"Come watch Mom act." Wen Yan'an walked to Fang Miaomiao's side. "My mom is very capable, but that doesn't mean she knows everything. However, I like a mom like this."
Xixi pouted. "An'an, why are you being so fierce?"
"It's not fierce, it's the truth." Wen Yan'an stood stubbornly and somewhat awkwardly in front of Fang Miaomiao, like a little knight protecting her.
Xixi grumbled a few times. "Okay, I apologize. I shouldn't have thought your mom was stupid."
"Little friend Xixi, focus on memorizing your lines. I see you still have a few lines that aren't very fluent. Keep up the good work." Fang Miaomiao took Wen Yan'an's hand and walked towards her resting spot.
Xixi watched the two figures, one big and one small, stomp her foot and continue to chew on her lines. What's the big deal? She would definitely be more amazing than Aunt An'an later.
She really didn't like how An'an's mouth was always filled with "Miaomiao, Mom."
Hmph, one day, she would make An'an's mouth be filled with her own name.
"Is An'an angry?"
Wen Yan'an shook his head. "She's too childish. An'an is not angry."
He was just young. He knew Xixi would do some not-so-nice little things, like deliberately saying he was amazing in front of many other children, making them dislike him.
"Good boy, we don't bicker with children." Fang Miaomiao stroked Wen Yan'an's cheek. "But, our little An'an also can't be bullied by others, understand?"
Wen Yan'an huffed a few times. "I won't be bullied by anyone."
When he was very young, although he didn't like to talk, if anyone tried to bully him, he would secretly get revenge.
He was by no means excessively kind.
"That's my good boy. Stay put, and your mom is going to work now."
Wen Yan'an nodded. "Mom, you can do it."
He watched her back as she walked into the film set, his eyes shining. Mom looks so beautiful, so cool, I like her so much.
At that moment.
A gentle breeze blew.
A bamboo crane flew through the crowd and landed steadily on Wen Yan'an's hand.
Wen Yan'an felt a tickle on the back of his hand and looked down.
It was a lifelike bamboo crane. He wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but he thought he saw the crane's wings move.
He blinked curiously, looked around, and was about to call for Yu Zhi when he felt a pain on the back of his hand.
It seemed that if he tried to call someone, the bamboo crane would peck his hand.
A living bamboo crane.
Wen Yan'an's body tensed, and he looked at the bamboo crane with even more delight.
As if sensing Wen Yan'an looking at it, the bamboo crane flapped its wings and flew up.
Wen Yan'an couldn't help but open his mouth. It can fly?
He followed where the bamboo crane flew and saw a delicate-looking young boy outside, staring intently at him.
Seeing him look over, the boy waved at him.
Wen Yan'an's small face tensed. Mom said not to run off.
"Puff, puff."
Wen Yan'an's eyes uncontrollably darted towards the entrance.
"Come quickly."
Even though it was far away, the voice sounded as if it were right by his ear.
"An'an, come quickly."
"Who are you?"
The child at the entrance grinned and pointed at Fang Miaomiao, who was acting on the set. "Qing Jiu, I know your mother. Do you want to know things about your mother?"
Wen Yan'an's body froze. He had heard this name before, in his dream last night.
In his dream, he saw his mother lying in an unfamiliar small street, bleeding profusely. Someone in the dream said that he could prevent his mother from bleeding, unless he followed his mother to a place in the morning.
He was scared, so after knowing his mother was going to film, he acted spoiled and insisted on coming along.
Wen Yan'an glanced at Fang Miaomiao, tugged on Yu Zhi's sleeve, "Sister Xiao Zhi, I need to go to the restroom."
"Then I'll go with you."
"No need." Wen Yan'an shook his head. "You just took me, I remember the way. Besides, you need to stay by Mom's side."
Yu Zhi was about to refuse but then nodded blankly. "Alright."
Wen Yan'an didn't notice Yu Zhi's abnormality and dashed towards Qing Jiu.
"You're so handsome, even more handsome than in my dream." Qing Jiu leaned against the wall, his eyes almost disappearing as he smiled.
"What dream? I don't know what you're talking about."
Qing Jiu chuckled. "If you don't believe me, why did you come out with me? Didn't you come because you wanted to know the truth?"
Wen Yan'an kept a stern face and didn't speak.
"Oh my, such a cute face, why are you pretending to be so mature? It's not attractive at all."
A breeze blew, lifting Qing Jiu's small daoist robe and ruffling his bangs.
Wen Yan'an looked at his face for a long while before hesitantly asking, "Are you a boy or a girl?"
Qing Jiu: "..."
He had anticipated all sorts of questions An'an might ask, but he never expected this one, which was so obscure.
"You, do you have poor eyesight?"
"Nonsense. I have a physical check-up every six months. My eyesight is excellent." Wen Yan'an's tone was laced with pride.
Qing Jiu looked at Wen Yan'an with a complicated expression. Is this person a fool?
"I'm out now. Shouldn't you tell me the truth?"
"Change of location?"
Wen Yan'an shook his head. "No, I can't be far from my mom."
Qing Jiu: This person, is he a mama's boy? Always talking about "my mom, my mom."
But this kind of thing certainly couldn't be said here. What if someone from above overheard?
Qing Jiu gritted his teeth. "My master and I owe you two people. How about we go there?"
Wen Yan'an's eyes flickered. He followed Qing Jiu's pointed finger. Not far away was a pavilion. From here, the area around the pavilion looked empty, nowhere to hide anyone.
"No one's here. If there is, I'll take my head off and let you use it as a ball."
This child was even more astute than the adult Fang Miaomiao. He wondered who would be able to contend with him when he grew up.
It's a shame his ending in his previous life wasn't good.
Wen Yan'an's expression grew more disgusted at his words. "I don't want your head."
"Is that the point?"
Wen Yan'an shook his head and then nodded. "Isn't the point what you should be saying? That bamboo crane, you sent it to call me, right?"
"Of course." Qing Jiu puffed out his chest. "I can do magic."
"Daoist arts." Wen Yan'an said very seriously. "What you're doing is called daoist arts. Mom is filming a drama about a female daoist priest, I looked it up online."
Qing Jiu tutted a few times. "Your little assistant is quite diligent."
He didn't expect her to break free from the small restriction he had set so quickly.
Yu Zhi stood at the entrance, her eyes fixed on the two little radishes playing in the pavilion.
"Don't change the subject."
"Alright, I don't know how to say it. You ask, and I'll answer. But not too many questions." Qing Jiu glanced up at the sky. "Too many is not good."
"That dream."
"It's real, but it can be changed." Qing Jiu's small face turned serious. If Fang Miaomiao from the other world hadn't come, this world would still have ended in the same tragedy.
Wen Yan'an's eyes lit up. Thinking of something, he looked nervously at Qing Jiu again. "Is there something I need to do?"
Qing Jiu shook his head. This was his mess, and he should be the one to correct this story.