Against the Light - Chapter 151
Chapter 151: Two Years Old!
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the little one was already two years old. She had a gentle temperament and was lively and adorable. She spoke in a sweet, childish voice, and when she smiled, a small dimple appeared, which was especially heartwarming.
This morning, Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan were sound asleep when the bedroom door was gently pushed open.
Xiao Ye, wearing a cream-white, long-sleeved T-shirt nightgown and barefoot, poked her little head in to peek inside.
The little one had fair, tender skin and her hair was tied up in a small bun. Her big, dark eyes blinked, looking utterly adorable.
Seeing that her two mothers were still fast asleep, the little one didn't make a sound to wake them. She tiptoed over and stood by Yilan's side of the bed. She was so small she was only about half a head taller than the mattress.
Yilan was sleeping on her side, her back to the edge of the bed, completely unaware that a little one had snuck in behind her.
Xiao Ye stood on her tiptoes, picked up a bottle of ointment from the bedside table, and gently lifted the corner of Yilan's shirt with her small hand. Using her fingers, she carefully dabbed the ointment onto the scar on Yilan's back. Her movements were a bit clumsy, but she tried her best.
Bai Yilan felt a sudden coolness on her back. She fluttered her eyes open and, after a moment, realized the little one had snuck in. Xiao Ye had seen Xinran applying the scar-fading ointment for her before and had been very curious. After Xinran explained what it was for, she had declared that when Mama wasn't around, she would help Mommy apply her medicine.
Bai Yilan's heart warmed, but she didn't let it show on her face. A short while later, the little one finished applying the ointment, put the cap back on, and returned the bottle to its place. She pulled Yilan's shirt down and was about to leave on her chubby little feet when Yilan smiled, turned over, and scooped the little girl up into her arms, hugging her tightly and nuzzling her cheek.
"Thank you, sweetie. Did you get up just to help Mommy with her medicine?" Yilan kissed her little nose.
"Mhm!" Xiao Ye furrowed her little brow and answered with great seriousness.
"You're so good. Did you sleep well? Is Grandma up yet?" Yilan's voice was exceptionally gentle. She felt the little one's body, which was a bit cold, and pulled the blanket over to wrap her up in the quilt.
"She's up. Grandma told me to come wake you up for breakfast." Although she was just a little over two, the couple had focused on her development and education, so Xiao Ye could already say many things.
"Is that so? What delicious food did Grandma make?"
"Umm... soup dumplings!"
"Ah, that's Xiao Ye's favorite."
"Mhm, mhm!" The little one nodded, giggling.
"Hmm? Are you running around barefoot again?"
Hearing this, the little one immediately curled up her short legs, not wanting her cold feet to touch Mommy. That way, she wouldn't know!
Yilan saw through her little scheme and reached out to warm her little feet. "So naughty. If you catch a cold again, you'll have to get a shot. Do shots hurt?"
"Mmm... hurts..." Xiao Ye replied weakly, seeming to recall the terror of her recent injection. Her gaze flickered, and she didn't dare look at Yilan, afraid she would be dragged off for another shot.
Yilan chuckled softly.
"Huh? How did a little one appear in the bed while I was sleeping?" Xinran, who had been drowsily listening to the mother and daughter chat, reached out a hand and indeed felt Xiao Ye.
"Good morning, Mama. Good morning, Mommy," the little one greeted them in her sweet voice. She crawled up using her hands and feet and gave each of them a good-morning kiss on the cheek.
Without even opening her eyes, Gu Xinran smiled and tilted her head, pointing to the cheek the little one hadn't kissed. "This side needs one too."
The little one was very generous, planting another loud kiss on her cheek.
"Hmm? I want one too~" Yilan felt a little jealous, pouting and turning her cheek.
Xiao Ye obediently kissed her again.
"Here too," Gu Xinran offered her forehead.
"Me too!"
Xiao Ye kissed one here, then one there, showing no favoritism. She was very fair, but it was a bit tiring. Her little body spun around like a top, busy as could be.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you two doing? Bullying her first thing in the morning?" Ye Nan pushed the door open. She had come to see if the little one had managed to wake them up, only to witness this scene. She immediately rolled up her sleeves, walked over, and rescued the little girl, giving each of the two women a light smack to get justice for Xiao Ye.
"Get up, quickly. The child is already up and you two are still lazing in bed. Is that right? Time for breakfast."
"I need to help Mama." Ye Nan started to walk out with Xiao Ye in her arms, but the little one protested, pointing at Xinran.
Ye Nan paused, then fiercely kissed the little milk bun. "You, always worrying about things since you were little. What will you do in the future?" She sighed, helplessly putting the little girl down, helping her into her little slippers, and letting her go.
Hearing this, Gu Xinran's heart felt incredibly warm. She propped herself up against the headboard, patted her lap, and gestured for the little one to come over.
The little one scrambled with her short legs, climbing onto the bed with her hands and feet. She crawled over to Xinran's side, glanced at the bandage on her right calf, and was very careful not to touch it.
Xinran had injured herself in a fall while filming a while ago, spraining her ankle. She had been recuperating at home for half a month. The little one had been terribly worried when she found out she was hurt, always asking, "Mama, does it hurt?" "Mama, don't move." "Mama, what do you need? I'll help you."
"Come on, sweetie, help Mama get up."
"Okay," the little one nodded obediently.
Yilan and Xiao Ye helped Xinran to the bathroom to wash up, and then the family of three went to the dining room for their meal.
Xiao Ye was exceptionally well-behaved and always had something to worry about. Sometimes, it wasn't the two of them worrying about her, but her worrying about them.
She wasn't fussy at mealtimes either. Although she was a bit of a picky eater, when it came to food she liked, she didn't need anyone to feed her. She would hold a small spoon and eat with great relish. Sometimes, if using utensils was awkward, she'd just use her hands. Eating was not something they had to worry about with her.
Right now, the little one had a solemn expression as she scooped a dumpling from her soup bowl, placed it in an empty bowl, and blew on it again and again to cool it down.
The others at the table all watched her in unison.
In the past, Shi Qing would watch the morning news or listen to political reports, but now, all these activities had been replaced by watching the little one eat.
"Look at her, she always looks like she's facing a great enemy when she eats," Shi Qing teased with a smile, seeing her frowning at the dumpling in her bowl.
"Ha, she's been wanting to eat this dumpling for a long time. She was asking if we had soup dumplings at dinner last night," Ye Nan said.
After a while, seeming to think the dumpling was cool enough, the little one speared it with a fork, brought it to her mouth, and opened her mouth wide. Awmph. She took a bite, getting only a tiny bit of the dumpling skin, and savored it with pursed lips and a look of pure enjoyment.
The others were thoroughly amused by her.
"Have some soup first. The soup is delicious too." Yilan used a spoon to scoop some soup for her, blew on it, tested the temperature, and brought it to her lips.
The little one had been scalded by soup before, so she cautiously puckered her lips and touched the edge of the spoon. Feeling that it wasn't hot, she drank it with relief, her little tongue smacking adorably.
"This child is so easy to care for. Kids her age are usually so much trouble to feed. Parents have to chase them around, and they still won't eat," Ye Nan sighed, her gaze filled with pride as she looked at Xiao Ye.
Shi Qing nodded in agreement.
The child was indeed easy to care for, and she was very filial to her mothers at such a young age. It wasn't just because of their good parenting; the child was naturally kind-hearted, as if she had come to repay a kindness.
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan looked at each other and smiled.
After breakfast, Yilan washed some fruit. Xiao Ye ate three large strawberries in one go, only stopping when her little belly was bulging.
Ye Nan and Shi Qing went to the company. Since Xinran's leg was injured, she could rest for a while longer. She sat amidst a pile of toys, playing with Xiao Ye.
The phone suddenly rang. Gu Xinran glanced towards the bedroom and was about to get up when Xiao Ye shot to her feet. "I'll get it!" She pattered into the bedroom, grabbed her mother's phone from the bedside table, and staggered back.
"Slow down, slow down, don't fall."
Gu Xinran cautioned her. The little one wasn't even walking steadily yet, and she was already trying to run.
"Thank you, sweetie," she said, taking the phone and looking at the screen before answering.
"Hello, Sister Qi."
"Xinran, how's your leg? Is it any better?"
"It's... not going to get better that quickly. I'll probably need another month or two to recover." Gu Xinran sensed her intentions and immediately changed her tune.
"Cut it out, I know you. I'm not rushing you to film this time. It's a good thing you already wrapped, or the production team would be tearing their hair out."
"Then why are you calling?"
"To check on you, of course. You're our boss, after all. If you fall, what will we employees do?"
"Yeah, right. Just say what you want to say. What job have you accepted for me now?"
Qu Qi laughed on the other end. Hearing her laugh so happily, Gu Xinran instantly had a bad feeling.
"A variety show, an indoor parent-child observation type. I think you'll be very interested in this one. The show will invite parenting experts to point out some of the hidden problems in parents' child-rearing methods. I think it's perfect for you. Plus, it's filmed at home, so you don't have to go out, and you can recover from your injury at the same time. What do you think?"
"..." Gu Xinran pressed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. This woman wouldn't even let her rest in peace while she was recovering at home. And this time, she was even dragging Xiao Ye into it?
"I need to think about it."
"Fine, you think about it. If not, I'll just turn it down. It's no big deal. I was just thinking, Xiao Ye is at an age where she needs proper guidance. You're a new mom, and there might be many things you overlook. Having an expert help you identify problems would be more reliable, wouldn't it?"
"Mhm, I understand." Gu Xinran nodded, indicating she still needed to consider it, and then hung up.
"What's wrong?" Bai Yilan came over with two glasses of warm water and handed them to them.
"Sister Qi said there's an indoor parent-child observation variety show that wants me." Gu Xinran relayed what Qu Qi had just told her, word for word.
After hearing this, Bai Yilan became thoughtful.
"What? You're not thinking of agreeing, are you?" Xinran asked in surprise.
"That's exactly what I'm thinking."
"Why?"
Bai Yilan didn't answer directly. Instead, she helped her up and they went back to the bedroom.
"Xiao Ye is too well-behaved, and she thinks too much. She's very thoughtful. Even Auntie Ye says she's always worrying about things. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if we're not doing enough, not doing a good enough job, which makes her think so much. At her age, she should be playing carefree and silly. What other child is like her, having to consider this and that?"
Gu Xinran frowned slightly. "You mean, we might have some problems in how we usually raise Xiao Ye, but we're not aware of them?"
"I have that concern. Also, don't be fooled by how lively and cheerful she is in front of us. The other day, I took her out, and on the way back, we ran into a neighbor. She immediately hid behind me. And she doesn't really play with other kids her age. Could it be that we're overprotecting her, closing her off?"
Hearing Yilan say this, Gu Xinran suddenly realized that she had indeed been somewhat negligent.
Gu Xinran nodded, lost in thought.
Two days later, at the dining table, the two of them told Shi Qing and Ye Nan about their idea to go on the show.
The two didn't have any objections. Shi Qing never interfered with their decisions. The only thing that saddened her was that if they were to film the show, Xiao Ye and Xinran would have to move back into their own house, as filming at her place would be inconvenient.
Seeing how easily they had convinced Shi Qing, the two secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They had worried that their mother would want to protect Xiao Ye and forbid her from appearing in public. But on second thought, every time they took Xiao Ye out, they were followed by a group of bodyguards, both openly and secretly. So even if the little one's face was shown, it didn't seem to matter much, since she was already well-protected.
After dinner, Yilan carried Xiao Ye back to her room, gave her a bath, wrapped her in a towel, and tossed her onto the bed, tucking her into the quilt.
Gu Xinran was already waiting for her in bed and helped dry her damp hair.
"Xiao Ye, in a couple of days, how about we go back to our own home to live?"
"Huh? Why?" Seeing the little one looking at her so seriously, like a little adult, Gu Xinran couldn't help but smile and rub her little head.
"Mama has found some new friends for you and wants to introduce you to them."
Xiao Ye pouted and shook her head. "I don't want to."
"Don't want what? You don't want to meet new friends?"
"If... if I leave, Grandma will miss me." The little one was very serious, her little brow furrowed tightly.
Gu Xinran chuckled. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that. We can't live at Grandma's house forever. Grandma needs her own space too."
Xiao Ye blinked, seeming not to quite understand what she was saying, and pondered it on her own for a moment.
Watching her think so seriously, Gu Xinran really suspected that this little one might also have memories from a past life. How could she not act like a two-year-old at all?
Xiao Ye thought for a moment, undid her bath towel, and prepared to climb off the bed.
"Hey, hey, hey, you haven't put on your clothes yet. Where are you running off to?" Gu Xinran was quick, grabbing her and pulling her back. She covered her little bottom and subconsciously glanced around. Phew, thank goodness filming hadn't started yet. If this were caught on camera, the little one would definitely hate her for it when she grew up~
"Where are you going?"
"I want to sleep with Grandma," Xiao Ye said weakly.
Gu Xinran was slightly surprised. She wants to sleep with Grandma? Is it because she's afraid Grandma will miss her after she leaves? This little thing is just too sweet.
"Okay, you can. Mama will help you get dressed, and then you can go keep Grandma company."
"Mhm!"
The indoor parent-child observation show 【Dear Baby】 was about to launch with a bang. When the official announcement was posted on Weibo, there were only a few hundred comments in reply, expressing support and interest. To be honest, it was a bit lackluster.
But just a few hours later, the show's official Weibo account was flooded with comments from netizens! In just one hour, it was reposted over a hundred thousand times, received more than six hundred thousand likes, and had hundreds of thousands of comments. The comment section was filled with remarks like 【Ahhh, the production team is amazing!】.
There was only one reason for this.
The famous movie star, winner of both Best Actress and Best TV Actress awards, and president of Heart Entertainment, Gu Xinran, had posted on Weibo. She had reposted the official announcement for the upcoming filming of 【Dear Baby】 and had also included a silhouette photo of herself and Xiao Ye. Although she hadn't written a single word, it was enough to capture the netizens' attention!
【Ahhh, is Xinran going to be on this show? Is that Xiao Ye? Is it Xiao Ye? Is it Xiao Ye!!!】
【Oh my god! Really!! Is Sister Ran really taking Xiao Ye on a parent-child show? I'm so excited, ahhh!】
【Ahhh, it's been two years, and Sister Ran has never posted a front-facing photo of the Little Milk Bun. As expected, when she makes a move, it's a royal flush. That's our girl!!!】
【!!! The little daughter-in-law is here, ahhh!】
【Holy crap, for real? Is it confirmed? What kind of god-tier production team is this that they could invite Sister Ran and Xiao Ye! Xiao Ye!!】
【Wait, let me ask a crucial question: did Teacher Bai agree? [doge]】
【Ahhh, I want to see Xiao Ye, I want to see her, I want to see her!!】
Seeing the netizens' comments on Weibo, Qu Qi was very satisfied.
In recent years, Xinran's position in the entertainment industry had become increasingly stable. She had more and more representative works to her name, had won countless awards, and had solidified her reputation as a veteran actress of the "old drama bone" caliber. She also had excellent connections within the industry and a massive fan base. Now, even her rivals and anti-fans had dwindled, and very few dared to pick a fight with her.
For three consecutive days, the show 【Dear Baby】 was a trending topic, generating a huge amount of buzz.
The show invited a total of four families. The filming format involved one parent taking care of the child alone for 48-hour periods, broadcast live. During this time, the parent could do anything with the child—go on outings, enjoy rare parent-child time at home, and so on. There would be a total of 12 episodes, expected to conclude in three months.
Although the other three families were not as famous as Gu Xinran, they had already captured the hearts of many "auntie fans" thanks to the super-high visuals of the babies in the promotional posters.
The audience's anticipation for the show was at an all-time high.
This morning, at Gu Xinran's house.
Xiao Ye woke up early. When she opened her eyes and saw the room she was in, she sat right up, looking left and right. It took her a moment to realize she was no longer living at her grandma's house.
Gu Xinran was woken by her movements. She glanced at her and smiled, patting her. "What's wrong? Don't you recognize your own home?" she asked with a laugh.
Hearing the noise, Yilan came in, picked Xiao Ye up, took her to the bathroom for a bath, changed her into new clothes, and then made her a cup of formula to drink.
"Xiao Ye, we're going to have some guests over in a little while. Can you help Mommy entertain them, okay?" Bai Yilan asked gently, trying to reason with her.
The little one hugged her bottle, drinking on her own, her eyes darting away, not looking at her.
"Look at you, pretending you didn't hear again." Bai Yilan helplessly poked her forehead. "You little thing~"
Xiao Ye's eyes curved into a smile identical to Yilan's, a smile that made it impossible for Yilan to be angry.
The two adults also got up and washed, waiting for the production team to arrive and install the cameras.
Before long, there was a knock on the door.
"Xiao Ye, go open the door and ask who it is," Yilan said.
"Grandma said I'm too little and can't open the door for strangers," the little one said seriously, shaking her head.
Yilan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What Grandma taught her wasn't wrong...
"You... come on, go with Mommy. You have to protect Mommy, don't you?"
Only then did the little one compromise, taking Yilan's hand and letting herself be led.
Yilan looked through the peephole and saw it was the production team, so she opened the door.
"Hello."
"Hello, Teacher Bai. I'm the director, Xu Yi."
"Hello, hello, please come in." Bai Yilan stepped aside to let them in. The little one hid behind her, hugging her leg and blinking her big eyes at the strangers who entered. Each of them was carrying a strange-looking object, and they were all wearing hats and masks. They didn't look like good people at all.
"Hello there, little one." Xu Yi, who looked to be in her thirties and seemed to be a cheerful person, deliberately crouched down to greet Xiao Ye.
"My name is Xu Yi. You can call me Sister Xu." Xu Yi extended her hand for a handshake.
Xiao Ye looked up at Yilan.
"The big sister is saying hello to you. What should you say?" Yilan guided her gently.
The little one thought seriously for a moment, her watery eyes looking at Xu Yi. Her little hands unconsciously tightened their grip on Yilan's clothes. She opened her mouth and said in a very soft voice, "Hello, Auntie."
"..." Xu Yi's face darkened, and she silently gritted her teeth.
The three camera operators behind her all laughed out loud. Xu Yi shot them a glare.
"Okay, well, the aunties need to set up some equipment in your house now. Is that okay?"
The little one decisively shook her head. "No," she said in her sweet, childish voice.
"..."
"You're... ahem, not going to let the aunties in?" Yilan asked with a smile. "Look how pitiful the aunties are. They carried such heavy equipment and walked so far to get to our house. Are you going to kick them out before they've even had a sip of water?"
Xiao Ye furrowed her little brow, looking a bit conflicted. She looked at the crew, then turned and pattered back into the living room.
Yilan helplessly apologized and found slippers for them to change into.
As they were changing their shoes, they heard the patter of the little one's footsteps.
Xu Yi turned her head and saw Xiao Ye holding a glass of plain water, holding it up to her. She looked at her timidly. "Auntie, please drink this before you go."
"Pfft..."
"...???"
Xu Yi's mouth twitched slightly. This kid... she's really kind, huh!
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