Chapter 362 Attending the Parents' Meeting
Chenchen was stunned, his big eyes like black grapes widened.
Having grown up with his mother, he has long been accustomed to keeping all his worries in his heart, or only telling his mother.
Now someone suddenly told him that he could rely on him without any worries and that he could act like a spoiled child as a matter of course. This unfamiliar sense of security made him not know how to react for a moment.
The night wind gently lifted the curtains, and the moonlight cast mottled shadows on the floor.
Chenchen suddenly threw herself into Lu Yiran's arms, buried her little face in his shoulder, and hummed muffledly.
Lu Yiran felt the fabric on his chest gradually being soaked by the warm liquid. He tightened his arms and hugged the little person in his arms tighter.
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The afternoon sun shines through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office, casting mottled shadows on the dark brown solid wood floor.
Lu Yiran loosened his tie and checked the time on his phone for the third time - 1:15, forty-five minutes until Chenchen's parent-teacher meeting.
“Dongdongdong——”
"Come in."
There was a sudden knock on the door, and Lu Yiran said without raising his head, his voice low and magnetic.
General Manager Zhu Xiang pushed the door open and walked in, holding a thick stack of documents in his hand.
"Mr. Lu, this is the quarterly report that the marketing department just sent over. I need your review."
He placed the document gently on the large desk and added:
"There's a video conference with a German client in half an hour, and they specifically hope you can attend."
Lu Yiran rubbed his temples, and when he raised his eyes, a hint of imperceptible anxiety flashed in his deep eyes.
"You can handle the rest of the work yourself. I have to leave early today." His tone left no room for questioning.
Zhu Xiang was obviously stunned, and his eyes behind the lenses widened slightly.
Everyone in Dingyao Group knew that Lu Yiran was a true workaholic. He didn't expect that Lu Yiran would take the lead in leaving early today and even postpone such an important conference call. It was really a bit unexpected.
But his professionalism allowed him to quickly adjust his expression and respond respectfully:
"Okay, Mr. Lu."
Lu Yiran stood up quickly and decisively, his well-tailored suit outlining his tall and straight figure.
He took his coat off the coat rack, and the corners of his mouth raised in a rare arc, even the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye came alive.
"My son's school has a parent-teacher conference today, and he can't be late."
Zhu Xiang remained standing there until the office door closed, the shock on his face lingering for a long time.
When did CEO Lu have a child? And no one in the company knew about it? Even more incredible, this cold-faced boss, who prioritized work, would actually turn down a multi-million dollar partnership meeting for a parent-teacher conference...
Zhu Xiang came back to his senses at this moment, thinking back to the expression on Lu Yiran's face when he said this just now. He seriously suspected that Mr. Lu was not explaining to him just now, but more like... showing off...
Zhu Xiang was puzzled. Was he showing off that he had a son, or that he could attend parent-teacher meetings?
Although he doesn't have any children and can't attend parent-teacher conferences, he doesn't want to attend them at all, okay? No one cares.
Before, Zhu Xiang admired his own president very much. After all, he was still so young and had created his own business empire. However, when he really came into contact with Lu Yiran, he was disenchanted by him.
Holding a parent-teacher conference? Isn't that what women should do? Men should focus on their careers, and children should be left to women to take care of. I don't know how a man like Lu Yiran can make such a big business. Oh, he really is lucky.
Zhu Xiang complained in his heart, looked at the pile of documents on the table, sighed, picked up the pile of documents and left the president's office.
In the bathroom mirror, Lu Yiran carefully examined his image.
The dark blue suit paired with a light gray shirt is formal yet friendly.
He dipped his slender fingers in water and smoothed out a few unruly black hairs on his temples.
This man who is a big shot in the business world is now as nervous as a young boy on his first date.
This was his first time attending a parent-teacher conference as a father, and he absolutely could not embarrass Chenchen.
After confirming that his attire was flawless, Lu Yiran left the company with steady steps.
The sunlight filtered through the leaves of the sycamore tree, casting tiny spots of light on him. He followed the signs to the teaching building, the sound of children's laughter like silver bells filling his ears.
He subconsciously searched the playground for the familiar little figure, but found nothing.
More than a dozen parents have gathered outside the classroom for the senior class, all mothers chatting enthusiastically about parenting.
Lu Yiran's appearance was like a magnet, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
His tall and straight figure, angular profile, and elite aura emanating from him form a sharp contrast with his surroundings.
The mothers exchanged curious glances and whispered about the identity of this strange father.
"Parent, please sign in here."
A young teacher with a ponytail handed over the sign-in sheet and her eyes lingered on Lu Yiran for a few seconds.
This man in a well-tailored suit is completely different from the common image of parents in kindergartens. He exudes the calm aura unique to mature men, but reveals a rare hint of nervousness when he lowers his head to sign.
Lu Yiran took the pen and signed his name in a flamboyant manner.
When the tip of the pen moved to the column "Relationship with Young Children", his finger paused slightly.
The hands that were used to signing contracts worth tens of millions of yuan were now slightly hot from writing the two simple words "father".
The pen left deep ink marks on the paper, as if trying to confirm the authenticity of this identity.
In the classroom, colorful little chairs were neatly arranged in a semicircle.
Lu Yiran chose a seat by the window in the back row, and his long legs looked particularly cramped between the small chairs.
The mothers in the front row kept looking back, and their whispers floated gently in the air like dandelions in spring.
"Hello, parents. I am our homeroom teacher, Ms. Lin."
At the podium, a female teacher wearing round-frame glasses spoke with a smile.
Her eyes swept across the classroom and paused when she saw Lu Yiran. A hint of surprise flashed across her eyes behind the lenses, but she quickly returned to her professional smile.
"We are already halfway through this semester. Today we have invited all the parents to come here to share with you the growth of our children this semester..."
Teacher Lin was speaking while showing the PPT.
Photos of children's handicrafts flashed across the screen: crooked clay sculptures, colorful finger paintings, small animals collaged from leaves... Although none of them were labeled with names, Lu Yiran's eyes involuntarily searched each picture, trying to find Chenchen's work.
The half-hour teaching summary passed quickly, and the parents all showed relieved smiles on their faces.
Teacher Lin closed the lesson plan and took out an exquisite paper box from under the podium.
"Today's parents' meeting has a special part. This morning I asked the children to prepare a little surprise."
She held up a stack of colorful envelopes, and the sunlight filtered through the window, casting tiny spots of light on the envelopes.
"Each child wrote a letter to Mom and Dad using their favorite method—maybe a drawing, a handicraft, or even crooked handwriting. Now, please come up and receive your child's letter."
The mothers walked up to the podium politely, and soon found their children's envelopes amid laughter and joy.
Only Lu Yiran was still sitting in the same position, his slender fingers tapping his knees unconsciously.
His eyes were fixed on the dwindling number of envelopes on the podium, and his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.
Reason told him that he should go forward immediately, but his legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead. What if Chenchen didn't prepare his letter? This thought was like a tiny thorn, gently piercing his heart.
Teacher Lin noticed that this particular parent was slow to act.
She looked at the last light blue envelope in her hand. It was covered with little stars drawn on it with crayons, and "Mu Zichen" was neatly written in the middle.
She walked to the back row with the envelope, her high heels making soft clicks on the floor.
She handed the envelope to Lu Yiran and lowered her voice:
"Dad Zichen, this is specially prepared for you by little Zichen."
The moment he took the envelope in his hand, Lu Yiran felt a subtle electric current running from his fingertips to his heart.
The touch of the kraft paper was rough and warm, just like Chenchen's little face with a milky scent when he threw himself into his arms last night.
"Thanks."
His voice was a little deeper than usual, and his fingertips unconsciously stroked the edge of the envelope.
Teacher Lin nodded knowingly and turned back to the podium.
“Are there any parents willing to share a letter written by their child?”
She looked around the classroom with encouragement in her eyes.
Lu Yiran stared at the envelope in his hand in a daze. The teacher just said that this was specially prepared for him by Chenchen. Did he put a lot of thought into it?
Thinking of this, Lu Yiran carefully opened the envelope, fearing that he would damage the precious words inside.
His movements were incredibly gentle, as if he were disassembling a priceless work of art.
An unconscious smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he could even imagine Chenchen's cute face as he lay on the table and painted seriously.
The moment the letter was unfolded, the curve of his lips froze.
On the light blue cardboard, the crooked pencil words looked like a group of drunken ants:
[Read it for a while, otherwise the teacher will know I didn’t write it. And pretend to be touched (if the teacher asks you to read it, make it up yourself)]
Lu Yiran blinked, suspecting that he had seen it wrong.
He subconsciously turned the letter over. The back was clean, without even a graffiti.
"Dad Zichen, are you willing to share the letter your child wrote to you?"
Teacher Lin's gentle voice suddenly came from the front.
Lu Yiran looked up suddenly and found that the eyes of the entire classroom were focused on him.
Several mothers in the front row have turned around curiously, with anticipation glittering in their eyes.
His Adam's apple rolled up and down. The letter in his palm suddenly became scorching hot, as if he were holding a piece of red-hot charcoal.
"I......"
Mr. Lu, who always speaks eloquently in the board meeting, was speechless at this moment.
He lowered his head and looked at the line of "make it up yourself" prompt again, and suddenly felt angry and funny.
This clever little guy even thought of a way out for himself.
Seeing that he was silent, Teacher Lin smiled understandingly and said,
"It seems that little Zichen wrote something very touching. You seem so moved that you are speechless."
There was a sound of good-natured laughter in the classroom.
Lu Yiran lowered his eyelids, and his thick eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes. He really looked like he was calming down.
In fact, he was frantically thinking about how to "make it up".
Lu Yiran's slender fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the letter paper, and his brain was working frantically at the speed of processing a tens of millions-level project.
He suddenly remembered what he said last night when he was squatting in front of Chenchen.
[No matter what happens in the future, you can tell me directly. I'm your father, don't be embarrassed.]
Now he just wanted to go back and cover his mouth.
What is this? Karma?
He is the president of Dingsheng Group and is invincible in the business world, but now he is forced into a dilemma because of a small note from his five-year-old son.
Chenchen is truly his good son, and he perfectly interprets the word "you're welcome".
Is it possible that he was just being polite, but who knew Chenchen was really being rude!
He came to help him attend the parent-teacher conference, and this is how he treats him, right?
Okay, okay, Chenchen is really great. Let’s see how he settles the score with him when he gets back!
"Chenchen was talking about an embarrassing childhood experience that he didn't want others to know..."
Lu Yiran spoke with a brave face, his voice a little lower than usual.
He deliberately avoided Teacher Lin's gaze and pretended to adjust his cuffs. This small action used to exert pressure at the negotiation table now became a life-saving straw to cover up the embarrassment.
The classroom was suddenly filled with good-natured laughter.
Teacher Lin pushed his glasses up, and a glint of understanding flashed in his eyes behind the lenses:
"Kids nowadays are very private, so it's normal for them not to want others to know about them."
She cleverly changed the subject, but Lu Yiran still caught the meaningful smile on the corner of her mouth.
During the following sharing session, Lu Yiran didn't hear a single word.
He stared at the sunflower painting on the wall, his knuckles tapping against his knees.
He has experienced countless business negotiations and board meetings over the years, but he has never felt as uncomfortable as he does today.
The small bench seemed to have grown thorns, forcing him to adjust his sitting position frequently.
"The parent-teacher conference is over. The children are all in the art room next door. Parents can pick up their children and leave on their own..."
Before Teacher Lin finished speaking, Lu Yiran was the first to stand up.
His height of 188cm stood out among the low children's tables and chairs. When he stood up, he accidentally bumped into the table, making a "bang" sound.
Amid the mothers' kind laughter, he walked quickly to the door with his ears burning.
In the corridor, Lu Yiran loosened his tie and took a deep breath.
Lu Yiran adjusted his mood and went directly to the classroom next door. He wanted to see what that heartless boy was doing now. Was he hiding in the corner guiltily, or continuing to paint heartlessly?
When you push open the door of the painting room, you are greeted by the sweet scent of crayons and the cheerful laughter of children.
Lu Yiran's eyes swept across the classroom like a radar, and quickly locked onto the small figure by the window.
Chenchen was sitting on a chair, concentrating on drawing something and didn't notice Lu Yiran's arrival at all.
Lu Yiran walked closer with light steps and saw two little people drawn crookedly on the drawing paper.
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