“Don’t even mention it, Jiang Che’s suggestion crossed Pei Yue’s mind. Immediately, she thought of ‘the nearer the water, the brighter the moon,’ feeling a glimmer of hope.
But the moment she saw Lu Xingyan, the utterly useless backbone member of the zero-praise party who couldn’t even score four hundred points, her fantasy abruptly ceased. Her conscience wouldn’t allow her to do something so morally questionable that would harm that young girl.
Lu Xingyan was completely unaware of his mother’s momentary mental turmoil, his mind wandering in several directions like a roller coaster. He stood there, as loose as a bone, absentmindedly chewing gum.
Seeing him stand there so nonchalantly, Pei Yue felt a rush of frustration. If only he had something to be proud of! If only he had a talent of any sort! …Oh well.
Throughout the journey home from school, Pei Yue ignored Lu Xingyan completely. Not only did she keep her distance of three steps from him, but she also managed to push him to walk behind Jiang Che. Meanwhile, she affectionately linked arms with Shen Xingru, smiling and greeting parents and classmates along the way, looking quite like a mother and daughter duo at first glance.
Jiang Che draped his arm over Lu Xingyan’s shoulder and leaned his head toward him. “Have you figured out if this young girl is your parents’ illegitimate child or if you were swapped at birth?”
“Bro, have you been studying youth literature recently? The plot you just described sounds like what the girls in our class often talk about when discussing novels.”
Jiang Che didn’t respond, just chuckled absentmindedly.
Jiang Che’s sports car could only seat two people, and he had to go pick up his girlfriend from work. Fortunately, Pei Yue had already arranged things with Uncle Liu beforehand. As they exited Shuxiang Road, the car was waiting.
While Pei Yue was in a good mood because of Shen Xingru, the moment she got into the car, she remembered that Lu Xingyan was her son, a fact she was unwilling to accept but had to. Holding two sets of report cards in her hand, the more she looked at them, the more her anger flared up.
She knew Lu Xingyan’s academic performance had always been poor, and he had a penchant for causing trouble at school. She had been tolerant! She had thought it was okay before because there weren’t any outstanding role models around, after all, those little boys who played well weren’t any better than him. Plus, she liked watching social news on Xingcheng TV during meals. Comparing Lu Xingyan to those young delinquents who ended up in jail at a young age in the news, she felt Lu Xingyan wasn’t so bad, at least he hadn’t shed tears behind bars at such a young age.
But now, looking at his and Shen Xingru’s report cards, she realized just how bad Lu Xingyan’s situation was, and her mindset completely collapsed!
“What were you doing during your first monthly exam? Drawing doodles? Your total score is only half of Ruoruo’s! You got barely over thirty in geography, were you guessing on multiple-choice questions?!”
“In geography, there weren’t that many multiple-choice questions, could you give me a chance to guess over thirty?”
“You dare to talk back! You dare to talk back!”
Pei Yue infuriated, turned from the passenger seat to the back, waving the report cards to smack Lu Xingyan’s head. But the distance was a bit far, her arms not long enough to reach him, no matter how many times she tried.
Lu Xingyan slouched in the seat, playing with his phone, his long legs stretched out in front of him, adopting a ‘what can you do to me’ posture.
Pei Yue was on the verge of exploding!
Seeing this, Shen Xingruo quietly used her tablet to tap Lu Xingyan’s head while he wasn’t paying attention, then said seriously, “Auntie Pei, I’ve hit him for you. Don’t be angry, it’s not good for your health to get angry.”
Lu Xingyan looked utterly bewildered.
Pei Yue’s nearly erupting anger was somewhat diffused by Shen Xingru’s teasing, inexplicably fading away.
“Lu Xingyan, study well with Ruoruo. You two sit together, why haven’t you learned even one percent from her? As the saying goes, ‘close to vermilion, you’ll become red,’ but I see you’re getting darker and darker! We’re already in the second semester of sophomore year, yet there’s been no improvement! You still can’t even score four hundred!”
She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to scold or laugh, her tone noticeably less forceful than before.
“How can you say there’s been no improvement? I scored 960 in total in freshman year, and I’ve been consistently getting over 300 each time. Now, my total score is only 750. I can still steadily score over 300, isn’t that progress?”
Lu Xingyan justified himself, feeling more and more righteous as he spoke. “And this time, I didn’t go to the math teacher to ask for two points back. In reality, I scored 400. Mom, please stop harping on about just 400. How difficult is it?”
“It’s not difficult, then show me next time!”
“I will,” Lu Xingyan agreed readily, then added, “By the way, Mom, if I score 400 on the final, my allowance for next semester should increase, right?”
He silently added in his mind that he had to support his wife and child alone; it was not easy.
Pei Yue, unaware of his inner turmoil, waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t just make empty promises. Score first, then talk to me.”
Lu Xingyan readily agreed, “Okay.”
Pei Yue remembered something and warned, “Before I say anything unpleasant, don’t try any cheating or anything like that. Look at the parents’ meeting today; a few cheaters were publicly criticized. It’s so embarrassing! If you get caught cheating, you can beg your brother Jiang Che for help. Your dad and I definitely won’t clean up your mess at school!”
“Mom, can’t you have a little faith in my character?” Lu Xingyan protested, “I may not excel academically, but I never cheat on English dictation.”
Shen Xingruo nodded, “Yes, he always scores around twenty or thirty points, very consistent.”
Lu Xingyan sighed, “Ah, Shen Xingru, why are you trying to sow discord between our harmonious mother-son relationship?”
“Who’s harmonious with you? Who’s your mother? Shut up!” Pei Yue snapped.
Lu Xingyan “…”
He felt like he could write a short essay now. The title would be “What It’s Like to Have a Realistic Mother” or “Real-life Family Bonds.”
Bickering all the way, when they were close to the Fallen Star Lake, Pei Yue suddenly remembered something important. “Oh right, your teacher said for senior year, you can choose not to stay in the dorms. What do you guys plan to do?”
Before either of them could answer, she continued, “I’ve heard some parents say they’re planning to start looking for a house now, around June. There are a lot of empty houses near your school during the senior year high school entrance exam period. Quite a few people are planning to rent near the school.”
Shen Xingruo had heard about senior year renting from Shi Qin.
Shi Qin’s mom planned to rent a one-bedroom apartment for her in her senior year and then come to take care of her.
It’s like being accompanied during study time.
If the family’s financial situation allows it, many would make this choice.
Some parents who were too busy earning money would rent together with a few classmates and then have one of the classmates’ mothers come over.
If they were all too busy, they would jointly hire a nanny to take care of their daily lives.
Seeing Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan remain silent, Pei Yue didn’t mind and continued with her thoughts, “I remember that building near your East Gate, Star River Bay, didn’t your dad keep a top-floor duplex there?”
“Um,” Lu Xingyan murmured, “I think so, I don’t remember.”
“Is it fully furnished?” Pei Yue mumbled, “I’ll ask your dad. If it is, that would be perfect. I think you two can move in next semester. I’ll have Aunt Zhou come and take care of you.”
Jin Sheng is the leading real estate company in Xingcheng, with properties of all sizes scattered throughout the city, so naturally, there’s no need for them to rent. However, Pei Yue’s plan is for her and Lu Xingyan to live together…
Shen Xingruo wanted to say something, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to. After all, she was also living off someone else’s roof and shouldn’t have too many opinions. Besides, they had Aunt Zhou, and living near Fallen Star Lake wasn’t much different from living with Zhou on weekends.
Since Shen Xingruo had no objections, Lu Xingyan naturally had even less. Initially, he didn’t think much about it, engrossed in his phone. However, the words “living together” suddenly flashed in his mind, and he involuntarily imagined a version of cohabitation without a mother. What’s the difference between rounding up and having uncensored content?
With this thought, Lu Xingyan coughed twice, automatically clearing his mind of any inappropriate thoughts, and then spoke up, “Sure, Mom, you can ask Dad first to see if it’s fully furnished.”
Pei Yue nodded, “That shouldn’t be a problem. Even if it’s not furnished, there’s still time to decorate it. When you’re free, go take a look, choose your rooms, and during the summer vacation, we can get the missing items.”
“Okay.”
Lu Xingyan responded, his gaze briefly flicking over Shen Xingru’s face.
On Saturday, Lu Shan returned home. Pei Yue remembered the matter about Star River Bay and asked him during dinner.
Lu Shan thought for a moment, “Star River Bay…I remember they were all fully furnished. It was positioned as a mid-to-high-end development, and the quality of the furnishings was quite high. A little tidying up and you can move in right away.”
That would be ideal.
While picking up food, Lu Shan asked about the parent-teacher meeting.
Lu Xingyan’s grades had been sent to his phone long ago, and scoring over 300 wasn’t a first for him. He had seen and heard a lot, so he casually asked, “Did you go to Lu Xingyan’s parent-teacher meeting? Did he get criticized this semester, or did he receive any disciplinary actions?”
Lu Xingyan was drinking pork rib soup and nearly choked.
After finally swallowing, he couldn’t help but protest, “What kind of parents are you guys? Am I really that shameful?”
Lu Shan and Pei Yue paused with their chopsticks, their eyes shooting towards him without a word.
Of course, their gaze was crystal clear—Yes, you are that shameful.
Lu Xingyan, feeling indignant, didn’t finish the soup.
Perhaps feeling that a strike-style education wasn’t good for a child’s growth, Lu Shan cleared his throat and changed the subject, “Anyway, what about you, Xingru? How did you do? A few days ago, I heard from your Aunt Pei that you ranked first again.”
Shen Xingruo was still considering whether to speak, but Pei Yue spoke up first, “Xingru scored 718 in the first monthly exam and 720 in the midterm, without losing any points. When the exam papers were returned, they looked as neat as could be.”
Lu Shan couldn’t help but nod in approval, then remembered Lu Xingyan’s grades and asked, “Lu Xingyan scored 398 in the midterm. How much did he score in the first monthly exam?”
Pei Yue replied, “359.”
Lu Shan did the math, “So, in the first monthly exam, he scored only half of what Xingru did?”
This time, Lu Shan couldn’t swallow his soup either.
He blacked out for a few seconds, then looked at Lu Xingyan, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start.
Turning to Shen Xingru, he pondered for a moment, symbolically adding, “Xingru, if you have time, you can help Lu Xingyan with his studies. Uncle’s requirements aren’t high; if he can pass each subject, it’s good enough. Of course, don’t neglect your studies.”
Lu Shan said so, showing a fatherly concern even though he felt helpless. Shen Xingruo nodded in response, just a perfunctory acknowledgment. After all, Lu Xingyan rarely did his homework, and she truly believed that what Lu Xingyan needed wasn’t just review but also preparation.
However, Lu Xingyan suddenly became spirited, grabbing a peacock feather that had fallen from a decorative white peacock and using it as an imaginary arrow. He seemed particularly enthusiastic about seeking knowledge.
After finishing the remaining soup, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked, “So, when do we start? Tonight? I don’t know how to do any of my homework anyway.”
Lu Shan: “…”
Shen Xingru: “…”
After dinner, Lu Shan discreetly asked Pei Yue, “What’s up with Lu Xingyan? I casually mentioned to Shen Xingruo to help him with tutoring, and he’s suddenly so enthusiastic.”
Pei Yue shrugged, “You think he suddenly loves studying? After the parent-teacher meeting, he painted me a rosy picture, saying he’ll score 400 on the final exam and asked for a raise in his allowance!”
“Why is he spending so much money? I asked other parents, and most of them don’t even give their kids more than five thousand per semester.”
The more Pei Yue thought about it, the more puzzled she became, mumbling, “And all the school expenses and clothes and shoes are reimbursed by me separately. What does he spend money on at school every day?”
“He’s not spending it on a girlfriend, is he? I subtly probed during the parent-teacher meeting, but I didn’t hear anything about him having a girlfriend.”
Downstairs, Pei Yue and Lu Shan murmured, while upstairs, Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan went back to their rooms to shower.
After showering, Lu Xingyan’s enthusiasm hadn’t waned. He knocked on Shen Xingru’s door energetically.
Shen Xingruo happened to be blow-drying her hair. She opened the door to see Lu Xingyan holding a stack of books. She didn’t invite him in and simply said, “Go to your room.”
Since the last time, Lu Xingyan sneaked into her room and did who knows what good deeds, she still hadn’t figured out what he did.
Lu Xingyan didn’t mind.
Shen Xingruo added, “I’ll be there after I finish blow-drying my hair. Which subject do you want to study?”
“What do you think?”
Shen Xingruo pondered for a moment. One good thing about Lu Xingyan was that he wasn’t weak in any particular subject; he was uniformly bad in all of them.
She thought for a moment, “Let’s focus on math tonight. I’ll take a look at your Chinese foundation as well since it’s a core subject.”
Lu Xingyan made an OK gesture and popped a piece of gum into his mouth, then opened another and tried to put it into Shen Xingru’s mouth.
“I’m not eating that.”
“For fresh breath.”
While Shen Xingruo was speaking, he managed to shove half of it into her mouth.
Shen Xingruo hadn’t been in Lu Xingyan’s room much. Most of the time, she stood at the doorway.
His room had a typical masculine style, with basketball star posters on the walls and models of cars and Transformers.
There were some sports magazines piled on the desk, probably tidied up a bit for tonight’s tutoring session.
Seeing Shen Xingruo coming empty-handed, he raised an eyebrow, “You came to tutor empty-handed?”
“What else? Should I bring ginseng and bird’s nest supplements?”
Lu Xingyan: “…”
Shen Xingruo took a seat at his desk, and he had already prepared his math and Chinese assignments. “Ms. Shen, where should I start?”
Shen Xingruo picked up the bottle of Want Want milk on his desk. “You start by doing the math, beginning with the first question on this test paper.”
Lu Xingyan obediently began working, calculating on a piece of scratch paper.
Shen Xingruo leaned back in the chair, surveying his room while twisting the cap of the bottle.
She had just trimmed her nails and applied hand cream, so she found it a bit difficult to open the bottle.
Lu Xingyan seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He suddenly put down his pen, snatched the bottle from her hand, effortlessly twisted it open, and then handed it back to her.
She took it, inserted the straw, and took small sips.
Lu Xingyan had just taken a shower, and he smelled fresh. He was wearing a black cotton t-shirt on top and gray shorts below, his long legs slim and well-defined.
As Shen Xingruo waited for him to solve the problem, she glanced at him from top to bottom, absentmindedly twirling the pen in her hand.
Suddenly, the pen slipped from her fingers and fell at Lu Xingyan’s feet.
She bent down to pick it up.
Lu Xingyan didn’t know what she was doing. He had filled an entire page of scratch paper without concluding. When he turned the page, he accidentally lifted his elbow, and “clang,” it hit the back of her head. Then, he accidentally knocked over the bottle of Want Want milk she was holding—
Shen Xingruo hadn’t expected this to happen.
In that split second, her head was pushed towards his body by his elbow, and her chin bumped against his thigh.
Half of the Want Want milk spilled onto his black t-shirt, then trickled down onto his shorts.