C14 Father and Mother

Shan Ruoshui grabbed her bag from the cabinet and pulled out her phone to check the time. It was already noon, no wonder she was feeling a bit hungry. She glanced at the screen and saw several missed calls. One was from Xi Mu, but most were from her manager, Ms. Gu. She had a feeling something was brewing.

She called Ms. Gu back, feeling a bit nervous as the phone rang.

"Hello, Ms. Gu, last night I..." she started, but Ms. Gu cut her off before she could finish.

"Shan Ruoshui! You've really done it this time. Disappearing like that! If I hadn't checked with the crew, I wouldn't have known how impressive you are... and then there's you and Xi Mu..." Ms. Gu's voice was cold and tinged with anger as she reprimanded her.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Shan Ruoshui spoke softly, trying to appease Ms. Gu for quite a while until her fiery temper finally cooled.

Once Ms. Gu knew where she was, she told Shan to wait, saying she'd send an assistant to bring her back to the office.

After hanging up, Shan went to the bathroom to wash off the smell of alcohol, then put on the hotel robe and turned on the TV to pass the time until the assistant arrived.

An hour later, she donned the new clothes the assistant brought, put on her sunglasses, and left the hotel with the assistant, getting into the van waiting at the entrance to head to the office.

When she arrived at Ms. Gu's office, she saw Lu Xu chatting and laughing with her. Both turned to look at her as she entered. Lu Xu, as usual, wore a mischievous grin, while Ms. Gu's expression turned icy, like a cold beauty.

"Hey, Ruoshui's here! I heard about your little escapade," Lu Xu teased with a smirk.

Before he could say more, Ms. Gu shot him a glare. "Lu Xu, seems like you have too much free time. Should I talk to the boss about giving you more work?" she said, as if to say only she could tease her people.

"Wait, wait, wait, how can you treat me like this? You were so gentle just now!" Lu Xu feigned a look of grievance, pitifully waving at Gu Ya.

"Please don't report me!" He had finally gotten a few days off since the company wasn't signing any new talent, and he couldn't afford to upset Gu Ya, the big shot. Even though Lu Xu knew Gu Ya wouldn't actually report him.

"Alright, I'm heading out. See you later!" He said with a playful wink at Shan Ruoshui, giving a light pat before leaving.

Shan Ruoshui couldn't help but laugh. How could Lu Xu be so unserious? There's a saying about being influenced by those around you, and she wondered if Faang Xiao was the same way. No, no! Why was she thinking about that troublemaker Faang Xiao...

She shook her head slightly and heard Gu Ya speak.

"Your first show just wrapped up filming. You should start working on the post-production promotion. It'll help boost your visibility. I won't be joining you, but an assistant will accompany you. Your schedule will be pretty packed, so you'll leave tomorrow. Go home and pack your bags now." Gu Ya waved her hand, signaling Shan Ruoshui could leave.

Back home, Shan Ruoshui had just taken a sip of water when her phone rang. She dashed to the sofa in her slippers and picked up the phone, pausing when she saw the caller ID.

It read "Mom."

She felt a bit lost. As Jian Yan, she was an orphan and never experienced life with parents. To her, "Mom" and "Dad" were just words.

In Shan Ruoshui's memories, there were many scenes with her parents, depicting a happy and warm family of three. But for Jian Yan, these were unfamiliar, and she didn't know how to face them.

Staring at the phone screen that kept lighting up with the call, she hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button.

"Hello? Ruoshui, why did it take you so long to answer?"

"How's work going? Are you taking good care of yourself?"

Her mom continued, "When are you coming home for a few days, my big star? You've been away for so long and haven't even called your dad and me." Her voice was filled with motherly warmth, a hint of reproach, and a deep sense of care and anticipation.

"Yeah, I'm doing well, Mom. You don't need to worry about me," Ruoshui replied, mimicking the voice she remembered.

"Honey, your dad wants to talk to you," came the sound of the phone being handed over.

Soon, a deep male voice came through. "Sweetheart, have you missed your old man? If work gets too tiring, just come home. I can still take care of you, you know? Don't let yourself suffer out there. Do you have enough money? If not, I'll have your mom send you some."

Ruoshui's eyes welled up with tears, and she replied softly, "No need, Dad. I can earn my own money now. I just finished filming a TV show. You and Mom will be able to see me on TV soon!"

"Really? That's wonderful! I can't wait to see my daughter on TV!" her dad said, his voice full of excitement.

"Well, Dad, take care of yourself and Mom. I have a schedule tomorrow, so I'm packing my bags. We'll chat again when I have more time." Never having experienced such familial concern, Ruoshui struggled to hold back her emotions as she hurriedly ended the call.

Perhaps some of the original feelings lingered, and talking to her parents brought unexpected waves of sadness and longing. Before Jian Yan came along, Ruoshui had chosen to end her life due to overwhelming pressure. In her memories, this girl always shared the good news with her family, never the bad.

After a while, she felt less confused. No matter what happened before, she was Ruoshui now. She realized her responsibilities—to take care of herself and to be good to Ruoshui's parents. No, they were her parents now. A sense of fulfillment rose in her heart...