Chapter 51: Power of a Father’s Status

“President Zhu.”

Zhu Jia nodded to Carol, and the parents turned to look at her with curiosity and scrutiny. They hadn’t expected the owner of this early education center to be so young.

“Dear parents, today is the grand opening of Wenyue Yuan, thank you for your support. You are welcome to come inside and take a look at the indoor environment.”

Zhu Jia led the parents indoors, passing the parent休息 and tea area, then arriving at the shoe-changing area. “In order to ensure the cleanliness of the center, everyone needs to take off their shoes and wear the center’s floor socks, which are disinfected daily.”

The parents all changed into floor socks, then sanitized their hands with hand sanitizer before following Zhu Jia into the center. They were impressed by what they saw—a brand-new space for children to play and learn.

The main color scheme was light green, light brown, and white. The entire space featured a boundary-less, streamlined design with no central lighting.

On the first floor, there was a mother-and-baby room, a toy area, and a stage performance area. The toy area was divided into a pretend-play area, a building block world, and a toy car area, filled with a wide variety of toys—a true paradise for children.

The parents nodded in approval. Some had visited many early education centers, and they could immediately tell that this center’s hardware facilities were top-notch, far surpassing even some of the nationally known chain institutions in terms of quality and design.

On the second floor, there were four classrooms and two rest rooms. Each classroom was spacious and bright, with all the furniture designed with rounded corners and curved edges.

Zhu Jia opened the door to one of the classrooms for the parents to visit. Inside, the room was clean and bright, with soft sunlight streaming onto the low, light green desks and chairs. There were also open-themed corners in the classroom, including a book corner and a play area.

Zhu Jia then led the parents to the third floor, and everyone couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

The third floor featured a glass-roofed storybook reading room, large and bright, with sunlight pouring in through the skylight. The room had an extensive collection of children’s picture books, organized by age, and the shelves were stocked with books for every age group. It felt like one could spend an entire day there without getting bored.

Next to the reading room were three art classrooms where art and music classes were held.

“Excuse me, can children who only attend early education classes but not daycare still access the reading room?” asked a mother in her thirties.

“Of course, as long as you become a member of our center, you can freely access the reading room. You can borrow one book at a time, with a two-week return limit.”

The parents nodded in satisfaction.

Zhu Jia then led them to the rooftop terrace, where the safety measures were well in place to ensure the children could play without any accidents.

The area was covered with artificial turf, and the children could have outdoor sports lessons there. In the middle of the terrace, there was a glasshouse with various beautiful plants, labeled “Plant DIY.”

“Each child will have their own plant in the Plant DIY area. The teachers will guide them in watering the plants and observing their growth.”

“Parents, feel free to explore the area on your own. If you have any questions, please ask our teachers.” Zhu Jia turned to Carol and said, “If anything comes up, you can find me in the office.”

Carol nodded and continued showing the interested parents around, explaining the center’s unique courses and teaching staff.

After coming down from the rooftop, Zhu Jia went to her office on the third floor. She had a private office, while the teachers had their own rooms, and the logistics department was located near the kitchen on the first floor.

Mo Yichen was standing by the window, the sky outside brighter than when they first arrived. He was holding a cup of coffee, watching several children play on the slide in the yard below.

When Zhu Jia entered, she had changed into a black-and-white fitted skirt suit. “Done showing them around?” Mo Yichen asked.

“Mm, come in for a coffee. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Zhu Jia took the coffee and sat back in her office chair, turning from side to side. “Your office chair is much more comfortable. Too bad I don’t have enough space for it here.”

She had worn her high heels when they went to the rooftop terrace earlier. Now, she kicked them off and slipped into a pair of slippers, massaging her calves. “These shoes are both expensive and uncomfortable!”

Mo Yichen walked over and handed her a red cardholder. “Happy opening, this is your gift.”

“Didn’t you already send twenty opening flower baskets? There’s no room to put them at the entrance.”

“That was for Wenyue Yuan, this one is for you.”

Zhu Jia flicked open the cardholder and pulled out a black card, her eyes lighting up. Wasn’t this the coveted, ultra-luxurious American Express black card that appeared in every domineering CEO novel? She never expected to actually see one in real life.

Suddenly, a voice from the system echoed in her mind: “Ahhh! Host! I’m so jealous! This is the ultimate symbol of being spoiled by a rich, powerful man—the limitless spending black card! It’s so sweet, I want a wealthy husband too!”

Zhu Jia tried to keep a calm demeanor. “Ahem, why are you giving me this?”

“You’ve been working too hard lately, I heard shopping can help relieve stress.”

“Hmph, I don’t need it. There’s nothing I want to buy.”

Mo Yichen shoved the black card into her handbag. “Didn’t you say your shoes were uncomfortable? Buy a few more pairs.”

Heh! This Mo Yichen was getting more and more skilled at handling her. Before, his charm hadn’t worked, but now he was trying to bribe her with money.

Mo Yichen sat on the stool in front of Zhu Jia, taking off her slippers and placing her legs on his lap.

“Is it sore here?” Mo Yichen rubbed her calves and looked up at her, his eyes filled with unspoken affection.

Before Zhu Jia could respond, there was a knock on the door, followed by the door opening.

“President Zhu…”

At the office door, Linda, Jack, and Carol stared wide-eyed at Zhu Jia with her legs on Mo Yichen’s lap and Mo Yichen massaging her legs. They looked utterly stunned. After a moment, Jack awkwardly said, “Uh, it’s time for the ribbon-cutting…”

With the simple opening ceremony over, light rain began to fall, and the children playing on the slide in the yard quickly went home.

Seven or eight parents immediately enrolled their children in the spring classes, and two parents purchased 100 lessons in one go.

“What day do the classes start?” one parent asked after paying.

“Next Monday,” Zhu Jia smiled and answered. “You can pick up your child’s backpack and study materials now. Our teacher, Teacher Apple, will add you to a WeChat group, where she will communicate with you about your child’s progress.”

“Hm, our son just turned two, but I’m not sure if he’ll want to come.”

“There will be a period of separation anxiety, but I hope you can trust our teachers; they know how to handle it.”

Zhu Jia could already foresee the “chaos” in the first week of class, as most children would cry and fuss frequently. Helping them cope with separation anxiety was a must for every early education teacher.

The parent quickly picked up the deep blue backpack with “Wen Yue Yuan” written on it, along with a stack of course materials, and hurried off.

Zhu Jia turned to Mo Yichen, “I still need to visit City University to speak with Teacher Jiang. You should go to work.”

Mo Yichen, shameless as always, leaned in, “I’m taking a half-day off this morning, specifically to accompany you.”

“Fine, whatever,” Zhu Jia replied, pouting with pride.

The drive from Wen Yue Yuan to City University took about twenty minutes. When they arrived at the parking lot, it was still drizzling. Mo Yichen took out a large transparent umbrella from the trunk.

“I have an umbrella in my bag,” Zhu Jia said, leaning out of the car.

“Yours is too small. This one’s better,” Mo Yichen said, opening the umbrella and holding it over them. He pulled Zhu Jia up.

With the umbrella in Mo Yichen’s hand, Zhu Jia looped her right arm around his.

“Let me hold your bag,” Mo Yichen said, taking her handbag from her left side. “The ground is slippery. Hold steady.”

Zhu Jia nodded softly. The nude-colored red-bottomed high heels she wore were left by the previous owner of her body. Though beautiful and leg-lengthening, they were like a pair of beautiful torture devices. Especially on this slippery ground, walking without ten years of skill was nearly impossible.

She had no choice but to stick closely to Mo Yichen, putting most of her weight on him.

The parking lot wasn’t far from the campus building, and Zhu Jia could see it ahead, almost shrouded in misty rain.

Suddenly, someone came around the corner, almost bumping into them.

When she saw the person clearly, Zhu Jia’s eyes lit up. “Chen Tingyan, long time no see.” They hadn’t seen each other since the birthday party two months ago.

Chen Tingyan, wearing black basketball clothes and holding a basketball, looked just like he did the first time Zhu Jia saw him. He didn’t have an umbrella, and the fine rain was wetting his hair and face.

His hair was completely soaked, with droplets of water rolling down his bangs, cheeks, and chin, finally dripping to the ground.

Despite the chilly spring air, his short-sleeve basketball shirt was clearly not enough to keep him warm. His usually healthy and rosy face now appeared pale.

His voice was a bit hoarse, “Long time no see.”

“You didn’t bring an umbrella? I have an extra one.” Zhu Jia pointed to the orange handbag Mo Yichen was holding. “Mo Yichen, take out the umbrella.”

Mo Yichen paused for a moment, then obediently took out a small pink umbrella from her bag.

“This is my husband, you two haven’t met yet,” Zhu Jia smiled at Chen Tingyan, taking the pink umbrella from Mo Yichen and handing it to him.

“Spring is still cold. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

Chen Tingyan tightly gripped the pink umbrella, his fingers turning white. Perhaps because of the light rain, his eyes appeared misty, making it difficult to see him clearly in the thin fog.

He looked at Zhu Jia with a vague expression. She seemed the same as before, yet completely different.

She wore a white satin blouse and a black pencil skirt, perfectly fitting her graceful figure.

It wasn’t until now that Chen Tingyan realized her serious and gentle demeanor wasn’t the shyness of a campus girl, but calm, poised, and mature—traits he hadn’t yet attained.

After a long silence, Chen Tingyan managed to squeeze out a hoarse “goodbye.”

Zhu Jia nodded, then gently pinched Mo Yichen’s arm. “This is my friend from City University, Chen Tingyan.”

Mo Yichen smiled gently at the person in front of him, “Hello.”

Chen Tingyan gave him a cold glance, clearly not interested in continuing the conversation.

Mo Yichen, ever considerate, said to Zhu Jia, “Let’s hurry to the campus building. The rain’s getting heavier, and your shoes are hard to walk in.”

“Alright. Well then, Chen Tingyan, let’s hang out next time.”

Zhu Jia waved goodbye to Chen Tingyan, “Remember to use the umbrella,” she reminded, pointing at the umbrella he was holding.

As they walked away, Chen Tingyan didn’t speak or use the umbrella.

The rain grew heavier, the droplets falling on the basketball in his hands, soaking his black basketball jersey completely.

He turned and watched Zhu Jia and Mo Yichen walking close together, nestled under the transparent umbrella, their bodies perfectly aligned.

Spring was indeed cold, even for someone like him who wasn’t usually bothered by the chill. His skin trembled slightly.

He remembered two months ago, the day after his birthday, when it was also drizzling like today.

There were people sprawled all over his house, beer cans everywhere, and they had played late into the night.

Chen Tingyan hadn’t drunk too much, but the faint bruises on his face couldn’t mask his excitement and anticipation.

Last night, he had embraced Zhu Jia, and as he had imagined, her body was fragrant and soft, irresistible to a boy his age. However, she seemed completely unaware of his feelings.