“These were all made by Lin Zhenmo! Aren’t they super super amazing!!” Qu Tantan was holding up her arms in a hugging pose, proudly showing off Lin Zhenmo’s creations to the adults.
“These ones were made by me and Tantan, but they’re not as good as Lin Zhenmo’s, hehe,” Meng Jiajia ran over to her own snowmen, lifting her chin proudly.
Lin Zhenmo had still felt a little embarrassed, and his ears turned red as he glared at the two girls. But when he heard the adults’ sincere praise, he froze for a second, warmth bubbling up inside him. He pursed his lips tightly, lowering his head to hide his shyness.
He felt totally out of place.
But the praise continued: “Xiao Mo’s creations are delicate and lifelike, but Tantan and Jiajia’s have a lot of childlike charm too, they’re all wonderful!”
“Xiao Mo’s Mom, has he studied crafts before? Or maybe drawing? No? Then he’s really talented! You should let him take some lessons, he’s amazing.”
“I think so too, just not sure if Xiao Mo enjoys it…”
“You’re right, it still depends on whether the child is interested. Don’t force it.”
“Meng Chaofeng, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you implying something again? It was your idea for your daughter to learn Taekwondo, and now look at her, turned her into a little hedgehog!”
“I didn’t mean that. And besides, she’s our daughter, what’s with this ‘your’ and ‘my’ child…”
“Xiao Mo’s hands are so skillful, must’ve gotten that from Lin Wan, huh? Gosh, I envy your kid. So smart, sensible, and good at everything.”
“Ugh, and I haven’t even started envying Lin Zhenmo yet. Seriously, how does someone get a Mom who passes down both brains and talent? Why don’t I have one like that?”
“…Qu Tantan, are you looking for a spanking?!”
Lin Zhenmo : “……” Why does everyone always go off-topic while praising?
Still, his lips quietly curled upward. So this is what it’s like to go out and have fun as a family. It was not as boring as he imagined. Childish, yes, but… oddly joyful.
The three families were still laughing and chatting around the snowmen, when a haughty voice suddenly rang out.
“Hey, kids, haven’t you looked long enough? You’ve been standing here forever. Children shouldn’t be so domineering, let others have a look too!”
The young man was fairly handsome, but unfortunately held his chin up in a condescending manner. Clearly impatient, he waved his hand dismissively to drive them away, “Come on, move aside.”
The three families : “……” Where did this clown come from?
Meng Jiajia’s Mom was the most straightforward. She immediately rolled her eyes at the man and said sarcastically, “Wow, some people really do think they’re entitled to everything. They take what’s not theirs, kick others out, and still have the nerve to scold you for being ‘domineering’ for standing there. Amazing.”
The young man’s face darkened. “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, nothing. Just telling a little joke.” Wei Xinlan hugged her husband’s arm, smirking. “This is my first time hearing someone say you have to clear the way and let others admire your own creation for free. Isn’t that hilarious?”
She lifted her chin, full of fighting spirit like a battle-hardened hen. “You want to look? Fine. Want us to move? Fine. Pay up. These days even a casual art exhibit costs money. Yet some people have the audacity to demand free viewing and demand we clear the stage.”
The young man immediately turned red with anger, his neck bulging as he stammered, pointing at her with a trembling finger. “You, you, how dare you speak to me like that?!”
Meng Jiajia’s Dad wasn’t having it. He firmly grabbed the man’s hand, a faint chill in his eyes. “It’s rude to behave like this. People might question whether you had any upbringing. The kids are watching. Even if you’re immature, you should at least try to set an example.”
The young man looked big, but was weak in reality. Under the grip of the deputy captain of the criminal police unit, he instantly cried out in pain, gritting his teeth in humiliation and spitting curses as he stormed off, throwing in plenty of profanity.
Lin Wan hadn’t expected that not only was Qu Tantan’s Mom formidable, even Meng Jiajia’s seemingly bubbly Mom could be so sharp and fearless when it came to a confrontation. She stared at the two women, her eyes glowing with admiration.
If only she could become someone brave like them…
Qu Tantan’s Mom also laughed beside her, speaking in a calm and gentle voice, “See, Old Qu? I told you it’s important to teach kids manners. Otherwise, they grow up and turn out like that, becoming a menace to everyone around them.”
She smiled sweetly while making a veiled jab, “Tan Bao’er, you have to pay close attention. Don’t grow up to be a rude adult like that, or I’ll kick you out of the house and disown you.”
Qu Tantan had been trying to figure out with Lin Zhenmo whether the woman behind the man was Wen Qingqing, but as soon as she heard her mother’s words, she nodded obediently. “Tan Bao’er is so well-behaved, she’d never be so rude as to chase children away the moment she sees them, and even curse at them on top of that.”
She looked up and smiled sweetly. “Brother is amazing, he can curse so well. Tan Bao’er doesn’t even know those words.”
The young man instantly choked on his words, completely unsure how to respond to what seemed like Tantan’s sincere praise. His face twisted with anger as he turned to curse at Mother Qu. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking about? You think you can be my Mom? You better take a look in the mirror and see what kind of joke you are!”
Mother Qu just spread her hands indifferently. “I’m your mother.”
The young man: “……” Damn it!
He clenched his jaw, wanting to hit someone, but Meng Jiajia’s father had a firm grip on his arm, completely immobilizing him. He couldn’t win the argument either, and his face turned red with fury as he could only sputter threats like, “Just you wait.”
Wen Qingqing, who had already been recognized, finally came to her senses. Qu Tantan had clearly been the one lying, so why did she have to be the one feeling awkward?
More importantly, she simply couldn’t stand the scene unfolding before her. Face dark, she marched forward, her beautiful eyes glaring at the young man as she scolded sharply, “Song Zhiming, are you here just to embarrass yourself? You’ve disturbed people and you’re still acting so arrogant. Serves you right to be taught a lesson, now hurry up and apologize!”
Seeing that someone reasonable had finally stepped in, Meng Jiajia’s Dad gave her a faint glance and let go of the young man. That glance seemed ordinary, but somehow it carried a weight that made it hard to meet directly. Wen Qingqing instinctively shrank back and felt oddly confused, why was she afraid of him?
She shook her head and looked toward Song Zhiming again. Seeing him still glaring in defiance, her eyebrows shot up. “Song Zhiming, if you keep causing trouble, don’t ever come looking for me again! We don’t need a useless friend who only knows how to curse and drag others down!”
Song Zhiming had liked Wen Qingqing for a long time. His whole outburst had been an attempt to impress her. But now, not only had that backfired, she was threatening to cut him off—how could he accept that?
Panicked by her words, he hurried to obey, reluctantly muttering an apology to the others. Ignoring the girls’ dramatic eye rolls, he then scurried over to Wen Qingqing and gave her a fawning smile. “Qingqing, don’t be mad. See? I apologized. Don’t take it personally, I was just worked up, I swear—”
Even though she now knew Qu Tantan wasn’t Luo Xiangwen’s child, she had seen how gently he held her and could tell the girl meant a lot to him. Wen Qingqing was in emotional turmoil, but still instinctively didn’t want the little girl to see anyone getting too close to her.
So she immediately pushed him away in disgust, her tone petulant. “Why are you getting so close? I don’t care what you say, this has nothing to do with me.”
Song Zhiming kept nodding, trying to please her. “Right, right, nothing to do with you. I just wanted to explain.”
Wen Qingqing couldn’t help but roll her eyes again, and when she turned her head, she found herself meeting Qu Tantan’s gaze. She froze, then instinctively took a step back, turned her face away, and muttered, “Hurry up and leave already, so annoying. Nothing’s gone right today. I never should’ve agreed to come!”
With that, she stormed off. The remaining friends looked around awkwardly, clearly wishing they didn’t know Song Zhiming. They gave the families a few embarrassed, polite apologies, then hurried after Wen Qingqing.
What a disgrace. None of them had ever experienced something like this!
“What bad luck, having to deal with people like that.”
Seeing them slink away, Meng Jiajia’s Mom spat on the ground and crossed her arms angrily. “Totally ruined the mood. Did something wrong and still needed a little girl to force him to apologize, no remorse at all. Looks like a decent person on the outside, but really just trash.”
Her words were fast and sharp, every syllable crisp. Lin Wan couldn’t help but space out a little while listening. She glanced at her son, who was now huddled next to Qu Tantan, and sure enough—Lin Zhenmo was staring at Meng Jiajia’s Mom with a look of agreement.
Lin Wan suddenly felt a jolt of insight, recalling all those arguments where her son had said things like:
—“Why can’t you just say no directly?”
—“If you don’t want to, then don’t. Why do you always suppress yourself?”
—“You’re always avoiding everything. Can’t you be strong for me just once?”
What if she could be like those other Moms, say what she meant, face things bravely, stop avoiding conflict and stop making herself and her son suffer… Would that help Xiao Mo recognize her as his mother again?
Lin Wan suddenly felt a longing toward the other two mothers. Her eyes sparkled, as if she had just learned something important.
Lin Zhenmo felt her gaze from behind and turned around, only to meet her eyes directly. He paused. There was something different in them.
…What was it?
Maybe just a little… more of something.
The very next morning, Lou Xiangwen was, as usual, comfortably staying in the shop. Due to the recent snowfall, there hadn’t been many customers lately, and the place had grown quiet.
Today would probably be another slow day.
He had just taken out a book, ready to enjoy some leisurely time, when the sound of the door opening suddenly rang out. He instinctively put on a polite smile. “Welcome, may I help you with—”
But the moment his eyes landed on that familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar face, the words stuck in his throat. He almost rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.
—Oh no, why is she here again?!
However, his look of disbelief clearly enraged the woman. The fury blazing in her beautiful eyes was all too obvious, and a wave of panic swept over him.
Sure enough, the very next moment, she stood with her hands on her hips, her elegant brows raised in anger, scolding furiously:
“Lou Xiangwen, how dare you lie to me—!!”