time.”
Hearing this, Yu An recalled that day vividly. Nurse Wu had called to say Yu Siyi had been crying nonstop, refusing food.
He had rushed home, furious. Seeing that the woman was casually shopping outside, he had immediately cut off her card.
She had been furious, returning home to confront him.
They argued—and Yu Siyi overheard. From that day on, he refused to speak.
The house had indeed become as quiet as that woman had hoped.
Hearing the reason, Jin Qiao’s head hurt. It felt like something was trying to burst out of her mind.
Buzz~~
A ringing in her ears.
A memory outside the main storyline appeared in her mind.
Yu An, noticing Jin Qiao remained silent, bowed his head, not knowing what she was thinking.
He gave up speaking and left the balcony.
Jin Qiao felt a sharp pain in her chest, so intense that she wanted to cry.
She couldn’t understand why she felt this way—why she felt so protective of a child she had just met.
Regret even flashed through her mind.
She saw herself gently stroking her own belly, eagerly awaiting the birth of her child.
After lingering on the balcony for a while, enduring the headache, she returned to her room.
As she opened the door, she was met with a painting of a handsome man just out of the bath.
Good… good… good.
She froze. Yu An, hearing the noise, looked over at her. The instant he saw her expression, it hardened.
“Get out.”
Jin Qiao thought, this is bad—caught between a rock and a hard place.
“Uh… I didn’t know this was your room. I thought it was mine.”
She spoke nervously, stepping back, preparing to close the door.
Yu An, thinking about someone else seeing him in this state, felt a wave of disgust.
Jin Qiao crouched at the doorway.
Apart from this room, the main house had no spare rooms.
She glanced at Yu Siyi’s room and walked in. The little boy was fast asleep.
The heating was just right. Yu Siyi clutched his doll tightly, his cheeks rosy in sleep.
Seeing him, two extreme memories replayed in Jin Qiao’s mind.
She could no longer hold back her tears and let them fall.
Fearing she’d wake the child, she left.
Back at the previous room’s door, Jin Qiao hesitated about whether to go in. Her head was a mess; she urgently needed a shower and a nap to clear her mind.
No matter what—this was her house too, on the same household register!
She opened the door and strode inside.
Seeing that Yu An had already left, she relaxed.
She grabbed clothes, took a quick shower, and collapsed on the large bed, pondering life.
What to do? She had been confident she could handle being the psychological teacher.
Forget it. She’d check out that variety show first.
After handling his work in the study, Yu An returned to the room.
He found Jin Qiao lying on his bed, hugging a blanket and sleeping soundly, in a completely ungainly position.
He was surprised—why was she still here?
Previously, she would always leave after dinner. Thinking carefully about her recent behavior, he realized… this Jin Qiao was not the same as before.
Looking at her sleeping, defenseless form on the bed, his eyes softened.
He shook his head at his own imagination, chuckled, and returned to the study.
The next morning, Jin Qiao got up early.
Why didn’t she sleep in? Because she felt unfamiliar and insecure in this environment.
Coming downstairs hungry, she found that someone was already having breakfast in the dining room.
In the dining room, Yu Siyi sat obediently beside his father, nibbling on his toast slowly, looking listless.
Seeing Jin Qiao, his eyes brightened, but remembering his father’s questions from earlier, he lowered his head and chewed the bread indifferently.
Just now, when Yu Siyi got up, he noticed Yu An—who should have already left for work—still sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.
Seeing him up, Yu An had the kitchen prepare breakfast.
“Aren’t you upset with her? Aren’t you worried that her current behavior is just an act?”
Yu Siyi shook his head. He never wanted to blame his mother. Deep down, he believed he was born because she hoped to have him, not because she hated him. If she acted this way, it was because he wasn’t good enough.
Hearing his answer, Yu An nodded and said nothing further.