"Can't I come back?" As Mother Mu spoke, the sound of a zipper also came through the phone.
Meng Nianchu suddenly came back to her senses. She glanced at the date and recalled that in the previous life, Mother Mu did come back around this time.
She smiled gently and said, "Of course you can! We're definitely happy when you come back, Mom! What time is your flight tomorrow? I don't have many scenes, so I'll go pick you up at the airport."
"Sure enough, my little Nianchu is the best!"
"But you just focus on your work. Mom isn't a child. You're already so tired from filming. How can I let you make a round trip?"
Warmth welled up in Meng Nianchu's heart.
Mother Mu said in a hurry, "Alright, alright. You've been busy all day, little Nianchu. Go to bed early. Mom will bring you your favorite glutinous rice cakes tomorrow! Bye."
The call came suddenly and ended just as abruptly.
The plane trees by the road rustled.
Meng Rong never expected that this tabloid scandal would make Mother Mu, who was far in the United States, fly back all the way.
Early in the morning, Meng Nianchu was on tenterhooks. She kept looking at the time and was restless. Cui Lei, who was with her, had never seen Meng Nianchu so anxious before.
"What's wrong with you, Nianchu?" she asked.
Meng Nianchu was anxious. She tapped her index finger on the table, wondering if the change in the situation would have any impact on Mother Mu.
Meng Rong, who was standing aside tidying up her makeup, snorted and feigned concern, saying, "Those people on the internet always worry about nothing. Just ignore the comments you don't like. It's not worth getting angry and hurting your body."
Meng Nianchu didn't even give her a glance. Her eyes were fixed on the door. She thought it was almost ten o'clock, but there was still no news from her mom.
Just then, a red car smoothly came into view. The people in the crew heard the sound and looked over. When they saw the person getting out of the car, Meng Nianchu's eyes lit up.
"Little Nianchu!" Mother Mu excitedly hugged Meng Nianchu, who ran over. She lovingly patted her on the back. Her delicate face was filled with affection. "Mom hasn't seen you for so long. I miss you so much. Let me see if you've lost weight."
Meng Nianchu beamed and twirled around in front of Mother Mu.
In the previous life, she thought Mu Junze didn't like her, and the only one who supported her relationship with Mu Junze was this mother-in-law!
Seeing her again, Meng Nianchu felt extremely warm in her heart. She didn't cherish this in the previous life, but this time she would never miss it again!
Seeing that her waist was so slender that it could almost be grasped with one hand, Mother Mu lovingly held her fair hand and said, "Why have you lost weight again recently? Is filming too tiring? Pay more attention to rest."
"I've actually gained weight."
"Nonsense."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law happily sat down on the chairs. The eyes of the actors in the crew followed their movements.
Cui Lei curiously looked at Mother Mu and asked, "Who is this?"
"Ah, this is..."
"Auntie!" Meng Rong shouted loudly. She affectionately sat beside Mother Mu and grabbed her wrist. "Auntie, why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I would have gone to pick you up at the airport! It's been so long since I last saw you. I miss you so much."
Mother Mu smiled and gently pushed her away, saying, "Miss Meng."
"Just call me Xiaorong. Miss Meng sounds so formal."
"Mom, have some water." Meng Nianchu poured a cup of warm water and handed it to Mother Mu.
Meng Rong complained, "Auntie has just come back. How can you just give her plain water?"
Mother Mu opened the bag she brought and took out a box of beautiful glutinous rice cakes.
"This is your favorite, little Nianchu."
"Thank you, Mom!" Meng Nianchu happily took it.
Meng Rong also tried her best to please Mother Mu. She said, "I heard that there's a new Chinese restaurant in the business district. The food there is really delicious. Auntie must be craving Chinese food after staying in the United States for so long. Later, I'll take you there. After sitting on the plane for a whole morning, let's relax."
"No, thanks." Mother Mu leaned closer to Meng Nianchu and rubbed her face. "I've already booked a restaurant on my way here. I want to have a chat and a meal with my little Nianchu. I won't bother Miss Meng."
"How could it be a bother? It's more lively when there are more people. Call Junze too. Let's have a family dinner."
Mother Mu caught the loophole in her words. She retracted her hand, turned to look at Meng Rong, and let out a strange laugh.
"Junze?"
"Miss Meng is really on familiar terms with my son. I haven't called him like that for many years."
Meng Rong panicked and said, "I just said it casually."
Mother Mu slightly raised her chin, crossed her legs, and leaned to the left. Her aura suddenly became oppressive.
Cui Lei knew how to read the situation. As soon as she saw this, she quickly slipped away.
When there was no one around, Mother Mu said, "Miss Meng must have heard the news on the internet, right?"
Meng Rong became even more flustered.
"Little Nianchu has been married to my son for a while, and there have never been any problems between them. My son has always been cold to women other than little Nianchu. So how did the scandal with you come about and become such a big deal?"
"You're little Nianchu's elder sister, and I don't want to make any malicious assumptions about you. But now that things have come to this, you should think more about the boundaries between men and women."
Her tone was quite accusatory.
Meng Rong hurriedly defended herself, saying, "This is actually a misunderstanding! There are always people making up stories and spreading rumors. This is not what you think, Auntie."
Seeing Meng Nianchu sitting beside her looking indifferent, she naturally thought that she had complained to Mother Mu behind her back.
Meng Rong changed her tune and said aggrievedly, "Did Nianchu say something to you, Auntie? I've explained it to Nianchu. There's really nothing going on between Junze and me."
Meng Nianchu was suddenly blamed for something she didn't do. She pursed her lips and glanced at Meng Rong, who was passionately complaining about how wronged she was. She let out a scoff.
Meng Rong found an outlet for her anger. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said, "Nianchu, I'm your elder sister. How could I have any improper thoughts about my brother-in-law? How could you think of me like this!"
"Enough." Mother Mu was annoyed by her tearful words. "You should know what you should and shouldn't do. I'm his mother. Don't I know what kind of person my son is? I can't tolerate any sand in my eyes. If anyone tries to destroy little Nianchu's marriage with my son, I won't spare them!"
Meng Nianchu was deeply touched. She put her arm around Mother Mu's shoulder, and the two smiled at each other.
Meng Rong sat alone beside them, watching this heartwarming scene between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Her hands on her thighs rubbed against each other, and she gritted her teeth in anger.
On an impulse, she smiled strangely and said, "Auntie, have you watched the variety show that Nianchu participated in recently? The guests who recorded the show with us took good care of Nianchu. I remember that Teacher Ju took the best care of her. It wasn't very obvious on the show, but they had a really good relationship in private."
"I'm just not like that. I'm always shy when I'm with men. Unlike Nianchu, who can chat so warmly with men. She makes new male friends wherever she goes. She has so many male friends around her."
It was obvious that with these words, she was trying to whitewash herself as a pure and innocent beauty while smearing Meng Nianchu as a social butterfly flitting among men!