Lu Xi and Xie Yizhao didn’t come home all night.
That night, Xie Heng couldn’t sleep either.
After being driven home, he felt restless. Even at dinner, he had no appetite and ate two bowls less than usual. The butler looked at him with concern.
After that, he sat in the living room playing video games.
Whenever he heard a noise from the driveway outside, he would immediately look up to check.
But none of the cars were his family’s.
By ten o’clock, they still hadn’t returned.
Song Siyang noticed that Xie Heng was particularly aggressive in the game that night and asked over voice chat, “Brother Heng, what’s wrong? Did your Dad scold you again?”
Xie Heng : “You’re the one who got scolded by your Dad. My Dad went on a date with Ms. Lu, and I haven’t heard anything from them. I’m just worried about them.”
“……” Song Siyang was speechless.
He didn’t get it. Xie Heng’s Dad was a grown man going on a date with his wife, not heading into battle. Why was Xie Heng worrying so much?
After a long pause, Xu Jiaming finally said, “No news is good news. Just focus on the game.”
Xie Heng sighed.
Well, that made some sense.
But he was still uneasy.
Ms. Lu was the type of person who would post on social media just to praise the coffee he made for her. Now that she was proposed to, how could she not be showing off a big diamond ring? It made no sense!
He couldn’t help but wonder, did his Dad mess up?
Still, Xie Heng had learned his lesson this time. No matter how anxious he was, he wouldn’t text or call them. If his Dad was in the middle of proposing and he interrupted, then when his Dad got home, the only thing getting interrupted would be his legs.
Xie Heng stayed up all night.
And he realized that his Dad and Ms. Lu hadn’t come home either.
According to Xu Jiaming’s theory, since there was still no news by morning, it must be good news, right?
The next day, Xie Heng went to school early.
It wasn’t until he got home from evening self-study that he finally saw Lu Xi and Xie Yizhao.
Before he could even ask, his eyes immediately landed on the dazzling pink diamond ring on Lu Xi’s hand.
Xie Heng’s face instantly lit up with a grin.
For some reason, even though it was his Dad’s proposal that had succeeded, he felt ridiculously happy.
At the same time, he let out a breath of relief.
Great. He wouldn’t have to be a kid from a single-parent family.
If his Dad had managed to convince Ms. Lu to accept his proposal, then at least for now, he wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.
After all, his high school coursework was already keeping him busy.
Nowadays, except for Sundays, Xie Heng was out from morning till night. Occasionally, he still overslept and was late, but he never skipped class anymore.
Sometimes, he thought about slacking off.
But then he’d remember. If he skipped one day, he’d have to spend way more time making up for it. That just wasn’t worth it.
Xu Jiaming was still tutoring him.
Xie Heng felt like he had improved a lot.
Compared to last semester, the time it took for Xu Jiaming to explain things to him had nearly halved.
Sometimes, when Song Siyang tried to invite them to play basketball or game together, they were too busy. Left with no other choice, he ended up joining their study sessions instead.
As the saying goes, ‘if you can’t beat them, join them.’
But Xie Heng thought it made sense. Sometimes, he even got a sense of superiority watching Song Siyang struggle.
Song Siyang was frustrated but couldn’t do anything about it.
Sure, Xu Jiaming was undeniably a top student.
But suddenly, he realized that Xie Heng was actually pretty smart too. Not in the straight-A student way, but when Xu Jiaming explained things to Xie Heng, Xie Heng understood right away, and could even explain it back.
In class, when teachers called on Xie Heng, six or seven times out of ten, he got the answer right.
This semester, both at his school and other schools, fewer people dared to challenge Xie Heng to a fight.
A rumor had started circulating. Apparently, if you picked a fight with the school tyrant, not only would he beat you up, but he’d also report you to the teachers, parents, and even the police!
Although his reputation as a school tyrant was fading, strangely, even more girls seemed to like him.
More and more girls were openly giving him love letters, small gifts, and trying to strike up conversations.
Even the teachers noticed that his temper had improved a lot.
One morning, a few young teachers were standing at the school gate with the student patrols, catching late students.
At that moment, Xie Heng strolled into view.
He wore a hoodie with the hood up, hands in his pockets, walking quickly with his head slightly lowered. The shadow from his hood covered most of his face.
A teacher immediately called out, “Hey, you! Which class are you from? Do you know you’re late? Come sign your name!”
Xie Heng looked up, tilting his chin slightly and flipping his hood back, revealing his defiant expression.
The teacher froze.
Uh…
Wasn’t this the school’s little troublemaker? Didn’t he usually climb the fence when he was late? Since when did he start walking through the front gate properly?
Xie Heng walked over. Though his expression was a bit impatient, he still cooperated and signed his name.
After signing, he put the pen down. “Teacher, can I go now?”
“…Yes.”
Watching him walk away, the teacher felt both relieved and confused.
Had their school tyrant been possessed?
Xie Heng never liked the title of ‘school tyrant.’ He didn’t start it, and he never thought it was a compliment. Whoever wanted it could have it.
Right now, he was more concerned about the upcoming midterm exams.
Because after the exams came the annual parent-teacher conference.
At the conference, report cards would be handed out.
A real public execution.
Of course, that was only if he failed. But this time, Xie Heng was confident.
He might not be an all-round top student like Xu Jiaming, but at least he wouldn’t be at the bottom of the rankings, embarrassing his family.
So, the day after the exams, the teacher announced that the parent-teacher conference would be held the next evening.
Xie Heng had been expecting this.
That evening, since there were no night classes, he went home for dinner. As he sat at the table with Xie Yizhao and Lu Xi, he casually brought up the topic.
Pulling out a chair, he sat down and asked, “You two got the message, right? So, who’s going?”
He had long known about the parent group chat.
But only one parent could attend the conference and sit in the student’s seat. It was either going to be his Dad or his Mom.
Though, deep down, he already had a preference.
As he spoke, he sneaked glances at Lu Xi.
Xie Yizhao, of course, saw right through him. Smiling faintly, he asked, “Who do you want to go?”
Lu Xi also looked at him. “Yeah, tell us—who do you want to go?”
When faced with the classic ‘Who would you save first if your Mom and wife fell into the water?’ death-trap question, she had been put on the spot before. But now, she wasn’t going to let this unfilial son off the hook.
However, Xie Heng had grown smarter. He decisively tossed the question back. “I’m fine with either. I’ll listen to you two. You decide.”
With that, he started eating, acting as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
Lu Xi shook her head with a smile, exchanged a glance with Xie Yizhao, and said, still smiling, “Alright then, I’ll go. You better not embarrass me.”
Hearing this, Xie Heng, who had been shoveling food into his mouth, lifted his head. His eyes lit up, and he grinned like a cheerful golden retriever. “Really? That’s great!”
Xie Yizhao shot him a look and cleared his throat.
Xie Heng immediately caught on and followed suit with a cough. Then he furrowed his brows and feigned regret. “Sigh, Dad can’t come again this year. I’m so disappointed.”
Lu Xi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Was her son really this bad at acting?
She could tell, whether or not he became a police officer in the future, one thing was certain: he was absolutely not cut out for acting. His skills were abysmal.
She gave Xie Yizhao a reassuring glance and added, “Your Dad actually planned to go, but unfortunately, he had already booked a business trip last week. But next year, it’ll be his turn.”
Xie Yizhao nodded. “That’s right. Next year, whether it’s glorious or embarrassing, it’ll be on me.”
Xie Heng scoffed, lifting his chin proudly. “It won’t be embarrassing. Whoever doesn’t come is the one missing out.”
He was convinced. His Dad was only throwing cold water on him because his Dad was jealous that he wanted Lu Xi to go more.
Yes.
Dad was jealous.
Xie Heng was quite pleased with himself.
Still, there were some things he had to clarify, just in case his Dad got too upset.
Xie Heng looked at Xie Yizhao seriously. “It’s not that I don’t want you to go, but Mom has never been to one before. This opportunity should go to her.”
Looking at his son’s clear and earnest eyes, Xie Yizhao couldn’t help but smile.
He nodded. “I understand. Take good care of your Mom tomorrow. I’ll try to come back early and take you two out for dinner.”
That night, Xie Yizhao packed a simple bag and left for his business trip. This time, it was within the country, so he wouldn’t be gone for too long.
Lu Xi had work at the studio the next day, so she went to bed early.
But Xie Heng had trouble sleeping.
The exam results weren’t out yet.
He had estimated his score and knew he had improved. Even Xu Jiaming said there shouldn’t be any major issues.
But this was the first time Ms. Lu was attending his parent-teacher conference!
He had already talked big, acting as if he’d make her proud. But what if he flopped, like in that disastrous ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ incident? He’d never have the face to invite her to any school events again.
That night, Xie Heng tossed and turned, anxious. He didn’t fall asleep until two in the morning.
As a result, he was gloriously late the next day.
During lunch break, the three boys went outside the school to eat. When Xu Jiaming heard that Xie Heng had been so nervous about Lu Xi attending the meeting that he lost sleep, Xu Jiaming couldn’t help but smile.
He found it amusing.
He had helped grade the exams this time. For major tests, teachers often had top students assist with grading and entering scores into the system. They had promised not to leak scores in advance.
But in the end, Xu Jiaming still chose friendship over the teacher’s trust.
He told Xie Heng, “Relax. You won’t embarrass CEO Lu.”
Xie Heng’s eyes lit up. He instantly got the hint and eagerly asked, “So what’s my score? How many places did I move up?”
Xu Jiaming wasn’t about to answer that.
Song Siyang couldn’t resist asking, “What about me? Can I ask for a bigger allowance next month?”
Xu Jiaming glanced at him and hesitated before saying, “You… better pray for yourself.”
“…” Song Siyang’s face darkened.
The parent-teacher conference started at 5 p.m.
By the start of the last class, students were already restless.
Outside the windows, quite a few parents had already gathered, watching through the glass to see if their kids were paying attention.
Xie Heng sat in the back, sneaking glances at the window now and then.
Afraid that Lu Xi would suddenly appear, he even sat up straighter than usual.
However, unlike other parents, Lu Xi didn’t arrive so early.
Yang Yihan was also attending today. The two had planned to come together, so Lu Xi picked Yang Yihan up from the airport first and then rode in her car to the school.
On the way, their conversation—besides gossip and fashion—inevitably turned into a session of mutual praise about their kids.
Lu Xi : “Your Xiao Xu must be first again this time. He’s so outstanding.”
Yang Yihan laughed. “Not at all. Your Xiao Xie has made so much progress. I heard he barely fights anymore. He’s gotten so well-behaved.”
She wasn’t sure if Xie Heng’s grades had improved, but he had definitely become much more obedient.
By the time Lu Xi and Yang Yihan arrived at Class A’s door, the bell had just rung for dismissal.
Xie Heng had already spotted her. He was one of the first to rush out of the classroom and quickly led Lu Xi to his seat.
He even reassured her, “Don’t worry, my seat is very clean. Feel free to sit, make yourself comfortable.”
Lu Xi smiled and nodded.
He was a bit of a neat freak. His room was tidier than most boys’. His desk and even the inside of it were neatly arranged.
Such a well-behaved son, no trouble for his Mom at all.
Lu Xi asked, “Do you have any water? I’m thirsty.”
The school provided bottled water for parents, but Xie Heng figured she wouldn’t like it.
He checked the time. There were still plenty to spare, so he said, “Wait here, I’ll go buy you a coconut water.”
With that, he dashed off.
The moment he stepped out of the classroom, he bumped into a few teammates from the school basketball team. One of them slung an arm around his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go play ball!”
“No, I have to buy coconut water for Ms. Lu,” Xie Heng replied.
His classmates laughed and glanced into the classroom. Sure enough, they saw Lu Xi sitting in Xie Heng’s seat, smiling in their direction.
They were familiar with her by now, but they weren’t used to seeing Xie Heng act like such a good little boy.
One of them grinned and teased, “Seriously, Xie Heng? Why are you so obedient in front of your stepmom? Afraid she’ll tattle on you to your Dad?”
Xie Heng’s expression darkened instantly. He kicked the guy and cursed with a laugh, “Get lost! She’s my real mom!”
A group of tall boys crowded around the classroom door, drawing the attention of other parents inside.
Lu Xi worried that Xie Heng might start a fight. She grabbed her phone, walked over, and patted him on the shoulder. “Xie Heng, why are you kicking people?”
Xie Heng stiffened.
His previous bravado vanished instantly. His puppy eyes turned innocent, and he pointed at the guy he had kicked. “I didn’t! They bullied me first!”