Chapter 584 - 583: Returning to Fengcheng County

After the engagement, just as Wu Sheng had said, life hadn’t changed much.

The only difference was that their feelings for each other had grown deeper.

Oh, and one other thing: Tang Mo was finally interested in something besides physics research. He’d developed a bit of an interest in qipaos.

At the engagement party, Tang Mo, who had transformed into a little gentleman, was the person who stared at Su Li the most, aside from Wu Sheng.

"Mommy is so beautiful."

He said this three times in a row, a perfect reflection of his true feelings.

"Why don’t people wear such pretty clothes all the time?"

Tang Mo had never seen a qipao before—or rather, if he had, he’d never paid attention. It was only because of Su Li that he finally noticed them.

He thought his mother looked absolutely stunning in a qipao, as if she were glowing.

Tang Mo’s discovery of the qipao led to a question.

Faced with this question, Su Li wasn’t quite sure how to answer.

"Uh... because they aren’t very practical. It’s hard to work in them, and there are so many other kinds of clothes available now."

"But none of them are as pretty as this. Mommy, you should wear them often from now on. They’re beautiful."

Tang Mo suggested earnestly.

Su Li couldn’t help but chuckle. "Okay, sure. I’ll try my best."

"Not ’try your best,’ you have to actually wear them! Mommy, I’ll buy you lots of them in the future... No, I can buy them now! I have money, and I’ll work hard to earn more in the future."

Tang Mo was very serious. Su Li nodded awkwardly. "Okay."

"Mommy, do they have any for me to wear? I want to wear one too. Just like before, we should have matching mother-son outfits," Tang Mo asked again.

"For you to wear?" Su Li laughed. "You want a matching outfit? It’d just show off your whole leg."

She teased Tang Mo, who immediately glared at her. Just as she was laughing, there was a knock on the door.

Su Li opened the door to find none other than Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng was holding something. "Su Li, these are for you."

Su Li let him in, curious. "What is it?"

"Clothes," Wu Sheng said, setting them down. "They’re all qipaos."

’Su Li looked so beautiful in them; she should wear them more often. He certainly didn’t mind providing the clothes.’

He had gotten the qipaos through Wu Qihua, who had either found them or recommended them. Although they weren’t quite as exquisite as the one Su Li had worn before, they were still very nice.

Su Li opened them up to take a look and was left speechless. "...."

She looked at Wu Sheng, then at Little Tang Mo, and thought to herself, ’If someone told me right now that Wu Sheng and Tang Mo were father and son, I wouldn’t even be surprised!’

’Such incredible timing!’

’Tang Mo had just said he would buy her some, and the next moment, Wu Sheng shows up with them!’

Tang Mo looked at the clothes, then at Wu Sheng, his little face a mask of conflict.

’He... he... he beat me to it again. I’m not happy.’

’But Mommy will look pretty in them, which makes me happy.’

He pressed his lips together to hide a smile, but his little brows were slightly furrowed. Seeing this, Wu Sheng raised an eyebrow. "What’s wrong, Little Point?"

Tang Mo made it clear he didn’t want to talk to him.

Tang Mo huffed petulantly and turned his head away.

Seeing his expression, Su Li burst out laughing.

Wu Sheng struggled to hold back his own laughter. "What’s this? Who upset our Little Point?"

"I’m going to buy Mommy pretty clothes too! And I’ll get one for myself so we can wear matching mother-son outfits!"

Tang Mo paused before replying, his tone exceptionally proud.

Wu Sheng laughed. "Well, I can wear one too. What your mother and I would wear is called a matching couple’s outfit..."

And so, their fancy bickering began.

Su Li paid them no mind, instead examining the clothes carefully before putting them away.

When she came back out, Wu Sheng and Tang Mo were still bickering.

She listened with amusement for a moment, then went about her business.

This was just part of Wu Sheng and Tang Mo’s daily routine. When they had nothing else to do, they’d have a battle of wits. They were evenly matched and clearly enjoyed it.

If Su Li’s imagination had a certain perverse streak, she might have read something else into their dynamic.

Thankfully, Su Li wasn’t that perverse. *Cough, cough*... which was for the best. ’After all, that’s my fiancé and my son!’

And so, Wu Sheng and Tang Mo’s days passed livelily, filled with their round-the-clock jealousy and playful scheming.

After the engagement, the holiday break ended at the TV station, and Su Li went back to her internship.

She had barely settled back into her routine for two days when, just after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month—the official end of the New Year celebrations—Su Li received a rather unpleasant phone call.

The call was from the manager of the Pinjun children’s clothing branch factory in Fengcheng County.

He said that the county leaders had come to the factory and hoped to get in touch with Su Li, asking if she could make a trip back.

It was because a city newspaper had published a story painting Su Li as an unfilial daughter who neglected her elderly mother. Reporters from TV and radio stations wanted to come for interviews.

The county leaders had managed to stop the first wave of reporters, but because the factory was doing so well, the news was attracting a lot of attention. The impact was very negative, and it would be best for Su Li to return and resolve the issue before it blew up.

After hearing all this, Su Li found it utterly absurd.

"Who wrote the article in the city paper? Which reporter?" ’Who would write such a misleading or biased report?’

"His name is Zhao Wenming. He’s not a reporter, but a teacher, I think." The factory manager was holding the newspaper in his hand.

"I believe he’s from Xinghua Village..."

The moment Su Li heard the name Zhao Wenming, she understood everything.

"Zhao Wenming, huh..." Su Li let out a cold, bitter laugh.

In the end, however, Su Li set off for Fengcheng County, a place she hadn’t returned to in over three years.

She wasn’t afraid of the reports—they couldn’t really affect her—but letting the scandal drag on wasn’t good either. The matter had to be resolved eventually.

When it came to this sort of thing, it was always the barefoot who weren’t afraid of those with shoes.

How many people knew the inside story of how Miao Fenghua had never even treated Su Li like a human being? And even if they knew, there would still be people who’d criticize Su Li, speaking from a position of privilege.

Su Li hadn’t graduated yet, so she could afford to ignore it for now. But in the future, if she started her career and became an on-screen reporter, this could affect her profession.

’In later generations, so many people would have their reputations and careers ruined by misleading or one-sided reports.’

’It’s better that this is all coming out now. Let’s just resolve it early.’

Su Li packed her things and headed back to Fengcheng County with two people from Pinjun.

She didn’t take leave from the TV station. As it happened, someone in Su Li’s home region needed to be interviewed, so when her team leader heard she was going back, he simply gave her an assignment.

This way, Su Li wouldn’t have to take leave, and they wouldn’t have to send someone else on a special trip. The interview wasn’t urgent, so Su Li could handle her personal affairs first.

Su Li didn’t bring Tang Mo back with her. Wu Qihua was more than happy to look after him, and Professor Mu was also delighted to have Tang Mo stay at his house.

Boarding the train, Su Li was filled with complicated emotions. Two days later, she once again set foot on the soil of her hometown, a place she thought she would never return to in her lifetime.

Fengcheng County held too many of her memories, and most of them were painful...

As Su Li got off the train and stood on the platform, she was suddenly reminded of the day she had just been reborn, of the moment she had snatched Little Tang Mo back from the hands of human traffickers.

Although many years had passed, recalling it now, the scene was still as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.

The branch factory manager had been to the Imperial City and knew Su Li, so he came to pick her up personally.

He ran over as soon as he saw her.

"President Su, you’re here! Please, this way."

After greeting Su Li, the middle-aged man, who had an honest smile, politely greeted the two people who had come with her.

"Hello."

As Su Li and the factory manager walked toward the exit, she even greeted a railway worker on the platform.

The worker still had an impression of Su Li. Seeing her entourage and the factory manager with her, he became very reserved.

After Su Li and her group left, he followed them out. Watching from a distance as Su Li was respectfully invited into a car, his face was filled with a thousand emotions.

"She’s really changed so much..."