Since Shen Xingruo had no objections, Lu Xingyan naturally had even less. Initially, he didn’t think much about it, engrossed in his phone. However, the words “living together” suddenly flashed in his mind, and he involuntarily imagined a version of cohabitation without a mother. What’s the difference between rounding up and having uncensored content?
With this thought, Lu Xingyan coughed twice, automatically clearing his mind of any inappropriate thoughts, and then spoke up, “Sure, Mom, you can ask Dad first to see if it’s fully furnished.”
Pei Yue nodded, “That shouldn’t be a problem. Even if it’s not furnished, there’s still time to decorate it. When you’re free, go take a look, choose your rooms, and during the summer vacation, we can get the missing items.”
“Okay.”
Lu Xingyan responded, his gaze briefly flicking over Shen Xingru’s face.
On Saturday, Lu Shan returned home. Pei Yue remembered the matter about Star River Bay and asked him during dinner.
Lu Shan thought for a moment, “Star River Bay…I remember they were all fully furnished. It was positioned as a mid-to-high-end development, and the quality of the furnishings was quite high. A little tidying up and you can move in right away.”
That would be ideal.
While picking up food, Lu Shan asked about the parent-teacher meeting.
Lu Xingyan’s grades had been sent to his phone long ago, and scoring over 300 wasn’t a first for him. He had seen and heard a lot, so he casually asked, “Did you go to Lu Xingyan’s parent-teacher meeting? Did he get criticized this semester, or did he receive any disciplinary actions?”
Lu Xingyan was drinking pork rib soup and nearly choked.
After finally swallowing, he couldn’t help but protest, “What kind of parents are you guys? Am I really that shameful?”
Lu Shan and Pei Yue paused with their chopsticks, their eyes shooting towards him without a word.
Of course, their gaze was crystal clear—Yes, you are that shameful.
Lu Xingyan, feeling indignant, didn’t finish the soup.
Perhaps feeling that a strike-style education wasn’t good for a child’s growth, Lu Shan cleared his throat and changed the subject, “Anyway, what about you, Xingru? How did you do? A few days ago, I heard from your Aunt Pei that you ranked first again.”
Shen Xingruo was still considering whether to speak, but Pei Yue spoke up first, “Xingru scored 718 in the first monthly exam and 720 in the midterm, without losing any points. When the exam papers were returned, they looked as neat as could be.”
Lu Shan couldn’t help but nod in approval, then remembered Lu Xingyan’s grades and asked, “Lu Xingyan scored 398 in the midterm. How much did he score in the first monthly exam?”
Pei Yue replied, “359.”
Lu Shan did the math, “So, in the first monthly exam, he scored only half of what Xingru did?”
This time, Lu Shan couldn’t swallow his soup either.
He blacked out for a few seconds, then looked at Lu Xingyan, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start.
Turning to Shen Xingru, he pondered for a moment, symbolically adding, “Xingru, if you have time, you can help Lu Xingyan with his studies. Uncle’s requirements aren’t high; if he can pass each subject, it’s good enough. Of course, don’t neglect your studies.”
Lu Shan said so, showing a fatherly concern even though he felt helpless. Shen Xingruo nodded in response, just a perfunctory acknowledgment. After all, Lu Xingyan rarely did his homework, and she truly believed that what Lu Xingyan needed wasn’t just review but also preparation.
However, Lu Xingyan suddenly became spirited, grabbing a peacock feather that had fallen from a decorative white peacock and using it as an imaginary arrow. He seemed particularly enthusiastic about seeking knowledge.
After finishing the remaining soup, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked, “So, when do we start? Tonight? I don’t know how to do any of my homework anyway.”
Lu Shan: “…”
Shen Xingru: “…”
After dinner, Lu Shan discreetly asked Pei Yue, “What’s up with Lu Xingyan? I casually mentioned to Shen Xingruo to help him with tutoring, and he’s suddenly so enthusiastic.”
Pei Yue shrugged, “You think he suddenly loves studying? After the parent-teacher meeting, he painted me a rosy picture, saying he’ll score 400 on the final exam and asked for a raise in his allowance!”
“Why is he spending so much money? I asked other parents, and most of them don’t even give their kids more than five thousand per semester.”
The more Pei Yue thought about it, the more puzzled she became, mumbling, “And all the school expenses and clothes and shoes are reimbursed by me separately. What does he spend money on at school every day?”
“He’s not spending it on a girlfriend, is he? I subtly probed during the parent-teacher meeting, but I didn’t hear anything about him having a girlfriend.”
Downstairs, Pei Yue and Lu Shan murmured, while upstairs, Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan went back to their rooms to shower.
After showering, Lu Xingyan’s enthusiasm hadn’t waned. He knocked on Shen Xingru’s door energetically.
Shen Xingruo happened to be blow-drying her hair. She opened the door to see Lu Xingyan holding a stack of books. She didn’t invite him in and simply said, “Go to your room.”
Since the last time, Lu Xingyan sneaked into her room and did who knows what good deeds, she still hadn’t figured out what he did.
Lu Xingyan didn’t mind.
Shen Xingruo added, “I’ll be there after I finish blow-drying my hair. Which subject do you want to study?”
“What do you think?”
Shen Xingruo pondered for a moment. One good thing about Lu Xingyan was that he wasn’t weak in any particular subject; he was uniformly bad in all of them.
She thought for a moment, “Let’s focus on math tonight. I’ll take a look at your Chinese foundation as well since it’s a core subject.”
Lu Xingyan made an OK gesture and popped a piece of gum into his mouth, then opened another and tried to put it into Shen Xingru’s mouth.
“I’m not eating that.”
“For fresh breath.”
While Shen Xingruo was speaking, he managed to shove half of it into her mouth.
Shen Xingruo hadn’t been in Lu Xingyan’s room much. Most of the time, she stood at the doorway.
His room had a typical masculine style, with basketball star posters on the walls and models of cars and Transformers.
There were some sports magazines piled on the desk, probably tidied up a bit for tonight’s tutoring session.
Seeing Shen Xingruo coming empty-handed, he raised an eyebrow, “You came to tutor empty-handed?”
“What else? Should I bring ginseng and bird’s nest supplements?”
Lu Xingyan: “…”
Shen Xingruo took a seat at his desk, and he had already prepared his math and Chinese assignments. “Ms. Shen, where should I start?”
Shen Xingruo picked up the bottle of Want Want milk on his desk. “You start by doing the math, beginning with the first question on this test paper.”
Lu Xingyan obediently began working, calculating on a piece of scratch paper.
Shen Xingruo leaned back in the chair, surveying his room while twisting the cap of the bottle.
She had just trimmed her nails and applied hand cream, so she found it a bit difficult to open the bottle.
Lu Xingyan seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He suddenly put down his pen, snatched the bottle from her hand, effortlessly twisted it open, and then handed it back to her.
She took it, inserted the straw, and took small sips.
Lu Xingyan had just taken a shower, and he smelled fresh. He was wearing a black cotton t-shirt on top and gray shorts below, his long legs slim and well-defined.
As Shen Xingruo waited for him to solve the problem, she glanced at him from top to bottom, absentmindedly twirling the pen in her hand.
Suddenly, the pen slipped from her fingers and fell at Lu Xingyan’s feet.
She bent down to pick it up.
Lu Xingyan didn’t know what she was doing. He had filled an entire page of scratch paper without concluding. When he turned the page, he accidentally lifted his elbow, and “clang,” it hit the back of her head. Then, he accidentally knocked over the bottle of Want Want milk she was holding—
Shen Xingruo hadn’t expected this to happen.
In that split second, her head was pushed towards his body by his elbow, and her chin bumped against his thigh.
Half of the Want Want milk spilled onto his black t-shirt, then trickled down onto his shorts.