Starting a new chapter in life

Unable to manage, and even though he didn't want outsiders in the house, he still hired the live-in nanny who had taken care of him during his late pregnancy back. Cheng Heng had initially valued her because she was a former licensed nurse at a hospital.

She only started looking for caregiver work after retiring because she had too much free time. She has professional knowledge and skills, so her price is significantly higher than average, limiting her job options. She also doesn't want to take on patients who are too difficult to care for.

Zhizhi had little to do and a simple household. She was paid a month's salary after working for half a month. Now that the boss has asked her to come back and help take care of the children after a two-month break, she is of course willing to do so.

With her help, Zhizhi no longer needed to get up at night to feed her baby; she could just use formula to replace one feeding. She had a good postpartum recovery and didn't suffer much at home. Just over five months later, Zhizhi returned to work with a radiant complexion.

It's not that she's really that ambitious; it's just that the boy is too lazy. Ever since he started drinking formula at night, he's found that bottles are easier than breastfeeding. As the months go by, before he was even five months old, he stopped liking breast milk and preferred to hold the bottle and drink formula.

Zhizhi was forced to wean, but perhaps because it was the child's own initiative, the process of weaning was quite natural. The adults didn't suffer from the loss of milk, and the child didn't get constipated from not drinking breast milk. Well, everyone was happy.

As soon as the baby stopped breastfeeding, the Cheng family elders came over happily and took the baby and the nanny away. Cheng Heng, who was washing the baby's clothes at home, was completely confused: Didn't they say they would send the baby over after six months? Why did they come early?

Zhizhi asked helplessly, "Did you mention to Mom and Dad a few days ago that our child voluntarily weaned?"

Seeing him nod, Zhizhi shook her head: "Since I've stopped breastfeeding, then I'm no longer important to the child. My parents come to see their grandson every few days. Knowing this is such a good thing, how could they not come to pick him up?"

Seeing Cheng Heng's expression, Zhizhi unusually comforted him, "It's alright, we've got some peace and quiet now. If we miss the child, we can go to the old house. Mom and Dad won't mistreat him, so don't worry."

"Quickly wash and dry the clothes you have. Then gather everything else in the house and take it to the old house. Children have delicate skin, so they'll be more comfortable wearing old clothes."

Cheng Heng quickly finished washing the child's clothes and looked at the empty house. "How about we hire a housekeeper to clean and cook? She doesn't need to live in. She can come every day at noon, clean in the afternoon, and go back after cooking dinner."

Zhizhi nodded: "You can handle it. The kids have all been taken away. I'll go to the company tomorrow to see if my brother can give me any jobs. I've been idle at home for almost six months, I'm really getting moldy, I need to go out and get some air."

Cheng Heng didn't object: "Then let your older brother arrange an easy job for you. You had a C-section, so your body will need several years to recover. Don't think that just because you don't feel uncomfortable now, you can take it for granted. Be careful that you don't become weak when you get old."

Zhizhi smiled and leaned on his shoulder: "Okay, whatever you say."

The next morning, as soon as He Jin'an arrived at the company, his assistant informed him that He Anzhi had arrived and was waiting for him in his office.

He Jin'an raised her eyebrows: "When did my sister become so ambitious? It's only been a short time and she already wants to go back to work? Okay, I got it. Go make me a cup of coffee and get Zhizhi a cup of soy milk."

Assistant Liu turned and left. He Jin'an pushed open the office door and saw He Anzhi lying on his desk like a boneless person. He looked up and saw him enter before sitting up straight and smiling: "Brother, you're here."

He Jin'an sat down in his office chair and asked, "You've only been resting for a few months. Didn't you say you were going to rest for about six months? Why did you come back early?"

Zhizhi shrugged helplessly: "Xiaobao'er disliked me. He stopped breastfeeding me and only drinks formula from a bottle now. Since he doesn't need me anymore, I sent me to my mother-in-law's place. I had nothing to do at home, so I came back to work. Brother, is there any work you can arrange for me recently?"

He Jin'an was at a loss with her: "You're not young anymore, but you're still immature. But that's good, having the elders help you take care of the child makes things easier for you. But you should visit the child often, lest the child grow up and become distant from you."

He Anzhi smiled and said, "It's not that bad. He's still young and doesn't understand anything. When he grows up, my mother-in-law won't teach him not to be close to me. I'm very relieved about that. Okay, brother, don't worry about me. Is there anything I can do?"

He Jin'an waved his hand: "Ask Assistant Liu later. He knows the detailed work plan better than I do. Please have a seat first. I'm going to start working now."

He Anzhi wasn't in a hurry. He obediently got up from the chair in front of his desk, took a magazine from the bookshelf next to the sofa, and sat down on the sofa in the reception area to casually flip through it.

Assistant Liu brought in coffee and soy milk, first placing the coffee beside He Jin'an, then taking the soy milk to the coffee table: "Director He, have some soy milk."

He Anzhi stared blankly at the soy milk in front of him: "I'm all grown up now, I can drink coffee."

Hearing this, He Jin'an glanced at her briefly: "Instead of wasting time arguing, why don't you hurry up and ask Assistant Liu about your work? He's very busy, unlike you who's so free."

Zhizhi pouted: "Assistant Liu, do you see any work that our company can assign me right now? I've been idle for too long, I'm practically going moldy."

Assistant Liu took out his iPad and browsed through it for a while: "All the current projects in the company are being followed up, and the new projects won't start until October. You still have about four months of free time."

How about this? Director Chu Han and Director Liu both have two scripts in production. See which production you'd like to help out on. If you're interested in being an assistant director, you should be able to get involved.

Without even thinking, Zhizhi said, "Go find my master."

Assistant Liu nodded: "Director Liu is currently filming on location in Yunnan. When would you like to leave? I will contact them in advance to arrange accommodation for you."

"I can go there next week. I'll go back and pack my bags, tell my parents, and visit the kids. It should be all arranged in two or three days. You can book my flight first." Zhizhi didn't procrastinate. If she weren't going to another city, she could have joined the crew tomorrow.

Assistant Liu nodded: "Okay, I will send the information to your mobile phone after the tickets are booked."

Once Zhizhi finished her work, she didn't linger. She said goodbye and left the company with light steps, without even entering her own office. He Jin'an watched her back and shook his head: "My sister isn't particularly ambitious, but her action is definitely impressive."

He only made one complaint before burying himself in his work. The better the company has done in recent years, the more his workload has increased. He doesn't want to work overtime, and he needs to go home to his wife and kids after get off work, so he can only make the most of every minute of his workday. Sigh~

Zhizhi didn't have any plans. The weather in Yunnan was getting hot, so she only needed to bring summer clothes, which wouldn't take up much space. She packed her luggage in two or three hours. After that, she went to see He Zhijun and Jingyan, told them she had to go to work, had a meal at their house, and then went to her in-laws' house.

After arriving at her in-laws' house and playing with the child for a while, she received flight information from Assistant Liu. She casually mentioned her work arrangements to her in-laws, and Cheng's parents were very supportive of her work, telling her to go to work without worry and that they would take good care of the child.

Zhizhi boarded the plane to Yunnan in a flurry of activity. Cheng Heng, who was seeing her off, watched her disappear into the distance and felt a pang of regret. He regretted letting his sister become a rich, idle, and lazy rich kid.

If only he had nurtured his half-sister's business acumen, he wouldn't be stuck watching his wife leave for distant lands while he toils away at the company, exhausted and overworked. He wonders if it's too late for him to give up now; he longs to go find his wife.

Zhizhi couldn't understand his feelings at all. She felt very happy when she boarded the plane. This was the feeling of freedom.

Director Liu knew she was coming, so he specially sent his assistant to pick her up at the airport. Zhizhi happily went to the film set, caught up with her mentor, and posted some photos of her child before getting back to work.

Although she had a gap of nearly half a year, she didn't just laze around at home. During this time, she watched a lot of well-received movies and TV series, observed other people's filming techniques, and gained some insights.

In addition, since she originally debuted under Director Liu, her assistance was extremely smooth. Director Liu's pressure was greatly reduced because of her arrival, and the filming progressed much more smoothly.

When Zhizhi returned to Beijing, it was already late September. After finishing working on Director Liu's drama, Director Liu took her to visit his old friend and helped out on his friend's film set for nearly two months. After both dramas were completed, they returned together.

When she arrived at the company, the filming footage that had been sent back in advance was already in the post-production editing stage. After working on the editing, it was already mid-October, and the company finally assigned her a new job. This time, she was filming a time-travel story.

In recent years, online novels about time travel have gained a large audience, and film and television adaptations have followed suit. However, while this genre attracts a lot of viewers, it goes against the national mainstream ideology. Therefore, the time travel part cannot be too explicit during filming and must be added subtly, otherwise it may not pass censorship.

This was Zhizhi's first time filming this kind of subject matter, and she was quite excited. He Jin'an knew that his younger sister would definitely be interested, so after assigning the work to her, he stopped interfering and left the casting and staff selection to Fu Qiusheng and Zhizhi.

Zhizhi was busy with something, and her family started cutting off contact with her again. But this was a common occurrence, and her family didn't pay much attention. Everyone went about their lives as time went by. By the time Zhizhi finished her work, news of Lu Xiaoxiao's pregnancy was everywhere.

Zhizhi met with her privately and, looking at her noticeably pregnant belly, asked with some concern: "Will your work being suspended for more than a year affect your future career?"

Xiao Xiao nodded: "There will definitely be an impact, but since I'm married, I don't plan to be childless. It's good to have a child. After the child is born, I can transition from playing teenage girls to being a wife and mother. Otherwise, after playing teenage girls for more than ten years, not to mention the audience getting tired of it, I'll soon be unable to continue acting."

Zhizhi agreed with her statement: "It's okay. If I have a drama to film when you come back, I'll save a role for you. But if you play a mother's character, you'll probably only be able to play supporting roles in the future."

"Who can play the leading lady forever? Our industry is all about youth. When you reach a certain age, it's normal to step down from leading roles to supporting roles. Unlike your director, the older you get, the more experience you have and the more sought-after you become. I already knew this before I entered the industry, so I was mentally prepared."

Lu Xiaoxiao is open-minded, mainly because she has experienced both lows and highs over the years. Whether she retires from the entertainment industry or becomes a supporting actress, it doesn't matter to her. People who are well-off have more choices to make.

Zhizhi's reputation in the directing world is growing. In just a few years, she has directed several highly-rated TV dramas. Many young actresses and actors want to join her productions. The main reason is that Director He Anzhi is known in the industry for her stable emotions and good personality.

Unlike most directors who are quick to anger and easily provoked, a gentle and mild-mannered director can significantly reduce the psychological pressure during filming. Although there are many takes, it feels much better.

Lu Xiaoxiao gave birth to a daughter and handed her over to her parents to help take care of the baby. The main reason was that her mother-in-law did not want to be tied up at home by her grandchildren. The company had already been handed over to her eldest son to manage, and the old couple were always running around the world when they had nothing to do, so she really didn't have the time or energy.

As it happened, Chen Ping didn't want to go out to play, so she took on the task of taking care of the child. Since marrying Lu Xiaoxiao, Zhao Qi seemed to have grown up overnight. The naive Zhao Qi was tricked by the fox brother.

He kept saying he wanted to give his wife and children a stable and wealthy life, which turned him from a playboy into a miserable nine-to-five worker. He regretted it, but unfortunately, he was on a sinking ship and couldn't get off. He could only continue to work while crying.

Zhao Qi works a 9-to-5 job, while Lu Xiaoxiao starts appearing in various film crews, from guest roles to supporting roles such as the fourth and third female leads. Although she doesn't have much screen time in each film, the topic of her comeback has remained high. She has finally transformed from a popular idol into a powerful actress, which is a fitting reward for her hard work over the years.

Indeed, hard work may lead to success, but without hard work, success is absolutely impossible.

Time flies, and it was 2019 in the blink of an eye. At the end of that year, He Zhijun caught a cold, and Jingyan went to the pharmacy to buy him medicine. On her way back, she was not paying attention and tried to avoid an electric scooter. She didn't dodge properly and fell, hurting her back.

Fortunately, the people in the community knew each other, and when they saw her, they quickly dialed 120. While waiting for the ambulance, Jingyan called He Jin'an and told him that she had fallen and that his father had a cold at home.

After hanging up the phone, He Jin'an drove home, picked up He Zhijun, and rushed to the hospital in the city. When he arrived at the hospital, Jing Yan had already been diagnosed and was found to be fine. It was just that she was old and would need to rest for a while after the injury.