Blossom through the Cloud - Extra Chapter 7
Extra Chapter 7
As Little Star picked up a few more words, Helan Xiang hoped she would interact more with children her own age.
The Huguang Mansion was a residential villa complex developed back in the nineties, home to many young children. Whenever she had free time, Ruan Suxian would take Little Star there to find Helan Xiang, and the three generations would head out to the lawn to make friends.
True to form, Little Star was never an actively enthusiastic child, yet simply standing there was enough to draw the fixed gazes of other kids.
Watching her granddaughter attract attention purely through her good looks at such a tender age, Madame Helan felt proud yet remained uncomplaining. Patting the child's little arm, she coaxed, "Star, go play with the other kids."
The moment Little Star took a single step forward, a little boy eagerly trotted over to speak to her.
"Hello there~"
"Hello."
The little boy's mother squatted down, looking warmly at Little Star while instructing her son, "Introduce yourself."
"My name is Si Ruizé," the little boy said stiffly and formally. "What's your name?"
"My name is Guangzhi."
The little boy's mother froze mid-smile. "That's quite a unique name for a little girl."
Ruan Suxian nearly fainted from pure rage. Dragging Little Star back home, she marched straight toward Fu Mingyu's study.
"Did you go behind my back and teach her to call herself Guangzhi again?!"
"I did not," Fu Mingyu replied, lifting his head from the computer screen. "What happened?"
"She just introduced herself to another child today by saying her name is Guangzhi!"
"Is that so?" Fu Mingyu's lips twitched upward. "Looks like she's quite fond of the name."
"Fine." Taking a deep breath, Ruan Suxian nodded. "I see you're quite fond of the study as well. You can sleep in here tonight."
After slamming the study door shut, Ruan Suxian rubbed her temples, only to spot her daughter clutching a book and trotting toward the study.
It looked like she was planning to find Fu Mingyu.
Ruan Suxian quickly waved a hand to stop her. "Guangzhi—"
She paused, freezing in place as she bit down hard on her lower lip.
Stopping in her tracks, Little Star tilted her head upward. "What did you call me for?"
She had originally intended to stop the child from interrupting Fu Mingyu's work, but by this point, Ruan Suxian's cognitive faculties had been utterly pulverized by the "Guangzhi" that had slipped right out of her own mouth.
"It's nothing." Glaring down imperiously at her daughter, she said, "If you ever get made fun of because of this nickname, your mother wants you to know you brought it entirely upon yourself."
Sporting an expression that clearly communicated I have no idea what you're rambling about, Little Star scampered off with quick, pattering steps.
The study door drifted open a crack, and Little Star poked her head inside.
Fu Mingyu raised his gaze and smiled toward the doorway. "Guangzhi, looking for Dad?"
"Mmm!"
No sooner had Little Star's voice faded than a furious roar erupted from behind her.
"Fu! Ming! Yu!"
Having successfully fallen victim to a sting operation, Fu Mingyu closed his laptop. Walking past Little Star, he paused briefly to pat her head. "Dad's going to go soothe Mama first."
Little Star sat quietly in the study for an entire evening without ever seeing her father return to read books with her, but starting the next morning, her father never once called her "Guangzhi" again.
Instead, the following morning, Ruan Suxian woke up exceptionally late. Over breakfast, she remarked, "If you want to call her that, go ahead."
Her father shook his head. "I won't. I made a promise to you, and I keep my word."
With a cold snort, Mama ceased talking.
Another Spring Festival rolled around. The employees at the Xihang headquarters slogged through the New Year rush as if fighting a war, finally walking away with multiplied bonuses to head home and celebrate a late holiday.
The afternoon corridors were exceptionally quiet, broken only by the unhurried cadence of footsteps and the rolling hum of suitcase wheels near the end of the hall.
"Captain Ruan!"
Now serving as the manager of the Flight Planning Department, Bai Yang had just wrapped up a meeting and stepped out of his office with his assistant when he spotted Ruan Suxian and hurriedly called out to her.
"The Chief Pilot made major revisions to the Spring Festival flight schedule. You've looked it over, right? What are your thoughts?"
"It's fine, I suppose."
Ruan Suxian replied offhandedly, her gaze dropping to catch sight of the ring on his finger. "I heard you're getting married soon too?"
"Indeed." He glanced down at the little girl trailing behind Ruan Suxian. "Is Little Star finished with school for the day?"
Little Star was already enrolled as a student in the Cherry Class at kindergarten.
"Mmm."
Dressed in a impeccably tailored suit and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Bai Yang still retained the dashing exterior that had once conquered the hearts of numerous unmarried women at Xihang.
Glancing down at Little Star, Ruan Suxian teased playfully, "Do you think Uncle Bai Yang is handsome?"
Bai Yang straightened his tie, looking at her with a face full of smiles.
Little Star blinked her eyes as she stared at Bai Yang. "He's alright."
Bai Yang: "......"
"We'll be heading off first, then." Feeling slightly awkward, Ruan Suxian told Bai Yang, "Those new glasses suit you well."
Noticing Bai Yang looking somewhat emotionally bruised, Ruan Suxian turned around, pitched her voice into a playful, exaggerated tone, and murmured, "Little parrot sprite, let's move!"
Yet before she could take a step, Ruan Suxian felt her flight case dip under extra weight. Looking back, she discovered that Little Star had climbed right up onto her luggage case, sitting cross-legged while clutching the extended handle.
"Let's go, Mama."
Closing her eyes, Ruan Suxian let out a sigh. "Little lazybones, has Mama ever told you that a flight case isn't a stroller?"
This certainly wasn't the first time Ruan Suxian had dubbed her a lazybones.
Though the child projected an air of having everything figured out, she actually grew lazier with each passing year; Ruan Suxian even suspected that Little Star's stubborn refusal to speak during her earliest years had simply been driven by sheer laziness.
One afternoon, Ruan Suxian prepared a bowl of porridge for Little Star and placed it before her on the high chair. Sitting down, Little Star made no move to touch it, simply lifting her gaze to look at Ruan Suxian.
"Eat it yourself," Ruan Suxian said, patting her head. "You've already learned how to use a spoon."
Yet the moment Ruan Suxian turned away, Little Star shifted her gaze toward Fu Mingyu instead.
Seemingly sensing the stare, Fu Mingyu put down his phone, exchanged a glance with her, and rose from his seat.
By the time Ruan Suxian descended from upstairs, the oatmeal porridge in Fu Mingyu's bowl had already bottomed out.
Seated before the child's high chair, the man was feeding her spoonful by spoonful with infinite gentleness.
"Honestly..." Ruan Suxian muttered in vexation, "She's getting so big, yet you're still feeding her."
Picking up a tissue to wipe Little Star's mouth, Fu Mingyu walked past Ruan Suxian on his way up and murmured softly, "Look at you—aren't you all grown up too? Yet sometimes you still expect me to feed you."
Ruan Suxian: "......"
"Whatever, do as you please."
Following the meal, Ruan Suxian and Fu Mingyu changed clothes to take Little Star out for the day.
Though they hadn't planned on having free time today, an aviation materials meeting originally scheduled by Fu Mingyu had been canceled because the manufacturer couldn't attend on short notice, leaving him with an unexpected opening to stay home with his wife and child.
Consequently, no prior itinerary had been mapped out.
As Ruan Suxian zipped up her jacket, she asked, "Star, where do you want to go play today?"
Lowering her head, Little Star fretfully tugged at the slightly tightened waistband of her dress with her tiny hands. "Whatever you guys want."
Ruan Suxian: "......"
Fu Mingyu: "......"
Ultimately, they fell back on a conventional choice and took Little Star to an amusement park.
With her short little arms and legs, the child lacked the stamina to run or jump, spending the entire trip cradled in Fu Mingyu's arms while darting her eyes around to survey her surroundings.
Noticing many children sporting various animal ears on their headbands, Ruan Suxian trotted over to a shop to select a pair of small deer antlers.
"Mama spent ages picking these out." Dangling the deer antlers in front of Little Star's eyes, Ruan Suxian asked, "Star, do you like them?"
Blinking her large eyes, Little Star gave a nod.
"They're alright."
Ruan Suxian: "......?"
Turning her head away to gaze at the distant castle, Little Star left Ruan Suxian staring blankly at the antlers dangling in her own hand.
Seconds later, a low chuckle reached her ears.
"Find something funny?" Raising her hand, Ruan Suxian slapped the deer antlers straight onto Fu Mingyu's head. "Don't let them go to waste."
Amid the dense crowds of shoulder-to-shoulder tourists, Fu Mingyu knitted his brows. "Take these off."
Acting as if she hadn't heard a thing, Ruan Suxian turned away to inspect the towering castle ahead.
"They look wonderful—ah!"
Something was suddenly clapped onto her own head. Just as Ruan Suxian moved to turn around and spot the culprit, she heard Little Star burst into a fit of giggles.
Fine then.
Anything for a laugh.
Pressing down on the deer antlers resting on her head, Ruan Suxian shot Fu Mingyu a disgruntled glare.
"Let's move." Cradling Little Star with one arm, Fu Mingyu reached out to clasp Ruan Suxian's hand with the other. "Mother Deer."
This marked Little Star's maiden voyage to an amusement park.
Upon first entering, she had twisted her body around to inspect everything, but as time wore on, she simply slumped against Fu Mingyu's shoulder with her eyes wide open.
As night fell, the plaza before the castle bustled with throngs of people and roared with deafening noise.
From the elevated viewing platform, the horizon stretched wide open. The instant the fireworks bloomed, the entire night sky illuminated as bright as day, drawing wave after wave of gasps and exclamations from the adults and children alike.
Yet nestled inside her stroller, Little Star was sleeping soundly.
Growing somewhat fatigued herself, Ruan Suxian leaned her face sideways against Fu Mingyu's shoulder, her eyelids growing heavy and hazy.
"Look at your daughter—she's bound to grow up into a thoroughly antisocial person."
"Why do you say that?" Fu Mingyu asked. "Is there something wrong with that?"
Remaining silent, Ruan Suxian gazed down at the little girl tucked inside the stroller and let out a soft, measured sigh.
The fireworks shifted shapes across the night sky, blooming in brilliant, kaleidoscopic arrays that painted Little Star's tiny face in vibrant hues of color.
Even amidst such sensory bombardment, she didn't stir awake.
"Our daughter doesn't need to conform or smooth down her edges. As long as I'm here, she can remain forever sharp-edged and forever radiant."
Turning his head to look at Ruan Suxian, Fu Mingyu added, "And so can you."
A stray child running past accidentally bumped hard into Ruan Suxian's shoulder.
Instantly, Fu Mingyu pulled her flush against his chest with a protective arm.
"Then I have no way to repay you," Ruan Suxian murmured against his chest. "I suppose I'll just have to love you forever."
Fu Mingyu lowered his head to kiss Ruan Suxian's temple. Catching a glimpse of the fireworks overhead, an idea suddenly struck her.
"Once Guang... once Star gets a bit older, let's take her to Yuanhu Island to watch the meteor shower."
Before Fu Mingyu could reply, a milky, piping-hot voice echoed in eager agreement from inside the stroller.
"Yay! Let's go!"
August of the following year witnessed the Perseid meteor shower raining down in cascading splendor over Yuanhu Island.
Having grown into a toddler over four years old, Little Star rolled around the grass in ecstatic joy, covering herself head-to-toe in mud.
As the years ticked by, though she still remained disinclined to talk, she grew increasingly active and healthy, her eyes perpetually flashing with an inner light.
As parents, Ruan Suxian and Fu Mingyu finally managed to map out her true preferences.
By her sixth birthday, she celebrated aboard an aircraft in flight.
Cruising above the Arctic Circle in a private jet, she sat pressed against the cockpit window, her mouth slightly ajar as she gazed out at the aurora borealis dancing across the sky.
By her eighth birthday, she was a primary school student.
During a natural science lesson, the teacher projected photographs of lightning storms. That very summer vacation, while flying to Europe, their aircraft encountered turbulence; looking out the window, she caught the precise moment a bolt of lightning cleaved straight through the stratosphere and pierced the cloud layer.
Struck by an overwhelming sense of awe, Little Star kept her gaze pinned upward to the sky even after landing.
By her tenth birthday, Ruan Suxian and Fu Mingyu brought her to gaze upon the Grand Canyon in Colorado—that colossal fissure etched into the face of the Earth.
The winding canyon stretched endlessly into the distance, resembling an ancient, fossilized python slumbering across the Kaibab Plateau.
By her twelfth birthday, the family of three journeyed deep into Africa, standing before Victoria Falls to witness the thunderous roar of the "Smoke that Thunders."
Suffering from a bout of homesickness and climate adjustment, Little Star fell ill, yet even in her feverish sleep she muttered, "It's even bigger than Niagara Falls..."
Gradually, she grew taller and her legs longer, while the time she spent lingering at home grew shorter and shorter.
Having transitioned to a training instructor role, Ruan Suxian enjoyed more free time, yet she found herself struggling to keep pace with Little Star's globe-trotting footsteps.
By her fifteenth birthday, she finally shouldered a backpack all by herself and ventured deep into the Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky.
Famed worldwide for its staggering multitude, bizarre formations, and sheer scale, the Mammoth Cave remained an underground labyrinth whose true boundaries stayed shrouded in mystery—a mystery Little Star was determined to explore.
By her seventeenth birthday, Little Star left her footprints along the glacial expanse of Glacier Bay in Alaska.
As massive glaciers crept slowly through the colossal bay, Little Star helped carve the names of Fu Mingyu and Ruan Suxian into the glacial ice.
When she turned eighteen, the time arrived to choose a university major, yet Fu Mingyu and Ruan Suxian found themselves completely unable to intervene.
The long summer day cast a lazy, languid warmth over everything.
Seated together in recliners on the balcony basking in the sunlight, the couple watched as a small orange cat leaped onto Fu Mingyu's lap, stretching out its neck to playfully lick the back of Ruan Suxian's hand.
They flipped through photo albums. Over the years, the snapshots sent back by Little Star had arrived in a chaotic, disorganized flurry, yet they could easily be compiled into a coffee-table art book titled Wonders of the World.
As they closed the photo album, a new transmission arrived from Little Star.
Today, she had successfully captured the Leo constellation star map from the summit of the Mauna Kea Observatories.
It seemed that this tiny blue planet beneath her feet could no longer contain her ambitions.
Their little star had truly begun to shine.