In fact, the audience's speculation was not accurate. Even if the penalty for breach of contract was high, it wasn't an amount that couldn't be paid.
At the very least, Xiao Mo could afford it. After the show aired, both his agent and parents called him.
As he had expected, there was blame, disappointment, and hysteria.
His parents questioned him about the real reason for Xiao Zheng's disappearance years ago, bitterly accused him of having improper feelings for Xiao Yan, and were so angry they wanted to sever ties with him.
Xiao Zheng was right to scold him; he was indeed weak. When he had just started university, he had come into contact with acting by chance. On the day he took Xiao Zheng out to play, he had received a call from a director. In his excitement, when Xiao Zheng said she needed to use the bathroom, he let her go by herself. It wasn't until he hung up the phone that he realized Xiao Zheng was gone.
He felt regret, guilt, and fear. So, he chose to conceal the truth.
He let his parents believe that Xiao Zheng was lost due to his carelessness, rather than intentional neglect. Even with this sugar-coated version of the truth, they were still very resentful towards him.
For those years, their home was barely a home. His parents devoted themselves entirely to finding their daughter, until they adopted Xiao Yan, and things slowly got a bit better.
Xiao Mo asked himself honestly, did he really like Xiao Yan that much? It didn't seem so. It was just that his overwhelming guilt towards Xiao Zheng seemed to ease a little only when he saw Xiao Yan. He had countless nightmares where Xiao Zheng would ask him: "Brother, why did you abandon me?"
He wasn't being good to Xiao Yan; he was trying every way to alleviate his own sense of guilt.
Later, when Xiao Zheng returned home, Xiao Mo was initially very happy. He dropped his work and rushed back home immediately. He thought he would find relief, but when he actually saw Xiao Zheng, he realized he was afraid. When Xiao Zheng looked at him with eyes almost identical to his own, it felt as if all the unworthiness in his heart was exposed. So he did something stupid again.
After the incident on the variety show, his agent contacted Xiao Mo immediately. He said: "What your sister said has no evidence. There can't be any evidence for this kind of thing. It can be completely whitewashed. The fans will still believe you."
The agent even showed him no less than five public relations statements, asking him to say that this incident was an act between him and his sister. There was even one that pushed all the responsibility onto Xiao Zheng and Xiao Yan, framing it as the sisters' rebellion and prank.
He didn't choose any of them. He said everything was true, there was no acting or pranking involved. He said he was just that kind of person, and that he would take responsibility for the impact he had caused. This infuriated his agent, who started cursing loudly.
He thought, let it be like this for now. Let him be a coward for a few more days, not listening to or looking at what was happening outside.
Xiao Mo thought that Qiao Yan had really arranged a good "job" for him. He set out at five in the morning with the villagers who were going shopping, spending the whole day checking goods, moving goods, and loading trucks. The night shoots and red-eye flights that fans used to sympathize about were nothing compared to this, yet he felt relaxed.
Fortunately, Qiao Yan didn't know what Xiao Mo was thinking. If Qiao Yan knew this guy was actually enjoying it, he would definitely find a way to kick him to clean out the cesspool.
Xiao's parents contacted the two sisters, saying they would pick them up early to go home, but were refused.
"Why don't you want to go back?"
At this moment, the two were at Yuan Yuan's doorway, tying red balloons to the arch.
Xiao Zheng thought for a moment after hearing the question, but her hands didn't stop, "Because I want to tie balloons." She looked at their work after speaking. It was tacky, festive, and full of life.
Their parents were already guilty enough, and for her, facing their parents' guilt was also a kind of pressure.
Nian Suian and Ren Man were sitting and using a pump to inflate balloons, a very boring and mechanical activity. At times like this, some "conversation topics" were needed.
"Suian, I'm actually a bit curious," Ren Man said.
Nian Suian deftly tied off a newly inflated balloon. "Curious about what?"
"Curious about your husband. There are no cameras here now anyway, so why don't you tell us about him?"
This, well, Nian Suian didn't really know how to answer. "Him? He looks good, he's upright, his temper is average, and he has strong principles."
Hearing her say this, Ren Man burst out laughing, "Who describes their husband like that?"
"I'm telling the truth," Nian Suian felt her summary was very accurate and objective.
"You must be deeply in love, right?" Without waiting for Nian Suian to answer, Ren Man continued, "Zhijing is a good child, but for you to agree to be the mother of such a grown child, you must have gone through a difficult internal struggle, right? Your parents, they probably didn't agree at first, did they? You must be truly in love to have come this far, right?"
With each of Ren Man's sentences, Nian Suian's mouth twitched. "Sister Ren Man, let me ask you a question. If one day you stop singing, what would you like to do?"
"Huh? I've never thought about not singing." Ren Man didn't understand why Nian Suian suddenly started talking about career planning.
"I think you could write novels, really." Nian Suian freed one hand and patted Ren Man's shoulder, nodding at her. With such a good imagination, it would be a waste not to write novels.
"Write novels? I can't do that. I can only write lyrics. I don't know how to write novels."
Xiao Zheng and Xiao Yan, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, looked at each other, both seeing amusement in the other's eyes.
...
"Nian Suian."
Nian Suian heard the familiar voice and turned around. "How did you come directly here?"
"I went to the small courtyard, but there was no one there. I guessed you might be here, asked the villagers where the bride's house was, and then found my way here," Gu Junxing replied.
"Suian, aren't you going to introduce us?" Ren Man winked at Nian Suian. They had just been talking about her husband, and unexpectedly, they got to see him so soon.
When Ren Man saw Gu Junxing, she felt her eyes light up. She had originally thought that since his son was already so grown up, even if he was rich and well-maintained, he wouldn't be that good-looking. She had even felt sorry for Nian Suian. But now she realized she had felt sorry too soon. Even though she had seen many handsome men in the entertainment industry, she had to admit that this man was indeed charming.
"This is Gu Zhijing's father, Gu Junxing," Nian Suian said. Then she introduced to Gu Junxing, "This is Ren Man, Xiao Zheng, and Xiao Yan."
"Hello, I'm Nian Suian's husband, Gu Junxing."
After they exchanged greetings, Gu Junxing walked to the back of the car. "The things you asked for," he said, taking out the items bought in the county.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't move. We three can handle it, it's not heavy anyway." Ren Man stopped Gu Junxing and Nian Suian from helping, and she, along with Xiao Zheng and Xiao Yan, took all the things. "You two should have a good talk."
Gu Junxing was about to close the trunk when he saw a small "happiness" character left inside. Seeing that Nian Suian was about to come over, he, as if possessed, picked up the item and put it in his pants pocket.