Against the Light - Chapter 150
Chapter 150: The Little Vinegar Bun
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Ye was already eight months old.
Ever since the little one’s 100-day celebration, Gu Xinran had been dragged back to work by Qu Qi. She left early and returned late every day, shuttling between film sets and recording studios. She had very little free time. By the time she got home most days, the mother and daughter were already asleep. Her only option was to wake up a little earlier each morning to play with the little one for a while, strengthening their mother-daughter bond so the child wouldn’t forget her.
Incidentally, the couple had originally planned to move back to Gu Xinran’s home, but Ye Nan said that Xiao Ye was still too young for Yilan to care for alone. She told them to wait until the child was older before living their own little life. Gu Xinran quite agreed. After all, when she got busy, Yilan would be left alone to care for the baby, and she would definitely need a helping hand. Thus, the family of three logically continued to stay at Shi Qing’s house for the time being.
This morning, Gu Xinran woke up early and was playing with the little girl in the living room, enjoying some precious mother-daughter time.
She placed Xiao Ye on the carpet, holding her under the arms and trying to get her to stand on her own. However, the little one wobbled from side to side, her two chubby little legs seemingly unable to muster any strength. Standing was quite an effort.
Gu Xinran laughed, scooping the little one up and lifting her high above her head. She nuzzled her cheek against the baby’s and rubbed it vigorously. “You silly little thing,” she said with great pride. “When Mama was your age, I was already running all over the place.”
Xiao Ye blinked her big, watery eyes, and Gu Xinran couldn’t resist kissing her a few more times. Her baby was just too adorable!
Gu Xinran carried Xiao Ye around the room for a while, then placed her on the slide and helped her glide down. The little one had a wonderful time, smiling so much her eyes nearly disappeared. Early in the morning, the house was already filled with the child’s gales of laughter.
As the two were playing, Xiao Ye suddenly pointed a finger. “Ooh!”
Xinran followed her finger and turned to see that Yilan was awake. Her hair was down, and she had come out looking sleepy-eyed.
Gu Xinran went over to meet her, wrapping her arms around her wife for a long, affectionate cuddle. “Morning.”
“Mm,” Bai Yilan mumbled, still not fully awake. She buried her head in Gu Xinran’s shoulder for a moment.
“Hey!” Xiao Ye cried out. She gripped the edge of the slide, trying to stand up. She managed it for a second before her little body swayed and she plopped back down on the floor. Her little face turned red with frustration.
Hearing the sound, Gu Xinran looked over and stopped Yilan, who was about to walk over. “Say ‘Mama’,” she said to the little one.
“Ah.”
“Not ‘ah.’ It’s ‘Ma-ma.’ Say ‘Mama.’ If you say ‘Mama,’ Mama will pick you up.”
“Ah, ah!”
“It’s ‘Mama.’ Ma… Hey, hey, hey, don’t cry, don’t cry.” Seeing the little one’s lip tremble, Gu Xinran immediately dashed over, scooped her up, and started comforting her.
“Wuu…”
“Okay, okay, okay, don’t cry. Mama’s holding you, Mama’s holding you.”
“Hmph.” The little one took a deep breath, which sounded almost like a snort, and rested her head on Gu Xinran’s shoulder, finally settling down.
“Hey, do you think she’s jealous of you, or jealous of me?” Gu Xinran looked at Yilan and asked with a smile.
“I don’t know, but this little one is definitely a little vinegar spirit. She gets that from you.”
“…” When am I ever like that? :(
The family of three had only been enjoying their moment for a short while before Qu Qi’s insistent call came through.
Gu Xinran sighed heavily and reluctantly went to change her clothes. Before leaving, she clung to her sweet wife again. Finally, she glanced at Xiao Ye, who was being fed by Ye Nan. “Look at this girl. She’s not close to me at all. Her mama is about to leave, and she won’t even spare me a glance.” Gu Xinran’s face was full of resentment. In her past life, Xiao Ye had been very clingy. Every time she left, Xiao Ye would hug her and cry her heart out, not letting her go.
“Alright, you should get going. I’ll take her for her vaccination later.”
“What time? If I finish early, I’ll come join you.”
“No need. Just focus on your work. I’ve got things handled at home.”
“Thank you for your hard work.” Gu Xinran took Yilan’s hand and kissed it, her expression apologetic.
“Hey!” A sudden cry came from the side. The two turned to look and saw the Little Milk Bun staring at them, having let out a shout for some reason.
Gu Xinran thought for a moment, then grabbed Yilan’s hand and kissed it again. “I’ll kiss you anyway!”
“Ah-mm!”
“Haha, what a little vinegar spirit.” Gu Xinran laughed, walked over, and gave her a loud smooch before finally leaving.
On the film set.
Gu Xinran had just finished shooting a scene. During her break, she took out her phone and saw a message from Yilan. It said that she had already taken the baby for her vaccination and was on her way back, telling her not to worry and to focus on filming. She also mentioned that the little one had been very well-behaved and hadn’t cried too much. She had even attached a video of the little one pouting, her eyes brimming with tears that she stubbornly refused to let fall. Gu Xinran watched it with a grin that stretched from ear to ear, completely charmed by how adorable her daughter was.
“Xinran, how are you? Rested up?” Jin Shuang came over to check on her.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Okay. Have you met the little actress you’ll be working with in the next scene?”
“Hm? That little one?” Gu Xinran glanced not far away at a little girl of about three or four. She seemed to have a bit of stage fright and was being comforted by her mother.
“That’s right. Go over and coax her a bit, get familiar with her. She’s playing your daughter, and you two have several more scenes together later,” Jin Shuang said.
“Okay.” Gu Xinran agreed and walked over. She sat down next to the girl, chatted with her mother for a few moments, and then took the girl’s little hand, her face full of motherly love.
“Hello there. I have a daughter at home, too. She’s a little younger than you. I’ll bring her here sometime so you two can meet, okay?” Gu Xinran’s voice was very gentle, adopting the same tone she used to coax Xiao Ye.
The little girl blinked her big, watery eyes at her for a moment, then suddenly became shy and turned to bury her face in her mother’s arms.
“She’s seen you on TV before. She likes you a lot,” the girl’s mother explained.
“Is that so?” Gu Xinran chuckled. It seemed she had a way with kids after all.
“What’s your name?”
“Xiao Nuo.”
“That’s a lovely name. Can Auntie give you a hug? You’re going to play Auntie’s daughter in a little while.” Gu Xinran smiled and patted the child’s head.
The little one sat on her lap, not daring to move a muscle.
Gu Xinran found it amusing. She held the little girl and chatted with her mother for a while longer. Soon, Jin Shuang came over to tell them to get ready for filming.
Meanwhile, with Bai Yilan.
After taking the baby for her vaccination, she happened to pass by the film studio on the way back. She glanced at the time and figured Xinran should be finishing up soon, so she had Ye Nan turn into the studio, thinking she could pick Xinran up on the way home.
Besides, the movie Xinran was filming this time was directed by Jin Shuang, and the crew was full of familiar faces. It was convenient for her to visit the set without being surrounded by strangers.
Ye Nan parked the car and accompanied Yilan onto the set.
When they entered the studio, they saw the staff preparing to shoot, so they didn’t make a sound to disturb anyone, instead standing quietly to the side to watch.
Bai Yilan was still scanning the set for Xinran when the little one in her arms suddenly stiffened and straightened her little body.
“What’s wrong, Xiao Ye?” Bai Yilan looked down to see the Little Milk Bun’s big eyes wide and round, staring intently at the center of the set.
Following her gaze, Bai Yilan spotted Xinran at once. She smiled, about to praise Xiao Ye, but then her brow furrowed. She saw another little child next to Xinran, and that woman was affectionately holding the little one’s hand. From the back, the two of them looked very sweet together.
Bai Yilan was slightly taken aback. She stole a glance at Xiao Ye. Could this little one really know how to be jealous at such a young age?
With Jin Shuang’s command, filming began.
This was a scene between Gu Xinran and Xiao Nuo. It was a segment where the monarch, played by Gu Xinran, sends her only biological child to another country as a hostage. What they were filming now was the farewell scene.
On set, Gu Xinran was half-kneeling in front of the girl, tightening her cloak and tidying the long hair by her ear, not quite daring to look her in the eye the entire time.
The little girl’s big eyes were filled with a deep sense of attachment as she tentatively clutched Gu Xinran’s wrist.
“Mother… will you come back for me?”
“I will.”
“I definitely will.” Gu Xinran’s voice choked slightly. Her gaze toward the girl was filled with a profound sense of powerlessness. As the ruler of a nation, she couldn’t control her own daughter’s fate and could only push her into the abyss with her own hands.
The child didn’t cry or resist. Upon receiving her promise, she seemed to relax and offered a sweet smile. “I’ll wait for you.”
Gu Xinran took a deep breath, silently holding back her emotions. A moment later, she pulled the child into her arms and hugged her tightly.
Gu Xinran closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly as a tear slid down from the corner of her eye. She was completely in character.
Jin Shuang signaled for the camera to push in for a close-up on her face.
The entire crew was being moved by her powerful emotions.
“Hey! Ah, um… Ma!” A loud shout suddenly exploded in everyone’s ears.
Everyone froze, instinctively turning to look, only to be stunned again.
Bai Yilan was also a little surprised, looking at the Little Milk Bun in her arms. The little one was frantic, leaning so far forward she was almost out of her arms. She pointed toward Xinran, whimpering anxiously. Just now, when she saw Xinran hugging that little girl and crying, she had gotten so agitated she had even called out “Ma.”
“Ah… Ma… Ma!” Xiao Ye pointed at Xinran, tugging on Yilan’s clothes, signaling for her to go over.
Yilan found it hilarious. She put the little one on the ground. “Go on, walk over to Mama yourself.”
Xiao Ye stood there dumbfounded for a moment.
Just as Yilan was marveling that she could actually stand, she plopped right down on her bottom. She pointed at Xinran, extremely anxious, and called out “Ma” several more times.
Torn between laughter and tears, Bai Yilan quickly picked her up and carried her over to Xinran, apologizing profusely to the crew. “I’m so sorry, so sorry for interrupting the shoot. My sincerest apologies.”
“It’s fine, Sister Lan. Why didn’t you say you were here? What’s wrong with the little one? Does she think someone is trying to steal her mama? Hahaha~”
“Aww, the Little Milk Bun is so big already! She’s so cute!!”
“And so possessive!”
“Right? She even knows how to protect her mama!”
“Wuwuwu, another day of wanting to steal a baby.”
Gu Xinran held Xiao Ye, still a bit dazed. “Xiao Ye? What did you just call me?” she asked, affectionately nuzzling the little one’s cheek.
But she found that the little one wasn’t looking at her. Her eyes were fixed on the girl next to them with a very fierce glare.
“Hey, what kind of look is that? You can’t look at your big sister like that. Big sister isn’t trying to steal Mama from you, be good.”
Xiao Ye turned her head to look at her, her little mouth trembling as she began to sob pitifully. She didn’t burst into a full-blown wail, just quiet sobs, which completely bewildered Gu Xinran.
“There, there, don’t cry. Mama’s here. Mama is yours, all yours. No one can take her away, okay?” Gu Xinran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She exchanged a look with Yilan and carried the child to the side to comfort her quietly.
“You didn’t seem this clingy at home. Why are you getting jealous now? You can’t stand seeing me hold another little girl, is that it?” Gu Xinran teased Xiao Ye with a smile. To be honest, being needed by her child made her feel quite warm inside.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry. You’re something else, you are. You clearly know how to say ‘Mama’ but you’ve been pretending you don’t all this time? You said it so nicely just now. Say ‘Mama’ again for me to hear.” Gu Xinran patted the little one, feeling her sobs gradually subside, and felt the urge to tease her again.
Xiao Ye completely ignored her.
“Xiao Ye? Aren’t you going to hug Mama? If not, Mama’s going to go hug another child.”
Xiao Ye still ignored her.
“Hm? You little sulker? Are you mad at Mama? Mama was filming a scene. It’s acting, do you understand? It was pretend.” Gu Xinran patiently explained that she was just acting, regardless of whether the little one could understand.
“Alright, you’re the only precious baby in Mama’s heart, you…” Gu Xinran was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.
“You and your Mommy are the only two precious babies in Mama’s heart. Don’t worry, Mama won’t go hugging other children behind your back, okay?” she quickly and cleverly amended.
Yilan was standing right behind her, and upon hearing that, she almost burst out laughing.
You know what’s good for you.
“Did Xiao Ye get a shot today? Were you a good girl? Mama wasn’t there to be with you, are you mad at Mama? I’m sorry, Mama will go with you next time, okay?” Gu Xinran coaxed her for a while longer. Feeling the little one in her arms calm down, she straightened up to look at her. Her little nose was red, and tear stains still clung to her eyelashes. She looked so pitiful that Gu Xinran’s heart ached for her.
“Okay, Xiao Ye, be good. Let Mommy hold you. We’ll go home as soon as Mama finishes filming, okay?” Gu Xinran said, handing the child to Yilan. “Wait for me, I’ll be done soon.”
“Mm, go on.” Bai Yilan looked down at Xiao Ye and noticed the little one’s eyes were incredibly alert, staring fixedly at Xinran. The moment she saw Xinran walk back to that little girl, she started to cry and fuss again.
Afraid of delaying the shoot, Yilan quickly carried the child back to the car. But this seemed to make Xiao Ye think that Xinran was abandoning her for good. She cried her heart out, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. Nothing Bai Yilan or Ye Nan did could console her.
Before long, Gu Xinran finished filming, changed back into her clothes, said goodbye to everyone, and hurried back to the car.
From a distance, she could hear her Little Milk Bun crying so hard she was coughing, and her heart broke.
Seeing her appear, Yilan looked as if she’d seen a savior. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly handed the child to her. “Hurry and coax her. She’s been crying for half an hour. Nothing works, she just wants you.”
“There, there, Mama’s here, Mama’s here. Be good, Xiao Ye, it’s Mama.”
“Don’t cry, baby. Your throat is all hoarse from crying. Mama’s heart aches.”
“She probably thought you didn’t want her anymore. This little rascal has quite a mind of her own,” Bai Yilan said, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
Gu Xinran chuckled. “How could Mama not want you? Mama loves you the most. Be good, stop crying. If you ruin your throat, you’ll have to get another shot.”
“Hey, hey, don’t you dare scare her. She’s already throwing a tantrum with me because of the shot.”
“Is that so? Okay, I won’t mention it, I won’t mention it.”
“Alright, Xiao Ye, we’re going home now,” Ye Nan said, starting the car.
“This girl is a little tsundere, too. Just a moment ago she didn’t want me to hold her, but the second she saw me holding another child, she couldn’t take it? Hm?”
“Stop crying now. How about Mama stays home with you tomorrow?” Thinking of the little one’s pretense of not caring, Gu Xinran couldn’t help but smile.
“I don’t know who she gets this proud streak from.”
“Heh, who else could it be? Who in this house is more proud and aloof than that old woman?” Ye Nan, who had been silent, interjected coolly.
“…” Fair enough.
When they got home, the little one was still stuck to Gu Xinran, refusing to let anyone else hold her, not even Shi Qing.
Ye Nan quickly recounted what had happened on set, and Shi Qing was thoroughly amused.
During dinner, the little one had to cling to Xinran. She would only eat if Xinran fed her; she refused food from anyone else. This left Xinran feeling both flattered and incredibly satisfied. Being needed so much by her child was something to be proud of, wasn’t it?
After dinner, they took a walk in the courtyard. Seeing the little one’s eyelids drooping, clearly exhausted, Gu Xinran carried her back to the room, laid her on the big bed, and patted her to sleep.
Yilan came out of the bathroom after her shower and saw the mother-daughter pair, one lying on her stomach and the other on her back. The little one’s hand was still tightly gripping Xinran’s finger. The scene was just too heartwarming!
She tiptoed to the bedside, covered Xinran with a blanket, and tried to gently pull the little one’s hand away, but she couldn’t separate them.
“Hm? You’re done?” Gu Xinran lifted her eyelids, yawned, and turned onto her side. She wiggled the finger that Xiao Ye was clutching at Yilan.
“See? She’s so dependent on me today.”
“It’s really strange. How does she know how to be jealous at such a young age?” Yilan was also puzzled. It wasn’t like the two of them were often jealous of each other.
“You wouldn’t understand. This is what you call a mother-daughter connection. She saw me holding another child instead of her, and she felt upset. The fact that she cries and fusses proves that I hold a very high position in her heart,” Xinran said, a little smugly.
“Tch~”
“I really didn’t expect her to defend me today.” Gu Xinran’s mind was filled with the image from the set, of the little one hugging her and glaring fiercely at the other little girl. The memory still moved her. “Oh, right, she even called me Mama. In her panic, she even learned to say ‘Mama.’ Isn’t that great~” she couldn’t help but show off to Yilan.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to find a child to hold and see if she gets jealous,” Bai Yilan huffed.
“??? Let’s not. How could we bear to keep hurting the child’s feelings? Anyway, you just need to know that in her heart, I’m more important than you~”
“Tsk! Say that again?” Bai Yilan flexed her fingers, cracking her knuckles loudly.
Gu Xinran shrank back and laughed. “You’re more important, you’re more important~” She pulled Yilan’s hand over and kissed it.
The family of three went to sleep blissfully.
The next morning, Bai Yilan was kicked awake by Xiao Ye. She opened her eyes, still a bit dazed, but when she saw the mother and daughter in their identical, unbelievably cute sleeping positions, she was instantly wide awake. She grabbed her phone and took many photos of the two of them together.
Gu Xinran discovered a big problem today: Xiao Ye seemed to be even clingier!
When she went to wash up in the morning, the little one started crying and fussing in the bathroom because she couldn’t see her.
After breakfast, the little one simply refused to get out of her arms. She even had to follow her to the toilet.
“Why is this little one so clingy today?” Gu Xinran came out of the toilet with a little clinger on her back.
“This is usually the time you leave for work. She probably doesn’t want you to go, afraid you’ll go hug other children behind her back again,” Bai Yilan said with a smile, handing Xinran a small cup of warm water.
Xinran pouted and downed the cup in one gulp.
“Hey! That was for you to feed the baby.”
“Er…”
“Good thing I have the day off today, otherwise who knows what kind of scene this little one would have made.” Gu Xinran pinched her little ear and fed her a spoonful of warm water.
Watching Xiao Ye obediently open her mouth and drink, her little tongue smacking as if savoring the taste, absolutely melted Gu Xinran’s heart.
“It’s not good for her to keep making a fuss like this. You can’t stay home with her every day.”
“Then what should we do?”
“In a bit, try to hide somewhere she can’t see you. I’ll play with her and distract her, see if we can make her forget about it.”
Gu Xinran thought about it and figured that was the only way.
Yilan brought over some fruit puree, put a small bib on Xiao Ye, and coaxed her to eat. At the same time, she secretly gave Gu Xinran a look. Xinran understood, moved behind Xiao Ye, and while the baby was focused on enjoying her food, she slipped away to hide on the balcony.
Before long, the small bowl of puree was finished. Yilan took off her bib and picked her up, rubbing her little tummy.
The little one turned her head and looked around.
Yilan’s heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, in the next second, the little one was clearly unhappy. Her big eyes blinked, and her little mouth opened, about to cry.
“Don’t cry, Mommy’s here.” She quickly stuffed Xiao Ye’s favorite plush toy into her hands.
But who would have thought that Xiao Ye, in her temper, would angrily throw the toy on the floor and start wailing? Her little face instantly turned red from crying.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, you just ate. Wait a little while before you cry, be good… Xinran!” Seeing that the little one was inconsolable, Yilan immediately surrendered.
Xinran came out from the balcony and took the little one into her arms. “Alright, it’s Mama. Mama was just playing with you.” She exchanged a helpless, wry smile with Yilan. This was bad. It seemed she was stuck for good.
Having learned her lesson from the morning, Xiao Ye was now on high alert. She either had to be held by Xinran or she would stare at her without blinking. At noon, she was so sleepy her eyelids were drooping, but she still refused to sleep.
Seeing this, Xinran picked her up and lay down on the sofa, letting the little one lie on top of her. She gently patted her back. “Be good, Xiao Ye, go to sleep. Mama’s right here with you. I’m not going anywhere.”
Only then did the little one peacefully fall asleep.
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