Ch 45: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

In Class Ten, with around thirty students, only about twenty parents showed up for the parent-teacher meeting, leaving some seats empty for those whose parents couldn’t attend.

When Ruan Zhengfei sat in Ruan Cha’s seat, he was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected his daughter to climb from the last row of her first-year class all the way to the front row—a spot where any lack of focus would immediately catch the teacher’s attention.

Ruan Zhengfei: “…”

Daughter, if you’ve been forced into this, just blink twice.

With about half an hour until the parent-teacher meeting started, the attending parents settled in but didn’t stay idle. Those who recognized each other exchanged pleasantries, while others made small talk to become acquainted. After all, by the second year of high school, many had already met during art festivals, school anniversaries, or previous meetings, and most faces were familiar.

Huang Jiajia’s dad, a natural chatterbox who frequently participated in school activities, immediately noticed two unfamiliar faces among the parents, seated one behind the other. Leaning forward, he initiated conversation.

“Hey, haven’t seen you two before. First time attending a parent-teacher meeting?”

Yu Zheng smiled politely but remained aloof, merely nodding in response. For people who didn’t pique his interest, his manner was naturally distant.

After nodding, Yu Zheng glanced at the man seated in front of him—Ruan Zhengfei. He squinted slightly, as though puzzled. Logically speaking, the Ruan family should have been overwhelmed by challenges by now. Yet here they were, appearing harmonious and happy, while Ren Qingqing was the one facing problems. Strange. His thoughts turned cold as he recalled his stalled experiments.

Unlike Yu Zheng’s aloof demeanor, Ruan Zhengfei was warm and friendly. “My daughter, Cha Cha, just transferred here half a semester ago. This is our first time meeting. I’m sure we’ll see each other again at the next school event or parent-teacher meeting.”

Truth be told, Ruan Zhengfei was a bit frustrated. Earlier, he had eavesdropped on nearby parents discussing topics ranging from jewelry to stocks, none of which he could chime in on. How had Jiao Jiao managed all these years?

“Cha Cha?” Huang Jiajia’s dad perked up with excitement. “You’re Ruan Cha’s dad? I have to thank her! My Jiajia told me it’s all thanks to your daughter’s study tips that she made it into the top 200 in her grade.”

The Huang family highly valued academics. Jiajia’s siblings were all graduates from top universities, making her the odd one out as the family’s struggling student. Despite attending tutoring classes, her progress had been minimal—until this midterm exam showed remarkable improvement. Huang Jiajia’s parents were genuinely overjoyed.

After expressing his gratitude, Huang Jiajia’s dad couldn’t resist asking, “How does your Cha Cha usually study? Jumping to first place in just half a semester—that’s incredible!”

Before Ruan Zhengfei could reply, other parents who overheard quickly gathered around. They were all equally anxious about their children’s studies and prided themselves on being more involved than parents who simply let their kids fend for themselves.

But what could they do when tutors and elite courses didn’t seem to work, and their kids just wouldn’t put in the effort?

Ruan Zhengfei, who had been a lackluster student himself, suddenly found himself surrounded by eager parents seeking advice. He scratched his head nervously, unsure, and hesitated before answering, “We didn’t teach her much. Cha Cha just studies on her own.”

She studies late into the night—it’s heartbreaking. How will she grow taller like this?

Huang Jiajia’s dad laughed. “Ruan Cha’s dad, you must have been a top student yourself when you were younger. Like father, like daughter!”

Not me, Ruan Zhengfei thought, though he said nothing. He couldn’t possibly admit he’d been a poor student back then. Huang Jiajia’s dad continued, “I was hopeless—barely made it to grad school because my father practically beat me there.”

Other parents chimed in, turning the conversation lively.

“Your daughter is so diligent. My son, on the other hand, is hopeless. If I didn’t skip signing a project deal today to attend this meeting and have a chat with the teacher, he’d probably slack off even more.”

“Same here. The moment I bring up studying, my kid blames it on my low education level. I mean, I started my own company and raised him just fine, didn’t I? Even went back for an MBA later.”

Ruan Zhengfei: “…”

Cha Cha’s classmates’ parents seem pretty accomplished.

Why does it seem like everyone here runs a company?

And the two parents ahead just casually mentioned being Tsinghua alumni?

And the one behind went back for an MBA after already making money?

The group’s lively chatter caught Yu Zheng’s attention, and he raised an eyebrow slightly. With his experience in psychology, he understood that people of differing social classes often unconsciously displayed subtle hesitation or discomfort in their behavior.

While Ruan Zhengfei did seem somewhat uneasy, it didn’t come across as discomfort due to a wealth or status gap. Could it be that he’d already grown accustomed to life in the Liang family after just a few months?

As the casual conversation was winding down, Huang Jiajia’s dad pulled out a business card. “Ruan Cha’s dad, let’s keep in touch. My family runs a building materials business—reach out if you ever need anything.”

Looking at the card now in his hand, Ruan Zhengfei remained silent.

Are building material suppliers now also in the construction business? If memory serves, a few buildings under the old man’s name were constructed by the very company on this card…

Another parent, noticing this exchange, followed suit by offering their card. “Ruan Cha’s dad, do you have any future plans in mind?”

Thanks to Liang Qianling’s gossiping, the circle was well aware of the Liang family’s recently returned son-in-law supposedly “unemployed at home.” While they didn’t believe all her claims, the part about his unemployment did seem credible.

Of course, seeing him in person now, it was clear Ruan Zhengfei didn’t match Liang Qianling’s disparaging portrayal. Asking about his future plans seemed like a good opportunity to allow him to clear his name and shed the “jobless son-in-law” label she had attached to him.

Ruan Zhengfei: Actually, my ultimate goal is to stay unemployed and be a happy slacker.

When Liang Qianling arrived, perfectly on time, she caught the tail end of the conversation where someone asked about Ruan Zhengfei’s future plans. Smirking, she was about to throw in a sarcastic comment when her eyes fell upon Yu Zheng.

She froze.

Yu… Master Yu?

Her worldview momentarily crumbled as recognition dawned.

So… even a master of such caliber has to attend parent-teacher meetings? And for a kid who’s just an average student?

Liang Qianling stood awkwardly at the entrance, fully visible to the other parents. However, no one approached her. The previous day’s news about a harmful skincare product under the Song family’s brand had just broken, and serious cases had even resulted in lawsuits.

The others weren’t about to openly mock her, but neither were they inclined to engage with her. After all, getting involved could bring unnecessary trouble to their own families. The dynamics of social connections in this circle were painfully clear.

Ruan Zhengfei, holding the several business cards he had just received, looked up at the parents he had recently met and thought for a moment before replying. “Plans? Maybe just collect a few more rents?”

Collect… rent?

Huang Jiajia’s dad and the other parents were momentarily stunned.

It wasn’t as though collecting rent was looked down upon; compared to running a business, it was indeed a low-effort, low-risk way to make money. But it was also just a bit too… down-to-earth.

Seeing their silence, Ruan Zhengfei let out a wistful sigh.

He was beginning to understand some of the challenges his daughter might face at school. Their family simply didn’t fit in with her classmates’ families.

While others discussed running businesses and stock investments, their family managed rental properties. The disparity just didn’t seem very “prestigious.”

Feeling disheartened, Ruan Zhengfei slumped his shoulders. It really wasn’t easy for Cha Cha at school.

---

Meanwhile, Ruan Cha had no idea about her father’s mental gymnastics. Just as she exited the teaching building, she was pulled along by Huang Jiajia to watch a basketball game.

Looking at the massive crowd around the basketball court, Ruan Cha hesitated for a moment. “Jiajia, are we really just here to watch a basketball game?”

The scene was so packed it looked more like a celebrity signing event.

The basketball game schedule at Second High School was cleverly planned. If held during class hours, it would inevitably disrupt lessons, but with parent-teacher conferences taking place, it was a perfect time to utilize the free period.

Huang Jiajia handed a small red flag with “Class 10 Victory” written on it to Ruan Cha. “We’ve got Xu Shen on our team. Sure, his judgment might be a little off sometimes, but his popularity at school is undeniable.”

Hearing Xu Shen’s name, Ruan Cha glanced at the little red flag in her hand with a subtle look of disdain.

Huang Jiajia didn’t notice and continued explaining, “Besides, the game lineup has Class 1 and Class 2 playing first. Class 1 has Fu Chen, and Class 2 has Lu Ran—both big names at our school. It’s no wonder so many students are gathered to watch.”

“Fu Chen is playing basketball?”

Ruan Cha was genuinely surprised by this. Fu Chen was part of the English Club and hadn’t even signed up for the sports meet. She’d assumed he wasn’t into sports—

Wait. She suddenly remembered that during their English Club prep for the arts festival, Fu Chen had offered to teach her basketball. That plan, of course, had fizzled out because she had been too much of a slacker.

Ruan Cha: …

Huang Jiajia chuckled, waving her hands dismissively. “Class 1’s basketball team is pretty strong, but Fu Chen? He’s just a friendly and gentle point guard. Honestly, they’re just keeping him as a mascot for good luck.”

As Huang Jiajia was about to elaborate, she turned and noticed Ruan Cha engrossed in tinkering with the red flag. Before she could ask, just a few seconds later, she witnessed the miraculous birth of a second red flag.

The plain tape bearing the words “Class 10” had been vertically torn by Ruan Cha, leaving only the horizontal portion.

Class 10 → Class 1.

Huang Jiajia: ???

After completing her “mischievous deed,” Ruan Cha looked up and blinked innocently at Huang Jiajia. “Jiajia, I’m about to join Class 1 soon, so I need to start building some rapport with my future classmates. Don’t you think?”

Honestly, Ruan Cha really didn’t want to have any more entanglements with Xu Shen. If she stood there waving a Class 10 flag and cheering, who knows what kind of scenarios he’d concoct in his head?

“Besides, Fu Chen is technically part of my study group now. As the team leader, I can’t just leave my team member to fight alone, can I?”

Huang Jiajia wore a cold, indifferent expression and pointed toward Class 1’s section. Pretending to be angry, she said, “You ungrateful, heartless person! Get out of my sight—quickly and smoothly!”

Ruan Cha responded with an exaggerated salute. “Yes, madam!”

Huang Jiajia: …

So infuriating. I want to join Class 1 too. Damn it.

Before leaving, Ruan Cha poked Huang Jiajia’s puffed-up cheeks with the red flag. “I won’t cheer or wave the flag—I’ll just quietly watch. Mua! Love you!”

It wasn’t until Ruan Cha disappeared from view that Huang Jiajia let a smile sneak onto her face.

She’s just worried about causing unnecessary trouble with Xu Shen in the future, huh? I’m not really mad. Mua, my foot—making me all embarrassed for no reason.

As soon as Ruan Cha blended into Class 1’s crowd, she was caught by Xu Nan. “Cha Cha, you’re not cheering for Class 10?”

Seeing the blush on Xu Nan’s cheeks and recalling how she had playfully teased Huang Jiajia with a mua, Ruan Cha surprisingly reflected on herself for once. Was she inadvertently acting like a heartbreaker?

Xu Nan noticed Ruan Cha spacing out and waved a hand in front of her. “Cha Cha?”

“Huh?” Ruan Cha snapped back to attention and quickly pulled out the small red flag. “I saw Fu Chen playing, so I came to cheer him on. After all, he’s part of our study—” group.

Before she could finish her sentence, the small red flag was taken from her hands.

Turning around, Ruan Cha found Fu Chen standing there, holding the flag.

Fu Chen lowered his gaze to the slightly awkward “Class 1” written on the flag, his eyes crinkling with a smile. “You came to cheer for me?”

Hearing this, Ruan Cha nodded sincerely. “Of course! You’re in Class 1, right? Not only are we about to become classmates, but as part of our study group, I can’t let you fight alone!”

“Besides, I noticed the little gold medals the school gives to the championship team—they look pretty nice. They’d make great mascots for our study group!”

Ji Feiyang, who had just arrived, froze. “…”

You think basketball is like tennis? Who’s fighting alone here?

Fu Chen didn’t mind Ruan Cha’s choice of words. After returning the red flag to her, he reached out and gently patted her on the head. “Alright, I’ll bring you a first-place medal.”

Ruan Cha: ???

Do all older brothers love ruffling people’s hair?

After two basketball games, the students watching were stunned to see Class 1 emerge as the winners. They couldn’t quite process it.

Didn’t everyone say Fu Chen was just a mascot for Class 1?

What kind of legendary mascot sinks every three-pointer effortlessly???

The next moment, as Class 1 erupted in cheers, the students were shocked to see Fu Chen—who had dominated the game, scoring the most points and outplaying Xu Shen—hand his still-warm, freshly-earned gold medal to Ruan Cha, who had blended into the Class 1 crowd.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead with a towel, Fu Chen’s voice was clear and laced with amusement. “Take it and have fun.”

Everyone: “…”

For a moment, it felt like they had just eaten too much sugar. Was that an illusion?