CHAPTER 60: THE END OF SUMMER

In the following days, Wen Nuan moved out of Ye Feimo’s house and into the apartment downstairs. Soon after, school started, and she returned to campus for registration. She hadn’t gone home for the entire summer vacation, and both Father Wen and Mother Wen were extremely worried. To raise her tuition fees, Father Wen had taken on several part-time jobs. Despite his age, he even worked as a regular car washer at a car wash. Wen Nuan only found out about this when school started.

She secretly blamed herself for being so busy during the summer that she hadn’t cared for her parents.

It wasn’t until Father Wen handed her a somewhat crumpled stack of eight thousand yuan that Wen Nuan realized how much her father had suffered, how much hardship he had endured, and how many scornful looks he had received for her and Wen Jing during the summer.

Wen Nuan was heartbroken. She hugged Father Wen and kept saying sorry.

She was so unfilial.

"Dad, keep this money. I don’t need it. I’ve already earned my tuition this summer," Wen Nuan said, taking out a stack of bills from her bag and giving it to Father Wen. "This is for you and Mom. I’ll pay for my future tuition and fees myself. Dad, please quit the car washing job. I’ll support the family from now on. Things might be a bit tough now, but I won’t let Dad work so hard again, and I won’t let you go hungry."

Mother Wen counted the money. There were several thousand yuan. She asked in surprise, "Nuan Nuan, didn’t you say you were doing odd jobs? What kind of odd jobs could earn your tuition and still have so much left over? You didn’t do anything..."

"Mom, I didn’t!" Wen Nuan said, then suddenly felt a little guilty as she remembered her agreement with Ye Feimo. But apart from going grocery shopping with Ye Feimo, she hadn’t used a single cent of his money, even though Ye Feimo had given her his card.

Wen Nuan held Father Wen and Mother Wen’s hands and said, "I worked part-time on a film crew during the summer. You know the Man family invested in it. They knew about our family’s difficulties, so they paid me a higher wage. And I signed with a management company. I’ve filmed some MVs and commercials recently, so I have my own income. This is all money I earned through hard work. Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I didn’t steal or rob, and I didn’t do anything improper. This is all your daughter’s hard-earned money. Dad, just do it for me, please quit that job. Otherwise, I won’t be able to work with peace of mind."

"Which management company did you sign with?" Father Wen had also been in the business world for decades and had seen a lot. Wen Nuan had only just entered the industry, how could she have so much money?

Cai Xiaojing, who was standing nearby, said, "Wen Nuan signed with Anning International. She’s talented and hardworking, and the company is focusing on developing her as a new talent. The company also covers her usual expenses. I’m her manager."

"Anning International?"

"Yes, Dad, I didn’t lie to you. Please rest assured. Although I can’t provide you and Mom with a very good life for the time being, I also don’t want you to live too hard a life. Promise me you’ll quit that job, okay? Your health isn’t good, and the car washing job is hard and tiring. How can I be at ease?" Wen Nuan said earnestly, hugging him and acting coquettishly.

Father Wen looked at Cai Xiaojing, then at Wen Nuan, and finally nodded. Only then did Wen Nuan feel relieved.

Wen Jing said, "Sister, does this mean I can see you on TV in the future?"

Wen Nuan nodded, and Wen Jing laughed happily. The whole family was happy.

Wen Nuan’s mind settled. In reality, she didn’t have much money. This money was what she had borrowed from Cai Xiaojing. A few days ago, when she had awkwardly asked Cai Xiaojing for a loan, Cai Xiaojing had been very surprised.

She had originally thought that since Wen Nuan was living with Ye Feimo, Ye Feimo would definitely not treat her poorly materially. But she was actually borrowing money. Only then did Cai Xiaojing realize that Wen Nuan was with Ye Feimo to save Father Wen from imprisonment, but the two had no financial entanglements, and Wen Nuan was too embarrassed to borrow money from Ye Feimo, fearing what he might think of her.

Through this incident, Cai Xiaojing truly began to want to promote her. Before this, obeying Ye Feimo’s orders had taken up most of her attention, but after this, she realized that Wen Nuan was a really good kid.

If she had borrowed money from Ye Feimo, he would definitely have given it to her and wouldn’t have asked her to repay it, but she hadn’t.

This also showed that Wen Nuan didn’t want to take advantage of Ye Feimo, and it also showed that Ye Feimo’s support for Wen Nuan was entirely his own intention. Perhaps he saw Wen Nuan’s potential, knowing she was a cash cow, or perhaps he liked Wen Nuan.

Cai Xiaojing also understood why Ye Feimo had always told her not to let Wen Nuan come into contact with the dark side of the entertainment industry, and had warned her not to tell Wen Nuan about any behind-the-scenes deals.

He wanted Wen Nuan to think that all of this was the result of her own hard work.

He had truly put his heart into it, while Wen Nuan knew nothing.

It was true that Wen Nuan had signed with Anning International, but her basic salary was very low, making it difficult even to cover her living expenses, let alone save any spare money. She had taken on a few MVs and commercials. She had used her connections and methods to get the MV jobs, and the pay wasn’t high. The commercials were mostly small ones. She wasn’t famous yet, so the pay was also low, and Anning International took the lion’s share, leaving very little for Wen Nuan.

School was about to start, and tuition was a significant amount. She also wanted to give her parents some pocket money so they wouldn’t have to live too hard a life. Father Wen had worked in business his whole life, and Mother Wen had been pampered. They would definitely not adapt to a poor life easily.

Wen Nuan had no choice but to borrow money from Cai Xiaojing.

Cai Xiaojing didn’t care about this small amount of money. She was happy to help, and besides, she knew that Wen Nuan was a valuable asset to her career.

After settling things at home and giving her parents an address, she had originally wanted to take them to live with her. But when Wen Nuan thought of the person above her, and the fact that she was still sharing a bed with someone at night, she gave up the idea.

Father Wen and Mother Wen also thought that Wen Nuan was living with her manager, Cai Xiaojing, so they naturally wouldn’t ask to live with her.

While Wen Nuan and Wen Jing went to the room to get something, Father Wen said to Cai Xiaojing, "Miss Cai, I’ll have to trouble you with Nuan Nuan in the future. Please take good care of her. I’ve protected my daughters too well. I originally didn’t agree to her entering the entertainment industry, but she insisted, and I couldn’t do anything about it. If..."

"Uncle Wen, please rest assured. I promise you that Wen Nuan is taking a proper path and won’t do anything to bring you shame. Of course, if you see or hear any reports or photos in entertainment news or on TV in the future, please don’t believe them or get angry. Calm down and ask Nuan Nuan yourself. Uncle Wen, you’re a sensible person. You should know that in our line of work, sometimes we need some methods and tools, such as scandals. Please understand, but I won’t lead Wen Nuan down the wrong path. You can rest assured about this."