Huayu: Starting by piggybacking on the fame of "Fairy Mom"

Chapter 50 Inability to Empathize

Before we knew it, another week had passed.

Zhou Xiaobai begged for space, making a bunch of promises.

Anxi finally nodded and agreed to practice "Good Morning Jiangcheng" one more time.

As the piano music began, the first melody flowed from Anxixi's lips, finally arriving at the pass that had tripped her up countless times—

"You are the most beautiful star in the night sky."

The vast space fell silent instantly, and all the starlight in the sky focused on the exit of Anxixi's throat.

Just as his breath was about to stop, a steady current of air flowed into his chest, like moonlight passing through a crack, quietly arriving.

"Lighting my way forward"

The voice was no longer constrained by technique; it burst forth from its throat and echoed in the vast space.

When the last note faded into the air, the space was silent for a few seconds.

Immediately, Zhou Xiaobai applauded.

"Xixi, you sang so well! I'm so proud of you, and even more people will be proud of you in the future." Zhou Xiaobai cupped An Xixi's round little face in his hands to encourage her. Little babies need to be praised. Recently, An Xixi had found Zhou Xiaobai's weakness again: if he didn't praise her, she would "sing badly."

During her time working at the record company, Anxi learned the most about gratitude: "Little brother, thank you for your hard work."

God rewards those who work hard!

Of course, Zhou Xiaobai's contribution is enormous. With Grandma Wang's patience and Xiaobai's blood transfusion, we can kill like crazy and get closer and closer to becoming a people's artist.

Xiao Bai said that she hasn't fully grown up yet, but in the future she will be the most beautiful woman in the universe with no bad angles, and she will definitely be prettier than her mother and aunt.

Then we'll crown Da Meili as the number one beauty in Jiangcheng.

"We'll learn 'Dawn' later. It's a pretty difficult song. If you get tired, we can do it after the New Year." Zhou Xiaobai said, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth as he squinted at the blue sky and white clouds, looking completely satisfied.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted. Last time I called my grandma, she said I've developed a rough voice like a northerner," Anxixi complained.

During this period, they would also visit the orphanage from time to time to recharge Wang Shuzhen and give her extra meals—the orphanage had this income of nearly one million yuan, and would receive several million more next year. Recently, they had been feeding the children to their heart's content to make up for the previous deficit.

Yesterday, on a whim, Wang Shuzhen started playing the piano and asked Zhou Xiaobai to play the guitar.

The two of them collaborated to accompany Anxixi, making the effect even better.

After singing "Good Morning Jiangcheng", Wang Shuzhen patted An Qianqian's head and praised her, saying that she would become everyone's favorite singer in the future. The little girl was so happy that her gums were sticking out of her mouth all night.

"Is Auntie coming back tomorrow?" Anxi asked, rubbing her little bottom.

During this period, she and Zhou Xiaobai were two against one, and she could barely manage to play hide-and-seek with her mother.

If my aunt comes back, it will be a two-on-two mixed doubles match, and there will be no chance of survival.

"Sigh! We're going to get a scolding again." Zhou Xiaobai said helplessly. Zhou Wenqiong can't even have peace and quiet when she's out filming a movie. She calls to check up on us every day.

"It's all Dad's fault, it's all his fault." Anxixi gritted her teeth.

Now that it's holiday time, the adults are probably bored, so Dad keeps causing trouble. Mom takes her frustrations out on the two kids.

"Mmm!" Zhou Xiaobai nodded.

"If you ask me, I'd rather just get rid of the green certificate and stop acting like a child, making a fuss every day." Anxi was very angry.

She felt that her mother was useless and couldn't control her man.

Unlike me? I keep my younger brother under my thumb.

To avoid affecting the children, the two little ones have been staying at the Zhou family's house for the past few days.

Actually, Liu Xiaoli was overthinking things. An Qianqian understood many things, but she kept putting on a brave face because she didn't want her mother to worry.

Anxi already knew where she could get the green certificate.

She secretly took her mother's marriage certificate and persuaded Zhou Xiaobai to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with her, but they wouldn't even let them in because they were just kids.

Because of this, she felt useless and poured her grief and anger into her voice every day until her voice became hoarse—that's how her grandmother got her rough voice.

Since meeting Zhou Xiaobai, An Qianqian felt that the family would not fall apart. After all, 3-1+1 still equals 3, and no one in the family has been lost.

"We only care about the result, why should we care about the process?" This is what An Qianqian said to Zhou Xiaobai in private.

At worst, when the school announces a parent-teacher meeting, Zhou Xiaobai can pretend to be a parent.

She had impersonated a parent at school before, and although she was severely beaten, she thought it was a good idea.

……

When Anxi sang "It's Dawn" for the first time, she couldn't immerse herself in the boundless sorrow, and empathy couldn't be drawn through the song's meaning.

Both of them were blindly optimistic, naively believing that time would solve everything.

Anxi herself changed the lyrics from "That autumn, I could no longer see my father's face. He used his shoulders to support the starting point of my rebirth..." to "I don't know when, I can no longer see his smiling face. His back as he turned away no longer supports my life..." She said she would make her father regret it later.

Everything seemed so clear and orderly, and confidence swelled in my chest.

Anxi sang over and over again, lost in the illusion she had created for herself.

But Zhou Xiaobai, the bystander, still noticed the indescribable stiffness in the singing.

Emotions cannot be expressed through sound, and there seems to be a world apart from the comforting atmosphere.

Feeling frustrated, Zhou Xiaobai and An Qianqian sought out Wang Shuzhen to carefully analyze every word of the lyrics.

As Wang Shuzhen carefully analyzed the rise and fall of her breath and how she handled the high and low notes, she gradually discovered that her singing could not be achieved by simply having a good voice and skill, but by conveying empathy throughout her body.

Although the pronunciation is smooth and fluent, it lacks a sense of life experience and the warmth of everyday life.

"Xixi, the New Year is coming soon. Spend some time with your mother and chat with her. You can start studying after the New Year," Zhou Xiaobai said to An Xixi.

"Why?" Anxi asked, blinking her eyes. She really didn't want to go back; she couldn't eat or sleep well, and she was being scolded.

Zhou Xiaobai acted as an emotional mentor, explaining to her, "The song doesn't resonate with you; it lacks the sense of responsibility parents have for their children. You need to think about what your mother did all this for."

These words really reminded An Qianqian of her parents' past and the helplessness she felt when she moved away from the An family home.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she hugged Zhou Xiaobai tightly, sobbing loudly.

Zhou Xiaobai wrapped his arms around An Qianqian. Thinking of his family in that world, he murmured, "Qianqian, at least you have a mother. In this world, I'm all alone."

"You—have—me!" Anxi glared at him, looking unhappy.

"Yes, yes, I have you, I have my mom, I have Da Meili, I have Grandma Wang, and I have many good friends in the yard." Zhou Xiaobai laughed. That's the good thing about little girls; they always bring him joy.

"Mmm!" Anxi nodded.

Zhou Xiaobai buried his head in An Qianqian's hair, feeling an even greater sense of responsibility; he had to shoulder all of this.