“Chu Tao?”

“Chu Tao!”

Song Mian called out to Chu Tao twice. He glanced back at her for a moment, said nothing, and then entered the classroom.

The hallway breeze in the school was cool, the chilly wind mixed with the noisy sound of students rushing into classrooms, filling her ears.

Soon, the noise faded, and the classroom door shut, separating the two spaces.

Song Mian suddenly felt that the distance between her and Chu Tao was growing.

It was just a fleeting, subtle feeling, but it didn’t feel good. Song Mian clutched at her chest and took a deep breath or two.

Maybe it was true that her child was growing up. She increasingly didn’t understand him and couldn’t get into his heart anymore.

Her phone vibrated, bringing her back to reality. She saw an unfamiliar number on the screen.

Since she often received calls from unfamiliar numbers for her community work, she didn’t think much of it. She quickly gathered her thoughts and answered the call.

“Hello, good day.”

“Hello, ma’am. You previously signed up for a chemistry class at our institution, but we noticed you withdrew. I wanted to ask you…”

Before the person could finish, Song Mian hung up the phone and immediately blocked the number.

If just an hour ago, she still wanted Chu Tao to continue the class, now she knew for sure that no matter what, Chu Tao would never return to that course.

Song Mian took half a day off from work and instead spent over an hour talking on the phone with Tang Lingmei.

Although she and Tang Lingmei often compared their children’s grades, when they were troubled, they always turned to each other first.

Because they were so similar, they understood each other deeply.

Song Mian couldn’t help but complain, “I feel like Tao Tao is becoming more and more disobedient. He doesn’t talk to his dad or me about anything anymore, and now he’s even being a little rebellious. I’m worried he’ll go down the wrong path.”

Tang Lingmei was quick to comfort her, using the best method of comfort by sharing a worse story: “At this age, they’re bound to be rebellious. Every child goes through this stage. You know our colleague, Sister Liu? Her daughter even ran away from home!”

Song Mian sighed. “But Xingning is so good, so sensible and obedient, and his grades are stable. I think it’s just the atmosphere in Tao Tao’s class that’s not good. His teacher still won’t agree to change his class.”

Tang Lingmei hesitated for a moment before speaking frankly: “I’m going to say something you might not want to hear, but every parent knows that Class Three is a garbage pit. It’s full of rich kids, none of whom care about studying. When Tao Tao was transferred there, you should’ve refused. Now it’s too late to say anything.”

Song Mian propped her chin and hung her head. “Don’t say that. I’m so busy every day; I don’t have time to use connections to make a fuss at school. Besides, Tao Tao has always been quite disciplined. I thought he wouldn’t…”

Tang Lingmei scoffed lightly. “You don’t understand, the environment has a huge influence on a person, especially during his adolescence. If all the kids around him are rebelling against their parents and not studying, he’s going to think it’s fine to stop studying and disrespect his parents, too.”

“Take our workplace, for example. So many people who just coast through life have gone elsewhere. The ones who are serious have moved to other units, working in databases or entering government positions. They’ve all been promoted. The ones who stayed here, even the ones with ambition, got married and settled down without caring. That’s the power of the environment.”

Song Mian felt a lump in her chest, struggling to breathe. She tossed her bag onto the sofa, not caring about the cost. “Then what should I do? Changing his class is out of the question. He’s actively rebelling against me now. As for his tutor, she posted something on her WeChat about him, and it seems like he’s planning to get back at her!”

Tang Lingmei replied, “I really recommend that teacher. She’s excellent. If it weren’t for our Shen Hongfang’s chemistry being okay, I would’ve had Tao Tao learn from her.”

Song Mian nodded while talking, “I trust you, but he really didn’t improve. He said the teacher spends too much time telling jokes during class. He’s learning so little.”

Tang Lingmei went on mysteriously, “I think Tao Tao might be in love. He’s showing all the signs of someone who’s in love—no communication with his parents, sneaking out on weekends, arguing with you, distracted in class, grades dropping. Has he been locking his door? Acting all secretive?”

Song Mian was shocked. “Wait, wait, is he in love? He’s in the Alpha class, who could he be in love with?”

Tang Lingmei replied, “Oh please, nowadays, who falls in love with someone in the same class? You won’t believe it, but my Shen Hongfang was recently caught chatting with an Omega. They were calling each other husband and wife—it was so cheesy!”

Song Mian gasped, “No way! Shen Hongfang is so honest!”

Tang Lingmei laughed, “It made me so mad. That Omega is from Xingning’s class, what a coincidence! I immediately had a deep conversation with him, laid out the pros and cons, and I even made him cry. He finally agreed to break up.”

Song Mian said, “So, should I talk to Tao Tao?”

Tang Lingmei warned, “I’ll tell you, if he’s been in a relationship for a short time, it’s the easiest to break up now. But you mustn’t rush it. With your temper, you’ll make things worse. You remember the case of that boy from No. 1 High School who jumped off the building after a breakup last year? He’s still bedridden at home. If you’re going to talk to him, you need to be patient, control your temper, and explain things seriously and thoughtfully.”

Song Mian rubbed her hair and poured herself a glass of cold water. “Alright, I understand. I’ll control myself.”

That evening, when Chu Tao came home, Song Mian had specially prepared some of his favorite dishes.

Coca-Cola chicken wings and grilled shrimp that Chu Tao loved.

Remembering that she was angry the day before and that Chu Tao hadn’t eaten dinner, Song Mian took a deep breath and tried to control her temper.

Although she was still upset and feeling the pressure, when she thought about what Tang Lingmei had said about the child who jumped off the building, she was careful not to let her emotions get the best of her.

Chu Jiangmin had been busy all day and came home looking disheveled. When he saw the table full of food, he was surprised. “Wow, what’s the occasion today? So many dishes.”

Song Mian forced a smile. “Just making sure the kids get enough nutrition. Go wash your hands, and take the cake I ordered from the fridge.”

Chu Jiangmin inhaled sharply. “You ordered a cake too?”

Song Mian cleared her throat. “I may have been a bit harsh yesterday, so I ordered the cake for Chu Tao.”

The cake was a small tiramisu, costing over ten yuan a piece, which Song Mian had specially ordered from the bakery.

When Chu Tao was younger, he often wanted to eat it, but Song Mian had refused most of the time. She believed boys shouldn’t be spoiled; otherwise, they’d become too delicate and spoiled.

When Chu Tao and Chu Xingning returned home, they had already prepared themselves for Song Mian to be angry.

So, Chu Tao even bought a loaf of bread from the supermarket and hid it in his backpack. If Song Mian yelled at him again, he could hide in his room and at least have something to eat instead of going hungry.

However, they didn’t expect the atmosphere at home to be unusually peaceful, with a table full of delicious food.

Chu Tao paused, a cold sweat suddenly forming on his back. It felt like a trap, like a “Hongmen Feast” (a reference to a famous historical banquet involving a betrayal).

Song Mian forced a gentle smile. “Wash your hands and come eat. I’ve been waiting for you two for a while, the cake is getting warm.”

Chu Tao and Chu Xingning exchanged a look but said nothing. They silently went to wash their hands and quietly sat down at the table.

Chu Jiangmin, being his usual carefree self, was about to pick up a shrimp with his chopsticks when Song Mian coughed, and he immediately put his chopsticks back down.

Chu Tao glanced at his parents’ faces, feeling confused and uneasy.

Song Mian picked up a shrimp and a chicken wing for both Chu Tao and Chu Xingning.

“High school is really tough, you need to get enough nutrition. Xingning, eat more. Your appetite is too small. Chu Tao, you’re getting thinner and thinner. It’s like we’re starving you at home.”

Chu Xingning obediently said, “Thanks, Mom. You eat too.”

Chu Tao lowered his eyes and used his chopsticks to pick up the shrimp head.

Song Mian hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Chu Tao, about that class of yours, you didn’t do anything, did you?”

Chu Tao replied indifferently, “Nothing, just left a review and gave it a rating after class, and then I requested to drop it.”

“Oh.” Song Mian felt relieved. It’s better not to make more trouble. Although that teacher was harsh, she didn’t want Chu Tao to offend anyone.

Chu Tao tossed the shrimp head aside and casually said, “They said that if I didn’t want to take the class, I could switch to a trial class, so I reported them to the tax bureau.”

Song Mian sucked in a sharp breath: “…”

Chu Jiangmin laughed and said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. They should be punished for tax evasion.”

Song Mian steadied her breathing and licked her lower lip. “Right, report them if you have to. Let’s just eat.”

Only then did everyone begin eating. Chu Xingning picked up a piece of chicken wing, bit into it, and Chu Tao finally pushed the shrimp aside and stuffed it into his mouth.

Song Mian forced a smile, leaned closer to Chu Tao, and cautiously asked, “At your age, isn’t it time to have someone you like?”

Chu Tao, distracted, inhaled some chili powder: “Cough, cough, cough…”

Chu Xingning’s chopsticks shook, and the chicken wing fell onto the table.

Song Mian: “…”

Song Mian looked at Chu Xingning in disbelief.