Shen Xi Wen was about to kindly remind him, but seeing his current state, she swallowed her words back down. She rather enjoyed watching this kind of self-inflicted slapstick comedy. The more it hurts, the more delighted she feels.
Her phone in her purse started vibrating. Shen Xi Wen took out her purse to take a look. It was an unknown number. The vibration stopped before she could decide whether to answer it or not. The blackened phone screen lit up again almost instantly. This time, Shen Xi Wen did not hesitate again. "Hello, this is Shen Xi Wen speaking."
There was no voice coming from the other end of the phone. Shen Xi Wen thought the call might have been dropped. She pulled the phone away from her ear and saw the timer quickly changing numbers on the screen. Shen Xi Wen put the phone back to her ear, "Li Pei Feng, say something."
Li Pei Feng's voice was even less familiar than a stranger's. "Shen Chu Qi's birthday is next week. Why haven't you sent over the gift yet?"
Shen Xi Wen found a quiet corner and replied, "I haven't decided what to give yet."
"I gave you a list. Just buy according to that."
"It's the same stuff every year. I want to give something different this year."
It took a good while before Li Pei Feng finally responded, "Fine, you decide." And he was about to hang up.
Shen Xi Wen called him to stop, "Hey, wait."
Li Pei Feng sounded impatient. "What?"
"Can I... see Shen Chu Qi?"
Compared to Shen Xi Wen's hesitant tone, Li Pei Feng agreed readily, "Sure, you can meet him. But have you thought about what identity you want to meet him as? He will definitely ask who you are. How will you answer him?"
Now it was Shen Xi Wen who went silent.
Li Pei Feng directly hung up the call.
Shen Xi Wen leaned her head against the wall, banging it twice, suppressing the silent wail in her throat.
***
Shi Ran looked back at the little girl in the back seat and pulled her blanket straight.
Cheng Jinlan asked, "Did she fall asleep?"
"She's asleep. She must be really tired from going around so many times."
They circled around the mall four times but Cheng LiQi still couldn't decide on a gift. It was only until Shi Ran suggested making a DIY gift that Cheng LiQi was willing to leave the mall to meet her mom for dinner.
Cheng Jinlan felt a little jealous. "People all say that girls grow up and leave their families. She's still so young but her mind is all on other people already. She has never been so devoted when picking out gifts for me."
Shi Ran laughed. As he laughed, a thought came to him. He turned to look at the driver.
"She told me today..."
Shi Ran stopped mid-sentence, unsure if he would be pushed away after saying it out loud.
Cheng Jinlan asked, "What did she say? Kids these days are so knowledgeable. She often says things that I don't even know how to respond to."
Shi Ran eventually switched to a different topic. "Shen Chu Qi, her best friend, she said he would feel sad not being able to find his own mother." He looked at the hazy night scene ahead, carefully choosing his words. "Have you ever considered letting Shao Cheng Ze know of LiQi's existence? Kids, especially at her age, are naturally curious about everything. She may not say it but must be expecting her father's presence in her heart."
Cheng Jinlan gripped the steering wheel tightly without answering for a long time.
In the backseat, Cheng LiQi's eyelids fluttered.
"Are you still unable to let him go?" Shi Ran asked the question that had been buried in his heart for a long time.
"It's not that."
Her response came too quickly and decisively, unintentionally exposing her innermost thoughts.
"Shao Cheng Ze, he--"
Cheng Jinlan cut Shi Ran off. "There is no possibility between us. Let's not talk about this anymore. Do you know Jiang Jiang got a divorce?" She abruptly switched the topic to the worst possible one.
Shi Ran pulled his mouth into a smirk. "What, you think just because she got divorced, I should be eagerly chasing after her now?"
Cheng Jinlan glanced at him. "You know that's not what I meant."
Shi Ran said, "She's already in the past for me, for a long time now."
Cheng Jinlan was shocked. She had thought all these years of him traveling around the country, unwilling to come back, was because of Jiang Jiang.
Shi Ran smiled bitterly. "Jinlan, not everyone stays stuck in the past, stagnating and unable to move forward. You should try taking a step forward too."
Cheng Jinlan did not sleep well that night. Cheng LiQi also had many dreams.
The mother and daughter both looked listless the next morning. Cheng Jinlan could maintain her usual composure with coffee and makeup, but Cheng LiQi was completely deflated. Cheng Jinlan was worried she might be sick. She touched her forehead and asked if she was uncomfortable anywhere.
"Mommy, I'm not uncomfortable. I just didn't sleep well last night."
"Had a nightmare?"
Cheng LiQi shook her head. "I still haven't figured out what gift I want to make for Shen Chu Qi."
Cheng Jinlan felt helpless. Shen Chu Qi's position in her heart now was probably far higher than her own as the mother. She thought for a bit, "Do you want to make a birthday cake for him? Mommy can help you."
Cheng LiQi's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Mommy, can we make a Spiderman cake? He likes Spiderman."
Cheng Jinlan poked her little nose. "That might be a bit tricky. We'll probably need grandma and Aunt Qu to help out too."
As long as there were people to help, having figured out one thing weighed on her mind, Cheng LiQi's steps already felt much lighter. As soon as she entered the classroom, she saw Shen Chu Qi.
"Shen Chu Qi, I have a secret to tell you." Cheng LiQi ran over.
Shen Chu Qi asked, "What secret?"
Cheng LiQi whispered, "I think I might know who my dad is."
Shen Chu Qi's eyes widened. "Who is it?"
"I only know one name. It seems to be Shao-Cheng-Ze. I've never heard this name before."
Shen Chu Qi pulled Cheng LiQi's little backpack. "I can ask my dad. My grandma said there is no one on this planet my dad doesn't know, even ants on deserted islands."
"Okay, okay!" Cheng LiQi clapped her hands excitedly. "But how would he know ants on deserted islands?"
Shen Chu Qi tilted his head. "I don't know. I'll have to ask my dad too."
The two little friends looked at each other and giggled.
At dinnertime, Shen Chu Qi slowly swallowed his rice and asked Li Pei Feng, "Dad, do you know someone called Shao-Cheng-Ze?"
Li Pei Feng's chopsticks stopped moving as he stared at Shen Chu Qi. "How do you know about him?"
Seeing his dad recognizes Cheng LiQi's father, Shen Chu Qi felt very happy. "I heard my classmate say he is very awesome. So I wanted to ask if you know him."
"Tsk, he's not awesome at all." Li Pei Feng almost cursed but held it back in time.
...
Shen Chu Qi pushed around the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks, eyebrows drooping down. Cheng LiQi's dad is not awesome? How will he respond to Cheng LiQi tomorrow then?
Li Pei Feng put down his chopsticks. He didn't care about Shao Cheng Ze. His mind was occupied with something else. "Son, you wanted to know how TV shows are filmed right? This weekend, dad will take you to visit a filming set to take a look, okay?"
Shen Chu Qi immediately lifted his head. "Really?!"
The actors should all be at the filming location right? If they are all there, wouldn't he be able to meet his mom if that woman really is his mother?
"When has dad ever lied to you?"
Right now, Shen Chu Qi didn't want to sit there counting all the times his dad had lied to him with his fingers.
"Dad, can I bring Cheng LiQi with me?"
"You can, but you'll have to get permission from Aunt Jinlan first."
Shen Chu Qi nodded happily.
The next day, Shen Chu Qi told Cheng LiQi that his dad didn't know Shao-Cheng-Ze either. He couldn't let Cheng LiQi know her dad wasn't awesome at all.
Cheng LiQi did not feel too disappointed. She just thought, if even Shen Chu Qi's dad had not heard of this name, then her dad probably wasn't someone from Earth. It would be so cool if he was an alien. Her dad could take her flying around everywhere, like Superman.
Cheng LiQi sank into her own imagination, happier the more she thought about it.
Shen Chu Qi had to wave his hand in front of her several times before pulling her back from her imagination. As soon as Cheng LiQi heard they were going to visit a TV filming site, she immediately agreed. Finding Shen Chu Qi's mother was still the most important. It would be best to find her before his birthday. That way, he could have both parents accompanying him to celebrate his birthday.
When Cheng Jinlan heard Cheng LiQi say she wanted to go to the filming site, she felt somewhat hesitant. Filming sites could get chaotic. It would be easy for Cheng LiQi to bump into things if they don't pay enough attention.
"Mommy won't be available this weekend. If you want to go, mommy can take you another time, okay?" Cheng Jinlan discussed with Cheng LiQi.
"Daddy Shi can go with me!"
"Your Daddy Shi has his own work and personal matters. He can't accompany you every day."
"I already called Grandma during school dismissal and asked Daddy Shi. He said he can go with me. Mommy, you just focus on your own things."
Cheng Jinlan thought about Shi Ran's words from yesterday. She squatted down to look into Cheng LiQi's eyes. "Do you want--"
She didn't know how to ask. As a first-time mother, many things were learned through attempts. She was confident she could give Cheng LiQi the best in every other aspect, but the vacancy in the father position was something she could never make up for.
Cheng Jinlan stroked her soft hair. "Daddy Shi treats you so well. When you've learned how to make cakes, you should also make one for his birthday, okay?"
Cheng LiQi softly agreed, "Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle, Auntie, and Aunt Qu, I will make cakes for all your birthdays."
Cheng Jinlan hugged her daughter. This must be the feeling described in 'a daughter is all one needs'. She conceded, "I'll ask Sister Wu to accompany you to the filming site too. Otherwise mommy won't feel assured."
Cheng LiQi hugged her mommy's neck and kissed her cheek. "Okay, thank you Mommy. I'll make your birthday cake the prettiest."
Cheng Jinlan laughed out loud, hugging the little girl in her arms even tighter. Even with all the unfairness in her past, Cheng LiQi's existence meant she had never once regretted it.
Cheng LiQi and Shen Chu Qi's visit to the filming site eventually came to fruition. The two little ones were very excited.
Seeing his son laughing foolishly, Li Pei Feng said, "It's just a TV filming location. Why are you so happy about it?"
Shen Chu Qi nodded vigorously. He was just very happy. He was one step closer to finding his mother.
Cheng LiQi said, "Uncle Li, Shen Chu Qi is very talented in acting. He can become an actor in the future."
Li Pei Feng's gaze paused.
Shen Chu Qi looked to Li Pei Feng. "Dad, can I become an actor?"
Li Pei Feng forced a smile. "Of course, as long as you like it."
As soon as Cheng LiQi got off the vehicle, she couldn't help looking around. There were so many people on site, and many good-looking guys and ladies too. But she wanted to use the bathroom first. She drank too much juice in the morning. Shi Ran asked Wu Lin to accompany Cheng LiQi.
After using the bathroom, Sister Wu was taking a call in the hallway. Cheng LiQi went to the children's sink herself to wash her hands. There was a lady washing hands at the sink next to her. Cheng LiQi saw her appearance in the mirror. She looked even prettier than in the photos she had seen on the phone.
Shen Xi Wen wedged her phone between her shoulder and ear, washing her hands while keeping her voice low to say to the person on the other end of the phone, "Secretary Kong, your boss's second uncle's son wants to take me out for dinner again tonight. After the meeting ends, please help me ask Shao Cheng Ze if I should go or not?"
Cheng LiQi turned off the faucet. She turned around to look at Shen Xi Wen.
The Shao Cheng Ze that Sister Shen mentioned, could he be her dad?!
