"I’m going to give you a lesson on behalf of your father today, you unfilial daughter."
Rujia Zhang stepped forward and raised her hand to slap Qin Mu.
Young and agile, Qin Mu quickly dodged to one side as Rujia Zhang swung her hand.
It happened in an instant, Rujia Zhang, off-balance from the force of her unmet slap, fell askew onto the cold, hard floor.
That cry, characteristically of an older person, immediately drew the attention of all the studio workers, who could no longer remain seated. They stood up one by one, looking towards the staircase.
There lay the once haughty lady sprawled on the ground, one hand over her head as she hadn’t had time to retract it after the slap and was now too pained to quickly pull back, and the other hand fiercely clutching her back, her face twisted with severe pain.
Seeing Rujia Zhang’s condition, Qin Mingzhu felt both embarrassed and scared, but instinctively ran up to her.
"Mom, how are you? Are you alright?"
"Call an ambulance, quickly."
Rujia Zhang struggled to get those few words out.
"Bitch, call an ambulance for my mom now."
Kneeling on the ground, Qin Mingzhu cradled her mother, looking up frantically at Qin Mu, demanding.
Qin Mu, with her head lowered, gave a cold glance before turning and heading upstairs.
The people on the first floor naturally did not want to meddle further. They had never seen such an elder before and were curious to see what she would do if they did not interfere.
"Mom, where does it hurt?"
Qin Mingzhu asked anxiously, panic-stricken and on the verge of tears.
"No one is allowed to help!"
After going upstairs, Qin Mu stood on the steps, high above, and commanded the people below.
"Don’t worry, no one’s going to help!"
Xiaomei, playing along, said the words and couldn’t help but let out a snicker.
It was then that Qin Mu, walking inside, caught sight of Jian Yan not far away.
Qin Mu walked over, called out, then followed him into the office.
"Do these mother and daughter often come to trouble you?" he asked flatly.
"Not often, but every time they do, something definitely gets stirred up," Qin Mu remarked casually, as they took their seats opposite each other in the office.
"I gather from what I’ve heard that your father is keen to make amends with you?" Jian Yan lifted his eyes, asking softly.
"Something like that, but as you know, our relationship as father and daughter can no longer be the same as it was before I was eight. The fact that my mother died is undeniable, and no matter what, I can’t just chat and laugh with him as if nothing happened."
Jian Yan was silent for a moment, then smiled upon seeing her able to laugh: Be happy, don’t be too hard on yourself.
Jian Yan thought, her prompt agreement didn’t necessarily mean she understood the meaning of not being too hard on herself.
But in time, she would come to understand it all, becayse she was growing, and her progress in design over the past few years had been rapid.
When it comes to family, perhaps one must go through much before they can understand what they truly want in life.
He sat quietly, watching her, as if he could see his former self.
Back then, he was full of passion, stubbornly pursuing what he wanted, his losses and gains in equal measure.
He suddenly called out, injecting a thread of vitality into the quiet space.
"My greatest hope for you is that you succeed in your career and find happiness in your family."
Qin Mu didn’t know why he was being so serious all of a sudden but couldn’t help laughing: "Master, that’s a really big expectation."
People who are successful in their careers and happy in their families are rare in this world.
"If you can only choose one, I hope you choose family happiness."
Qin Mu was puzzled again; her master was acting a bit strange today.
"In the future, everything I have will be yours. You can work hard, but don’t overdo it because nothing is more important than feeling satisfied and warm in your heart."
Everything he owns will be hers?
Why does that statement feel so heavy? Or rather, very heavy?
"You’ve been helping that actress design a new gown recently, right? Design the best gown in the shortest time, using the simplest fabrics."
After finishing his words, Jian Yan got up and left, while Qin Mu stayed, still trying to make sense of it all.
She understood what Jian Yan said about designing the gown, but she didn’t understand what was going on with him today, why he suddenly said those things that seemed so out of the blue.