CH 39.2

Do You Still Hate Her? 29 – “Young Lady, I’ve come to take you home.”

Shang Lu was speaking nonsense with a serious expression.

The atmosphere on the scene was also lively. However, Ye Lu raised their hand and deliberately said opposing argument, “But what if the person receiving the gift doesn’t want to receive this kind of gift?”

Shang Lu didn’t respond directly, but looked at Lin Yanyan and Ou Yi.

Lin Yanyan : “I’m willing!”

Ou Yi : “I’m willing too!”

Shang Lu reached out and exchanged a virtual high-five with them, then shrugged and looked at Ye Lu.

[Ye Lu gets ruthlessly backstabbed by his teammates, but he should be used to it by now]

[As long as it is given by Shang Lu, whether it’s something good or bad, Lin Yanyan and Ou Yi are both willing to accept it all]

[Ye Lu! Stop struggling! Raise your hands! You’ve been infiltrated by the enemy forces!]

Ye Lu still appeared dissatisfied, trying in every possible way to find an angle to prove that Shang Lu’s task was inadequate.

Shang Lu only said one sentence: “This is for the money to buy gifts for you.”

Ye Lu : “?! “

Ye Lu immediately changed his tone and directly made a decision for the program team : “Congratulations to the Must Win Team for successfully completing the challenge!”

[Program Team : Do you have a say here?]

[Hahaha, Ye Lu finally realized that whether the Victory team wins or loses this game determines whether he can receive gifts]

This segment wasn’t really about competing for victory; it was just meant to end today’s game segment on a heartwarming note. So Shang Lu and Xu Ze also easily took the four hundred yuan and went to choose gifts.

They bought an extravagant sunglasses case with pink rhinestones for Song Zeqian, two pairs of furry gloves—one large and one small—for Teacher Jiang Jing, several pretty and cute hairpins for Lin Yanyan, and for Ou Yi and Ye Lu, they chose a pair of sports knee pads, one black and one blue, with the same design but different colors. They were simply exhausted from just choosing.

Song Zeqian remained silent as he looked at the sunglasses case. Then, he praised, “Your aesthetic is very trendy.”

[Hahaha, the word ‘unsophisticated’ almost slipped out of Director Song’s mouth, but Shang Lu’s serious expression made him hold it back.]

[Is Director Song also becoming more tactful? My youth is over!]

[What can we use to save Shang Lu’s sense of aesthetics? Hahaha!]

[I’ve summarized Shang Lu’s aesthetic. Most of the time, it’s normal, except when faced with people with small eyes and shiny objects.]

[Yes, Lin Yanyan’s hairpin is also very shiny, but because it’s a gift from Shang Lu, Lin Yanyan can abandon aesthetic considerations.]

Except for Song Zeqian, everyone else really liked their gifts.

Lin Yanyan immediately clipped the hairpin all over her head, not caring at all if it ruined her hairstyle. After all, she liked everything Shang Lu gave her.

Ou Yi, holding knee pads, excitedly said, “How did you know I was hesitating about participating in this year’s celebrity sports event? Are you encouraging me to join? Great! I’ll sign the contract tonight!”

Shang Lu : “?”

How did he deduce so much from a pair of knee pads?

Shang Lu, straightforward as always, said, “I got you and Ye Lu the same ones.”

Ye Lu then added, “I signed the contract a long time ago. Every celebrity sports event is my time to shine!”

Ou Yi sneered, “Even if you wear the same knee pads, having me here this year means you won’t win.”

The two of them were almost about to write challenge letters to each other on the spot.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jing looked at the two pairs of gloves somewhat surprised and asked, “Are these for me and my daughter?”

“Yes,” Shang Lu nodded and added, “I noticed on your Weibo a while back that you posted a picture of your daughter’s little feet. The pink socks were adorable, and they match these gloves well.”

After saying this, Shang Lu paused for two seconds, then reached out and touched the small gloves, almost involuntarily saying, “It must be tough for you.”

Jiang Jing loved this child very much; everyone in the entertainment industry knew that.

Even when they collaborated on the set of the drama <Life’s Journey>, Jiang Jing would rush back to see her child briefly after wrapping up work at night. On days off, she almost always spent her time with her child. Her Weibo also showcased the child’s daily life without revealing the child’s face.

Shang Lu often clicked in to watch and the adorable voice of the child would curl the corners of her lips in amusement.

Perhaps they couldn’t be considered friends. Even in the last episode of recording, Shang Lu realized that Jiang Jing didn’t like her. Yet, she still couldn’t say she disliked Jiang Jing. Jiang Jing was a good mother.

“Thank you,” Jiang Jing showed a genuine smile. After a few seconds of silence, she added, “I’m sorry, also for last time. Thank you.”

This apology felt somewhat out of place here, but due to the good atmosphere in the live broadcast, not many people noticed. They were all busy unwrapping their own gifts.

The viewers in the livestream noticed, but there weren’t many who questioned it. At this moment, Jiang Jing looked at Shang Lu again, smiled lightly, and said, “Actually, today is also my daughter’s birthday. I’ll be going back to spend time with her after the recording ends. Thank you for the birthday gift you gave her.”

Shang Lu showed a frustrated expression, saying, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have bought them gifts.”

Her words amused Jiang Jing, and then she gathered her courage and continued, “Actually, there’s another thing I’ve been keeping from everyone. My daughter is adopted. I’ve been single and unmarried all along, and I’ve broken up with my long-term boyfriend.”

The people on the scene exchanged surprised glances, and even the viewers in the live stream felt shocked.

As Jiang Jing finished her last sentence, she looked at Shang Lu.

In an instant, Shang Lu understood. Jiang Jing and Xia Yuan had probably separated, and the child wasn’t what she had initially thought, not Xia Yuan’s child.

[Wow, how much gossip has this variety show fed me?]

[Jiang Jing’s child is actually adopted? I remember she mentioned the father of her child before.]

[Why would someone who’s unmarried and childless adopt a child? So strange.]

Some of the people present also had similar thoughts.

“Huh? Why?” Ye Lu clearly didn’t understand and pressed on, “Why would you adopt a child if you’re not married?”

“I…” With the words at the tip of her tongue, Jiang Jing hesitated before answering, “I have some health issues that made me unable to give birth.”

“Ah—”

Ye Lu covered his shoulder, as he was attacked fiercely by Lin Yanyan, but he also realized that he had asked something inappropriate. He shut up, feeling he had asked something he shouldn’t have.

Jiang Jing’s smile grew even gentler, “It’s okay. Speaking about it means I don’t mind.”

Since Jiang Jing has said so, Lin Yanyan couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you want to say it? Don’t you worry that the child will know about this?”

Jiang Jing replied like this, “I have never hidden this from her. I will give her a lot of motherly love, but I also hope she can know and always remember how much her biological parents love her, how they protected her selflessly during the earthquake.”

There was still some confusion on Lin Yanyan’s face, as if she couldn’t fully understand. She then looked towards Shang Lu.

At this moment, Shang Lu looked equally puzzled.

Song Zeqian explained to them, “Letting her know is not because we don’t love her, but because there are so many people who love her, and she should know.”

Jiang Jing nodded in agreement.

However, Shang Lu asked again, “If one of her parents had survived, would they resent her? If it wasn’t for protecting her, would the chances of the other surviving be greater?”

This question from Shang Lu was quite abrupt, causing a slightly awkward atmosphere in the scene.

The netizens who were watching the livestream couldn’t understand.

[Why would Shang Lu suddenly ask such a question, it’s so strange.]

[I don’t think this kind of question is something Shang Lu would ask. Why make such aa assumption?]

“No, they wouldn’t,” Jiang Jing’s reply was resolute. She continued, “If one of her parents had survived, they would surely be thankful that fate wasn’t so cruel and left someone behind to take care of their daughter. Even if they missed their other half, they wouldn’t see it as the child’s fault. Only someone weak would think that way, blaming a child for the departure of a beloved person.”

Jiang Jing’s words made Shang Lu lower her eyelashes, as if she was contemplating something. After a while, she asked, “So this child is not at fault, right?”

Without hesitation, Jiang Jing replied, “Of course not. She came into this world because of love and was fiercely protected by her parents out of love.”

—She came into this world because of love.

—She was fiercely protected by her parents out of love.

These two sentences once again plunged Shang Lu into contemplation.