Chapter 81: End of the Main Text – Together

Chapter 81: End of the Main Text - Together

Ji Ning decided to honestly face her own feelings, and not just because the show was about to end.

She had let go of the obsession with recovering her memories, but those memories, which were supposed to be sealed away forever in her mind, had been echoing in her head these past few days. During the third stage of the journey, she slowly began to remember the past. Although they were still fragmented and blurry, she could clearly recognize that even many years ago, she couldn’t deceive herself into thinking she had never fallen in love.

She named the baby Ji Zhu.

It was to chase after freedom, sunshine, courage, and love… and to remember that past.

Ji Ning couldn’t help but laugh.

So early on and she’s already making pun jokes?

Originally, she and Jiang Cheng agreed not to make a big scene; they would quietly be together and explain to the guests, who would still tease them. However, the change in their relationship was not subtle at all; their sweet smiles were so obvious that you could see the happiness in their eyes, and the guests almost immediately noticed.

Teasing was inevitable.

Qiao Yinyin was downcast, complaining that it was impossible to guard against.

Ding Muyun and Tong Zhile were very interested in Ji Ning’s change in mindset.

Ji Ning told them to ask Jiang Cheng; hadn’t his mindset changed as well?

Zhang Yanxi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"He hasn’t changed," the faded movie star said with a double meaning.

All the attention was directed at Ji Ning.

Jiang Cheng protected her, and Little Zhu Zhu, although not knowing what was happening, stood by her mother’s side like a little tail, tightly protecting her.

They had held hands, embraced, kissed under the pretense of alcohol, and even slept with her head on his shoulder…

Ji Ning said confidently, "I have to take responsibility, right?"

All the guests, except for Tong Zhiqi, drew out their "oh"s.

Tong Zhiqi was still reeling from the blow of his misjudgment; after giving so many relationship advice talks, Teacher Tong was worthless. It was probably best for him to retire early and return to the industry as a top star.

That night, even though the live show had ended, the guests were still in high spirits.

A relationship repair show that ended up with two couples—can we really say this wasn’t a dating show?

Little Zhu Zhu wasn’t aware of the changes in her parents' relationship.

The baby shared her small worries with them, worried that after the show was over, her dad would have to "head into the city for work" and wouldn’t be able to see her for a long, long time.

Ji Ning told Zhu Zhu that after the New Year, mom would also have to go into the city for work.

Adults have their jobs, and kids have school, but they would all make plenty of time to not miss out on the baby’s growth.

Finally, Jiang Cheng and Ji Ning got back together.

In the end, the baby still had to face the top priority of going to kindergarten.

That night, the guests lingered in the living room for a long time.

Some people washed the dishes, while others watched TV, and Zhang Yanxi even rode a bicycle out to buy a couple of decks of cards. They sat together, playing cards to kill time. They didn’t say anything, but really, they all had the same idea: Jiang and Ningning had finally overcome all obstacles to be together, and they needed some time alone together.

Ji Ning had seen the years when her parents just got by, tormenting one another, and the pain wasn’t theirs alone. So she and Jiang Cheng had once calmly discussed how they would raise their baby. They wouldn’t stay together for the sake of the child, nor would they fight over custody later on. The grandparents would stay out of it too. No matter what happened between the adults, the baby would grow up in love.

When she said those words back then, Ji Ning had never included Jiang Cheng in her plans. It was only now, looking back at how he looked then, that she realized the sudden sadness in his eyes wasn’t just because he didn’t want to talk about those boring things.

She had hurt his heart—more than once. But those past hurts were left behind. From now on, they’d be okay.

Ji Ning comforted herself, and even more so, Jiang Cheng.

Next, she had to put Zhu Zhu to sleep.

They carried the baby back to their room.

After finishing washing up, on the large futon, Xiao Tuanzi rolled around. This was the baby’s last night at the forest homestay. She wanted to savor it because once they left, she wouldn’t get to sleep on a bed this big!

Zhu Zhu didn’t understand her parents.

She didn’t know how badly they wanted her to fall asleep, how much they wanted to go on another secret adventure.

"Wait a little longer," Ji Ning whispered to her, "rub your head and scratch your back, and it’ll be fine soon."

Jiang Cheng waited patiently.

Tonight, bedtime was especially hard. As time dragged on, watching Ji Ning scratch the baby’s back, he wondered, was their daughter a little monkey?

Finally, the room fell completely silent.

Zhu Zhu curled up into a tiny ball, her chubby legs soft and squishy, unresponsive to a gentle pinch.

Ji Ning watched her from behind and carefully started a video call.

The baby monitor was set up, and now the parents could go out on their date.

When the video call came through, Jiang Cheng rose from the couch.

His movements were light, but the little one on the big bed moved a lot.

The little one sat up, "Daddy's leaving? Let me see you off!"

Jiang Cheng: ?

For some reason, that night, Zhu Zhu was very excited.

It was the first time Ji Ning realized how hard it was to put the baby to sleep, and she eventually handed the task over to Jiang Cheng. She left Jiang Cheng and Zhu Zhu behind, turning away gracefully and even closing the door.

Jiang Cheng read her a picture book, his voice still gentle.

The first date after getting back together was canceled because of the little one’s inability to fall asleep. It was a long time before Xiao Tuanzi truly fell asleep.

He received a call from Tong Zhiqi, urging him to come down quickly.

Everyone had organized a small outdoor party by the backyard pool, a farewell ceremony that had been planned the night before.

Jiang Cheng agreed and opened the door to the room.

The corridor was pitch dark, and the downstairs living room had no lights on either. As he took his first step out, his peripheral vision caught the flicker of candlelight.

"It's exactly midnight in China."

"Happy birthday, Jiang Cheng."

Ji Ning held a small cake.

There was a candle on the cake. She walked over slowly, sang the Happy Birthday song, and let him make a wish.

As Jiang Cheng took the cake, he saw her scoop a small bit of cream with her hand and smear it on her face.

He didn't dodge the cream cake.

The next second, Ji Ning stood on her tiptoes.

She gave him a gentle kiss, ensuring she was absolutely sober.

She had no idea when this small cake was bought.

Due to the limited conditions, the cake wasn’t fancy or pretty. It was far less impressive than the cake she had prepared for his birthday many years ago.

But it was very sweet.

Years ago, Jiang Cheng made his first birthday wish and laughed at himself for wishing for something unrealistic.

Now, he made a second wish.

But he believed more than ever that even an unrealistic wish would come true.

……

On the last day of the trip, time was tight, and the schedule arranged by the production team was a bit scattered.

They went to many places.

In the morning, the celebrity guests visited Langkorn Rock Top, where the stunning rock paintings seemed to transport everyone back thousands of years. In the afternoon, they visited the beautiful Moer Castle, where the exotic atmosphere made time seem to slow down as they strolled. After arriving at Tobira, the guests hadn’t really tried the local delicacies, so they kept eating as they went along. Though their stomachs were full, their eyes were still hungry.

During the live broadcast, the guests struggled to hold back.

Holding onto a big secret without being able to stir up excitement, Tong Zhiqi glanced at Ji Ning and Jiang Cheng several times, wanting to say something, but was stopped by Passerby Actor Superstar, who tightly shut his mouth and sighed deeply.

"Poor 'Ji-Ning-Jiang' CP fans!" said Tong Zhiqi.

Qiao Yinyin gave him a resentful look.

Could CP fans be more pitiful than me? A poor career fan, helplessly watching my newly favored rising star fall in love!

Little Zhu Zhu’s favorite food was Tobira's jar yogurt.

The rich and thick yogurt, paired with local fruits, made every bite a multi-layered experience, and the baby couldn’t stop eating. The little one had yogurt smeared around her mouth like a little flower cat. She tilted her head with bright eyes, and before she could ask for another jar, her dad had already understood and handed her a new one.

The baby ate with great enjoyment, but after a few spoonfuls, her attention was caught by other delicacies.

She handed the unfinished jar of yogurt to her mom.

Ji Ning ate a couple of spoonfuls, found it a bit too sweet, and passed it to Jiang Cheng.

The family of three from the amateur group completed the relay.

"How come Mr. Jiang so naturally ate the yogurt that Ningning had eaten! Without even thinking, he took it right away. Is he hinting at something?"

"Isn’t the key point why Ningning so naturally handed it to him? What about boundaries? What happened to the sense of boundaries!"

"Do couples need boundaries? Only I find their interaction today a bit off? But oddly sweet. (Detective Cat.jpg)"

"I have a reasonable suspicion that our 'Ji Yicheng' couple has reached a happy ending (HE). Wahhhh, I've waited so long for this day."

Netizens, all acting like Sherlock Holmes, began to suspect their favorite couple was secretly treating them to sweet moments (fan service). After that, they took a shortcut and focused all their attention on Qiao Yinyin.

It's common knowledge that the career fans have given up, and from that, we can conclude that 'Ji Yicheng' really has a happy ending (HE)! The couple hasn't officially announced it yet, but the CP fans are already celebrating. It's like a festival in the fan community.

"Finally, our little Zhu Bao's parents are together. It's been a long time coming!"

"I wonder if little Zhu Bao knows!"

"The foolish one has foolish luck."

"Who's to say Zhu Bao is a fool? Our baby is smart."

"As we know, the baby didn't care that her parents have become a couple. From that, we can infer that in the baby's mind, they've always been a couple. So from the reunion until now, Mr. Jiang and Ningning have been quietly giving us sweet moments. My CP is truly real (szd)."

The show is so popular that the CP fans celebrating the happy ending pushed it to the trending list.

In the Yating Group in North City, Lin Li was reporting the progress of work to Fu Mingya.

It seemed that from the day the young miss returned home, Madam Fu's condition had slightly improved. She was willing to eat, undergo treatment, and return to work, becoming the work-first Fu Dong (chairwoman) she once was.

But at the same time, some things were slowly changing. Madam Fu still argued constantly with Ji Guoting, but she no longer watched the live streams, waiting like a spectator for her daughter to embarrass herself. That day, she even asked Lin Li to contact a lawyer to transfer part of her and her husband's property to Ji Ning.

Ji Ning's words hit Madam Fu's sore spot. She could waste away in bed for the rest of her life, but this so-called revenge would only hurt herself. In the end, Ji Guoting would get all the property and live a comfortable life in his later years. Though Fu Mingya didn't trust Ji Guoting or her daughter, she made a choice after weighing the options.

Lin Li glanced at the schedule and said, "Your 2 PM psychological consultation with Dr. Xia is confirmed."

Fu Mingya nodded.

After the report, Lin Li left the office in her high heels.

Although Fu Mingya no longer paid attention to the show, out of habit, Lin Li still watched variety show clips every day. Just now, during the truth or dare link-up segment of the show, the program team asked each guest to write down who they hoped to connect with on the whiteboard. When it was Tong Zhile's turn, she wrote her mother. However, during the mother-daughter link-up, Tong Zhiqi did not participate.

The netizens' comments floated across the screen.

"Children and mothers are not enemies, but there's no need for a dumpling-making segment just for the sake of a happy ending in the finale."

"Mutual respect and mutual blessings are already the best ending."

Lin Li closed the variety show clip and clicked over to the trending topics page.

Her contact with Ji Ning had always been limited, but Lin Li was very aware of the hardships Ji Ning had faced along the way. Madam Fu had once said that perhaps Ji Ning had not suffered enough, which was why she was so arrogant and willful. At that time, Lin Li had wanted to ask, "Is surviving a car accident and almost not making it considered not suffering?" But in the end, she didn't say anything. As an employee, she didn't dare to be so bold.

But fortunately, there were people who could live a bold life.

Letting go of everything, charging forward alone recklessly, forging a new path.

Born brilliant and dazzling.

……

The grandparents of little Zhu Zhu had always been trying to learn new things.

Old Jiang was just getting the hang of live comments and was now researching trending topics, asking his partner to explain what the "#" symbols on either side of the trending hashtags were.

Zhou Yanjun said he was focusing on the wrong thing.

He should take a look at what the content of the entry says.

Old Jiang pondered for a long time: "Is my son dating someone?"

"These days, who talks about ‘dating someone’ like some old fogy?" Zhou Yanjun said with a dismissive wave.

Old Jiang didn’t have time to argue with her.

The last time they were in North City, Jiang Cheng was dilly-dallying and couldn’t get things done. How did he suddenly become so capable in the blink of an eye?

"Can you be certain? Is it really true or not?"

"How would I know? Netizens are just making guesses. They're called CP fans, and they love to speculate, so it’s not certain..."

Jiang Songlin was a man of impatience. He couldn’t wait even for a moment and urged his wife to call their son.

"No, don’t call Jiang Cheng. What trick can he pull off?" Jiang Songlin decisively said, "Call Ningning instead."

Zhou Yanjun was thinking the same and opened her contact list to dial Ji Ning.

She always felt that whether it’s husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend, for a relationship to last, their personalities need to complement each other. Jiang Cheng was overly silent. To put it nicely, he was calm; to put it bluntly, he could drive you up the wall without even trying. Fortunately, Ji Ning called it like she saw it, and Zhou Yanjun got a definite answer soon after her call.

Jiang Songlin was keeping track of the time.

In just three seconds, his wife had found out everything.

"How was it?"

Zhou Yanjun couldn’t stop smiling.

At this point, there was no need to hear the answer. Jiang Songlin laughed out loud immediately.

"Wait, you just hung up the phone like that!" he added, "I didn’t even get to hear my granddaughter call me Grandpa."

Their heavy burden was completely lifted from their hearts. The old couple’s worries were gone, and while watching the show, even though they didn’t see anything particularly funny, they found themselves laughing first.

Meanwhile, Little Zhu Zhu finally seemed to sense that something was wrong. She looked around, blinking her eyes at her parents.

Xiao Tuanzi didn’t fully understand her parents' relationship issues but remembered that Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma had asked her several times to be their little helper.

"Dad," Little Zhu Zhu asked curiously, "Why didn’t you bring me to help this time?"

"If we brought you along, it wouldn’t work," Jiang Cheng said gently.

Little Zhu Zhu was very confused.

Dad didn’t seem to be complimenting her!

The guests’ journey in the past half-day felt like a hurried glimpse.

But there are a million ways to travel; as long as you’re happy, that’s what counts.

By the time they returned to the forest homestay, it was already 5 o’clock.

In Tobira, where summer lasted all year round, the sun had not yet set.

The celebrity guests had packed their belongings and placed them in the living room of the homestay.

Little Zhu Zhu pressed her face against the floor-to-ceiling window. She saw the little monkeys and waved to greet them.

"Is the squirrel not coming?"

"Can you ask the squirrel to come here?"

Tong Zhiqi, sitting next to her, couldn't help but butt in.

"Can the squirrel and the monkeys even understand people?"

"And in Mandarin too. Did they open an international school in the forest or what?"

"Hahahahahaha, the top male idol really put his foot in his mouth."

"No sarcasm about our little Zhu Bao!"

"The glass is really thick," Little Zhu Zhu said, "They can't hear us."

Tong Zhiqi was speechless.

"She had a point, which just made him feel like an idiot."

"Qi Qi Brother, shall we go to the forest to say goodbye to them?" Little Zhu Zhu asked in her baby voice.

Tong Zhiqi was taken aback.

What did she call him? She called him Qi Qi Brother!

"Let's go," said Tong Zhiqi, "Even if it's through fire or over knives, I'll carry you!"

Little Zhu Zhu shook her head, seemingly worried that Tong Zhiqi might get hurt, gently telling him that she didn't want to go through fire or over knives.

She'd have to head home soon.

"This is the last segment of the show," Tong Zhile called out to them, "Brother, bring back Zhu Zhu soon."

Tong Zhiqi's back stiffened, a lump forming in his throat.

A lump suddenly formed in his throat. He turned away from the camera, so the haters wouldn't have anything to make fun of.

"AAAAAAA the top male idol's dream came true, Lele called him brother, it's so emotional."

"So good, this emotional repair show, two groups had a kind of sad ending, three groups had a good ending, so perfect."

"Actually, four groups got a happy ending, two groups from the dating show, one group of siblings, and another group of the film emperor and his fan! In the final moments of the show, it was heard that former idol Qiao Yinyin received a script from a production team, isn't that good news?"

...

In the last segment of the show, unlike the previous two episodes.

This time, the crew also edited highlights, behind-the-scenes footage, and post-interviews. Director Tao mentioned that the clip compilation would be uploaded to his personal account, and netizens were welcome to watch, share, comment, and participate in the interaction.

Ji Ning and Qiao Yinyin exchanged glances and immediately started their playful banter.

"Not posting on the official blog? Someone's trying to boost their followers!"

"How much followers do you think they'll gain?"

"Director Tao scratching his head: Sigh, is it that obvious?"

"Hahahaha, after watching the highlights, remember to unfollow, oh."

"Fun fact, you can watch the videos without following the host (doge)."

"Ouch! Our chief director clearly isn't stirring up trouble and looks decent, so give him a follow."

"Shocking! Someone actually praised the chief director for looking decent. He just has normal facial features. Do variety show chief directors really have fans now?"

"Ahem—" Tao Shaorong's little scheme was exposed, and he quickly changed the subject, "Now, I invite the celebrity guests to come and receive their annual usage report from the show."

This was a unique format; Tao Shaorong had innovated something new.

The celebrity guests went up one by one to receive their annual reports with their names on them. Zhu Zhu was at the back, still confused, peeking to see what was happening. A PD sister handed her one.

"Here's yours too, Zhu Zhu."

The paper copy of the show's annual report added a real sense of ceremony.

The background music in the live stream became gentle and soothing. The celebrity guests were a bit surprised; was the emotional part starting now?

The large wall clock at the forest homestay ticked as the second hand moved the minute hand.

At this moment, the celebrity guests realized that the show was about to wrap up.

The sibling duo opened their respective annual reports.

"On the day the show premiered, you stayed up late," Tong Zhiqi said, "For the first time, you and your sister were crammed into a small room. Even when caring, you had to hide behind harsh words. Were you also sad?"

"By the end of the second episode, you put on your headphones and left Xue Ling," Tong Zhile looked down at the words on the usage report, "Were you thinking of home, or wondering how nice it would be if the two siblings had never been apart and could go home together."

The background music flowed.

Ding Muyun also opened her annual report.

The production team had asked the film queen earlier if there was anything that shouldn't be mentioned in the final segment. She had shaken her head and told them that every journey had been truly lived. If even the traces of Xiang Xinghui in just a few episodes were to be erased, then the past twenty years would seem like a joke.

Therefore, at this moment, in this annual report, Ding Muyun saw traces of Xiang Xinghui and Brother Zhouzhou. She had laughed and cried, making it an unforgettable and special experience on her journey, that she would cherish and confront.

Zhang Yanxi's annual report was short.

He looked at it again and again; every bit was precious. When he closed the report, he caught a glimpse of Qiao Yinyin's report.

It was even shorter, only two pages.

"No sincerity," Qiao Yinyin said, "This is such a letdown!"

Though she complained about the production team's lack of sincerity, she still opened her suitcase and carefully placed the report inside.

Qiao Yinyin's trip here was about chasing her idol and chasing her dreams. There were always people who could shine brightly, so why couldn't she be that person!

"I've decided," Qiao Yinyin said to Ji Ning, "In the future, I'm going to be the number one fan leader."

"You two can battle it out," Qiao Yinyin said proudly with a raised chin.

Ji Ning and Jiang Cheng's annual reports did not overlap in content.

They sat together, flipping through the pages, watching silently.

Photos were stuck in the report, tiny like sticky notes.

Ji Ning looked serious: "This was the first time we cooked for Little Zhu Zhu. We made a tomato scrambled egg that was missing in color, aroma, and flavor!"

The tomato scrambled egg was really awful.

But Little Zhu Zhu said she loved it anyway.

Jiang Cheng smiled and turned another page: "The three of us rode the small train together at the mall in Nanwang Courtyard."

At that time, they were on the verge of parting ways.

Little Zhu Zhu was still calling him "Uncle Jiang." Jiang Cheng knew life would soon return to normal, and after the show, he had to tell them the truth.

Unexpectedly, that night under the starry sky, Little Zhu Zhu guessed the truth first.

It turned out that for her, dad was also very important. She kept confirming it, her sweet smile forever etched in Jiang Cheng's heart.

"We even signed up for a membership card for the small train."

"We can go again next time."

"No, I've lost the card!"

"Should we get another one?"

Tong Zhiqi laughed: "Why don't you just buy the entire train!"

"Do you like it?" Jiang Cheng asked Ji Ning sincerely.

Buy a train to ride until the end of time?

She already felt dizzy after spending the entire afternoon in the mall.

"..." Ji Ning shook her head like a rattle drum, "I don't like it, and you're not allowed to buy it!"

The three episodes of the show made them feel like they had been on a long journey.

On this journey, the amateur group journeyed together, uncovering many unknowns, summarized in the program team's annual report, preserved permanently.

Ji Ning lowered her voice when mentioning the small train.

They didn't want Little Zhu Zhu to hear; the small train was way cooler than Uncle Motorbike's motorcycle, she would definitely go crazy for it.

Xiao Tuanzi didn't pay attention to her parents' conversation.

Little Zhu Zhu, acting like a little adult, held her report with both hands, looking very intently.

The little one couldn't read yet, but she could look at the pictures.

It seemed like the program team put extra effort into the baby's report. Besides the photos, there were also many drawings.

Little Zhu Zhu received shiny gold chocolate coins and gave them to her mom, who hugged her tightly; the embrace was so warm.

It was the first time on the show that Little Zhu Zhu met her dad, and she was lifted high by him to look at a job posting on a pole, about to become the factory's treasure.

She played pretend games with Sister Siran and Sister Manyin, and had a paper airplane flying competition in the snow with the sibling duo.

Zhu Zhu also became friends with Brother Zhouzhou, and together they played with toys of Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee... Later, the amateur group and the actress team had a snowball fight that ended in a tie.

Growing up in Yongrui Village, Zhu Zhu made her way back to her parents' side and saw the outside world.

"This time, it's really time to say goodbye," Ding Muyun sighed emotionally.

Little Tuanzi lowered her head.

Her parents noticed she was crying, quietly shedding tears.

Ji Ning cupped Zhu Zhu's little face.

Zhu Zhu knew that the adults in the Zhao family didn't like crying children.

The strong little girl could walk a long, long way all by herself.

Even if she was scared, sad, or in pain, she would clench her tiny teeth tightly, not letting the tears fall.

But now, it was time to say goodbye.

She felt a little reluctant, quietly wiping away her tears with her chubby little hand.

"Why are you crying so softly?" Ji Ning helped Zhu Zhu wipe her tears.

This was the first time viewers saw a child being encouraged by her parents to cry a little louder.

Zhu Zhu, bewildered, looked downcast, and after what seemed like a long time, her silent cry turned into a "wah" cry.

The cry of the child was like a baby crying out to the world.

And the love of her parents soothed Zhu Zhu's little heart.

"Waaah, our little Zhu Bao is finally crying, this seems to be the first time we've seen her cry."

"How can a kid be even cute when crying, last chance to rua!"

"Don't cry, don't cry, dry your tears, okay?"

"Before we were urging the baby to cry, now we're telling her not to, how hard she is to please!"

On the live broadcast screen, the countdown timer to the start of the show began to appear.

Ten, nine, eight...

The camera slowly swept across the smiles of each guest as they bid farewell one by one.

How silly.

Finally, the camera focused on the amateur group.

Zhu Zhu was stunned because her mom said she would buy her a little train.

"Say goodbye to the audience," Jiang Cheng said gently.

Ji Ning waved at the camera, and when she lowered her hand, her hand was tightly held in his.

Little Tuanzi was about to become a little train conductor, smiling through her tears as she let out a hiccuping cry: "Goodbye!"

The show began its countdown—

Three, two, one!

The live stream went completely dark.

"Saying goodbye to little Zhu Zhu, baby, take care of yourself, and everyone in the family, take care!"

"Waiting for Ji Ning's new projects and movies."

"Hang in there, movie queen, wishing you all the best in your divorce proceedings!"

"Hey brother and sister, stop fighting and be loving siblings."

"Can't wait to see what the faded movie star does next, don't bully your sister, or I'll definitely turn from a casual fan to a hater."

"Ying Ying, you can do it! Looking forward to the day you become the top fan leader!"

"Although I'm reluctant, it's really time to say goodbye (bye-bye.gif)"

...

The show officially ended, and Ji Ning couldn't remember how many times she had said goodbye.

The staff were exhausted, and the celebrity guests thanked them and gave them hugs. The show's success was thanks to everyone, both in front of and behind the cameras.

Tao Shaorong wiped away his tears.

The celebrity guests handed him tissues and consoled him for a bit.

"It's all good," said the assistant director. "He cries every time."

It was because he poured his heart into every show that made saying goodbye so hard.

Nobody was quite used to this kind of scene.

Little Zhu Zhu was full of thoughts about the little train, holding her small hands to her chest, looking adorably obedient.

"Don't forget about the little train, Mom and Dad."

Ji Ning said they needed to install tracks for the little train. When they got home, they should ask the property management if it was possible.

Jiang Cheng had an idea: "Baby, how about we move to a new house?"

They could move to a house with a yard, where Zhu Zhu could set up as many train tracks as she wanted.

She could have a whole fleet of cars.

"But you gotta ask Mom if she's up for moving."

Ji Ning said, "Mr. Jiang, it's not that easy!"

By the time the family got to the airport, they still hadn't figured it out.

Jiang Cheng finally had a real little sidekick.

The little one helped him with relentless persuasion, egging on Mom to move, so that in the future, the three of them could live together forever and ever!

As for Jiang Cheng himself, he had never thought about taking shortcuts.

There were many issues that needed to be resolved, and the first and most urgent one was the potential conflict caused by living in different places.

He would come to North City, to be by Ji Ning and Zhu Zhu's side, right by their side.

"Should we get engaged first?"

"You're dreaming if you think that. We can't skip steps."

Jiang Cheng said seriously.

Before the proposal, there should be dates, and they needed to properly date...

"Will you accept it?" Before she could answer, he confidently said, "You will."

Ji Ning looked up.

Someone was getting cocky.

Jiang Cheng: "Don't you agree?"

"Pfft!"

Ji Ning laughed out loud and ran toward little Zhu Zhu, who was looking out the window at the planes on the tarmac.

Hearing the footsteps, Xiao Tuanzi turned around.

The planes taxied, took off, and after landing, taxied again, carrying passengers to distant known destinations, reaching every corner of the world.

With her parents by her side, Zhu Zhu was heading toward an unknown future.

When they returned to North City, they would welcome the new year, celebrating New Year's Day.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the little one would wear new clothes as firecrackers rang out, growing one year older.

The parents' careers were about to enter a new chapter.

Zhu Zhu would also start kindergarten, leaving her illiteracy behind.

Every day brought something new, and every future moment was worth anticipating.

The most important thing was that they were together as a family.

Zhu Zhu stretched out her little arms and gave her parents a big hug—

Forever and ever, together!