Chapter 21 021 "I'll come pick you up then."
Meng Ran: "Thank you."
She thanked them, and neither of them spoke again.
In the quiet atmosphere, Meng Ran couldn't help but let her mind wander.
She wasn't wearing the bracelet when she went to read picture books to Chen Miaoying last night, but she put it on when she went out today.
Chen Sulin has always been very observant. Could he overthink things and think she was hinting at something?
After hesitating for a moment and taking another sip of lemonade, Meng Ran explained, "Last night after I took a shower, I wanted to see if I could wear this bracelet by myself, and I didn't expect it to work on the first try."
As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately felt that she had been too deliberate, as if she had made up an excuse on purpose, and that it would have been better not to say anything at all.
Meng Ran felt frustrated: she had acted too petty in front of Chen Sulin, something she never usually did.
It must have been that kiss yesterday, and the man's sudden suggestion to "treat each other like husband and wife," that made her feel so awkward and self-conscious in his presence.
Meng Ran silently put a small piece of cake into her mouth.
Chen Sulin: "If you like it, wear it. You don't have to keep thinking about taking it off."
Meng Ran hummed in agreement.
She verbally agreed, but in her heart she didn't agree with the man's words.
Although Meng Ran had little contact with luxury goods before, she knew that the high price of these big-name jewelry items was mostly due to the brand value and design, and the quality was not necessarily that good.
This bracelet is made of 18K gold. Wearing it while showering frequently will definitely accelerate oxidation and fading.
Thinking this, she heard the man opposite her say again, "If you like this kind of jewelry, I'll help you pick out more next time."
Meng Ran looked up and met Chen Sulin's gaze, and suddenly felt like laughing.
Chen Sulin raised an eyebrow: "What?"
Meng Ran suppressed a laugh and shook her head: "It's nothing."
I just felt that this person sounded like someone who wholesales jewelry.
But thinking about it carefully, a bracelet at this price point might be like a small trinket sold at a street stall for an ordinary person to Chen Sulin.
So what Chen Sulin just said might be similar to "If you like strawberries, buy more next time".
This little incident finally eased Meng Ran's tension, and she ate the remaining half of the cake.
"I'm all better," Meng Ran said. "Let's go."
Chen Sulin was driving; there were only the two of them in the car.
As she sat down in the passenger seat, Meng Ran thought that this was probably the most relaxed and pleasant atmosphere between her and Chen Sulin since she had ever ridden in his car.
It's really not easy.
Meng Ran even had the leisure to pull down the vanity mirror above the passenger seat to check her makeup.
She wore light makeup when she went out today. She was out all day, and her makeup was still pretty good, but her nose was a little oily.
After thinking for a moment, Meng Ran took out a cushion compact from her bag: it was the brand that Jiang Yuqing had strongly recommended she buy when they went shopping at the mall last time.
She took out a powder puff, patted it on her nose a few times in front of the mirror, and then turned on her lipstick to touch up her lip makeup.
After finishing her makeup, Meng Ran realized that a gaze was fixed on her face.
She looked up and found that the light in front of her was red.
That gaze, of course, came from the other person in the car.
Meng Ran: "..."
"I was in such a rush when I picked up Chen Miaoying yesterday that I didn't even have time to say hello to the teacher and other parents," she said.
Appearing with Chen Sulin again today made her feel a bit more burdened than yesterday.
As she spoke, Meng Ran tried to raise the corners of her mouth as naturally as possible: "How do I look? Not bad, right?"
She now feels that Chen Sulin's words really had some kind of psychological effect, and she is almost brainwashing herself into believing that she and Chen Sulin are just an ordinary couple.
“It looks great,” Chen Sulin replied succinctly.
Perhaps sensing her unease, he added, "Don't worry, if we run into people who know us, they'll be the ones who's nervous."
Meng Ran: "...Hmm."
She was surprisingly convinced by those words, because putting herself in Chen Sulin's shoes, dealing with him was indeed much more difficult than dealing with anyone else.
After arriving at the kindergarten gate and parking the car, the two got out together.
They arrived early today; Chen Miaoying's classmates hadn't come out yet.
A couple recognized Chen Sulin and walked towards them.
The man spoke first: "Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen? What a coincidence today."
Seeing that Chen Sulin did not refute, the man first politely praised Meng Ran a few times, and then couldn't wait to start chatting with Chen Sulin.
The man appeared to be in his early forties and seemed to be hoping for a business collaboration with Chen Sulin, his words subtly ingratiating towards Chen Sulin.
As for the man's wife, Meng Ran guessed that she was about the same age as herself, at most under thirty.
So the couple in front of us can be considered an older man and a younger woman.
After the man started talking to Chen Sulin, his wife naturally started chatting with Meng Ran as well.
"Mrs. Chen, I've heard you're incredibly beautiful and have such a great temperament. Seeing you today, I can confirm it's true!" The woman smiled brightly. "Oh, is this bracelet a new model from F brand? I tried it on when I was shopping the other day, but unfortunately my skin isn't as fair as yours, so it didn't bring out its luster, and I didn't dare to buy it in the end."
Meng Ran smiled and responded in the same way.
After chatting for a while, Meng Ran realized that what Chen Sulin said in the car was indeed true.
She didn't need to be nervous at all, nor did she need to worry about awkward silences, because the person opposite her would proactively deliver the conversation at just the right time, and would never overstep any boundaries.
Meng Ran couldn't believe that someone who had disappeared for five years and then reappeared wouldn't be filled with curiosity upon seeing her, but the woman acted incredibly naturally, as if they were just old acquaintances who hadn't seen each other for a few days.
After chatting for a while, Meng Ran finally saw Chen Miaoying's classmates coming out from afar.
Meng Ran subconsciously turned around and glanced at Chen Sulin first.
Chen Sulin was also looking over. He nodded to the man next to him and then walked towards her.
Meanwhile, Chen Miaoying is also looking for her father.
Every day before she goes to school, her father would tell her in advance whether he would have time to pick her up after school.
Chen Miaoying actually loves going to kindergarten because she has many friends in her class and the teachers treat her very well.
But on days when her father comes to visit her, she especially looks forward to the end of school.
Today, after looking around, Chen Miaoying first saw her father's tall figure, and then saw her mother next to him.
Chen Miaoying's eyes widened in surprise, and she rubbed them in disbelief:
It's Mom and Dad who came together!
Chen Miaoying was so excited that she was about to rush out.
The teacher next to her quickly pulled Chen Miaoying back from her impulsive act: "Miaoying, you can't run off alone without waiting for the teacher today!"
Their private kindergarten caters to wealthy people, and the safety of the children is their top priority.
In principle, every day after school, each child should be taken to the pick-up and drop-off area by the teacher, and the child can only leave after the teacher has verified the identity of the person picking them up.
Yesterday, Chen Miaoying ran off to find her mother without waiting for the teacher. It was the Chen family's driver who helped the teacher complete the necessary procedures.
Stopped by the teacher, Chen Miaoying stamped her feet anxiously: "Teacher Song, let's hurry up and go, don't keep my mom and dad waiting!"
Teacher Song smiled and agreed, "I know, I know."
No wonder the little girl was in such a hurry today; it turns out her parents came to pick her up together.
Ms. Song was responsible for picking up and dropping off Chen Miaoying throughout the year. Chen Miaoying's father would usually appear about twice a week, but her mother never came.
Starting last week, Chen Miaoying's father began to appear more often, and now Chen Miaoying's mother has also come to pick up the child.
Teacher Song was genuinely happy for Chen Miaoying: she had always felt that it was such a pity that such a lively and lovely child like Chen Miaoying didn't have her mother's company.
Chen Miaoying followed her teacher to the pick-up and drop-off area. The moment the teacher let go, she rushed into her mother's arms like an arrow.
Teacher Song stood still, smiled, and nodded to Chen Miaoying's mother.
...
"Mom!" Chen Miaoying clung to Meng Ran. "Why did you come with Dad today? You didn't even tell me beforehand!"
Meng Ran: "Because Mom knows that Yingying loves surprises the most, right?"
Chen Miaoying giggled: "Yes!"
After spending some time cuddling with her parents, Chen Miaoying climbed into the car's back seat.
Meng Ran sat in the back row with Chen Miaoying: Whenever Chen Miaoying was around, she could rightfully treat Chen Sulin as her driver.
As soon as she got on the bus today, Chen Miaoying mysteriously started to take something out of her bag.
Meng Ran patiently waited for the little girl to rummage through her schoolbag for a long time before finally taking out a drawing with slightly wrinkled edges.
"Ta-da!" Chen Miaoying held up the paper in front of her mother while listening to background music.
Meng Ran exclaimed "Wow!" in agreement and took it, asking, "Did you draw this, baby?"
Chan Miu-ying: "Yes!"
Then she winked mysteriously and asked, "Mommy, guess what I drew?"
Meng Ran didn't give a perfunctory answer; she carefully examined the colored pencil drawing in front of her.
Chen Miaoying drew a castle, with a color scheme of highly saturated warm yellow and sky blue. The appearance is somewhat like the castle blocks that Meng Ran and Chen Miaoying built together on the weekend.
The castle has several floors, each with colorful doors of various shapes. The roof at the very top is pointed, with a small flag with a cat's paw drawn on it.
Several cats were drawn in the lower left and lower right corners of the paper, one of which was colored with black ink to create black and white patterns.
Meng Ran felt like she had guessed what Chen Miaoying had drawn.
Looking up, she saw the little girl gazing at her expectantly.
Meng Ran deliberately kept everyone in suspense, drawing out the syllables: "Let Mom guess, this kitten looks kind of familiar—"
She pointed to the cow-and-cow cat in the bottom right corner: "Isn't that Anna?"
Chen Miaoying's eyes lit up instantly: "Yes!"
Meng Ran: "So this castle is where Anna lives?"
“Yes!” Chen Miaoying affirmed, “This is the cat castle I designed for Anna! Anna lives in this big castle, and she usually invites her friends to come and play in her castle!”
Then she pointed to the other cats: "These are Anna's friends!"
"Mom, you're so smart!" Chen Miaoying praised without reservation. "When I show my drawings to Dad, he can never figure out what they are!"
Meng Ran couldn't help but chuckle, recalling Chen Sulin's bewildered expression when faced with his daughter's masterpiece.
It's hard to imagine that Chen Sulin would have a situation where he couldn't handle something and was disliked by his daughter.
Chen Miaoying couldn't resist showing off to her dad: "Dad, did you hear that? Mom recognized what I drew right away!"
The man in the driver's seat grunted in response.
Chen Miaoying persistently added insult to injury: "So why can't you understand my paintings, Dad!"
Chen Sulin's voice was gentle: "Because Dad isn't as smart as Mom."
Chen Miaoying: "Then Dad, you should eat more fish and try to become as smart as Mom!"
Chen Sulin: "Okay, Dad will try his best."
Meng Ran's lips never left her mouth as she listened.
Fortunately, there's a lively character like Chen Miaoying around, otherwise she would never have been able to appreciate Chen Sulin's obedient demeanor.
Chen Miaoying generously gave the "Cat Castle" painting to her mother, and Meng Ran also said that she would definitely treasure it.
Besides showcasing her work, Chan Miu-ying has another important task today.
"Mom," Chen Miaoying asked, "Do you have time this Sunday?"
Meng Ran: "Hmm? What's wrong?"
Chan Miu-ying: "Sunday is Chu Ho-yin's birthday. He's having a birthday party at home and invited me to attend."
Meng Ran felt that the name "Zhu Haoran" sounded familiar. After thinking about it, she realized that he was a good friend from kindergarten that Chen Miaoying had mentioned.
"Dad said he has work that day and can't come with me," Chen Miaoying said. "Mom, can you come with me?"
Chen Sulin, in the driver's seat, added, "Zhu Haoran's family also lives in the villa area."
Meng Ran hesitated for a moment, then agreed, "Okay."
She has plenty of free time these days, and her hesitation stems from uncertainty about whether she can integrate into the social circle of so-called "parents of elite kindergartens."
But then I thought, since I've already decided to find something to do and make money in the future, I can't avoid even the most basic social interactions now.
If you don't practice your interpersonal skills, they will also deteriorate.
Upon hearing this, Chen Miaoying cheered, "Yay! Zhu Haoran's mom can make lots of delicious cookies, Mom, you'll definitely love them!"
Meng Ran hummed in agreement and asked, "Sweetie, do you know when the birthday party starts and ends?"
Chen Miaoying blinked. Zhu Haoran seemed to have mentioned it, but she had forgotten.
Chen Sulin, who was ahead of her, answered for her: "It starts in the afternoon and ends around 7:30 pm. I'll pick you up then."
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