School’s out?
Wang Ziyue typed those words on her phone, then immediately deleted them.
She paced back and forth in her office, finally dialing the number.
After a brief dial tone, Jiang Cheng’s voice came through the receiver, accompanied by a yawn.
“Hello…”
Jiang Cheng’s voice carried a hint of exhaustion, but Wang Ziyue on the other end remained silent for a moment.
“Hello, can’t hear me?” She ducked under the shade of a tree as an electric scooter whizzed by, quickly stepping aside.
Wang Ziyue heard the commotion on the other end.
“What happened?!”
“Oh, an electric scooter just passed. Almost hit me.”
Jiang Cheng heard the rider curse from afar and shook her head helplessly.
“My fault.”
“How is it your fault?” Jiang Cheng laughed.
“I should’ve called later. Are you waiting for the bus now?”
“Yeah, calling earlier is the same. I just left school. By the way, why’d you call?”
Jiang Cheng glanced at the bus tracker. It would be a few stops yet. She sat on a bench and yawned again.
“Can’t I call just because? You sound really tired.”
Wang Ziyue slowed her speech, as if tickling Jiang Cheng’s ear. Jiang Cheng held the phone a bit farther away.
*Feels weirdly itchy.*
“Didn’t sleep well last night, and… I realized something today.”
“Hm?”
“One of my friends… she seems a little scared of me.”
Talking about this made Jiang Cheng a bit down. She had just said a few words to Zhou Qingying, but the other’s evasive attitude had hurt her.
*Everything was fine usually.*
“Scared of you? Who’d be scared of a kid like you?”
“I’m not a kid!” Jiang Cheng hated being treated like a child. She was almost an adult.
“Yeah… hmph, hmph hahaha~” Wang Ziyue suddenly burst into laughter, unsure what she was thinking of.
The laughter grew louder, even prompting Mo Nono outside the office to knock.
“Sis?” She pushed the door open, peeking in.
Wang Ziyue stifled her laugh, but the flush on her cheeks was clear, and the delight in her eyes was unmistakable.
The one laughing loudly in the office earlier was indeed her cousin. Mo Nono confirmed it in her mind.
“Finished what I asked?” Wang Ziyue set the phone aside. Though quick, Mo Nono caught a glimpse of the call interface.
*Who’s my cousin talking to?*
Realizing she had interrupted, Mo Nono quickly withdrew and gently closed the door.
“My sis… laughing so brightly. Something’s up, right?” Mo Nono’s gossip radar activated. Last time her cousin had her book a restaurant, she didn’t know who it was for.
Now? Still the same person from the date?
Mo Nono’s thoughts raced. She pulled out her phone.
“That was my cousin earlier. You met her before.”
Wang Ziyue picked up the phone. The call with Jiang Cheng was still active.
“Oh…” Jiang Cheng recalled Wang Ziyue’s visit to the school.
She had been puzzled back then, but now many things made sense.
“You were suspicious of me even then, weren’t you?”
Jiang Cheng asked calmly. Normally, Wang Ziyue would catch the teasing in her tone.
But now, hit right where it hurt, she stammered, unsure what to say.
“Uh, well… you’re right. I just wanted to see.”
“And in the end, you stormed off angrily.” Jiang Cheng feigned seriousness. Through the phone, Wang Ziyue couldn’t see her expression.
Unease crept in again. She wasn’t sure if Jiang Cheng was actually mad. From her perspective, Wang Ziyue had suddenly said a bunch of nonsense.
Though unaware at the time, she had indeed vented her emotions.
“I’m not mad.” Jiang Cheng dropped the act. Her tone lightened. “Didn’t I tell you? I’ve always been grateful to you, so this little thing doesn’t matter. It’s not worth getting angry over. Back then, I was more worried.”
Worried about her identity being discovered, anxious about all the possibilities she had to guess.
“Then this weekend, we’ll have plenty to talk about.”
Wang Ziyue recalled recent events and realized there were indeed many details worth revisiting.
The two had been playing a cat-and-mouse game, only for the outcome to be hilariously absurd.
She couldn’t help but feel lucky she had chosen a quiet setting. Only when it was just the two of them did Jiang Cheng perhaps lower her unintentional defenses.
That had to be her good fortune.
“Ah, where were we?”
“My friend who’s kinda scared of me… and I’m not a kid.”
“Okay, okay. Big sister’s listening to Jiang Jiang.”
“Hmph…” Jiang Cheng’s cheek puffed out. She mumbled, “We usually get along fine, but sometimes she has this, uh… evasive look? I don’t know how to describe it. Ah! Like when you were feeling guilty just now.”
“Guilty? Then she might really be scared of you. Wait, it’s a female classmate, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, okay. Just asking.”
Wang Ziyue had blurted it out. Neither thought it strange.
“This Friday, I’m going to watch her performance.” Jiang Cheng mentioned it casually.
“The high school stage play festival at the grand theater?”
“How do you know?!”
“I’m a sponsor. How wouldn’t I know?”
To be precise, her mother was the sponsor representative, providing directing teachers and funding for the students.
Though semi-retired now, Ye Lan had previously managed the group’s brand marketing. She often represented the group publicly and had some fame in the industry.
But for this festival, with Ye Lan caring for her recuperating husband at home, it fell to Wang Ziyue.
She had handled it well so far—everything proceeding smoothly.
“Then I’ll go watch too.”
“It’s Friday afternoon?” Jiang Cheng was surprised.
“What, can’t I make time for that?”
“Oh…”
Jiang Cheng sat in the back of the bus, earphones in, lost in thought for a moment.
The world around her was shut out, existing only in her call with Wang Ziyue.
They chatted until the bus reached her stop.
“I’m almost home. Phone’s about to die. Uh… hang up now?”
Jiang Cheng’s battery was critical.
“What if I say no?” Wang Ziyue wanted to say more, but the call cut off.
Abruptly.
Jiang Cheng looked at the darkened screen and shook her head.
The first thing she did upon getting home was plug in her phone. Several messages from Wang Ziyue were already on WeChat.
“That fast?!”
“Okay, let me know when you’re home.”
Followed by a cat shaking its head emoji—Jiang Cheng remembered sending it to Wang Ziyue before.
She replied with the same emoji. The other side quickly said “Received.”
No more messages came. Wang Ziyue was probably back to work.
Jiang Cheng kept charging her phone. She pulled a nightgown from the wardrobe and changed.
Her uniform went into the laundry basket. She brought in the dried clothes from the balcony. Mom would be late today, so dinner was on her.
Jiang Cheng didn’t know much—just tomato scrambled eggs and sweet and sour ribs, her specialties.
Blanch, pat dry, pan-fry once, then make a sugar glaze. Add the prepared sauce, then water to braise.
The aroma filled the air soon. Jiang Cheng turned on the range hood and opened the kitchen window for ventilation.
Old neighborhood apartments had outdated exhaust systems—smoke built up quickly.
She checked the time and started rinsing rice. She could stir-fry the eggs when Mom was almost home.
When Jiang Xiaoyue arrived, Jiang Cheng was just plating the ribs and eggs, holding two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
“Wow, smells amazing.”
With the new job, mother and daughter ate together much more. Jiang Cheng looked forward to dinner every day.
“Scoop less for Mom. I need to lose weight.”
“What weight do you need to lose?”
Jiang Cheng hadn’t heard her mom say that in ages. Jiang Xiaoyue hadn’t gained weight in years.
“At my age, I gain if I’m not careful. I sit in the office all day, sometimes work late at the computer. No time to exercise.”
Jiang Xiaoyue picked up a rib, then swapped it for a smaller one.
“Eating a little less or more won’t make a difference~”
Jiang Cheng couldn’t stand it and clipped another piece for her mom.
“Your cooking’s improved a lot…”
Jiang Xiaoyue realized it had been a while since she’d eaten Jiang Cheng’s food.
Her memory stuck on the fried rice—back when Jiang Cheng was still learning but insisted on cooking for her.
A bit salty, but Jiang Xiaoyue finished it all.
She turned to look at her daughter. Unknowingly, she had grown up in ways Jiang Xiaoyue hadn’t noticed… a mix of surprise and melancholy.
After their last heart-to-heart, she thought they had closed the distance. But now she realized she still didn’t understand her daughter enough. Or rather… she had overlooked too much before.
“Mom, Mom? Why are you staring at me?” Jiang Cheng had a piece of tomato in her mouth, words muffled.
“Just… Mom suddenly realized there’s so much about you I don’t know.”
Jiang Xiaoyue felt her words were odd, but she couldn’t find another way to express this subtle feeling.
*Love often feels like owing.*
She realized she still owed her daughter emotionally.
Every shining moment of her growth had been overshadowed by the invisible pressure Jiang Xiaoyue carried. Her neglect had become habitual for a time.
But how could that be? She didn’t want to miss any more important moments in her daughter’s life…
“Hasn’t there been a parent-teacher conference this semester?”
“One before I transferred.”
It was after midterms, but Jiang Xiaoyue had been buried in work. Jiang Cheng simply hadn’t mentioned it.
“Really? I don’t remember.” Jiang Xiaoyue chewed her rice, then thought of something.
Jiang Cheng quietly looked away. The table fell silent. Both set down their chopsticks simultaneously.
“Next semester… Mom will definitely make time.”
“You coming to school would make me nervous.” Jiang Cheng didn’t want her mom dwelling on this.
“What, did you do something bad at school that Mom doesn’t know about?”
Jiang Xiaoyue understood her daughter’s intent and sighed inwardly.
“How could I do anything bad… Even if you go, the teachers won’t pull you aside. I’m always first in exams. It doesn’t matter if you go or not~”
The girl’s smile was bright and proud. Deep down, she wanted her mom to see her excellence at school.
“Next semester, Mom will go! Even if I have to take leave.” Jiang Xiaoyue patted her daughter’s head.
“I know~ Oh, Mom, this Friday I’m watching a classmate’s performance. I’ll be home late.”
“Performance? Don’t you have classes?”
“Tickets from the principal. Said it’s to help us relax.”
Jiang Xiaoyue had heard a bit about Haide’s traditions.
“Good. You study so hard usually. You should unwind.”
“Oh? You’re not pushing me to study now?” Jiang Cheng’s big eyes blinked, full of mischief.
Jiang Xiaoyue poked her upturned nose, exasperated. “Is Mom wrong to urge you to study?”
“Hehe.” Jiang Cheng grinned foolishly.
Jiang Xiaoyue chuckled too. Mother and daughter had grown much closer lately. Jiang Xiaoyue clearly felt that after becoming a girl, her child’s personality had shifted.
At least with her, she was much livelier.
She didn’t know if this was good or bad, but for now, seeing Jiang Cheng like this made Jiang Xiaoyue happy.
*Grow up safe and sound, Mom’s treasure.*
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