In the last few days of May, students faced a fear second only to the college entrance examination:

Parent-Teacher Conference.

Because the final exams are coming soon and the next semester will be the senior year, mobilization for a parent-teacher meeting is imperative. The head teacher specifically explained that this parent-teacher meeting is very important and no one can be absent.

Parent-teacher meetings are usually held after school. Today it was cloudy with a little rain. By 6 o'clock in the evening, the sky was already dark enough that diluted ink could drip through it. The teaching buildings for the second and third grades were brightly lit, and the corridors were filled with people standing or walking.

The person who attended Zhou Sheng's parents' meeting today was Zhou's mother, Lin Yuyan. Although she was just over 40, she was the undisputed leader of the Zhou family. However, in stark contrast to her tough character, Lin Yuyan's appearance was completely gentle and pleasant, and she spoke to others in a gentle and soft manner. Only the men in the Zhou family had experienced the thunder and lightning behind the gentle and soft manner.

"Mom, here." Zhou Sheng waved at the school gate. Lin Yuyan, wearing a decent dress, walked slowly towards him.

The mother and son talked as they walked, and soon arrived at the classroom door.

The parent-teacher meeting was about to start in more than ten minutes. Some impatient parents came out of the classroom and went to the corridor to smoke. Lin Yuyan couldn't stand the smell of smoke, so she said hello to her son and went into the classroom first.

Zhou Sheng looked at his seat from afar and saw that it was still empty. His eyes then wandered around the corridor.

In addition to the students' parents, there were also many classmates who stayed behind to communicate with their parents. Zhou Sheng walked through the crowd and finally found Lin Sitian who was on the phone in a corner of the corridor.

"No, if my cousin couldn't come, why didn't he tell me earlier? I told the teacher that someone was coming to our house, but now no one is here and I can't go in by myself..." Lin Sitian held the phone and complained to the person on the other end of the line. She became more and more anxious as she spoke, frowning and looking away.

Zhou Sheng didn't come closer, but he didn't turn around and walk away either. He just looked at her from a distance across the crowd.

Perhaps realizing that she had lost her composure, Lin Sitian began to lower her voice, sniffing and speaking intermittently.

Zhou Sheng couldn't hear what was said after that.

But it was obvious that the only purpose of this phone call was to complain, because the parent-teacher meeting had already started before Lin Sitian hung up.

There were not many people left in the corridor, and the teaching building gradually became quiet. Only the voices of each class teacher could be heard from the classroom.

Lin Sitian hung up the phone and looked at the sky in a daze.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Zhou Sheng approaching her.

"Uncle can't come?" Zhou Sheng stood beside him and put his hands on the railing of the corridor.

"It's impossible for him to come back all the way for a parents' meeting," Lin Sitian said, looking at the courtyard in the night, "He asked my cousin for help, but my cousin had something urgent to do, and he couldn't find a replacement - the teacher will be angry, right?" It was grandma who came before, but she can't come this time.

"He knows your family's current situation. Don't think too much about it..." Zhou Sheng reached out and pinched the back of her hand to comfort her.

Lin Sitian looked up. It had started to drizzle outside. The cool raindrops fell from the sky and caressed her cheeks.

"Always alone," Lin Sitian pulled her lips apart, wanting to laugh but unable to, "I will be even more alone in the future."

Zhou Sheng looked at her profile, his eyes dimmed.

He could tell her "I'm here", but he also knew what she meant, there were some positions he couldn't take.

"My mother went to work in another place when I was three years old," Lin Sitian began to recall, her voice calm and emotionless. "She thought my father didn't make enough money, so she told me to work hard while I was young so that it would be easier to raise children when I had money. Then we could live together. My father believed her."

"He didn't even graduate from middle school, so there was only so much he could do. He couldn't follow my mom to find a job that would make money, so he had to stay at the construction site and work day and night. As far as I can remember, it was my grandmother who was with me almost all the time."

Zhou Sheng found that she was different at this moment than usual. He was used to Lin Sitian who was always casual and smiling, but at this moment she was so cold that she seemed unfamiliar to him.

Lin Sitian stretched her hand into the rain, "In the first two years, my mother was still able to speak, and she would come back to see me once a year—"

"Then gradually she stopped coming back and rarely even called me. When my dad called her, she said she was busy and hung up soon."

"My dad could only wait for her. When I was in junior high school, I finally met her. She came back and asked my dad for a divorce."

Lin Sitian's palms were wet and her fingertips were cold.

She shook her hands, shaking off the raindrops. "My dad asked why. What's the good reason? He was still waiting for my mom to change her mind after the divorce. I don't understand."

"I don't understand why that woman took so long to divorce my dad. I really don't understand."

"It's not that my dad doesn't love me, but if he loved me, he wouldn't be able to make money to support the family. This is the only thing I understand."

Zhou Sheng really wanted to hug her, but it was impossible now. He could only watch Lin Sitian's eyes become blurred in the night and her shoulders tremble as she spoke, but she did not cry, as if she had already gotten used to everything she had just told him.

"Lin Sitian..."

She turned her head and looked at him with a smile, "So Zhou Sheng, I'm really lacking in love, and people who are lacking in love will be very clingy."

"I don't mind," Zhou Sheng responded seriously, "I'd rather say I hope you stick to me."

In fact, in his impression, Lin Sitian was much stronger than she thought. Even if she did not receive enough love, she could still love others well and find ways to face setbacks. He felt that he was also the one who was infected by her optimism. After meeting her, he no longer buried himself in monotonous things, but also learned to look up at the world.

"It's easy to say now, but you'll get annoyed after a while." Lin Sitian pursed her lips and snorted, but her expression was not one of questioning, but more of a teasing.

"When have you ever seen me annoyed?" He sneered.

The two people stood side by side, looking at the rain, leaning against the railing and whispering.

The parent-teacher conference is over.

At the school gate, the endless stream of people gradually dispersed like the hem of a stretched skirt.

The voices from the podium in their class finally died down, and all they could hear was the sound of desks and chairs rubbing against the ground when people stood up.

"My mother is about to come out. Are you going to find Teacher Zhao?" Zhou Sheng asked.

Lin Sitian nodded, "Well, since my family members didn't come, I have to explain to him."

Before leaving, Zhou Sheng secretly held her hand and said, "I'll call you when I get home."

Lin Sitian chuckled and said, "You can still use your phone after the parents' meeting. A top student is a top student..."

"Zhou Sheng."

Lin Sitian looked in the direction of the voice and saw a beautiful woman with a gentle temperament waving at her from afar at the classroom door.

"I'm leaving." Zhou Sheng hurried forward.

Lin Sitian's eyes met Zhou Sheng's mother's for a brief moment. She nodded politely to the aunt, then walked into the classroom to find the head teacher.

After explaining everything clearly in the classroom, Lin Sitian unexpectedly ran into Zhou Sheng and his mother again.

Lin Yuyan was standing at the back door of the classroom while talking to Zhou Sheng. She caught a glimpse of Lin Sitian out of the corner of her eye and then turned her head to smile at her.

Lin Sitian was a little scared.

It’s not that Zhou’s mother’s smile is scary, she is really beautiful. Lin Sitian has never seen Zhou Sheng’s father, but she can tell at a glance that Zhou Sheng’s appearance is largely inherited from his mother, and beauty lies in the bones, not in the skin. Lin Sitian feels that Zhou Sheng’s mother has both form and spirit, and she is like a painting just standing there.

What she was afraid of was that Zhou's mother was obviously waiting for her at this moment. Could it be that she had discovered her relationship with Zhou Sheng?

No, no, maybe it’s just because she is Zhou Sheng’s desk mate, so she wanted to say hello.

Lin Sitian tried to make herself look more natural and walked in front of the two people.

"Hello, Auntie."

"Hello, Lin Sitian." Lin Yuyan smiled, "Thank you for taking care of our Zhou Sheng."

Lin Sitian was slightly surprised and quickly shook her head, "No, no, he is the one who takes care of me."

She glanced at Zhou Sheng in panic. What kind of ideas does this guy usually instill in his mother?

Zhou Sheng looked innocent.

"Even if he takes care of you, it was you who made him willing to take care of someone, right?"

Lin Sitian was stunned.

"Mom." Zhou Sheng reminded in an awkward whisper.

"I saw it all in the classroom just now," Lin Yuyan said softly, then turned to Lin Sitian and smiled brightly, "Auntie just has a small request - can you come to our house for a meal this week?"

Lin Sitian was so nervous that she almost forgot she could still speak, her heart was beating like a drum.

"Lin Sitian?" Lin Yuyan called her.

"I, I..." Lin Sitian was suddenly invited to Zhou Sheng's house for dinner. She didn't understand what was going on and looked at Zhou Sheng for help.

Zhou's mother didn't tell Zhou Sheng about this plan at first, so Zhou Sheng was a little surprised when he heard the news. But now seeing Lin Sitian's reaction, he smiled and replied to his mother: "She said OK."

…

…

So, this is this Saturday afternoon——

The reason why the betrayed Lin Sitian is standing downstairs of Zhou Sheng’s house at this moment.