The Beautiful but Obscure Star Is Targeted by a Scheming Movie Star - Chapter 25

Night fell as neon lights flickered to life.

Streams of traffic carved blue streaks of light through the air.

Gong Yingxiao parked his car in the garage of his family’s old estate and headed upstairs, carrying gifts he had bought for his family.

“The Young Master is back.”

Uncle Zhang, the butler, opened the door and reached out to take the items from Gong Yingxiao’s hands.

“No need, Uncle Zhang,” Gong Yingxiao said. “I’ve told you, you don’t need to call me ‘Young Master.’ Just call me by my name.”

“Of course, Young Master,” Uncle Zhang replied with a beaming smile.

Gong Yingxiao: “…”

Uncle Zhang’s name was Zhang Shu. He had been looking after Gong Yingxiao’s father since before he became a wealthy man; his father was a self-made man who had fought his way to his current position from scratch.

Uncle Zhang had been by his father’s side for over thirty years now.

Perhaps because he had watched them grow up, Uncle Zhang insisted on calling Gong Yingxiao “Young Master” and his sister “Miss,” no matter how many times Gong Yingxiao corrected him.

“Xiao-er is back.” Gong Yingxiao’s mother, Jiang Yazhi, was sitting on the living room sofa applying a face mask. She looked up when she heard his voice.

“Come quickly and sit by Mama.”

Gong Yingxiao hadn’t gone out for social engagements, so he was currently wearing a casual grey-black set and carrying a black crossbody bag.

His hair was styled down, giving him a more youthful, boyish aura.

“Gifts for everyone.” Gong Yingxiao took a box out of his bag and handed it to Uncle Zhang.

Uncle Zhang accepted it. “Thank you, Young Master.”

“Mom, this is for you.”

“Oh my, thank you for the gift, son.” Jiang Yazhi peeled off her face mask and took the gift Gong Yingxiao handed her.

Jiang Yazhi was a musician, but she had a bold personality and loved drag racing and extreme sports.

Even though she was over fifty, she didn’t show her age; her sharp short hair made her look particularly cool and refreshing.

Her facial lines were smooth, her nose was high and straight, and her eyes possessed a strong, commanding presence—the type that looked naturally authoritative without even trying.

Gong Yingxiao and Gong Lingya had inherited most of their looks from Jiang Yazhi.

“Where’s Zhengzheng?” Gong Yingxiao asked.

Zhengzheng was his sister’s child and his young nephew, only five years old this year.

“His father picked him up and took him home,” Jiang Yazhi said. “They aren’t busy these few days and wanted to spend more time with the child.”

Because his sister and brother-in-law had been busy with work the past couple of days, the child had stayed at his grandmother’s house for a while.

Gong Yingxiao’s tabby cat meandered over at that moment, affectionately rubbing its head against his pant leg. Gong Yingxiao scratched its head with his finger.

He then pulled out a catnip ball he had bought for it.

The tabby was a stray male cat Gong Yingxiao had found while he was out making a life for himself. He felt it was destiny, so he adopted it and named it ‘Yuan-yuan’ (Destiny).

Yuan-yuan happily picked up the ball in its mouth to play.

Gong Yingxiao nodded, placed the remaining gifts and his crossbody bag on the coffee table, and scanned the room. “Where’s Dad?”

Jiang Yazhi, having washed her face, returned to the sofa to open her gift. “Your father is in the kitchen cooking. He was overjoyed when he heard you were coming back; his smile reached his ears, yet he’s still acting tough.”

As Jiang Yazhi was speaking, a deep voice and footsteps approached from the direction of the kitchen.

“Wife, what did our son say…”

Gong Jianjun appeared, wearing a pink apron with bunny ears. He held a spatula in one hand and a bottle of seafood soy sauce in the other, walking briskly with a face full of smiles.

Although Gong Jianjun was also over fifty, he was a refined-looking man. Aside from a few extra fine lines at the corners of his eyes, he hadn’t changed much since his youth.

However, the moment he spotted his son, Gong Yingxiao, his expression changed instantly.

His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze turned sharp, the corners of his mouth pulled down, and his tone became sarcastic.

“Hmph, so you still know how to come home?”

“If you stayed away any longer, I would have nearly forgotten there was a person like you in this family.”

Gong Yingxiao unperturbedly nodded, picked up a gift from the coffee table, and handed it to his father. “Yes. I brought a gift for you.”

Gong Jianjun’s face immediately broke into a smile before he violently pulled his expression back.

“Hmph, don’t think you can bribe me.”

Despite his words, his hands moved incredibly fast.

The corners of his mouth struggled to stay down, but he pressed them into a hard line. “Hmph, since you showed some sense this time, I’ll forgive you.”

“Thank you, Dad.” Gong Yingxiao stood up, walked to his father’s side, took the soy sauce from his hand, and put an arm around his shoulder.

“I’ll cook with you.”

Gong Jianjun was clearly ecstatic, his footsteps becoming much lighter.

Yet, he continued to be stubborn. “Don’t think I’ll let you off just because you’re cooking with me. You…”

Jiang Yazhi watched the backs of the father and son as they left, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

“Then I’ll play chess with you later,” Gong Yingxiao said as he took the spatula from his father and lifted the pot lid to stir-fry.

Gong Jianjun loved playing chess, especially with Gong Yingxiao.

But previously, Gong Yingxiao was away building his own career, and even after returning, his schedule was packed with work. Adding to that, Gong Jianjun nagged him to find a partner every time he came home, which had caused communication between them to dwindle.

They hadn’t had the chance to play chess in a long time.

Hearing that Gong Yingxiao wanted to play with him, Gong Jianjun couldn’t stop smiling.

“Fine, you aren’t allowed to back out.”

“I won’t.” Gong Yingxiao turned off the heat and took out a plate, sliding the Di San Xian (Stir-fried Potato, Eggplant, and Pepper) from the wok onto the dish.

“Also, Dad, move aside a bit. You’re in the way.”

Gong Jianjun: “…”

With Gong Yingxiao’s help, the cooking went much faster.

Presently, everyone was sitting at the table eating. Gong Jianjun didn’t have many strict rules for dining; whoever was in the house ate together at one table.

Besides their family, there was Uncle Zhang the butler and Auntie Yang the cook.

However, Auntie Yang had something to attend to at home today and wasn’t present. Gong Yingxiao had given her gift to his mother, and Jiang Yazhi placed it in the room specifically for gifts rather than entering Auntie Yang’s room without permission.

Although Gong Jianjun kept grumbling at Gong Yingxiao, he was genuinely happy his son was home.

He happily opened a bottle of liquor—specifically, Baijiu.

“Come, son, it’s rare for you to be home. Have a drink with your old man.”

Gong Jianjun cheerfully filled a small glass for himself and moved to fill one for Gong Yingxiao.

“Dad, you just sit. I’ll do it myself.” Gong Yingxiao stepped ahead and took the bottle, filling the glass in front of him.

“Alright, alright,” Gong Jianjun agreed happily.

Gong Yingxiao actually didn’t quite approve of Gong Jianjun drinking right now; he had recently been discharged from the hospital. Even though it wasn’t a major illness, he had been hospitalized nonetheless.

But seeing the excited glint in Gong Jianjun’s eyes, Gong Yingxiao ultimately said nothing.

Forget it. He truly hadn’t been home in a while, and his father hadn’t had a drink in a long time. A little bit now wouldn’t hurt.

“Dad, a toast to you.”

Gong Yingxiao raised his glass and initiated a clink with Gong Jianjun.

Gong Jianjun’s eyes suddenly grew moist.

Lately, because of the issue of Gong Yingxiao finding a partner, the atmosphere between the father and son hadn’t been great.

Every time, Gong Jianjun wanted to talk about it properly, but every conversation would end in sparks after just a few sentences. If their tempers flared high enough, the two of them might have blown the house to bits.

Fortunately, whenever they reached a dangerous, tension-filled peak, Jiang Yazhi would appear in time to give them each a slap to sober them up, followed by watching them hold hands to make up and apologize to each other.

The family chatted quite pleasantly at the dinner table.

Until Gong Jianjun brought up the topic of Gong Yingxiao finding a partner again.

“Xiao-er.” Gong Jianjun’s face was flushed with a drunken glow. His voice was slightly raspy, but his tone was gentle.

“Son, I’m fifty-eight this year. Your sister got married eight years ago, and Zhengzheng is five now. I know your mother and I married late, and I don’t mean to blame you, but I’m just afraid you’ll be too lonely in the future.”

“I still remember when your mother and I went to see you in that rented room when you were making it on your own.” Gong Jianjun’s voice suddenly choked up, a slight tremble entering his tone—the concern and heartache of a father for his son.

“You were standing in that kitchen with peeling walls and dim light, preparing dinner for us. The moment we knocked and you turned around to smile at us, I suddenly regretted letting you go out on your own.”

“I worked so hard not to make you two relive the things I went through, but I also didn’t want to interfere with your decisions. You are an adult; you have the right to decide what kind of life you want to lead.”

“Dad just… can’t bear to see it.”

“Oh dear, I shouldn’t have let you drink.” Jiang Yazhi hurriedly patted Gong Jianjun’s back. “Our son finally came home; why are you saying all this?”

“Besides, with our son’s looks and build, he’d be a hot commodity even in the second-hand market, let alone the third-hand one. And if our son…”

“Dad, Mom.”

Gong Yingxiao interrupted his mother, calling out to them both solemnly.

“What is it, son?”

Jiang Yazhi looked at Gong Yingxiao in confusion.

“I have someone I like.”

“What?”

“Ow, ow, ow! Wife!”

Two voices rang out simultaneously.

The first was Jiang Yazhi’s surprised cry; the second was Gong Jianjun, whose hair had been violently yanked by his wife.

“Oh, oh, sorry, dear.” Jiang Yazhi quickly let go and soothed her husband. “It’s okay, not a single strand fell out. I’ve got them all right here in my hand.”

Gong Yingxiao: “…”

Gong Jianjun was clearly drunk and clung to his wife. Jiang Yazhi had no choice but to have Uncle Zhang take him upstairs.

Uncle Zhang nodded. “Understood, Madam.”

Jiang Yazhi sat down on the sofa with a smile and pulled her son over.

“Son, keep talking.”

Gong Yingxiao uncomfortably rubbed his thumb and index finger together. After a long silence, he rested his hands on his knees and buried his face in them.

“But there’s a bit of a misunderstanding between us right now.”

“How big of a misunderstanding?” Jiang Yazhi gestured with her pinky finger. “This much?”

“No.” Gong Yingxiao lowered his hands. “…He doesn’t want to see me right now.”

Jiang Yazhi asked, “Why?”

Gong Yingxiao said, “It seems to be my fault.”

Jiang Yazhi: “Tsk.”

Gong Yingxiao: “…”

“Mom, what do you think I should do?”

Jiang Yazhi asked, “Let me confirm first: is it just you liking them, or are you both interested in each other?”

“Why does that matter?”

“It determines whether you should continue to pursue them.”

“If it’s the former, I don’t suggest you disturb them. If they aren’t interested in you, then everything you bring them will only be a burden.”

“If it’s the latter, then you should still have a chance. That chance depends on whether your approach is correct. If you do it right, you can be together. If you do it wrong, your mom will have to sign you up for more second-hand markets.”

Gong Yingxiao: “…”

“What second-hand market? We can definitely make it work.” Gong Yingxiao’s voice grew smaller, his expression looking aggrieved.

Jiang Yazhi was stunned. It was the first time she had seen Gong Yingxiao like this.

Even when he was struggling on his own and faced the toughest challenges, he had never acted this way. Jiang Yazhi laughed; it seemed he was truly smitten.

Gong Yingxiao never gave up on something once he set his mind to it. Jiang Yazhi secretly offered a prayer for her future daughter-in-law (or son-in-law).

To have encountered such a persistent person.

Jiang Yazhi teased him, “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Gong Yingxiao kept his head down. “A boy.”

Jiang Yazhi indeed had a “just as I expected” expression and continued, “What do you like about him?”

Gong Yingxiao waited a moment before saying, “I like everything about him.”

Jiang Yazhi laughed out loud.

Indeed, whether they were powerful elites or ordinary youths, everyone became a child when it came to the subject of love.

Gong Yingxiao turned to his mother. “Mom, what should I do?”

Jiang Yazhi slapped Gong Yingxiao hard on the shoulder. “What else can you do? Keep pursuing him!”

“Message him, send him food, show up in front of him more often. Don’t just talk; take action. And figure out the conflict between you two.”

Jiang Yazhi added, “Also, son, we live in a society ruled by law. Even if he doesn’t agree, you can’t use force. You must respect his wishes.”

“If you try to use force, your mom will be the first one to report you!”

Hearing his mother’s words, Gong Yingxiao replied softly.

“I would never.”

Jiang Yazhi smiled. “By the way, son, your birthday is coming up. Are you spending it at home this year?”

Gong Yingxiao’s birthday was on August 10th, the hottest part of summer.

“I’ll tell you once I’ve decided.”

“Alright. Then Mom is going to go check on your father.”