Bright Era of China Entertainment

Chapter 813: The Mother in the Dark
The alarm went off at three in the morning, and my mom knocked on the door.

Liu Yifei opened her eyes in Chu Xuan's arms, raised her head slightly and shouted towards the door, "Get up."

The knocking on the door stopped, and Chu Xuan woke up. He and Liu Yifei got up, dressed, and packed their clothes and any items they could take away.

After a while, the couple took their luggage and went downstairs to meet up with their mother, Lu Tao and Zeng Ni. They checked to see if there was anything they had missed. After confirming that everything was correct, they each ate some bread to fill their stomachs and chatted on the sofa while waiting for the vehicle to arrive.

The driver who had been arranged to meet us arrived a few minutes before four in the morning. Liu Yifei said "coming", and everyone went out with their luggage.

After leaving the courtyard, Liu Xiaoli put the key under the flower pot. This was the way of farewell agreed with the landlord, and the landlord would come to pick it up during the day.

After putting the key away, Liu Xiaoli stood up and stood side by side with Liu Yifei, looking at the villa shrouded in darkness and reminiscing a little.

Although I haven't stayed here for a long time in the past two years, I still have many good memories here.

This departure may mean that he will never come back again, which makes the sentimental mother and daughter feel reluctant to leave.

"Let's go."

Chu Xuan put the luggage in the trunk, turned around and walked over to put his arm around Liu Yifei's shoulder. Seeing the mother and daughter reminiscing about the past, he understood.

After all, a foreign land is just a foreign land. Even if there have been some wonderful moments, they are just the footprints of passers-by, and the end point of their footprints is ultimately that home in the capital.

Swallows have nests to return to and people have their ancestral lands, it is just like this.

"Let's go."

Liu Yifei leaned into Chu Xuan's arms, and the momentary nostalgia disappeared with a smile she showed. Then she pulled her mother and got into the car.

The two beams of light from the car lights were particularly bright in the dark night. Until the lights disappeared around the corner, the area around the villa became quiet again, seeing off these foreign guests.

Perhaps it was because the truth, goodness and beauty left here by the mother and daughter were so pure that there was a hint of sadness after their separation. Even the moon quietly fell behind the house and disappeared.

The moon set and the sun rose, and it was already past six when we arrived at the New York airport.

After eating an "expensive" hamburger at the airport and sitting in the lounge for a while while waiting, when the flight notification sounded, the group embarked on their journey home.

At 6 a.m. on June 18th, American time, a plane bound for the capital of China cut through the blue sky.

……

"Here we are."

It was still June 6th, and it was still a little after eight in the morning. The 18-hour flight seemed to have no change in time, but everywhere there were people in Chinese clothes coming and going, strict and orderly police security, and Chinese scenery that was different from the outside world, all of which were telling the difference between China and the West after the changes.

The family walked out of the airport corridor, smiled and waved to the passengers who recognized them, and got into the nanny car that the company came to pick them up.

"Go to the company first."

"Going to the company? Go home and have a rest first."

"Sister Hua has hired a housekeeper to do a thorough cleaning at home. Go to the company and take a rest first. Come back when they are done."

"Is that so? That's fine. Let's go to the company first."

Liu Xiaoli woke up in the early morning, having taken a few hours' drive and a half-day flight. Even though she had some rest on the plane, she was still very tired after traveling for most of the day. When she arrived in Beijing, her first thought was to go back and rest, have a good sleep and then think about other things.

But Chu Xuan's excuse was good. If someone at home was doing the cleaning, then he could go to the company first and take a rest, and then come back after everything at home was done.

Seeing that their mother was fooled, Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei exchanged glances, and the couple smiled implicitly. They completed the first step of tricking their mother into the company, and the rest depended on Sister Hua.

"Sister!" Pushing open the door of the chairman's office, Liu Yifei saw Sister Hua sitting at the desk and greeted her happily.

Wang Jinhua saw the family coming and stood up to greet them with a smile on her face: "Congratulations, Xixi, on your successful graduation."

"Thank you, sister." Liu Yifei and Sister Hua hugged each other.

Chu Xuan met Sister Hua some time ago, but she hasn't seen Sister Hua for more than three months since the filming of "My Love from the Star" started.

Although we often contact each other by phone, we haven’t met for a while. I was still very happy to see Sister Hua when I came back this time.

"Boss." Lin Xiaoya greeted Chu Xuan, and Chu Xuan waved at her.

"Sister Li, you've worked hard." Wang Jinhua hugged Liu Xiaoli again.

After they separated, Liu Xiaoli immediately said, "Let's talk later. I need to take a rest first. I'm so tired. Are you cleaning the house?"

Cleaning the house? ... Wang Jinhua exchanged glances with the couple. This was the excuse they had planned in advance. After hearing what Liu Xiaoli said, she responded, "Yes, when I came to the company this morning, I asked Zhihua to call the housekeeper, and Zhihua helped to open the door. They should be cleaning now."

"Then I'll go to the cubicle to take a rest. Is there any business today? I hope it won't delay me?" Liu Xiaoli said. There was a cubicle for meeting guests in the office. Thinking it would not be good to sleep outside and be seen by the employees coming in and out, she thought about taking a rest on the big sofa in the cubicle.

"It's okay, Sister Li, you go ahead, get a blanket, and turn on the air conditioner to avoid catching a cold." Wang Jinhua was hoping that Liu Xiaoli would go to bed, and it would be best if she could sleep until night, which would just fit in with her and the couple's plan to deceive people.

Liu Xiaoli took out a blanket from the cupboard with ease. In the past, when it was cold in autumn and winter, she often covered her legs with it to keep warm while chatting and working with Wang Jinhua in the company: "What about you guys? Don't you want to take a break?"

Wang Jinhua looked at the couple, wanting to see how these two guys would respond.

Liu Yifei was quick-witted and blurted out, "There's something going on at Star Lovers. Chu Xuan and I will go over to take a look. Mom, you should rest at the company first. Call me if you have anything."

"Tsk, they are young people after all, they are full of energy." Liu Xiaoli said. The two children didn't feel tired after traveling for most of the day. When they got home, they didn't take a rest but rushed to deal with official business as soon as possible. It's good to be young, full of energy.

Anyway, she was so sleepy that she said, "Then I will leave you alone and go to sleep first."

As Chu Xuan, Liu Yifei and Wang Jinhua looked smug like foxes, the door of the compartment closed with a bang and Liu Xiaoli disappeared inside.

"That's going very smoothly. It would be best if we could sleep till night, then everything will be fine." Wang Jinhua sat down on the chair.

"No, mom is not a sleepyhead. I will probably wake up at noon or in the afternoon. Then I will have to rely on you to fool her." Liu Yifei said.

"Just say that you're always cleaning the house." Chu Xuan suggested.

"It's impossible for the cleaning to take that long. Mom comes to the company to rest because she is tired. When she has rested and hears that the house is still being cleaned, she will definitely go back to check given her personality." Liu Yifei rejected Chu Xuan's unreliable idea.

Wang Jinhua couldn't help laughing as she watched the couple come up with a plan to deceive her mother. This scene was very joyful and a rare fun thing to happen in a family.

"Then it's up to you, sister. We'll go back first. Grandma and the others have already arrived. We need to go back and say hello. We also have to prepare two large tables of food and discuss with family and friends how to start this surprise." Chu Xuan said he was helpless as to how to fool his mother next. He could only rely on Sister Hua. There were still many things at home waiting for the couple to deal with when they go back.

"Sister, come on!" Liu Yifei waved her fist.

Come on... Wang Jinhua didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As a daughter, she was asked to fool her mother and encouraged her. This really made her very happy: "You guys go back. I will try my best to coax her with my eloquence."

"Then we'll go first." Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei left, took the elevator to the underground parking lot, got in the nanny car, and started on their way home.

Along the way, the couple leaned on each other and closed their eyes to take a nap. In fact, they were also tired, but in order to give their mother a surprise, they did not show this tiredness. Otherwise, when their mother saw how tired they were, she might strongly ask them to stay in the company and take a rest.

I took a rest in the car on the way home to make up for the fatigue caused by the journey for most of the day. When I got home, I was full of energy again and treated today as a very wonderful day.

"Grandma! Uncle and aunt!" Liu Yifei was delighted to meet her family members.

Grandma and her family came yesterday and were hosted by Su Chang and Jiang Xin. They stayed in the villa for one night.

The family members had been there for a whole day but the host was not there, which seemed very rude, but we are all family and there is no difference between us, so grandma and her family didn't care about these little things at all.

By the way, my aunt also went to the vegetable market to buy vegetables and prepared all the ingredients for today's feast.

In my grandmother's words: by the time Xixi and Xiaoxuan come to prepare it, the day lily will be cold.

This is true. If you wait for two people who don't even know how to cook to buy vegetables, it will be too late.

Fortunately, my family came early and helped prepare these things.

"Changchang, Xinxin!" Liu Yifei and her two best friends hugged each other. It was a natural joy to meet good friends.

The home decoration could be completed smoothly thanks to these two friends' help.

Even though he complained about being tired and miserable on the phone, he had no complaints when they met now. Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei didn't say anything to thank them. These two people were not outsiders, so everything could not be said.

The other friends who were invited have not arrived yet. For example, Huang Xuan, Zhao Liying, Ren Quan, and Li Qiaoqiao are expected to come in the afternoon. Tang Jili, Han Sanping, Zhang Jizhong and the seniors with close relationships in the company are expected to come at lunchtime.

Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei ignored all this for the time being. After seeing that the lawn was arranged properly, they went to the kitchen to cook with their aunt. This was the top priority at the moment.

"Are you really cooking?" Jiang Xin thought the couple cooking on the phone was a joke, but she never expected it to be true.

"Don't worry, the poison won't kill you." Liu Yifei rolled up her sleeves, looking like a chef, but actually she couldn't do anything.

"Just make four dishes." Chu Xuan said, to reassure them.

"Oh, that's good. I believe in our aunt's cooking skills. There are still other dishes to eat." Su Chang deliberately made an exaggerated expression and let out a long sigh.

“Hmph, you don’t believe us, right? Then we’ll make you some dishes that will make your mouth water!” Liu Yifei vowed, as if she was possessed by a Michelin chef.

The aunt who was the chef, and the grandmother and uncle who were watching, found the situation of these young people bickering with each other interesting to them as elders.

Under the guidance of their aunt, four young people, Chu Xuan, Liu Yifei, Su Chang and Jiang Xin, were preparing ingredients and side dishes. The kitchen was not in a mess, but it was also a chaotic situation. It seemed like they were doing more harm than good, but there was a lot of fun in it, and it was a different kind of happiness.

Fortunately, at around 1:00 p.m., my aunt, uncle, and cousin came over from Los Angeles. The family reunion was festive and happy again, and my aunt joined the kitchen army and became someone who could truly and effectively help my aunt.

"Oh my god, you guys have been preparing for this surprise for so many days, but you made it like a last-minute effort, gathering people at the last minute, and as soon as I got here, you asked me to cook."

Faced with the complaints of their aunt Zhou Wenqiong, Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei were a little embarrassed. Their aunt, Su Chang and Jiang Xin also found it funny, but it did add some fun and made the atmosphere more joyful.

At around two or three in the afternoon, Huang Xuan, Zhao Liying, Chen He, Li Qiaoqiao, Ren Quan and other friends arrived one after another. The gathering of friends made the joyful atmosphere even more elevated. Li Qiaoqiao and Ren Quan, who had cooking experience, replaced Jiang Xin and Su Chang. The freed Jiang Xin and Su Chang went to help Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei entertain the friends who came.

As more and more people came, the entire garden villa became lively, and everyone was preparing to congratulate Liu Xiaoli on her birthday.

Liu Xiaoli, the person involved, was completely unaware of the situation at home. She woke up slowly on the sofa in the company's cubicle, yawned, picked up a blanket and walked out.

"Awake?" Wang Jinhua sighed inwardly. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon. According to the plan, Liu Xiaoli could not go back until after dark, because the lights on the lawn at home would be most effective and surprising after dark.

It takes about half an hour to get from the company to Donglin Villa. In June, it doesn't get dark in Beijing until after 7 p.m., which means Liu Xiaoli can only leave after 6:30 p.m. when the sun is setting.

There are still more than three hours before that time. How should I fool this female devil in the eyes of my brother and sister-in-law?
"It's three o'clock now. My family should have figured out what's going on. Let's go home and take a look." Liu Xiaoli poured a glass of water and sat down opposite Wang Jinhua, facing her across the table.

"Well, Zhihua called and said it's done." Wang Jinhua answered the phone every day from eight or nine in the morning to three in the afternoon. With the execution ability of a housekeeping company serving high-end residential areas, if she said it wasn't done yet, it would only make Liu Xiaoli suspicious.

But when Liu Xiaoli said she wanted to go home, it turned out that it was her daughter who understood her mother best, and Xixi had anticipated this situation.

Go home now? No way.

Wang Jinhua had already thought of a solution in advance, and she casually brought up a topic: "Sissi has successfully graduated now, and if she can successfully transfer her nationality, then that will be perfect."

"Yes." Liu Xiaoli held a rubber band in her hand, tied her hair behind her head that had fallen apart due to sleep, and said with her head slightly lowered, "Let's wait for news. Xiaoxuan and I both think it should go smoothly, otherwise they would have called to say it was hopeless."

"Yes." Wang Jinhua nodded. "If there is no show, we will probably get a notification within a month. If there is no notification for that long, it means the show is progressing smoothly."

"Yeah." Liu Xiaoli tied her hair into a bun, picked up the water cup, crossed her legs and drank a sip of water, then put the cup on the table and said, "If I can successfully transfer my nationality back, I will have to pay nearly 1 million in taxes in the United States. It hurts just thinking about it."

Wang Jinhua shook her head: "That can't be helped. Fortunately, the bulk of the assets are in your hands, otherwise I would be even more distressed."

"I'm glad I made the decision back then." Liu Xiaoli nodded slowly.

Whenever women have a topic to talk about, especially one related to their children, they will talk endlessly.

From regretting not changing her nationality back before her daughter came of age, to the highlight of her graduation speech not long ago, to the fact that changing her nationality would make the wedding a perfect combination...

Before we knew it, it was five o'clock in the afternoon.

"It's five o'clock." Liu Xiaoli picked up her phone and checked the time. She said, "Are these two guys still at Century Culture? Aren't they going to have dinner?"

Seeing that Liu Xiaoli was about to use her cell phone to make a call, Wang Jinhua was afraid that Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei would be exposed if they answered the phone at home, so she said hurriedly, "I told them to have dinner at my house tonight. They will go back later, so we can go back together."

"Zhihua is cooking?" Liu Xiaoli put down her phone and smiled: "Sometimes I envy you for having such a good husband with such a good temper. You have a really good eye."

Wang Jinhua was pleased and said, "Xixi has a good eye. Look at your son-in-law. You have found a treasure."

Speaking of her son-in-law, Liu Xiaoli said with a cheerful face: "The two best decisions I have made in my life are to make up my mind to discover and promote Xixi's dream, and to acquiesce to Xiaoxuan and Xixi's relationship."

Wang Jinhua nodded slightly and tried to find another topic to delay time: "You said before that after Xixi graduated and returned, and Xiaoxuan and I were able to completely focus on the country, you planned to set up a management team and personally provide logistics support for them."

She looked at Liu Xiaoli and said, "When are you going to do it? You can pick anyone in the company to serve Xiaoxuan and Xixi. With the profits they can create based on their commercial value, the salary and benefits will definitely be better than staying in the company. Except for those in management, few people will refuse."

This was what Liu Xiaoli had thought before. She said it out loud with the intention of delaying time, and she was also planning to take advantage of this free time to talk to Liu Xiaoli about this matter.

However, Liu Xiaoli, who had this idea, shook her head and said, "Let's wait until the nationality is transferred back. After Xixi's nationality is transferred back, there will be no limit to the breadth and depth of her career in China. Then we can discuss the development with them."

Liu Xiaoli refused to talk about this topic and refused to fall into the trap. Wang Jinhua was at a loss as to what to do. If she brought up some irrelevant topic, Liu Xiaoli might become suspicious. After all, these idle chat topics would not prevent them from talking about it after they went home for dinner.

Besides, it's time for dinner, and it wouldn't make sense to keep talking about this.

"Go back, do you have anything else to do?" Liu Xiaoli wanted to go home.

Going back now is obviously not in line with Wang Jinhua's plan.

But thinking about the traffic jam during the rush hour after work, I can buy some time here.

So Wang Jinhua said, "Let's go home."

While Liu Xiaoli picked up her bag and turned around, she secretly sent a text message to Chu Xuan. In case the plan went wrong, the couple at home would have to find a way to make up for it.

Just like that, the two sisters left the office together, one with her own plans in mind and the other unaware.

　There is a typo in the title. It should be "鼓" instead of "谷", but the title cannot be changed, so please forgive me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)