"Oh come on, what son doesn't recognize his own mother? Zhijing was just joking around with you guys!"
"Exactly, there's no overnight grudge between mother and son! Gu Zhijing, quickly apologize to our mom."
Gu Zhijing thought to himself that he had never before realized his friends were such idiots. How could Nian Suian possibly look old enough to be his mother? If Nian Suian were really his birth mother, the first thing to do now would be to have his father arrested.
Nian Suian felt she had indulged in enough playacting. It was time to wrap things up, especially since young Gu Zhijing beside her looked about ready to explode.
"I didn't think to bring any gifts this time," she said with a warm smile to Gu Zhijing's friends. "You should all come over to our place sometime. Auntie will cook some delicious food for you!" That's right, she was now fully embracing the role of a loving mother figure.
She then took out her phone and opened WeChat. "Here's an idea - scan Auntie's QR code so we can keep in touch."
"Let's go, the parent-teacher meeting is about to start," Gu Zhijing interjected, unable to bear it any longer. He pulled Nian Suian away before his friends could even take out their phones, not forgetting to glare back at his three dimwitted friends.
"Gu Zhijing, don't be so hot-tempered! Talk things out nicely with your mom. There's nothing a mother and son can't work through," one of the friends called out, completely oblivious to any awkwardness. He felt the red scarf on his chest growing even brighter with his display of civic virtue!
Although Gu Zhijing was only 15, he already towered over Nian Suian. She had given up lamenting her height - if something as fantastical as time travel could happen to her, why couldn't she have gotten a little taller in the process?
Even in high heels, Nian Suian only came up to Gu Zhijing's ear level. As he pulled her towards the classroom, she had to struggle to keep up with his pace. What Nian Suian failed to notice was that Gu Zhijing had actually slowed down to accommodate her high heels.
"Are you angry, little Zhijing?" They stopped in front of a teaching building and Nian Suian studied his expression. "I was just kidding around. You can explain it to your friends later, or I can go clarify things myself."
In truth, Nian Suian had acted on a whim. As a mentally sound office worker, she often had these random bursts of mischief. Besides, she had indirectly inquired about Gu Zhijing's family situation from the household staff and Butler Su. His parents had divorced naturally, without much drama. They were too young when they married for the child's sake, and when they couldn't make it work, they separated.
Gu Zhijing's birth mother had later moved abroad and remarried. She would occasionally have Gu Zhijing visit her and maintained regular contact. Apart from his parents not living together, it wasn't much different from a typical family. The topic of his mother wasn't taboo, which was why Nian Suian had felt comfortable making the joke.
Sure enough, "I'm not angry," Gu Zhijing replied. Nian Suian's prank wasn't that outrageous, and he didn't need to get upset over it. He just didn't want Nian Suian interacting too much with his friends or adding them on WeChat. He'd bet anything that the moment they added her, those three would create a group chat, add her in, and start spilling all his embarrassing stories. He knew his mischievous friends all too well, so he had to prevent any possibility of that happening!
"Let's hurry to the classroom. You might be the last one to arrive."
Nian Suian checked the time. They hadn't even eaten yet, so being early or late didn't really matter. "Then I'll make a grand entrance as the finale. I don't often do full makeup, you know. I'll be sure to make you proud today."
The classroom was on the third floor. As Gu Zhijing led Nian Suian up the stairs, he said, "You don't need makeup to shock everyone. Just telling them you're Gu Junxing's wife will do the trick."
"Is your dad that influential?" Nian Suian knew the Gu family had some money, but she wasn't sure exactly how much. From his tone, could they be the richest in the city?
"Not really. Among the local businessmen, my dad would be considered middle-tier at best. But you know, my dad has been single for fifteen years, which is quite shocking in the business world. Now that he's suddenly remarried, everyone wants to see what kind of extraordinary person you are."
"Why has your dad been single for so long?" Nian Suian was puzzled. Could he have some hidden ailment? This was crucial information for her!
"We're here. My seat is in the back row, third from the window," Gu Zhijing said, ignoring her question and pointing at his desk from the classroom doorway. "Students don't stay for the parent-teacher meeting. Contact me when it's over. Bye." With that, he turned and left.
Nian Suian hadn't finished speaking, but it was too late now. "The battle is about to begin," she thought to herself. She straightened up and marched proudly into the classroom.
Nian Suian noticed that the previously bustling classroom suddenly fell silent: Ha! They must be stunned by my beauty, she thought.
Dream on, honey. It's just because you're late.
"Excuse me, which student's parent are you?" asked a young female teacher at the podium.
"I'm Gu Zhijing's parent," Nian Suian replied with a smile. Her inner monologue continued: Wow! I have to tell Gu Zhijing his homeroom teacher is a gentle beauty!
As soon as she said this, a wave of "whispers" rippled through the room. Comments like "So that's Gu's new wife" could be heard. Nian Suian wanted to retort - if this was their idea of whispering, even her great-grandmother could hear them clearly.
The homeroom teacher handed her a booklet. "Hello, this is the parent handbook." She then indicated Gu Zhijing's seat to Nian Suian.
"Thank you," Nian Suian said to the teacher as she made her way to Gu Zhijing's desk.
"Hello, I'm the mother of Qu Zizhou, Gu Zhijing's deskmate. Our Zizhou and Zhijing are good friends. They've been sitting together since junior high," a woman introduced herself.
Nian Suian extended her hand in return. "Hello, I'm Gu Zhijing's stepmother. My name is Nian Suian."
The other woman seemed taken aback by her directness, almost losing her composure.
As the teacher at the podium began to speak, Nian Suian didn't continue the conversation. Instead, she opened the parent handbook and started reading.
"Good afternoon, parents. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this parent-teacher meeting. My name is Cen Xi, and I will be the homeroom teacher for this class for the next three years. In a moment, I'll provide you with my contact information, and we'll create a parents' group chat. Going forward, I'll use that group to communicate all matters concerning your children..."
"I'm sorry I'm late!" A young man appearing at the door interrupted the homeroom teacher's speech.
"That's alright, please come in..." Cen Xi hadn't expected it to be him, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.
The man at the door also caught sight of Cen Xi's face. "It's you!"
Nian Suian, who had been zoning out until now, suddenly perked up her ears.
There's drama brewing!
Looking around, it seemed everyone else had the same expression. Well, of course—what could be more interesting than some unexpected drama at a parent-teacher meeting?
The man seemed to have forgotten where he was. With a mix of three parts anger and four parts suppressed emotion, he began, "You disappeared without a word back then. Do you have any idea how long I've been searching for you?"
Thankfully, Cen Xi still remembered where they were. She quickly cut him off, "Xu Licheng! This is a parent-teacher meeting. If you're here to participate, come in and take a seat. If not, please leave immediately."