CHAPTER 47

“What about the next payment?”

The thought of suppressing the other party was extinguished, and she remembered her own business. She couldn’t get in the limelight anymore, and she didn’t want to cut off her future path. She had risked her life to build up her kingdom, and she couldn’t let it end like this.

“I don’t know what I am doing, and I just want to be in the spotlight every day.”

She asked her relatives for money but was laughed at. She was so angry that her liver hurt, and finally her sister helped her get some money.

“Don’t worry, sister. I will definitely think of you first when I have any good work in the future.”

“Okay, you should make money as soon as possible and stop thinking about those messy things. Don’t worry about the short term; look at the long term. You can pick up the previous business again. What are you afraid of? Zhang Qiuhua went to jail, but not everyone will go to jail. I see many people are still doing this.”

“I haven’t stopped working. Sister, what do you want to do? Let’s do it together. I’ve found a good job that will definitely make money.”

After the National Day holiday, the weather got colder day by day. Li Xia took a shower at night and went to the east and west wing rooms to check on the children. When she came back, her feet were a little cold. Her husband lifted the quilt to let her in, but she shook her head and went into the cold quilt next to her. She curled up in the quilt because of the cold, and after shaking it off, she went into a warm embrace.

“Hey, hey, Shen Haiyang, don’t hug me. I’m cold, and you will feel uncomfortable.”

“Am I made of paper?”

The man spoke in a deep voice, and Li Xia smiled and turned back to give him a kiss. Since she started to be busy, she would lie down and sleep at night when she was tired, or she would worry about the lawsuit. Now she can finally relax and exercise to improve the relationship between husband and wife. Her husband waited especially to warm her bed, and she was also very proactive.

“Are the three kids okay lately?” After they were done, the two of them lay down, and Li Xia chatted with him.

“Yes. The painting Huihua drew entered a provincial children’s competition, and the results will be announced at the end of the year. If she wins, she’ll be invited to a provincial children’s party, and we’ll go with her then.”

“Okay, I get it.” Li Xia said with a smile, “Don’t say that; this girl is not good at studying, but she is really good at painting.”

“Don’t keep telling your child that she’s not doing well in school. It will hurt her confidence. She scored over 80 in the midterm exam, and her Chinese score is pretty good too.”

“Oh, I didn’t dare say it to her face; I’ll just talk to you behind her back.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever said it to her face, but why does Huihua always get so scared when we talk about studying?”

“How should I know?” She looked up at him and said, “Maybe she feels guilty.”

“It’s probably because girls are too sensitive. Huihui and Yiyi ‘s grades are too good, which is in stark contrast to hers. Even if we don’t put this kind of pressure on them, their classmates and teachers at school will put it on them.”

“Yes, that should be the reason. Especially since she and Huihui are in the same class. One is the top student in the grade, while the other is the bottom student in the class. She would be sad if the teacher or classmates made any comparisons. Oh, what can we do? This child’s grades are just not that good.”

In her previous life, the high school in the town where her daughter went was the worst among the dozen high schools in the city. Even so, she was a little short of the mark, and she was able to get in because the enrollment was not enough. Children have different talents, and her daughter is very sensitive to images but slow to respond to digital things.

“If our daughter’s painting wins a prize this time, we will hold a small party for her and invite all her classmates and friends. The two boys will serve as a foil for our daughter, boosting her confidence and letting her not worry too much about her academic performance. She has a talent for painting and a good sense of music, which many people don’t have.”

Shen Haiyang is a very considerate person, and he pays close attention to the children’s condition. When the elders mentioned studying, she lowered her head, and it was obvious that she was inferior in this regard.

“Will Huihui be unhappy?”

“No. The brat was just being awkward before, but he has gotten along well in the past few years. He is a boy and a brother. If he doesn’t even have this little tolerance, he deserves a beating.”

“Don’t do it,” Li Xia said, looking at him with burning eyes. She was really afraid that this gentleman would get angry and use violence against the child.

“Huihui is very sensible. She will listen to you when you reason with her. It’s normal for children in reconstituted families to be afraid that their parents will be partial to them. Especially since you are the biological father, you must not hurt the child’s feelings.”

Shen Haiyang smiled, folded his arms, and hummed softly. At the beginning, many people laughed at him behind his back for having to live with a rural woman after a serious illness, but he didn’t care at the time and thought they were superficial. Now he feels that he is so lucky to have met her. Life is full of ups and downs, but with her, my heart is so stable and peaceful, and I feel that the years are quiet and good.

“I hope the United States can quickly develop a cure for your disease so that we can go abroad for treatment. Haiyang, how are you doing with your foreign language skills? Otherwise, we won’t be able to communicate with others if we don’t speak a foreign language when we go abroad.”

“I’m learning. I’ll study hard.”

“Actually, I should learn something. But I don’t have the time. I’m still behind in my night school classes. Fortunately, this kind of thing can be made up. I’ll work harder when the factory is formal.”

With technicians watching over the production, Li Xia was finally not so busy after it got back on track. She had some free time during this period, so she quickly took advantage of it to go to night school.

At night, Fang Zhongcheng rode his bike past her, not far from the classroom, and stopped. The man walked out for a while and then came back, reaching out and grabbing Li Xia.

“It’s really you; I thought I was seeing things.”

Li Xia was not willing to pay attention to him, so she pushed his hand away and walked into the classroom. The man called out to her from behind, but she turned a deaf ear. When the class started, she found out that the lecturer was actually Fang Zhongcheng.

A Chinese quintessence flashed through her mind. When did this guy become this teacher? He studied trade in college and now works in the Economic and Trade Bureau. He obviously prefers the latter between money and power. Although he envied his wife for making money in business, he did not resign. In his previous life, he had always been in the unit, and later he seemed to be a director.

During this period, everything was a bit chaotic, and many areas of economic transformation were in the gray area. He gave lectures in his spare time to earn extra money. Did he suddenly discover his ability to make money?

He was speaking on the stage, and Li Xia was taking notes seriously. It’s okay to be hard on people, but not on things, especially knowledge. She had the self-cultivation that she had only in her second life, and her son was born with it, and he didn’t need to be taught at all.

The class lasted two hours, and she felt dizzy after class. She had a weak foundation, and it was difficult for her to absorb all this knowledge. She stood up to pack her books. Fang Zhong Cheng was surrounded by students on the podium, asking questions. She walked through the crowd and left through the front door.

“Li Xia, wait a minute.”

She was about to leave with the bicycle when the man behind her called out. She rolled her eyes and stopped, letting him say whatever he wanted to say. If she could handle the problem outside, he wouldn’t come to her house anymore, so as to save the whole family from getting upset.

“Why are you walking so fast? Did you understand what I just said?”

“If you have something to say, say it. If you don’t, leave. Do I not know you well?”

“Why are you so sharp when you speak? I mean, well, please don’t ignore me.” Li Xia was about to leave on her bike before he finished her words, so he quickly stopped her and got back to the point. “I want to discuss something with you.”

“No discussion.”

“Li Xia, can you calm down and think carefully?”

“I’ve thought about it.” Li Xia’s voice was originally very impatient, but she sighed to calm herself down so that he wouldn’t always think that she was impulsive and bring up this again and again.

“Yiyi is grown up now; he has his own ideas. If you are worried about him, why not have a new child?”

“If I could have a child, would I have to tell you this again?”

Li Xia sneered, “Fang Zhongcheng, you two are really a perfect match; you are both shameless enough.”

After saying that, she pushed the bike away fiercely, not wanting to say another word to him. What the hell? In his previous life, he went to find Yiyi again when his child from his remarriage had an accident. It’s the same in this life. His wife couldn’t give birth, so he started to have ideas about Yi Yi. And this damn man is also son-centric, and he almost never said he wanted to Huihua.

“You bastard, you look down on my daughter so much? Bastard, when you have eyes for my daughter one day, I will make you regret it like you do now, and regret it till your intestines turn green.”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. The more she thought about it, the more she felt sorry for her daughter. How could she have been so blind to marry such a thing? He was just educated, but she was young, ignorant, and foolish enough to fall for this and find such a father for her children.

When she entered the room, her cheeks were still puffy with anger. Shen Haiyang heard the noise and came out of the backyard. As soon as he entered the room, he saw her throwing her coat fiercely on the bed, with a look of “I’m angry” written all over her face.

“what happened?”

Hearing his gentle voice, Li Xia sighed as if she had lost all her energy. She reached out and pulled him to sit next to her, holding his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. She sat there in silence for a while before she started talking.

“I want to train Huihua to be a lady who is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, so that that bastard can’t reach her.”

“Fang Zhongcheng is looking for you again.” This was not a question but an affirmative sentence. After seeing her nod, he smiled and touched her hair, comforting her like a child.

“If you use even a little emotion on him, you will lose. Are you going to sacrifice your child’s happiness for a selfish person? You have such a caring daughter like Huihua; are you willing to make your child unhappy and disrupt her life day by day for others?”

“Yeah, I almost did something stupid again. That bastard can do whatever he wants; I will just pretend he doesn’t exist. The two children must support him according to the law in the future; that’s the children’s business; I don’t care.”

Shen Haiyang smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. “Fang Zhongcheng will have a pension in the future, and he doesn’t need money from his children. What he needs is psychological care and comfort. You are overthinking this. With Yi Yi’s personality, can he obediently take care of him in his old age and give him psychological comfort?”

“Yes, what he needs is love. No wonder he wants to take Yiyi away again and again. But now that things are like this, how can he mend the broken relationship?”

“So you don’t have to care about him. There is no free lunch in the world. When he pushed the child out, he was destined to lose this son.”

The two chatted for a few words, and Li Xia threw Fang Zhongcheng to the back of her head. After that, she treated him as a stranger when she went to class. If he wanted to talk privately, she would leave immediately. Not to mention quarreling with him; she was too lazy to even give him a glance.

“It’s just that there are some things I don’t understand that I can’t ask.” She smiled and said, “But I thought of a good idea. I’ll write down the things I don’t understand and let my deskmate ask them.”

“That’s a good idea.”

——————

The days passed quickly when she was busy, and before she knew it, she had put on her heavy winter clothes. Everything was bleak outside, but the production workshop in the factory was still bustling.

She wore the red down jacket to work that day and immediately attracted the attention of many people in the office. Xiao Liu touched it with great interest and said she would buy one for the New Year.

She looked at the financial statements in the office, and the numbers on them made me very happy. Ten percent of the profits were invested in research and development, and the rest was prepared to expand the business. Now is a good time; they must hurry up to develop their own products that can be produced independently and put them on the market, and they can’t always rely on others.

After a busy day, she went home to take a shower first, and when she came out, she wiped her hair with a towel. When she felt that it was no longer dripping, she hung the towel on the shelf, and Shen Haiyang handed her the facial oil.

“Huihua won a prize for drawing. First place in the youth category.”

She stopped twisting the lid and said with surprise, “Really?”

“really.”

“My daughter is amazing.”

“The provincial TV station has invited our family to a party. Remember to make time for it.”

“Okay, okay, got it.”

The daughter’s painting won a prize, and Li Xia excitedly hugged her daughter during dinner. Huihua was startled by her mother for a moment, and then she smiled happily at her. Her mother’s face was full of pride, and this honor was brought to her mother by her. She also has her own strengths, and she can use her strengths to bring joy and happiness to her mother.

“Mom, are you very happy that I won the prize?”

“Of course. My daughter is so talented. I told you that you are good at drawing, and you should study art.”

Huihua had a smug smile on her face; she was also capable. Shen Hui and Yiyi were also happy for her. Looking at her brother’s sincere smiles, her inferiority complex caused by her grades was no longer heavy.

“Sister, we have to draw sunflowers in art class. Please draw one for me.”

“Sunflowers are simple. I’ll teach you how to draw them.”

“Forget it; I don’t like art. I’ll play chess with Grandpa when I have time. Grandpa has been studying Go recently and said that I’m a good match for him. I’m just right for him to keep him company.”

The children like completely different things. When drawing, she showed confidence in her face. Even a smart child like her younger brother would have things he doesn’t like or is not good at. She doesn’t need to be too hard on herself.

This time she won a prize for her painting, and the teacher also said that when God closes a window for you, he will open another door.

She had to go on stage and give a speech at the party, so the organizers asked her to go to the rehearsal. Li Xia took time out to take her there, and the two boys also accompanied her. She changed into a new dress. When she was putting on makeup backstage, she was very nervous and suddenly grabbed her mother’s hand and said she didn’t want to go.

“Mother,”

“What are you afraid of? Don’t be afraid; tell mom I’m with you.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to speak well. I’m afraid; I’m afraid I won’t look good.”

“It’s okay; this is just a rehearsal. The official recording will be made after you perform well.” She smiled and reached out to touch her daughter’s face. “My daughter is so pretty; she will definitely look good on camera. If you don’t believe me, go up and try it. You will know if you are pretty or not.”

Adults are also nervous when they go on stage for the first time, let alone a child. Li Xia comforted and encouraged her softly. There was also a child on the other side, and the parents began to scold him in a low voice when they could not comfort him well.

Huihua hugged her mother’s waist, as if drawing strength from her. “Mom, what if I mess up?”

“It’s just a rehearsal. If you mess up, just start over. Even if you mess up in the official show, it doesn’t matter. You still have your mom here. This show is recorded, not live. If you make a mistake, just start over. Don’t be afraid. Mom will back you up, so don’t be afraid.”

Shen Hui patted her on the shoulder and encouraged her silently, holding her hands one by one: “Don’t be afraid, sister. If you mess up, you mess up. Just start over. This is not something that cannot be reversed. Don’t be afraid; we are all with you.”

“Um.”

The three little ones reached out their hands and clenched their fists in perfect sync, saying in unison, “Come on.”

With her mother and her brothers cheering her on, Huihua was not so nervous, and she was very calm and performed very well on stage. She rehearsed very well, practicing again and again to get along well with her partner. She rehearsed for a few days in a row, and when it was almost ready, she was notified to go to the official recording three days later.

When Huihua saw herself on TV, she excitedly stood up from the stool, her hands trembling slightly. Yiyi jumped happily on the ground and turned around to show off to his grandfather.

“Grandpa, look, my sister is on TV.”

The old man nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I see. She is really good at painting; she can even be on TV.”

Yiyi tilted his head and said, “It would be great if I could be on TV someday. It would be best if there was a mental arithmetic competition and I could participate. That way, my brother and I could both be on TV.”

Television had only been around for a few years, and being on TV was definitely something to brag about. Not only people you knew, but even neighbors who you didn’t know well would congratulate you when they saw you.

The classmates who were invited to watch the party were also envious and thought she was amazing at drawing. Although her brother and younger brother were good at studying, she was good at drawing and could even appear on TV.

Li Xia prepared Coke, biscuits, canned food, popcorn, melon seeds, and peanut candy for the children. The children felt that it was more lively here than at school during the holidays. The old man left after seeing his granddaughter, leaving the little ones to play wildly by themselves.

“Oh yeah,”

“cheers,”

“Let’s row our oars and push the boat through the waves.”

The house was brightly lit and bustling with people. They sang loudly and stood up excitedly, holding hands and spinning around. They dared to do everything they didn’t dare to do at school. They had food, drinks, and a color TV. Whether it was being on TV or being entertained at home, they were all envied by their classmates.

The best friend of Huihua whispered to her in a low voice, “Your parents are so kind; they really are willing to let you go.”

Another best friend whispered, “Her brother is good too; he knows how to protect girls. Some of Huihua’s homework was written by Shen Hui; I can see the handwriting.”

Huihua smiled happily but didn’t say anything. The two looked at each other and whispered at the same time, “I’m so envious.”