Free Web NovelChapter 36: Chapter 36: Continuing to Date Is the Ultimate Solution
Xia Shanshan was in the study preparing for her classes. When she heard the front door open, she knew the father and son were back.
Jiang Wende had called her earlier to say he was going to pick up their son from school, mentioning that he had something important to tell her.
"Mom, I’m home," Jiang Xia called out habitually.
"Are you hungry? Want some dumplings, wontons, or noodles?" Xia Shanshan’s voice drifted out from the study.
"Not hungry. I’m going to my room to read. You two get some rest early."
He poured himself a glass of hot water, then returned to his room and gently closed the door.
Jiang Xia lay on his bed, staring at the white ceiling, his mind replaying the conversation he’d just had with Jiang Wende.
’Once the college entrance exams are over, he and his wife will go their separate ways, parting on good terms to find their own happiness.’
’But the question is, can he really let go of his relationship with Lin Yanwan?’
’Twelve years of supporting each other through thick and thin... so many habits are already ingrained in his very soul. Forgetting will be incredibly difficult.’
The image of her calling his father "Dad" suddenly flashed through his mind. That scene... it felt just like the old days.
’He didn’t quite understand. If God—or fate—chose to have them both be reborn, why couldn’t they have returned to their wedding day?’
’That year, he was talented and dashing, and she was breathtakingly beautiful, in the full bloom of her youth.’
’What a pity. He could never go back.’
Looking back on the past, all that remained was a heavy sigh.
’The only point of being reborn is to correct the mistakes of the past, and that failed marriage was, in a way, proof that it was part of those mistakes.’
’Now that things have come to this, there’s no point in reminiscing about the good times.’
Jiang Xia closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. Then he got out of bed, took out his drawing paper, and threw himself back into grinding out the keyframes for *Cat and Mouse*.
He would channel his sorrow and anger into strength, bringing this classic work to the world as soon as possible.
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Jiang Wende grabbed a bunch of grapes from the refrigerator and went into the study. He silently pulled up a chair and sat next to Xia Shanshan, watching her diligently prepare the next day’s lesson plan. The first-grade language textbook was covered in dense, meticulous notes.
Every few seconds, he’d pick a grape and offer it to her. All Xia Shanshan had to do was open her mouth to eat it, spitting the seeds into Jiang Wende’s cupped hand.
"Didn’t you say you had something to tell me about our son? Why aren’t you saying it?" she asked without looking up, continuing to write her explanations in red ink.
"It’s fine, you finish up first. We can talk after you’re done. Open up, ahh~"
"I’m almost done. Besides, there aren’t many details to cover for first-grade ancient poe—mmph..."
Before she could finish, Jiang Wende forcibly stuffed a grape into her mouth. Xia Shanshan couldn’t help but shoot him a glare.
"If there aren’t many details, why are you writing so much? And haven’t you taught first grade for years? The textbooks look the same to me. Why do you write new notes every term?"
Xia Shanshan had just swallowed when Jiang Wende immediately fed her another one.
"Of course, the children don’t need to understand it this deeply. A lot of these explanations are for my own benefit. Only when a teacher understands the material thoroughly can she explain it to her students in meticulous detail."
Chewing on the grape, she wrote the last section of her notes before slowly capping her fountain pen.
"Alright, calling it a day." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Xia Shanshan closed the book and set it neatly aside. "Okay, spill. What’s up with my son?"
"Based on my observations, your son is very likely in a relationship," Jiang Wende said seriously.
She frowned. ’This isn’t what he told me last night.’
"What happened?"
"This afternoon, I saw him near Brocade Splendor City with a girl. If I’m not mistaken, they had just left her house. Then, when I went to pick him up from school just now, I saw him with that same girl again. I offered to give her a ride home, and guess what she said to me?"
"A polite refusal?" Xia Shanshan guessed, puzzled.
"She said, ’Thank you, Dad’!"
Jiang Wende took a deep breath. Even now, thinking back on it, it felt absurd. "You have no idea. I was completely stunned. For a second, I thought I’d somehow gained a daughter."
Xia Shanshan’s brow furrowed deeply.
"What about Xiaxia? Did you ask him for the details? What did he say?"
"What else could he say? He insisted they were just classmates, not dating, just normal friends." Jiang Wende sighed, then continued, "I talked to him for a while afterward about dating at his age, but I don’t know if any of it sank in."
"Was it the girl he walked home last night?"
"Yes."
"Did you get a good look at her? What’s she like?"
"She’s quite pretty. Her name seems to be Lin Yanwan, and her grades are excellent—first in the entire grade. Logically, a top student like that should be completely focused on the college entrance exams. How could she possibly be dating your son at such a crucial time?" Jiang Wende was completely baffled.
"What do you mean, ’your son’? Isn’t he your son, too?" Xia Shanshan shot him a look. "Doesn’t this just prove that our son is outstanding enough to attract such a good girl?"
Jiang Wende looked sheepish. "Anyway, that’s all I know. That kid has always listened to you, and you’re better at parenting than I am. Maybe you could find some time to talk to him?"
"Mm." freewebnoveℓ.com
Xia Shanshan nodded lightly.
"I’ve had enough. You can finish the rest of the grapes. I’m going to take a shower. I’ve been driving all day, I’m exhausted."
Jiang Wende left the study, leaving Xia Shanshan alone to ponder her son’s potential romance. She tapped her fingers lightly on the desk, considering all the possibilities.
After a long while, she left the study and knocked gently on Jiang Xia’s door.
"Xiaxia, Mom wants to ask you something. May I come in?"
Hearing his mom’s voice, Jiang Xia quickly put away his drawing paper and placed a math worksheet, about two-thirds complete, on his desk.
He could guess what Xia Shanshan wanted to ask without even thinking. It was obviously about him dating someone. In his parents’ eyes, dating would affect his grades, and the same went for drawing, especially since the art school entrance exams were long over.
"The door’s unlocked, Mom," he called back, picking up his pen to continue calculating the area of an ellipse. ’It’s incredible,’ he thought, ’a problem that seemed somewhat difficult in the past feels relatively simple after being reborn.’
Xia Shanshan pushed the door open and came in. Seeing her son studying so diligently this late at night, her heart warmed slightly.
’After all, he was never this dedicated when he was studying art, but now he’s so focused on his academic subjects. And this change seems to have happened only recently.’
’Come to think of it, could it be that the girl he likes is number one in the grade? Maybe he’s feeling an unprecedented amount of pressure, so he’s pushing himself to study hard, all just to get into the same university as her?’
’If I force him to break things off with that girl, it might backfire and crush his motivation. He could lose all his drive and end up failing his college entrance exams.’
’Thinking about it this way, maintaining the status quo seems like the perfect solution.’
’As for whether he and the girl would stay together after the exams, that wasn’t her concern.’
"Mom, what’s up?" Jiang Xia asked, turning to look at her.
"Oh, it’s nothing, it’s nothing. Mom just came in to see if you needed anything. By the way, are you sure you’re not hungry?"
"Not at all."
"Then get some rest early. Don’t stay up too late, you hear?"
Jiang Xia nodded, a little confused. ’Didn’t Mom come here to interrogate me? Why did she seem about to say something, but then stop?’
