Early the next morning, Xu Xiuwen got up.
However, when Xu Xiuwen woke up, she was already awake.
Xu Xiuwen got dressed and said to An Shishi, "You can keep sleeping. I'll go home later."
He then walked into the bathroom to freshen up.
Turning around, he saw An Shishi at the bathroom door.
She leaned against the door frame, her clear eyes gazing at Xu Xiuwen.
Seeing her expression, Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, "Why didn't you continue sleeping?"
An Shishi slowly walked up behind Xu Xiuwen.
Her soft white hands slipped under Xu Xiuwen's arms.
Hugging him tightly from behind, An Shishi said, "Husband, I can't bear to see you go."
Xu Xiuwen looked at An Shishi in the mirror and reassured her with a smile, "I'll be back this afternoon."
An Shishi pouted, "But when you come back, you belong to someone else, not to me."
Xu Xiuwen fell silent at her words.
An Shishi was right.
His official girlfriend was Cheng Lu.
As long as she was around, Xu Xiuwen could never be openly with An Shishi.
He paused for a moment, "I'll find time to be with you. Please be good, okay?"
An Shishi said nothing, just gently pressed her cheek against Xu Xiuwen's back.
"Alright, you're not wearing enough. Go back to bed."
"Okay."
An Shishi responded but didn't let go.
"Be good, listen to me, okay?"
"Okay." This time, An Shishi let go.
Xu Xiuwen turned around, ruffled An Shishi's hair, "Although we can't be openly together, call me whenever you miss me."
After freshening up, Xu Xiuwen went straight to the kitchen, took out the noodles he bought yesterday, and cooked a pot of noodles with scallions and eggs.
When An Shishi came out of the bedroom, the noodles were already done.
Xu Xiuwen served two bowls of noodles, carefully placing a poached egg on top of each.
An Shishi thought Xu Xiuwen was waiting for her in the living room but was surprised to see he had cooked noodles.
Moved by Xu Xiuwen's gesture, An Shishi sat down.
Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, "Sit down and try my noodles."
An Shishi sat at the table, picked up the chopsticks Xu Xiuwen had prepared, and took a bite.
"How is it? How does it taste?"
"Very good, thank you for cooking for me."
"I'm glad you like it."
Xu Xiuwen then went to the fridge, took out a bag of pickles, cut it open, and poured them into a bowl.
Bringing the bowl to the table, Xu Xiuwen sat down to have breakfast with An Shishi.
After breakfast, Xu Xiuwen said to An Shishi, "It's getting late. I'm leaving now. If you're still sleepy, go back to bed. Here's a key to the house, keep it safe and don't lose it."
Xu Xiuwen found a key, took one off the ring, and handed it to An Shishi.
After that, he hugged An Shishi and kissed her forehead, "I'm leaving. Wait for me to come back."
An Shishi quickly said, "I'll walk you downstairs."
Xu Xiuwen smiled, "No need, you should rest more."
Xu Xiuwen went downstairs alone.
When he got downstairs, he looked up and saw An Shishi on the balcony, watching him.
Xu Xiuwen waved to her, then opened the car door and got in.
With a step on the gas, Xu Xiuwen drove out of the complex.
It was already 7:30 AM.
It would take less than an hour for Xu Xiuwen to get home.
Today was March 8th, and the day after tomorrow was the start of the school term for both his school and Jiaotong University.
Xu Xiuwen hadn't been home since the New Year when he came to Jinling.
He had to go home before the school term started.
After all, Xiao Youran was still at home, and he had to go back to school with her.
To be honest, Xu Xiuwen felt quite guilty towards her.
Not just because of past misunderstandings, but in this life, they had just confirmed their relationship, and he still had matters to attend to.
As a result, he came to Jinling the next day.
Thinking from her perspective, Xu Xiuwen would definitely be full of grievances if he were Xiao Youran.
Xu Xiuwen drove his BMW 5 Series home.
In less than an hour, he drove into his residential complex.
As he passed the entrance, Xu Xiuwen saw a familiar neighbor.
He rolled down the window, leaned out, and greeted, "Good morning, Aunt Gu."
Xu Xiuwen called out to Aunt Gu, whose full name is Gu Pandi. She has been a resident of this community for many years and has known Ning Wanqiu and Zhang Ruoshu for a long time.
Previously, when Ning Wanqiu hosted a dinner at her house, Aunt Gu was also there and even gave him 1,000 yuan.
Xu Xiuwen remembers that Aunt Gu has a daughter who is also about to take the college entrance exam.
Aunt Gu was carrying several plastic bags—blue, red, and white—filled with various groceries, both meat and vegetables.
It seemed she had just returned from the market.
When Gu Pandi suddenly heard someone calling her, she turned her head and saw Xu Xiuwen.
Seeing it was Xu Xiuwen, Gu Pandi immediately smiled.
A few days ago, she was unaware of Xu Xiuwen's TV series.
However, as the series gained popularity, someone in the community recognized Xu Xiuwen.
The next day, the entire community knew that Ning Wanqiu's son, Xu Xiuwen, had become an actor!
Gu Pandi was very surprised when she first heard about this.
She even called Ning Wanqiu to confirm.
Xu Xiuwen, whom she had seen grow up, had become an actor and a big star.
He was the first and likely the only big star in the community.
Seeing Xu Xiuwen, Gu Pandi warmly said, "Xiao Xu, Auntie hasn't seen you in a long time, you've become even more handsome."
Xu Xiuwen laughed heartily at her words, "Aunt Gu, you still look as beautiful as ever."
Noticing the car Xu Xiuwen was driving, Gu Pandi asked curiously, "Isn't this the car you bought for your mom?"
Xu Xiuwen smiled and nodded, "This is another car I bought."
Gu Pandi immediately remarked, "Truly successful at a young age. Your Uncle Jiang worked his whole life and couldn't afford a car."
Xu Xiuwen chuckled, "Aunt Gu, I disagree with you. Uncle Jiang dedicated his youth to the country as a policeman. How can his value be measured in money?"
Although Gu Pandi often teased her husband, she still appreciated his role as a policeman.
Hearing Xu Xiuwen's recognition of her husband, she was very pleased.
"Your Uncle Jiang isn't here, no need to flatter him."
Xu Xiuwen shook his head, "I'm not flattering him, I truly believe that. Our community has never had any theft incidents, isn't it because Uncle Jiang is around, and the thieves don't dare to come? I always remember Uncle Jiang's contributions."
Gu Pandi laughed, "If your Uncle Jiang heard this, he'd be so happy he'd drink a couple more glasses tonight."
By this time, Xu Xiuwen had parked the car.
Seeing Aunt Gu with her hands full of groceries and knowing she lived deep in the community, he said, "Aunt Gu, are you going home? Get in the car, I'll drive you back."
Aunt Gu initially wanted to decline, "It's just a few steps, no need to trouble you."
"It's no trouble, just a step on the gas. Aunt Gu, get in."
Aunt Gu didn't really want to refuse and agreed.
Xu Xiuwen said to her, "Aunt Gu, sit in the back. The front is a bit messy."
Gu Pandi walked to the back door, opened it, and got in.
Xu Xiuwen released the brake and drove into the community.
Once inside the car, Aunt Gu naturally started inspecting it.
She touched the seat cushion and the backrest, unable to resist asking, "Xiao Xu, how much did this car cost?"
Xu Xiuwen smiled, "Not much, just over 600,000 yuan."
In another decade or so, everyone would realize Xu Xiuwen was being modest.
But Aunt Gu didn't catch it and looked surprised.
Over 600,000 yuan isn't much?
The houses in their community were worth at most a few tens of thousands.
Didn't that mean this car could buy three or four houses?
After her initial surprise, thinking about his actor status, it seemed reasonable.
It seemed he had made quite a bit of money as an actor.
At this moment, Aunt Gu found Xu Xiuwen even more likable and felt even more envious of Ning Wanqiu.
Xu Xiuwen didn't know what Aunt Gu was thinking.
As he drove towards her building, he asked, "Aunt Gu, how is Xiaoyu doing?"
Gu Pandi smiled, "It's the last half year. She returned to school after the Lantern Festival, and her grades are still the same."
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Xiaoyu's grades are good, she just needs to maintain them. Haha... I haven't seen her in a while, I kind of miss her."
Aunt Gu replied, "You say that, but Xiaoyu complained during the New Year that you and Youran didn't visit her. She was sad for a few days."
Xu Xiuwen quickly waved his hand, "Aunt Gu, you have to explain to Xiaoyu for me. I went to Jinling after the New Year and just got back today. I really didn't have the time. I always see Xiaoyu as a sister; there's no way I wouldn't take her out."
"Haha, Xiaoyu was just saying it casually, don't take it to heart."
As they spoke, the car had reached Aunt Gu's building.
Gu Pandi opened the car door and got out, speaking politely, "Xiao Xu, would you like to come up and sit for a while?"
Xu Xiuwen waved his hand and said, "Aunt Gu, you go ahead. I haven't been home for a long time, I need to go see my house first."
"Alright then. Once Xiaoyu's college entrance exams are over, you must come back for a meal, otherwise, Xiaoyu will surely sulk secretly."
"Aunt Gu, don't worry, I'll definitely come back then."
After sending Aunt Gu home, Xu Xiuwen turned the car around and drove to his own apartment.
Today is International Women's Day.
But there's no holiday at school.
So Ning Wanqiu was currently at school teaching, and the house was empty.
Xu Xiuwen had two reasons for coming home this time.
One reason was to pick up Xiao Youran and head back to school together.
The other reason was that he intended to watch an interesting event unfold.
Xu Xiuwen went to the kitchen and saw that there were no fresh ingredients at home.
So he went to the market, bought a lot of fresh vegetables and various fresh meats, and got two roosters, having the shopkeeper kill and clean them.
He brought a basketful of fresh groceries back home.
Xu Xiuwen filled the fridge from top to bottom.
Ning Wanqiu often forgot to buy groceries when she got busy, and she disliked wasting time shopping, preferring to eat instant foods.
For example, when he got home just now, Xu Xiuwen saw instant noodle wrappers in the kitchen trash can.
In most households, it's the mother reminding the child not to eat junk food.
In their household, it was the opposite.
Xu Xiuwen was worried about his mother frequently eating instant foods.
Although Ning Wanqiu was his mother, she was often quite willful.
Xu Xiuwen had suffered quite a bit due to his mother's willfulness since he was a child.
But Ning Wanqiu was very stubborn.
Once she decided on something, she wouldn't change her mind based on others' opinions.
Xu Xiuwen had tried to persuade her many times, but she wouldn't listen at all.
So he gave up.
Besides, he was about to go back to school and couldn't keep an eye on Ning Wanqiu to stop her from eating instant food.
What he could do was fill the fridge as much as possible.
So when she opened the fridge, it wouldn't be empty, and she wouldn't resort to eating instant food to save time.
Xu Xiuwen timed it right and cooked a sumptuous lunch.
Even though he hadn't cooked for a long time, he was still quite skilled.
As he placed the last fragrant dish on the table, he heard a noise at the door.
Xu Xiuwen knew it was Ning Wanqiu coming back.
The next second, the door opened.
Ning Wanqiu walked in, dressed in very plain clothes.
Her outfit was plain from head to toe.
Most people couldn't pull off such plain clothes.
But not Ning Wanqiu.
Her ageless appearance made her look younger than many twenty-year-old girls, and with her beautiful looks, even the simplest clothes exuded strong feminine charm on her.
Moreover, Ning Wanqiu had an excellent figure.
Though as her son he shouldn't comment on her figure.
But facts were facts, and Xu Xiuwen wasn't blind; he inevitably noticed.
Ning Wanqiu's figure was excellent, with a well-endowed chest and rounded hips that filled out her clothes, and a slender waist that swayed enticingly.
Over the years, she had no shortage of men pursuing her.
But Ning Wanqiu always straightforwardly avoided and refused them for his sake.
His mother had raised him alone, enduring countless hardships and difficulties that only she knew.
When Xu Xiuwen was young, he resented his mother, wondering why he didn't have a father, why he was mocked by peers.
But as he grew older, he increasingly understood and empathized with his mother.
So Xu Xiuwen held immense respect and love for Ning Wanqiu.
At this moment.
Hearing the door open, Xu Xiuwen walked over.
He casually picked up the fresh flowers from the table.
He had bought this bouquet on a whim from a flower shop on his way back.
Holding the flowers, he walked up to Ning Wanqiu and handed them to her.
"Mom, happy Women's Day!"
As soon as Ning Wanqiu entered, she smelled the aroma of food.
She knew her son was back.
Then she saw Xu Xiuwen walking over with flowers.
She smiled as she took the flowers and said, "Thank you."
Xu Xiuwen took the black handbag from her arm and hung it on the coat rack in the living room.
After hanging up the bag, he turned to Ning Wanqiu and said, "Mom, quickly wash your hands and sit down for lunch."
After washing her hands, the mother and son sat down to have lunch.
While eating, Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but ask, "Mom, I've been away in Jinling for so long, aren't you curious about what I've been doing?"
Ning Wanqiu glanced at him and said calmly, "You're so capable now, do you still need me to worry about you?"