"Recently, my work’s been alright." If work wasn’t going well, she wouldn’t have come here. At least, she hasn’t brought shame to her mother’s name, right.

During her lowest periods, it was revealed that her mother was Wen Qunxiao. At that time, those who disliked her, also cursed her mother. Especially since her mother’s exit from the industry wasn’t the most dignified, so she got dragged through several rounds of insults, with even rumors that her mother was a mistress and she was an illegitimate child. It forced her father to specifically buy a hot search to pin the topic for a day. If it was for herself, she wouldn’t have gotten angry at all. But insulting her mother was just unacceptable!

But now, she finally relied on her own capabilities to shut those trolls up, turning casual observers into fans. Even if they still wouldn’t see her as "the real deal" in the future, just giving some extra attention when her movies are released is enough.

"Oh, right, Mom, you haven’t met him yet. This guy here is Bo Yan."

"What do you mean ’this guy’." Bo Yan was speechless. He took a step forward, thinking the first time visiting the mother-in-law should be done with more decorum. Not saying he should be dressed too formally, but at least bring a bouquet or something. If it were a tombstone, perhaps he’d even kneel down and knock three times. It’s not about formalism, but just to express his respect.

But, this was a tree. Kneeling under a tree just felt strange. And looking at Xia Siyu, it was clear she didn’t care about formalities. She didn’t come to boast about winning two trophies, just simply to visit her.

In the end, Bo Yan still bowed, bending his back ninety degrees: "I am Bo Yan, your son-in-law. I don’t know what you like, and we’ve never met before. I’ve only seen you in movies. You’re really a senior I admire. Not just because you’re Siyu’s mother, but because your talents truly impress me. It’s a pity I couldn’t meet you sooner to learn from you."

"Learn what? She didn’t want me to enter the entertainment industry back then, she just wanted me to dance."

On one hand, the entertainment industry is mixed with good and bad people, and she herself had suffered because of it, so naturally, she didn’t want her daughter to fall into it. Moreover, she herself had some regrets in dance. Although a dancer’s prime is in their twenties. As they age, their flexibility and strength fade compared to their youth. Especially for women who also face the issue of childbirth. In other professions, childbirth may only make one age faster, create deficiencies that need recovery.

But in dance, it’s not just about recovery. After all, childbirth affects the pelvis and muscles. Some people recover quickly and may continue, but for artists pursuing the pinnacle in the eyes of dancers, even slight imperfections in movement are fatal. So, many top dancers remain childless for life.

She hoped her daughter would continue a dance career, so she trained Xia Siyu in dance from a young age. Both classical and vigorous ballroom dance. But unexpectedly, Xia Siyu still plunged into the showbiz world, going further and further.

That’s why Xia Siyu felt that even if she won two trophies, or possibly more in the future, they’d never compare to her mother. After all, in dance, her level of expertise in this lifetime wouldn’t catch up.

"There’s no choice, life always requires trade-offs. After all, very few are multitalented, achieving excellence in one area is already quite miraculous."

Xia Siyu wanted to retort, suddenly, a squirrel leapt onto a nearby branch overhead, dropping a pine cone that hit Xia Siyu on the head. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Xia Siyu was startled, touched her head, Bo Yan conveniently picked up the cone, noticing it already eaten by the squirrel, but the outside resembled a pagoda, or a blooming flower.

Though knowing it wasn’t some ’divine intervention,’ this gift made Xia Siyu happy. She took the pine cone from Bo Yan’s hand, inspecting it closely. Not forgetting to say, "So ugly."

"What’s ugly about it, it’s so cute. If you don’t want it, give it to me." Bo Yan reached out, but Xia Siyu quickly reclaimed it: "No way, if I take it, it’s mine."

She again fondled the pine cone, still saying, "Really ugly." Yet as she spoke of its ugliness, her fingers carefully caressed it, as if cherishing a rare gem.

Bo Yan watched her under the tree, a smile on his face: "Rest assured, Mom, Xia Siyu is in my care. I’ll take good care of her and won’t let her suffer."

Xia Siyu went to retort: "Who said I’m handing myself over to you? I’m just me, don’t need to be handed to anyone. At best, I’ll reluctantly let you take care of me a bit."

Bo Yan nodded: "Alright."

On the way back, Bo Yan finally sat in the driver’s seat, while Xia Siyu played with the pine cone the whole time beside him. Midway, she received a message, then told Bo Yan, "Let’s go to the hospital first."

Dad has fully recovered now. Went through expensive skin graft surgery and numerous post-fire recovery procedures. Although he’s aged, recovery was slow, but now he could finally be discharged.

When Xia Youbiao was discharged, even the Xia family members whom Xia Siyu disliked showed up. Ms. Tong’s family also came, even Bo Yi was here this time with their child, their two-year-old nephew. She used to pay special attention to Xia Sicai. Now, only after a short year, it seemed she was much more haggard. Bo Yi had also lost his former composure.

When Xia Siyu and Bo Yan walked out of the elevator together, they could hear someone complaining from afar: "We’ve all been waiting for those two, do they really think they’re something special."

"Exactly, being an award-winning actress is no big deal, still just an actor."

Xia Siyu heard it all. If it were her in the past, she’d probably react angrily. But now, she’s seen and gotten used to such complaints, they didn’t even affect her a bit.

In a nutshell, you care about someone when you let their words affect you. But when you don’t care anymore, nothing they say matters one bit!

She strolled over, her voice clear just like her steps: "Winning an award isn’t a big deal, neither is being an artist. But similarly, none of you are worth much either."

At least, she’d fought her way out on her own; every step she took was a result of her own struggles. As for this group here? Without relying on the Xia family, each of them would be good-for-nothing eating wind in the Northwest.

The crowd turned around as she and Bo Yan appeared together, a handsome man and beautiful woman. Even though this time, Bo Yan didn’t specifically hire bodyguards for Xia Siyu, just with them walking side by side, their presence and aura overpowered everyone.