Jiang Ruoqiao was genuinely excited.

She lay on her bed, staring up at the top of the mosquito net, and recalled a saying: every cloud has a silver lining.

If Siyan hadn’t traveled here from that future, she would have stuck to her original plan. She wouldn’t have gone to look for a part-time job at this point, would have simply waited until her contract with the shop owner ended before reassessing her situation. That meant she never would have confided her worries to the shop owner, and the shop owner never would have introduced her to this connection.

This part-time position was entirely different from modeling for the hanfu shop.

She had already decided she wanted to pursue graduate school, which meant she wouldn’t be fully stepping into the professional world for several more years. That made this part-time job especially valuable. She’d get to meet established professionals in the field and accumulate substantial work experience. By the time she graduated from her master’s program, this kind of resume would make finding a good job much easier.

With a quiet sense of anticipation for the future, Jiang Ruoqiao drifted off to sleep.

The next morning she was woken by her alarm.

She couldn’t help it. Jiang Ruoqiao made a pained face. Someone had to accommodate Lu Yicheng’s “pursuit” plan, and someone had decided to wake up before seven to go to the cafeteria and buy her breakfast, which meant she had no choice but to drag herself out of bed.

She resigned herself to her fate and spent a little while in bed doing mental preparation, then finally got up. The other three in the dorm were still in the middle of their rendezvous with Zhou Gong.

She tried to move as quietly as possible, grabbed some clothes, and headed to the bathroom. After washing up and getting dressed, she sighed and stepped out of the dorm.

Sure enough, Lu Yicheng was already waiting downstairs.

With one full day of buffer behind them, Lu Yicheng could now stand beneath the girls’ dormitory building waiting for her, holding up under the curious stares of the other female students, without looking quite so stiff.

Jiang Ruoqiao noticed for the first time that Lu Yicheng was dressed very formally today.

Though “formally,” of course, was relative to his usual white t-shirts and casual trousers.

He was naturally tall and lean. Today he was wearing a white button-down shirt that had been neatly ironed, paired with black trousers.

Jiang Ruoqiao had never seen him dressed like this before, and she found herself genuinely struck by the novelty of it.

It was a bit like when someone who wore pajamas every day suddenly showed up in an elegant evening suit…

At that moment she had no idea that her own expression looked exactly like those male leads in romance dramas.

At the ball, the previously unremarkable female lead finally comes down in a lovely little gown. She steps hesitantly into the crowd, and the male lead turns to look—surprise in his eyes, and wonder.

Lu Yicheng looked a little uncomfortable.

Before Jiang Ruoqiao could ask, he offered an explanation on his own. “I have a meeting at Windmill Kindergarten today.”

Jiang Ruoqiao understood.

She had originally planned to attend as well, but since she needed to go to the company to pick up the client’s documents, she’d let Lu Yicheng know the previous night.

Starting tomorrow, the little person that was Lu Siyan would officially enroll and become a member of the senior class.

The head teacher had informed them that today they were to bring the child to the kindergarten for a meeting, and the child would also spend half the day there.

She hadn’t expected Lu Yicheng to take it so seriously.

Though, to be fair—if she were the one attending, she would probably have taken it even more seriously. After all, this was the first time in her life she’d be attending a meeting as a parent.

Jiang Ruoqiao felt a pang of regret. But regret aside, her work commitments were more pressing right now. This was, after all, her very first assignment since joining the company.

“I’ve never seen you dressed like that before,” Jiang Ruoqiao said.

She could tell his shirt and trousers weren’t expensive, but his good looks and build more than made up for it.

She could also picture what he’d look like as a sharp professional in the future.

Lu Yicheng said, “It probably doesn’t look very good.”

Still, he felt it was better to dress formally. It was a meeting, after all—even if it was a kindergarten meeting.

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled lightly. “I never said it didn’t look good.”

Though she couldn’t say it looked good either. She didn’t want to come across like someone who’d never seen a handsome man before.

Lu Yicheng didn’t dwell on it and handed her the breakfast bag. She looked inside—she was satisfied. Four identical steamed buns and soy milk.

Wait a moment—

Jiang Ruoqiao stared in surprise at the small bag containing a peeled orange, then raised her head to look at him.

Lu Yicheng already regretted his impulsive decision.

On the way to campus, he’d happened to pass a roadside fruit vendor selling what looked like very fresh, appealing oranges. On an inexplicable impulse, he’d bought a few. Then, equally inexplicably, while buying breakfast at the cafeteria, he’d peeled the orange.

He wanted to say “I put it in there by mistake,” but the words reached his lips and wouldn’t come out. He had no choice but to soldier on and say, “It was Siyan who said so.”

It seemed that since meeting her, he’d also started picking up the habit of telling small lies.

Though he was also being quite shrewd about it. When he said “Siyan said so,” he was technically referring to the time in the car when Siyan had mentioned “she loves oranges.”

What Jiang Ruoqiao took this to mean was: “Siyan asked him to peel it for her this morning.”

Jiang Ruoqiao gave a sound of acknowledgment and accepted it. “Thank you.”

Lu Yicheng: “You’re welcome.”

He paused, expression uncertain.

Jiang Ruoqiao guessed he was thinking of the body wash and shampoo she’d bought yesterday. But since he didn’t bring it up, she wasn’t going to either.

Lu Yicheng needed to go back and bring Lu Siyan to Windmill Kindergarten together.

Jiang Ruoqiao also needed to get to the company early to pick up the client documents.

They didn’t talk for long. Under the curious stares of their audience, they waved goodbye and parted ways.

When Jiang Ruoqiao returned to the dorm, something suddenly occurred to her. The last time she’d visited Windmill Kindergarten, since the school hadn’t officially opened yet, they’d only had a quick look at some of the facilities and classrooms. Now that Lu Yicheng was going to a meeting there, he’d presumably get to see the actual classroom Lu Siyan would be in, along with all the details. She was feeling rather eager about this—more urgently curious than she’d been when she first arrived at A’Da for enrollment.

Because this was something she currently knew absolutely nothing about.

After thinking it over, Jiang Ruoqiao sent Lu Yicheng a text with a hint: “You should be going to Senior Class Three where Siyan will be, right?”

Lu Yicheng truly was the sharpest of top students.

From just that one line, he’d already figured out what she was after: “Yes. Want me to video call you later? Give me your WeChat ID and I’ll add you.”

Jiang Ruoqiao: Nice~

This person really got the hint.

She sent her WeChat ID over to him.

A certain somewhat finicky side of her personality had reared its head again. When adding someone of the opposite gender on WeChat, the proper way was for them to add her. Having her chase his ID over and then anxiously waiting for him to accept her friend request on his end—that would be a blow to her dignity.

Less than a minute later, she received Lu Yicheng’s friend request.

Accepted.

Jiang Ruoqiao looked at his WeChat display name. Unsurprisingly, it was just the simple “Lu.” As for the profile photo… entirely in keeping with a parent’s aesthetic.

It was a photo of Lu Siyan’s back.

Lu Siyan running ahead, captured mid-sprint by the camera.

Neither of them took the initiative to send the first message.

Jiang Ruoqiao boarded the subway to the company. Along the way, she kept taking out her phone to check, seeing if Lu Yicheng had sent any photos.

She really wanted to see photos of the kindergarten.

But he just kept not sending any!

Just as Jiang Ruoqiao stepped out of the subway car, the notification sound for a WeChat video call rang out. She scrambled to dig her phone out of her bag, quickly cleared her throat, and then pressed the answer button.

On the screen was Lu Yicheng’s face.

Straight men don’t know how to angle their phone when video calling.

Only someone with Lu Yicheng’s looks could withstand the unflattering up-close angle.

Lu Yicheng’s clear, resonant voice came through, accompanied by some background noise. “I’m in Senior Class Three right now—Siyan’s classroom. Let me switch the camera so you can see.”

Then on the screen, instead of Lu Yicheng’s face, she was looking at a classroom that appeared to be decorated in a warm, wonderfully child-friendly way.

The room was large.

With Lu Yicheng providing commentary, it was absolutely delightful to watch. Jiang Ruoqiao watched with a beaming smile, thoroughly engrossed.

“This is the reading corner,” Lu Yicheng said. “The teacher mentioned that tomorrow each student should bring one picture book. The children will borrow and share each other’s books.”

Jiang Ruoqiao pressed her cheeks in her hands. Wow!

All those tiny tables and tiny chairs—so adorable!

“This is the projector. The teacher said they occasionally show the children some videos, but don’t worry—for the sake of the children’s eyesight, the sessions won’t be long.”

“This is the toy corner……”

Lu Yicheng then said, “Can you see this? This is where they nap.”

Jiang Ruoqiao finally let out a gasp of wonder that she couldn’t contain.

This was a part of the kindergarten she hadn’t been able to see during her earlier visit.

“So cute!” Jiang Ruoqiao exclaimed, taking in the rows of tiny beds—two by two, side by side—each one with a little blanket and a little pillow.

Lu Yicheng moved closer to one of the beds. “See this?”

The camera focused on the headboard.

Jiang Ruoqiao could see Lu Siyan’s one-inch ID photo pasted to the headboard.

“That’s probably what the kindergarten needs the ID photos for.” Lu Yicheng said. “They go on the beds, and also on the little stools, and on the cubbies where the children put their bags……”

Jiang Ruoqiao: “!”

Other than adorable, she didn’t know what else to say.

Lu Siyan’s ID photos had come out exceptionally well.

He was smiling brilliantly, showing off a mouth full of tiny white teeth. Anyone who looked at it couldn’t help but smile too.

Lu Yicheng then asked, “Do you want to see their bathroom?”

“As long as there are no children using it, I want to see.” Jiang Ruoqiao replied.

Lu Yicheng raised his voice slightly: “Lu Siyan, go check if anyone’s in the bathroom.”

Jiang Ruoqiao’s eyes curved up at the corners.

A voice from inside called out, “Nobody’s in there!”

Lu Yicheng acknowledged it. “Then let me show you.”

Lu Siyan came crowding over too. “Dad, are you video calling Mom? I want to see, I want to see!”

Lu Yicheng had no choice but to hand him the phone. “Then you show her around yourself.”

“Yes, Sir!”

Lu Siyan took the phone and pressed it right up to his face.

“Mom!”

Jiang Ruoqiao burst out laughing. “Hello there, Senior Class student.”

Lu Siyan gave a solemn nod, then angled the camera toward the bathroom area. “This is the bathroom. Oh gosh, it’s kind of embarrassing. One side is for girls, one side is for boys.”

The bathroom was, unsurprisingly, designed to fit a child’s height and build.

The squat toilets were tiny. The boys’ urinals were also very small.

Even the sinks were perfectly sized for children Lu Siyan’s age.

Overall, the facilities and conditions were quite well-equipped—at least justifying the five thousand or so yuan per month in tuition and living fees.

……

Jiang Ruoqiao arrived at the company.

She collected the client documents, had a brief chat with her supervisor, and then left. She’d initially thought about heading back to the dorm, but then reconsidered—Lu Siyan was only spending half the day at the kindergarten today. Why not find a nearby café to sit in, wait until it was time, and then go pick him up along with Lu Yicheng? Missing the meeting was already a big enough regret. Of course she had to be there to collect the child on his first day.

She found a milk tea shop near the kindergarten.

Seeing that it was still early, she pulled out the documents from her bag and began reading through them.

In addition to the profiles of the client and her late husband, there were also documents related to charitable work—clearly very thorough preparation.

What caught Jiang Ruoqiao off guard was that among the charity-related materials, there was actually an introduction to Lin Jewelry.

Lin Jewelry was something of a long-established name in the industry, with a solid reputation. Part of this was due to its strict quality control, and part was owed to a decade of consistent charitable work. The materials explained it clearly—the charitable division was managed by Mrs. Lin, the chairman’s wife. Lin Jewelry’s philanthropic efforts had always been handled transparently, which was why their annual charity gala drew a steady crowd of attendees. Whether from genuine goodwill or for appearances’ sake, Mrs. Lin had genuinely accomplished a great deal, and because of this capable partner, Lin Jewelry’s reputation had remained consistently strong over the years.

According to the itinerary, her client seemed to have plans to learn more about Lin Jewelry’s charity gala as well.

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled slightly. What a small world.

But she had no reason to change her client’s itinerary. Besides, things between her and Jiang Yan were already cleanly finished.

……

Jiang Ruoqiao arrived five minutes early at the kindergarten gate to wait.

This was practically VIP treatment. A certain young Lu should feel honored—she had never stood out in blazing sun waiting for anyone for this long.

At eleven-thirty, Lu Yicheng and Lu Siyan came sprinting toward the gate at a full-on sprint.

For no other reason than that Jiang Ruoqiao had sent a message ten minutes earlier saying she was waiting outside.

Was that something to joke about?

Never mind Lu Siyan being alarmed—even Lu Yicheng felt it: making her wait even one extra second would be something like a crime.

When the father and son were the first ones out, Jiang Ruoqiao, standing under her sun umbrella, was quite pleased. Whatever else, those two really did have good habits! They hadn’t made her wait, and that deserved a reward.

—