The next morning, the little guy showed signs of catching a cold; I wonder if he kicked off the covers during the night.
Ling Ruoke took the morning off to stay home with him, but she couldn't miss the parent-teacher meeting in the afternoon, so she had to ask Peishi to help her take care of him.
Before even entering the classroom, Ling Ruoke saw a dark figure sitting upright in his seat. After a moment's thought, Ling Ruoke understood. This must be Zhuang Yuqi's father.
Ling Ruoke stopped on the stage and glanced at the man casually. She saw that the man had his head slightly lowered, holding a notebook and a pen in his hand, and was looking at it intently.
The man looked up, met her gaze, and nodded politely.
Isn't this provincial party secretary too young?
Ling Ruoke smiled slightly and began the meeting. Overall, the students in her class had pretty good academic performance, so her main focus was on praising the students who excelled academically, while glossing over the mischievous ones.
The one-hour parent-teacher meeting passed quickly, with Ling Ruoke surrounded by parents asking all sorts of questions.
After finally seeing off all the parents, Ling Ruoke breathed a sigh of relief. Looking up, she was surprised to see the gentleman still sitting in his seat.
He stood up and walked towards the podium. Standing at over 1.8 meters tall, he was at eye level with Ling Ruoke, who was standing on the podium.
Faced with such an imposing man, Ling Ruoke tried her best to remain calm and said, "Hello, Mr. Zhuang."
The man smiled politely. "Teacher, you just mentioned Zhuang Yuqi's name, so I'd like to talk to you about Zhuang Yuqi's education."
"I see," Ling Ruoke nodded. She thought to herself, "Finally, I'm starting to understand." But wasn't this father a bit too serious? His face was already serious, and now he was keeping a blank expression—it was going to scare the child!
The man tilted his head slightly, looked towards the door, and said in a deep voice, "Zhuang Yuqi, come in."
A moment later, a little boy with a schoolbag was seen peering into the doorway, peeking through the door frame. "Sir, you wanted to see me?"
The man raised an eyebrow and shouted a series of commands: "Attention! At ease! Forward!"
The little boy did as he was told, and as soon as he stood still, a smile spread across his face. Clearly, he was very happy today. His father had finally come to the parent-teacher conference!
The man patted the little girl's head, then looked at her and asked, "Teacher Ling, how has Zhuang Yuqi been doing at school lately?"
Ling Ruoke glanced at the two of them. The older one had a calm expression and seemed very patient. The younger one looked at her, his large black eyes showing a hint of worry.
Ling Ruoke smiled. "Yes, Zhuang Yuqi does need some discipline, but overall his performance is quite good."
The man nodded, understanding. "Okay, thank you, teacher."
The man politely said goodbye and was about to leave with Zhuang Yuqi in his hand. But Zhuang Yuqi grabbed her teacher's hand and looked up at her with her little face. "Teacher, let's go together."
Ling Ruoke had already brought her bag, and not wanting to refuse the child, she smiled and nodded.
With Dad on the left, Teacher Ling on the right, and little Zhuang Yuqi walking in the middle, he was overjoyed. It looked as if his parents were with him.
"Yuqi has been mischievous since he was a child, and he must have caused his teacher a lot of trouble," the man said casually.
Ling Ruoke smiled slightly. "Little Zhuang Yuqi is a bit mischievous, but he is very smart and likable."
Before she could finish speaking, the child grabbed her hand, looked up at her, and gave her a big smile.
The man watched their interaction, a strange emotion flashing across his eyes. "I'm busy with work and rarely home, so I haven't been able to properly discipline my son. I'll have to trouble the teacher a lot."
Ling Ruoke smiled. People in important positions often have many things beyond their control. He sent Zhuang Yuqi to an ordinary school instead of one of those elite schools, which shows that this father cares about his child very much.
“I understand. But I still hope Mr. Zhuang can spend more time with the children. Children grow up very quickly. Perhaps by the time you have time, they will have grown up and no longer need their parents' company. At that time, no matter how much time, power, or money you have, I'm afraid you can't buy back a happy childhood for your children. We have all longed for our parents' company and attention, so we should be able to understand the children's feelings, right?”
The man was visibly startled, but quickly regained his composure. "Thank you for the reminder, teacher."
When they arrived at the school gate, Zhuang Yuqi asked her where she lived and insisted on getting into the car with her.
The man looked at her and nodded. "Since we're going the same way, teacher, there's no need to be so polite."
Finally, Ling Ruoke got into their car.
Little Zhuang Yuqi was still sitting in the middle, holding his father's hand on one side and Ruoke's hand on the other.
When Ling Ruoke noticed, she paused for a moment. It looked like a couple with a child sitting between them—it was too intimate. She tried to pull her hand away, but little Zhuang Yuqi wouldn't let go. She could only awkwardly look out the window; thankfully, the journey wasn't far.
Watching the child wave vigorously, Ling Ruoke couldn't help but smile. Children are so easily satisfied!
Thinking about it, I ran back quickly to see the little one at home.
No one noticed that someone in the shadows was taking pictures of everything. Then they vanished without a trace, leaving behind an air of mystery.
...
"Do you really like that teacher?" Zhuang Yicheng patted his son's head and asked.
Zhuang Yuqi immediately beamed with joy, leaving Zhuang Yicheng stunned. His son, though young, was incredibly clever and rarely laughed so heartily.
"Teacher Ling is very gentle, like a mother." The child looked a little sad when the word "mother" was mentioned.
"Weren't the teachers gentle before?" Stroking his son's head, Zhuang Yicheng was slightly lost in thought. Although he rarely talked about his mother, what child doesn't yearn for maternal love? But where could he find a suitable mother for his child?
Zhuang Yuqi pouted and exclaimed, "That's different!"
Zhuang Yicheng remained silent. The teacher seemed like a very gentle person, someone you could like at first glance. He knew his son was more than just a little mischievous, but she didn't criticize him much; instead, she said he was smart and likable. No wonder the little guy liked her so much; this was the first time he had directly said he liked his teacher.
"Commander, is Mom as gentle as Teacher Ling?" Little Zhuang Yuqi tugged at his clothes, staring with his big, dark eyes as he asked.
Zhuang Yicheng looked at his hopeful expression, unsure how to respond, and simply hummed in response. He could remember very little about that woman anymore.
Zhuang Yuqi let out a soft "oh," then lowered his head and tugged at the hem of his clothes. After a while, he looked up and secretly glanced at Chief Zhuang, appearing as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Zhuang Yicheng ruffled his hair and smiled slightly. "What's wrong?"
After a brief silence, the child, with a determined look on his face, asked, "Sir, can I ask Teacher Ling to be my mom?"
"Cough cough cough..."
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