At that moment, Xu Jiaming suddenly cleared his throat and said, “By the way, I’m not going abroad anymore.”
Xie Heng’s eyes lit up, and Lu Xi looked at him happily. “That’s great! You’ll still be able to study with our Xiao Heng.”
Xu Jiaming smiled faintly and nodded.
With everything settled, Xie Heng felt at ease.
The two families nodded in farewell, said their goodbyes, and then walked off in opposite directions.
Yang Yihan couldn’t help but look back, and Xu Jiaming also followed her gaze.
They walked leisurely along the road, while Lu Xi held onto Xie Yizhao’s arm. Framed by the height of the two men, she looked especially delicate and petite.
When they reached a tree, Xie Heng raised his hand to touch a branch.
A few leaves fluttered down, one landing on Lu Xi’s shoulder. Xie Yizhao reached out and gently picked it off for her.
The way he looked at Lu Xi carried an indescribable tenderness.
Lu Xi smiled at him and held out her hand. Understanding her intent, the man placed the leaf in her palm.
Lu Xi huffed lightly and, without hesitation, stuffed the leaf into Xie Heng’s hoodie. “That’s what you get for being so restless.”
Xie Heng was speechless. He reached up to pull at his hood, but a relaxed smile spread across his face.
The family of three gradually walked away.
Yang Yihan suddenly felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She couldn’t help but feel envious of Lu Xi.
She was also a little jealous of Xie Heng, for having such a strong and reliable father.
She withdrew her gaze and turned to Xu Jiaming, giving him a gentle smile. “I’ve thought it through. This time, I’ll listen to you. If you want to stay, then you’ll continue studying at Mingli. I’ll take care of everything else.”
For Xu Jiaming, and for herself, she wouldn’t soften toward her ex-husband this time.
Since that man had been heartless, there was no need for her to consider his feelings anymore.
Xu Jiaming’s expression shifted slightly. He pressed his lips together and nodded at her. “Thank you, Mom.”
A sense of relief settled over him.
Perhaps his relationship with his Mom would never be like Xie Heng’s with CEO Lu, but this was good enough. He would always consider Yang Yihan his real mother.
However, he had long suspected that Lu Xi might not be just Xie Heng’s stepmother. She might actually be…
It was only a hunch, but he didn’t want to verify it. It didn’t matter anyway.
Everyone had their secrets, and Lu Xi’s secrets weren’t his to uncover. They belonged to their family.
Still, the first time they met, he had really thought she was Xie Heng’s older sister.
The Xie family strolled for a while before passing by a badminton court. Lu Xi suggested they go in for some exercise.
Standing at the entrance, Xie Heng watched as his Dad and Ms. Lu exchanged glances full of affection all the way.
He suddenly felt like a third wheel.
And he couldn’t help but reflect: Was he being a lightbulb again?
It seemed like he was always unknowingly making mistakes.
Like earlier at dinner—when Ms. Lu had asked his Dad to accompany her on a walk, why had he been so clueless and volunteered to join them?
Was playing video games not fun enough? Was basketball not exciting enough?
At the very least, he could’ve just laid down and daydreamed!
He didn’t even know why, but while he used to simply enjoy following Lu Xi around, now he found himself enjoying his Dad’s company too.
Even if he was constantly subjected to their public displays of affection, he still felt happy just trailing behind them in silence.
“…Forget it. I’ll sit this one out. You two go ahead and play,” Xie Heng finally had a moment of self-awareness and decided to give his Dad and Ms. Lu some quality time together.
Lu Xi squinted at him. “Oh? Is our little basketball prince bad at badminton?”
“…” Xie Heng actually wasn’t good at it. But could he admit that? Could he show weakness in front of his Mom?
He let out a confident chuckle, shoved his hands into his pockets, and arrogantly tilted his chin up before striding into the court.
Since there were only three of them, they took turns playing.
This was just a casual family game—not a real competition—so they didn’t keep score or follow strict rules. As long as the shuttlecock went over the net, it was fine.
Xie Heng thought it was easy, just a simple game of hitting the shuttlecock back and forth.
For Lu Xi, badminton was the only sport she could handle.
She played often with the other ladies in the villa community. Compared to them, she was actually one of the better players.
Some even jokingly asked if she had played professionally, which secretly delighted her, even though she was just an amateur.
At first, Xie Heng sat on the sidelines watching.
But after observing his Dad and Ms. Lu rally back and forth for dozens of rounds, he fell silent.
He might not have played badminton before, but he understood what was happening.
He remembered that his Dad had won an amateur badminton championship once. Meanwhile, Ms. Lu was… very much an amateur.
And yet, she was dominating.
Xie Heng knew firsthand how strong his Dad was. But for some reason, when playing against Ms. Lu, his Dad’s shots were weak, and he kept missing the shuttlecock.
Then, suddenly, the realization hit him.
His Dad wasn’t playing badminton.
He was playing the game of relationships.
It was a more advanced way of showing affection.
Xie Heng : Utterly disgusted.
Once Xie Yizhao stepped aside, making way for him, Xie Heng couldn’t help but call him out in the spirit of sportsmanship.
“Dad, you’re throwing the game harder than the entire badminton court. Do you take Ms. Lu for a fool?”
Xie Yizhao’s brow twitched. He shot a glance at his tactless son and raised a hand, ready to smack him.
But before he could, Lu Xi interrupted, clearly displeased. “What’s wrong with that? I like that your Dad lets me win. What do you know? You’ve been single since birth.”
She even waved her racket at him in annoyance, looking quite fierce.
Xie Yizhao’s lips curled up slightly, his mood suddenly lifted.
Xie Heng : “…”
So, his Dad was enjoying throwing the game, Ms. Lu was pleased with being humored, and the fool in this scenario turned out to be him?
Well, he only sulked for a few seconds.
He quickly figured it out.
If he had to be the fool, so be it. Eating dog food wasn’t a big deal. Their family was doing great, and he hoped it would never change.
He used to have friends who envied him, and back then, he would scoff.
He knew that people envied him only because he had a wealthy father and a privileged life.
But yesterday, when Xu Jiaming said he envied him, Xie Heng suddenly felt a bit smug.
Now, with Ms. Lu and Mr. Xie around, compared to so many of his classmates from unhappy families, he really was lucky.
By the time the three of them returned home, it was almost nine o’clock.
After all that exercise, Lu Xi felt drained and asked for a late-night snack, planning to eat with Xie Heng.
But this time, Xie Heng did something unusual. This big eater actually turned down the food and instead followed Xie Yizhao upstairs.
Xie Yizhao glanced at him but said nothing.
He was used to his son’s occasional weird behavior, assuming the boy wanted a favor again.
So he remained calm, waiting for his son to speak first.
Father and son walked in silence, one ahead of the other. It wasn’t until they reached the second floor that Xie Heng finally spoke.
“Dad.”
Xie Yizhao looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
Xie Heng pursed his lips, his expression unusually serious. “Not really. I just wanted to remind you of something.”
“Go on.”
Xie Yizhao’s gaze darkened slightly. His hands rested at his sides, ready to smack his son at any moment.
By now, he understood his kid too well. Whenever Xie Heng opened his mouth, it was rarely anything pleasant. Most likely, it would just make him mad.
Xie Heng was aware of this too.
Knowing that what he was about to say wasn’t going to sit well, he deliberately took a step back, keeping a safe distance from his Dad.
“You might not like hearing this, but bear with me,” he said, a bit nervous but determined. “You better treat Ms. Lu well and make sure you stay together forever. Otherwise… I’ll definitely side with her.”
He had no interest in becoming the child of a divorced household.
Xie Yizhao was momentarily stunned.
Seeing his Dad’s brows knit into a serious frown, Xie Heng’s internal alarm went off, and he immediately turned to escape.
But Xie Yizhao grabbed him by the hood of his sweatshirt.
Xie Heng : “…”
Why was everyone messing with his hood today?
Seeing his son’s guilty expression, Xie Yizhao was slightly annoyed but couldn’t help chuckling.
He didn’t hit his son, just curled his fingers and knocked his son lightly on the head twice. “Come with me.”
He led the way to his study.
Xie Heng was confused but followed, relieved that his Dad didn’t seem to be reaching for a belt.
Inside the study, there was a safe.
Xie Yizhao unlocked it and took out a small jewelry box, handing it to Xie Heng. “Open it.”
Xie Heng was baffled.
Still, he did as he was told. Inside was a ring—a pink diamond, sparkling brilliantly.
Even though Xie Heng didn’t know much about diamonds, he could tell this ring was outrageously expensive, probably over ten carats. Even as a straight guy, he thought it was gorgeous.
“It’s beautiful,” he said. “What about it?”
Xie Yizhao leaned against the desk, arms crossed, and said calmly, “I’m planning to propose to your Mom soon. You know her well, do you think she’ll like this ring?”
Xie Heng’s expression turned strange. “Propose?”
Xie Yizhao nodded.
Xie Heng snapped the box shut with a *clack*, looking startled and a little dazed. “Don’t tell me… you and Ms. Lu were never actually married, and you’re only now planning to take responsibility for her?!”
Even Xie Yizhao, composed as he was, was momentarily floored by his son’s wild imagination.
His expression darkened. “Don’t talk nonsense. Of course not. I just… owe her a proposal.”
Xie Heng frowned deeply and rubbed his face, feeling indignant on Lu Xi’s behalf.
Seriously, his Dad was too much. He never even proposed to her properly back then?
Even he knew how important a proposal was, yet Ms. Lu had put up with it all this time?
Xie Heng suddenly changed his stance. He hesitated, then finally blurted out, “This ring won’t do. It’s too small. You need to buy her a bigger one.”