But then, Xie Yizhao suddenly called out to Xie Heng.
“Wait, I have something to tell you.”
Xie Heng raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling a little nervous.
His Dad was probably going to lecture him.
Which was fair. He had acted impulsively this time, believing a rumor without confirming it, almost causing a huge misunderstanding. He was even a little embarrassed himself.
So this time, he wasn’t going to talk back.
Xie Yizhao glanced at his son, who was obediently standing there, and instantly saw through his son’s thoughts. He relaxed his expression slightly but spoke in a serious tone, “Your Mom and I have no plans to have another child, so stop overthinking it, alright?”
Xie Heng was stunned for a moment.
Why wasn’t he getting scolded?
After two seconds, he processed the key point and asked in confusion, “Really? Why not?”
Xie Yizhao didn’t answer why. He simply said calmly, “This kind of decision isn’t made on a whim. If we ever do plan for another child, we’ll discuss it with you first.”
Xie Heng thought he misheard.
His Dad was being this kind and reasonable today. Had his Dad been possessed?
Unable to hold back, he asked, “Why would you discuss it with me?”
Lu Xi watched the father and son struggling to communicate and found it amusing. She didn’t interject, just leaned back comfortably against the cushion, propping her head up, enjoying the scene like a spectator at a play.
Xie Yizhao glanced at his wife’s relaxed demeanor and suddenly felt a little envious. He sighed. He had promised to be patient, yet he still couldn’t help but shoot his son an exasperated look.
“If we were to have another child, it would be your sibling, so naturally, we would take your thoughts into consideration.”
Xie Heng tightened his hands.
He blinked. “Oh. Okay.”
Now he understood.
Although he wouldn’t have objected, the fact that they cared about his opinion made him a little happy.
Lu Xi had been silent for a while but saw things clearly.
This blue-haired kid wasn’t used to having a say in family matters. Suddenly being included, and with Xie Yizhao lowering his stance first, left him momentarily at a loss.
But that was fine. He would get used to it eventually.
Seeing that father and son had almost finished their conversation, Lu Xi lazily spoke up, “Also, next time you hear something like this, come and ask us first. Don’t believe rumors so easily, got it?”
Xie Heng took a deep breath. “Got it.”
At first, he looked quite obedient, but then he suddenly thought of something and glanced at Lu Xi again. “So, you really don’t plan to give me a little brother or sister?”
Lu Xi rolled her eyes at him.
She liked her current figure—no scars, no stretch marks. She wasn’t about to go through that painful process again.
Call her selfish if you want, but she never really liked kids. She only liked Xie Heng.
Lu Xi reminded him, “Instead of worrying about us, why don’t you focus on yourself? Midterms are over, New Year’s is coming—do you think finals are far behind?”
Xie Heng’s face immediately fell.
Finals… Oh no!
When their midterm results came out, the homeroom teacher kept reminding them that the New Year was early this year, in January, so they shouldn’t slack off.
Now, Xie Heng realized with despair that he had been slacking off this whole time.
He pulled out his phone and checked the calendar—less than a month left!
Xu Jiaming had analyzed it for him before, saying that the higher his rank, the harder it would be to improve. He had advised him to aim for a modest jump—thirty ranks would be impressive enough.
Xie Heng understood that logic. If you take too big of a step, you might… well, stumble. But now, time was running out!
His face darkened, and he didn’t bother saying anything else. He casually slung his bag over his shoulder and headed upstairs.
Once he was out of sight, alone, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He didn’t mind having a younger sibling, but if Lu Xi didn’t want to go through childbirth again, that was great news.
He had looked it up. Giving birth was excruciating and could even have long-term side effects.
Lu Xi was so delicate. Having him might have already been a huge ordeal for her. Her health was the most important thing.
Anyway, he’d make sure to take care of her in the future…
He had it all figured out. If his salary as a police officer wasn’t enough, he’d just eat and live off his Dad while he could, saving up as much as possible. That should be enough.
But for now, with finals coming up, Xie Heng wasn’t thinking about his future police career.
He had made up his mind. If he really improved by thirty ranks this time, he’d talk to his dad and see if he agreed.
And if he didn’t… well, he’d deal with that later.
From that day on, Xie Heng pushed himself into intense study mode. He still occasionally got distracted in class, but much less than before, and he could mostly keep up with the lessons.
Xu Jiaming had once said he had a solid foundation, just that he had wasted too many years.
At the time, Xie Heng thought he was just being consoled, but now, he realized it was true.
If he didn’t understand something, he asked his deskmate after class. Huang Ying was always happy to help. And if she didn’t know, he’d ask the people around him.
At this point, he had given up on hiding it. He boldly studied, no longer embarrassed. In the end, what was there to be ashamed of? He used to think it was humiliating, but actually, everyone was just focused on learning. No one was laughing at him.
His classmates and teachers noticed the change in him.
Some genuinely wanted to be his friend. Some had parents who told them to get close to the Xie family.
As for the teachers, they had no ulterior motives—they simply liked seeing their students improve.
Recently, Lu Xi kept getting private messages from the homeroom teacher about Xie Heng’s performance.
Almost all of them were full of praise.
Now, the homeroom teacher was so used to it that they sent updates to both ‘Xie Heng’s Dad’ and ‘Xie Heng’s Mom’ at the same time.
The rest of the family also noticed the changes in Xie Heng.
For example, the butler realized that Xie Heng had been eating a lot more lately. However, despite his increased appetite, he didn’t gain any weight and remained the same size. At first, the butler was a little concerned and even brought it up with Lu Xi.
Lu Xi just smiled and said, “It’s fine. Using your brain consumes a lot of energy. Give him some nutritious food, or his brain won’t be able to keep up.”
The butler didn’t fully understand.
But since Madam said so, it must be right. After all, in this household, even Master had to listen to Madam.
Since she said Young Master needed brain nourishment, the butler not only followed the nutritionist’s meal plan for Xie Heng but also specifically arranged for frequent servings of stewed pig brain soup and a fixed daily morning cup of walnut milk.
Xie Heng was speechless.
When he found out it was Lu Xi’s instruction, he was even more speechless, almost indignant.
Yet, despite his frustration, he still obediently drank the entire cup of walnut milk, biting on the straw with irritation.
He would keep improving, test after test. By the time the college entrance exams arrived, he would surely impress her. Then she wouldn’t think he was stupid anymore.
As the semester approached its final exams, the weather grew colder.
But Lu Xi didn’t feel the chill.
While Xie Heng was busy studying, she was busy with her business. Although her studio had only recently launched, things were steadily improving and gradually falling into place.
That dress she had designed—gifted by Xu Jiaming to Yang Yihan—had been worn by Yang Yihan in a January photoshoot, which received great feedback. Yang Yihan even called Lu Xi personally to thank her.
But Lu Xi felt like she was the one who should be grateful.
A big celebrity wearing her design? That was free publicity. She gave away one dress, and Yang Yihan helped her advertise for free. Honestly, Lu Xi felt like she got the better deal.
Sure enough, not long after, a team representing another actress reached out to her studio, hoping Lu Xi could design a custom dress for her.
Initially, Lu Xi hesitated. The deadline was only a month away, the requirements were complicated, and it was year-end—she didn’t want to overwork herself.
But in the end, she still took the job.
She couldn’t resist, the payment was just too generous.
Although she wasn’t short on money, earning it herself felt different from receiving it from Xie Yizhao. Spending her husband’s money was enjoyable, but sometimes, she needed a different kind of fulfillment.
Because of her busy schedule, she had spent less time hanging around in the study with Xie Yizhao lately. But that was okay, he was even busier than she was.
With year-end meetings, reports, and evaluations, Xie Yizhao rarely came home for dinner these days.
Then, one evening, he finally came back from work early. Just as Lu Xi also returned late from overtime. At the same time, they ran into Xie Heng, who had just gotten back from school, looking more and more like a regular high school student.
Lu Xi suddenly realized something. “How long has it been since the three of us had dinner together?”
The two men exchanged glances.
Xie Heng looked a little confused, while Xie Yizhao was perfectly clear-headed. He naturally took the paper bag from Lu Xi’s hands—the one she had brought back from her studio—and gently reminded her, “Twenty days ago, I invited you to dinner, and you turned me down.”
Over the past twenty days, Lu Xi had rejected him five times. He remembered them all.
Lu Xi blinked innocently. “Then how about we go out for dinner now? Xiao Heng can come too. You have exams tomorrow, tonight is a good time to relax.”
Xie Heng shrugged. “Of course I’m coming. Don’t even think about leaving me behind.”
It was a school night, but one evening off wouldn’t make a difference.
Naturally, Xie Yizhao went along with Lu Xi’s suggestion.
For their family dinner, he didn’t even call the driver. He drove them himself to a restaurant five kilometers away.
On the way, Lu Xi refrained from asking Xie Heng about his studies, not wanting to pressure him.
Instead, she turned on the music. Her phone’s auto-play function kicked in, and coincidentally, <Wonderful Tonight> started playing.
Something stirred in Lu Xi’s heart. She instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror, just in time to meet Xie Yizhao’s gaze.
She couldn’t help but smile.
Clearly, Xie Yizhao was thinking the same thing. He cleared his throat in an attempt to cover it up, his demeanor particularly relaxed and cheerful.
Sitting in the back seat, Xie Heng sensed the subtle atmosphere between them—one that only they could understand.
He couldn’t help but feel… weird.
Of course, he was happy that his parents had a good relationship. It was much better than some of his classmates, whose parents had divorced after messy breakups. But still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was a massive third wheel, completely excluded.
Unable to take it anymore, Xie Heng deliberately interrupted, “My finals start tomorrow. As my parents, don’t you think you should show some concern?”
Lu Xi glanced back at him. “Do you want us to ask?”
“I don’t really care,” Xie Heng said. “Either way, I’m definitely going to improve this time.”
Lu Xi played along and clapped her hands. “Great! Then when you get your results, go ask your Dad for a reward.”
Xie Yizhao shot a sideways glance at his wife, who loved to set him up, but his lips curled into a faint smile. “No problem.”
Hearing that, Xie Heng’s eyes lit up. “Anything I want?”
Xie Yizhao raised an eyebrow, noticing his son’s excitement. “Sounds like you’ve already got something in mind. Go ahead, let’s hear it.”
Xie Heng, feeling elated, blurted out his request before he could stop himself. “I want to enroll in the police academy after graduation. I want to be a police officer. Will you agree?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his voice was trembling slightly.
He was too nervous.
Song Siyang had told him that if he did this, who would take over the family business? He also said that being a police officer was dangerous and that his Dad would never agree.
Xie Heng hadn’t argued back.
He knew his decision was unconventional.
But deep down, he still hoped to gain his Dad’s support.
He suddenly realized he cared about his Dad’s opinion more than he had thought.
He wanted his Dad’s approval.
Xie Yizhao frowned slightly.
He understood his son well. He knew Xie Heng had been holding back this desire for a long time before finally speaking up. It hadn’t been easy for his son. Looking at his son’s reflection in the rearview mirror—his face still pure and straightforward, filled with determination yet naively optimistic—Xie Yizhao hesitated.
Only for a few seconds.
Then, he calmly said, “I don’t agree.”
Lu Xi was stunned. She turned to look at Xie Yizhao.
Xie Heng was also taken aback.
At a red light, Xie Yizhao stopped the car.
Xie Heng’s brows furrowed tightly. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he was too upset. After a brief silence, he reached out and poked Lu Xi’s shoulder.
“My Dad is so stubborn. Can you do something about him?” he asked, sounding both frustrated and aggrieved.
Lu Xi listened to his sulky tone, blinked innocently, and considered her options.
Could she get out of the car? Would they let her off at the next intersection?
After thinking for a moment, she made a serious suggestion: “How about we drive to the martial arts hall, and you two can fight it out?”