Mom Gets Shy Too

After school, Ji Yun still gave him the cold shoulder, and he couldn't force her to walk home with him.

With no other choice, he asked Zhuo Yan to take good care of her, then took the bus back home to rest for a while.

Once home, he picked up his phone, only to remember that he had forgotten to bring the smartphone he bought for Bai Xiaoxiao yesterday to school.

However, given Bai Xiaoxiao's model student persona, she probably wouldn't dare accept it even if he handed it to her at school. He would just have to find another opportunity to give it to her.

Pulling out his phone, he found Ye Qinleng's contact number, intending to chat with her for a bit.

Before he could place the call, however, Chu Qingchan's voice call came through.

"Hello, superstar Chu, have you had lunch yet?"

"Not yet, I'm recording songs and getting prepared. Out of the five you gave me, I plan to record two or three first, and then pick the best one to release."

"Mhm, why are you calling me?"

"Did you and Ji Yun have a fight?"

"Huh? How do you even know about that? Wait... It was Chu Fengyi who saw it, wasn't it?"

Xu Lin was slightly startled, but upon reflection, Chu Qingchan didn't have an intelligence network as formidable as Chu Fengyi's, so Chu Fengyi must have witnessed it at school.

"Mhm, she saw that Ji Yun didn't come back with you and wasn't speaking to you. Did something happen?"

"Actually, nothing much happened."

"You promised you would be honest." Chu Qingchan's voice carried a hint of displeasure, and Xu Lin immediately surrendered.

"Perhaps it was because of Teacher Su."

"Teacher Su? As expected, you two have a thing~ Mr. Xu is quite something, even getting involved with a teacher..."

"We don't have a thing, seriously! It's just that Teacher Su and Ji Yun were chatting, and in a joking manner, she said she preferred younger guys, to which Ji Yun replied, 'How about Xu Lin?'"

"And then Teacher Su said she liked me. Anyone can tell that was clearly a joke~" At this point, Xu Lin had no choice but to tell the truth while playing dumb.

"Mr. Xu, don't play dumb with me! Alright, I roughly understand the situation. I'll talk to her."

"Mhm, really nothing is going on between Teacher Su and me. Please rest assured, Organization."

"Rest assured my ass. If we rest assured, we won't need to form an alliance against Ji Yun. I'm hanging up."

"By the way, did President Ye come to Linshui? Should we treat her to a meal as hosts?"

"Huh? Is she here to see you?"

The alarm bells in Chu Qingchan's head began to blare. It was one thing for your daughter to like hanging out with Xu Lin, but for you, a big boss, to run all the way over here makes your intentions way too obvious.

Come to think of it, what is so great about this guy Xu Lin anyway? Everyone is falling for him... Wait, I'm doing the same thing. Maybe something is wrong with our brains.

"She's not here to see me; she's delivering athletic shoes to the school. Day after tomorrow is apparently their new product launch event, so it counts as promotional activity."

Xu Lin then briefly explained the homeroom teacher's arrangements to Chu Qingchan.

"That's a lot of sneakers, she's really investing heavily. But what does that have to do with her coming in person?"

"Well, I wouldn't know. Maybe Yaoyao just wanted to come along."

"She treated us last time, so we shouldn't look like we're unwilling to return the hospitality."

"Mhm, then I'll make a call and ask. Who knows, maybe she really is here on official business and has time for a meal."

"Alright, you handle the arrangements."

"Remember to drink plenty of water, and rest when you're tired."

Listening to the exhaustion in her voice, Xu Lin truly hoped she could get a good rest after this busy period passed.

"Mhm. By the way, Xu Lin, your birthday is in December, right?"

"That's right, December 21st. When I was little, we celebrated according to the lunar calendar, but later on, because my mom and dad kept forgetting, we finally settled on the solar calendar."

"I see. What about your mom and dad?"

"They've already celebrated theirs. One was a few days ago, and the other was in the first half of the year."

"Then you should have told me so I could come over..."

"They don't care much about these things, you guys don't need to specially send anything. Just wait until next year and come over for a meal together."

"Fine. Then what about your birthday?"

Me? Xu Lin's mind went blank for a second. He had never made a fuss about his birthday either. Every year he would just eat a piece of cake and go shopping and dining out with his parents.

Come to think of it, this year, there were suddenly so many people around him, this lazy fellow. It wouldn't be right to leave anyone out.

If he gathered them all together, he would probably drop dead on the spot! Maybe he shouldn't bother celebrating his birthday at all and just have a quiet meal with his mom and dad.

"I'll just have a meal with my mom and dad. I haven't really celebrated my birthday in the past two years."

"Does that mean you're not inviting us over?"

"No, if you guys come, you're definitely welcome. It's just that I don't like too much hustle and bustle, a simple meal is fine."

"Alright then. I'm going back to work now, and tonight I'll chat with little Ji Yun."

"Okay, I really didn't make her mad."

Closing WeChat, Xu Lin dialed Ye Qinleng's number again. After ringing for a brief moment, the other end answered.

"Hello, President Ye."

"Ah! Big Brother! Yaoyao missed you so much!"

"Yaoyao!" Hearing that sweet little voice, Xu Lin couldn't help but smile. This kid really did tag along.

"Big Brother still remembers me!"

"Haha, how could I forget cute little Yaoyao? Big Brother was worried you might have forgotten about me."

"How could I? I even want Big Brother to be my daddy."

"Jiangli!"

A familiar roar came from the other side, cutting off Yaoyao's voice. Ah, President Ye was there. Good thing he hadn't said anything weird.

"Sorry about that, I just went to wash my face."

"It's fine. Have you and Yaoyao arrived here?"

"Huh? It seems you already knew. I originally planned to give you a surprise. We arrived at the provincial capital airport this morning and got to Linshui at 11."

"You must feel that our place is a tiny, insignificant little city, right?"

"Although the downtown area isn't very large, I feel quite good about your place. The air is nice, the streets are clean, and the people are very friendly."

"How many days do you plan to stay? I can show you and Yaoyao around."

"We're going back tomorrow."

"Mom, I want to play with Big Brother!"

"Jiangli, what did I tell you on the way here? I can bring you along, but you must obey me! Besides, Big Brother still has to go to school."

Hearing Ye Qinleng talk about the child, Xu Lin suddenly realized that he still had classes to attend and didn't have the free time to babysit.

"I can play at Big Brother's house."

"That won't do either. Who would take care of you?"

"I can take care of myself."

"No!"

"President Ye, how about this, are you free tonight?"

"Free. Are you inviting me to dinner? Don't pick some fancy restaurant, I've had enough of those. Do you believe me?" Ye Qinleng said with a slightly playful tone.

"I believe you. Come to my house for dinner instead, and let the little girl play with me for the evening. When you leave tomorrow, you can just take her with you."

"This girl is too hyper at night, it wouldn't be good to disturb your parents' rest. Let's not."

"Mom, I want to go!"

"You be quiet for a moment."

"Alright, President Ye, just bring her over tonight. What do you like to eat?"

"I'm not picky at all, I just don't like garlic and ginger."

"Got it, I'll prepare. I'll hang up now, I need to rest a bit before heading back to school."

"Mhm, see you this afternoon."

Hanging up the phone, Ye Qinleng massaged her temples, but a smile lingered on her face.

Looking at the dark screen of her phone, she leaned backward and fell onto the bed. Even though she was wearing a black suit, it still outlined her beautiful curves.

"Mom, I want to stay over."

"We'll talk about that later. By the way, when you go to Big Brother's house, absolutely don't say random things. And be obedient. Only if Big Brother's mom and dad are happy will you be able to stay."

"I know!"

"Mhm."

"By the way, Mom, didn't you say you missed Big Brother too? Why didn't you say—"

Ye Qinleng glanced sideways at her daughter, and Yaoyao instantly covered her little face. "You're not allowed to pinch my cheeks."

Ye Qinleng directly reached out, placed her hand on top of her daughter's head, and ruffled her hair hard. "Actually, Mom gets shy too, you know."