Mrs. Hou knew that I came especially to pick up my stepmother, so she didn’t insist on inviting me to go to her house for tea, but she left me the address so that I could go visit her when I had time.

  My stepmother’s fast food restaurant was busy until half past nine. After working all day in the sultry kitchen, her exhaustion was written all over on her face. She leaned on the front passenger seat weakly like a puddle of mud, I could even feel that she didn’t have energy to speak. But even so, her mouth still refused to be idle.

  “Xiao Nan, are you really not dating someone at the moment?”


  “Mhm.” Earlier I said in a hurry that I was not in a relationship, and now it seemed inappropriate to admit that I was dating someone, so my answer was rather vague.

  My stepmother frowned her eyebrows and said, “I don’t believe it. Are you not telling me because you feel embarrassed? How old are you now? It’s normal to date someone. You don’t need to feel embarrassed.”


  “Why would I feel embarrassed?” I said: “I’m really not dating anyone at the moment. Besides, if I really have a girlfriend, I might be able to fool you, but you think I would be able to fool Yuan Yuan?”


  My stepmother couldn’t help chuckling: “You are right. If you really had a girlfriend, she definitely wouldn’t stop complaining about it.”


  I smiled bitterly hearing what my stepmother just said. Chu Yuan had long suspected that my relationship with Liusu was more than just a good friend, but if I didn’t admit it, she also didn’t want to point it out…


  After chuckling, my stepmother once again frowned: “But this doesn’t make sense. Since you don’t have a girlfriend, then who were those two women? Who is their younger sister? Why did they want to find your elementary school teacher to learn about your childhood? People will change when they grow up. If they want to examine your personality, it is more logical to ask your friends and colleagues around you, right?”


  I also didn’t understand it, but I didn’t want my stepmother to worry about it, so I smiled and said, “Although your son isn’t dating anyone at the moment, he is still very popular with women in the company. Maybe the sisters of a female colleague misunderstood our relationship, so they went to investigate me secretly.”


  “Mhm,” my stepmother nodded: “this is most likely the case…”


  “Huh?”


  “I mean someone most likely has a crush on you…”


  ‘Uh…’ I almost smashed the steering wheel with my head. I was just joking. I simply wanted her to stop worrying about me, but I didn’t expect that she would take it seriously. The proud expression on her face was like saying that her son was the most handsome man in the world, so it was natural that many women would have a crush on me.

  Many parents would be proud of their children for no reason, but it was extremely embarrassing for their children. I was not handsome at all. If I were, there would be no other handsome man left in the world. But in my stepmother’s eyes, apparently this was not the case.

  The mobile phone in my pocket suddenly rang at this time. When I took it out, and saw that it was Dong Xiaoye who called me, my stepmother reached out her hands, wanting to snatch the phone from my hand, “You are driving, so let me answer it.”


  “No need, I will park on the side of the road.” I quickly dodged her snatch and switched on the turn signals. If my stepmother answered the phone and heard the voice of a woman, who knows what she would think.

  “Why so nervous? It is a girl?”


  “A friend…” Originally, I wanted to get out of the car to answer the phone, but thinking that it would only make the call become more suspicious, I dismissed the idea.

  “Chu Nan, are you serious? Didn’t I tell you to go home immediately after getting off work? “Sister Tiger scolded me as soon as I answered the phone, not giving me any chance to explain. “How many times do I have to tell you that it’s not safe to stay outside recently? Why don’t you listen? Why do you have to make me worried…”


  “I just went home to visit my parents. You are overreacting.” While explaining to Dong Xiaoye, I tried very hard to push away my stepmother, who also tried very hard to lean closer to my phone to eavesdrop on our conversation. Only until this moment did I realise that many of Chu Yuan’s bad habits actually came from my stepmother. For example, the bad habits of trying to eavesdrop on my phone call…


  “Are you with your parents now?” Dong Xiaoye’s voice lowered a lot, but there was obvious surprise in her voice.

  I thought that Dong Xiaoye called me after she went home and found out that I was not home, but it seemed that this was not the case, “Yeah. Are you not at home?”


  Dong Xiaoye did not answer me, but let out a strange scream and hung up the phone call all of sudden.

  What kind of reaction was this? I was speechless.

  My stepmother put her hands together with a clap and said with certainty: “A shy girl!”


  “A shy girl? Her? No way. A simple-minded person like her would never know what shy is.” I suspected that she just didn’t know how to explain to my parents about her relationship with me, so she hung up the call hurriedly. After all, she wanted to help me conceal the fact that I was currently under the police surveillance from my parents.

  “Who is she?” My stepmother’s narrowed eyes bloomed with curiosity, “Listen to the voice, this simple-minded girl is not Liusu. Is she the colleague who has a crush on you?”


  “What are you talking about? She is not my colleague. She’s just my friend. An ordinary friend.”


  “Really? But from the way she talks to you, it’s not as simple as a normal friend~”


  My stepmother was not someone that could be easily fooled, I had no choice but to say: “It’s better than ordinary friends, but don’t get the wrong idea…”


  “I didn’t~” She interrupted me before I could even finish speaking. Although she said this, her tone and her expression already betrayed her. She clearly misunderstood it.

  Feeling helpless, I could only start the car again and sighed, “You and dad are really made for each other. Once you two made up your mind, no matter how I explained it, you two wouldn’t believe it at all. Dad has also met with her before and his reaction at that time was exactly the same as your reaction now…”


  “Your dad has met with her before?” My stepmother thought for a while, then realized: “Oh~! Is it the policewoman you mentioned a while ago?”


  I nodded and changed the topic, “Oh right, Yuan Yuan said that her final exam is only two weeks away. On the weekend, you are busy, and Dad is also teaching a graduate class and staying at school; even if she comes to visit you, she will be staying at home alone most of the time, so before the summer vacation, she wants to stay at my place and review her homework with Dongfang on weekends. She wants to know if you are okay with that.”


  This was what Chu Yuan said, but the real reason was not that she wanted to review her homework. She was just afraid that I would kick Dongfang out while she was visiting our parents…


  “Why am I not okay with it? Isn’t this better? Your dad and I will be worry-free.”


  When it came to learning, my stepmother trusted Chu Yuan 100%. After all, Chu Yuan’s grades were always very good.

  “Speaking of summer vacation, your Dad said that, this summer, his school will organize a seven-day tour to different countries in southeast Asia. He can bring family members. Xiao Nan, will you be free?”


  “Me? Probably not. My company has just signed a cooperation plan, and it will probably be very busy…” I hesitated for a while, but eventually did not mention Mo Yizhi’s intention to transfer me to work in other cities.

  The cooperation with the Third Lady still hasn’t been finalized yet, so it was too early to tell her this.

  …


  When I came back from my old man’s place, it was already eleven o’clock in the evening. Dong Xiaoye was tired and had already gone to sleep. But Chu Yuan and Dongfang were still playing game consoles in high spirits. I wanted to scold them, but after I opened my mouth, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. In the end, I could only let out a helpless sigh.

  “Yuan Yuan, Mom said that during the summer vacation, Dad’s school will organize a seven-day trip to the countries in southeast Asia for teachers. She asked me to ask if you want to go?” After taking a shower, seeing that the two of them still hadn’t gone to bed, I took the initiative to start a conversation.

  Chu Yuan said lightly without turning her head, “Are you going?”


  “I may not be able to go…”


  “Then I am not going as well.”


  I asked curiously, “Why?”


  “Just because.”


  “…”


  I was speechless. The bratty girl’s response was filled with gunpowder as if I had offended her. From the moment I told Dongfang that I wanted to see her mother, Chu Yuan had always given me an attitude. This morning, she went out with a long face without eating breakfast, obviously feeling angry at me.

  Are all the children in the rebellious stage like this? Just like Dongfang’s matter, avoidance obviously wouldn’t solve the problem. Talking with her mother was the only and necessary way. Chu Yuan definitely understood this, but emotionally, she still couldn’t accept it. In the midst of contradictions, she obviously shifted her anger towards me.

  But even if she was not happy, I still had to do it. After all, not everything can’t be as desired. This is also part of the growing-up experience. I leaned on the sofa and asked, “Dongfang, have you contacted your mother?”


  As if Dongfang was also angry, she said coldly: “No.”


  Did she ignore what I had told her to do? Before I frowned, I heard Dongfang continue: “It was always her who called me. I don’t know her phone number, and she doesn’t seem to have a phone either.”


  There are only two kinds of people who don’t have a phone these days. One is the one who has no money and can’t afford it, and the other is too rich and often has an assistant with them. There was no doubt that Dongfang’s mother belonged to the latter.

  Sure enough, Dongfang said without emotion: “I told Zhen Nuo. She said she knew.”


  “Knew what?”


  “Knew that I have been hiding here.”


  “And then?”


  “She said she would tell my mom.”


  “Is that it?” Talking to Dongfang little brat made me feel very tired. It was like squeezing toothpaste, she would only answer me when I pressed her…