Zhang Qiong hugged her daughter tightly, her heart aching. "I'm sorry, my dear," she whispered repeatedly. "It's all my fault. Sisi, if you're hurting, hit me. Let it out. Don't keep it all inside."
Sisi cried softly, remaining silent.
In the pitch-black night, Zhang Qiong held her daughter, coaxing her for a long time. By the time her daughter fell asleep, tear tracks still glistened on her cheeks.
She didn't have the means of the Wei family, but Sisi was her precious child, raised with tender love. Seeing her daughter cry like this now, Zhang Qiong's heart was overwhelmed with sorrow.
In the dead of night, Zhang Qiong couldn't help but wonder, Sisi was right. Sisi was Wei Xingzhou's daughter, so why did Wei Xingzhou dote on Wei Yuncui so much and not Sisi?
A sudden surge of resentment and unwillingness welled up within her.
After a long while, Zhang Qiong finally drifted off to sleep beside her daughter.
The next day, Wei Xingzhou intended to take Lu Wanqing to find the director to discuss Lu Wanqing being in charge of the crew's costumes. However, right after breakfast, Zhang Qiong approached him to talk about Sisi's schooling.
Wei Xingzhou suddenly remembered that with Sisi suddenly accompanying them, school arrangements would indeed be necessary.
At eight years old, she was already in the second grade of primary school, and her studies couldn't be delayed for too long.
Although Wei Xingzhou was still adjusting to this unexpected daughter, he understood the importance of a child's education. His reason prevailed, and he nodded in agreement.
Zhang Qiong breathed a sigh of relief and immediately expressed her gratitude, "Thank you."
After breakfast, Wei Xingzhou and Lu Wanqing took Cui Cui to school. Zhang Qiong and Sisi also accompanied them, as Wei Xingzhou needed to speak with the primary school principal about Sisi's transfer.
On the way to school, Lu Wanqing observed Cui Cui's emotions, worried that she might be upset. To her surprise, Cui Cui was much calmer today than in the past few days, showing no obvious signs of deep sadness.
Lu Wanqing held Cui Cui's hand, offering silent comfort.
They soon arrived at the school.
Lu Wanqing escorted Cui Cui to her classroom.
Wei Xingzhou bid farewell to Cui Cui and then took Zhang Qiong and Sisi to the principal's office to handle Sisi's transfer.
"Cui Cui, if you're unhappy, you can tell me, or call me, or send me a message. Anything is fine," Lu Wanqing said after a moment's thought.
Cui Cui looked at her mother and nodded, "Mm."
They soon reached the classroom door. Lu Wanqing watched Cui Cui enter, feeling a pang of reluctance.
In the schoolyard, many students stealthily peeked at Lu Wanqing from a distance.
Many of Cui Cui's classmates also looked at Lu Wanqing with curiosity from the side.
A few bolder children ran over directly, greeting her, "Auntie Wanqing, I absolutely adore you!"
"Auntie Wanqing, my dad, my mom, our whole family are your biggest fans!"
With the first few brave souls, more classmates quickly gathered around, all expressing their affection for Lu Wanqing. Some even pulled out pens, hoping she would autograph their clothes.
Lu Wanqing felt a bit helpless but eventually obliged and signed for them.
Knowing she was there, more and more students flocked to catch a glimpse, and eventually, even Cui Cui came over.
Cui Cui's face darkened slightly. How could these people compete with her for her mother's attention?
Cui Cui wanted to push her way through to find her mother.
However, the students at the school were overwhelmingly enthusiastic, all eager to speak with Auntie Wanqing and see what the real-life Auntie Wanqing looked like. It was quite crowded, and many students weren't paying attention to those around them, let alone making way. Cui Cui couldn't push through.
It wasn't until a teacher from the school arrived and reprimanded the students that they were startled and quickly dispersed.
As the children left, Lu Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, she saw Cui Cui.
"Cui Cui?" Lu Wanqing looked at her, surprised. "What are you doing out here?"
Cui Cui: "..."
"It's nothing, I just came to see you," Cui Cui said.
"Mm-hmm," Lu Wanqing nodded quickly.
Lu Wanqing was incredibly famous, and Cui Cui was also well-known. The school teachers naturally recognized them, and... the teacher looked at Lu Wanqing with fondness.
"Miss Lu, are you the one bringing student Cui Cui to school today?" the teacher asked kindly.
Lu Wanqing nodded nervously and replied, "Yes, um, I brought her with her father. Her father has something to attend to and will be out shortly."
Just then, the school bell rang for class.
Cui Cui looked a little anxious.
Lu Wanqing looked at Cui Cui and quickly said, "Cui Cui, hurry to class."
Cui Cui glanced at the teacher, then nodded quickly, "Okay."
As Cui Cui headed to her classroom, Lu Wanqing began chatting with the teacher. It was true that Lu Wanqing cared about Cui Cui's schooling. Previously, she hadn't known the school teachers, but now that she had met one and the teacher was willing to talk, Lu Wanqing couldn't help but discreetly inquire about Cui Cui's situation at school.
Given Cui Cui's unique circumstances, most of the school teachers knew her well and had observed her behavior at school. Therefore, they had quite a bit to discuss about Cui Cui.
Lu Wanqing listened attentively, and before she knew it, they had been talking for half an hour. Lu Wanqing gained a more profound understanding of Cui Cui's daily life at school.
As the teacher needed to return to class, Lu Wanqing thanked her profusely and watched her leave before turning to walk in another direction within the school.
Indeed, Lu Wanqing was curious about Cui Cui's school. She hadn't had the chance to properly explore her child's school before and was unaware of her environment.
Schools in the interstellar era were vast, especially this one where Cui Cui was enrolled. The greenery was well-maintained, the air within the campus was fresh, and overall, everything seemed excellent.
Lu Wanqing liked the school and felt that Cui Cui would be very happy studying here.
About an hour later, Wei Xingzhou finally sent a message saying he had finished his business and asked if she was still at the school and if she wanted to go back together.
Lu Wanqing waited for Wei Xingzhou at the school entrance. Together with Zhang Qiong and Sisi, they got into the hovercar.
"The enrollment is sorted," Wei Xingzhou told Lu Wanqing.
"But there are still some things to buy," Wei Xingzhou added.
Lu Wanqing glanced at Sisi, who was sitting opposite her. That girl... was rather innocent.
"Mm," Lu Wanqing nodded.
"Cui Cui is in class. If you have time, would you accompany them to buy the items?" Lu Wanqing suggested. With Cui Cui absent, if Wei Xingzhou accompanied Sisi for shopping, Cui Cui might not feel as sad.
Although everyone knew Cui Cui might be unhappy about suddenly not being Wei Xingzhou's biological daughter, Wei Xingzhou was Sisi's biological father. He couldn't completely neglect his own daughter. At least legally, Wei Xingzhou had to fulfill his duty of care towards Sisi.
Wei Xingzhou remained subdued and after a long pause, nodded, "Mm."
Lu Wanqing had never seen Wei Xingzhou like this before. She looked at him and sighed.