Еxtra Сhарtеr 7
Whеn Little Star had lеаrned a fеw more wоrds, Не Lаnхiаng hopеd she would interact morе with сhildren hеr own аgе.
Lаkеview Маnоr wаs а villa сommunity devеlоpеd back in the 1990s, with рlenty оf children аrоund. Whеnеvеr shе hаd time, Ruan Siхiаn would tаkе Littlе Star tо visit Hе Lаnxiang, аnd thе threе generatiоns would go to thе grаssу arеa to makе friеnds.
Аs alwауs, Littlе Stаr wаsn’t thе tyре to tаke thе initiative оr be оvеrlу enthusiаstiс, but just stаnding thеre, she cаught the attention of оther children.
Sеeing her grаnddaughtеr аttraсt others with her looks at such a young age, Mrs. He Lanxiang felt proud but not complacent. She patted Little Star’s small arm and said, “Star, go play with the other children.”
As soon as Little Star took a step forward, a little boy came over to talk to her.
“Hello~”
“Hello.”
The little boy’s mother crouched down, looking gently at Little Star while guiding her son, “Introduce yourself.”
“My name is Si Ruizhe,” the little boy said earnestly. “What’s your name?”
“My name is Guangzhi.”
The little boy’s mother’s smile faltered. “What a unique name, little girl.”
Ruan Sixian nearly fainted from frustration. She took Little Star home and headed straight for Fu Mingyu’s study.
“Did you secretly call her Guangzhi behind my back again?!”
“I didn’t,” Fu Mingyu looked up from his computer. “What’s wrong?”
“She introduced herself to other kids today and said her name is Guangzhi!”
“Really?” Fu Mingyu curled the corner of his mouth. “Seems she quite likes that name.”
“Fine.” Ruan Sixian took a deep breath and nodded. “I see you quite like the study too. Sleep here tonight.”
After closing the study door, Ruan Sixian rubbed her temples and saw her daughter running toward the study with a book in her arms.
It looked like she was going to find Fu Mingyu.
Ruan Sixian quickly waved at her. “Guangzhi—”
She paused, staying in place, gritting her teeth in frustration.
Little Star stopped and looked up. “Why did you call me?”
Originally, Ruan Sixian had wanted to tell her not to disturb Fu Mingyu while he was working, but by then, she was already so rattled by her own slip of the tongue that she was barely coherent.
“Nothing.” She looked down at her daughter. “If you ever get teased because of this nickname, Mom will tell you it’s all your own fault.”
Little Star gave her a look that said, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” and scampered off.
The study door opened gently, and Little Star peeked inside.
Fu Mingyu looked up and smiled toward the door. “Guangzhi, looking for Dad?”
“Mm-hmm!”
As soon as Little Star finished speaking, an enraged voice came from behind.
“Fu! Ming! Yu!”
Caught red-handed, Fu Mingyu closed his laptop. Passing by Little Star, he patted her head first. “Dad needs to go comfort Mom.”
Little Star sat quietly in the study all evening but never got to wait for her dad to come back and read with her. However, from the next day onward, Dad never called her “Guangzhi” again.
Instead, the next morning, Mom got up very late. During breakfast, she said, “Call her that if you want.”
Dad shook his head. “No, I promised you. I keep my word.”
Mom sneered and said nothing more.
Another Spring Festival arrived. The employees at World Airlines headquarters battled through the New Year rush and finally headed home late with their multiplied bonuses.
The afternoon corridors were much quieter, with unhurried footsteps and the sound of rolling wheels coming from the far end.
“Captain Ruan!”Bai Yang was now the manager of the Flight Planning Department. Having just finished a meeting, he stepped out of his office with his assistant and spotted Ruan Sixian, quickly calling out to her.
“The Chief Pilot made major adjustments to the Spring Festival flight schedule. Have you seen it? What do you think?”
“It’s alright.”
Ruan Sixian replied casually, then glanced down and noticed the ring on his finger. “I heard you’re getting married too?”
“Yes.” He looked down at the little girl trailing behind Ruan Sixian. “Little Star is out of school?”
Little Star was already a student in the Cherry Class at kindergarten.
“Mm-hmm.”
Bai Yang was dressed in a well-tailored suit, and with a slight push of his glasses, he had once captured the hearts of many unmarried women at World Airlines.
Ruan Sixian leaned down to tease Little Star. “Is Uncle Bai Yang handsome?”
Bai Yang straightened his tie, smiling broadly as he watched her.
Little Star blinked at Bai Yang. “He’s alright.”
Bai Yang: “…”
“We’ll head over now.” Ruan Sixian felt a bit awkward and said to Bai Yang, “The new glasses suit you well.”
Seeing Bai Yang looking somewhat deflated, Ruan Sixian turned around and whispered in a hushed tone, “Little parrot spirit, let’s go!”
But just as she was about to step forward, Ruan Sixian felt her flight case was unusually heavy. Looking back, she saw Little Star had somehow climbed onto it, hugging the handle with her legs crossed.
“Let’s go, Mommy.”
Ruan Sixian closed her eyes and sighed. “Little lazybones, hasn’t Mommy told you the flight case isn’t a stroller?”
This wasn’t the first time Ruan Sixian had called her a little lazybones.
Though the child seemed to have a mind of her own, she had grown lazier as she got older. Ruan Sixian even suspected that Little Star’s refusal to speak in her earlier years was simply out of laziness.
One afternoon, Ruan Sixian prepared porridge for Little Star and placed it in front of her high chair. Little Star sat down but didn’t move, looking up at Ruan Sixian instead.
“Eat by yourself.” Ruan Sixian patted her head. “You’ve already learned how to use a spoon.”
But as soon as Ruan Sixian turned away, Little Star looked over at Fu Mingyu.
Sensing her gaze, Fu Mingyu put down his phone, met her eyes, and walked over.
By the time Ruan Sixian came downstairs, the oatmeal porridge in Fu Mingyu’s hand was nearly finished.
The man sat in front of the high chair, feeding her spoonful by spoonful with gentle movements.
“You really…” Ruan Sixian muttered in frustration. “How old is she, and you’re still feeding her?”
Fu Mingyu wiped Little Star’s mouth with a tissue, then stood up and passed by Ruan Sixian, whispering, “How old are you, and sometimes I still have to feed you too.”
Ruan Sixian: “…”
“Do whatever you want.”
After the meal, Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu changed clothes to take Little Star out for some fun.
They hadn’t originally had time, but a materials meeting Fu Mingyu had scheduled was canceled because the manufacturer couldn’t attend on time. So, he freed up his schedule to come home and spend time with his wife and child.
As a result, they hadn’t planned anything in advance.
Ruan Sixian put on her coat and asked, “Star, where do you want to go today?”
Little Star looked down, her small hands impatiently tugging at the tight belt on her clothes. “Do whatever you want.”
Ruan Sixian: “…”
Fu Mingyu: “…”
In the end, they took Little Star to a theme park, sticking to a conventional choice.
With her tiny arms and legs, the child couldn’t run or jump much, so Fu Mingyu carried her the entire time as she looked around with wide, curious eyes.Ruan Sixian noticed many children wearing various animal ears on their heads, so she ran to a store and picked out a pair of little deer antlers.
"Mommy took a long time choosing," Ruan Sixian said, waving the deer antlers in front of Little Star. "Do you like them, Star?"
Little Star blinked and nodded.
"They're okay, I guess."
Ruan Sixian: "...?"
Little Star turned her head to look at the distant castle, leaving Ruan Sixian staring blankly at the deer antlers in her hand.
A few seconds later, she heard a soft chuckle.
"Think it's funny?" Ruan Sixian raised her hand and placed the deer antlers on Fu Mingyu's head. "Don't let them go to waste."
The area was crowded with tourists, jostling shoulder to shoulder. Fu Mingyu frowned. "Take them off."
Ruan Sixian pretended not to hear and turned to admire the castle ahead.
"So pretty—ah!"
Something was suddenly placed on her head. Ruan Sixian wanted to turn and see who was responsible, but she heard Little Star giggling.
Fine.
If it makes you laugh.
Ruan Sixian pressed the deer antlers on her head, pouted, and glared at Fu Mingyu.
"Let's go," Fu Mingyu said, holding Little Star with one arm and taking Ruan Sixian's hand with the other. "Deer Mommy."
It was Little Star's first time at an amusement park.
When they first arrived, she wriggled around, taking in everything. Later, she just rested her head on Fu Mingyu's shoulder, her eyes wide open.
As night fell, the area in front of the castle was packed with people, buzzing with excitement.
From the observation deck above, the view was wide open. When the fireworks burst, the entire night sky lit up as bright as day, and gasps of awe from adults and children rose and fell.
Meanwhile, Little Star was fast asleep in her stroller.
Ruan Sixian was also a bit tired, leaning her cheek against Fu Mingyu's shoulder, her eyes hazy and unfocused.
"Look at your daughter. She's definitely going to be hard to get along with when she grows up."
"Why?" Fu Mingyu asked. "What's wrong with that?"
Ruan Sixian didn't answer, just looked at the little girl in the stroller and sighed softly.
The fireworks transformed into various shapes in the night sky, dazzling and colorful, casting a rainbow of hues on Star's little face.
Even in such an environment, she didn't wake up.
"Our daughter doesn't need to learn to be smooth. As long as I'm here, she can stay sharp-edged and shine forever."
Fu Mingyu turned to look at Ruan Sixian. "You too."
Some child running around accidentally bumped into Ruan Sixian.
Fu Mingyu pulled her into his arms.
"Then I have nothing to repay you with," Ruan Sixian said, leaning against his chest. "Only to love you forever."
Fu Mingyu lowered his head and kissed Ruan Sixian's cheek. She looked up at the fireworks and suddenly thought of something.
"When Guang... Star is a bit older, let's take her to Yuanhu Island to see the meteor shower."
Before Fu Mingyu could respond, a sweet, childish voice came from the stroller.
"Yes, yes!"
The following August, the Leonid meteor shower poured down over Yuanhu Island like a waterfall.
Little Star, now over four years old, was so excited she rolled around on the grass, getting covered in mud.
As she grew day by day, she still didn't talk much, but she was healthy and active, her eyes often sparkling with light.
As parents, Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu finally began to understand her preferences.
On her sixth birthday, she celebrated on an airplane.
During a private flight over the Arctic Ocean, she sat in the cockpit, her mouth slightly agape as she watched the aurora outside the window.
By the time she was eight, she was already a primary school student.In the natural science class, the teacher showed photos of lightning. That summer vacation, on a flight to Europe, she encountered turbulence. Looking out the window, she saw lightning piercing through the clouds from the stratosphere.
Little Star seemed deeply shaken, still gazing up at the sky even after landing.
When she was ten, Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu took her to see the Grand Canyon of Colorado, the largest crack on Earth.
The canyon meandered endlessly, like a giant serpent sealed since ancient times, lying across the Kaibab Plateau.
At twelve, the family of three traveled to Africa and stood before Victoria Falls, witnessing the so-called "smoke that thunders."
Little Star fell ill from the unfamiliar climate, murmuring in her sleep, "It's even bigger than Niagara Falls..."
Gradually, she grew taller, her legs longer, and the time she spent at home grew shorter.
Ruan Sixian transitioned to an instructor role, with more free time, yet it seemed she couldn't keep up with Little Star’s steps outward.
At fifteen, Little Star finally shouldered her backpack alone and ventured into the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.
This cave is renowned worldwide for its numerous, peculiar, and vast karst formations, but its exact size remains a mystery—even Little Star didn’t know.
At seventeen, Little Star left her footprints in Alaska’s Glacier Bay.
As glaciers flowed through the immense bay, she helped carve Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian’s names into the ice.
By the time she turned eighteen, it was time to choose a university major, but Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian seemed unable to intervene.
The long summer days made them feel lazy.
The two sat on recliners on the balcony, basking in the sun. An orange kitten jumped onto Fu Mingyu’s lap, stretching its neck to lick Ruan Sixian’s hand.
They flipped through the photo album—over the years, Little Star had sent a jumble of photos, yet they could be compiled into a collection titled Wonders of the World.
Just as they closed the album, Little Star sent a new photo.
Today, she captured an image of the Leo constellation from the Mauna Kea Observatory.
It seemed this little blue planet beneath her feet could no longer satisfy her.
Their Little Star had begun to shine.
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