Chapter 521: Chapter 521 - 515: Finale

Everything still looked the same as it once did. Seeing Jing Jihan carrying shopping bags into the little kitchen, it was as if in a daze she was taken back to long ago, seeing the man in the clothes she had bought, tirelessly helping her carry things inside. She could hear herself outside playing around with Mianmian, who would run into the kitchen to hug his leg for help, continually shouting, "Ji Han, Uncle, please save me! Mommy’s going to turn into a tiger again! Doesn’t she look just like a big tiger when she’s angry, grrr grrr!"

In that dazed moment, she could also see herself holding a magazine, going about corners to kill cockroaches, while Mianmian rolled back and forth on the carpet...

Shi Su quickly lowered her eyes, rubbing her slightly sore nose tip: "When did you buy back this house?"

Jing Jihan had already taken off his coat. He walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator to put the ingredients inside, and then washed his hands at the sink, the fabric of his shirt subtly outlining the shape of his bones and muscle contours with his movements.

Jing Jihan took a moment to answer her as he washed his hands: "About six months ago."

Six months ago...

Shi Su was more surprised that everything in the house seemed unchanged.

"The middle-aged couple who bought this house never had time to live here because they were doing business out of town, nor did they have time for a renovation. By chance, nothing had changed. After purchasing it back, I just tidied up and repaired all the wires and pipes, really just like before." The man tugged the kitchen paper towel to wipe his hands dry.

No wonder nothing’s changed.

Shi Su couldn’t help but look back again

Seeing the old bedroom, the old living room, the old nursery—everything was still there, just like before. Time seemed to rewind to days of living aimlessly and leisurely, when little Mianmian would sneak cookies and cupcakes from the highchair, only to have Shi Su slap her hand away...

Shi Su sat by the window, looking out. The distinctive four-pane windows of the old apartment building still displayed paper-cut decorations from who knows what year. Though somewhat old, they looked exactly as they did in her memory.

Jing Jihan bought quite a lot of groceries, but with just the two of them, he didn’t make much, resolving dinner right there.

Shi Su seemed to smell a familiar fragrance, moved to the dining table and was suddenly startled to see a row of braised ribs.

She was already hungry, so without hesitation, she quickly got some cutlery and sat down to eat.

It was still the unique craft of Boss Jing, the flavor just as stunning as back then, captivating her and Mianmian’s taste buds. Once, mother and daughter sat in this very place, exclaiming in unison over a plate of Jing Jihan’s handmade braised ribs— "Wow, so delicious~"

Jing Jihan placed a napkin on the table, seeing Shi Su had already devoured several ribs, and looked down at her, chuckling lightly, "There’s more in the kitchen. Eat as many braised ribs as you want, they’re all yours."

Shi Su paused her rib-eating, looked up at him, blinked, thinking of the things she had said about her childhood back at Six Blessings Building.

Jing Jihan sat down, helped to portion the ribs onto a plate to cool, so she wouldn’t burn herself, then placed it in front of her.

The wooden dining table under the four-pane windows of the old house, though lacking a marble tabletop, was filled with warmth and love, occupying all of Shi Su’s vision.

...

...

A year later.

With the broadcast of the couple’s reality show filmed half a year ago by Mr. He, featuring Shi Su and Jing Jihan, Shi Su’s movie "Shadow Kill" was also released over the Christmas season.

On its first day, the "Shadow Kill" movie was outdone by two comedy films at the box office. However, by the second and third day, word of mouth spread, and it regained top position with absolute box office advantage over those comedies. Coupled with the New Year’s release a few days later, it directly reached a high score of 9.0 on a certain review site, with both the box office sales and reviews soaring. A month later, it seized the top spot for domestic box office sales with an excellent performance of six billion in revenue.

After a grand wedding a year ago, Shi Su retreated from the entertainment scene, only making occasional appearances on recent variety shows. With the recent couple’s show finally airing and the release of "Shadow Kill", she once again returned to public attention.

Another year passed, and at the end-of-year film awards ceremony, Shi Su stood on stage holding the Best Actress trophy of the year. Smiling at the handsome figure sitting prominently in the first row of the guest seats, she thanked all the fans and movie lovers for their support, the entire "Shadow Kill" crew, and everyone else. Meanwhile, she announced that after tonight, she would withdraw from the entertainment industry, and from that point on, Shi Su would be gone from entertainment circles.

The entire internet was in an uproar. Only a small number of fans, who had connections with her agency, heard rumors that Shi Su seemed to be taking some time to study business management abroad. Rumors had it that she would occasionally fly back to the Imperial Capital to inspect various companies of the Shi Family. The fans were sleepless over Shi Su’s retreat, but they completely unearthed her background with the Shi Family in the Imperial Capital.

Fans lamented: "So it turns out that a promising acting career had to give way to inheriting billions in family fortunes after all!!!"

On the night of the award ceremony, media reporters quietly followed Shi Su, only to see her board a black business vehicle. As the door opened, they caught a glimpse of a little girl in Jiang City’s certain elite elementary school uniform, sitting inside doing her homework. Beside her was a specially designed cradle stroller, from which a lullaby seemed to be faintly emanating.

This year, Jiang City had yet to see any snowfall, yet tonight gentle flakes began to drift down, as a tall and handsome man clad in a black coat, holding the just changed-dress Shi Su, boarded the vehicle. As the door closed, it isolated the sound of the melodious lullaby—

(—End of the main story—)

[End of the main story. The topic of having a second baby, as well as the couple’s reality shows and other little sweet moments will be detailed in the side stories. Additionally, the outlines for the side stories of Wen Ke and Qin Zhifeng are still under development. You are welcome to keep an eye on the updates of the side stories following the conclusion of this book. Heartfelt thanks to all the readers for your continued support and company. If there are any shortcomings, please forgive me. I will strive to write more enjoyable books~ ^_^]

(I’ve been quite busy recently, so updates on the side stories might be a bit random. Please forgive me~)