Ch 24: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

Time flew by.

On the second Friday afternoon, at 1:00 PM, Second High’s grand auditorium bustled with activity. Staff members efficiently coordinated the work of students to ensure that the attending parents and guests would leave with wonderful memories of the event.

“Hey! Where’s my costume? The green one!”
“Whose mask fell? I put it on the table!”
“Hurry up! Stop dawdling. The show starts in an hour, and parents are already arriving!”

Backstage, students were either changing into costumes or getting their makeup done. The scene was a flurry of activity, filled with lively chatter.

The English club’s musical performance had eight participants—six performers and two accompanists. Everyone, except Ruan Cha and the still-absent Fu Chen, had already changed into British court costumes. Seated in a row, they looked every bit like elegant gentlemen and ladies.

When Huang Jiajia arrived, she saw a senior styling Ruan Cha’s hair. Normally tied high in a ponytail, Ruan Cha’s hair was now arranged into a loose, low ponytail draped over one shoulder, accentuating her straight collarbone and softening her overall aura.

Even sitting there quietly, she exuded the ethereal charm of a fairy.

Huang Jiajia glanced at Ruan Cha’s fair complexion, her thoughts wandering. The water and soil from Ruan Cha’s small-town childhood must have been truly nourishing. Who would guess, seeing her now, that she grew up in such a place?

“Cha Cha, is your English club performing a play? Snow White? Sleeping Beauty?” Huang Jiajia noticed Ruan Cha hadn’t changed into a court costume or applied makeup. Curious, she asked, “What role are you playing?”

Ruan Cha glanced at herself in the mirror, finding her new hairstyle deceptively angelic—so much so that it felt like false advertising. She casually replied, “The poisoned apple from Snow White and the mattress that traps Sleeping Beauty.”

Huang Jiajia: “…?”

Why must you be so cheeky?

Thankfully, Huang Jiajia didn’t pursue the matter further. “Oh, by the way, Cha Cha, did you hear? Lin Ling has been arranged to marry someone by her family.”

Ruan Cha raised her head, her gaze clear. “Isn’t Lin Ling only 17?”

Thanks to the Lin family’s intervention, Lin Ling had avoided any serious consequences. Although the muscleman and the bald thug had criminal records, they hadn’t caused substantial harm to Ruan Cha or Zhou Xiaoran. Moreover, Lin Ling’s young age played a role in minimizing her culpability.

As for the muscleman, word had it that during interrogation, just seeing an electric device triggered PTSD. Without much effort, he spilled all his past crimes to the police.

And unexpectedly, his confession helped solve a cold case from two years ago. Meanwhile, Lin Ling’s grandfather’s family became embroiled in investigations due to their involvement in shady dealings.

“Lin Ling lost her reputation and dragged her family down. A major project they were negotiating fell through, so the Lin family turned to the Zhu family. But the Zhu family’s second son—” Huang Jiajia hesitated mid-sentence as she met Ruan Cha’s clear almond-shaped eyes. Shaking her head, she refrained from continuing. “Anyway, she’s being taken to the Zhu family first, and they’ll marry once she’s of age.”

The Zhu family’s second son was notoriously wild, unrestrained by gender or boundaries in his romantic escapades. Though Ruan Cha had a playful personality, she was innocent when it came to such matters. Huang Jiajia decided not to elaborate further, lest she corrupt her friend’s purity.

As for Lin Ling, if she truly married into the Zhu family, her life would likely be miserable.

While the two gossiped, a sudden commotion arose in the distance. Excited voices exclaimed, “Ahhh! I saw Professor Yang Ruoguo! Our school actually invited Professor Yang! That’s incredible.”

“Who’s Yang Ruoguo?”

In no time, the inquisitive student was inundated with details about Yang Ruoguo’s illustrious career—from being a distinguished conductor for world-class orchestras to an honorary professor at prestigious music schools. His achievements practically sparkled with brilliance.

“Professor Yang Ruoguo rarely appears in public. A few years ago, he only occasionally taught classes. I’ve always wanted to attend the Berlin Philharmonic, so I know a bit about him. My parents once mentioned arranging for Professor Yang to mentor me, but I’ve never even seen him.”

When it comes to celebrities associated with the arts, their fame might not rival financial moguls or entertainment figures in the students’ eyes. However, after hearing the die-hard fans recount Yang Ruoguo’s illustrious achievements, everyone shared one thought: This guy is seriously impressive—a true music maestro.

And for the school leaders who managed to invite Yang Ruoguo as a guest? Equally impressive!

“I’m really curious how our school pulled this off. It’s just a high school arts festival, and yet they got Professor Yang to personally attend. He’s not even an alumnus of our school.”

Having changed into her performance outfit, Ren Qingqing casually glanced at Ruan Cha, who was listening intently to her classmates’ explanations, her expression filled with amazement. Seeing that, Ren Qingqing let out a soft chuckle. So naive—like someone who’s never seen the world.

She then looked at the group explaining, smiling faintly. “The piano teacher my family hired before was one of Professor Yang’s students.”

“I heard Professor Yang spent the past few years experiencing life abroad and recently returned to rest in Nanshi. Visiting our school might just be part of his homecoming. When I was learning, I even accompanied my teacher to visit Professor Yang once.”

Ren Qingqing’s statement immediately garnered envious gazes from the group. Their admiration was evident in their tone as they asked, “Ren Qingqing, you actually know Professor Yang Ruoguo?”

“What’s Professor Yang like in private? Is he the same as his public persona?”

The students weren’t ordinary fans of celebrities or fictional characters. They admired their guiding light in the field of music. To them, Ren Qingqing’s acquaintance with their idol was awe-inspiring and enviable!

Surrounded by her admiring peers, Ren Qingqing felt a surge of joy. She had always enjoyed being the center of attention. It was a big reason she had agreed to bind with the system in the first place.

As Ren Qingqing elaborated on Yang Ruoguo’s kindness in private, Ruan Cha glanced at her thoughtfully. Just as she was about to say something, a commotion erupted at the door. Turning her head, she saw the subject of their discussion—Professor Yang Ruoguo—entering.

Dressed in a soft gray tang suit, with rimless glasses perched on his nose and his white hair loosely tied into a small ponytail at the back, he looked every bit the part of an artist. Gone was his usual unkempt home attire.

Seeing Yang Ruoguo, Ren Qingqing’s heart skipped a beat with excitement. She stepped forward slightly, greeting him in a soft voice, “Professor Yang, it’s been a while.”

Yang Ruoguo, who had been making his way forward, was startled by the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar young girl blocking his path. Adjusting his reading glasses, he scrutinized her seriously before bluntly asking, “Have we met before?”

Ren Qingqing was momentarily frozen by the straightforward question. The smile on her face stiffened. Did someone of Professor Yang’s stature really have no regard for a junior’s pride?

She tugged lightly at her sleeves and softly explained, “A few years ago, I accompanied Teacher Shen Lan to visit you. We had a meal together at a Sichuan restaurant.”

Of course, Ren Qingqing didn’t expect Professor Yang to remember her, a junior he had met years ago. But his direct questioning in front of everyone caught her off guard. Thankfully, she hadn’t claimed to be close to him earlier.

“Shen Lan…” Yang Ruoguo pondered for a few seconds. It seemed she might have been a student he briefly taught, but not long enough to leave a strong impression. He nodded slightly to acknowledge her.

Without waiting for Ren Qingqing to continue, Yang Ruoguo bypassed her and headed further inside. All eyes followed his movement, watching as he walked straight up to Ruan Cha.

“Cha Cha, how’s Little Bird working for you?”

Everyone else: “???”

The two of you… openly exchanging secret signals in front of everyone?

Ruan Cha looked at the unfamiliar appearance of Grandpa Yang and nodded lightly. “Very smooth.” After a pause, she added, “Grandpa Yang, you look really dashing when you’re out working.”

In the past, whenever they met, he was just a laid-back grandpa with nothing to do.

Hearing Ruan Cha’s praise, Yang Ruoguo’s face showed a hint of a smile he tried to suppress, maintaining his composed demeanor. He modestly replied, “Ahem, ahem, well, at home, I do tend to be a bit… informal. Maybe just slightly more dashing than usual.”

“Grandpa Yang, you’re being too modest.” Ruan Cha tilted her head, her expression serious and sincere. “Your informality is way more than just ‘a bit.’”

Yang Ruoguo: “…”

This cheeky kid.

He ruffled her hair roughly. “Fine, as long as it’s working for you. Just don’t get nervous on stage. And even if you do, the one embarrassing themselves will be you.”

Ruan Cha: “…”

Why must we hurt each other like this?

Ren Qingqing watched the warm interaction between the two, her mood plummeting. Was Ruan Cha born to antagonize her? A girl from a small town, yet fluent in English and even acquainted with Yang Ruoguo?

As her thoughts spiraled, Ren Qingqing lowered her gaze, her fists clenching tightly at her sides. No need to panic. Even if Yang Ruoguo knows Ruan Cha, my team-up with Xu Shen ensures the judges won’t side with her.

Suddenly, Ren Qingqing felt her earlier decision to team up with Xu Shen, even at the cost of angering him, was a stroke of genius.

At that moment, no one paid attention to the bitterness emanating from Ren Qingqing. After Yang Ruoguo left, a few classmates who admired him rushed up to Ruan Cha, excitedly bombarding her with questions.

“Ruan Cha, you know Professor Yang?”

“You two seem really close. Are you related?”

Ruan Cha shook her head. “We’re really not related.”

Hearing this, the curious students pressed further, “Then what’s your relationship?”

Ruan Cha thought for a moment, then came up with two succinct terms. “Landlord and tenant?”

She added, “Grandpa Yang rents a courtyard from my family in the small town. He lives in the backyard. If we call out in the yard, he can hear us. On weekends, he often comes to my house for meals.”

“…?”

Which small town do you live in?

Is it some secret retreat for elites?