Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 37

The touch on her chest was wet and slightly cool. Zhou Qinglang was satisfied. Clinging to Xia Wanshuang’s fingers, she drifted off to sleep.

“This kid…” Xia Wanshuang wore a helpless, soft smile. She was surprisingly easy to appease.

Xia Wanshuang gently withdrew her hand, adjusted Zhou Qinglang’s pajamas, pulled up the blanket, and whispered goodnight to the sleeping girl.

The next day, Zhou Qinglang woke up earlier than Xia Wanshuang. She jolted awake, confirming repeatedly that last night wasn’t a dream—her sister had truly left her name on her heart, an imprinted seal. Zhou Qinglang breathed a sigh of relief, pressed her hand to her heart, smiled sweetly, and snuggled back down to sleep with Xia Wanshuang.

Since it was a day off, Xia Wanshuang slept comfortably until she woke up naturally. After getting ready and eating with Zhou Qinglang, she urged the girl to change clothes.

“Are we going out?”

“Aunt Jiang is coming back today. We’re going to pick her up and get together. It’s been a while since we all ate together.” They could also grab the local specialties Jiang Wan was bringing back.

“Okay.”

Jiang Wan arrived at 3:00 PM with some colleagues and immediately spotted the children waiting by the railing. Originally, it was just Zhao Tianhang, Zhou Qinglang, and Xia Wanshuang, but Zhao Tianhang was staying at Lin Qiushui’s place, and Lin Qiushui was bored and on good terms with Jiang Wan, so he came along too.

“Sister Jiang, are those your kids?” A colleague asked, looking at the group of beautiful, uniquely stylish teenagers leaning against the railing with admiration.

“Mhm, they’re all my sons and daughters. Here are the documents. Take them back to the company. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Alright, you go on.”

Jiang Wan walked over, hugged her son first, then hugged Lin Qiushui.

“Qiushui, long time no see! Auntie missed you so much. I even brought you some local delicacies from Haicheng.” Jiang Wan was particularly fond of Lin Qiushui. He was lively and boisterous when he was little. The three kids Jiang Wan raised were all exceptionally sensible and mature. Sometimes she felt something was missing, and having the rambunctious Lin Qiushui around filled that gap. Plus, Lin Qiushui’s parents were rarely involved, so Jiang Wan was practically his second mother.

“Thank you, Auntie Jiang! I love you to death.” Lin Qiushui sweetly played the innocent, throwing a smug, challenging look at Zhao Tianhang.

Zhao Tianhang calmly met his gaze, indicating that he wasn’t interested in that style, and took the suitcase from Jiang Wan.

“The things you wanted, Shuangshuang, are in my suitcase. Come over to my place to get them later.”

“Okay. We were planning to grab a meal. If you’re tired, we can eat out, or I can cook.”

“Let’s eat out later, so you don’t have to cook. By the way, has Langlang grown taller again?”

“I think so,” Zhou Qinglang replied politely. She respected Jiang Wan very much.

“You’re already taller than Shuangshuang! I remember when you were just a little thing.”

Zhou Qinglang smiled but didn’t respond.

Thinking back, Jiang Wan felt a pang of emotion. After learning some of the internal truths, she realized many things had to be viewed differently. Xia Wanshuang back then wasn’t naive or reckless; she was full of kindness, driven by sheer courage, and gritting her teeth to persevere.

When Jiang Wan first guessed the truth, she thought her idea was absurd. Yet, no matter how absurd, she had to face the reality. The night she and Xia Wanshuang communicated without actually breaking the silence, Jiang Wan was quite sad. The timid little girl she had watched grow up was simply gone. But what could she do? Besides hoping the child would have a better life in the next one and praying silently, there was nothing. Xia Wanshuang was a child she had cared for for several years. She knew her heart was pure and sincerely hoped she would live well.

••••

Lin Qiushui had the driver bring the car. Zhao Tianhang put the suitcase in the trunk and sat in the back. Lin Qiushui, though close to Jiang Wan, was polite and respectful. He sat in the passenger seat, turning back occasionally to join the conversation.

Xia Wanshuang and the others talked to Jiang Wan about school, naturally only sharing the good parts, like their grades or the Sports Meet a couple of days ago. They didn’t mention anything they didn’t want the parents to know. Lin Qiushui loved to play the good boy in front of Jiang Wan. Zhou Qinglang and Zhao Tianhang also dropped their cold and aloof school personas, and they chatted and laughed throughout the ride.

They went to Jiang Wan’s house first for her to rest. Xia Wanshuang was in the room to get the vinegar when she saw a text message arrive on Jiang Wan’s phone. Jiang Wan paused her tidying, picked up the phone to reply, and then continued folding clothes. Xia Wanshuang didn’t pay attention until Jiang Wan repeated this action three times.

“Aunt Jiang, is that a friend?”

“Mhm…” Jiang Wan hesitated, nodded, and then added, “It’s your editor.”

“Zhu Xue?”

“Mhm. She’s a very sweet girl.” At 36, Jiang Wan still saw the 25-year-old Zhu Xue as a young girl. After her disappointment that Jiang Wan wasn’t ‘Er You,’ she still enthusiastically sought her out, telling her she knew someone who was very similar to her and even shared the same name. She was also polite enough not to interrupt her work.

“You’ve become close with her?”

“She seems to be having some work issues lately.” Jiang Wan was generally a gentle, generous big sister who liked to help people. Zhu Xue often confided in her but wasn’t purely negative, often cheering her up and sending cute pictures.

“I didn’t know that. She wouldn’t tell me about these things.”

“You’re the only top-tier writer she has. Someone is bullying her and trying to poach you.” Jiang Wan wasn’t familiar with this industry and hadn’t intended to mention it, as it was Xia Wanshuang’s work, and Xia Wanshuang authorized the website, not the editor. But she couldn’t help herself. The young girl had come to her hotel room, crying and drinking, telling her everything because she thought Jiang Wan was like ‘Er You.’ She didn’t dare tell the real ‘Er You,’ and her eyeliner was smeared from crying. Jiang Wan had taken care of her for a night, and the girl had become very dependent on her.

“I’ll be mindful of that.” Xia Wanshuang nodded, indicating she’d noted it. Jiang Wan smiled, relieved, knowing that if Xia Wanshuang said she’d be mindful, she would definitely pay attention.

Between answering texts, Jiang Wan finished organizing her clothes.

“How are your studies going lately?”

“Very well, except Lin Qiushui is always slacking.”

“Qiushui just likes to rely on his wits. It’s good that you all include him.” The two exchanged parenting tips like old pros.

After taking a shower and refreshing herself, Jiang Wan took the four children out to eat. To their surprise, Jiang Wan actually took a photo with her phone before they ate. The four teenagers’ faces held the same confusion. Xia Wanshuang thought, WeChat hasn’t even come out yet, let alone ‘Moments.’ Why is Jiang Wan taking a picture before eating? Isn’t this exactly what ‘Moments’ will look like ten years from now?

“Ahem, let’s eat.” Jiang Wan was a bit embarrassed by the children’s stares and picked up her chopsticks.

Zhao Tianhang looked at his mother with an unreadable, strange expression. When Jiang Wan got up to go to the restroom, Lin Qiushui started talking first.

“Is something going on with Auntie Jiang?” Lin Qiushui winked and nudged, but no one played along. Zhou Qinglang didn’t care one way or the other—she’d be happy if something was happening, but it was also normal if nothing was. Zhao Tianhang didn’t want to discuss it.

“Don’t get any ideas. It’s probably just Aunt Jiang’s friend.” Xia Wanshuang guessed it was Zhu Xue, but she couldn’t be certain.

“Friends take photos before eating?”

“She’s trying to humor a young girl,” Xia Wanshuang answered casually, placing a serving of shredded spicy potatoes on her own girl’s plate.

Zhao Tianhang’s face softened, which Lin Qiushui noticed and immediately teased.

“What’s wrong, Brother Hang? You don’t want our mom to find a second spring? Wouldn’t it be nice for her to have someone to take care of her?”

“Eat your food.” Zhao Tianhang used his chopsticks to put a piece of meat in Lin Qiushui’s mouth, literally stopping his chatter. He wasn’t opposed to it, but it was just speculation and not worth talking about. Having grown up in a single-parent family, Zhao Tianhang was naturally more sensitive to his mother’s feelings.

When Jiang Wan returned to the private room, the teenagers immediately dropped the topic.

“Are all of you planning to go to No. 1 High School?” Tongli No. 1 and No. 2 High Schools had the best faculty. Besides these two public schools, there were also two private schools. With Zhao Tianhang, Xia Wanshuang, and Zhou Qinglang’s grades, they could potentially compete for the top score on the high school entrance exam and possibly enter a public school with scholarships and waived tuition.

“Yeah, I’ll go wherever they go,” Lin Qiushui didn’t care about No. 1 or No. 2; he mainly cared about where his friends went.

“No. 1 High School.” Xia Wanshuang and Zhou Qinglang would, without a doubt, go to No. 1. Xia Wanshuang had even bought a house there in advance.

“Then you all need to work hard for the exam!”

“Auntie Jiang, there’s still more than a year left.”

“That’ll go by fast, though.”

It certainly was fast. One year and eight months—not long, not short. In the blink of an eye, Xia Wanshuang and the others went from second to third year of middle school, and the time for the high school entrance exam had arrived.

No. 3 Middle School got new freshmen, but Zhao Tianhang was still the campus heartthrob. Lin Qiushui always had something to say about this. He genuinely believed he was better-looking than Zhao Tianhang, but the freshmen disagreed. While Lin Qiushui was also handsome, in a vibrant, spirited way, he was consistently edged out by the ‘white-shirted, gentle first-love boy’ aesthetic. Lin Qiushui sulked for a long time, only to be cheered up immediately when Zhao Tianhang dragged him off to play a game of Warcraft.

Zhou Qinglang had grown three more centimeters in the last year, while Xia Wanshuang’s height remained unchanged. Despite drinking milk diligently, she seemed to be growing in her chest, not her height. Teacher Xia, the most experienced person among the four, was ironically the most petite.

In the six months leading up to the high school entrance exam, Jiang Wan was more nervous than Xia Wanshuang and the others. She constantly urged them to prepare their pens, rulers, compasses, and exam tickets, and she reminded them to bring water, only to worry they’d drink too much and need the restroom during the test.

“Stay calm, treat it like any normal test. Don’t be nervous, you hear?”

“Auntie Jiang, they aren’t nervous. I’m the only one who’s nervous.” Lin Qiushui gestured to the three people in front of him. The three consistently top-five students in their grade were all calm. He was the one who was truly stressed.

For the last six months leading up to the exam, Lin Qiushui had been forced to give up games and comics, studying every day until he felt he was going to have a heart attack.

Before entering the exam hall, Lin Qiushui planned to give everyone a hug for morale. He was immediately pushed away by a swift Zhou Qinglang before he could touch Xia Wanshuang.

“Little vinegar pot!”

“No hugging. Get away.”

Her sister has large breasts. Could she be taken advantage of by this simpleton, Lin Qiushui?

This body belonged to her and she’d watched it grow.

No one else was allowed to touch it!