I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 85
“What’s been up with you these past few days? Why do you keep looking so absent-minded?”
Rong Duanjing saw Zhou Youling spacing out again and couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you always daydreaming? What are you thinking about?”
Zhou Youling snapped back to reality and shook her head. “It’s nothing, maybe I’m just a little tired.”
“Are you too exhausted from all the restaurant stuff?” Rong Duanjing pressed.
Zhou Youling’s Food and Color in B City was one of the hottest restaurants this summer. For most people in B City, whenever they mentioned going out to eat, Food and Color was always their first choice. So as the person in charge, Zhou Youling had poured a lot of effort into the restaurant. Plus, she also had to manage the restaurant in Nanzhou City, so right now Zhou Youling was really stretched thin.
At this moment, a certain someone’s figure flashed through Zhou Youling’s mind. She subconsciously shook her head, not wanting to dwell on it any further.
Rong Duanjing said, “Take it easy, don’t wear yourself out.”
Zhou Youling nodded. “Alright.”
She said she’d take it easy, but that very day Zhou Youling went out again to shoot gourmet videos.
The gourmet videos Huo Lianghan made for Zhou Youling officially went online last week. Honestly, the response to the first episode wasn’t as explosive as Huo Lianghan had expected. But it did bring him some traffic. Huo Lianghan felt that putting your heart into things was never wrong.
After filming wrapped up today, Huo Lianghan handed Zhou Youling some comments from netizens.
Zhou Youling had been busy with her own restaurant lately. When the show first aired, she clicked on the video and thought Huo Lianghan’s filming was really good. Zhou Youling had no bad angles in front of Huo Lianghan’s camera; even she couldn’t help but want to lick the screen.
Sure enough, the netizens’ comments were very consistent:
[What kind of peerless fairy is this? Is she really here to cook?]
[Honestly, I was too busy looking at her face, I didn’t even watch her making noodles.]
[Same here, 233333]
[It’s a pity she’s not a beauty blogger.]
[Her skin is so flawless, I’m jealous.]
Huo Lianghan smiled and said to Zhou Youling, “The netizens have me doubting my life too. Maybe you’re better suited for beauty videos?”
After all, no one could deny that Zhou Youling’s looks were on par with today’s celebrities. Fashionable beauty videos seemed to suit her even more.
Zhou Youling shook her head. “If it were beauty videos, I wouldn’t do it even if you killed me.”
She wasn’t interested in that. Though she found all the makeup stuff intriguing, it just wasn’t as fun as gourmet food.
After working with Huo Lianghan for a while, Zhou Youling had gained some understanding of video production and knew how much time and effort it required. Although the first episode didn’t go viral, it was much better than Zhou Youling had expected. She’d always lacked confidence, thinking she was just an ordinary person and wouldn’t attract much attention. She hadn’t expected the “Gourmet Chronicles” account to have so many loyal fans.
Huo Lianghan scratched his head and said to Zhou Youling, “It’s my fault, I didn’t do a good job.”
Zhou Youling reached out and patted Huo Lianghan’s shoulder. “What are you saying? Don’t be so down!”
Huo Lianghan blushed and said, “Alright! No more being down!”
After filming, they ate at Food and Color.
Today was Monday, but during summer vacation, there was basically no difference between weekdays and weekends. Business was booming every day.
Zhou Youling was in a hurry to get home to see her son, so she didn’t plan to have dinner here. As usual, she did a quick inspection of the restaurant before leaving, and just as she was about to go, she saw her own staff stopping some guests at the entrance.
“Sorry, but your attire is a bit… it might affect the other guests,” a waiter said.
Zhou Youling glanced at the two people standing opposite the waiter.
One was old, one was young, both dressed in ragged clothes. The old lady looked about sixty or seventy, and the younger one’s gender was unclear, but seemed to be around ten years old.
The child walked up to the waiter and said, “Sorry…”
After that, the old and the young turned to leave.
Zhou Youling frowned, puzzled, and asked, “What’s going on?”
The waiter saw it was Boss Zhou and whispered in her ear, “Boss Zhou, other guests complained that they were too dirty… It was affecting their appetite.”
Zhou Youling chuckled softly and shook her head helplessly.
She bent down in front of the child and asked, “Little one, what this big brother says doesn’t count. Elder sister has the final say. You two can come in and eat.”
The child’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Of course it’s true.”
The child said, “Elder sister, today is my grandma’s seventieth birthday. I saved up money to bring her out to eat.”
But they hadn’t expected that after sitting down in the restaurant for just a short while, they’d be kicked out.
“Seventieth birthday!” Zhou Youling turned and nodded slightly to the old lady. “Grandma, happy birthday.”
The old lady’s face showed a shy smile. She waved her hand and said, “I’ve got one foot in the grave already, but this kid insisted on dragging me out to eat.”
The child quickly said, “Grandma, I used my own saved money!”
The old lady looked a bit displeased. “Can’t you save the money to buy yourself some clothes or books? Did you really have to come out for a meal?”
The little one was sensible after all. Hearing her grandmother say this, her eyes filled with tears.
The old lady took the little one’s hand and said, “Come on, don’t be so greedy for food!”
“I’m not greedy for food! I just want grandma to have a good meal! Just this once!” the little one said.
With a “smack,” the old lady slapped the little one. “Why are you being so immature now? Do you even have enough money to order a dish here? Where did you learn about celebrating birthdays? I’ve never celebrated a birthday in my whole life.”
The little one sniffled. “It’s because you’ve never had a birthday that I want to celebrate one for you.”
“You!”
Though the old lady scolded her, her eyes were also brimming with tears.
The grandmother and granddaughter soon ended up crying together.
Zhou Youling felt truly uncomfortable watching this and walked over to the pair. “You two are in luck today. Our restaurant just happens to have a promotion–any customer whose birthday is today gets a free meal!”
The little one was half-convinced, tilting her head and asking Zhou Youling in disbelief, “Really?”
Zhou Youling looked into the little one’s pure eyes and nodded solemnly. “Of course it’s true!”
The little one immediately grabbed her grandmother’s hand, her face full of excitement. “Grandma! Look! We’re really lucky today!”
The old lady sighed and said to the child, “Don’t you know she’s just trying to make you happy? There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”
As she spoke, the old lady turned to Zhou Youling and thanked her. “Thank you for your kindness. I’m really sorry to trouble you.”
Seeing that her words didn’t seem convincing enough, Zhou Youling signaled to the waiter nearby.
The waiter was clever and immediately walked over to the old lady, saying, “It’s true. We just didn’t know you were celebrating a birthday. If you’d mentioned it earlier, there wouldn’t have been any misunderstanding.”
Zhou Youling followed up, “Take them to a private room.”
The waiter nodded. “Alright.”
Seeing the grandmother and granddaughter head to the private room, Zhou Youling called over another waiter and said, “Go prepare a cake and deliver it to the guests in that private room.”
Zhou Youling didn’t rush home, her mind still on the grandmother and granddaughter.
When the cake was ready, Zhou Youling and the waiter brought the birthday cake into the private room together.
When the old lady saw the cake with candles, her eyes filled with tears. In her whole life, this was the first time she had ever had a birthday cake of her own.
The little one beside her thanked them repeatedly and joined the staff in singing the birthday song.
The whole private room was filled with warmth.
At last, the old lady believed it was all real. She stood up and walked over to Zhou Youling, saying, “Thank you.”
As she spoke, she was about to kneel before Zhou Youling.
Zhou Youling couldn’t accept this and quickly helped the old lady up. “Grandma, today is your seventieth birthday. I’m just lucky to be a part of it.”
All along, Zhou Youling had great respect for the elderly. Although today was the old lady’s seventieth birthday, she looked much older than seventy. Her back was bent, her body thin and shriveled, clearly someone who had worked hard all her life.
After leaving the private room, Zhou Youling specifically instructed all the staff again that in the future, they must never drive away guests in similar situations.
Seeing it was getting late, Zhou Youling hurried home, but as soon as she stepped out of the restaurant, a pair of small hands tugged at her clothes.
It was the little one from before. She looked up at Zhou Youling and said, “Elder sister, thank you.”
Zhou Youling smiled and bent down. “You’re welcome, little one. What’s your name? How old are you this year?”
“My name is Mu Yexin. I’m thirteen years old.”
Mu Yexin said this and bowed to Zhou Youling again, expressing her thanks once more. “Thank you, Elder sister!”
Zhou Youling never would have guessed the little one was already thirteen.
Thirteen is the age for junior high school, but in Zhou Youling’s experience, thirteen-year-olds were already quite big. The child before her looked, at most, ten years old.
Zhou Youling reached out and touched Mu Yexin’s short hair. “Why don’t you grow your hair long?”
Mu Yexin scratched her head and said, “Long hair needs to be washed, and we don’t have shampoo at home.”
That was why her hair was cropped short, making her look like a boy.
Zhou Youling felt a pang in her heart, but still smiled and said, “Where are your mom and dad? Why didn’t they come to celebrate grandma’s birthday today?”
Mu Yexin smiled and said, “I don’t have a mom or dad. Grandma raised me. When I was very little, I was abandoned at a garbage dump, and grandma picked me up and brought me home.”
Hearing this, Zhou Youling felt even more uncomfortable.
“Grandma is truly great,” Zhou Youling said with emotion.
She had always thought things like this only happened in TV dramas, but today it had happened in her own restaurant. Thinking about it, Zhou Youling felt a bit lucky–thankful that she had met this grandmother and granddaughter today and could do a little something to help them.
Mu Yexin nodded. “Yes, grandma is the best person in the world! That’s why I saved up money to celebrate her birthday. Ever since I was little, grandma has celebrated my birthday every year, but she’s never had one herself. So I thought, I wanted to bring grandma to the most famous restaurant in B City for a nice meal.”
As she spoke, Mu Yexin took money out of her own pocket and handed it to Zhou Youling. “Elder sister, I know today’s meal isn’t free. This is all the money I have. See if it’s enough. If it’s not, I’ll save up and pay you back later.”
Zhou Youling held Mu Yexin’s hand and shook her head. “I said, this meal is free. You don’t believe me?”
After much insistence, Zhou Youling still didn’t take Mu Yexin’s money.
It was at this moment that Zhou Youling had the idea to start a charity. She never lacked money to spend, but some people couldn’t even afford a meal.
Zhou Youling said to Mu Yexin, “You must study hard and become someone useful to society in the future, to repay your grandmother.”
Mu Yexin nodded and said, “I also want to be like Elder sister.”
“Like me?” Zhou Youling was a bit puzzled.
Mu Yexin said to Zhou Youling, “Elder sister is a good person. I know you’re helping me and grandma today. So I think, when I grow up, I want to be like Elder sister, someone capable who can help others.”
Zhou Youling had never thought that her words and actions could change a person.
Doing a little good not only brings warmth to others, but Zhou Youling herself felt as if her heart was filled with honey.
But it was still a bit sigh-inducing–such a lovely little girl was actually an abandoned child.
If it hadn’t been for the old grandmother’s rescue and care back then, would this girl’s life have quietly disappeared from the world?
Back home, Zhou Youling told Rong Huiying what had happened in the restaurant. After hearing it, Rong Huiying was deeply moved. “Ah, there really are so many pitiful people in this world.”
Thinking of that grandmother and granddaughter, Zhou Youling couldn’t help but sigh again. “How could there be such heartless parents in this world? To abandon such a lovely little girl. I think that girl is sensible, cute, and very smart–truly lovable.”
Zhou Youling could see clearly that although Mu Yexin’s clothes were ragged and her hair was cropped short, her features were very delicate. With a little grooming, she would definitely be a little beauty.
Especially since Zhou Youling had her own child now, she felt even more that as a mother, no matter what, she could never abandon the precious child who came from her own body. Like now, if Zhou Youling didn’t see Mumu for even a day, she would miss him terribly.
Looking at the little one sleeping soundly in the crib, Zhou Youling couldn’t help but lean over and rub his little face with the tip of her nose. So soft and tender, she couldn’t get enough of him.
Rong Huiying said, “In life, there are always all kinds of hardships, but abandoning a child is truly heartless. If you don’t want a child, don’t have one. If you do, you have to take responsibility. No matter how hard it is, it’s not that difficult to give a child a meal.”
Zhou Youling sighed softly, looking at little Mumu in the crib.
That night, Zhou Youling made a small decision. She contacted Huo Lianghan, wanting to redefine the meaning of their food videos.
Huo Lianghan was very happy to hear Zhou Youling’s thoughts, and the two immediately started a video call.
Zhou Youling said, “Rather than simply filming food videos, why don’t we combine them with charity?”
Huo Lianghan said, “Go on, I’m listening.”
Zhou Youling said, “We can look for some ordinary people, like the ones I met today who can’t even afford to go to a restaurant. We can bring our own kitchenware and ingredients, cook a meal for them, and in the end, I’ll provide a small charitable donation. Of course, all of this would be based on their voluntary participation in the filming. Do you think this plan would work?”
Huo Lianghan was overjoyed after hearing this, and all his previous frustrations disappeared.
He strongly agreed with Zhou Youling’s proposal and immediately prepared to adjust their future shoots.
Seeing Huo Lianghan so confident in her suggestion, Zhou Youling instead felt a bit unsure. “Do you really think my idea will work?”
“It will! Absolutely!” Huo Lianghan said. “Let’s go for it!”
“Okay!”
Everything suddenly became clear, and they seemed even more confident about the upcoming shoots.
Huo Lianghan seized the momentum and found Zhou Youling the very next day.
Zhou Youling took Huo Lianghan to find the grandmother and granddaughter, explaining the filming plan to them and hoping they would agree.
When Mu Yexin saw it was Zhou Youling, she agreed without hesitation.
The old grandmother had no objections, only saying, “I’m just afraid the environment here is too poor, and you won’t be able to handle it.”
Zhou Youling said, “We won’t mind.”
Huo Lianghan looked around.
The grandmother and granddaughter lived right next to a garbage dump, in a very simple brick house that looked like it could collapse with a gust of wind.
B City is also a coastal city, and every summer there are always typhoons. Such a house probably couldn’t withstand a strong wind.
Just then, the meteorological bureau reported that a tropical storm was forming into a typhoon and heading toward our coast.
Even as a grown man, Huo Lianghan couldn’t help but feel sorry for them in such living conditions.
He squatted down and asked Mu Yexin, “Have you grown up here since you were little?”
Mu Yexin nodded.
Huo Lianghan suddenly felt that if his Weibo traffic could bring some change to this grandmother and granddaughter, it would be a good deed.
They got right to work, and the filming went very smoothly that day.
Rather than a food video, it felt more like shooting a documentary.
Huo Lianghan didn’t use any script. He carried the camera himself, filming the living environment of the grandparent and grandchild, then recorded Zhou Youling making her dishes, and finally, everyone sat together for a joyful meal, chatting about daily life.
There were no bitter complaints, no deliberate attempts to evoke pity–just the most genuine record.
But what Huo Lianghan never expected was that once the video went online, it quickly trended and drew widespread attention.
Netizens’ focus was all over the place:
[Suddenly, food videos feel meaningful…]
[Oh my, I actually cried watching this!]
[I just want to know, if the child had been a boy, would that couple still have abandoned such a cute, sensible, and kind Mu Yexin?]
[Mu Yexin, Elder sister loves you, Elder sister wants to donate money to you!]
What made Zhou Youling happy was that netizens’ attention was no longer on her face.
This kind of food video, for Zhou Youling, might be what truly holds meaning.
For Zhou Youling, life seemed to have a brand new beginning. She had a lovely son, her career was progressing smoothly, and her relationship with her parents was harmonious.
So, inevitably, others started nitpicking, trying to find small faults with her.
For example:
“Are you really not planning to date again?”
Zhou Youling hugged her head with both hands. “Give me a break! I really have no interest in that right now.”
Rong Duanjing, with nothing better to do, loved to gossip about family matters, and she especially liked persuading Zhou Youling to date. “Isn’t it boring to be alone? Fall in love, soak yourself in a honey jar, life will be so much more fun.”
Zhou Youling said, “I’m not alone, am I? I have Mumu, my parents, two restaurants, and my Weibo fans keep growing–I really don’t have time for anything else. As for romance, I’ve lived so many years without it, so I’m not expecting much.”
Rong Duanjing squinted at Zhou Youling and said, “Then why were you so absent-minded lately? Wasn’t it because of relationship troubles?”
Zhou Youling avoided Rong Duanjing’s gaze. “I told you, I’ve just been too busy lately.”
But as soon as she finished speaking, Fu Xunzhou’s image flashed through Zhou Youling’s mind.
That day, Zhou Youling and Fu Xunzhou shared a kiss in Nanzhou City, and it made her dream about it for several nights in a row.
Zhou Youling had to admit, Fu Xunzhou was quite skilled at kissing. That day, she was lost in his kiss, her legs went weak, and she even forgot to pull away. If not for his overstepping actions, she might really have fallen in too deep to escape.
What ended that kiss was a slap from Zhou Youling.
With a crisp “smack,” Zhou Youling slapped Fu Xunzhou across the face.
Fu Xunzhou was stunned, staring at her, confusion in his eyes, but he wasn’t angry.
That slap left Zhou Youling a bit dazed. She wanted to flee in panic, but Fu Xunzhou grabbed her wrist.
They returned to B City together, with Fu Xunzhou personally driving Zhou Youling home.
Neither spoke the whole way, not even while waiting for the elevator in the neighborhood.
Lately, Zhou Youling had been avoiding Fu Xunzhou. She knew full well he lived here, but she was always on guard. Still, it was hard not to run into him–one careless moment and she’d bump into him at the elevator, like tonight.
Tonight, after finishing up at the restaurant as usual, Zhou Youling ran into Fu Xunzhou at the elevator.
For a moment, Zhou Youling wondered if Fu Xunzhou was deliberately waiting for her here.
They got in the elevator, still silent.
Zhou Youling watched the numbers on the display climb, never expecting that when it reached the eighth floor, the elevator suddenly stopped moving.
After a while, it still didn’t budge.
Nervous, Zhou Youling instinctively asked Fu Xunzhou, “Is it broken?”
Fu Xunzhou nodded, unfazed. “Probably.”
After speaking, Fu Xunzhou calmly picked up the elevator’s emergency button and coolly reported their situation.
The person on the other end told them to wait and said someone would be sent to fix it right away.
In the enclosed space, Zhou Youling suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Her back was pressed tightly against the elevator wall, unable to believe this was happening to her.
Fu Xunzhou was only a step away from Zhou Youling. Suddenly, he walked over and pulled her into his arms.
Zhou Youling instinctively struggled. “Let me go!”
“No,” Fu Xunzhou said calmly.
Unable to break free from Fu Xunzhou’s grip, Zhou Youling angrily stomped on his foot. “Let me go!”
“I won’t,” Fu Xunzhou lowered his head, looking at the person in his arms. “Because you’re scared.”
