Chapter 3 The Young Man Who Lost His Partner
With only two blank spaces left on the registration form, Wen Zhi sighed resignedly to herself, picked up her pen again, and wrote her name and phone number in the "Father Information" column.
After checking the registration form one last time and confirming that everything was correct, I handed it to the person inside the front desk.
For some reason, after the other person took the registration form, their gaze lingered on a certain spot for a moment, making him almost think that he had filled in the wrong information.
"No problem." Song Juelan calmly put down the registration form, held it down with his phone, and spent a few seconds figuring out the functions of the cash register at the front desk. He pressed a few buttons and asked, "How do I pay?"
"WeChat." Wen Zhi took out her phone from her pocket, quickly paid, glanced at the number on her phone, and muttered in surprise, "So cheap."
Upon hearing this, Song Juelan looked down at the cash register again and realized that she had been distracted and accidentally pressed the discount button twice.
His gaze lingered on the unusually low number for a moment, then he calmly raised his head: "There are special offers for the first day of opening."
Consider the extra money as payment from Zhu Zhenghao for asking him to help.
Hearing him say that, Wen Zhi's beautiful eyes curved slightly, her long eyelashes fluttered gently, and her tone was filled with a little excitement: "I knew it, it's good that I came today."
Song Juelan's gaze swept over the other person's thick, brush-like eyelashes, her fingertips twitched slightly, and she abruptly looked away.
The mistake he made earlier hadn't made him feel guilty at all, but now he inexplicably dared not look at that overly beautiful face anymore.
"When do classes start?" Wen Zhi leaned closer to the front desk and asked.
As he moved, a very faint fragrance wafted to his nose, almost imperceptible.
Song Juelan paused for a moment, looked down at the registration form, but couldn't find the class time on it.
He suddenly regretted not asking a single question while Zhu Zhenghao was giving a long and detailed introduction to the course.
Just then, the employee who was in charge of the front desk returned from the restroom and was somewhat surprised to see someone at the front desk: "Brother Song, what are you doing here? Weren't you about to go back?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhi realized that Song Juelan was about to leave work, but she had dragged him to work overtime again.
Maybe they don't show any expression on their face, but they've already cursed themselves countless times in their heart.
"I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time." He quickly straightened up and smiled apologetically. "You should go home now, no need to trouble you any further."
Song Juelan's lips moved almost imperceptibly, but she did not speak.
The receptionist noticed there were still customers there and, without waiting for anything else, quickly greeted them: "Hello, how can I help you?"
Wen Zhi took two steps to the side and leaned closer to the employee: "I'd like to ask when the basic preschool class starts?"
The receptionist noticed the registration form on the counter, picked it up and glanced at the information on it, her expression subtly changing.
The person in front of me looks like a young student, yet he's already a father.
However, these days, there are many people who become parents at a young age, so it's not surprising that this customer, with her outstanding appearance, has a rich romantic history.
He composed himself and gave Wen Zhi a polite smile: "You are the student's father, right? Our basic class has classes at various times. You can add Coach Wang on WeChat first and then discuss the class schedule."
Upon hearing the first sentence, Wen Zhi was stunned, her mouth slightly agape, and she remained silent for a long while.
Does he... look that old?
The receptionist found that after she finished speaking, the entire reception area fell silent.
Not only the beautiful customer, but even Song Juelan, who hadn't left yet, pursed his lips, looking rather unhappy.
His mind raced for a moment before he suddenly realized what was happening.
Could this customer be one that Song Juelan brought in himself?
Then what he just said, wasn't he introducing Song Juelan's customers to others?
Unexpectedly, she offended someone on her first day at work. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She quickly added, "Of course, I was just suggesting. You can also try contacting Coach Song..."
Wen Zhi's attention was drawn to this sentence. She suddenly looked at the silent man beside her and blinked: "Really? Is that okay?"
He thought this person was so capable that it was impossible for him to teach children in the basic class.
Although he doesn't care which coach he chooses, it would be better to choose the most handsome coach.
Song Juelan stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment before nodding very slowly.
"Then I'll add you, okay?" Wen Zhi smiled and waved her phone at him, showing him the WeChat friend-adding interface.
Song Juelan tightened his grip on the phone, turned it on, swiped a few times before finding WeChat, and awkwardly handed it over.
Wen Zhi lowered her head slightly, and a few strands of soft black hair fell to her temples.
He tapped a few times on his phone intently, his brows furrowing slightly with focus, and his soft, full lips pursed, revealing a slightly adorable expression.
From this angle, his cheeks appear soft and youthful, not at all like someone who has become a father.
By the time Song Juelan realized he was staring at Wen Zhi, Wen Zhi had already added him as a friend, looked up at him and smiled, "Okay."
Song Juelan calmly withdrew his gaze. As he took the phone, his fingertips accidentally brushed against the other person's soft fingertips, causing him to recoil as if he had been electrocuted.
After resolving the registration issue, Wen Zhi prepared to leave.
He said goodbye to the two people at the front desk, took Xiaotang's hand, who was waiting patiently beside him, and walked outside.
Before he even reached the door, he noticed a very strong shadow looming beside him, almost enveloping him, and moving with his every step.
Wen Zhi turned her head and first saw the other person's broad shoulders. Then, she tilted her head back and saw Song Juelan's expressionless face.
I didn't notice anything when we were at a distance while we were doing this, but now that we're closer, I realize how much of a difference in their heights there is.
Wen Zhi subtly pursed her lips.
He's so tall.
He wasn't short in the crowd, but compared to Song Juelan, he was nothing.
Useless competitive spirit surfaced at this moment, and Wen Zhi glanced at the person next to her out of the corner of her eye.
This person also looks very young; he's probably a college student like him.
Maybe it's just a difference in the timing of development. Some people grow taller in high school and then stop, while others grow a little more after going to college. He belongs to the latter group.
As for Song Juelan, he definitely belongs to the former category. He's not a high school student anymore, so how could he possibly rise any higher?
Although it was a bit of a double standard, thinking about it this way, Wen Zhi finally felt better.
The other person seemed not to have seen her at all, and Wen Zhi pretended not to see them either, walking straight out of the swimming pool.
The glass door slowly closed behind him. Song Juelan stopped and watched the young man's slender figure leading the child away.
The image of Wen Zhi's forlorn and vulnerable expression as she filled out the registration form flashed through my mind again.
Losing a partner and having to raise such a young child alone must be very difficult.
I don't know if there's anyone else in the family.
Or perhaps... it's just the father and son relying on each other for survival.
It wasn't until the two figures, one tall and one short, disappeared at the end of the road that Song Juelan came to her senses and realized that she had once again wasted time on irrelevant matters.
*
As soon as Wenzhi opened the door, she smelled the aroma of food. She rushed to the dining table and saw that the crab stew and braised prawns were steaming hot.
The cook timed her return perfectly, preparing a table full of dishes before leaving.
He went back to his room to take a shower as usual, and then sat down at the dining table with Xiaotang.
Putting everything else aside, the cook my parents hired was quite skilled; the two of them, one big and one small, devoured the entire table of food.
After dinner, Wenzhi played with Xiaotang's toys for a while.
Those toys were a bit too childish for Xiaotang, but just right for him. Xiaotang earnestly taught him how to play with the toys, and the two of them had a great time.
When it was time for bed, Wenzhi covered Xiaotang with a blanket, picked up the storybook from the bedside table, and continued telling the story she hadn't finished the night before.
Xiao Tang held Wen Zhi's finger, listened to his clear and melodious voice, looked at his fair and soft cheeks, and smelled his fragrant scent. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted into a sweet dream.
Wen Zhi's voice grew softer and softer until it disappeared completely. He gently closed the storybook, tiptoed out of the children's room, and returned to his own room.
The computer screen, which was lit up, kept ringing with a series of notifications popping up in the lower right corner.
He pulled out his gaming chair, sat down, opened the message box, and started typing rapidly.
Wen Zhi: [Coming, coming, logging in now]
Ding Mingjun: [Your child is going to bed so late tonight?]
Wen Zhi selectively ignored this sentence, started the game, and was immediately added to a team as soon as she logged in.
All three of my roommates were in the team, and there was also someone from the next dorm who started the game as soon as he entered.
Ding Mingjun's voice came first: "I've been waiting for you for ages."
Wen Zhi turned on the microphone and said lazily, "I already told you, I'm very busy."
A clear, languid voice came through the headphones, sending a shiver of pleasure through the listener.
Ding Mingjun took off his headphones, rubbed his ears, and then put them back on.
It's only because Wen Zhi isn't interested in dating that her voice could charm so many people even in an online relationship.
He Jin chuckled and said, "Aren't you planning to find someone to help you take care of the child? It's not easy for you two widows and orphans."
Wen Zhi's roommates kept teasing him about becoming a stay-at-home dad, but he pretended not to hear and focused on adjusting his equipment in the game.
His gaming skills are actually not very good. He always just follows his roommates around and does nothing. Whether he wins or not depends entirely on how good his opponent is.
This time he also chose a support role, planning to play a few games and then go to sleep.
The group chatted casually in the game's voice chat for a while, talking about their summer vacation. Somehow, the topic returned to Wen Zhi.
"Xiaozhi, did you see the video I sent you? That handsome guy is from our school, isn't he good-looking?"
All three roommates are straight men, but because Wen Zhi is a looks-obsessed person in the dorm, they will forward any videos of handsome men they come across to Wen Zhi.
Wen Zhi paused on the keyboard, her fingers still on the keyboard, and she had no recollection of the video her roommate had mentioned.
He's been busy taking care of the kids lately, so he hasn't had time to watch any videos.
Speaking of this, a face flashed through his mind—the person he had seen at the swimming pool earlier that day.
Wen Zhi said nonchalantly, "That's nothing, it's definitely not as good-looking as what I met today."
He Jin immediately perked up his ears: "Oh? A romantic encounter?"
"What romantic encounter? He's my brother's swimming coach..."
Before he could finish speaking, a figure flashed in front of him in the game, quickly emptying his health bar, and the screen went gray.
"Damn, so arrogant!" Ding Mingjun burst out of the bushes, looking menacing. "I'll avenge you!"
A few seconds later, another person was lying on the ground.
As expected, they lost the game. Unconvinced, they played a few more, but lost badly each time.
He Jin almost slammed his keyboard down: "Hey, this is weird, what's going on today?"
Another roommate, Tang Xiaoquan, made a clicking sound from his microphone. After a while, he told them, "These accounts are all newer than the last; they must be high school students who were just released from prison."
Ding Junming breathed a sigh of relief: "So that's how it is. I thought my skills had deteriorated."
Losing to a high school student is perfectly normal; who can beat a high school student who is energetic and quick-witted?
After losing several games in a row, none of them were interested in continuing to play. They claimed they "wouldn't play with little kids" and logged off.
Wen Zhi wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction as she looked at her rank on the screen, which had dropped again, and then shut down her computer.
After a long day, I lay down in bed but couldn't fall asleep no matter how much I tossed and turned.
He took his phone out from under his pillow, opened WeChat, and unconsciously scrolled through the friends he had added that day.
When I opened the chat window, it was completely empty except for the notes sent by the other party.
[Song Juelan]
Wen Zhi stared at the three words for a while, then moved her fingertip to the top of the profile picture, hesitated for a moment, and clicked on it.
The homepage is completely empty except for the WeChat ID and region displayed by default.
Unexpectedly, this person, like him, doesn't like posting on WeChat Moments.
Wen Zhi regretfully logged out, proceeding cautiously with each step, afraid of accidentally tapping the profile picture twice, and then patted the other person on the shoulder.
Sneaking a peek at my brother's coach's WeChat Moments late at night seems a bit strange no matter how you explain it.
His finger cautiously reached for the back button in the upper left corner, just about to exit the chat interface—
My phone suddenly vibrated without warning.
A line of small gray text popped up in the chat interface.
His heart skipped a beat, his pupils dilated, and just as he was about to immediately click "recall," he suddenly saw the contents of the small print.
[Song Juelan patted you on the shoulder]
Um?
Wen Zhi paused for a moment, blinked as if she hadn't quite grasped the situation, and leaned closer to the screen.
The next second, the small print was quickly retracted.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Red envelopes will be given away in the comments section of this chapter. Thank you for your support ovo
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
