After finishing their morning classes, Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu could already feel the intensity of high school studies—it was much harder than middle school.

They were still getting used to the new schedule, which had four morning classes instead of three and included evening self-study sessions.

Lunchtime was only 50 minutes, and after eating, they had to return to class for more studying.

The food in the school cafeteria was basic, but if students were willing to spend a little more, they could get better meals.

Both Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu opted to spend extra on meat dishes for breakfast, as Chu Xia had reminded Cen Huaian not to skimp on meals to avoid poor growth.

Cen Huaian was eager to grow taller and took Chu Xia’s advice seriously.

As the two were about to head to the cafeteria with their classmates, Cao Gaocong, their homeroom teacher walked in and called for Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu to come to the office—apparently, their parents were here.

Zhang Lu’s face lit up with joy. “It must be Uncle Jiang! He must have come to check if we’re eating well. I’ll tell him what we had, and he’ll feel bad for us. Then, we’ll get to eat something really good for lunch!”

Cen Huaian had the same thought, believing Jiang Zhida had come since he lived closest.

But when they entered the office, they were surprised to see Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian standing there.

Cen Huaian froze at the doorway. “Mom, Dad.”

He couldn’t hide his happiness, and it bubbled up as he quickened his steps toward them.

Chu Xia carefully examined Cen Huaian’s face, relieved to see that he seemed well-rested.

“We came to see how you’re doing in high school and brought some things for you and Lulu,” Chu Xia said.

Cen Huaian didn’t care much about what his parents had brought; he was just thrilled to see them at school.

The four of them didn’t stay in the teacher’s office for long since they had brought lunch and needed to find a place for the two kids to eat.

Zhang Lu, who was most familiar with the school, led them to a secluded pavilion with stone tables and benches.

The spot was quiet, as most people were in the cafeteria for lunch.

Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian had already eaten, so they laid out the food on the stone table.

Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu each took a bowl of rice and began eating with great appetite.

“Yum! This is so much better than the school cafeteria food!”

Even though the school cafeteria offered meat, the chefs there couldn’t compare to the highly paid, top-tier chefs hired at Yunmengze.

The taste was on an entirely different level.

Cen Huaian was also eating so intently that he didn’t lift his head.

Seeing them eat so heartily, Chu Xia couldn’t help but suggest, “Why don’t I get you two a commuting pass so you can go eat at Yunmengze from now on?”

Zhang Lu’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and she nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes! Anan and I can ride bikes there every day, and I’ll take him with me!”

The Fourth High School allowed students to live off-campus if they had a commuting pass.

Commuter students could skip the last evening self-study session and leave the campus to eat.

However, getting a pass wasn’t easy—it required proof of residency nearby, and not just any student could get one.

Cen Zhengnian called Jiang Zhida at Yunmengze, and with proof of residency from Yunmengze’s location, the homeroom teacher reluctantly agreed to issue the passes, though he wasn’t too happy about it.

“The food in the school cafeteria is pretty good, actually,” the teacher said to Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu. “It’s better than what many other high schools offer.”

The two nodded in agreement, but in their minds, they were already thinking about what delicious meals awaited them at Yunmengze that evening.

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Zhida said, reaching out to the two kids. “Give me your school schedules. If you can’t make it to Yunmengze, I’ll have the meals delivered to you.”

He cared deeply for them, especially since he had watched Cen Huaian and Zhang Lu grow up.

Jiang Zhida didn’t want to see them suffer.

With the meal situation settled, Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian left the school, reassured that Cen Huaian was adjusting well.

However, with Anan away from home, Chu Xia couldn’t quite get used to the empty space left behind by the boy she had lived with for so long.

Thankfully, her busy work at the hospital kept her occupied during the day, and at night, Cen Zhengnian’s company comforted her.

By the time the weekend arrived, Chu Xia received a call from Jiang Zhishu.

“Sister-in-law, the sunburn ointment has been approved. Our company is preparing to promote and launch it soon. Do you have time to come by?”

Chu Xia checked her schedule and saw she had the next day off, so she made plans with Jiang Zhishu.

The next day, a car from Jiang Zhishu’s company picked her up from the research institute.

When Chu Xia arrived, Jiang Zhishu took her to the back of the building where the experimental labs were. Dr. Xu, a researcher, greeted her warmly.

“Take a look at the new sunburn ointment we’ve developed,” he said.

Dr. Xu’s team had continued researching and improving Chu Xia’s original formula, aiming to enhance its efficacy.

Chu Xia had visited the lab before to discuss ways to improve the formula with the team.

She opened the ointment, smelled it, and applied some to her hand, noting that it felt and smelled similar to her original recipe.

However, the true test of its efficacy would be the clinical trials, as she couldn’t be sure without testing it on patients.

Dr. Xu, seeing her concern, smiled and showed her some experimental data. “Its effectiveness has improved by three percent compared to the previous version.”

Though three percent didn’t sound like much, Chu Xia’s original formula was already highly effective.

Improving it by that margin was no small feat, and she couldn’t have achieved it herself.

She expressed her admiration and realized that her path in medical research was still long and full of challenges.

With the product approved and ready for launch, the promotional work was left to Jiang Zhishu’s company, which had much more experience in this area than Chu Xia.

She had come mainly to see the progress, as it was her first product to be sold nationwide, and she was nervous.

However, after reviewing the company’s marketing and launch plans, Chu Xia felt reassured. “You’ve thought of everything, cousin. I have no suggestions,” she said.

Jiang Zhishu nodded. “Once the product hits the market, you can check the sales at the pharmacies. I’ll also send you the sales data.”

After discussing the timeline, Chu Xia went back to the lab to meet with Dr. Xu and his team to discuss her latest research findings on medicinal herbs.

On Saturday afternoon, Cen Huaian took the bus home, where Chu Xia had already prepared a delicious meal.

As soon as he stepped inside, the familiar aroma of home-cooked food filled the air, instantly lifting the weight of his school stress.

“Mom!” Cen Huaian called out to Chu Xia, unaware of the smile spreading across his face.

Chu Xia was sitting at the dining table when she heard the sound of the door.

She immediately turned around and saw Cen Huai’an smiling brightly, his joy evident from his eyes and the corners of his mouth.

“An’an is back. Zhengnian, could you serve the soup?”

Knowing that Cen Huai’an was coming home today, Chu Xia had specially prepared crucian carp tofu soup, one of his favorites.

Cen Zhengnian responded from the kitchen, and soon he brought out a pot of the soup.

The fragrant aroma of the crucian carp tofu made Cen Huai’an sniff eagerly.

Cen Zhengnian served bowls of soup to Chu Xia and Cen Huai’an, placing them in front of each with a simple, “Drink it while it’s hot.”

The three of them sat together at the dinner table, chatting happily.

Chu Xia asked Cen Huai’an about school, and he mentioned some new friends he had made.

As for the nights when he missed home and thought about his mom and dad, Cen Huai’an kept that to himself.

But even though Cen Huai’an didn’t say it, Chu Xia knew he couldn’t have fully adapted to living at school at such a young age.

She felt a deep ache for him in her heart.

“By the way, Mom, I’m in the same class as Qi Ming’s cousin, Guan Cang. He’s a bit strange and seems like he wants to be friends with me.”

Chu Xia put down the bowl she was holding and looked at Cen Huai’an seriously. “I don’t want you being friends with him.”

She couldn’t explain why, but she just didn’t like it.

Cen Huai’an nodded. “Mom, I don’t like him either. It doesn’t feel like he sincerely wants to be my friend; it’s more like he’s just pretending to be friendly.”

Chu Xia understood. “He’s probably listening to Guan Yan.”

“Mom, Qi Ming is in the junior high division of our school,” Cen Huai’an continued, knowing his mother disliked Guan Yan’s family, so he shared all the information he had.

“The junior high division and high school division are connected?”

“We share the same cafeteria, but we have different meal times.”

Chu Xia was relieved. “Then it’s fine.”

Since the two divisions didn’t have overlapping meal times, it would be difficult for them to run into each other. Cen Huai’an thought the same.

Later that evening, Cen Zhengnian asked Chu Xia why she seemed so wary and even a bit hostile toward Guan Yan’s family.

Chu Xia paused for a moment as she was applying her face cream, then continued gently rubbing it on her skin, replying in a calm tone, “I didn’t like them from the moment we met.”

She didn’t have much else to say, and Cen Zhengnian didn’t press further.

After all, they were outsiders, and if Chu Xia didn’t like them, there was no need for further contact.

The sunburn ointment had finally hit the market, but Chu Xia felt it was a bit unfortunate timing—if it had been released in the summer, it would have sold even faster.

Still, the approval process was something beyond her control, and it was still a decent time for the product to launch.

At first, when Chu Xia went to the pharmacy, the sunburn ointment wasn’t selling that much.

However, when she saw the sales data after the product had been out for just half a month, she was astonished.

“How is it selling so much?”

An employee providing her with the data explained, “Besides the pharmacies, we’ve also opened up sales channels with hospitals.”

No wonder—the hospital partnerships would guarantee the product wouldn’t sit on the shelves.

With such good sales in just two weeks, it had already exceeded Chu Xia’s expectations.

And it was clear that the sales of the sunburn ointment would only continue to grow.

Jiang Zhishu, however, wasn’t content with just this one formula.

Knowing that Chu Xia was also working on new research, he asked as she was leaving, “Do you have another formula to sell me?”

Chu Xia replied, “I’ll go back and work on it.”

During the National Day holiday, Cen Huai’an, Chu Xia, and Cen Zhengnian finally had time to visit Grandfather Jiang again.

This time, they finally met Jiang Weixian at his house as well!

This scene portrays a troubling change in Jiang Weixian’s character, revealing the negative impact of parental pressure and excessive control, particularly from Bai Han, his mother.

In the past, Jiang Weixian was playful and full of life, though he occasionally made mistakes.

Now, however, he has become quiet and withdrawn, his lively spark extinguished.

Sitting on the sofa next to Bai Han, he barely speaks unless spoken to, responding in monosyllables.

Both Chu Xia and his close friends, Zhang Lu and Cen Huai’an, can tell that something is deeply wrong.

Zhang Lu, noticing Jiang Weixian’s mood, tries to invite him to play with her and Cen Huai’an.

However, Bai Han quickly pulls him back and declines the invitation, claiming that Weixian doesn’t know how to play chess.

Weixian’s brief moment of hope is crushed, and he falls back into his somber state.

Jiang Weixian’s grandfather, seeing the situation, intervenes gently, suggesting that Weixian should go out to play instead of sitting idly in the living room.

As an elder, his words carry weight, and Bai Han reluctantly lets Weixian go.

Once outside, Zhang Lu immediately confronts Jiang Weixian about his unhappy demeanor, asking about his school life.

Jiang Weixian, on the verge of tears, admits how exhausted he feels.

He sits on a familiar stone outside his great-grandfather’s house, a spot where they used to play as children.

Zhang Lu, filled with sympathy and anger, is ready to march back inside and confront Bai Han, but both Jiang Weixian and Cen Huai’an stop her.

They know that such a confrontation would only make things worse for him.

Jiang Weixian confesses that his current life is suffocating—he spends all his time studying, with no friends, no fun, and no break.

Even his academic performance is deteriorating, leading his mother to push him harder, creating a vicious cycle of failure and pressure.

He feels trapped, unable to find any relief.

Zhang Lu, frustrated and empathetic, can’t fathom how Bai Han could treat her son this way, comparing it to working a donkey without even offering a carrot.

Jiang Weixian agrees, saying that he feels like he’s close to breaking under the pressure.

Cen Huai’an also chimes in, noting that constant studying without rest is counterproductive and can harm academic progress.

Together, the three friends sit by the wall, lost in thought, all feeling helpless.

Jiang Weixian regrets his past mistakes, particularly his involvement with gambling machines, which led to this downward spiral in his life.

Zhang Lu and Cen Huai’an pat him on the shoulder, offering silent comfort.

Jiang Weixian shares that his mother expects him to get into the prestigious Fourth High School (the school where Zhang Lu and Cen Huai’an already attend). However, given his current academic performance, he feels it’s an impossible goal.

Both friends agree that Bai Han’s expectations are unrealistic, and that her relentless pressure is only making things worse.

Jiang Weixian laments that if only his mother understood this, she might ease up on him.

Meanwhile, back inside the house, Jiang grandfather calls his second son and Jiang Zhijie into his study.

With a calm demeanor, he addresses them, implying that they need to discuss Jiang Weixian’s situation.

It’s clear that the family is concerned, and a deeper conversation about how Bai Han is handling her son’s upbringing is imminent.