“You get the project money and then you go out and splurge, not coming home for days on end. Do you even care about this family anymore? Our son has no interest in studying, his grades have plummeted, and you don’t even care? He doesn’t have a father like you!!!”
Mom’s voice pierced Yu Wenliang’s eardrums, making them ache.
Yu Wenliang’s father, Yu Jianguo, was a small contractor.
He seemed to have landed a big project recently, had he struck it rich?
“How dare you lecture me? Your job as a teacher is so leisurely, from nine to five, yet you never come home early to cook? Every time I come home, the house is empty. Forget hot food, I can’t even get a bite of cold food. You talk about being family-oriented, but isn’t the main reason our son’s grades are bad because of you?!”
Dad’s voice was unyielding, and Yu Wenliang sighed.
Yu Wenliang’s mother, Bai Xiaonan, was a middle school homeroom teacher.
She used to secretly run a tutoring class outside of school and earned some money.
Anyway, both of them were career-focused.
Family, love, their son, all came second.......
The more Yu Wenliang thought about it, the angrier he got. He pushed the door open and said impatiently,
“You can argue all you want, or get a divorce if you want, but can you please stop dragging me into it?”
“.........”
The couple tacitly closed their mouths, rolling their eyes at each other, but they were still very good to Yu Wenliang.
“Dad was wrong, I just spoke without thinking because I was angry. My son is the best.”
“Mom also spoke carelessly. We agreed not to argue in front of our son. It’s all your Dad’s fault!”
“How can you blame me? You were the one who wanted to argue with me.......”
Seeing his parents about to argue again,
Yu Wenliang couldn’t stand it.
“Can you please stop arguing?”
“I’m going to make an announcement!”
“Everyone quiet down!!!”
Yu Jianguo put his hands on his hips, Bai Xiaonan pouted, neither giving the other a pleasant look.
“If it weren’t for our son, I would have divorced you, you old fossil!”
“Hmph, our son has my surname. Even if we divorce, he’ll still be mine!”
“You’re talking nonsense!”
Yu Wenliang had long since reached his limit with them and increasingly wanted to run away from home, the sooner the better:
“I want to take the Art Examination. Who’s for it, who’s against it?”
“........”
Yu Jianguo and Bai Xiaonan both froze for a few seconds.
Bai Xiaonan, as a teacher, out of her understanding of the national education system, her first reaction was one of concern.
“Son, you never mentioned this before. Why are you suddenly thinking about the Art Examination?”
“The Art Examination isn’t a shortcut. Even Art Examination students still have to take the college entrance examination.”
“Don’t think this is too simple........”
Yu Wenliang was displeased, “Mom, I really want to do this for a living!!!”
Yu Jianguo immediately put his arm around his son’s shoulder:
“Dad supports you. If you have a dream, go chase it. What kind of man is afraid of this and that?”
“You’re an adult now. Dad got you a bank card. Just tell me how much money you need, and I’ll transfer it right away!”
“You’ve gotten more handsome in just a few days. My son has the potential to be a big star!”
A bank card was placed in Yu Wenliang’s hand.
Yu Jianguo put his arm around his son, raising an eyebrow as if to show off.
Bai Xiaonan rolled her eyes, snorted, and said,
“Your dad is stingy to death. There’s probably not much money in that card.”
“Mom will also transfer some money to you. If it’s not enough, just tell Mom.”
“Since you have a dream, Mom will support you, even more than your dad!”
You two, are you really going to divorce?
To curry favor with me, you’re not even symbolically opposing something as big as the Art Examination?
Six hundred sixty-six.......
The next day.
Yu Wenliang put away the two bank cards, took the consent form signed by his parents, and left for school.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to add: “I’m already an adult.”
“If you want to fight for my guardianship.”
“Sorry, I, myself, cannot be chosen!”
After their son left.
Bai Xiaonan and Yu Jianguo, at the dining table, immediately changed seats, moving away from each other.
They disliked each other, but as they watched their son leave for school, a hint of worry flashed in their eyes.
·······
Huicheng Middle School.
Senior year parent-teacher conference.
The homeroom teacher was speaking on the podium.
Parents sat in their children’s seats.
Students consciously stood in the back rows of the classroom or outside the door to listen, not allowed to move freely.
In the last row, Yu Wenliang leaned against the wall, standing bored, unable to play on his phone or read novels.
His only amusement was teasing Zhou Ye, the school beauty who was his deskmate and standing next to him.
The sunlight illuminated her small, palm-sized face, her delicate nose appearing more Stereo under the light, and even more noticeable were the girl’s private clothes under her short-sleeved school uniform.......
Yu Wenliang raised an eyebrow. Today it wasn’t pink, but milky white.
After I said something, she was too embarrassed to wear pink and changed the color?
Yu Wenliang elbowed Zhou Ye:
“Hey.”
“Did you tell your family?”
“About us taking the Art Examination.”
The students in the back rows and outside the door noticed Yu Wenliang and Zhou Ye’s small actions and looked over gossiping.
Zhou Ye, in front of outsiders, still had to maintain her persona as the cold school beauty, so she kept a poker face and nodded slightly:
“Mm.”
“Still ‘mm’-ing? You look so unwilling, and I wonder who was so excited they almost cried yesterday...... Ah!”
Yu Wenliang’s arm was twisted, making him wince in pain. He looked at Zhou Ye next to him.
“Seriously, buddy, are you a bee or something?”
“You stop talking!”
Zhou Ye bit her silver teeth, widened her eyes, and warned him with a feigned serious expression.
In reality, her ears were red.
Her little white shoes trembled slightly.
“Why so nervous?”
“My parents didn’t come to the parent-teacher conference.”
“Even if they saw us transferring classes together, they wouldn’t misunderstand that we transferred because we were dating.”
Yu Wenliang shrugged indifferently. The seat in front of them was empty.
Another seat.
At some point, a young woman with an extremely beautiful back sat down.
Although he hadn’t seen her face.
Yu Wenliang inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.
Her aura was a bit like....... Zhou Ye???
Just then, the parent-teacher conference ended, and the teacher was immediately surrounded by parents asking all sorts of questions after stepping off the stage.
The young woman also stood up, carrying an LV bag, dressed in an elegant and luxurious outfit.
She was as beautiful as a celebrity.
Yu Wenliang couldn’t recognize the brands of those luxury items, but he could recognize that she was coming for him?!
Zhou Ye lowered her head, her ears bright red, covering her smooth forehead with her hand, looking extremely embarrassed.
“What’s going on?”
Yu Wenliang hadn’t reacted yet when the woman, who looked like a celebrity, actively extended her hand to shake his and greeted him.
“Hello, classmate, you must be Yu Wenliang, right?”
“........And you are?”
“My name is Zhou Siqi, I’m Zhou Ye’s older sister. Didn’t she tell you?”
Zhou Qisi had an aunt-like smile on her face, and the redder Yu Wenliang’s face became, the happier she smiled.
Ah???
So it’s my sister-in-law?
Zhou Ye, why didn’t you say earlier that the person sitting in front of us was your older sister?
How embarrassing!!!
Yu Wenliang was overheating.
Is there a crack in the ground?
Let me crawl into it!
o(╯□╰)o