The golden retriever was still immersed in a wave of excitement, its tongue wildly licking Little Bug's face while its tail wagged at high frequency, accompanied by joyful yaps.
Little Bug threw his arms around the big dog and said happily, "Baby, we're never gonna be apart again! Aren't you happy—"
Before he could finish being sentimental, the low-EQ pretty boy Xia Pengfei yanked the retriever aside and picked Little Bug up like a toy, carrying him straight into the living room. The big golden retriever followed them in, wagging its tail.
"…Xiao Gao, hurry up and review Manager Wen's monthly promotion plan—check feasibility first, then give me your suggested revisions. You'll host the managers' meeting this afternoon. I need to make a trip to Japan; call me if anything comes up."Standing in the middle of the living room, the lady of the house—Tan Ruomei—was giving instructions on the phone.
Tan Ruomei had very fair skin, bright eyes, and wore a black suit jacket with a white blouse and a fitted black skirt. Everything about her—from posture to tone—carried the sharp aura unique to business professionals.
The living room décor was minimalist yet grand, the perfect embodiment of understated luxury, with a main palette of white and natural wood tones.
"Mama, hug!"Little Bug timed it perfectly, leaping forward the moment Tan Ruomei put down her phone.
"My little Bug is home! I missed you so much!"Tan Ruomei bent down and scooped her younger son into her arms, planting several kisses on his cheek—while completely ignoring her elder son Xia Pengfei, who was slouched on the sofa.
Still scrolling through news on his phone, Xia Pengfei asked, "Mom, something going on at home?"
"Can't I call you back if nothing's going on?" Tan Ruomei put Little Bug down and let him play with the golden retriever.
"President Tan, shall we start serving dinner?"A woman in her early thirties asked respectfully.
"In ten minutes."
"Alright."
"Auntie Song, bring me a bottle of water," Xia Pengfei said from the sofa, glancing briefly at the housekeeper before going back to his phone.
"Okay."
Tan Ruomei sat down with her tea. Her cool gaze swept toward Xia Pengfei, still buried in his phone."I'm asking you: how did your entrance exam go?"
Without lifting his head or even his eyes, Xia Pengfei replied blandly, "Total score 599. First in the grade."
Tan Ruomei scoffed, "Tch. In that second-rate school of yours, being first still won't get you into B University or Q University. With that score you can't even get into C University. Their liberal arts cutoff has been over six hundred for years!"
Xia Pengfei raised his eyebrows, eyes still on his screen. "Hard to believe a world-class MBA graduate like you still remembers some domestic little C University. Impressive."
Tan Ruomei snapped, "Will you die if you stop playing with your phone? I'm talking to you!"
Xia Pengfei tossed his phone aside, took the bottle of water from housekeeper Song Ping, twisted the cap off, and gulped several mouthfuls. Then, completely unfazed, he said, "For someone who's soaked in European style and drenched in American rain, your thinking sure is old-fashioned, conservative, and rigid. Even if I talk to you while playing on my phone, it doesn't affect the lofty position you hold in my heart."
"How much did you get in history?"Tan Ruomei's gaze sharpened like a blade, ready to poke a hundred holes in him.
Xia Pengfei took another sip of water and glanced toward Little Bug, who was playing happily with the retriever. He muttered, "College entrance exams look at total score. Why're you always hung up on history?"
"How. Much."Her volume shot up by thirty decibels. Little Bug and the golden retriever both jumped in fright and looked at her, confused.
The younger housekeeper, Wang Zhenmei, quickly led Little Bug and the retriever to the dining room.
"Thirty-nine," Xia Pengfei mumbled.
"What? Say that again!"Tan Ruomei thought she'd misheard.
"Thirty-nine!" Xia Pengfei raised his voice.
Tan Ruomei burst into angry laughter. "Thirty-nine points! And you actually dare hand in that score! Why don't you smash yourself to death with a block of tofu!"
Xia Pengfei stood up. "I'm hungry. Need to fill my stomach so I'll have the strength to listen to your teachings." He strode toward the dining room.
The dining room was spacious, with a large round table at the center, surrounded by leather chairs. In the corner stood a high-end refrigerator and cabinetry for glassware and tableware. The black-white-gray palette made the space mature and high-class without being gaudy.
Housekeepers had already placed the dishes; Tan Ruomei was still on the phone in the living room; Xia Pengfei and his brother sat at the table; even the golden retriever had jumped onto the chair beside Little Bug.
"Baby, back to your own room!"Xia Pengfei barked at the retriever. The dog protested with three sharp "Woof, woof, woof," but after Xia Pengfei raised a fist meaningfully, it reluctantly hopped down and left the dining room.
"Brother, you treat Baby exactly the way Sister Yu treats you," Little Bug commented.
"Who's Sister Yu? You mean Siyu? You two better not bully Siyu and Yuanyuan!" Tan Ruomei said.
"I'm lucky if she doesn't bully me," Xia Pengfei said while popping an abalone roll into his mouth. "Those sisters are both a handful."
"Mama, does our Xia family owe the Leng family a lot of money?"Little Bug tilted his head at Tan Ruomei, his clear, childish voice echoing loudly through the open living room.
"Why would you say that? …Try this—see what's different from last time," Tan Ruomei said, placing a crystal abalone roll onto his plate.
Little Bug chewed while saying, "If we don't owe them money, why do you and Dad always tell me and brother to be nice to the Leng family?"
Tan Ruomei paused for a moment, then smiled softly. "Our families are connected. Your dad and Yuanyuan's dad are teammates; you and Yuanyuan are classmates; your brother and Siyu are schoolmates."
"The look in your eyes tells me you're lying," Little Bug pouted. "You think I'm a three-year-old? I'm already five!"
"Mom, I want to transfer to Class One."Xia Pengfei suddenly spoke, glancing at Tan Ruomei while she ate her vegetables.
Tan Ruomei dabbed her lips with a napkin. "You think the school belongs to your father? Transfer just because you say so? …But go on, let's hear your reason."
Xia Pengfei said unhurriedly, "Our school's history teacher allocation is terrible. Our class's history teacher majored in automatic control. In this exam, only a few people passed; no one even got seventy or eighty. But Class One's teacher is a C-University history graduate student."
Tan Ruomei said, "When something goes wrong, look to yourself first. Don't 'blame the poor house.' With the same teacher, how come other students pass while you only get thirty-nine?"
"Then why do people say 'A thousand miles of travel is no better than guidance from a great teacher'? Why is there 'Let a favorable wind lift me to the blue sky'? Why is there 'To do a good job, sharpen your tools first'? For me, Teacher Nian is the great teacher, the favorable wind, and the sharpened tool. If you let me transfer, maybe my history score will shoot up enough to get me into C University."
When Xia Pengfei defended himself, his eyes were sharp, his mental CPU spinning at high speed, and his tone full of intensity…
"You're the top scorer in your grade—will Class Two even let you go?" Tan Ruomei frowned. In the business world she could command storms, but in academic circles her influence was far less mighty.
"Mom, isn't that easy?"Little Bug suddenly chimed in. "Did you forget? The principal is Auntie Shen's big brother. And you and Auntie Shen are classmates. Just ask her for help and tell her Brother transferring isn't just for his own future—it's also for the development of the school."