Chapter 24: Uncle, Are You Paying?

Su Xingwan explained, "Auntie wants to find your brother and bring him back too, but Auntie doesn't have the money."

She had never wanted to bring up the subject of money in front of the two little ones; they deserved a happy childhood, not to worry about finances alongside her. But now that little Su Luo had asked, she had no choice but to explain.

After hearing her, little Su Luo asked, "Auntie, does it cost a lot of money to bring brother back?"

Su Xingwan nodded. "Yes." She stroked little Su Luo’s head and added, "But Auntie promises you that I will definitely find your brother in the future."

Once Su Xingwan comforted him, little Su Luo returned to his usual lively and sunny self. As for the System, it no longer dared to speak ill of the "wicked aunt." After all, it couldn't bear the sound of its little host crying, nor did it know how to comfort him. Yet, whenever it tried to strike up a conversation again, the boy ignored it.

Little Su Luo no longer wanted to pay attention to the "bad system." Pointing at the invisible presence, he said fiercely, "I don't want you anymore! Get away from me, leave my head right now!"

Little Su Hua, learning that the reason her brother had been so unhappy today was because of this bad system, joined in to scold it, even cursing it in her sleep. For the first time, the System felt a bit aggrieved.

***

In the offices of the Lu Group, Ye Yixing suddenly burst in.

"Cousin!"

Lu Yun, who was busy reviewing documents, looked up. "What is it?"

Ye Yixing wore a mysterious expression. "I have two photos of some adorable kids here. Do you want to take a look?"

"Not interested." Lu Yun’s expression turned cold, and he buried his head back into his paperwork.

Ye Yixing: "..."

"Cousin, are you sure you don't want to take a look?" Seeing that Lu Yun couldn't be bothered with him, Ye Yixing sighed. Ever since Lu Yun took over the company, he had been swamped every day, and they rarely had time to get together anymore.

The next day, Su Xingwan set out with the two little ones, who were bouncing with joy. She realized that whenever she took them out, they were exceptionally happy. Even if she didn't buy anything and they just went for a walk in the neighborhood, they were delighted.

They arrived at the studio of her senior, Yang Meng, as promised.

"You're here!" Yang Meng came out to greet them personally.

As Su Xingwan brought the children into the studio and saw that there were only a few staff members working, she realized that he was still going through a difficult phase.

They led Su Xingwan to the shooting stage, while the two children were taken to the lounge to play under the care of a lady. However, the little ones couldn't sit still; they wanted to find their aunt.

Ms. Li smiled kindly. "Your aunt is working inside. You can't go in; it will disturb her." She thought to herself that it wasn't easy for an adult to raise children, and it wouldn't be good if they went in and disrupted Ms. Su’s shoot.

But little Su Hua said, "Auntie, we are very well-behaved. We won't disturb Auntie."

Little Su Luo nodded, too. "That's right. Can we just watch her?"

Seeing their pitiful expressions, Ms. Li softened. "Well... let me call your aunt and ask if it's okay, alright?"

The two children agreed. Ms. Li made the call and, after receiving Su Xingwan's permission, hung up. "Little ones, your aunt says you can come in."

As soon as she finished, their eyes filled with little stars of joy. When they reached the shooting area, they saw their aunt standing under the lights in a shimmering dress, surrounded by men and women with cameras filming her.

"Wow!" the two exclaimed in wonder. Their aunt was so beautiful! She looked just like a little fairy.

Following Ms. Li, the children sat quietly on the side to watch. They were well-behaved and didn't act like other children who would get restless and cause trouble. Ms. Li thought to herself that this Ms. Su really raised these children well; they were incredibly obedient.

After the shoot, the children stood up, ran happily toward their aunt, and threw themselves into her arms. Su Xingwan felt their familiar, warm presence and reached up to pat their heads.

"Why did you have to come find Auntie?"

The two pouted. "We just wanted to see you."

At that moment, Yang Meng walked over. "Junior sister Su, thank you for today."

Su Xingwan smiled. "I should be the one thanking you today."

Yang Meng smiled, then his eyes fell on the two children. An idea suddenly struck him. "Ms. Su, would you mind taking another set of photos with your children?"

Su Xingwan was stunned. "I'll have to ask for their opinion."

Yang Meng crouched down and asked, "Little ones, would you be willing to let the uncles and aunties here take some pictures of you?"

Little Su Hua looked up. "Uncle, do you pay?"

The child’s blunt question reached the ears of all the adults present. Yang Meng was taken aback, then laughed. "Of course, I'll pay."

"If you pay, then of course we'll do it!" the two said in unison.

The staff behind them couldn't help but laugh. Su Xingwan felt a little embarrassed; the two were so money-minded at such a young age.

Yang Meng, charmed by their cuteness, couldn't resist pinching their little cheeks. "You really are your aunt's good little treasures."

He stood up and said to Su Xingwan, "I'll double the pay if the children are included. Does that work for you?" It was all he could afford to offer.

Su Xingwan readily agreed. She held their hands, changed them into beautiful clothes, and stepped under the lights. The children were very cooperative during the shoot; the photographer didn't need to guide them much, as they mimicked their aunt’s poses and improvised their own.

The photographer was amazed by the scene. Yang Meng laughed, "Junior sister, your two children are natural-born child stars."

Everyone was very satisfied with the final result. Su Xingwan and her two children were so photogenic that they barely needed any retouching. Any shot taken at random looked like a professional spread.

Yang Meng settled the payment quickly. With the money in hand, the first thing Su Xingwan did was take the two children shopping, followed by a hearty meal.

It was winter now, and the children only had one cotton-padded jacket each, so they needed another one to rotate. They arrived at the large shopping mall they had been to before. The children realized her intention.

"Auntie, are you going to buy us cotton jackets again?"

Su Xingwan smiled. "Yes, the New Year is almost here. Don't you want a new outfit?"

The children knew what the New Year meant. In previous years, it was the only time they could eat meat, so they loved the holiday.

"Auntie, can we use the money we earned from the photo shoot to buy new clothes?"

Su Xingwan smiled, "Yes, of course you can."

"But, Auntie..."

They actually wanted to save the money to "buy back" their brother so they could all spend the New Year together. Su Xingwan could roughly guess what they were thinking.