At this moment, Yu Xia and Xie Qingci had already returned home.

The two of them acted all serious, as if they had just gone out for a stroll.

Xu Yan was sitting on the sofa talking on the phone. When she saw them return, she waved at them.

After hanging up the phone, she said to Xie Qingci, "Tomorrow, Auntie’s family and Uncle Yang’s family will come over."

Xie Qingci responded with a "Hmm," then turned to Yu Xia and asked, "Where do you want to go tomorrow?"

Xu Yan also looked at her.

Yu Xia was a bit puzzled, "Aren’t we staying home?"

When guests come, aren’t you supposed to stay at home?

He nodded, "Then we’ll stay at home. But you don’t know them, and they might take photos of you."

She indicated it wasn’t a big deal.

Everyone was interested in celebrities; she was used to being photographed wherever she went.

Xu Yan found her response odd and said, "Ci doesn’t like dealing with too many people, especially kids. He used to just say hello and stay in his room alone."

Normal communication with relatives and friends was okay, but sitting in the living room talking to them and being scrutinized was not. If kids came to bother him, he’d be even more annoyed.

In the eyes of family and relatives, he was still essentially someone who didn’t like to talk much and was somewhat impatient.

Yu Xia understood and said to Xie Qingci, "Perfect, didn’t you say you wanted to show me your old photos?"

They hadn’t talked about this before, but Xie Qingci nodded cooperatively.

Xie Yin came out of the room, put on his glasses, and called to Xie Qingci:

"It’s time to cook, go help in the kitchen."

Xu Yan stood up to follow, but Xie Qingci quickly pressed her back into her seat.

"I’ll do it."

"You? Do you know how to cook those dishes?" The New Year’s Eve dinner had elaborate dishes.

Xie Qingci had already taken off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "How do you think we managed before?"

Xu Yan opened her mouth, watched him walk into the kitchen, and when she turned back to look at Yu Xia, her mouth twitched into a forced smile.

"He’s been away so long; I don’t even know when he learned."

It was unclear if she was explaining to Yu Xia or talking to herself.

Yu Xia reassured with a smile, "He said he ordered too much takeaway in high school and got tired of it, so he tried cooking for himself. Now in Hai City, whenever he’s free, he’ll cook, and he’s pretty good. Auntie, you can try it later; he said he learned some dishes by watching you."

With that opening, Xu Yan, who wasn’t ready to ask how her son was doing these past two years, opened up.

"I don’t know too many dishes; I seldom cooked even in the lab. As he probably told you, because of our job, we didn’t spend much time at home with him. We occasionally talked over the phone, but he didn’t like to confide in us. You might know more about his life in recent years than I do."

She wasn’t merely stating her shortcomings as a mother but might also be seeking feedback about Xie Qingci’s daily life.

Yu Xia pretended to be relaxed, "It’s not that bad. He just entered the entertainment industry, so his schedule is tight, and we don’t see each other much. But he talks more on the phone now compared to before, and he complains a bit when he’s been away for too long."

"Speaking of which, we didn’t have frequent contact. When he called to say he wanted to become an actor in the entertainment industry, we had no idea. We thought he would be attending university classes. We wanted to persuade him, but he had already debuted by then."

Xu Yan shook her head with a helpless smile, and added, "It’s also because we didn’t accompany him enough. He got used to making decisions on his own and didn’t like others interfering much, so we couldn’t say much beyond a few words."

Yu Xia thought the next question would be, "Do you know why he suddenly decided to join the entertainment industry?" She was forming an answer in her mind when Xu Yan just asked—

"I wonder if he regrets taking this path, whether he likes being an actor. Is he particularly busy with work?"

"This year hasn’t been too bad; it’s been stable. But when shooting a film, he might be busy and tired for two to three months, or even half a year. But he does enjoy this career. Occasionally, he learns new skills in a new movie, and he’s quite happy about it."

He once learned a card trick and came home to play with her, causing her to lose two nights of her free time.

Yu Xia smiled gracefully, trying to embellish the reality a bit like she was sitting with a friend’s mom discussing youth growth issues.

Xu Yan still smiled warmly.

"It’s good that he doesn’t regret it. We thought he would only start working after university graduation. Mr. Xie was even considering when to talk to him about job-hunting, but he went into employment two years early. We don’t understand the industry rules and can’t advise him.

However, Xiaxia, they say you debuted even earlier and have already been recognized with awards in the acting field. If he’s tired, you must be even more tired, right? He’s not known for being easygoing; does being with him add to your work fatigue?"

Xie Qingci really liked Yu Xia, which his parents could see. How long this affection would last, nobody knew.

Maybe it was because Xie Qingci lacked parental companionship growing up that he liked girls who were like big sisters, or maybe because it was his first relationship, he valued it more.

But as a woman with experience, Xu Yan knew that the biggest problem in most sister-brother relationships was the guy’s immaturity aside from passionate love.

She didn’t know what role her son played in a romantic relationship but hoped to get some insights from Yu Xia so she could have a topic to discuss with Xie Qingci, something she should have been involved in as his mother.

Yu Xia could more or less understand her intention and looked over to the tall figure in the kitchen, smiling gently.

"No, he’s different from other boys his age. He’s mature, acts steadily, has plans for the future, and is willing to endure hardships to reach his goals without having fits of impotent rage. Auntie, Xie Qingci is great."

Perhaps it was a telepathic connection; just as she said that, Xie Qingci turned his head from making soup in the kitchen to glance at the living room.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled at her, a flamboyant gesture not quite matching the "mature and steady" she just described.

She almost laughed.

Xu Yan followed her gaze.

"He rarely smiles like that."

In the limited time they spent together, Xie Qingci always appeared indifferent with his parents. When he came home, he didn’t seem particularly happy, and when leaving, he showed no hesitation or reluctance, as if he were just an ordinary host seeing off two relatives.

Yu Xia noticed the gray hair Xu Yan accidentally exposed when she looked down, suppressed her smile, and softly said:

"He just feels that now he’s an adult, and it’s embarrassing to act spoiled. Actually, he really wants to spend a perfect New Year with you. If you don’t believe me, Auntie, watch during dinner; he’ll definitely be all smiles."