Chapter 124

He Dongling’s popularity among passersby was quite poor, and at her age, she wasn’t considered young among the female stars in the industry. The gigs she could get were extremely limited, and most of the roles she came across were background extras without even a single line or shot.

She didn’t like appearing on variety shows, but the reason she kept persisting in this circle despite rarely landing good jobs was that she truly loved acting.

However, in this era where traffic and buzz reigned supreme, without any popularity or hype, no director was willing to collaborate with her.

“Come to the company tomorrow to sign the contract. The penalty for breaching that variety show is pretty high, so prepare yourself mentally in advance.”

After saying this, her agent hung up the phone. He Dongling sat on the edge of the bed with her mind completely blank. Instead of feeling sleepy, she reached up and scratched her hair, took a deep breath, and lay down.

She had just cried a while ago, and her eyes were still a bit sore now.

Ever since an incident where a celebrity’s child frequently appeared in the public eye and was kidnapped by malicious criminals who extorted the actor, only for the kidnappers to kill the child after a well-meaning fan called the police, most celebrities had started protecting their children very carefully.

He Dongling had done the same before, even going so far as to never publicly announce the birth of this child.

Before she could come up with any solution, He Dongling, still reeling from the recent string of events, fell asleep first.

She had rested quite late, so the next day she didn’t get up until nine o’clock. The nanny who usually took care of An An had already arrived and was playing with puzzles on the living room carpet with him.

This nanny had been hired by He Dongling’s mother. She was forty years old and seemed very gentle in personality.

When He Dongling came out, both the nanny and An An successfully turned their attention to her.

Dressed in pajamas with messy, uncombed hair and no makeup to hide her poor skin condition, it was all exposed just like that.

When An An saw his mom, he quickly tossed his toys aside, pushed himself up with his hands on the ground, and wobbled over toward his mother. As he ran, he mumbled softly for his mom to hug him.

He Dongling bent down and picked him up. An An wrapped his arms around his mom’s neck, his fluffy little head nuzzling gently against her, smiling with complete satisfaction.

“What would Dongling like for breakfast? There are some wontons and dumplings in the fridge that I wrapped a few days ago.”

“Wontons, please.”

“Okay.”

The nanny went to the kitchen to get busy. An An didn’t let his mom hold him for long before struggling to get down. He grabbed his mom’s hand and pulled her over to the toys.

He shoved a puzzle piece into his mom’s hand, picked up one himself and placed it on top, then stared at her expectantly with his big, beautiful eyes.

For an adult like He Dongling, this kind of puzzle posed no difficulty at all. She casually placed it in the correct spot.

The spot that An An had been puzzling over for a long time was now fixed by his mom. His eyes widened slightly, and he clapped his hands, saying:

“Wow, Mommy’s amazing.”

His little hands turned red from clapping, and he even propped himself up to stand and give her a kiss.

Just as An An’s head was about to lean in, He Dongling subconsciously dodged to the side.

So many things had happened during this time, leaving her extremely anxious. Her sleep schedule was upside down, and her skin was in terrible condition. Every time she saw herself in the mirror, she got scared, so she didn’t want An An to kiss her.

An An paid no attention to his mom’s resistance. He looked like a bossy, overconfident little kid, leaning in and planting a firm kiss.

“Mwah, Mommy kiss me.”

With that, he tilted his head and offered his cheek to his mom, his mouth grinning wide in anticipation.

He Dongling had never been this intimate with her child before and was still a bit unfamiliar with it. She lowered her head and gave a light kiss. An An quickly turned his head to the other side and pointed with his finger.

“This side too~”

The way the little child was so particular didn’t annoy her at all. Instead, it made He Dongling find it somewhat amusing. After giving him another kiss, she held him and sat down on the sofa, leaning close to his ear and whispering:

“Mommy doesn’t look good right now.”

Her tone didn’t fluctuate much, but the disappointment in her heart was impossible to hide.

He Dongling’s feelings toward this child had always been complicated. She was often busy outside and didn’t come home.

Announcing the marriage back then had at most affected her career, but giving birth and temporarily retiring from the industry had been the truly fatal blow.

This little one seemed quite innocent, but even though He Dongling clearly knew that, it was hard for her not to take out her frustrations on him.

An An leaned into his mom’s embrace, furrowing his little brows in rebuttal:

“No, Mommy’s pretty.”

“Where am I pretty?”

“In my heart, Mommy’s the prettiest!”

After saying that, as if to prove his point, An An leaned in and gave another kiss.

Children aren’t good at hiding their emotions, and the straightforward display of affection and dependence softened He Dongling’s heart.

Just then, the nanny finished cooking the wontons and brought them to the dining table. She turned back to the kitchen and brought out a small bowl as well.

An An was carried by the nanny and placed in his special seat. He grabbed the spoon and started eating on his own.

He Dongling hadn’t liked children before. The most vivid memory she had was of her aunt’s child, who would cry nonstop after breaking a bowl during meals.

But watching An An grip the spoon with his little hand, not needing to be fed or even coaxed, his cheeks puffing out as he chewed earnestly, like a little hamster eating.

An An really liked the dried shrimp floating in the wonton soup. After scooping up two with his spoon, he was happily about to put them in his mouth when he noticed his mom seemed to be staring at him the whole time.

He subconsciously looked up, hesitated, and then offered the spoon to her.

“Does Mommy want some?”

His chubby little face was full of reluctance, but the gesture was firm.

“No, Mommy doesn’t want any. Mommy’s just looking because you’re so cute.”

“Oh.”

Hearing this, An An relaxed and continued eating his wontons in big mouthfuls.

Before, whether due to her sleep schedule or psychological reasons, He Dongling had been experiencing some loss of appetite lately. She would eat at most one meal a day, and eating more would make her nauseous.

But today, watching An An’s way of eating, she unknowingly finished the entire bowl of wontons clean. When she set down her chopsticks and saw only a tiny bit of soup left in the bowl, even she was stunned for a moment.

After preparing their breakfast, the nanny went out to buy groceries. Now, only the mother and child were left at home.

He Dongling wanted to go upstairs to do her skincare and change into some clothes. Though she had long since become a nobody in the industry, habits from her earlier years made her like to keep herself neat and tidy.

She placed An An in the pile of toys and went upstairs. Just as she pushed open the door, she sensed something off behind her. Turning around, she saw An An standing there, clutching the ear of a rabbit plush toy.

When she turned, the innocent expression on his face grew even more pronounced, inexplicably reminding He Dongling of that “honest and simple” emoji she used to see often.

He Dongling didn’t stop An An. Instead, after opening the door, she picked him up and placed him on the sofa in the room, ruffling his head as she said:

“Mommy’s going to change clothes first. Wait here for Mommy, okay?”

“Okay.”

An An hugged his plush toy and sat very obediently, cute and low-maintenance. Plus, being her own biological child, he was gradually melting away the barriers in He Dongling’s heart.

He Dongling came out in casual clothes and went to the mirror to wash her face and do her skincare.

After sitting for so long, An An seemed to find it tiring and switched to lying down, straining to peek toward where her mom was.

The unhappy marriage had kept He Dongling trapped in those emotions before, repeatedly tormenting her fragile nerves. She was constantly suspicious, anxious, and insecure.

But after Lu Mingzhe uttered the word “divorce,” she actually felt much more at peace. After finishing her skincare and applying some light makeup, she walked out and met eyes with An An, who was straining so hard to peek that he almost looked like a giraffe.

The little one’s appearance was truly comical. He Dongling went over and sat beside him. As soon as she sat down, An An snuggled over, like a sticky piece of taffy.

The system space could indeed erase all of An An’s memories and emotions, but in so many worlds, he had always been a child enveloped in love, and acting spoiled came naturally to him.

“Mommy’s so pretty. Hug An An, An An wants a hug.”

He Dongling let him sit on her lap, able to clearly see the instant of amazement in An An’s eyes upon seeing him.

“An An, if Daddy and Mommy were to get a divorce, what would you choose?”

He Dongling hadn’t interacted much with children before, so she hadn’t considered the child’s feelings. But now, she suddenly wanted to ask.

“Daddy? Huh? What’s that?”

An An’s face was full of confusion. His reaction made He Dongling realize something, and she ruffled his head, unsure how to explain.

Lu Mingzhe was an extremely cold and rational person. He disliked how pregnancy made her less beautiful, so he turned his heart elsewhere and didn’t even want to pay much attention to the child she gave birth to.

A while ago, He Dongling had overheard Lu Mingzhe’s assistant say something like “you can always have another child” in a tone full of contempt, and Lu Mingzhe had actually acted on it.

“It’s because Mommy and Daddy were together that we had An An, but now we want to separate.”

An An reached out to hug his mommy’s arm, squinting his eyes as he mumbled:

“Mommy won’t be with Daddy, she’ll be with An An.”

“Okay, with An An.”

Though it wasn’t quite answering the question, it still counted as a response.

Right after lunch that day, Lu Mingzhe’s assistant arrived in person with a lawyer to discuss the specifics of the divorce.

All the money Lu Mingzhe had earned in the industry over these years was, in a sense, marital property, but when it came to the divorce, he had no intention of dividing it.

The divorce agreement clearly stated this point in detail.

In addition, it specified that custody of the child would go to He Dongling, with no child support payments required from Lu Mingzhe, and he was voluntarily giving up visitation rights.

The assistant noticed He Dongling’s gaze lingering on that page for a bit too long, worried she might not agree, and added from the side:

“This is the condition for Brother Lu giving up custody. You should know that if it goes to court, for a child over three years old, priority goes to the parent with the stronger financial standing.”

If it really went to court, He Dongling wouldn’t have any advantage at all.

“Okay.”

After reading through all the terms, He Dongling signed her name at the end.

Lu Mingzhe was a big celebrity now, yet he wasn’t even willing to pay child support, which made He Dongling, who had already lost all feelings for him, wonder if she had been blind back then.

Exchanging custody rights for no child support wasn’t entirely a bad thing for He Dongling.

It was just about time for An An’s nap, or else he would definitely be trailing right behind her. Thinking of An An, a hint of softness flashed in He Dongling’s eyes.

“We’ll contact you about the specific time to go to the civil affairs bureau. You just need to show up then.”

“Okay.”

After settling the matter, He Dongling leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. It wasn’t just physical exhaustion; now there was a deep weariness in her spirit as well.

She opened her eyes and stared at this wedding home she had personally decorated for a long time, as if sinking entirely into memories.

Back then, what made He Dongling give up her career and future for marriage was that they had truly loved each other for a while. The design plans for this house had been done together, filled with little details about love.

Not even a few years had passed, and looking at these things now made her feel chilled to the bone, even nauseated.

He Dongling didn’t want to keep thinking about those things, but she couldn’t control her thoughts. She took out her phone, planning to call her mother.

Her mother answered quickly, almost as soon as it rang.

“Lingling, what made you call at this hour? Are you still at work? Or did you just wake up after pulling an all-nighter filming yesterday? Young people need to take care of their bodies, you know?”

Hearing her mother’s gentle concern, He Dongling softly hummed in response. After thinking it over, she decided to tell her about it, since there was no point in hiding it.

“Mom, I’m planning to divorce Lu Mingzhe. I’ve already signed the divorce agreement. Once the cooling-off period is over, we’ll go get the divorce certificate.”

The news left her mother speechless for a long time. It was several minutes before she cautiously asked:

“What about An An?”

“An An will be with me. He’s giving up custody rights, but he won’t provide any child support.”

“Good, that’s fine. Don’t worry about raising the child; your dad and I are here. It’s better if he doesn’t get involved. When are you coming home for a visit? We haven’t seen An An in a while.”

“Mm.”

The nanny had taken An An to see his grandparents just last week, but her mother was just making up an excuse to see her daughter, worried that after the divorce, she might not be able to handle it.

After all, when Lingling had decided to marry Lu Mingzhe back then, he had nothing to his name and a bad reputation. The whole family had tried to stop her, but Lingling had stubbornly gone ahead.

Over the years, they’d all seen Lu Mingzhe’s scandals. Now, after just a few years, the two were divorcing, and Lingling must be the one hurting the most.

Her mother was even thinking that if Lingling didn’t want to come, she and her husband would go stay with her for a few days.

Young people faced so much pressure these days, and she was afraid her daughter might do something drastic.

Only when she heard Lingling agree did her mother relax. She called the nanny at home to buy some of Lingling’s favorite dishes and had someone tidy up the rooms kept for Lingling and An An.

In the afternoon, after An An woke up from his nap, He Dongling held the little guy with his hair all messed up from sleep and said:

“It’s been a long time since we’ve gone to Grandma’s house. Want to go with Mommy?”

“Huh? An An wants to go.”

Though An An had only come over recently, he remembered things from before pretty clearly. He distinctly recalled going to Grandma’s house with the auntie not long ago.

“Hm?”

He Dongling was slightly taken aback but quickly realized it must be her mother worrying about her. She gave An An’s bottom a light pat, urging him to hurry and pack the things he wanted to bring.

“Yay! Grandma’s house has a doggy, woof.”

A dog? He Dongling didn’t remember anything like that in her memories. Suddenly realizing how long it had been since she’d gone home to see her parents, a wave of guilt washed over her.

“Okay, then An An needs to pack his things quickly.”

An An wriggled down on his own and went back to his room, stuffing his favorite toys into a tote bag.

The tote bag was a bit big, and once filled with toys, it was heavy. He could only drag it along with effort as he headed out.

When He Dongling saw him, the little guy was already red-faced and panting from exhaustion, a sight that made her instinctively go over and take it from him.

“Why didn’t you call Mommy for help?”

“An An is a big boy.”

With that, An An lightly pounded his small fist on his shoulder, trying to prove to Mommy that he was a really great big kid who could help her.

“Okay, thank you, An An.”

He Dongling would be lying if she said she wasn’t touched. She had been directing so much of her emotions and resentment toward this child, but it seemed like in the places she hadn’t noticed, he had grown into a truly wonderful little boy.

This wedding home had been bought by He Dongling’s mother before their marriage, with her mother’s name on the deed, so it wasn’t marital property and didn’t need to be divided.

Before leaving, He Dongling remembered how she had argued with her parents over not adding Lu Mingzhe’s name to the house, and she couldn’t help but sigh at how naive she had been back then.

It was a good thing they hadn’t, or there would have been even more entanglements between them.

The two homes weren’t far apart. As soon as Grandma He heard they were coming back, she specially sent the family driver to pick them up.

Once in the car, An An sat there properly, and by the time he started getting sleepy, they had already arrived at Grandma’s house.

Grandma He was waiting at the villa entrance. When she saw the car approaching from afar, a smile appeared on her face, and she hurried over.

As the car door opened, An An jumped down and hugged Grandma’s leg. Grandma He bent down to pick him up, gently ruffling his hair, but her attention remained on her daughter.

He Dongling was used to wearing makeup wherever she went to cover her poor skin condition.

Even at home, she would wear light makeup.

So much had happened recently that her weariness couldn’t be hidden by light makeup at all, and she had slimmed down to the point of looking like a stick.

To keep her mother from worrying, He Dongling forced a smile, unaware that this strained attempt at cheerfulness only made Grandma He worry more.

“Come on, we have your favorite shrimp at home. Let’s all sit down as a family and have a good meal.”

“Ever since you entered the entertainment industry, our family hasn’t sat down together for a meal in such a long time.”

At first, it was because He Dongling’s career was taking off, and she was busy with all sorts of work, with no time.

Later, after she got married, things had gotten very unpleasant with her parents because of their opposition, and she didn’t want to go home and upset them.

After having the baby, she rushed back to work, grabbing any opportunity to appear on screen, leaving her with no free time.

It was only now, hearing her mother’s words, that He Dongling suddenly realized just how long it had been.

Grandma He stopped there, afraid her daughter might get unhappy or impatient, and quickly changed the subject.

“It’s still made the way you used to like. Go taste it and see if the home chef’s skills have slipped.”

“Okay.”

He Dongling might not have much else, but she had some talent in acting. She suppressed all her emotions, forced a smile, and walked ahead with light steps.

Grandpa He had been strongly against his daughter being with a man who had such a bad reputation back then. He had scolded He Dongling several times and absolutely refused to let Lu Mingzhe step foot in their home.

Now that he saw her daughter, who had been away for such a long time, finally returning home, he was worried but still kept a cold expression on his face and didn’t approach.

If he didn’t truly feel heartache for his daughter, he might have even wanted to say a couple of sarcastic remarks to mock her.

An An, on the other hand, was quite familiar and at ease. He trotted over on his short little legs like a small cannonball, rushing straight to his grandpa’s side, calling out in a milky voice while running, “Grandpa!”

Grandpa He deliberately put on a stern face, pretending to be very fierce as he corrected him.

“It’s Granpa!”

“Grandpa!”

An An had no idea his pronunciation wasn’t quite right. His eyes sparkled as he stared at his grandpa, then asked.

“Where’s Haha, Grandpa?”

“He caused trouble and is reflecting by the wall in the backyard.”

“Oh, bye-bye, Grandpa.”

With that, An An didn’t spare his grandpa another glance and turned to run toward the back.

It was clear he was very familiar with the house, even knowing exactly where the little dog usually stayed when punished.

Grandma He was concerned that her daughter hadn’t been home in so long, and now that she was working in the entertainment industry, she must be mindful of maintaining her figure. So, she went to the kitchen and instructed the chef to be careful with the meal preparations.

In the living room, only He Dongling and Grandpa He remained. The atmosphere grew quiet for a moment, as neither knew what words to use to break the awkward silence.

After a long while, it was Grandpa He who spoke first.

“Why did you decide to come home?”

“Dad, I’m planning to divorce him.”

“What did I tell you back then? For someone like you, whose career hadn’t even taken off, to believe a man would love you for life, no matter who he is, I knew it would end in divorce.”

As a man himself, Grandpa He knew all too well the flaws in men’s nature, especially when young and immersed in a world full of temptations.

If he could truly stay faithful, then Grandpa He might have respected the man a bit more.

“Mm.”

He Dongling absolutely refused to believe her father’s words and even felt a bit angry, thinking he was deliberately cursing them and hoping they wouldn’t be happy.

Back then, she had held Lu Mingzhe’s hand, firmly believing she could show her father a scene of them growing old together.

But unexpectedly, reality matched her father’s words exactly, and Lu Mingzhe’s change of heart came even faster than her father had guessed.

Grandpa He had originally wanted to use this opportunity to properly lecture Lingling, scolding her for not listening before, stubbornly breaking off her engagement and insisting on being with that Lu Mingzhe.

The person they had arranged for this stubborn girl was so good: someone who had studied abroad at a prestigious university, built his own business at a young age, kept himself clean, and had a great personality.

The thought that the Zhou family’s boy wasn’t his son-in-law made Grandpa He’s heart ache.

But now, seeing her with her head lowered, looking so thin that a gust of wind could knock her over, she was still the daughter he had doted on since childhood. In the end, heartache won out.

“Forget it, what’s past is past. Divorce is for the best, and don’t dwell on it anymore.”

When He Dongling heard her father’s words, which sounded like a compromise, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. Just like when she was little, she leaned into her father’s embrace.

Grandpa He reached out, helplessly patting her gently, holding her a bit tighter as he comforted her.

“It’s okay, you’re still young.”

“It’s not a big deal to take a wrong turn for a while. Just turn back and walk the right path. An An has me and your mom to help take care of him, so you can do what you want.”

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Look how thin you’ve become.”

Once the conversation started, Grandpa He couldn’t keep up the pretense anymore. The hand on his daughter’s shoulder felt like it was touching nothing but bones.

“Mm, I know, Dad.”

Over in the backyard, An An ran up and immediately spotted the husky with its front paws against the wall, its fluffy face showing clear defiance.

When it saw An An, it let out a series of woofs, as if complaining.

An An ran over and squatted beside the husky. He glanced at the timer hanging on the wall; there were still three minutes left, so he waited with it.

This husky had been something Grandpa He’s grandson had begged to keep, but after a short time, he got tired of how destructive and hyper it was and wanted to get rid of it. That’s when Grandpa He brought it home.

Haha had a very lively personality, and as a sled dog kept in the city, it couldn’t get enough exercise, so it vented its energy through all sorts of destructive behaviors.

It was the same at Grandpa He’s house; it had to be punished with standing at least three times a day.

When the timer let out a crisp reminder, An An finally leaned over and hugged Haha’s head.

An An would ask the nanny who took care of him every few days if she could take him to Grandma’s house, all so he could see Haha. The boy and the dog had built a deep revolutionary friendship.

Haha took the initiative to fetch a toy it had earned recently for good behavior and placed it in front of An An, wanting to play together.

Grandpa He and Grandma He were getting on in years, and huskies were such high-energy dogs. The two elders could at most take it for walks.

Only a child An An’s age had the abundant energy to go wild with it, so Haha really liked An An.

An An played until he was covered in sweat. At dinner, when He Dongling saw her son’s flushed little face, she was a bit surprised and subconsciously asked.

“What were you just doing?”

“An An played with Haha~”

Grandpa He and the others didn’t live with their son’s family; they only came back to visit the old couple during holidays. There was a special seat for An An here.

After answering his mom’s question, the little guy started climbing up onto it diligently, and once seated, he put on his bib by himself.

“Did you wash your hands?”

The little guy, already sitting there waiting for dinner, realized the seriousness of the situation and gently shook his head while looking at his mom.

“I’ll take you to wash your hands.”

“Okay!”

He Dongling carried him to wash his hands clean. By the time they returned to the table, all the dishes had been served.

She had loved eating all kinds of seafood since she was little, but after being with Lu Mingzhe, she rarely had it because he was allergic to seafood and even got annoyed just seeing it.

Grandma He, just like when she was a child, peeled the shrimp and placed them in front of her daughter.

An An, who had been quietly sipping his soup, noticed Grandma’s action. He reached out, took a shrimp, and lowered his head to peel it carefully.

His hands were very nicely shaped, but they were chubby from being so well-fed, and it was his first time peeling shrimp himself, so it didn’t look very neat.

Grandma He, who had been peeling shrimp for her daughter, noticed and was about to peel one for An An too when she saw him place the shrimp in He Dongling’s bowl.

Then, he stared at He Dongling with wide, expectant eyes, as if waiting for his mom’s praise.

The little guy imitating her was quite adorable. Even though the peeled shrimp looked a bit messy, the sentiment was very touching.

That afternoon, He Dongling went to the company and signed the contract for that variety show, then returned and told her parents that she would soon be taking An An to participate in a variety program.

Before, this kind of resource would have been out of reach for He Dongling, so for the next period, she didn’t plan to continue taking on minor roles.

Upon hearing there would be about two months of rest time coming up, Grandma He thought of their villa in the suburbs. It was just the season for grapes to ripen.

The scenery and environment there were excellent, with lots of grapes planted, and this year they had even raised crayfish.

It would be good for He Dongling to take An An there for a while to relax and ease her mood after the divorce.

She asked He Dongling’s opinion, and after thinking it over, she agreed. When she asked An An, his arms were still around Haha’s neck, and he blinked innocently as he asked.

“Mommy, can Haha come too?”

“If you’re willing to bring him along, of course.”

“Yay, Mommy’s the best!”

Grandma He actually didn’t approve of them taking Haha along; the husky was just too hyper, and she was afraid it would tire her daughter out.

Before she could say anything, Grandpa He gently tugged at her clothes from beside her.

It wasn’t until He Dongling took An An to pack their things that Grandpa He explained to her.

“Look, Lingling’s really upset right now. Having Haha along to distract her and lift her spirits isn’t a bad idea.”

Indeed, Haha was a bit overly hyper. With a child to take care of and a husky even more lively than the child, Lingling probably wouldn’t have much energy left to think about those unpleasant things.

The villa was in the suburbs, with a truly nice environment. The grapes in the nearby vineyard were already ripe, and as soon as they entered, they were greeted by a strong grape fragrance.

An An held Haha’s leash in his hand. Today, he was wearing a light pink short-sleeved shirt and denim overalls, with a sun hat.

He didn’t look cool for more than three seconds before Haha started trying to bolt forward playfully, forcing him to keep up while running and holding onto his head to keep the hat from falling off.

Grandma He had called ahead, so the rooms and everything were already prepared.

They were a bit tired from arriving on the first day, so they didn’t go out to play.

That evening, after He Dongling finished her bath and wanted to check the news, she returned to the bedroom and immediately noticed an unusual lump on the bed. Lifting the covers, she saw An An lying there, pretending to sleep.

“An An?”

“Ah, Mommy, the bed is so big, are you scared?”

How could an adult possibly be afraid? An An, who had slept alone since he was little, probably wasn’t afraid either.

But when He Dongling saw An An’s eyes filled with expectation, she subconsciously nodded.

“Mm, I am scared.”

Upon hearing this answer, An An immediately beamed with joy, giggling as he ran over and hugged his mommy’s neck.

“Mommy’s not scared, there’s An An!”

With An An lying beside her, He Dongling didn’t play on her phone. She gently patted the blanket covering An An, trying to lull him to sleep, but she ended up falling asleep first herself.

She went to bed at eight-thirty, and the next day, He Dongling woke up at five-thirty.

She had slept in such a hurry the night before that she hadn’t drawn the curtains. The sun was just rising, and He Dongling, whose sleep had been terrible for a long time, hadn’t seen such a sight in ages.

Beside her, An An seemed bothered by the glaring sunlight, mumbling sleepily as he burrowed deeper into the covers.

After staying in the suburban villa for a month, once the divorce cooling-off period ended, she and Lu Mingzhe went together to handle the divorce certificate.

As they left the civil affairs bureau, the window of a luxury car parked by the roadside rolled down. He Dongling could recognize the woman inside as Li Lulu, the one who had been hyped up in a CP(coupling) with Lu Mingzhe before.

She turned and got into her own car, her mood strangely calm.

Perhaps it was because the time spent in the suburban villa had been so peaceful that He Dongling had barely even turned on her phone.

Every night at eight o’clock, the little clingy one would arrive punctually at her door with his small pillow, which had even regulated He Dongling’s own schedule.

During the day, Haha’s energy was astonishingly abundant, and he was almost always sticking close to An An. Every day, He Dongling had to search all over for the dog, and along the way, find her son too.

Running around like that provided a huge amount of exercise.

With a regular routine, moderate exercise, and a dedicated nutritionist in the villa to help regulate her health, plus Grandma He sending over someone skilled in medicinal cuisine just a few days ago.

Before that variety show started airing, He Dongling’s condition had recovered a great deal.

Her poor skin condition, untouched by makeup for these two months, had improved significantly.

There weren’t many blemishes left, and her skin looked fair with a rosy glow, full of collagen, as if she had instantly become five years younger, returning to her state when she first entered the industry.

When her manager informed her that the variety show was about to start recording, He Dongling finally had An An pack up and come with her.

An An had no objections to leaving with Mommy, and he even seemed a bit excited when he heard it was for recording a variety show.

But when the time came to actually part ways, An An wrapped both arms around Haha’s neck, refusing to let go, and stared at Mommy with a pitiful, aggrieved little expression.

After a few months of getting along, He Dongling had no resistance left toward An An.

She took out her phone and dialed her manager, asking if it was possible to bring a pet along during the show’s recording.

Once she got an affirmative answer, she packed up Haha and took him along too.

The production team had booked their flight tickets. This variety show used a live broadcast format, with the recording location at a seaside villa.

Before the show officially aired, the official Weibo only released clues, letting netizens guess, and this appetite-teasing method was very effective, with the buzz skyrocketing right from the start.

He Dongling didn’t have much popularity now, so when they arrived, the staff treated her somewhat coldly, having them stand under a sunshade umbrella first to wait for the other guests to arrive.

Soon, a luxury car pulled up there, the door opened, and a woman in a beige dress with a gentle temperament stepped out.

The moment she saw her, He Dongling unconsciously tightened her grip on An An’s hand a little, and her smile froze at the corners of her mouth.

— Translator’s Notes —

• cooling-off period: cooling-off period (in-world legal waiting period): a mandated waiting interval before a divorce can be finalized, during which conditions or terms may still be negotiated or finalized.