“Why didn’t she say anything yesterday?”

“Then ask her yourself.”

Shen Man said disdainfully, “Instead of reflecting on why she didn’t tell you yesterday, you’re blaming her.”

Shen Siyan choked, then said dejectedly, “That’s not what I meant.”

Shen Man ignored him, snorting twice. “If I were Zhilu, I’d think you were accusing me and being angry with me for not telling you earlier.”

As she said this, she looked at Shen Guangyuan. “Isn’t that right, dear?”

Shen Guangyuan, who always did as his wife said, nodded. “Yes, your mother is right.”

Shen Siyan looked at the two of them and muttered, “The wife sings, and the husband follows^[1]refers to a situation where one partner (often the wife) takes the lead, and the other partner (the husband) supports or follows along..”

Shen Man smiled. “Of course. I don’t know who you take after, but you’re neither like me nor your father.”

Shen Siyan smirked. “Maybe you picked me up from somewhere.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Man playfully swatted him on the head.

Shen Siyan winced and said, “I’m done. I’m going back to my room.”

Shen Man raised her eyebrows. “Go ahead. Reflect on why you stayed up late last night, slept until the afternoon, and missed seeing Zhilu this morning.”

She sighed. “Zhilu looked so beautiful when she left this morning.”

She turned to Shen Guangyuan. “I personally saw her off, and she was so thoughtful—she even had a cup of coffee with me.”

Shen Guangyuan agreed with her. “Was the coffee good?”

“I haven’t had coffee outside in a while. It was nice. I always feel like the coffee machine at home isn’t that great.”

Shen Guangyuan nodded. “I saw a good one some time ago. I’ll have it delivered in a few days.”

“Okay.”

Shen Siyan didn’t want to listen to their conversation any longer, so he went upstairs to his room.

He fumbled for his phone and checked it.

There wasn’t even a single message from Xu Zhilu.

Shen Siyan tapped the screen irritably.

Just then, Cheng Song called.

He answered.

“Brother Yan! Let’s continue tonight!” Cheng Song said it excitedly. “Those idiots said they’d put on a good show for us!”

Shen Siyan: “I’m not coming.”

“Why not?”

Cheng Song was puzzled. “Brother Yan, didn’t you hear? They’re provoking us! Can you let that slide?”

Shen Siyan: “Yes.”

Cheng Song: “…”

Cheng Song was dumbfounded. “What? You can tolerate that? Why?”

Shen Siyan was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Cheng Song, do you know why you can’t win over Xin An’an?”

Cheng Song: “…Why?”

“Because you’re addicted to games!” Shen Siyan said bluntly. “Xin An’an told me she hates people who are obsessed with games. Got it?”

Cheng Song stared at his phone in confusion after Shen Siyan hung up.

Brother Yan must be crazy.

Xin An’an clearly said she likes boys who are good at playing games the most.

Cheng Song thought about it but wasn’t sure. After a moment, he decided to send Xin An’an a message.

Cheng Song: An An! Do you like guys who are good at playing games or those who aren’t good at them?

Xin An’an: ?

Xin An’an: Of course, I like guys who are awesome! If they’re not awesome, they’re just idiots.

Cheng Song: Oh.

Xin An’an: What?

Cheng Song: Between those who are good at playing games and those who don’t play at all, which type do you prefer?

Xin An’an: ? Of course, I prefer those who don’t play games!

Cheng Song: ??? Didn’t you say you like people who are good at games?

Xin An’an: Aren’t these two different questions? When comparing guys who are good at games versus those who aren’t, I definitely prefer the good ones. But overall, I prefer those who don’t play games at all. What’s wrong with that?

Cheng Song realized he couldn’t figure out how Xin An’an’s mind worked.

His logical thinking was very different from hers.

Cheng Song: Nothing much, I just suddenly realized that Brother Yan was quite right.

Xin An’an: ?

Cheng Song: It’s okay, go to bed early.

Xin An’an: Oh.

A few minutes later, Gao Chi called Cheng Song to join a game.

Cheng Song replied directly, “No more playing. I’m quitting games starting today.”

Gao Chi: “…Are you having a breakdown like Brother Yan?”

Cheng Song: “How can you say that? This is called quitting games for love.”

Gao Chi was silent for a few seconds, then said seriously, “Even if you quit, Xin An’an won’t like you. She sees you as a brother. Haven’t you noticed?”

Cheng Song: “Starting tomorrow, we’re no longer brothers!”

Gao Chi: “So, you… want to be sisters with her?”

Cheng Song was so angry that he hung up the phone.

…

Shen Siyan was lying on his bed, turning his phone over in his hands. 

For a long time, there was no notification.

He was silent for a while before getting up and walking outside.

In the living room, Shen Man and Shen Guangyuan were soaking their feet. Shen Man was wearing an eye massager that was supposed to relieve eye fatigue and wrinkles.

He looked at her for a moment, then called out, “Mom.”

“Hmm?” 

Shen Man was on the verge of falling asleep and responded lazily, “What is it?”

“Did Xu Zhilu tell you her travel route?”

Shen Man paused. “…She did, but I didn’t remember it.”

Shen Siyan: “…”

“What?” Shen Man didn’t even look at him as she continued her massage. “Are you planning to go see her performance?”

Shen Siyan said nothing.

Shen Man smiled. “Don’t you dislike girls who dance?”

Shen Siyan was taken aback. “When did I say that?”

Hearing this, Shen Man took off her blindfold and asked, “Have you lost your memory?”

The two stared at each other in silence.

“What… what am I missing?” 

Shen Man looked at him closely. “Didn’t you say before that you didn’t like dancing, and that’s why Zhilu stopped going?”

Shen Siyan was startled, half-closed his eyes, and then said, “I didn’t…”

Suddenly, he remembered something.

On New Year’s Day of his third year in junior high, the school held a New Year’s Eve party, and Xu Zhilu performed.

She had always been a talented dancer, her body particularly flexible. Her every movement during the dance was unlike her usual quiet and low-key demeanor; instead, she became bold and captivating.

After her performance that night, many students were talking about it. 

Some classmates even came to ask Shen Siyan about Xu Zhilu, with a few expressing interest in pursuing her.

Shen Siyan had been annoyed and furious when he heard that. He angrily retorted to those people, saying, “What’s so surprising? It’s just a dance.”

His male classmates were surprised and asked if he really didn’t think it was amazing.

Shen Siyan, trying to appear nonchalant, shook his head and said he didn’t think so, claiming that dancing was boring.

After that, they pestered him to comment on what was interesting that night. 

In addition to her dance, Shen Siyan also recalled her piano performance, which had been shortly before that.

Without much thought, he blurted out, “The piano. I don’t like dancing, but I like the piano.”

At the time, Shen Siyan remembered that Xu Zhilu wasn’t present when he said this, so she shouldn’t have known. 

But now, hearing Shen Man’s words, he finally realized why Xu Zhilu had stopped attending dance classes and switched to piano lessons instead.

Shen Man observed the changes in his expression and exchanged a glance with Shen Guangyuan.

The couple shook their heads helplessly.

She cleared her throat. “So, did you really say that?”

“…Yeah.”

Shen Siyan admitted it. But he had only said it for those people to hear, not because he actually disliked dancing.

Shen Man: “I don’t know how Zhilu found out about that. I think she has a deep misunderstanding of you.”

She continued seriously, “You should explain this as soon as possible when you get the chance. Even if there’s nothing more to it, you two grew up together as friends.”

Shen Siyan understood.

He was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Shen Guangyuan. “Dad.”

Shen Guangyuan waved his hand dismissively. “Just don’t cause trouble. You know your limits.”

Shen Siyan nodded.

“Call your assistant if you need anything. There should still be tickets available. I’ll ask my assistant to check for you. Go pack your things.”

Shen Siyan nodded and said softly, “Thank you, Mom and Dad.”

Shen Guangyuan called his assistant.

After explaining, Shen Man nudged his arm and asked, “Are we doing the right thing?”

Shen Guangyuan held her hand and shook his head. “We’re just helping to clear up misunderstandings. They’re still young. We won’t interfere beyond this, but we don’t want the misunderstanding to deepen.”

Shen Man nodded in agreement.

She didn’t actually want the two of them to start a relationship or anything like that. 

She liked Xu Zhilu and understood what her son was feeling, but she wouldn’t ask Shen Siyan to do something drastic at his age. She just hoped they could be better for each other.

At least they still have the friendship of childhood sweethearts. They don’t worry about what might happen after they grow up. Before adulthood, if they can resolve their misunderstandings and end up together, Shen Man and Shen Guangyuan will have no objections to them being together after graduation. However, if nothing changes between them after resolving the misunderstanding, Shen Man will not interfere further.

She just wanted to make their high school lives a little better.

There shouldn’t be too many misunderstandings, and she hoped both children could live happier lives.

Shen Siyan was easy to persuade, but Xu Zhilu’s life wasn’t easy. She had gone through a lot since childhood and had many worries. Sometimes, Shen Man felt helpless.

She was just a neighborhood aunt and couldn’t give Xu Zhilu the love and care she longed for from her biological mother.