Rebirth of a Fashionista: This Life Is Soo Last Season

"Zhao An, why aren't your parents here?" [1]

An adorable looking girl cocked her head to the side and asked the lonesome boy.

Zhao An stayed rooted at his spot with his head bowed down, and didn't say a single word.

The girl blabbered on, "My Daddy is on a work trip, so only my Mummy is here. If both your parents are not coming, I can lend my Mummy to you for the day."

The young woman standing beside the little girl was amused by her daughter’s innocent words. She squatted down and said to her, "Niuniu, if you lend Mummy to someone else, then you will be all alone."

Niuniu's eyes shot wide open alarmingly as her meaty and sweet little face scrunched up. It was as though she was troubled by the matter.

"Mummy, then what should I do?"

Niuniu's mother covered her mouth and laughed. Just as she was ready to make a response, she heard Niuniu's sudden inspiration.

"I know, I can ask my classmates who have both parents here to share one of their parents to Zhao An," Niuniu said as she turned and looked around. She spotted the classmate closest to them - Liu Ziqi. He was a sturdy boy hanging on his parents' arms. Immediately, she ran over and asked the boy to lend one of his parents to Zhao An.

Liu Ziqi was infuriated at Niuniu's words, but she looked too endearing, and he couldn't bear to lay his hands on her. Hence, he dashed towards Zhao An and pushed him onto the ground.

Liu Ziqi's parents told him to not bully his classmates. However, this was merely lip service, as they didn't actually walk over to the scene of the dispute. They felt that it was just child's play and furthermore, their son was the perpetrator and not the victim.

Just then, another boy bolted over and knocked Liu Ziqi down. He even sat on the perpetrator and hit him.

"How dare you bully An'an! How dare you! I'll hit you!"

"Wahhhh—" Liu Ziqi burst into tears.

The smiles on Liu Ziqi's parents were instantly wiped off the moment their son was pushed onto the ground. They hurriedly ran over, and the father pushed away the boy that was on top of Liu Ziqi and pulled Liu Ziqi off the ground.

"Why are you such a violent child! Didn't your parents ever teach you to be friendly with your classmates? Why are you hitting Ziqi?" Liu Ziqi's mother hugged Liu Ziqi in her arms like a precious treasure and glared angrily at Xiao Hu.

"Liu Ziqi is the one who bullied An'an first!" the boy raised his chin and replied unapologetically.

"What happened?" Miss Wu, a teacher, who was accompanying numerous parents, came over and asked.

"Miss Wu, Xiao Hu hit me.” Sobs Liu Ziqi immediately complained.

"Yes, Miss Wu, this student of yours surely has violent tendencies. Ziqi didn't offend him, but he dashed over and hit him. How can I entrust Ziqi to the school if he is in the same class as someone like that?" Liu Ziqi's mother added.

Little Xiao Hu also found a backer. He waved to a middle-aged foreign couple behind Miss Wu and said, "Uncle Felix, Aunt Lilith, come over quickly, An'an was bullied!"

Zhao An, who originally had his head bowed down in a world of his own, immediately looked up. A crack appeared in his expression the moment he saw the approaching foreign couple. Now, he looked relieved, the same sort of relief one would exhibit when they saw their close family member approaching, as they now knew they had someone to rely on.

"Why are there foreigners here?" Liu Ziqi's parents muttered under their breaths when they saw that the couple was well dressed.

"What exactly happened?" Miss Wu questioned again.

"Miss Wu, I know!" Niuniu raised her hand up.

Miss Wu flashed an amiable smile and said, "Okay, tell us."

Niuniu spoke, "I saw that Zhao An was all alone so I asked him why his parents aren’t here. I originally wanted to lend my Mummy to him, but Mummy said that if I were to lend her to Zhao An, I would be left all alone. Then, I saw that both Liu Ziqi's Daddy and Mummy were here. So I asked Liu Ziqi to share one of them with Zhao An. Liu Ziqi then pushed Zhao An onto the ground, and after that, Xiao Hu pushed Liu Ziqi onto the ground."

Niuniu recounted clearly and logically, and she clarified the entire story.

"Our Ziqi was only playing with that kid, Zhao An. But Xiao Hu is too much. Look at him. He got Ziqi beaten up black and blue." There was a tinge of guilt in the voice of Liu Ziqi's mother. However, as an overprotective parent, she was certainly not giving in at this moment.

"Black and blue? Madam, please don't exaggerate the situation. I don't see any black or blue on him," Lilith directly suppressed the opposite party with her tall stature. Her Chinese was fluent and her pronunciation was spot on. The parents around her had a look of surprise on their faces.

"Are you Zhao An's parents?" Liu Ziqi's father asked.

He didn't ask if they were Xiao Hu's parents because they immediately stood beside Zhao An the moment they walked over. Moreover, judging from how they first patted Zhao An's head and squatted down to kiss Zhao An on the cheeks, they should probably be Zhao An's parents.

"Is Zhao An an adopted child of this foreign couple?"

"I think so."

The faint murmur of discussion could be heard all around.

Felix scanned the surroundings before he placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly. In his slightly accented Chinese, he said, "I'm just the butler of Xiao An's parents."

Lilith first sent a wink to Zhao An, who was no longer looking at the ground, before she said with a serious expression, "I'm the family doctor, and also the wife of the butler."

Suddenly, everyone started to look at Zhao An in a different light. Even Miss Wu was apparently surprised. Normally, it was another middle-aged woman, Zhao An's nanny, who sent Zhao An to school and picked him up from school. Students of this school were of relatively affluent backgrounds, and there were many who came and left with their nannies. But a family with a butler and a family doctor was definitely not the average well-to-do family. They would certainly be super rich and of a certain status.

Liu Ziqi's parents looked at each other in speechless despair. Zhao An looked weak and feeble to them. He totally didn't have the arrogant and overbearing disposition of a child born with a golden spoon. They hadn't expected that Zhao An have such a background, and even have a foreigner butler and family doctor at home. How rich is his family?

"Miss Wu, Liu Ziqi hit An'an first. I didn't do anything wrong!" Xiao Hu raised his voice.

"Xu Hu. Firstly, I must praise you for standing up and protecting your good friend. But, I also have to criticize you. Even if you are trying to protect your friend, you shouldn't resort to violence. You can do it through other means," Miss Wu said in a gentle tone.

Xiao Hu pouted, but he didn't retort.

Miss Wu turned towards Liu Ziqi, "And also, Liu Ziqi. You did the wrong thing first. Don't you own Zhao An an apology?"

Liu Ziqi's mother wanted to defend her son. However, she hesitated when she saw Felix and Lilith before her and kept her mouth shut.

In contrast, Liu Ziqi's father gave him a light shove, "Quickly apologize to Zhao An. Miss Wu is right, you were wrong."

Seeing that his parents were no longer defending him, Liu Ziqi was filled with so many grievances that tears were welling up in his eyes and threatening to fall. However, he still obediently apologized to Zhao An.

Immediately after, Miss Wu made Xiao Hu apologize to Liu Ziqi.

Xiao Hu swiftly offered an apology, before his face darkened as he threatened Liu Ziqi. "Liu Ziqi, if I ever see you bullying An'an again, I will still beat you up!"

Spouts of laughter burst forth.

Miss Wu couldn't maintain her serious expression and had a slight smile on her face. But, she still kindly lectured Xiao Hu that he shouldn't resort to violence.

While the incident that could have been blown out of proportion was readily resolved, the crowd didn't disperse. Many parents tried to talk to Felix and Lilith to find out about Zhao An's background, but they couldn't get any useful information out of the couple.

Soon, the parent-child activities of the new semester began.

With Felix and Lilith around, Zhao An was no longer alone, but Xiao Hu was still alone. Seeing that, Lilith asked Felix to bring Xiao Hu over to join them for the activities.

Xiao Hu enjoyed himself, but Zhao An was a little depressed. He was often lost in his thoughts as he watched his peers play with their parents.

Once the parent-child activities had ended, the parents took their children and prepared to head home.

All of a sudden, there was a bustling scene at the school gates.

"Xiao Hu—" a voice called out.

Xiao Hu, who was walking and tossing his jacket in the air, immediately stopped when he heard the voice, before he suddenly ran towards the source of the voice in ecstasy. "Mummy, you are finally here!"

"Luckily, we arrived just in time to pick you up," Xu Ping caught onto her son who jumped into her arms.

Just then, the backdoor of the vehicle was pushed open, and a man alighted.

Xiao Hu poked his head out from behind Xu Ping's shoulder. His eyes brightened up as he turned and shouted to Zhao An, "An'an, your father is here to pick you up—"

The people who haven’t left yet all turned to look with curiosity.

A tall and slender man with an extraordinary disposition stood beside the limousine that was larger than average. With its black tinted windows, the limousine was sleek and elegant, a perfect fit for the man who was undeniably handsome and charming. His appearance and demeanour had nothing in common with the average looking and introverted Zhao An.

The man wasn’t facing Zhao An. Instead, he was reaching out a hand towards the inside of the car and helping a woman out. Her makeup was exquisite, and beneath her coat was a pale blue pearly dress that looked both fairy-like and elegant. She looked as if she had just come from some extravagant event.

Zhao An already flung Lilith's hand away and ran towards the two.

"It's Xu Jiaojiao!" One of the parents identified her.

Someone quickly took out a handphone to take photos.

The two teachers at the school gates who were seeing the students and their parents off were stunned. They really didn't know that Zhao An, the most ordinary looking student in the class, was actually from such an extraordinary family.

Sheng Jiaoyang rushed over the moment her movie premiere ended. She didn't even have the time to change out of her gown.

When she saw Xiao An running over, Sheng Jiaoyang couldn't be less bothered by the fact that her gown was touching the ground. She squatted down and stretched out her hands. Then, she pulled Xiao An into an embrace.

"Mummy," Xiao An placed his arms around her neck and buried his head into her nape.

"Aunt Jiaojiao, An'an was bullied by Liu Ziqi in school today!" Xiao Hu said loudly beside them.

"Oh?" Sheng Jiaoyang gently caressed Xiao An's back. "Xiao An, you were bullied?"

Because of Xiao Hu's words, the two teachers hurriedly came over to explain. Miss Wu reiterated Niuniu's words with an added touch of refinement.

As they haven't left, Liu Ziqi was also brought over by his parents. Liu Ziqi's father had an apologetic smile plastered on his face as he laid out the wrongdoings of his son and even promised that he would discipline Liu Ziqi harshly when they returned home. He glanced at Shen Zhining from time to time as he spoke.

Sheng Jiaoyang threw a skeptical gaze towards the two adults before her eyes landed on the sturdy looking Liu Ziqi. Without a speck of maliciousness in her eyes, she even defended the child, "It's common for children to get into conflicts. It'll be fine if we just try to talk to them reasonably and teach them rather than berate them. I believe that Liu Ziqi didn't do this on purpose as well, did you?"

Second graders might be still young, but they could still somewhat discern whether a person liked or disliked them from their tone. Liu Ziqi was overwhelmed with grievances initially when he heard his own father say that he would cane him severely upon reaching home. But when he heard Zhao An's beautiful and gentle mother speak up for him, he felt very moved.

"Zhao An's Mummy, I promise I will not bully Zhao An again. I will protect him!" Liu Ziqi clenched his fists to show his determination.

Xiao Hu let out a nonchalant laughter from the side. No one knew where he had learned that from, but his cold sneer did give off vibes of a grown-up.

When Sheng Jiaoyang and the rest had boarded the car and left, Liu Ziqi was still gazing longingly with envy at the direction they left from. Then, he said, "How I wish I am Zhao An. His father is so handsome, and his mother is so pretty. Sigh!"

"Brat, what are you saying?" Liu Ziqi's father lightly slapped Liu Ziqi on his head.

"Dear, our son is starting to show disdain towards us." Liu Ziqi's mother didn't know if she should laugh or cry.

The parents at the school gates huddled together in discussion.

"How strange. That kid looks so ordinary. He clearly didn't inherit the genes of his parents."

"Xu Jiaojiao is a celebrity. You can count with one hand the number of celebrities that haven't gone under the knife. Oh, they call it minor adjustments, isn't it?"

"Who knows!"

"I don't think so. That kid's name is Zhao An. His surname is Zhao. I know Xu Jiaojiao's boyfriend's surname is Shen. I have watched them on that variety show before."

"I found it. The Internet has news about them having an adopted child. Previously, there was still a scandal because of this child."

"So he's adopted. But they seemed pretty close."

Meanwhile, the subject of discussion was currently seated in the car and asking Xiao An about his thoughts and feelings on the open school activities for the new semester.

This year, they had spent less time at home. For the first half of the year, Sheng Jiaoyang was busy filming. Then she had gone travelling for a period of time, and now, she had to go around the country to attend promotion events for her movie. There was even less need to mention Shen Zhining. His world seemed to revolve around Sheng Jiaoyang now. When she was in other cities for promotional events, he would tag along, and he was even more diligent than her personal assistant.

She didn't expect that the movie premiere would clash with Xiao An's school opening. The timing of the premiere had already been announced, and hence couldn't be changed. Xiao An's school had only notified the students' parents a few days before the activities. Hence, Sheng Jiaoyang could only ask Felix and Lilith to go in her stead.

Initially, she wanted to get Shen Zhining to go, but he said he didn't want to go alone and insisted on waiting for her.

But luckily, they managed to arrive just as the activities had ended.

At night, right before they fell asleep, Sheng Jiaoyang brought up the issue of Xiao An to Shen Zhining.

"I heard from Lilith that Xiao An was dejected that we didn't attend his school's activities. I feel that we should pay more attention to this in the future. Since we have adopted him, we should take responsibility for him. Although Xiao An had slowly overcome the trauma of his parents' accident, I want to see him being cheerful and lively, just like how Xiao Hu is."

"You want him to be like Xiao Hu? Then your wish will probably not come true in this lifetime. No matter how cheerful Xiao An is going to be, he will never become like Xiao Hu. His temperament has already been developed."

Sheng Jiaoyang held onto his hands that were roving around her body and shot a deadly gaze at him. "Be serious!"

"Yeah, I'm very serious," Shen Zhining said solemnly. However, his actions said otherwise, as he curled a finger and tickled her palm.

Sheng Jiaoyang sat up on the bed and said, "Shen Zhining, can you be more serious when we are talking about raising a child? If we can't raise Xiao An well, how are you going to raise our own children in the future!"

Shen Zhining looked at her and kept quiet.

"What, did I say something wrong?" Sheng Jiaoyang cocked an eyebrow. She looked as if she was saying, "I dare you to say I did."

Shen Zhining slowly propped himself up and looked her in the eyes with a tender and affectionate gaze. "I see that you have started to think about our future."

"Are you saying that I can't think?"

"No, of course not." Shen Zhining reached out his arms and pulled Sheng Jiaoyang into an embrace. "I'm just too happy."

"And so?" Sheng Jiaoyang stood firm. She must reach a consensus with Shen Zhining on the issue of raising Xiao An today.

"You have the final say," Shen Zhining replied without hesitation.

A thought manifested in Sheng Jiaoyang's head and a faint smile appeared on her face. She placed her arms around Shen Zhining's neck. "So, Dear, from today on, you will send Xiao An to school, and pick him up after school. You must first learn to be a good father to Xiao An before I can trust that you will be a good father to our future children."

"To and from school?"

"You already have a differing opinion so soon?" Sheng Jiaoyang glared at him with a placid expression.

"How is that possible? I dare not go against my queen's orders," Shen Zhining had a smiling glint in his eyes.

"Your queen? I remembered you were still calling me your princess previously. When did my status get an upgrade?" Sheng Jiaoyang asked with amusement.

"If your title remains the same, how can our children be Prince and Princess?"

"…" There's no fault in that logic at all.

Sheng Jiaoyang coughed softly and said, "Mei Niu's baby is arriving soon. I want to accompany her. You can stay home and take care of Xiao An."

Shen Zhining's gaze changed instantly. He looked as if he was filled with exceptional grief.

"So, all that talk about wanting me to send Xiao An to school and pick him up after was just paving the way to get rid of me. Say, you still want to go meet your old flame again, isn't it?"

"What old flame are you talking about? Don't spout nonsense. I'm there to accompany Mei Niu. If you come with me, then at that time, should I accompany you or her?"

"You can just ignore me and accompany Lina."

"Better not. It's so awkward for you to be there. We can't even have our girls' talk."

Sheng Jiaoyang pursed her lips. "You can't be watching me all the time. You've got to trust me."

"I trust you, but I don't trust the others."

"By others, who are you referring to? Sven? Or Lin Yan?"

Shen Zhining kept quiet and simply stared at her.

Sheng Jiaoyang cupped his face, and leaned in to plant a kiss on his lips as she coaxed, "Compared to you, other men are like shit. I promise I will be very careful this time. I'm also not stupid, right?"

Since Shen Zhining remained mum, Sheng Jiaoyang decided to reveal her trump card. "If I see that the relationship between you and Xiao An becomes as close as a normal father and son, I will give you a huge surprise."

"What surprise?" Shen Zhining's eyebrows twitched.

"I already said it's a surprise, so obviously I can't reveal it now!"

"I don't know if I can get that surprise or not, but I have a request now that you can certainly fulfill. Once you fulfil it, I'll let you go."

"What is it? Tell me."

Shen Zhining laid back down on the bed in a calm and composed manner and placed his hands behind his head. "I'm hungry." He even sent an underlying message with that gesture of his: "I don't want to move."

"Okay, I'll go get you some food…" Sheng Jiaoyang was interrupted before she could complete her sentence.

"I'm talking about my junior."

Sheng Jiaoyang's gaze shifted to a certain spot.

"…"

1. Zhao An is Xiao An’s real name. His surname is Zhao and his first name is An.