After Running Away With a Cub, I Became Everyone’s Favourite

 

Chapter 43

 

The matter was finalized in this way.

When Xia Qing Shu came out of the tea-house, he still felt that there was something magical about it.

The three of them agreed that Xia Qing Shu would give birth to the baby and pretend that it was born to Chen’s mother. The Chen family would sign a private gift agreement, giving Xia Qing Shu 5 billion, and Xia Qing Shu would have to guarantee that the child would be born healthy.

Xia Qinshu didn’t need to go to an island to give birth. He got pregnant in August and would not give birth until March next year. He was already thin, so he could just wear more clothes to hide it, as long as he could ensure the health of both him and the child.

Chen’s mother and father thought it was feasible, so they agreed.

After the discussion, Chen’s mother and father were very concerned about Xia Qingshu’s health, “Qing Shu, be careful, watch the stairs …… Watch out for the stairs. Alas, we’re just around a corner, walk slowly and be careful of bumping into passers-by running across the street.”

Xia Qingshu: “……”

Great, he has become a rare and protected animal.

“Come on, auntie will help you walk,” Chen’s mother said thoughtfully, “Qing Shu, you have to drink more soup at home, it’s better to eat less cold drinks and coffee, they are not good for your health. Look at how thin you’ve become, it hurts my heart.”

Father Chen: “I’ll arrange for two carts of tonic products to be sent to your home later.”

Xia Qingshu waved his hand to stop it, “Don’t do this, you are so enthusiastic, even a blind person will know that I have a problem. Now that aunt is “pregnant”, shouldn’t the key protection object be my aunt?”

Chen’s mother and father nodded their heads in agreement. Papa Chen turned to caress Mama Chen, but both of them still had their eyes on Xia Qing Shu.

“You have to play with your phone in moderation too, there’s radiation.”

“No strenuous exercise in the first trimester, rest more.”

“Qing Shu ah, you walk more carefully, be careful not to fall flat on the ground ah.”

Xia Qingshu: “……”

His persona is a bit silly, but it’s not polio, and such worries as falling flat on the ground are not necessary.

Having been argued for the first few minutes, Xia Qing Shu was a little uncomfortable in the face of the sudden concern. Hmph, that’s it, he doesn’t see much of Chen’s father and mother anyway.

 

～

It didn’t take long for the Chen family to send an invitation to the banquet, the reason for the invitation being that Chen’s mother was pregnant. The family had been planning to hold a big welcoming party for Xia Qingshu a week later when Xia Ji returned home from a business trip and the family gathered, but the Chen family sent the invitation first.

As Xia Qingshu was the youngest son of the Xia family making his first appearance in the circle, Chen Qixi took it very seriously and summoned a make-up team to make sure that Xia Qingshu was dressed to the nines.

To Xia Qingshu’s surprise, Xia Yubin, who had wandered away, returned.

In Exclusive Favorites, because Xia Jing is pedantic and old-fashioned, he could not accept Xia Yubin’s colourful love life. Xia Yubin needs to deal with different men every day and did not have time to maintain family relationships; therefore, Xia Yubin did not have a good relationship with his family and he did not value their favours. After getting involved with his first man, he rarely came home.

When Xia Yubin came back, he started by crying to Chen Qixi Xia Jing, admitting his mistakes and swearing to God that he would never bully Xia Qing Shu again. He explained that the reason he had bullied Xia Qing Shu in the first place was because he was afraid of losing the affection of Chen Qi Xi, Xia Jing and his brothers. He cried so hard, his remorse, self-blame, and guilt, and his determination to swear that he would definitely change his past, made people think that he had drunk too much.

Xia Qing Shu did not suffer substantial harm from the incident of being hacked by the net but rather got some popularity. On the contrary, Xia Yubin’s real father, Xia Lao Er, was not very close to him and did not even let him into the house. Listening to Xia Yubin cry, Xia Lao Er let him move to the thirty-eight square foot shack of Grandpa Xia, nine people crowded together, Chen Qi Xi and Xia Jing’s heart also softened.

Xia Yubin even knelt down to Xia Qing Shu to admit his mistake. Xia Qing Shu was surprised that Xia Yubin could go to such lengths to redeem himself to the family.

Chen Qixi asked Xia Qingshu to make a decision. If Xia Qingshu forgave Xia Yubin, the matter would be settled. Xia Qingshu could see that Chen Qixi had the intention to forgive Xia Yubin and have him punished accordingly,he also didn’t make things any harder.

So, in the evening, they went to a banquet at the Chen family’s house, and a total of five people from the Xia family went.

After forgiving Xia Yubin, in Chen Qixi and Xia Jing’s mind, Xia Qingshu’s status became even higher – what kind of a beautiful and kind-hearted little angel is this? Kind-hearted, doesn’t hold grudges, understands the bigger picture, and is willing to wrong himself in order to maintain family harmony. In the days to come, they will definitely be doubly kind to the little angel.

 

~

Of the five members of the Xia family, Xia Qing Shu is the only one who is the most polished. Xia Yubin was very sensible and dressed in a very low-key manner.

Xia Qing Shu is already a good-looking man, and even though he doesn’t dress up much, he is still the brightest in the crowd, and with a little dressing up, he makes people unable to look away.

The make-up artist took full advantage of his features and didn’t try too hard on the look. Just a textured shirt with a small bow tie, his hair simply styled, his eyebrows trimmed and no make-up applied, he looked like a young prince stepping out of a painting. Fresh, refined and elegant.

Chen Zhiyu was sitting on the balcony when he saw Xia Qingshu coming in dressed up.

Xia Qingshu stepped up in the moonlight, a growing lotus step by step slowly approached, and looked up at him. His eyes flowed and his eyebrows affectionate, and his eyes were full of love and joy. He lightly opened his red lips and his voice seemed to be inhabited by beating spirit, “Brother Zhiyu!”

Chen Zhiyu’s leg injury had healed and he was able to stand on his own. He stood up and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

With that crisp “Zhiyu,” the familiar scent of lemon milk hit him with the breeze. It was refreshing.

Chen Zhiyu was a little upset. Xia Qingshu liked him so much, but he couldn’t respond immediately, would it be too cruel? He was not very empathetic by nature, and he sometimes wondered if the writers’ heads were caught in the door when it came to idol dramas where the protagonists were so in love with each other.

The audience’s genuine reaction made him realize that it was him who was different. He was cold and indifferent and was born not to tarry in love. Xia Qing Shu had worked hard to become good and move closer to him for his sake, yet he would not be moved as easily as he was.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he should tell Xia Qingshu so that he wouldn’t be as passionate as a moth to a flame, ending up with love unanswered but bruised and battered.

“Brother Zhiyu!” Xia Qing Shu called out again after his first call was not answered.

Because of the agreement, Xia Qing Shu was a little embarrassed. Brother Zhiyu had broken his leg to save him, but he had quietly hidden the fact that he was going to have Brother Zhiyu’s child. The most outrageous thing is that the child will turn into a younger brother (or sister). When Zhiyu’s child grows up, he will call him “brother”. Thinking of this, Xia Qing Shu felt even more embarrassed, his small, soulful eyes started darting side to side.

When Chen Zhiyu came back to his senses, he saw Xia Qingshu’s eyes dodging, as if he had met his sweetheart and was shy, wanting to meet his eyes but being cautious.

This scene was also seen by Xia Jing and Chen Qixi, the two of them glanced at each other and Xia Jing whispered, “What about the quality young man you said to introduce to Qing Shu last time?”

Chen Qixi winked at him, “Inside.”

Xia Jing understood and pulled Xia Qing Shu through the door.

~

Xia Qing Shu had just walked into the Chen family villa when he felt the gazes cast around him. He had seen this kind of attention too many times and didn’t feel a trace of panic or confusion. He followed behind Chen Qixi and Xia Jing and interacted with people very naturally.

Many people secretly praised Xia Qing Shu for his good manners.

Today Chen Qixi’s intention was to promote Xia Qingshu, and after Xia Yubin followed him in the door, he walked away in a low profile.

 

～

“Auntie Chen, you look so good during your pregnancy.” He Yuanyuan and Chen Shuang were complimenting Mama Chen.

Chen Shuang nodded in agreement, “Sister, congratulations.”

Seeing Xia Qing Shu, He Yuanyuan secretly bumped into Chen Shuang.

He Yuan Yuan was the daughter of Chen Shuang’s best friend, who was a bit of an under-achiever. After graduating from university, she was brought up at home and did nothing, but wanted to marry into a wealthy family and enjoy success.

Chen Shuang did not do well in college, and she relied on her best friend to teach her in the beginning, and her graduation thesis was also completed thanks to her best friend. She was able to graduate thanks to her best friend. Now she should take care of her best friend’s daughter. When she heard that the Chen family was holding a banquet, her best friend came begging. Since it was her sister’s house anyway, Chen Shuang brought her along.

When she learned that Xia Qingshu is often seen around Chen Zhiyu and has caused Chen Zhiyu to break his leg, He Yuanyuan had a considerable sense of crisis.

Receiving He Yuanyuan’s coded message, Chen Shuang held a cup of cocktail, clinked it with the milk in Chen’s mother’s hand, and nudged her chin towards Xia Qingshu, “Sister, another person who covets Zhiyu is here, dressed like a goblin.”

Chen’s mother glanced at Xia Qing Shu, took a shallow sip of milk and frowned.

He Yuanyuan touched Chen Shuan with her elbow and squeezed her eyes. Chen Shuang picked up again, “That what’s-his-name Xia Qingshu, looks too much like Chen Qixi, with a pair of fox eyes that seduce people like crazy. I heard that he has recently gotten very close to Zhiyu …… Sister, you slow down, watch out for your stomach!”

Seeing Chen Rao walking aggressively towards Xia Qing Shu, Chen Shuang winked at He Yuanyuan. He Yuanyuan reluctantly gave her a look and followed Chen Rao closely.

No sooner had Xia Qing Shu entered than Chen Rao’s eyes gathered on his stomach. Xia Qing Shu had a flat stomach, a belt around his waist, and his shirt tucked into his trousers, making his waist look very thin.

When Chen Rao reached middle age, her stomach was somewhat fattened, and sometimes when she ate a little more than a couple of bites, the belt would strangle her stomach and she would feel like she couldn’t breathe.

If Xia Qing Shu’s belt was so tight, would it strangle his big fat grandson?

Chen Rao walked over and whispered, “Qing Shu, your belt, loosen a buckle.”

Xia Qing Shu: “……”

“No!” Somewhat angry.

“Ugh, don’t be angry.” Chen Rao hurriedly apologized. She thought to herself, just let it go, she can’t let the pregnant person’s emotions fluctuate.

Chen Rao had always presented herself as the richest mother, and had never been the object of all the people’s admiration, never as humble as today. Of course, she herself did not realize that, to the eyes of those with a discerning eye, it seemed as if Chen Rao was rendered speechless by Xia Qing Shu’s dislike.

Seeing that Chen Rao had been defeated, He Yuanyuan followed close behind and said to Xia Qing Shu, “Those who grew up in a small family are just that impolite!”

Xia Qing Shu:?

Inexplicably being scolded for being rude made him very angry. This kind of person who stood on the moral high ground and accused others of being impolite was not of high quality herself. A truly cultivated person would not define others indiscriminately in a public place. He couldn’t dislike them back either, as long as he was slightly emotional and heated in his words, then he would be sitting on the fact that he was impolite.

Xia Qing Shu lifted his eyes unhurriedly and looked He Yuanyuan up and down, front and back, left and right, with a strong look of dislike and contempt in his eyes, and replied her softly, “It’s not strange for someone like you to have such thoughts.”

His voice was small and unhurried, and although his tone was smooth, the sarcasm was magnified tenfold.

He Yuanyang’s face twisted into a capital “m” as she shouted, “What do you mean?!”

Her voice was so loud that people around her looked over and whispers mingled in the air, including some that said, “That’s noisy” and “That’s so unqualified to yell!” There was a lot of chatter.

Chen Rao glanced at Chen Shuang and told her to drag He Yuanyuan away.

Chen Shuang smiled and stepped forward to make things easier, whispering, “Yuan Yuan, my sister is still here.”

He Yuan Yuan did not expect Xia Qing Shu to have such a poisonous mouth, she knew the occasion was not right and was not in a position to get angry, so she apologized, “Auntie Chen, I’m sorry, Yuan Yuan was abrupt just now.”

She walked up to Chen Rao, “Auntie Chen, last time I went to Shi Jing Temple, I was lucky enough to meet Master Wuzhen. Master Wuzhen is a rare person to meet, so I thought I could not miss this opportunity and asked Master Wuzhen to help me look at Zhiyu’s fortune. Master Wuzen said that Zhiyu’s five elements were earth, and that he could not be close to people with wood in their destiny. As expected, Brother Zhiyu and Xia Qingshu had a light meal together, and the leg got injured. Fire creates earth, and the person who matches Brother Zhiyu should be with the fire attribute.”

Chen Shuang hailed, “Master Wuzhen is hard to get, Yuan Yuan you are so lucky, gee, Yuan Yuan, don’t you carry five firesin your elements?”

He Yuan Yuan smiled shyly and turned to follow Xia Qing Shu’s example, after sizing him up, she said to Chen Rao, “He looks like this, at a glance, he can’t give birth.”

Xia Qingshu:?

This lady, did I dig your ancestral grave in my last life, why do you fight as soon as you meet someone you obviously don’t know? He didn’t get angry and covered his small mouth to snicker, “What kind of grandma tone is that?”

He Yuanyuan: “What kind of grandma do you mean?!”

Xia Qingshu shook his head and seriously explained to her, “It’s the kind of woman who thinks she’s Zhiyu’s first wife, if I didn’t know, I’d think you’re here to choose a concubine for Zhiyu?”

He Yuanyuan: “You!”

He Yuan Yuan was so annoyed that she grabbed a cup and threw it at Xia Qing Shu.

Ah, my big fat grandson!

Chen Rao dodged and blocked in front of Xia Qing Shu, her face was splashed with wine. Xia Qing Shu was unharmed and hid behind Chen Rao, making faces at He Yuanyuan.

He Yuan Yuan was dumbfounded: “Auntie Chen, I’m sorry, I’m not ……”

Xia Qing Shu approached Chen Rao and said in a small voice, “Auntie, who is this, I feel so uncomfortable when I see her.”

Chen Rao: “Someone, drag Miss He out!”

Chen Shuang, He Yuanyuan: “……”

What kind of holy god was this Xia Qing Shu that Chen Rao loved so much.

He Yuanyuan paced her feet and left indignantly.

Having defeated a vicious female, Xia Qing Shu was in a good mood and took a sip from his glass of cold cola. Chen Rao wiped the drink off her face before she could reapply her make-up, and her uneasy heart was lifted again. It was Coke, it had caffeine in it, it was stimulating, what if her big fat grandson didn’t rest well? What if her big fat grandson doesn’t get a good night’s rest? This Xia Qingshu, he really never stops day after day.

Chen Rao lifted her hand and snatched the iced coke from his hand, pulling the attendant aside: “Give him a cup of hot milk, oh wait, the milk is too plain, put some more oats in it.”

Xia Qingshu: “What?”

Just now when He Yuanyuan had targeted Xia Qing Shu, it had caught Chen Qixi’s attention, she was being dragged along and distracted, and then she saw Xia Qing Shu deal with He Yuanyuan. Now seeing Chen Rao pulling with Xia Qingshu again, the free Chen Qixi lifted her foot and walked over.

Chen Qixi snatched the iced coke back from Chen Rao’s hand and shoved it back into Xia Qingshu’s hand, “Qing Shu, drink it if you want.”

Then, she gave Chen Rao a fake smile without losing her politeness, “Sister Rao, Qing Shu is young, having some some iced drinks won’t make him scramble and burst uplike you.”

After Chen Qixi finished speaking, she led Xia Qingshu to leave gracefully.

Chen Rao was furious! This Chen Qixi, she is always a demon! She is just a few days older than Chen Qi Xi, so what’s the point of shouting “sister”? She’s still young, so what’s the point of calling her sister? How can she be so mean?

Chen Shuang was dumbfounded when she saw Chen Rao standing in the same place furious, “Sister, be careful of the child!”

She had never seen her own sister so stoic and could not help but ask, “Sister, why are you so nice to Xia Qing Shu?”

Chen Rao gave a cold snort. Because of the agreement, she could not explain, and only secretly gritted her teeth, “You think I want to be nice to him?

It was because he had the Chen family’s hopes in his stomach!

Chen Shuang thought back to the previous point where she learned about Xia Qingshu and Zhiyu, and it dawned on her. Her sister didn’t like Xia Qing Shu, but Zhi Yu did.

Looking at Chen Qixi’s lofty back, it dawned on Chen Shuang: Indeed, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law were born to disagree. And most importantly, bad relations between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law do not depend on gender!

 

~

Xia Qing Shu had been walking around the Chen family mansion when a valet called him from behind, telling him that Mr Chen had asked him to come over.

Xia Qing Shu followed the valet and arrived at the conference room on the first floor, and just as he pushed open the door, he saw several people sitting in the conference room, and Xia Yubin was also sitting in an inconspicuous position in the corner.

“Brother Zhiyu.” He was being watched by a room full of people, and despite his calm face, he spoke in a tone that had a few hints of pleading for help, and his beautiful eyes were staring at him closely, like a frightened rabbit.

“Come here.” Chen Zhiyu pointed to the sofa opposite him, and the person next to him took the initiative to move aside to make room.

Xia Qingshu slowly walked over and sat in front of him, asking in a small voice, “Brother Zhiyu, you called me here, what’s the matter?”

His eyes were clear and there was joyful leaping hidden inside, the kind of joy that comes from getting the attention of one’s beloved. That’s how young people’s love is, hot and vivid. It only needs a little fire to be as brilliant and permanent as a mountain of flame.

Chen Zhiyu was pleased by his expression and smiled soothingly, “Didn’t you say last time that you wanted to do something related to music production, a few of the people here are the bosses of entertainment companies, you can talk to them if you have ideas.”

There are three leading companies in the entertainment industry, two of which are involved in the music recording industry. In the last decade, the record industry was not very prosperous, there were fewer and fewer singers with personality, record sales mostly came from the pink circle, there was a lack of songs for people to sing, and excellent songwriters were the talents that record companies were competing for.

After hearing Chen Zhiyu’s presentation, everyone’s interest in Xia Qing Shu was high.

Wu, the president of Duoyao Entertainment, knew that Xia Qingshu was Chen Qixi’s son and had seen his hot search before, saying, “I do think that Xia is not suitable to be a producer.”

At everyone’s astonished gaze, Chief Wu paused and said, “He is suitable to go in front of the camera and become a star.”

Sure enough, everyone unanimously agreed.

“With those looks, Xia Xia will definitely become a top streamer when he debuts.”

“I’m a big fan of your mother.”

“You look so suitable for acting, my company happens to have picked up a big IP in which the male lead fits like your temperament.”

“……”

The entertainment company cannot grow long without capital, Chen Zhiyu is the sweet spot in their eyes that they are fighting for, and they approached Chen Zhiyu with their own purposes. Everyone here is a human being, Xia Qingshu is someone Chen Zhiyu values, to give Xia Qingshu face is to give Chen Zhiyuan face.

Compliments came pouring in.

Xia Qingshu was a little embarrassed by the praise and half-lowered his head, “I just want to try my hand at music production.”

There were a few musicians sitting in the corner of the room, and Wu pointed to two of the singers with long hair and said, “Little Zhang and Little Li, sing a few lines of your work to hear it. Xia, listen to them, can they be a hit? Or you can see if you can produce their songs.”

The two youths called Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li, without saying a word, stood up and hissed in high voices.

Xia Qing Shu: “……”

Chen Zhiyu had invested in entertainment projects, though not many, but he still had an understanding of the current state of the entertainment ecosystem. Bottom tier singers like Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li lacked exposure and entertainment companies were full of talent, so it was hard to get a chance to make a name for themselves.

This kind of seemingly humiliating live performance is in fact much better than those occasions where they accompany people for drinks and entertainment, and it is also a chance to show their faces in front of investors. So they didn’t squirm at all, but showed off their talents to the fullest.

Xia Qing Shu was obviously taken aback, his eyes widened and his mouth flattened. He was a bit surprised by this sudden way of having people perform, as if he was halfway through the New Year’s Eve dinner and was suddenly called out by his parents to perform a show for the elders.

But slowly, he was drawn to the music, his eyes narrowed and he was vaguely enjoying himself a little.

Chen Zhiyu secretly felt amused and laughed.

This little guy, who had been cooing about being a “gold producer” before, had only met two singers and was already showing his fear.

It was only after this dark laugh that he suddenly realized that he had been laughing a bit too much recently. Realizing this, he raised his eyebrows and tensed up his face again.

After Little Li and Little Zhang finished singing, Chen Zhiyu even asked in a decent manner, “Qing Shu, what do you think?”

To be honest, Xia Qingshu didn’t know much about music and couldn’t make a professional evaluation. Although his lack of professionalism did not stop him from appreciating a good song. He nodded his head repeatedly, “It’s very good, a very good song, it will be a hit.”

After saying that, he looked at Chen Zhiyu as if begging for help.

Help, stop cuing him, this occasion was really more than a billion points awkward. He wanted to leave immediately.

A pair of beautiful big eyes unconsciously brought on a prayer, long eyelashes fluttering, pitiful. Chen Zhiyu’s heart softened, and the corners of his mouth began to unconsciously rise again.

No matter what the occasion was, he was the only one in Xia Qing Shu’s eyes.

Chief Wu turned his head and added, “Xia Yubin, you sing one too.”

Xia Yubin’s head was full of black lines.

When Xia Qing Shu had not yet come, Xia Yubin had been the focus of attention in this room, except to Chen Zhiyu. Once Xia Qingshu came, not only did he rob him of the attention, but now they he even made him sing for Xia Qingshu?

Xia Qingshu probably couldn’t even read five lines of music. Chen Zhiyu was being ridiculous, letting Xia Qing Shu, that simpleton, be the producer, just wait until he loses money.

After Mr. Wu spoke, the whole room looked at him. Xia Yubin, not one to be insensitive, stood up and sang two random lines.

Xia Qing Shu commented in a low voice: “Not as good as those two just sang.”

Xia Yubin: “……”

Xia Qingshu thought about it and added, “Not emotionally invested.”

Chief Wu smiled up, “Xia Xia, Xia Yubin alone with no one to cooperate with, is a bit worse, do you want to hear a duet between Xia Yubin and me?”

When Mr Wu finished, he stood up himself and walked over to Xia Yubin.

Xia Yubin was sitting on top of a solo chair and had to stand up because of Mr Wu’s arrival. Mr Wu pushed him down and sat on the arm of the chair, leaning most of his body on Xia Yubin, and smiling, he put his hand on his shoulder.

Xia Yubin was a bit reluctant, but had to smile. From the side, it looked as if Mr Wu was riding on Xia Yubin’s back.

Xia Qing Shu looked at Mr. Wu’s pimple face and big greasy belly, and suddenly remembered a posthumous saying – “A toad and frog in the sun, ugly and playing with each other.

Xia Qingshu lowered his head and snickered when no one was paying attention. His little gesture was seen by Chen Zhiyu, who raised his eyebrows at him. He hurriedly put his hands together and bowed to Chen Zhiyu.

Xia Qing Shu really did not like this kind of occasion.

Please, let him leave in peace and quiet and without a cloud.

Chen Zhiyu hooked his lips to smile, but found that the corners of his mouth seemed to be hooked all the time. He raised his eyebrows and darted a look towards Xia Qingshu, who, like he was on pardon, had two shining eyes and paid him another obeisance behind his back, exchanging pleasantries before hurrying away.

After Xia Qing Shu left, someone asked, “Mr. Chen, who is Xiao Xia to you?”

Such a young and beautiful boy, not worldly and smooth enough, but young and vivid enough.

They just don’t know what talent he has that Chen Zhiyu thinks so highly of.

Chen Zhiyu thought for a moment and replied, “A little friend who likes me.”