The first word Jiujiu spoke wasn't "papa" or "mama," but rather "caw-caw" as she pointed at the crows on the wall.
At first, Chu Yang thought she was just making random sounds. But then Jiujiu pointed at the wall again and repeated, "Caw-caw."
Delighted, Chu Yang picked her up. "Is my baby talking? Those are crows, sweetie. Caw-caw!"
"Caw-caw," Jiujiu echoed.
"That's right, caw-caw."
Chu Yang then pointed to herself. "Mama."
Jiujiu tried, "Ma."
Chu Yang was so moved she nearly cried. "Yes, mama!"
For the rest of the day, Chu Yang practiced speaking with Jiujiu, teaching her to say mama, papa, grandpa, uncle, and other family terms.
That evening when Chi Yan returned home, Chu Yang rushed over with Jiujiu in her arms. "I have a surprise for you!"
Chi Yan embraced them both, all his fatigue instantly melting away. "What surprise?"
"Come on, baby, say 'papa' for me."
Jiujiu reached for Chi Yan. "Pa-pa."
Chi Yan was overjoyed. He immediately scooped up Jiujiu, exclaiming, "Oh! Hahaha, my daughter called me!" He spun around with her a few times, then looked at his little one, hoping she'd say it again. "Papa. Come on, say it once more."
"Papa."
"Yes!"
"Pa-pa."
"Yes! Hahaha!"
Chi Yan was grinning like a fool.
That night, when Chi Xin came home and learned that Jiujiu could say papa and mama, he was thrilled. He tried teaching her to say "grandpa," but it seemed a bit too difficult for her at the moment.
Chu Yang reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll keep working on it with her tomorrow."
Two weeks later, Jiujiu could not only say papa and mama, but also grandpa, grandma, uncle, and other family terms. Her little voice, sweet as milk, melted everyone's hearts.
However, Jiujiu's favorite word remained "caw-caw." The nanny would take her for walks in the garden every day, and crows often perched on the nearby wall. Whenever Jiujiu spotted them, she'd point and exclaim, "Caw-caw!"
The nanny would respond, "Yes, caw-caw!"
The crows on the wall would caw back, and Jiujiu would clap her hands in delight.
Chu Yang never expected to run into Li Qinglu at a social gathering with Chi Yan. The once vibrant and confident woman now looked completely different. Her complexion seemed poor, hidden under thick makeup, and her face looked unnatural, likely due to plastic surgery. The man she clung to appeared impatient, but Li Qinglu didn't dare say anything, struggling to maintain a smile.
As the man brought Li Qinglu over to greet Chi Yan, her face turned pale. "What are you staring at? This is Mrs. Chi. Hurry up and say hello," he snapped.
Li Qinglu forced out a stiff smile. "H-hello, Mrs. Chi." As soon as the words left her mouth, her eyes began to redden.
Chu Yang merely nodded, saying nothing.
Meanwhile, the man beside her, now her husband, was fawning over Chi Yan. "Mr. Chi, I have a project..."
Chi Yan, uninterested in what he was saying, replied politely, "If you have any business proposals, please contact my assistant."
"Of course, of course."
Chi Yan quickly led Chu Yang away, sensing her discomfort with the couple. Noticing that Chu Yang seemed lost in thought, Chi Yan guided her to a nearby sofa. As he held her hand, he realized it was cold. The weather was chilly, and although the room had heating, Chu Yang was only wearing a dress.
Chi Yan immediately took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "I'm sorry, are you cold?"
Chu Yang shook her head. "It's fine. I'm not cold."
"What's wrong? Talk to me."
Chu Yang sighed, "I was just thinking... that woman we just met, don't you recognize her?"
Chi Yan looked puzzled. "Who? I don't recognize any woman."
Chu Yang smiled slightly. "No, I mean Mrs. Wang we just met. She's Li Qinglu, someone I knew in college. Do you remember Gu Xiao? They used to be a couple. It's strange how things have changed."
Upon hearing this, Chi Yan recalled, "Oh, you mean that self-righteous girl who framed you, got her friends to isolate you and spread rumors about you with her boyfriend?"
Chu Yang couldn't help but laugh at his description. "Why do you put it that way?"
Chi Yan pulled her close. "Because that's exactly what happened. Thinking back to when we first met, it seems like she was always the one leading others to bully you. It's infuriating to remember. Her current situation is her own doing, the result of her own choices. It has nothing to do with us."
Chu Yang fiddled with his cuff links. "You're right." According to the original plot, if Li Qinglu and Gu Xiao had stayed together, they would have had a happy ending. It was unclear why Gu Xiao had disappeared, and Li Qinglu had ended up marrying someone from Jing City who hadn't even appeared in the original story.
When Chu Yang went to the restroom, she encountered Li Qinglu again. She had no intention of acknowledging her, but as she washed her hands, Li Qinglu glared at her resentfully. "Are you feeling smug?" she spat. Chu Yang had married into a wealthy family, had a handsome and devoted husband, and even had a child. In contrast, while Li Qinglu had also married into money, her family wasn't as prominent as Chu Yang's. Moreover, she suspected her husband was having an affair, and she had recently suffered a miscarriage while trying to catch him in the act.
Chu Yang dried her hands with a paper towel, responding nonchalantly, "Yes, I am quite pleased." Of course she was. "If you're jealous, that's not my problem."
With that, Chu Yang left the restroom. Outside, Chi Yan was leaning against the wall waiting for her. As soon as she emerged, he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Mother says Jiujiu is missing us. Shall we head home?"
"Mm-hmm."
Back in the restroom, Li Qinglu's nails had dug so deeply into her palms that they drew blood, but she didn't care. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, a picture of jealousy and ugliness. How had she ended up like this?
Tears streamed down Li Qinglu's face as she took out her phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello?" A woman's voice answered.
Li Qinglu immediately hung up. She crouched down, hugging her knees as she sobbed. There was no going back now.
That night, after Chu Yang finished telling Jiujiu a bedtime story, the little girl fell asleep. Chu Yang tucked her in and was about to go to bed herself when Chi Yan beat her to it. He scooped her up and carried her to their bedroom, gently placing her on the bed. "Darling, I want to hear a story too," he said with a boyish grin.
Chu Yang thought to herself: He's becoming more childish by the day.
"Alright, I'll tell you a story," she conceded.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl who read a novel. One day, she had an accident and found herself transported into the world of that novel. In the story, she was just a supporting character, meant to highlight the main couple's story, and was destined to meet a tragic end. To avoid her ill-fated demise, she decided not to get involved with the main characters' affairs at all..."
