{“I kind of miss living in Ohio.” 4}

Qian Xu slightly shook her head. “No, I’ve known from the very beginning that your friend came to me just to create a buzz. Otherwise, in the entire business world, there are many qualified enterprise management professionals like me. There are countless people she could invite, so why did she specifically come to me?”

She understood in her heart. “I consider myself an ordinary person, with nothing particularly outstanding.”

“But I’m still quite looking forward to being on this variety show—”

She was thinking that, when she appeared on the show as a simulated mother, without the risk of being asked to leave at any moment, it might mean that everything in this story had already undergone an irreversible change.

At that time, she also seemed to look forward to seeing how the mother-daughter and mother-son pairings would perform on camera, without her own negative image to contrast against.

Would they truly behave better, or was it just a temporary facade?

However, the one who would clean up the mess wouldn’t be her anymore—it would entirely be Cheng Shuangyi, the biological mother they had been longing for.

A certain shimmering light in Qian Xu’s eyes dimmed, and the brilliant sunset danced in her gaze. Bi Xin’s breathing began to slow, not just from the surprise she had felt from her friend’s expression but also from her foresight and calm confidence.

—

Qian Xu called Zhao Buhui back.

“You’re looking for me?”

“About the restaurant— I haven’t had a chance to say ‘thank you’ yet.” Qian Xu said politely.

At this point, Zhao Buhui had not yet heard about the conflict that had occurred at the restaurant. He assumed that with his help, Qian Xu had probably had a pleasant time.

“No need to thank me. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Qian Xu immediately got to the point. “I wanted to ask you about something related to children…”

There was a half-minute pause on the call. Qian Xu wondered if the signal was an issue, suspecting it might be the problem with the country’s three major telecom carriers.

Then, Zhao Buhui spoke, cautiously. “Isn’t it a bit… strange for us to jump straight into talking about children?”

Qian Xu was stunned to hear those words from Zhao Buhui. He seemed to be hesitating over something, deep in thought, and then he finally made a difficult decision.

She suddenly realized how her words had been misunderstood.

She couldn’t help but cut in. “What exactly are you thinking?”

But this only made the atmosphere more awkward, and she wasn’t sure if the heat on her face was from the phone screen or from her own embarrassment.

Qian Xu quickly explained. “I’m planning to participate in a variety show, one that focuses on parent-child relationships. That means, for me to play the simulated mother, I need a child to partner with. I just returned to Jiangcheng, and very few of my friends from college are settled down, let alone have children. I was wondering if any of your friends happen to have children of the right age.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Zhao Buhui quickly responded.

He seemed to swiftly change the subject, perhaps afraid that Qian Xu would remember his earlier slip of the tongue.

“Do you want a little girl or a little boy?”

Zhao Buhui answered himself, “I think a little girl would be better. Generally, girls are a bit more obedient and sensible, while boys are too naughty. You won’t be able to handle them, and I don’t want any trouble.”

“That doesn’t really matter.”