This chapter is brought to you by Peach, thanks for the ko-fi! ♡ ～(‘▽^人)
Chapter 18 – Does she think he is very old? (Part 2)
Lu Xi left early, missing this exciting scene.
She didn’t expect Xie Yizhao to personally come to pick them up at school.
After the party started, she set her phone to silent mode and missed Xie Yizhao’s call. It was only when she stepped out that she saw his car, and the man was actually waiting outside it.
Xie Heng was also taken aback.
His Dad actually came?
Thinking about it, it must be to pick Ms. Lu up; otherwise, his Dad wouldn’t have bothered coming to his school.
The night was soft, and along the road at the entrance of the grand auditorium, trees were decorated with holiday lights. The tall man stood by the car, wearing a black long coat. His posture was straight, his face was rugged and handsome, and his presence carried a deep, steady charm that was especially captivating.
Lu Xi had woken up next to that face this morning, and now she was once again stunned by it.
Compared to the naive teenage type, mature men seem to have more appeal to her…
Her gaze was intense as she stepped forward. “Why are you here?”
Xie Yizhao : “I left the dinner early, passed by the school, and came to pick you up.”
Lu Xi nodded. She knew that Xie Yizhao didn’t like attending dinner parties or drinking events. Sometimes, socializing was unavoidable, but he rarely drank, and when he did, he never got drunk. He would leave early whenever he could.
Now, with his status and position, he was even more casual; if he wanted to leave, no one would dare stop him.
Once in the car, Lu Xi and Xie Yizhao sat in the back. She didn’t detect any alcohol on him, only a faint but pleasant cigar smell and the refreshing scent of aftershave and pine.
She had never seen this man drunk. His self-control was almost superhuman, always alert and composed.
Sometimes, she was quite curious—what would Xie Yizhao be like if he were drunk?
Xie Heng, however, refused to sit next to his Dad and voluntarily moved to the passenger seat.
Lu Xi had no particular mental baggage. As soon as she got in the car, she took out a small mirror to check her makeup, confirming it was perfect, just like when she left. Then, she pulled out her phone and started browsing posts.
Xie Heng had nothing else to do, so he played on his phone too.
The mother and son sat in the front and back seats, both leaning against the right window, holding their phones in the same lazy pose.
Xie Yizhao watched this silently, pursing his lips.
He suddenly felt a bit out of place.
Shouldn’t he also take out his phone, to create a family atmosphere?
Since Lu Xi became a forum moderator, she occasionally ‘abused’ her admin privileges.
For example, if someone posted something bad about Xie Heng, she would quickly delete it with a tap.
Or, if there were posts with handsome pictures of Xie Heng playing basketball, she would casually like them and save the photos to her album to admire her perfect gene creation at any time.
This time, when she logged in, she saw a post pinned at the top with a colorful ‘HOT’ tag.
[Zhou Wenyuan Made the School Belle Ruanruan So Angry that She Cried!]
Based on her extensive forum experience, ‘Ruanruan’ was a nickname for Ruan Tian.
Curious, Lu Xi clicked in, scanning quickly. The more she read, the more speechless she became. When she reached the photo, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
In front of so many people, falling to the ground, and at an age when one is obsessed with beauty and reputation—if it were her, she would cry too!
Zhou Wenyuan looked completely lost, his face ashen.
Lu Xi raised an eyebrow.
This must be the punishment the system mentioned for failing to get the lucky value, right?
Under the bright stage lights, what should have been the most glorious moment turned into a joke.
This wasn’t a big deal at first. When you’re younger, you often care a lot about your reputation, and you feel like you’ve socially died over a small incident. But in the end, the only one who truly cares is the person involved.
Unfortunately, he had also pissed off Ruan Tian—she’s his goddess, right?
To win Ruan Tian’s favor again would be even harder now.
But Lu Xi is an adult, mature, and already married with children, so she couldn’t act too childish. Otherwise, this post would definitely be pinned.
The two other hot threads were also about people in the spotlight. One of them was about Xie Heng—someone had started a thread gossiping about the woman he brought to watch the evening show with him tonight.
Mingli is, after all, a prestigious school, and the students here have normal reasoning skills. After flipping through a few pages, there weren’t any ridiculous guesses. Most people just assumed that they were siblings.
Lu Xi was quite pleased with the kids and generously left this post.
Also trending tonight was Xu Jiaming—he’s talented in both writing and dancing, can sing as well, and with his looks, it wouldn’t be surprising if he debuted on the spot.
The post included videos of him playing guitar and dancing, and when Lu Xi clicked on them, the sound blared out. The boy’s voice was clear and gentle.
Xie Heng glanced at her from the rearview mirror and pursed his lips.
“Is he really that good-looking? You could watch this endlessly. Old Xie is sitting right next to you, you know!”
Xie Yizhao also looked down at her, his gaze landing on the boy playing guitar in the video.
He looked at her, smiling so widely that her eyes were nearly squinting. Xie Yizhao cleared his throat, “So, how’s tonight going?”
Lu Xi met his eyes and pressed pause.
The way Xie Yizhao asked, he wasn’t interested in the campus evening party; it must be about Zhou Wenyuan.
“Quite a big harvest,” Lu Xi smiled.
Thanks to him, she remembered something important.
It was all because of that greasy boy who had flirted with her, causing her to miss the call from the head of security and forget to call him back.
[Madam, I’ve found some useful information on this end. Are you busy now?]
Lu Xi showed it to Xie Yizhao.
Xie Yizhao calmly said, “Call him.”
Lu Xi was momentarily stunned and glanced at Xie Heng, “Now?”
“Mm,” Xie Yizhao’s expression remained calm, “Since it concerns him, there’s nothing he shouldn’t know.”
Xie Yizhao was not the kind of father who coddled his child. He was older now and couldn’t always be protected by his parents. If he didn’t grow up, things like the bar drugging incident would happen again.
Moreover, when Xie Heng rebelled, he liked to emphasize that he wasn’t a kid, so it was time for him to listen too.
Xie Heng paused for a moment.
?
Was he talking about him?
“What’s related to me?” Xie Heng directly turned to ask Lu Xi.
Lu Xi, however, directly dialed the number and set it on speaker.
Xie Yizhao was right; she hadn’t reacted earlier. She should have involved Xie Heng in this.
The phone was quickly connected.
The head of security had a deep, professional voice that made it clear he was experienced. After a brief greeting, he got straight to the point, “I went to Zhou Wenyuan’s hometown and found out three things…”
Xie Heng furrowed his brow in surprise.
Zhou Wenyuan? Why are they talking about him again?
Confused, he waited for the person on the phone to finish, and the revelations kept coming, each one more shocking than the last. He was stunned.
Zhou Wenyuan’s academic performance was mediocre, from elementary school to the first year of high school, middle to lower-tier level. The transcripts and certificates he had shown Xie Yizhao were all fake?
He had come to Mingli School by passing the entrance exam designed for impoverished students. He bribed the invigilators and deliberately allowed him to cheat?
The most outrageous part was that he had been using Xie family’s charity funds for his living expenses—50,000 yuan a year, given only to underage children with no parents. But his mother hadn’t passed away; she had just become a nun. She had been in contact with him since elementary school, often buying him food, clothes, and giving him money. But he was too embarrassed to acknowledge her, even though he still took the money without hesitation.
Xie Heng: ???
No way.
Although he didn’t like Zhou Wenyuan, seeing how he had appeared as the model student made it hard to believe he could do such despicable things. Even this school bully felt ashamed in comparison.
Lu Xi raised an eyebrow but wasn’t surprised.
Anyone who could use the system to benefit themselves at the cost of others couldn’t be a good person.
“Did you confirm everything?”
The head of security replied, “There’s evidence—testimonies, recordings, and both paper and digital proof. I’ve already sent everything to Mr. Xie’s assistant’s email.”
Lu Xi nodded and looked at Xie Yizhao.
No wonder he’s the capable one under Xie Yizhao’s command—swift, efficient, and meticulous.
Xie Heng scoffed, his tone mocking, “Oh, so he’s really a talent, huh? Cheating, forging transcripts, and he even managed to fool my brilliant and mighty Dad, who actually admired him.”
Lu Xi laughed, teasingly glancing at Xie Heng, then looked at Xie Yizhao with a mischievous smile.
How’s that feeling, being subtly mocked by your own son? On the other hand, Little Xie is impressive—his eloquence has improved so much. He’s no longer the spoiled little brat who only knew how to throw tantrums and rage.
Xie Yizhao : “…”
That was a new experience.
The first time being mocked by his son.
Honestly, he was a bit angry at first.
He was a serious father who didn’t joke with his kids, placing a lot of importance on paternal authority. He instinctively wanted to scold Xie Heng.
But when Lu Xi smiled like that, bright, lively, and playful, like a gentle breeze, it wiped away his frustration.
Suddenly, it didn’t seem like a big deal. If he said something harsh now, she might spoil the mood.
Xie Yizhao gave Xie Heng a warning glance but kept his tone calm. “I didn’t admire him, I only encouraged him.”
Then he turned to the head of security and instructed, “You take care of the aftermath. The person in charge of the charity project failed in their duties—fire them. Have the finance department check his accounts and deal with the teacher who accepted bribes. Also, recover the charity funds from Zhou Wenyuan and expel him from Mingli.”
His thoughts were clear, and he issued commands coolly, his stern face betraying no emotion.
Xie Heng curled his lip.
His dad was ruthless.
Maybe one day, he’d realize he was the trash in this family and be kicked out of the house.
Lu Xi hung up the phone, then shifted her gaze to Xie Heng, “Did you hear? Zhou Wenyuan is just a fraud, not even as good as you. Such a trashy person—no matter what he says, just treat it as if he’s talking nonsense.”
The Young Master smirked, lifting both hands behind his head as if propping it up. “I always thought of him as just farting…”
He paused.
Suddenly, he turned his head and asked Lu Xi with a melancholic look, “Explain this clearly—what do you mean ‘not as good as me’? ‘Not’?!!”
Lu Xi burst into laughter.
Silly goose, so fun to tease… How come he reacts so strongly from just a little provocation?
“I feel like I’m starting to really get the joy of raising a little cub.”
After finishing her shower, she patted her face with water. Just then, Xie Yizhao walked back from the study and overheard her muttering to herself.
“Raising a little cub?”
Xie Yizhao couldn’t help but chuckle. Comparing a son to a cub—this was the first time he had heard such a comparison.
He put down his phone and casually continued, “Like a game?”
Lu Xi glanced at him and kept patting her face, speaking with a light tone. “Isn’t it? The various problems you encounter while raising a child are like levels in a game. You meet all kinds of little bosses, big bosses, and you can pay to upgrade, buy props, or even buy cheats to help him grow little by little…”
She paused, suddenly becoming serious. “Oh, and the bosses are the monsters in the game, you know? The villains. And ‘paying’ means spending money.”
Xie Yizhao’s lips twitched, and he gave her a long, deep look. “I know, I’ve played games before.”
Did she think he was very old?