The next day marked the start of the semester finals at Mingli High School, lasting three days.
This time, Xie Heng only said he would improve but didn’t specify how much. Lu Xi could tell he was more relaxed than before.
Even his luck seemed better.
At least he wasn’t late, didn’t run into children getting robbed, and didn’t end up missing the exam due to some unexpected hospitalization.
Still, on the first day of the exams, Lu Xi reassured him that no matter how he performed, he would get a reward.
Xie Heng’s eyes lit up. He happily asked, “How much money?”
Lu Xi rolled her eyes at him.
She quickly touched the pearl necklace around her neck and silently reminded herself: Don’t get mad, don’t get mad. After all, this brat only wants the money to save up and buy her gifts. He’s her own kid. She can’t hit him.
With that thought, her anger completely vanished, and the more she looked at Xie Heng, the cuter he seemed.
On the afternoon of the third day, Lu Xi fulfilled her promise and left work early to pick him up.
As soon as Xie Heng walked out of the exam hall, he saw her message saying she was coming to get him. He immediately turned down his school team friends’ invitation to play basketball. Spotting the family car, he grinned and jogged over happily, like an excited little puppy.
“Are we going out to eat?” Xie Heng tilted his chin proudly. “By the way, I did pretty well this time. You should take me somewhere nice.”
Lu Xi wasn’t sure what counted as ‘nice,’ but she was curious—just how well had he done to be this smug?
“How many ranks did you move up? What’s your score?”
Xie Heng thought for a moment and said, “At the very least, I passed every subject this time.”
Lu Xi fell silent for a second.
Well, at least he had a clear understanding of his own level. That was a good thing. She decided to encourage him.
Generously, she said, “Besides taking you out to eat, there’s another reward.”
Xie Heng’s face lit up with expectation.
His demands weren’t high. As long as Lu Xi took him to buy a new pair of shoes or maybe a gaming console, he’d be happy. There wasn’t much else he needed.
So, Lu Xi took him to a barbecue restaurant with excellent reviews.
Xie Heng had heard about this place from his classmates. It cost around 1,000 per person, a bit pricey, but the ingredients were fresh and delicious.
Since he had a big appetite and had been under pressure from exams, he ate a lot. When the bill came, Lu Xi had spent over 3,000.
She scanned the QR code to pay, smiling as she glanced at Xie Heng. “For someone your age, you sure can eat. No wonder you’re growing so much.”
A kid like this would be too expensive for an average family to raise.
Xie Heng knew he ate a lot and was already feeling a little guilty. Hearing her comment, he couldn’t help but blush.
He muttered, “I’m still growing.”
Lu Xi sized him up. He was already this tall. Was he planning to grow tall enough to touch the sun?
Under her teasing gaze, Xie Heng lowered his eyes, a little embarrassed.
It wasn’t just emotional embarrassment. It was financial embarrassment.
His Dad was rich, but his Dad only gave him 5,000 a month. After his usual expenses, there wasn’t much left. If he wanted to treat Lu Xi to a meal of this caliber, it wouldn’t be impossible, but it would be a real stretch.
He knew he shouldn’t feel guilty about spending his Mom’s money, but he still wished he had been the one paying today.
Even though he knew Lu Xi was just joking and didn’t actually mind, he still felt a little self-conscious.
He wasn’t a mama’s boy, and he definitely didn’t want to be a freeloader.
“Fine, I’ll treat you next time,” Xie Heng said, suppressing the pain in his heart. “I don’t need any more rewards.”
Lu Xi glanced at his head.
It had been dyed for three or four months. His blue hair had started to fade, and the tips were now a yellowish-green, with black roots growing in. At a glance—if it weren’t for his good-looking face—it was pretty painful to look at.
She didn’t know what others thought, but even her mom-filter was struggling to hold up.
She firmly shook her head. “No way. You have to take your reward, or you’ll have to move out.”
Xie Heng : ?
Was it really that serious?
If she insisted on giving him a reward, he wouldn’t refuse. No need to make a big deal out of it.
But since Lu Xi was so determined to buy him something, he was still happy about it. So, he obediently followed her.
They first went to a shopping street, took the elevator to the fifth floor, and stopped in front of a hair salon.
Xie Heng came to his senses, touched his hair, and suddenly understood.
So she brought him here to dye his hair…
Xie Heng couldn’t help but complain, “You said you’d bring me ages ago. Now you finally remember? Look at my hair, it’s almost unbearable to look at.”
Lu Xi was used to her silly goose’s tsundere tone.
She walked inside and said flatly, “It really is unbearable. Even I, your dear mother, can’t stand it anymore. I don’t know what those girls on the forum who confess to you are thinking.”
Xie Heng followed her in.
Suddenly, his smile froze, and his steps halted.
What did she mean by that? So just because she was his ‘Mom,’ she had the right to personally attack him?
Angry, he childishly tugged at the tassels on Lu Xi’s scarf, thinking that maybe he should just go all out and dye his hair some non-mainstream bright yellow—make himself look even worse to get back at her.
But that was just a thought.
Unexpectedly, when the salon’s head stylist examined his hair, he said there was no way to just touch up the color. It had to be completely redyed, which meant bleaching it again.
Xie Heng recalled the last time he bleached his hair. Back then, he didn’t know what bleaching entailed, so he didn’t care. But once it started, his scalp stung like a thousand tiny bugs biting into it.
At the time, just to spite Lu Xi, he had even considered getting a full sleeve tattoo.
But after experiencing the pain of bleaching, he immediately dropped that idea. If bleaching already hurt this much, how bad would a tattoo be? He could endure the pain from fighting, but this slow, drawn-out torture was another story.
His scalp tingled at the thought, and he frowned. “Does it have to be bleached? Are there any colors that don’t require bleaching?”
The stylist suggested several options, but Xie Heng shook his head at each one. Lu Xi frowned too.
Xie Heng was getting impatient and didn’t want to bother anymore. “Forget it, just dye it black.”
Lu Xi : “Are you sure? Black dye can look unnatural, like you’re wearing a wig.”
Xie Heng : “…”
He pictured that in his head. It was kind of horrifying.
“I don’t know anymore. You decide,” he sighed, slumping next to Lu Xi, completely resigned to her judgment.
Neither option appealed to her either. One would damage his hair, the other would make him look bad.
Lu Xi pulled him into a chair. He was too tall; she had to do this to get a better angle.
She lifted a section of his hair, examined the length, and decided it wasn’t too bad.
“Let’s just cut off the blue part. Problem solved.”
Xie Heng was stunned. “Wouldn’t that make it a buzz cut?”
“So what? It’s winter break soon. It’ll grow back by the time school starts.”
Lu Xi had full confidence in his metabolism.
“…” Xie Heng, however, was doubtful. “What if it’s still a buzz cut by then?”
Lu Xi calmly ruffled his hair. “Then nothing. It’s not like you have a girlfriend to worry about losing.”
Hard to argue with that logic.
Since he wasn’t getting a perm or dye job, the process was quick.
After washing his hair, the stylist got to work cutting.
Noticing Xie Heng’s solemn expression, the stylist chuckled. “Relax. With my skills, even a buzz cut will look good on you. Your face is what matters most.”
Xie Heng huffed lightly.
Even if it turned out ugly, he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to school during break anyway. He could just stay home and make his Mom suffer by looking at him.
Getting a haircut was always boring.
Lu Xi flipped through a magazine at the nearby table while the salon even provided her with fruits and snacks.
Thinking about the winter break, a thought popped into Xie Heng’s mind. He glanced at Lu Xi through the mirror.
He cleared his throat to get her attention.
Lu Xi looked up at him.
“So, uh… is your studio hiring for the break?” Xie Heng blurted out. “Do you need a part-timer?”
Lu Xi saw right through his intentions and smirked. “I’m not in charge of hiring.”
“But you’re the boss!”
“And?”
Xie Heng put on his best salesman act. “Come on, hire me. I’m strong and hardworking. I could be a security guard. Or a model.”
Lu Xi lazily flipped to the next page. “Forget modeling. You charge five thousand per shoot. I can’t afford you. Security pays two thousand a month. Interested?”
If he took that job, he’d be kind of an idiot. He could make five thousand just lying around at home.
The stylist overheard and joked, “How old are you, little bro? You at least sixteen?”
Xie Heng proudly pursed his lips. “Almost seventeen.”
“Nice, then how about working here? We’re hiring shampoo assistants—three to five thousand a month, with food and housing included.”
Xie Heng blinked, momentarily stunned.
That… was way more generous than his ‘Mom.’
Lu Xi saw the look of contemplation on his face and nearly burst out laughing.
Fine, she’d hire him—let him sweep the floors or do odd jobs. Otherwise, the stylist might really rope him into washing hair for a living.