1.3

The original owner had suffered immense loss, first losing her husband and then her son years later. Unable to endure the grief a second time, she took her own life.

In the nanny car, Yin Yin awoke with a sigh. The atmosphere of this family was heavy with tragedy.

It had been four years since the original owner married Su Mo, and their child, Dudu, was now three. The original owner had been tirelessly filming, staying up for days at a time to achieve the perfect shot, leaving her body almost exhausted.

Suddenly, Yin Yin's eyes sharpened as a thought struck her. She turned to her assistant in the passenger seat and asked, "Aili, is there any gossip about me and Liang Sheng today?"

Aili, Yin Yin's female assistant of several years, replied, "Yes, Sister Yin Yin, there has been some gossip recently."

Yin Yin asked casually, "How did the company handle it?"

Aili hesitated before answering, "The company hasn't addressed it."

Yin Yin's eyes flicked up, her gaze becoming piercing. Aili sensed a shift in Yin Yin's demeanor and responded, "Sister Yin Yin, you always said not to pay attention to those rumors."

Yin Yin realized that while the original owner had been thick-skinned and indifferent to such gossip, she couldn't afford the same detachment.

"I'll send you a recording later. Please forward it to the company and have them clarify the scandal involving Liang Sheng. And include any other rumors as well."

Aili was taken aback. It was unusual for Yin Yin, who usually ignored rumors, to suddenly demand clarification. Could it be that Liang Sheng had overstepped? Or was it related to someone else—namely Su Mo?

Yin Yin had married Su Mo and had a child, Dudu. Aside from the company, her agent, and Aili, no one else knew about her family. Despite this, the original owner's focus had always been on her career, not on Su Mo or Dudu.

So, Aili quickly dismissed the possibility that the request was for Su Mo's sake and assumed it must be Liang Sheng's fault. She didn't probe further, following her role as an assistant.

"Understood, Sister Yin Yin. I'll take care of it right away."

Yin Yin nodded and added, "Make sure no one with ulterior motives gets close to me in the future. I don't want Su Mo and Dudu to get the wrong idea."

The original owner was a celebrated movie queen with numerous admirers, but she had never cared much about the consequences of such attention before.

Aili's eyes widened in surprise. It was rare for Yin Yin to mention Su Mo and Dudu, and it seemed she felt a sense of obligation towards them.

Yin Yin continued, "The filming for this project is complete. I plan to take a break for a while, so Brother Shen won't need to cover for me."

Aili was further astonished. Given Yin Yin's stature, she had the luxury of choosing her roles rather than being chosen for them. The idea of her needing to take on a new role was intriguing.

Yin Yin added, "Let Brother Shen know that if he has any noteworthy scripts for supporting or leading roles, I'd like to hear about them."

Aili was even more puzzled. Who could the script be for? It couldn't be for Su Mo—he had been out of the industry for four years.

"Okay, Sister Yin Yin. I'll inform Brother Shen."

---------

"Give me the phone."

Ellie handed over the phone, and Yin Yin quickly searched for Su Mo's number in her address book and dialed it.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is powered off..."

The cold, mechanical voice of the phone letting her know it was turned off struck Yin Yin as unusual. It had never happened before.

The original owner was always busy with filming and rarely made the effort to call back. Even when Su Mo and Dudu called, she often couldn't answer due to her work or had little to say before having to hang up. Yet, Su Mo and Dudu were always waiting for her calls and never turned off their phones.

What could be wrong?

"Ellie, head to Jing'an Garden," Yin Yin instructed. Whether something was wrong or not, she needed to go home.

She glanced at the text messages on the phone in her hand, noting with a sigh that it had been over a month since their last contact.

During their last video call, Dudu had seemed hesitant and shy, trying to say something to her, but before he could, the director had called her back to set. The original owner had merely said, "I'll contact you later," and ended the call.

Now, "contact me later" had stretched to over a month.

Su Mo and Dudu hadn't reached out, possibly out of disappointment or a desire not to intrude on her busy life.

Yin Yin opened Weibo and saw the scandal involving Liang Sheng at the top of the trending list. The ambiguous photos made her face darken. Liang Sheng's scheming was infuriating, and she felt a pang of regret for the original owner's brazen attitude.

Even though Su Mo hadn't called her, she knew he was still keeping track of her. His love for her meant he must be deeply hurt by these rumors.

He was the kind of gentle man who kept his pain to himself, not wanting to add to her troubles. He might be feeling insecure and worried, but he wouldn't blame her.

Determined to address this, Yin Yin opened her personal Weibo, composed a message, and posted it. Clarifying things with her husband was a personal responsibility, separate from the company's obligations.

Putting away her phone, Yin Yin gazed out the car window, trying to remember what Dudu had wanted to say during their last call. As her eyes drifted across a shop, she had a sudden realization.

So, this was what Dudu wanted to tell her.

With a newfound idea, she opened WeChat, drafted a message, and sent a photo. She didn't relax until she received confirmation from the recipient.

<<<<<

The car soon arrived at Jing'an Garden.

"Madam, you're back?" The nanny was surprised to see Yin Yin but quickly composed herself.

Yin Yin removed her sunglasses and surveyed the villa, noticing the absence of its occupants. "Where are Mr. Su and Dudu?"

"Young Master Dudu is at kindergarten. Mr. Su got a call from the school and went there right away."

Yin Yin's brow furrowed. "What happened to Dudu?"

"I heard Young Master Dudu had a fight with his classmates."

So, Dudu had had a conflict at school, prompting the teacher to call Su Mo.

"I understand. Aunt Zhang, I'm going to pick up Dudu and his father from kindergarten. Please prepare lunch, and we'll be back to eat later."

"Alright." Aunt Zhang watched as Yin Yin left, a slight sigh escaping her lips.

(End of this chapter)