Chapter 22: Attempting Reconciliation

Home was actually a distant yet warm place for Xiao Ran. In his dream life, he had wandered for years, only keeping his family updated through letters; at times, he even forgot he had a home.
Now he no longer needed to wander, but he also didn’t stay at home all the time, though he longed for that warm feeling. Yet he always felt he didn’t belong there, just an intrusive intruder—perhaps that’s why he went back so rarely.
Still, sometimes he had to go back. Everything needed to be explained, and after all, he was now someone else’s son. Interestingly, almost a year had passed since he arrived here, yet he had only returned home three times, one of which was due to the Spring Festival.
As his father, Xiao Shaohao, was thriving in business, they moved out of Tin Shui Wai before the Spring Festival and rented a bigger house elsewhere. Xiao Ran hesitated outside the door for a long time before finally taking out the keys to open it.
All three family members were there. As soon as they saw Xiao Ran, his mother and Xiao Han immediately showed surprise. Only Xiao Shaohao, with a stern face, seemed dissatisfied: “Why come back? Now he’s a famous screenwriter—he looks down on us!”
Xiao Ran was annoyed by these words, which sounded like jealousy. Of course, Xiao Shaohao wasn’t upset because his son had succeeded; he was simply furious that Xiao Ran only came home once after such a long time. Xiao Ran didn’t know, but Xiao Shaohao did—his wife had been worried about this son for over a decade or two.
Why come back? Even Xiao Ran couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps it was for the sense of family, or maybe because he couldn’t shake the emotions before the Golden Horse Awards. Just as a traveler feeling tired thinks of home first, so it was for him.
“Aran, you seem thinner lately!” Liang Wenhui kept staring at Xiao Ran, worried he might have lost a hair: “By the way, the Golden Horse Awards are coming up. You seem to be nominated too. Will you go?”
Xiao Ran couldn’t help but feel amused and exasperated. Was he really thin? He should have gained some weight these days. But perhaps in every mother’s eyes, her son is always thin. Thinking of this, Xiao Ran felt a warmth spread through his heart.
Staring at the TV’s variety show, he said calmly, “Of course I’ll go…”
“I don’t believe you’re a screenwriter!” His sister Xiao Han suddenly spoke up, her face full of contempt: “With you? Thinking of being a screenwriter? Unless heaven is blind!”
Xiao Ran frowned slightly. What was Xiao Han up to, targeting him every time? If he hadn’t known she was his sister, he would have thought she was his jealous girlfriend.
“Son, come here. I need to talk to you,” his mother said, pulling Xiao Ran aside and glancing at Xiao Han before quietly explaining her strange behavior: “Are you wondering why Xiao Han is so angry at you?”

Xiao Ran was slightly taken aback but immediately nodded. Only then did his mother start to explain, “You know, Xiao Han used to be very attached to you. But do you remember? At the beginning of last year, you met that girl, and after that, you paid little attention to Xiao Han! She felt neglected and thought you no longer cared for her, so she was very angry with you!”
If Xiao Ran still didn’t understand after this, he would truly be the dumbest of fools. But he never expected that what seemed so strange was actually quite simple. It was obvious—having a girlfriend must have led him to abandon Xiao Han.
Naturally, Xiao Han was furious with him. And this child… Thinking of this, he glanced back at Xiao Han’s already developing body, puzzled. She wasn’t really a child anymore. During adolescence, it’s inevitable to be stubborn to an unimaginable degree, and rebellious as well. But instead of rebelling against their parents, she rebelled against him, her brother. No wonder her tone sounded so jealous…
Still, he couldn’t quite understand. Xiao Han was already fifteen—her psychological development should have been more mature by now. There was no reason for her to keep following him. Of course, he didn’t know that he had always doted on his younger sister, taking her out to play since she was little. The relationship between them was undoubtedly better than he could imagine.
He couldn’t help but smile slightly and shook his head, clearly disapproving of Xiao Han’s behavior. After a brief thought, he knew how to resolve this trouble. Of course, he had no idea why he needed to resolve it, nor did he give himself any reason.
He gave his mother a glance, and she immediately understood, calling Xiao Shaohao back to their room. Although Xiao Shaohao was reluctant, he obediently went back under their angry glares. With only him and Xiao Han left in the living room, Xiao Ran looked at his restless sister, smiled, and sat down next to her.
He didn’t look at her but kept his gaze on the TV. “Xiao Han, I know why you’re targeting me like this! You’re angry with me, right? You really don’t have to be like this!”
“When have I targeted you? I definitely won’t!” Judging from her appearance, she was like a proud lioness. Unfortunately, Xiao Ran knew she was just pretending.
So, he smiled lightly at her childish behavior. “I didn’t understand things well back then. Now that I’ve changed, won’t you forgive me? What if I get married in the future? Will you have to kill me with a knife?”
Obviously, Xiao Han’s stubbornness wasn’t as strong as imagined. Hearing his exaggerated last sentence, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Xiao Han quickly realized her mistake and tried to regain her composure. “What does it matter if you get married? Why would I kill you with a knife?”
Xiao Ran smiled. Dealing with such a little girl was a piece of cake—after all, their minds were easy to understand. After analyzing the situation, he concluded that as long as he showed some flexibility, he could definitely reconcile with Xiao Han.

“Since you won’t forgive me and I can’t bear to part with you, my sister, I have no choice but to resort to a drastic measure!” Xiao Ran’s expression was one of unwavering righteousness, just like that of a martyr ready to sacrifice himself heroically—only to suddenly become obsequious, truly remarkable: “I was wrong. Please forgive me!”
To others, such words might seem shameful, but Xiao Ran didn’t think so. On his wandering journey, he had done everything humiliating, so what did this matter? Besides, it was for a lovely sister—worth it.
A smile clearly appeared at Xiao Han’s eyes, and her tone softened significantly. She snorted coldly, “You’re wrong, and I have no reason to forgive you!”
“Xiao Hanhan…” Even Xiao Ran himself found this title extremely cloying and disgusting, let alone others: “How about this? I’ll give you a ticket to the award ceremony. If you still consider me your brother, come support me. Otherwise, if I win but no one applauds, how embarrassing that would be!”
Without waiting for her reply, he shoved the ticket into her hand. Xiao Ran knew it was time to stop here; talking more might backfire. As long as Xiao Han was willing to go, the resentment would basically vanish.
Back at Xiaoyaowo, Xiao Ran saw Wei Dongling chatting happily with a woman. He had thought Wei Dongling already had a girlfriend, but upon closer inspection, it was Yang Wei. Since Xiao Ran and Yang Qi had become good friends, he often saw Yang Wei. But it was obvious that Yang Wei wasn’t there for Wei Dongling, nor perhaps for Xiao Ran.
Sure enough, as soon as Yang Wei saw Xiao Ran, she stood up gracefully like a proper lady and greeted him. Xiao Ran tilted his head, observing the girl before him. In his eyes, this was what a true girl looked like, while Xiao Han was nothing but an immature child.
Yang Wei was beautiful, and if Xiao Ran’s judgment was faulty, Wei Dongling could confirm it too. But her greatest charm lay not in her appearance but in her gentleness. Of course, this was also something Xiao Ran deeply admired—he didn’t like those so-called “wild girlfriends” from his era.
Yang Wei was indeed beautiful, but not stunning enough to stun Xiao Ran. So, he smiled clearly and said, “Xiao Wei, you’re here to see me, right? What’s the matter?”
“Well… I want to go to the award ceremony. Do you think you can give me two tickets?” Yang Wei always acted like a little woman in front of Xiao Ran.
Xiao Ran suddenly realized—it clicked. The first two editions of the Golden Statue Awards were just an insider event, with almost no outsiders allowed in. It wasn’t until the third edition that TVB provided strong support, deciding to broadcast it live, which allowed them to earn millions effortlessly.
However, tickets were indeed hard to come by and in high demand. But remember, Xiao Ran was one of the nominees this year, so getting a few tickets wasn’t difficult. But since he had already given his tickets to Xiao Han, he would have to find other ways.

After some thought, he figured that given Wang Jing’s extensive network, even if he had many more votes, it might still not be enough. However, Jia He surely had quite a few votes. With this in mind, he gave a sinister look at Wei Dongling, who was watching TV nearby, and said, “A Dong, since you work for Jia He, this task relies on you. Don’t pretend you didn’t hear!”
Wei Dongling smiled awkwardly and turned around. His attention hadn’t been on the TV at all; he had been listening intently to their conversation. He patted his chest firmly and assured him, “Don’t worry. Two votes are a piece of cake. Even if I can’t get them, can’t I use your name to get them? I’ll bring them to you later!” The last sentence was directed at Yang Wei.
April 4th, the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony. Xiao Ran wasn’t a celebrity, so of course he had no fans, nor did he get to walk the red carpet! But he had forgotten that the red carpet tradition hadn’t existed yet…
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