When Jiang Li buried her face in Sheng Jingxi's shoulder, he was a bit taken aback.
Hearing the muffled sobs in his arms, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Why are you crying? Your brother would never bully you."
"I... I just..."
She was just so used to being alone, but now she truly had a family.
"Alright, your brother understands."
As Jiang Li was immersed in the warmth from her brother, Sheng Jingxi gently patted her on the back and said in a somewhat narcissistic tone, "Don't be infatuated with your brother. Your brother is just a legend."
Jiang Li: …
For some reason, her previous sentiment of being touched suddenly faded.
—
The public opinion on the Internet is like a gust of wind. New news emerges one after another, easily overshadowing the previous ones. As the heat subsides, the public's attention gradually shifts away from Jiang Li.
The paparazzi who had been lurking downstairs of her apartment finally left. Jiang Li could finally return smoothly and reunite with Sister Chen, Jingyi, and Xiaoye.
After such a long time apart, they hugged each other tightly. They were so excited and happy.
If the Sheng family was her blood - related family, then Sister Chen, Jingyi, and Xiaoye were the family she had come to recognize later. They were equally important.
Seeing the girls being so lively, Sister Chen smiled and brewed some tea. She brought the teapot to the table and poured a cup for each of them.
From the moment Jiang Li entered the door and sat down on the sofa, Xiaoye's mouth had been running non - stop, scolding the paparazzi who had been chasing and intercepting them downstairs.
After learning that Jiang Li had been hinted by Ying Chengqi to play the sympathy card with her mental illness, Xiaoye cursed him for being a heartless director who had talent but no moral integrity, saying that he was not destined for great success.
Jiang Li laughed until her sides ached. "Xiaoye, I should have taken you to Beicheng."
"Right! If I had been there, I would have scolded him until he was speechless. Who does he think he is? Who brought wealth and popularity to his movie? He has no idea at all!"
After finishing her work, Sister Chen also sat down on the sofa.
Hearing them talk about the movie promotion, Sister Chen naturally joined the conversation. "By the way, Lili, I haven't had the chance to tell you yet."
"Just the other day, Mr. Xiao called me."
Jiang Li was stunned for a couple of seconds. "What did he want?"
Sister Chen replied, "He said that regarding the subsequent publicity plan for the movie Embroidery Maid and the follow - up announcement and operation work, it will no longer be decided by Director Ying Chengqi. Instead, I will be in full charge."
Sister Chen was quite surprised when she received this notice. But thinking about what Jiang Li had just said, she could roughly understand Mr. Xiao Yanzhi's intention.
It was probably because Jiang Li had been treated unfairly by the crew. Mr. Xiao was afraid that she would be wronged or harassed in the future, so he entrusted this work to someone who would consider her feelings and handle things carefully.
He did it very low - key. If Sister Chen hadn't mentioned it, even Jiang Li herself wouldn't have known.
Seeing that Jiang Li was silent, Sister Chen smiled and said, "I've been really busy these days because of this job. You stay at home and let Xiaoye and Jingyi take care of you. Just call me if you need anything."
Jiang Li said gratefully, "Thank you so much, Sister Chen."
"We're family. Don't say such things. It's not hard at all. It's all worth it for you."
Sister Chen waved her hand and smiled. "Besides, I'm not working for free. Mr. Xiao also said he would pay me double. Xixi just started the second year of junior high school, and she's having a hard time with physics. I can just save some money to hire a one - on - one tutor for her..."
When it came to her child, Sister Chen became more talkative.
After the conversation ended, Jiang Li always felt that she had forgotten something to say. It wasn't until Xiaoye casually asked about the lame young master in the hospital that she remembered.
"Um..." She swallowed hard. "I haven't had a chance to tell you guys, but I've found my biological parents."
"What?!"
Amid the stunned expressions of the three, Jiang Li stammered and told them about her recent experiences, including her relationship with Sheng Shuocheng and Sheng Jingxi.
When she finished, they looked at each other, their expressions varying.
"Anyway, that's the situation."
Jiang Li looked at the silent three and felt a bit uncomfortable. "Do you find it hard to accept? I do too... Fate is really amazing."
For a long time, no one said a word.
After waiting for a while and seeing them standing there like statues, Jiang Li finally said helplessly, "Are you guys mute? Why aren't you saying anything?"
"… Sister Jiang Li, I'm so happy."
Jingyi sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm so bad with words, and I'm not very smart. I don't know what to say. Is it inappropriate to say 'May you be prosperous' now?"
Jiang Li was stunned for a moment and then burst out laughing. "You can think of it that way if you want."
Xiaoye wiped her face with the back of her hand and forced a bright smile. "Why are you crying? From now on, we have to cling to Sister Jiang Li even tighter! Miss Sheng, please take us under your wing in the future!"
Although she said so, tears were already streaming down her face.
It was so good.
Really, really good.
From now on, their Sister Jiang Li would no longer be alone.
She would have a father, a grandmother, a brother, and a life full of infinite possibilities and beauty.
They were happy for her, delighted for her, and felt that she was truly blessed.
No one knew who started it, but with a loud wail, they rushed over and hugged each other, crying loudly.
Especially Xiaoye, who had been pretending to be okay before. Now she was crying with snot and tears all over her face, looking anything but ladylike.
Jingyi was desperately wiping her tears with her sleeves, but new tears still kept falling.
Jiang Li had to grab tissues and was also crying along with them.
The scene was both comical and heart - warming.
Sister Chen stood aside, her eyes turning sour. A very gratified smile appeared on her face.
She walked over and hugged Jiang Li, whispering softly, "Our Lili finally has someone to rely on. You'll be happier and happier in the future, won't you?"
"Thank you, Sister Chen."
Jiang Li's tears fell one by one. She hugged Sister Chen tightly and said, "I will. Don't worry about me."
With tears in her eyes, she stared at them for a long time, then lowered her head, hiding her eyes. The smile on her lips gradually faded.
At this moment, she should have felt happy.
But why did she still have a faint sense of unease, as if her feet couldn't touch the ground?
She didn't know.
In the days that followed, she found it even harder to fall asleep. She often lay with her eyes wide open until dawn, and her spirit was extremely dispirited.
Tossing and turning, she finally got up in the middle of the night.
Out of habit, she shook the pill bottle and found that even the melatonin was gone.
The result of not sleeping well was that she couldn't muster up any energy. She even got distracted during the drama performance. It was only after her co - actor reminded her that she belatedly started saying her lines.
After the curtain fell, the other actors came over to care about her and asked if she hadn't been getting enough rest recently.
She looked up and smiled. "Maybe. I've been feeling sleepy lately."