Marry a female star at a bargain price

The last week of workdays before the Spring Festival.

Han Xixi ended all her work early and returned to her home in Ninghai.

After returning from Jingzhou with her child, Liu Liyun, the mother, did not go back to Mashan County but stayed directly in Ninghai.

This was a decision that Lin Xiao and his wife had discussed beforehand.

On the one hand, it's because Han Xixi's work focus has completely shifted away from Shiliang Primary School in Xingguang Town, and the foundation is also affiliated with the Provincial Department of Education, with her studio located in Ninghai, the provincial capital.

The remote and mountainous Mashan County and Xingguang Town are essentially no longer related to Xixi.

If she absolutely had to finish work each time, she would have to drive for several hours over mountains to visit her husband and daughter in Mashan County.

Lin Xiao's husband is really going too far.

Another important reason, of course, is to consider his daughter, Lin Xiaoxi.

My little girl has had whooping cough for almost two months now, and her cough has gradually lessened. Now she only coughs two or three times a day.

With the family's careful care, the little chubby girl has gained several pounds and is now quite chubby.

The year-end is approaching and Little Fatty's first birthday party is just around the corner.

This is an important day.

My aunt's family from Jingzhou has confirmed that they will come back for the Spring Festival this year to reunite with the family and attend Xiaopangya's birthday party.

During this time, Han Xixi's relationship with her father has improved a lot, and there is no longer any resentment between them.

The dramatic "falling out" and "adoption" that occurred at the hospital when Lin Xiaoxi was born has now completely ended.

At the time, the South Korean Navy had its own unspeakable difficulties.

However, he was absent from various important occasions when his granddaughter was born, which is a fact.

This is a great regret in Mayor Han's heart.

There is no better father than a daughter.

Han Xixi knew what her father was thinking, so she invited him to her first birthday party on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The mother, Liu Liyun, also expressed her acceptance of this.

Nearly a year after her divorce, Director Liu's mindset has undergone a dramatic change. From the initial humiliation of being abandoned as a strong woman, she later resigned and went to live with her daughter and son-in-law, where she experienced a spiritual cleansing in the mountains.

Now, at the urging of her daughter and son-in-law, Liu Liyun has taken on the role of executive director of the Nanzhou Provincial Rural Primary School Art Education Foundation.

Director Liu, now over fifty, has restarted his career and is radiant with renewed vigor, brimming with fighting spirit.

This is a long journey from "defeat" to "healing" and then to "regrouping and starting again".

Liu Liyun appears calm and collected on the surface, but in reality, she has experienced several ups and downs, and now she has overcome all obstacles.

She is a career-oriented woman, and marriage, love, and even family only occupy a small part of her life.

The reason I couldn't accept the divorce was simply because I was over fifty years old and was suddenly abandoned by my husband, which made me feel extremely humiliated.

Now, Liu Liyun has a peaceful mindset and understands her ex-husband's choice, and can talk to him rationally.

As it turns out, two highly career-minded people, setting aside their marital relationship, find themselves to be like-minded and share the same goals.

The two share a high degree of spiritual alignment, yet they are incompatible in daily life, unable to compromise on any of their habits.

Even after more than 20 years of trying to get along, they still haven't reached a good working relationship.

Instead, they almost became a bitter couple.

Now, the former couple has spoken on the phone several times because of their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter.

It was an unexpectedly peaceful and harmonious scene.

They knew each other well, but instead of becoming husband and wife, they became very good friends.

Whether this is good fortune or a misfortune born of unforeseen circumstances is hard to say.

In short, it's settled that Han Haijun will attend his granddaughter's first birthday party.

In addition, Han Xixi's best friend Xie Xiaowei has also achieved initial success in her scar repair surgery and prosthetic rehabilitation training at the hospital.

In previous years, Xie Xiaowei spent the Spring Festival alone in her small house.

Now that she has decided to start a new life and has taken the first step, Han Xixi will naturally not allow her to spend the Spring Festival alone.

Therefore, Xie Xiaowei also became one of the key guests at Lin Xiaoxi's first birthday party.

All told, there are more than twenty people in total, including both sets of parents, relatives and friends.

If the first birthday banquet is held in Mashan County.

Not only is it cramped at home, but transportation is also a major problem.

Therefore, Lin Xiao and Xi Xi decided to hold their first birthday party at their house in Ninghai. The villa is spacious with many rooms, and it can accommodate their aunt's family.

This will also save Xixi and her daughter the trouble of going back and forth.

The matter was settled smoothly, saving everyone a lot of trouble, except for Lin Xiao, who needed to put in some effort.

After all, his wife and children are in Ninghai, and Xixi rarely gets to rest at home. Lin Xiao, an old man who has been alone in his empty house for many days, naturally has to go home to find that long-lost tenderness.

This round trip takes six or seven hours each day.

Mayor Lin even wants to give himself a "Best Homecoming Award".

Fortunately, as the year draws to a close, there aren't many things to do in Xingguang Town, just routine fire safety and security inspections.

Of course, normally, grassroots units should be the busiest before the end of the year.

Besides the actual work, the annual summaries and various documents submitted to different departments alone could overwhelm an entire organization.

But this year, it's completely quiet up there.

The "cleanliness" doesn't mean that departments shouldn't summarize their work, but rather that due to the large-scale inspections and purges before New Year's Day, almost all the important leaders and key departments in Mashan County were replaced.

As a new official, he was unfamiliar with various tasks.

Therefore, Mashan County is currently in an unprecedented "newbie period" phase, which is why all the commissions and bureaus are unusually quiet.

Once they quieted down, the lower-level departments also quieted down.

The officials couldn't help but complain: "So it turns out that if the higher-ups don't cause trouble, the sky won't fall, and things will still function normally!"

During this special historical period.

Mayor Lin Xiao was unusually leisurely, and being late and leaving early every day had become the norm.

The town officials saw through it but didn't say anything.

Not only did they not say anything, they even felt a sense of satisfaction thinking: Our town mayor worked so hard before, it's almost Chinese New Year, he should take a rest, that's only fair!

The three deputy mayors voluntarily took on various patrol and duty tasks. The town's cadres also changed the "bad habit" of taking leave to buy New Year's goods at this time of year. Everyone took the initiative to "find things to do" and strictly guarded against all kinds of hidden dangers and loopholes that might exist in the town before the end of the year.

Everyone is working so hard just to ensure a peaceful end to the year and the beginning of the new year, so that the mayor can enjoy these few days of family time in peace.

Time flew by and it was the Little New Year.

A bombshell news story from Mashan County has sparked heated discussions among all the officials in Xingguang Town.

Lin Xiao didn't hear Deputy Mayor Ge Tao mention it until lunchtime in the canteen: "That Yaofa project has been shut down!!"

Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

Which Yaofa project?

"And the other one, it's the one in the county that developed the first phase of Xincun Garden in our town!"

"Oh... Yu Yaojun!"

Lin Xiao then suddenly realized what was going on.

Lately, I haven't been paying much attention to county affairs, and even many tasks in the town have been led by the three deputy town heads, allowing me to comfortably be a hands-off manager.

When your mind isn't on something, you naturally don't pay attention to many things.

As the town mayor, he frequently attends meetings in the county, so he should have been the first to know about this news than most people.

But he was completely unaware of it.

He didn't know until the news had spread to all departments in the county.

After hearing Ge Tao's relieved report, Lin Xiao was somewhat dazed and shrugged.

I recall going to my father-in-law to complain before, because Yu Yaojun sent people to cause trouble at the second phase of the Xingguang Town merger project's housing selection site, which caused a huge uproar online.

Lin Xiao was furious, so he decided to kill this local bully to vent his anger.

As a result, the mayor waved his hand and launched a massive purge in Mashan County.

Among those purged, the highest-ranking individuals were all Yu Yaojun's backers, and the rest were more or less involved with Yu Yaojun as well—if this guy didn't have such a strong background, his company wouldn't be of such a large scale, and he wouldn't be able to run rampant and be so arrogant in such a small county.

Lin Xiao came here specifically for Yu Yaojun.

As soon as his daughter fell ill, he lost all interest in her, not even paying attention to the upheaval in Mashan County, and naturally had no interest in tracking down Yu Yaojun's fate.

But it's easy to guess that he won't be much better off.

After all, his powerful backer had fallen.

This parasite, clinging to him like a leech, naturally had nowhere to stand and only death was his fate.

"Just closing the door?" Lin Xiao asked back.

"Of course it's more than that!"

Ge Tao readily agreed, "The tax bureau investigated tax evasion and found that Yu Yaojun owes over 700 million yuan in taxes over the past few years. Adding the fines, he'll have to pay at least 1000 million yuan. But Yaofa Engineering doesn't have that much money on its books, and Yu Yaojun himself only has about a million yuan in his account. We had no idea this guy was so famous in Mashan County, always acting like a billionaire. We don't know where all the money went..."

Lin Xiao gave a cold laugh, and the two deputy mayors beside him also wore knowing smiles.

Everyone understood.

Over the years, Yu Yaojun has undertaken various projects in the county, and he must have made a considerable amount of money—enough to achieve a modest fortune. However, it's impossible that all of that money went into his own pocket. If it were truly a matter of business, those more qualified companies would be asking: Why should these projects fall into the hands of a small company like yours?

Therefore, Yu Yaojun gave away most, if not the vast majority, of the money he earned.

He himself had a reputation for being a tyrant in the village.

But not much real money was lost.

Even if he were to sell his company and use all his personal wealth, he might not be able to raise that ten million in taxes.

The situation in Mashan County over the past three months.

Even a fool can see that the once-glorious "Yaofa Project" is now a hot potato.

Don't say that there aren't enough big bosses in Mashan County with the financial resources to take over.

With such limited capital, to have amassed such wealth in this small place, the family head must be a very intelligent person; they would never be so oblivious.

Therefore, no one dared to take on the Yaofa project, and it could only rot in the ground.

Yu Yaojun faces the prospect of losing all his family fortune, imprisonment for tax evasion, and the inevitable downfall of being targeted and subjected to relentless retaliation from various factions.

During his years in Mashan County, he committed many evil deeds.

He used to have powerful backers and a ruthless personality, so no one dared to touch him, and everyone fawned over him. But now, he's become a pathetic, homeless dog. Those who were bullied by him in the past would feel ashamed if they didn't kick him a few times.

"Have you heard? Yu Yaojun was in a car accident and ruined one of his legs!" Office Director Yao Jun shared the gossip.

"Really? What's going on?"

"I don't know the specifics, but I heard that he went to borrow money from a friend, but he didn't get the money and got into a car accident on his way home. He and his car flipped off the road and down a slope in a dense forest. He was incredibly lucky; he managed to survive, but one of his legs was completely ruined!"

"..."

After hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Both of them wore expressions of relief but also a reluctance to laugh, silently lowering their heads to eat.

They all knew in their hearts that if something seemed too coincidental, then the truth must be that the so-called coincidence was actually man-made.

Lin Xiao had no interest in paying attention to any further trending topics about Yu Yaojun.

After lunch, I took a good nap in the office.

He drove off at 3 p.m.

After switching between rural roads, provincial roads, and expressways, it was already 7 p.m. when I arrived home in Ninghai.

It was just in time for dinner.

"Oh, Dad's home!"

Han Xixi was in the living room, helping her daughter practice walking. When she saw her husband, she called out to him in a childish voice.

Hearing the sound, Lin Xiaoxi looked towards the door, and a surprised smile immediately appeared on her chubby face, her two round, dark eyes suddenly shining brightly.

"Dad...Dad..."

The chubby girl touched the TV cabinet and moved towards Lin Xiao step by step, her mood very anxious.

Lin Xiao rushed to hug his daughter, but was stopped by a look from his wife.

He could only stand there and patiently wait for his daughter to walk towards him.

The chubby girl took two steps, and the TV cabinet reached the edge; beyond that was open space.

Even after losing her support, the chubby girl wasn't afraid. She let go of his hand and wobbled towards Lin Xiao, taking quick little steps.

Lin Xiao felt a mix of surprise, nervousness, and anticipation.

Just as her daughter was about to reach her, the little girl tripped over her own feet in her anxiety and was about to fall forward.

Lin Xiao reacted quickly and hugged his daughter, preventing her chubby face from making intimate contact with the floor.

The chubby little girl was held tightly in her father's arms.

"Dad...Dad..."

"Oh, my darling!!"

Lin Xiao was so excited he almost cried.

Although his daughter had been calling him "Dad" for several days, the old father still gets emotional every time he hears her say those two words, and he often can't help but burst into tears.

Xi Xi said that men and women are just different. Women become mothers as soon as they get pregnant, but men don't truly become fathers until they hear their children call them "Dad."

Lin Xiao responded to this statement: That makes sense!

After spending some time with their daughter, the family washed their hands and ate.

Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year, and we have a sumptuous meal at home. All the family members are gathered together, with family members from both sides except for Han Haijun.

At the dinner table, the whole family not only teased Lin Xiaoxi, the chubby girl, but also joked about Lin Yu and Liang Tian's relationship.

Lin Xiaoxi didn't realize everyone was teasing her, and she kept laughing.

Thus, the world where only Lin Yu was injured was achieved.

After dinner, Lin Xiao played with his daughter for a while. The little chubby girl drank her milk and fell asleep in his arms while he was burping her.

Only after she fell asleep did her father reluctantly put her down.

I took a shower, and when I came out it was already 10:30 p.m. The moonlight outside the window was gentle.

Xixi sat on the balcony reading a book, wearing a fluffy pajama set.

Lin Xiao suddenly remembered that this outfit seemed to be the one his wife wore when he first met her at her home on a blind date years ago.

Although less than three years have passed.

But he had a strange feeling that it was like another world.

It's rare that he didn't harbor any ill intentions towards his wife when they were together in a safe environment.

He sat down in the hanging chair opposite his wife, and as the chair swayed from side to side, his eyes remained fixed on his wife's delicate face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Xixi asked softly.

"No, it's just that I feel...life is great right now!"

Lin Xiao laughed heartily and added, "If I didn't go to work and you didn't go to work either, and we could stay like this forever, that would be even better!"

Xi Xi smiled and rolled her eyes playfully.

"You're such a grown man, yet you say such childish things!"

"Where am I naive?"

"You feel good now because we've been apart a lot lately, so it's only during these rare reunions that you feel so happy!"

Xi Xi said seriously, "If it's like this every day, with you not going to work and me not working, just staying at home taking care of the kids and doing housework, staring at each other all day long, you'll get annoyed in a couple of days, and of course you won't feel that life is good anymore. Tell me, aren't you being childish?"

Lin Xiao rolled his eyes helplessly: "Han, you're really losing your charm these days. I rarely get sentimental, can't you just say something warm and touching instead of lecturing me?"

Xi Xi burst out laughing.

What's wrong with the couple now? Before, the husband was always reasonable and she was always throwing tantrums. Now it's completely reversed. The husband is still full of sentimental feelings, while she is surprisingly calm and has no romantic temperament at all.

Xi Xi realized that this was not good, so she immediately corrected it.

Clearing her throat, she quickly got up and squeezed into the hammock next to Lin Xiao.

"Hey, hey, hey, this chair might collapse..." Lin Xiao warned.

"Um?!"

Xi Xi immediately glared at him, "You dare to say I'm fat?"

Lin Xiao realized he had misspoke, so he quickly pursed his lips, looked up at the sky, and pretended to be innocent and ignorant.

Han Xixi decided to let him off the hook. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder, and said, "Honey, I know I've been very busy lately and often away from home. You miss me, don't you?"

Lin Xiao said arrogantly, "Hmph, who misses you!"

Xi Xi smiled patiently and said, "I miss you, I miss you, okay?"

Lin Xiao then smirked triumphantly, unable to suppress it.

"I know I've neglected you and Xiao Chu lately!"

Xi Xi said, half-coaxing and half-sincerely, "Actually, I've realized that this isn't right. Establishing the foundation is something I genuinely wanted to do, and I don't regret this decision. But you and Xiao Chu are the most important people in my life, and I hope to be with you every day. This is my honest opinion, do you believe me?"

Lin Xiao nodded.

Xi Xi frowned slightly and sighed, "But now, I clearly feel that the biggest problem facing women is how to balance career and family. Is it true that this is a common topic online, and that it's impossible to balance them all? You can only choose one!"

Hearing the heavy tone of the conversation, Lin Xiao quickly said, "I didn't give you a choice. Don't worry, Xiao Chu and I will always support you..."

Xi Xi shook her head: "I know. But honey, you know what? Every time I come home and see how much Xiao Chu has changed, it makes me really sad. For a mother, missing out on her child's growth is a cruel thing, because once it's missed, it's gone forever."

"So, although I've been busy with work and received a lot of positive feedback and recognition from the children, none of this can make up for the absence from my children's growth and the regret of not being able to be by your side more often..."

As Xixi spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

Lin Xiao brought up this topic intending to be affectionate with his wife, but unexpectedly it triggered her painful memories.

He was immediately filled with remorse, reached out and pulled his wife into his arms, kissing her forehead.

"Husband was wrong, husband shouldn't have said those things..."

"No, you're right!"

Xi Xi suddenly perked up and laughed, "After realizing these problems, I've been trying to find a way to let my mom manage the foundation's daily operations. This is one of my solutions. You know my mom's abilities. With her in charge of the foundation, I can completely relinquish my responsibilities and just focus on making money."

"Moreover, I've earned a lot of money since I came back to work in the past six months, which is enough to ensure the foundation can operate for at least two or three years. Next year, I plan to reduce my workload, stop participating in variety shows, cut some unnecessary appearances, and focus all my energy on the concert."

“That way, I can have a lot of uninterrupted time to spend with you and Xiao Chu. Also, my dad told me last time that he is working hard to connect with the Provincial Department of Education to get the department to allocate funds regularly to help the foundation operate, even if it's just to cover a portion of the costs. That would reduce my stress a lot.”

"If that were really possible, I would be so much more relaxed. I wouldn't have to work for money anymore, and I could just keep singing because I love it. Then I would have more time to watch Xiao Chu grow up with my brother. Wouldn't that be great?"

Lin Xiao was deeply moved and overjoyed.

He never imagined that his wife, seemingly calm and collected, was actually under so much pressure.

When the foundation was first established, Lin Xiao said that he could also take on variety shows and freelance work. After all, there had been online reviews of the couple's business, and his earning power as a talented musician far exceeded that of his wife.

But Han Xixi refused her husband's help.

The reason is that she was the one who spearheaded the foundation, so she should bear the responsibility herself and not drag her husband into it. Moreover, her husband has his own regular job and career aspirations, which are not about making money. If he were to frequently engage in such activities to help his wife, he would inevitably face all sorts of criticism, which is something she definitely doesn't want to see.

Regarding this.

That's how the couple ended up in their current situation: the wife is out there making a fortune, while the husband stays home to take care of his wife and children.

There's nothing wrong with this situation; neither the couple feels any psychological burden.

The only problem is that they spend little time together, which is hard for both of them to bear. Of course, the reasons for their unbearability are different: one is psychological, and the other is physiological.

Regardless of the reason.

Xixi felt this wasn't a big deal, so she came up with a solution, and it's already showing initial results.

Lin Xiao was happy to see this happen.

He supports his wife's career and pursuits, just as she supported him in the past.

But while I support her, it would certainly be better if I could spend more time kissing, hugging, and making love with her.

After all, in this life, career pursuits are like flowing water, and fame and fortune are like fleeting clouds.

What people seek in this life, in the final analysis, is that person, the one who knows your joys and sorrows, and is always by your side.

Faced with his wife's arrangements.

Although no words were explicitly mentioned as love, they sounded like the sweetest confession in the world to Lin Xiao.

He was so moved that he was speechless.

He lowered his head and left a gentle kiss on his wife's cheek.

"Okay, listen to you!"

(End of this chapter)