It was evening.
During dinner, Yu He noticed Duoduo was listless, not even showing interest in the fried beef bones she usually loved. "Duoduo, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" she asked with concern.
Duoduo shook her head and made an excuse, "No, I'm just not hungry. I don't have much appetite."
"An Ran said you went back to school to get a practice book in the afternoon. Did you get it?" Yu He asked.
Duoduo flinched, secretly grumbling about how Aunt An Ran told her mother everything!
"Yes, I... I got it."
Yu He: "Can you do it? Do you want Mom to teach you?"
If Mom taught her, wouldn't she be found out?
Duoduo quickly shook her head, refusing, "No need, I won't. I'll ask my brother."
"Then you should let Mom teach you," Yue Yue said with a look of disdain. He clearly had no patience to teach her homework.
Duoduo: "..."
Duoduo said darkly, "Brother, you're so heartless, you'll never find a girlfriend in the future!"
Yue Yue didn't care. He thought girls were troublesome and interfered with his studies.
After dinner, Duoduo paced back and forth in the living room, hesitating about how to tell her mother that Director Liu wanted to see a parent.
She had originally wanted to ask her dad to go. Her dad was easier to talk to than her mom, but when she got home, her dad was conveniently on a business trip and wouldn't be back for a few days.
She had no choice but to find her mom.
She worked herself up for a while, then went to the study to find Yu He, looking at her with an innocent expression. "Mommy, no matter what happens, I'm still your most beloved daughter, right?"
Yu He was familiar with this way of acting cute and replied flatly, "Tell me, what trouble have you gotten into again?"
Duoduo secretly thought: As expected, nothing could escape Mommy's discerning eyes.
She organized her thoughts and said indirectly, "When I went back to school, I accidentally pulled off the dean's wig. Director Liu was very angry and asked you to come to the school tomorrow after school."
Yu He frowned slightly. Just pulling off a wig and calling parents meant the matter was definitely not that simple.
"Okay, I'll be there on time tomorrow."
Seeing her mother agree so readily, Duoduo felt a mix of happiness and worry, unsure of what Director Liu would tell her mother tomorrow.
The next day.
As soon as Duoduo arrived at school, Si Ketian saw her from afar and quickly ran over, "Good morning, Duoduo."
"Good morning, Ketian."
"How was it? After last night, do you think your relationship with Gu En has changed?" Si Ketian asked with a gossipy expression.
Duoduo didn't want to talk about what happened yesterday afternoon. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't need to be shy. We all know. You held hands yesterday, right?!" Si Ketian squinted and smirked.
Duoduo was surprised, "How did you know?"
Last night, her girlfriends in the group chat had all tagged her asking about her relationship, but she was in a bad mood and hadn't replied.
She had even repeatedly thought about Gu En's words, and in her distress, she had deleted the novel she had written about the two of them.
"A classmate took a picture of you two holding hands and posted it on the school forum. It's quite popular," Si Ketian said, opening her phone to show Duoduo the forum.
Duoduo immediately took it and looked. It was indeed!
"Who posted this? Can you delete it quickly?!"
If Mommy saw it, she was done for!
"Why delete it?" Si Ketian asked, confused.
In the past, whenever pictures of her and Gu En together were taken, Duoduo would be so excited she couldn't sleep, fantasizing a whole novel. Now, seeing a picture of them holding hands, why was she unhappy and asking to delete it?
Duoduo remembered Gu En's words from yesterday afternoon and announced dejectedly, "I've suddenly had a change of heart. I realized I don't like him that much anymore. I won't be a fan of his from now on. I'll focus on my studies."
Si Ketian was astonished. She looked up and touched Duoduo's forehead. "You don't have a fever. Why are you talking nonsense?"
Duoduo: "..."
Just then, Gu En walked in from the school gate carrying his backpack. Si Ketian saw him and nudged Duoduo frantically with her elbow. "Duoduo, look, Gu En. He's here."
Duoduo had actually seen him long ago but pretended not to.
"Hi, good morning, Gu En." Si Ketian waved at Gu En, greeting him loudly, which made Duoduo a little nervous. She didn't dare to look in his direction.
To her surprise, Gu En walked past them with a blank expression, as if he didn't see them.
"..."
Duoduo was now certain that what he had said yesterday afternoon was serious.
They couldn't even be friends.
"Sigh, still so cold-blooded and heartless. So cool!" Seeing that he ignored them, Si Ketian pouted, feeling rebuffed.
After school.
Yu He arrived at the dean's office of the elementary school section on time.
Duoduo and Gu En stood outside the door. Inside, besides Director Liu, Gu En's mother had already arrived.
Duoduo saw her mother and weakly called out, "Mommy, you're here."
Yu He glanced at her, then at Gu En standing beside her, seemingly guessing what had happened.
As she knocked and entered, she happened to hear the woman's humble pleading voice:
"Director Liu, I'm so sorry. My child has caused you trouble again. I will educate him properly when we get home. Could you please not punish him?"
The voice was not unfamiliar to Yu He. Looking over, she saw a woman who looked to be in her thirties or forties.
The woman's features were quite regular, but the fine lines from years of hard work made her look a few years older than her actual age.
"Gu Yan?" Yu He called out.
Gu Yan turned her head at the sound of her name. Seeing Yu He, she was also surprised for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and lowered her head, calling out, "Miss Yu."
Yu He's gaze flickered to Gu En's retreating figure outside the window, then back to Gu Yan. She asked with some surprise, "Is that your son?"
"Yes," Gu Yan replied.
Director Liu saw Yu He arrive and immediately stood up to greet her. Yu He raised her hand to stop him. "Let's get down to business."
"Ahem," Director Liu cleared his throat and said to Gu Yan, "Mrs. Gu, it's not that I'm saying this to you, but I understand you're busy making money, but you can't neglect your child. At such a young age, instead of focusing on studies, he's thinking about doing part-time jobs, odd jobs, hanging out with social youths, and even leading other students astray!
"If your child truly has no interest in learning, and you're struggling to support him, perhaps it's best to transfer him to a regular school..."
"Director Liu, I'm truly sorry for the trouble I've caused you, but please give my child another chance! I will definitely make him study hard when we get home." Gu Yan's heart sank when she heard the suggestion of transferring her son.
Director Liu's head hurt at her pleading. If he didn't stop her quickly, she would continue to beg endlessly, just like before.
He understood that all parents wanted their children to receive the best education and to choose the best schools for them, but he didn't understand her. Why was she so persistent when she was already struggling to afford it and her child wasn't studying well?
"Mrs. Gu, I understand your feelings as a parent. Please understand mine too."
Director Liu continued, "Here's the last chance. Take your child home, communicate with him properly, write a letter of guarantee that he will study hard, will not work during school hours, will not associate with social youths, and will not corrupt other students.
"If he improves, we'll continue with his studies. If not, I can only apologize to you and find another school for him."