No matter what the other students thought, Lu Xi found the situation somewhat indescribable.
After all, she had just witnessed her own kid kick someone…
Calling him a victim seemed a bit far-fetched, didn’t it?
However, it was obvious they were just messing around as friends. Even the ones who got kicked were all laughing, so she didn’t take it too seriously.
Still, standing at the classroom door like this made them easy targets for onlookers. Lu Xi cleared her throat and asked, “Weren’t you going to buy me some water?”
Xie Heng replied, “Oh, right! It’s their fault for delaying me.”
Everyone: ?
—Boss Xie, you’re really something else. If you want to act spoiled in front of your Mom, at least don’t shift the blame onto us! Sure, we can’t beat you in a fight, but we can still go home and complain to our own Moms!
After Lu Xi returned to the classroom, Xie Heng greeted the others before heading downstairs.
Some students were confused and whispered, “He said she’s his real Mom? What does that mean? Isn’t she his stepmother?”
No one understood.
But what was clear to everyone was how much Xie Heng respected and adored her. Even if she wasn’t his real mother, she was as good as one.
Not just anyone could get the school tyrant to eagerly fetch them a drink.
Lu Xi was unaware that she had once again become the subject of speculation among some students and parents. Even if she knew, she wouldn’t care.
Some people already knew her true identity, but most still assumed she was Xie Yizhao’s new wife. She didn’t mind and saw no need to explain.
Life was meant to be lived for oneself.
And those who were curious wouldn’t be so bored as to gossip openly.
Many parents of Class A students were on good terms with Lu Xi now. Some mothers were even clients of her studio. When they entered the room and saw her, they greeted her warmly.
Two of them sat in the rows in front and behind her. Among them was Song Siyang’s mother, who instinctively glanced at Lu Xi’s hands.
Rumor had it that Xie Yizhao had gifted his wife a top-tier pink diamond ring and a private hot spring estate—news that had spread throughout their social circles.
The estate reportedly included not just a private hot spring but also a stunning hedge maze, a garden, and an in-house restaurant.
“Oh my, Mrs. Xie, why aren’t you wearing the pink diamond today? I was hoping to get a glimpse of it,” the parent sitting in front of Lu Xi turned around and stared at her hands intently.
She might not have meant anything by it, but words could be misinterpreted. Soon, several curious gazes turned toward Lu Xi.
Lu Xi frowned slightly.
Mrs. Song quickly changed the subject. Noticing the radiant pearl resting just below Lu Xi’s collarbone, she exclaimed in admiration, “That necklace is gorgeous! CEO Lu, you wear pearls with such elegance.”
Her son, Song Siyang, always referred to Lu Xi as ‘CEO Lu,’ so she had picked up the habit too.
Lu Xi smiled gently and carefully brushed her fingertip over the pearl. “Thank you. It was a gift from Xiao Heng last year.”
She found the previous woman a bit foolish.
She was here for a parent-teacher meeting, not a wealth showcase. Why would she wear such an extravagant diamond ring? No matter how beautiful something was, there was a time and place for it.
For daily wear, her most frequently seen accessory was still the pearl necklace from Xie Heng. It was simple yet refined, elegant yet eye-catching. The pink diamond, on the other hand, was more suited for banquets, or for her own private enjoyment.
Mrs. Song took note of this and found herself liking Lu Xi even more, even admiring her a bit.
Such emotional intelligence! Though she was a whole generation younger than them, she carried herself with grace and composure. No wonder she had managed to win over both the Old and Little Xie.
Xie Yizhao’s affection was a given—he wouldn’t have married her otherwise. But now, even Xie Heng clearly saw her as his real mother. In front of her, he was nothing short of a well-behaved boy.
Just as she was thinking this, Xie Heng returned, placing a bottle of coconut water in front of Lu Xi. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Lu Xi nodded. “Go on, but don’t wander off. Your Dad is picking us up for dinner later.”
Xie Heng nodded and was about to leave.
Just then, the class monitor entered with the homeroom teacher, holding a stack of papers that immediately drew all the parents’ attention.
No one cared about Lu Xi or any pink diamonds anymore. Now, they were solely focused on their children’s exam results.
Xie Heng swallowed nervously and looked over eagerly.
Thanks to Xu Jiaming’s earlier hints, he wasn’t too worried. But he was still excited.
How much glory would he bring to Lu Xi today?
Soon, the homeroom teacher clapped her hands and asked all the remaining students to leave. The parent-teacher meeting was about to begin.
The class monitor and two subject representatives began distributing report cards.
Outside the classroom, Xie Heng stood with Xu Jiaming and Song Siyang.
Their expressions were vastly different.
Xu Jiaming remained as composed as ever. He had already estimated his score after the exams, and now that he knew his ranking, there was no suspense for him.
The only unusual thing was that Yang Yihan had specifically cleared his schedule to attend today’s meeting. For him, an otherwise ordinary day had taken on a bit more significance.
Xie Heng wasn’t worried either. He kept his eyes on Lu Xi, hoping the report cards would be handed out faster.
Only Song Siyang looked like he had an upset stomach.
He didn’t want to see, but he still caught a glimpse of his mother’s reaction upon receiving his report card.
Her expression was… incredibly grim.
His heart sank. His face screamed: I’m doomed. I’m getting a beating when I get home.
He had always been am underachiever. His parents scolded him, sure, but they were busy people. Over time, they got used to it and stopped paying much attention.
But this time was different.
Not only had he embarrassed his Mom at the parent-teacher meeting, but even his former fellow underachiever, Xie Heng, had now left him in the dust.
Soon, his Mom turned her head toward him, her eyes locked onto him with a terrifying gaze.
Terrified, he shrank back, trying to escape her line of sight.
“I give up,” he whimpered. “Brother Xu, Brother Heng, can I call you my big bros? Please take me under your wing. I never want to be a failure again.”
He was on the verge of shedding tears of regret.
In a different mood from Mrs. Song, Lu Xi flipped open the report card, scanning through each subject’s score before finally landing on the total score and overall ranking. At the bottom, there was a handwritten note from the teacher:
[Xie Heng has improved by 20 places since last semester’s final exam. Keep up the good work in the second half of the term!]
Lu Xi’s eyes lit up, and a smile curved on her lips. She happily turned to look out the window in search of her dear boy.
Sure enough, she spotted him standing just outside the window near her row. Their eyes met.
The boy pursed his lips slightly, raised his eyebrows smugly, and flashed a bright, toothy grin.
Lu Xi beamed at him and gave a big thumbs-up, mouthing the words, “You did amazing, my little guy.”
Xie Heng’s face turned a faint shade of red.
He knew Lu Xi too well. Even if he couldn’t hear her, he could tell she was praising him.
He turned his head away, rubbing his ear in embarrassment, only to meet Song Siyang’s expression, which was half envious and half disdainful.
“What did CEO Lu say? You’re smiling so much, you look just like my neighbor’s Samoyed.”
Xie Heng’s forehead twitched as if a vein was about to pop. He raised his hand, tempted to smack Song Siyang.
But in the end, he forced himself to hold back.
“Go away. I’m not in the mood to fight today.” Xie Heng refocused on the classroom.
Song Siyang should be grateful that Ms. Lu was here today. Xie Heng didn’t want to embarrass her, so he couldn’t be bothered to argue.
This was Lu Xi’s first time attending a parent-teacher meeting. She had a feeling like she had finally ‘made it’ after years of waiting.
Back in her school days, her grades had fluctuated—sometimes good, sometimes bad—but she had managed to get into a good university. Parent-teacher meetings had never been something she feared.
Usually, her Uncle or Aunt would attend. If neither of them could make it, they’d just request leave.
If she did poorly, she’d receive a few words of comfort. If she did well, she’d get some lukewarm praise.
Lu Xi hadn’t cared much back then. She was too young to understand, she had even felt relieved that no one was pressuring her.
But thinking back now, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she had needed more than that.
At the very least, Xie Heng needed more than that.
Before coming to the meeting, Lu Xi had already made up her mind. If Xie Heng’s grades had dropped, she would calmly but seriously criticize him and urge him to study harder. But if he did well, there would definitely be a reward.
She wouldn’t treat him with indifference.
She knew he had been behaving himself lately and working hard. He was her and Xie Yizhao’s child—there was no way he wasn’t smart. She believed in his potential.
But even so, seeing his results still filled her with delight.
Now, she had to think carefully, what gift should she prepare for Xie Heng?
The meeting lasted an hour. The homeroom teacher first gave a brief overview of the exam results.
Then, each subject teacher took turns speaking.
Next came a special segment: the teacher invited Xu Jiaming to the front of the class.
“This is Xu Jiaming, our top student. He has ranked first in every exam since entering school. Let’s have him share his study techniques.”
Song Siyang snorted. “What is this? How embarrassing!”
Xie Heng shot him a look of disdain.
He saw his past self in Song Siyang, thinking that studying seriously was something to be ashamed of.
But now…
Now, he mostly felt admiration.
If he could stand up there and give a speech, he might feel awkward, but his Dad and Ms. Lu would definitely be proud.
The homeroom teacher had already discussed this with Xu Jiaming in advance, so he was well-prepared. He had always been good at public speaking, so his delivery was smooth and confident.
Lu Xi clicked her tongue in her mind, feeling a bit impressed. She glanced at Yang Yihan, who was watching her son with obvious pride. The other parents were looking at her with envy.
At that moment, no one cared that she was a big star. They only saw her as the mother of a top student and admired her for it.
Lu Xi felt the same.
An idea struck her, and she pulled out her phone to record Xu Jiaming’s speech. She planned to listen to it later and send it to Xie Heng.
After all, this was valuable advice from a top student!
Xie Heng saw her take out her phone, tap a few times, then set it aside, resting her chin on her hand as she listened intently to Xu Jiaming, completely focused.
He suddenly felt puzzled.
Why was Ms. Lu watching so seriously? It wasn’t like this was her first time seeing Xu Jiaming.
At that moment, Song Siyang muttered, “Brother Heng, since you improved this time, CEO Lu will probably post about it on her Moments again. Better get ready.”
Hearing this, Xie Heng’s eyes lit up.
Right!
Miss Lu loved posting on social media. She had even shared videos of him singing before. How could she not brag about this?
He quickly pulled out his phone and scrolled through her updates, flipping back through the past three hours.
Nothing.
That didn’t seem right.
He had no choice but to go directly to Lu Xi’s profile page.
Her latest post was from yesterday—a selfie.
She hadn’t posted anything today.
Xie Heng put down his phone, his expression turning complicated.