Ch 46: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

Xu Shen tilted his head back, drinking from his water bottle while watching Ruan Cha and Fu Chen talking. His gaze darkened, and his fingers gripped the bottle so tightly it began to deform. Out of the corner of his eye, he accidentally caught sight of Ren Qingqing hiding in the crowd, her short hair barely visible. His brows furrowed tightly, and he let out a low curse.

To be honest, Xu Shen couldn’t quite pin down his feelings toward Ren Qingqing now. Saying he liked her felt wrong, but saying he disliked her didn’t fit either. Yet, when he recalled how she had lost control at the hospital yesterday after being interviewed by reporters, a strange sense of alienation emerged. His gut instinct told him that their relationship wasn’t supposed to feel this unfamiliar.

Suddenly, Xu Shen found himself trying to trace the origin of his feelings for Ren Qingqing. It seemed like their relationship had developed from acquaintanceship to affection so naturally—so logically—that he’d never questioned it.

It was as if—

He was meant to like Ren Qingqing.

Meanwhile, Ren Qingqing bit her lip hard as she noticed Xu Shen focusing solely on Ruan Cha. Her hands clenched tightly in both frustration and panic. She shrank further into the crowd, desperate not to draw attention. “System, is there really no way to pause the tasks?”

With her current intelligence level, continuing the B tasks was nearly hopeless. If she failed again, she’d lose even more points—she’d be reduced to nothing but a stupid pig!

Pig: Feeling targeted. Thanks.

**[According to system programming, there are two ways to pause tasks:

1. Use 20 points to shut down the system tasks.
2. Use 10 points to redirect the system’s focus to another area of development.]**

The system felt equally conflicted. It relied on the host’s energy to function, yet after two months of working with Ren Qingqing, it hadn’t gained a single unit of energy and had only incurred losses.

Why had it chosen Ren Qingqing as a host in the first place?

Her emotional intelligence, intellect, character, and morals were far from ideal.

Hearing the system’s emotionless voice, Ren Qingqing nearly wanted to rip it apart. She gritted her teeth, her mental voice filled with rage. “I only have 3 points left!”

[Please complete tasks promptly to earn more points.]

Ren Qingqing: “…?”

[Additionally, hosts with low points are likely to trigger bonus conditions. Please study future opportunities carefully.]

Ren Qingqing: I’ll destroy you with my bare hands!

Without your earlier promises of benefits, I would’ve done the A tasks ages ago and never involved Xu Nan!

---

Ruan Cha, unaware of the internal turmoil brewing between the protagonists of the book, waved the small gold medal Fu Chen had handed her, looking a bit surprised. “You’re letting me hold onto it? But you’re the one who earned first place.”

Back in primary school, when Ruan Cha wasn’t quite the slacker she was now, she had once won a third-place prize in a high-jump competition. Even that soap bar trophy had been lovingly stored in a small box by her parents, brought out occasionally to admire.

“It’s a mascot for our study group, earned by a group member for the group leader,” Fu Chen said, his voice still carrying the slight breathlessness from exertion. Sunlight poured down, casting a faint golden sheen over his jet-black eyes. Seeing that Ruan Cha was about to respond, he continued in an unhurried tone, “Of course, it’s only plated with gold leaf, nothing valuable. If you don’t like it—”

Before Fu Chen could finish, Ruan Cha interrupted him, forgetting whatever she had initially wanted to say. “Of course I like it! I like it a lot.”

He had gone to the trouble of earning it with good intentions. If he thought she didn’t appreciate it, he might feel bad. Letting a sweet girl feel bad wasn’t okay, and letting a sweet boy feel bad was equally unacceptable.

↑The heartfelt musings of a die-hard looks enthusiast.

Hearing this, Fu Chen’s smile deepened. “You better keep your word. Make it the treasure of the group, okay?” If it was treated as a treasure, maybe it would be preserved.

Ruan Cha gave a helpless look. “I always keep my word.”

After saying this, she meticulously polished the small gold medal. “I promise, the next time you see it, it’ll still be as shiny and golden as it is now.”

Fu Chen chuckled softly. “Alright, I believe you.”

Xu Nan glanced between Ruan Cha and Fu Chen. For the first time, her usually sharp mind seemed to short-circuit. Why did it suddenly feel like her presence was taking up unnecessary space?

If it were anyone else, people might easily suspect young love.

But looking at Fu Chen and Ruan Cha, and recalling the complicated history between their mothers, no one could make that leap.

After their casual chat, Ji Feiyang patted Fu Chen on the shoulder with a tone full of elder-like wisdom. “Fu Chen, honestly, the issues of the previous generation aren’t something you can control. Why do you even bother—ugh!”

Fu Chen: “…”

He was glad that he hadn’t caused trouble for Ruan Cha, yet couldn’t help feeling a bit stifled.

When Ruan Zhengfei came out of the parent-teacher meeting, he happened to see Ruan Cha and her friends chatting and laughing. Cheerfully, he walked over and greeted Xu Nan, Fu Chen, and Ji Feiyang, “Fu Chen, Xu Nan, and this young man, are you free to come by tomorrow?”

Ruan Zhengfei often heard about Fu Chen, Xu Nan, Huang Jiajia, and Xie Chang’an from Ruan Cha, so he had asked her to show him their photos in advance to avoid the embarrassment of not recognizing them.

“Uncle, my name is Ji Feiyang, and I’m totally free!” Ji Feiyang grinned enthusiastically.

Fu Chen gave a slight nod, his smile as composed as ever. “Thank you, Uncle. I’ve already received the invitation. My father and I will be attending tomorrow. Sorry for the trouble.”

Normally, it would have been awkward to invite the Fu family to the banquet, but neither Ruan Zhengfei, Wei Jiao, nor Ruan Cha minded, so the Liang family sent an invitation to the Fu family.

Xu Nan, shy in front of elders, lowered her voice. “My mom and I will also be attending.”

Hearing this, Ruan Cha beamed. “Of course you have to come! Your invitations were personally made by me, completely different from everyone else’s!”

Fu Chen raised an eyebrow, his tone thoughtful. “Different from everyone else’s?”

“Uh-huh.” Ruan Cha met Fu Chen’s inquisitive gaze, suddenly feeling a hint of guilt. “Well, the same as Jiajia’s and Xie Chang’an’s. Basically, just a handful of people.”

For the classmates she was close to, Ruan Cha had gone all out. She personally made their invitations, wrote the content by hand, and even had the housekeeper prepare desserts and fruit tailored to their tastes.

Fu Chen hadn’t expected to be the only special one, but seeing Ruan Cha honestly clarifying, he let out a soft laugh. “I recognized your handwriting when I saw the invitation. Thank you.”

Thank you for treating me without prejudice after my return to the Liang family.

Decades of feelings couldn’t simply be severed. Fu Chen also valued his relatives in the Liang family but couldn’t act purely according to his heart.

What Fu Chen hadn’t anticipated was how entirely accepting the Ruan family trio had been—completely unconcerned about his identity or the forty-year gap in between.

The group exchanged a few more words before the parents—Xu Nan’s mother, Fu Chen’s father, and Ji Feiyang’s mother—came to find their kids. One by one, the parents left with their children, bidding each other goodbye.

It could be said that the conversations went quite smoothly, except for one lingering confusion in Ruan Zhengfei’s mind: why was the usually aloof Fu Chen’s father being so overly friendly to him? So friendly, in fact, that it almost seemed suspicious.

For a moment, Ruan Zhengfei was reminded of his younger self, desperately currying favor with the welfare home director when he was trying to woo Wei Jiao.

Ruan Zhengfei: “…”

Is this what happens when you get older? Your thoughts just start spiraling?

As Ruan Cha held onto her father’s arm while they walked toward the school’s back gate, she noticed the subtle worry on his face. Thinking about the enigmatic Gu Zheng sitting behind him during the meeting, her heart sank. “Dad, what did you do during the parent meeting? Meet any new uncles or aunties?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Ruan Zhengfei replied casually. “Oh, Huang Jiajia’s dad seems like a nice guy. He even suggested we go fishing together sometime.”

He scratched his head, adding, “And your homeroom teacher asked me to give a little speech about how I raised you. What could I say? I told them it’s all you, but they didn’t believe me. So I just made up some inspiring stories, like the ones you see on TV about students tying their hair to the ceiling beam or pricking themselves with needles to stay awake. Funny enough, everyone seemed to believe it.”

Ruan Cha: “…”

Looks like I’ll owe my classmates another apology after this.

But she wasn’t letting the topic go. “Dad, did you chat with the other parents much? The one sitting behind you looked like a very scholarly person.”

Ruan Zhengfei waved dismissively. “Him? Cold as ice. Huang Jiajia’s dad tried talking to him, but he just nodded.”

To be honest, he had always been a slacker. Whenever he was around scholarly types, He would instinctively get nervous. Even though that guy seemed like he wanted to chat a few times during the meeting, Ruan Zhengfei avoided it. He was afraid that person would catch him in a trap with all his intellect.

Hearing this, Ruan Cha felt a subtle sense of relief. “Then why do you seem so preoccupied, Dad?”

The last time he looked this weighed down was when he accidentally killed Mom’s favorite orchid with overwatering.

Ruan Zhengfei let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Without answering her directly, he ruffled her hair lightly and said, “Cha Cha, you’re just too sensible. Dad finally understands.”

After seeing the other parents at the meeting, he realized his daughter must have felt out of place. She probably saw how different her parents were from the others, bottled up her grievances, and used studying as a way to prove herself. His daughter had been carrying too much, far more than he’d ever imagined.

When he got home, he decided, he’d have a serious talk with Wei Jiao. Being laid-back was fine, but letting their daughter bear the brunt of their easygoing ways was plain unfair.

Ruan Cha watched her father’s expression shift from somber to resolute and couldn’t help feeling puzzled. It was just a parent meeting—what kind of grand epiphany could he have had?

And, more importantly, Dad, if you’ve figured something out, could you share it with me instead of keeping me in suspense?

---

By a Bentley parked in the garage, Yu Zheng slowly wiped his gold-rimmed glasses before sliding them onto his nose. Glancing at Yu Zhiyan, who was watching Ruan Zhengfei and Ruan Cha from a distance, his lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. “Been at Second High for a few days and already feeling soft-hearted?”

At the thought of Ruan Zhengfei, a shadow passed over Yu Zheng’s brow. Both the Liang and Ruan families were supposed to be crucial parts of his plan, but now—

The deviation was too significant.

From the Liang family garden to Ren Qingqing, everything seemed to revolve around Ruan Cha. As for Ren Qingqing, that useless person was unlikely to be of any use in the future.

Hopefully, she would make choices that satisfied him.

Yu Zhiyan shook his head, pressing a fist lightly to his lips as he coughed, his voice raspy and hoarse. “Not quite. I’m just curious about the way they interact as father and daughter.”

Curious, and maybe a bit envious of something they shared—something he had never possessed.

“You’re curious about others, but don’t forget there are people curious about you too. They’ve nearly cleaned out all your information,” Yu Zheng sneered, opening the car door with a cold indifference. “Get in. They’ve just released a new drug. Let’s see how it works on you.”

For now, Ruan Cha couldn’t be touched directly. The new drug would buy them time. As for the group investigating Yu Zhiyan, they were hardly worth concern.

Hearing this, Yu Zhiyan paused mid-cough, his expression drooping slightly as he silently followed Yu Zheng into the car. Just before stepping inside, he turned his head, glancing toward where Ruan Cha and Ruan Zhengfei had been moments ago, but they were already gone from sight.

In that instant, the darkness in his eyes receded, leaving behind a calm, composed gaze.