"Yes, Auntie, but I was the male lead's second in that drama," Wen Yan said with a gentle smile.
However, Mrs. Ou's gaze towards him changed noticeably.
This was because the character Wen Yan played in the drama was exceptionally wicked, so much so that it made viewers want to grind their back teeth.
But this also showcased Wen Yan's excellent acting skills; he could convincingly portray any role.
Qiao Xinyue had clearly also seen this drama. She quickly interjected, "Mom, Wen Yan has acted in many other dramas. I'll find them for you to watch later."
She remembered how her mother had gone on about it for days after watching the drama, lamenting why such a bad person existed.
Mrs. Ou was clearly still immersed in the drama. She looked at Wen Yan, hesitant to speak, saying,
"Um, child, you mustn't be so ruthless in the future. Bad people never get a good ending. Look how miserably you died in the end, pierced by a thousand arrows!"
Qiao Xinyue panicked and quickly said, "Mom, that was just acting! You didn't take it seriously, did you?"
"Of course I know it's acting. I've also seen that modern film he was in, where he played a CEO named Su something."
Mrs. Ou rolled her eyes at her daughter and then looked back at Wen Yan.
"That drama was very good, just a bit too much kissing..."
Qiao Xinyue covered her forehead in exasperation, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the floor. She hadn't expected her mother to have seen other dramas of Wen Yan's.
Wen Yan's smile remained unchanged, and his tone was calm as he said, "I've been in the industry for almost ten years, and I've played all sorts of roles. Auntie, feel free to watch more if you're interested."
Mrs. Ou nodded with a smile, her gaze towards Wen Yan becoming more enthusiastic. She asked, "Wen Yan, is it? How old are you?"
Wen Yan replied truthfully, "Auntie, I'm twenty-eight."
Twenty-eight this year, and already a decade in the industry. Even this old woman had seen his dramas, which meant his career was successful!
Mrs. Ou nodded with satisfaction, smiling broadly. "My Xinyue is much younger than you and can be a bit insensible. Please be understanding."
This was her way of expressing her approval. Wen Yan secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, Auntie, Xinyue is very good."
"That's good. You two young people should date properly. Xinyue mentioned going on a trip, didn't she? It's good for young people to travel and broaden their horizons."
Mrs. Ou clearly approved of Wen Yan. Besides the good first impression,
The main reason was that Gong Zhijing had spoken a few good words about Wen Yan to her and told her about what Wen Yan had done for Qiao Xinyue.
Although she didn't understand what a "top star" was, she could sense Wen Yan's sincerity.
And Gong Zhijing had spoken well of Wen Yan because he was indeed a responsible person.
How could someone who gave up his top-tier status to announce his girlfriend not be trustworthy?
Seeing that they were finally conversing harmoniously, Qiao Xinyue finally relaxed.
Just now, she had been afraid her mother would develop a negative impression of Wen Yan due to her immersion in the drama. It seemed she had worried too much.
The rest of the conversation was much like an interrogation, the kind every mother would conduct.
For example:
How many people in your family?
How many siblings?
What does your family do?
Where is your hometown?
And so on.
The results were all quite satisfactory.
After a brief exchange of basic information, both parties were quite pleased.
Before long, Li Bowen and Wen Xuanyuan also arrived.
It was then that Mrs. Ou learned that Wen Yan was Wen Xuanyuan's elder brother.
Because she had a good impression of Wen Xuanyuan, her approval of Wen Yan grew even stronger.
Everything was developing quite pleasantly. In her great mood, Mrs. Ou couldn't help but head to the kitchen; cooking was her favorite thing.
Once she left, it was as if the elder presence had vanished, and the others felt more relaxed.
Wen Xuanyuan leaned into Li Bowen's embrace and smiled at Gong Zhijing, saying, "The four of us are planning to go on a trip. Are you coming?"
"No," Gong Zhijing replied with a pout, "You're doing this on purpose, knowing I have to take care of my child!!"
Wen Xuanyuan was indeed doing it on purpose, but she genuinely wanted Gong Zhijing to join them. She said regretfully,
"What a shame. This is a rare opportunity! Wouldn't it be great if the three of us traveled together!"
Gong Zhijing suddenly felt like going out too, but the thought of her daughter quickly made her give up the idea.
Let alone traveling, she'd feel anxious about being away from her daughter for just a few hours.
She hadn't thought of these things before having a child, but after becoming a mother, she realized she was truly tethered.
To avoid any regrets, she said, "It's okay, there will be other opportunities. We can go on our honeymoons together later! And we can even have our weddings together!"
Wen Xuanyuan's eyes lit up at this. She agreed, "That's a great idea."
"But I'll have to wait a while. I want to wait until Leyou is a bit older, and then I'll get my graduation certificate."
"That's no problem," Wen Xuanyuan said with a smile. "I wasn't planning to get married that early either."
Qiao Xinyue had remained silent, as she couldn't even imagine what it would be like to marry Wen Yan.
Furthermore, given the nature of Wen Yan's profession, marriage required careful consideration.
"Getting married together would be nice. Once you're married off, I'll marry your sister-in-law!"
Wen Yan raised an eyebrow at Wen Xuanyuan.
Wen Xuanyuan rolled her eyes and said irritably, "If it weren't for Xinyue, I wouldn't want to marry on the same day as you!"
Li Bowen looked at her with a smile full of affection, a mixture of fondness and helplessness.
Sibling banter.
Meanwhile, Qiao Xinyue was lost in thought, profoundly affected by Wen Yan's words.
Everything felt so wonderful; she felt incredibly lucky!
Time passed quickly, and it was soon noon.
Mrs. Ou had prepared a table full of dishes, the abundance of which clearly showed the importance she placed on the occasion.
Her cooking skills were undeniable, truly that of a top chef!
Over time, Gong Zhijing's palate had become quite discerning; ordinary food rarely pleased her.
Wen Yan also fell in love with her cooking and said he would come often to sample her culinary skills in the future.
Mrs. Ou was immensely pleased by the compliment and felt even more energized.
The meal was a delightful occasion for all guests.
As they were leaving, Mrs. Ou handed Wen Yan a large red envelope.
Thus, the day was considered complete.
After they departed, the lively atmosphere quickly gave way to quietness.
Gong Zhijing idly watched her sleeping daughter. With nothing to do, she sent a message to Ling Yucen.
She asked him what he was doing, if he had eaten lunch, and to not get too busy to eat.
Ling Yucen was in a meeting, but he still replied to her message immediately.
He replied: In a meeting, already ate.
Upon seeing that he was in a meeting, Gong Zhijing didn't disturb him further.
Bored, she browsed her phone and stumbled upon a sharing post about writing novels.
With nothing else to do, she followed the process shared by others and casually registered an account on the website.
Then, she began racking her brain for the book title, synopsis, genre, and other details.
She used to enjoy reading, but after reading so much, it became tiresome.
The plots were all the same, with repetitive beginnings and content that was merely a rehash.
Drawing from her memories, she began writing haphazardly, yet found herself unable to stop, finding it quite engaging.
Just as she was getting into the swing of it, her phone suddenly chimed with a notification of a bank deposit.
She clicked on it and saw that one million yuan had been transferred into her bank account!