After taking a taxi to the bookstore, Qi Anlu headed straight to where his mother had been reading that morning. When he got close, he froze.
This section of the bookshelf was filled with psychology-related books. Which shelf had his mother pulled the book from earlier? The third or fourth level?
Did his mother know?
How did she find out?
The flood of questions in his mind became so overwhelming that Qi Anlu couldn't stand anymore and crouched down in front of the bookshelf.
After a moment, he pinched himself hard, forcing himself to calm down and recall details he might have overlooked in the past.
When was the last time his mother called him by his childhood nickname?
When did she start asking him to watch TV with her whenever Qi Wenhan wasn't around?
When did she begin encouraging him to go out with his classmates?
When did she start interrupting Qi Wenhan's lectures with excuses?
He had never paid attention to these things before, but now they came back to him with crystal clarity.
His medical records were kept at school...
There was only one opportunity for his mother to see them...
The parent-teacher meeting.
That's it - after the parent-teacher meeting, he had noticed his mother's red eyes.
Qi Anlu sat down in front of the bookshelf, in the same spot where his mother had sat that morning.
He couldn't imagine how his mother felt after seeing his medical records, or what was going through her mind as she sat here reading these complex professional books.
Was she trying to find ways to save her son?
After much thought, Qi Anlu decided to pretend he knew nothing about it.
Since he had used the excuse of getting books from school, he bought a random book from the store before heading home.
At the building entrance, he checked himself in his phone's front camera to make sure everything looked normal before going upstairs.
"Welcome home, son. The braised pork is ready. Go wash your hands for dinner."
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt his mother's way of speaking to him was somehow different from before.
During dinner, Zhou Xinfang told Qi Anlu about a cat she saw at the meat vendor's stall when she went grocery shopping that morning - a mackerel tabby capable of catching all the rats in the market.
"Son, do you like cats?"
Qi Anlu swallowed a piece of braised pork, took a sip of soup to ease his tight throat, and after a pause, said "Yes."
"Then let's get one for our home."
Qi Anlu wanted to say that as long as Qi Wenhan was around, they could never have a cat.
But seeing his mother's smiling face, he kept quiet and just nodded slightly.
Zhou Xinfang seemed overjoyed and started imagining what kind of cat they should get.
Qi Anlu responded occasionally.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was unusually relaxed and pleasant.
After returning home, Qu Zizhou started solving problems miserably, making Jiang Yun wonder if he was sick.
Having poor self-control, Qu Zizhou realized this wasn't working when he reached for his phone for the third time, so he took it to Jiang Yun.
"Mom, please keep my phone for me and return it in two hours."
"Heavens! Are you running a fever?" Instead of taking the phone, Jiang Yun reached to feel his forehead.
"Can't I just want to study properly?" Qu Zizhou pretended to be angry. "You just don't believe me, don't believe I can study seriously!"
"No, no, Mom believes you." After Qu Zizhou put down his phone and went to his room.
Later, Jiang Yun used the excuse of bringing fruits to check on him...
He was actually solving problems!
She was so shocked that she messaged her husband in Africa, saying their son seemed different, actually studying on his own initiative.
The next day, when her son told her about Qi Anlu tutoring them at school, Jiang Yun finally believed that her son was genuinely trying to study hard!
Jiang Yun instructed her son: "Next time, invite Anlu over, I'll cook something delicious for him! No, I'll treat him to a five-star hotel meal!"
"Mom, calm down, don't scare him away."
Seeing his mother's excitement, Qu Zizhou thought she looked like she wanted to pick up Qi Anlu and spin him around... it was too intimidating.
Gu Zhijing had also been studying diligently lately, continuing to study in his room after evening self-study sessions.
Seeing this, Nian Suian would occasionally send him red packets as encouragement.
For Gu Zhijing, money was the best form of reward, and during the period before the final exams, he studied as if powered by a motor.
One day, Nian Suian discovered Gu Junxing looking at travel guides in the study and learned that they were for Zhijing.
"I told him if he ranks in the top five of his class, I'll let him travel." Of course, for safety reasons, Gu Junxing only planned to let him choose among several major cities.
"The final exams haven't even started yet, but you're already looking at travel guides and routes. You must have a lot of confidence in him," Nian Suian leaned in to look at the tourist attractions on the computer screen.
Gu Junxing took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Nian Suian's waist, letting her sit sideways on his lap.
"If he can't make it to the top five, he can stay home and watch the house while we go instead."
Having read many novels where sitting on someone's lap led to passionate encounters, Nian Suian didn't dare move, afraid of creating an awkward situation.
"If Zhijing heard you say that, he'd definitely say you planned this on purpose, coming up with an excuse to prevent him from going out."
Gu Junxing smiled without speaking, clearly aware of his son's nature, which was why he hadn't mentioned this part to him.
Nian Suian asked him: "Didn't you say your parents were coming back to China? When will they return?"
"My parents?"
"Yes."
"They're your parents now too."
Nian Suian gave an embarrassed smile but didn't speak. She really wasn't used to calling anyone mom and dad, having rarely seen her parents in her previous life, and never in this one.
"They probably won't be back until before the New Year. Are you nervous?"
Nian Suian nodded. Gu Junxing's parents would be her in-laws after all...
Gu Junxing stroked Nian Suian's head, comforting her: "Don't be nervous. My parents can't sit still - they'll probably start visiting relatives and friends as soon as they return. We'll be lucky if they can spare time for a meal with us."
"Really?" Nian Suian had thought the elderly couple would want to spend quality time with their son and grandson after coming back.
"Really, you'll see when the time comes."
While Nian Suian was lost in thought, she suddenly felt a kiss on her cheek.
"Don't think too much."
Their eyes met, they moved closer, touching.
This time it was their lips.
Before they knew it, final exam time had arrived, and Gu Zhijing had never felt more confident!
"Zhijing, wasn't the English exam quite easy?" Qu Zizhou asked after returning from the English exam.
"It was okay, not that easy."
"I actually understood a bit of what the reading comprehension was about this time."
"That's because you've been learning vocabulary."
For first-year high school English exams, there wouldn't be many words beyond their syllabus, and since Qu Zizhou had been forced to intensively study the vocabulary at the back of their English book recently, it was bound to help somewhat.
Qu Zizhou was delighted to hear this, "Then I must have improved, hehe."
Qi Anlu had been in a good mood lately too. With finals approaching, the university was getting busy, and Qi Wenhan hadn't had time to pick on him recently.
Unexpectedly, after returning home from exams, his mother gave him more good news.