After Gary's birthday party, Audrey found herself with some free time again. However, she kept herself busy by repeatedly going over the script.
These were the days when most of the family members were together. Even Charlotte, who hadn't been home for a long time, also stayed at home.
One day, as Audrey was scrolling through her Weibo feed, she suddenly noticed a familiar name trending on the hot search list – Eric.
She clicked on it to find out that a film Eric had submitted for consideration had won an award, the Best Director award.
Audrey had initially thought about calling Eric right away, but she figured it might be better to wait until they were face to face in the evening.
In the evening, as the family members returned from their activities, Audrey was admiring her own creation.
The more she looked at it, the more she felt proud of her handiwork. She even asked Anthea, "Mom, how do you think I did with the floral arrangement?"
Anthea, without even opening her eyes, praised her without reservation, "Very good, Audrey. Since you haven't learned this before and could arrange it like this, you definitely have a natural talent."
A few moments later, both Abner and Charlotte happened to overhear Anthea's comment. Their gazes simultaneously fell onto the flower arrangement, their expressions a mix of astonishment and awkwardness.
What kind of aesthetic could produce such a vase of flowers?
Most importantly, how did Anthea say those words?
Audrey, who had been admiring her creation, sensed two pairs of eyes on her and turned to see Abner and Charlotte.
She greeted them with a smile, "Big Brother, Charlotte."
[They came back together today? Looks like their relationship has improved quite a bit.]
Abner and Charlotte were both somewhat speechless. How could she deduce that their relationship had improved?
This was especially true for Charlotte. She had clearly left work at the wrong time, but she did not expect to arrive at the door of her house after Abner. Under such circumstances, she could only force herself to step into the house with Abner.
Otherwise, she would have to wait outside the house and deliberately doing that would be more awkward.
"Audrey also likes to arrange flowers?" Abner took the initiative to ask.
Audrey smiled and said, "It feels quite fun to watch my mother do it."
Abner nodded, greeted Anthea, and went in.
Charlotte first greeted Anthea before her gaze landed on the vase of flowers that Audrey had arranged. Looking at the contrasting combination, she felt her hands itch.
As a fashion expert, she really could not accept such aesthetics.
Audrey thought to herself when she saw Charlotte staring at her vase of flowers.
[Could it be that Charlotte also likes this vase of flowers? But I can't give this bottle to her. Why don't I give her another vase?]
Charlotte shuddered and quickly said, "I'll go in and change first."
With that, she left, looking as if she was afraid someone would catch up with her.
Audrey, who didn't understand, shook her head. "Charlotte is acting a little strange."
Eric was the last to come back. He had even mentally prepared himself for a long time before coming back.
As they sat down at the dining table, Gary looked somewhat puzzled and commented, "Why are there so many dishes of food today?"
It wasn't surprising that he was puzzled; there were twice as many dishes as usual.
Audrey glanced at Eric, who was deliberately avoiding her gaze, as if he hadn't noticed her.
Audrey cleared her throat and solemnly announced, "Second Brother's film won an award. This is like a celebratory feast for him."
Eric's expression remained calm, with a hint of worry deeply concealed within his pupils.
At first glance, it seemed like he didn't care about the matter at all.
Gary glanced at Eric and suddenly sneered, "Neglecting your proper duties."
Just as expected, he shouldn't have had any expectations from Gary in the first place.
Abner and Charlotte kept their gazes straight ahead, as if they hadn't heard or seen anything.
Audrey looked at Gary earnestly and explained, "Uncle Gary, making movies is not neglecting one's duties. Every profession has its own value. Second Brother is not just playing around; he genuinely loves and takes filmmaking seriously. Moreover, he's really talented. Many people spend their entire lives making movies without achieving this kind of award."
As Audrey's words fell, everyone at the table turned their attention to her.
Audrey's expression stiffened slightly for a moment.
[Did I say something wrong? But it's the truth. Professions shouldn't be judged as more or less valuable.]
Facing everyone's gaze, Audrey continued to earnestly persuade Gary, "Maybe because Uncle Gary isn't familiar with this line of work, once you understand it, you'll realize how impressive it is for Second Brother to win this award at his age. And I believe he'll win even more awards in the future."