In her sleep, the little one's, with two horn-shaped braids atop her head that had been mussed in sleep, puffed her chubby cheeks. Occasionally, she cracked a smile as if she was dreaming about something fun.
Xiong Miao looked at her sixth child, who was sleeping soundly, and shook her head amusedly. This Xiong Baobei loved sleep so much she could doze off anywhere.
She squatted down, gently patted her face a few times to wake her up.
"Baobei, are you hungry? It's time for your milk."
The little one moved, her eyebrows furrowed as if dissatisfied with being disturbed from her sleep. However, hearing that there was milk to drink, she slowly opened her eyes. Seeing her most trusted person, she raised her chubby hand: "Mommy, hug."
Xiong Miao picked her up and brought the bottle's nipple to her mouth. The little one began to move her mouth, slowly eating.
Four years ago, she was manipulated and ended up pregnant. She was only twenty years old then, the fear and terror at discovering her pregnancy were overwhelming.
She had been admitted to the Paris Design Academy, and for the sake of her studies, she couldn't possibly have a child. But at the hospital, just as she was about to have an abortion, the doctor told her it was sextuplets—six little lives.
Such an opportunity was rare. The doctor also told her that her womb was thinner than average and that if she had an abortion this time, it would be hard for her to get pregnant in the future. Despite the difficult circumstances, she decided to keep the children.
As the pregnancy progressed and the children in her womb started to stir, she felt gratified every day and did not regret her decision. She had to both study and work, leaving no time to harbor hatred. Gradually, she let go of the past.
The children were born during her summer break. On the first day, she gave birth to five boys, which shocked her so much she was bedridden for a day. The next day, a girl was born, named Xiong Baobei.
One birth, six treasures, five boys, and only one girl. As the name implies, Xiong Baobei was the most pampered in the family. Each of the six children had their own distinct personalities, soft, cute, and endearing. The kids seem to have inherited more of their father's genes, not looking much like her.
People who had seen her children all said she had hit the jackpot by finding such good genes and giving birth to such beautiful and delicate children.
Xiong Miao would always smile faintly and not respond. That absurd night was a painful past she did not wish to revisit.
"Xiong Miao, the director wants you to go to the office to discuss the advertising fee." Su Mumu, with her exquisite makeup, came over and took Xiong Baobei from her arms.
Not only was Su Mumu Xiong Miao's best friend, but she was also the agent for the little ones' advertisement shoots.
"There's no other way. You have to personally discuss the fees."
"Okay, watch the little ones for me, I'm going." Xiong Miao said, when they were outside, her biggest worry was always the children.
"Don't worry, leave it to me, you go quickly." Su Mumu patted her chest, indicating she was capable.
Xiong Miao entered the office, finding a man seated behind the desk. He had neat short hair, wore a crisp white shirt and black pants. His demeanor was warm and sunny, reminiscent of his youth.
A twinge of pain hit Xiong Miao's heart.
"Xiong Miao, it's you!" Su Hongyi turned his head and saw her. Her refined beauty took his breath away. He was about to reminisce when a thought struck him, causing a sarcastic smile to form on his lips. "So, you're the mother of six. In just four years, you've given birth to six children."
Suppressing all her emotions, Xiong Miao met his gaze with cold eyes, moving to the other side of the desk, "Where's the contract?"
Su Hongyi handed her the document. "We were in a relationship for three years, and we never even kissed. Thinking back, I feel quite shortchanged."
Xiong Miao paused while skimming through the contract. What did he mean by that?
"I've married your sister, Xiong Jingxi. But her domineering nature has made my life miserable these past years. Why don't we get back together? Look, your six children can earn sixty thousand per ad shoot. In the future, as long as I'm here, I'll make sure they become famous. I promise you'll never have to worry about food and clothing again." As Su Hongyi spoke, he urgently grabbed her hand.
No one could possibly know the hardships he had faced over the past four years.
Xiong Miao felt nauseous, "Let go of me, you scumbag!"
"Xiong Miao, I'm offering you a chance to be my lover. Why are you refusing?" Su Hongyi looked at her as if he were a god bestowing a great gift upon a mere mortal.
Xiong Miao laughed in disbelief, "Even after four years, you're still a piece of trash!"
Su Hongyi's expression changed, "You've already had six kids, stop pretending to be high and mighty. Why can't you be with me?"
Once, he had loved Xiong Miao. But his judgement had been clouded by his lust for power, leading him to join forces with Xiong Jingxi to exclude her.
Over the years, he had been tormented by Xiong Jingxi to the point of despair, reminiscing about his comfortable and happy times with Xiong Miao.
Seeing her now, still as beautiful and lively, he wanted her.
"Shut up! Su Hongyi, I have nothing to do with you. I'll sign the contract, but we're merely business partners, and this partnership is a one-time deal." Xiong Miao strived to suppress her nausea and anger.
After scanning through the contents, she signed her name on the last page and left.
"If you don't agree, you won't get a penny, and the ad your children filmed won't be aired!"
Su Hongyi's threat echoed behind her. Over the years, his wife had been excessively oppressive, and he was desperate for some respite.
Xiong Miao's heart skipped a beat.
What saddened Xiong Miao wasn't the loss of the money, nor the failure to make her little ones famous.
She was heartbroken for her children's.
Ever since they took on the ad, her children had started practicing their movements and lines a month in advance.
Today was the official start of the shoot. They woke up even before dawn had broken. Due to this, her six little ones hadn't had a good sleep and had cried all the way to the set. After wrapping up the ad, they were so exhausted that they didn't even have the strength to drink their milk, eventually falling asleep in the studio.
At just three and a half years old, all this was extremely hard on them.
And now, despite their efforts, they weren't receiving any reward for it!
Xiong Miao was frustrated, distressed, and indignant.
"That director Su is a beast! I'm going to confront him right now!" Su Mumu rolled up her sleeves, ready to storm out of the room.
"Don't bother. He's powerful, it'll be futile."
Xiong Miao's words stopped Su Mumu's. She didn't want Su Mumu to know that the director was Su Hongyi from four years ago - that ambitious, inhumane man.
But he should be the president of the Su Corporation. Why was he working as an insignificant ad director?
"Miao Miao, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have agreed to do this ad in the first place. The little ones have suffered so much and they're not even getting paid," Su Mumu huddled her shoulders in an apologetic manner.
The inability to do anything in the face of a bad situation was the sadness of the underprivileged.
"Don't blame yourself. You were just trying to make the children's dreams come true. Xiong Qianqian and Xiong Junjun have always wanted to be little superstars, haven't they?" It was indeed strange, how could a three-and-a-half-year-old child dream of becoming a star?
To fulfil the dreams of her two little ones, Xiong Miao had agreed to return to her country with her children and shoot the ad.
Su Mumu had secured the ad shooting rights by offering all six of their kids as a package deal. She was extremely enthusiastic about it, which provided Qianqian and Junjun with an opportunity to appear on TV.
And so, the rest of the little ones also had to go through the hardship.
"But what do we do now?"
"The salary would be paid by the advertiser, and the director is just an employee. I found out that the advertiser is the advertising department of Rich Corporation. Tomorrow, I'll go to their office and clear things up. We need to get back what belongs to us!" Xiong Miao had a plan in mind.