"Time to get up!"
I was in the middle of a wonderful dream when a stern voice jolted me awake, followed by the covers being yanked off.
That voice was all too familiar—it was Mom's.
Out of reflex, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I've always been a bit afraid of my mom—she's been strict with me since I was little.
"What time is it already? Still in bed?" she said, walking over to pull open the curtains across from my bed. Outside, the sky was bright and sunny, and glaring sunlight streamed in.
"I know, I know," I replied. I'm used to this from her—she always holds me to high standards, never letting me slack off even on weekends.
"Go wash up. Your dad and I are both off this week—a rare thing. We'll head over to your grandpa's place in a bit and come back tonight." My mom smiled at me, her gentle gaze something I wasn't quite used to.
"Ah, hehe, okay, Mom." I grinned as I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Mom looks so pretty when she smiles—why does she have to be so strict with me all the time?
I'm already this old, but my mom still treats me like a kid, barging into my room without asking. Doesn't she know about boundaries between men and women? But then again, it's fine—she's my own mother.
After finishing the breakfast Mom made, Dad drove us in his Toyota sedan to Grandpa's house.
In the car, it suddenly hit me—today was the day of the League of Legends Season 10 finals. Seeing how happy Mom looked in the passenger seat, I thought if we couldn't make it back in time, I'd just watch it on my phone at Grandpa's place.
Thinking of my phone reminded me of the math problem Li Xiaojun had asked me about. I decided to solve it during the car ride and send her the answer.
"Thanks, Zihan! Zihan, any plans today? If not, wanna come to the beach with me?" Li Xiaojun texted me on WeChat.
"Emmm, don't even ask. I'm heading to my grandpa's with my parents," I replied.
"Hehehe, seems like Zihan isn't too willing to go," she texted back.
"I was planning to watch the League of Legends match tonight, but my mom dragged me out of bed early this morning…" I replied.
"Giggle, okay then. If you're free tomorrow, come to the beach with me, Zihan," she sent again.
"Emm, alright. If my mom doesn't have other plans for me tomorrow, I'll come find you."
"Deal."
Li Xiaojun replied. How could I refuse such a warm invitation from a girl? Besides, Li Xiaojun is quite pretty. Even though her chest isn't as full as those TikTok girls, my homeroom teacher, or my mom, she still looks adorable in her school uniform with those slight curves.
Ugh, what am I thinking? I glanced at Mom in the passenger seat—thankfully, she hadn't noticed.
After over an hour, we arrived at the outskirts, some distance from the city. Dad pulled the car up in front of a farmhouse beside a colorful flower field, where Grandma stood waiting for us at the door.
As soon as I opened the car door, a wave of rich floral fragrance washed over me. Bathing in the scent felt incredibly soothing—luckily, no one in our family has pollen allergies.
"Grandma," I called out as I walked over. Even though it was late October, it was still a bit muggy near the coast. For the visit to Grandpa's, I was wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts, and a pair of Nike sandals.
"Mom," my mother followed behind me, greeting Grandma.
My mom looked absolutely stunning today. Her long hair cascaded down her back, and she wore a sleeveless black-and-white floral dress. I couldn't help but notice how her ample chest seemed to stretch the fabric of the dress.
On her feet were a pair of white flat sandals, and every inch of her exposed skin was fair and glowing.
She hadn't applied any lipstick today, opting for only light makeup since my grandparents were around.
Even so, nothing could hide her natural charm. A gentle breeze brushed through the strands of hair on her forehead, and she gracefully tucked a few loose strands behind her ear with her slender fingers—an indescribable elegance.
"Oh, you're here! Come on in," Grandma said, spotting Mom and me. She took my hand and led us into the yard.
"Grandma, where's Grandpa?" I asked. Grandma guided me to a chair in the yard, where a side table was piled high with fruits they had grown themselves.
"Your grandpa is over in the field tending to his flowers. You should go take a look later, Zihan. He's planted so many varieties this year," Grandma said warmly, her eyes kind. Grandpa's field always had something different each year. This year, it was filled with flowers. In previous years, flower shops from the city would come to buy his blooms to sell in town.
"Sure, Grandma," I replied, settling into the bamboo chair. I relaxed, enjoying the fruit, the gentle breeze, and the faint scent of flowers drifting over—it was pure bliss.
I pulled out my phone, scrolling through TikTok while munching on fruit. Mom, Dad, and Grandma had gone to the field to "help," though really, Mom was just there to take selfies or have Dad snap photos of her.
Even though Mom could be a bit vain, there was no denying how breathtaking she looked surrounded by the sea of flowers. She was like a celestial fairy descended to earth—beautiful wasn't even enough to describe her.
Before I knew it, I'd finished most of the fruit. After scrolling through TikTok for what felt like ages, my eyes started to ache. I got up and walked to the edge of the yard, where I spotted Mom in the distance, strolling through the flower field with her phone, undoubtedly filming. No doubt about it—with such a perfect backdrop, she must have posted another TikTok.
I opened the app again, navigated to my following list, and found Mom's account. Sure enough, she had just uploaded a new video. Set to a light, refreshing tune, the clip showed Mom standing in the flower field, her sleeveless dress perfectly accentuating her figure. Her chest, in particular, looked like it was about to burst through the fabric.
The video had been posted just a short while ago but already had over two thousand likes. I had to admit—Mom was truly gorgeous.
Luckily, Dad was broad-minded. As long as Mom was happy, he let her do as she pleased. He trusted completely that she loved him.
As for how I ended up following Mom on TikTok—back when she had hardly any followers, she practically forced me to follow her and like every video. Thinking about it now, it was kind of endearing. Maybe she wasn't as strict as I thought.
After spending the day at Grandpa's, we had dinner and headed back to the city. In the car, I tried to watch the League of Legends finals, but the signal was spotty, and traffic was heavy. By the time we got home, it was already late. News was everywhere online that Korea's DWG had beaten China's SN 3-1. Feeling a bit down and exhausted from the day, I took a shower and went to bed early.
That night, I dreamed I was playing my main champion, Tryndamere, the Barbarian King, roaring "My blade thirsts," as I beat some Korean players until they were crawling on the ground looking for their teeth.
Then, in a sea of flowers, my hands were caressing a pair of full, soft breasts?
Huh?
What a strange dream.
Just as things were about to progress further, a blinding light pulled me back to reality. Squinting, I realized it was my mom coming in to tidy up the room. She had pulled open the curtains opposite my bed, letting the sunlight pour in.
Mom was wearing a white floral-print short-sleeved shirt today, with a black bra visible underneath. She had on a pair of black cotton shorts so short they reached the top of her thighs. Her two pale legs were in slippers as she tidied up the things on my desk. Was it really appropriate for Mom to dress like this? Even though I'm her son, I've grown up now.
"Awake?" While I was lost in thought, my mom glanced back at me. "Yeah," I said. "Mom, I'm going out to hang out with friends today," I added. "Mm... go ahead, but be careful," Mom said. She seemed unusually happy today, her eyes curving gently as she looked at me, without the usual sternness in her gaze. "Awesome!" I immediately got out of bed, washed up, grabbed my phone, and contacted Li Xiaojun. Checking the time, it was already past 9 in the morning. "Mom, I won't be back for lunch. I'm meeting my friends to eat out," I called out from the doorway after putting on my shoes, addressing Mom who was doing laundry in the second-floor bathroom. "Got it, come home early," Mom's voice drifted down from the second floor. "I'm heading out now. How about we have lunch by the sea? My mom's in a great mood today and finally let me out," I texted Li Xiaojun on WeChat. "Sure, Zihan. Wait for me at the entrance of Wanda Plaza, and then we can go to the seaside bathhouse," Li Xiaojun replied shortly after. I took the bus to Wanda Plaza, got off, and walked to the entrance. To my surprise, Li Xiaojun was already there waiting for me.
"Sorry, Xiaojun, the traffic was bad," I scratched my head, looking at Li Xiaojun, who was dressed beautifully today.
Li Xiaojun was wearing a light yellow floral-print dress with transparent lace patterns on the chest, her slightly prominent breasts faintly visible. Her long hair cascaded down her back, with the hair on her forehead clipped back, revealing her fair face. Beneath her tall, straight nose, her small lips were adorned with a faint red lip gloss. Already tall, she wore a pair of silver-white leather flats, making her look elegant and noticeable even from a distance at the plaza entrance.
"It's fine, I just got here not long ago too," Li Xiaojun said, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled at me. "Let's go, it'll take a while to get there by bus," she added. "Okay," I replied. As a virgin for over a decade, even though I liked pretty girls, I had no idea how to go on a date or hang out with one. Fortunately, Li Xiaojun was outgoing and took the lead in showing me around.
Sitting on the bus, since Li Xiaojun and I were seated next to each other, the fresh, delicate scent of a young girl wafted into my nose from her. I couldn't help but glance at her chest, partially obscured by the transparent floral pattern of her dress. From my side angle, Xiaojun's chest didn't seem all that small either. "What do you want to eat for lunch later?" Xiaojun looked at me, and I quickly shifted my gaze elsewhere. "Anything is fine. We'll see what looks good over there," I said. "Okay," Xiaojun replied, looking at me. As someone who isn't good at talking to girls, I spent the rest of the ride awkwardly staring at the scenery outside the window.
After arriving at our destination, Xiaojun and I rode the water Ferris wheel. She asked me to take lots of photos for her. It seems women of all ages love taking pictures—my mom is the same way.
We tried many water activities together. After lunch, the two of us walked along the seaside path, holding ice cream we bought from a beachside shop. Although I had imagined walking with a girl on a path like this many times, in reality, I felt a bit reserved. I made awkward small talk with Xiaojun, jumping from one topic to another. Fortunately, she understood me and kept trying to cheer me up.
"Zihan, the exchange student might arrive tomorrow. I'm so excited," Xiaojun said, sticking out her pink tongue to lick the ice cream in her hand. "Yeah, whatever. What's there to be excited about?" I replied. Seeing Xiaojun acting so infatuated annoyed me, and I already felt an inexplicable hostility toward this exchange student.
"Hehe, then we can practice English with the exchange student. Zihan, it'll be good for both of us," Xiaojun said, looking at me with wide eyes. "Yeah, I guess so," I said, knowing I couldn't argue with her—it would only make me seem stubborn.
"Zihan, let's guess. Do you think the exchange student will have dark skin, fair skin, or yellowish skin?" Xiaojun asked with interest. "I think it'll probably be dark skin. After all, we've supported a lot of people from over there." If it's a dark-skinned African, I figured the pretty girls around me would definitely dislike him.
"Hmm, I think that's most likely too, haha. A Black person, giggle giggle, how strange," Xiaojun laughed, her small chest bouncing up and down inside her dress. Ice cream dripped from the corner of her mouth. "Stop laughing, look—you've got ice cream all over your mouth," I said, smiling at her. "Ah, sorry," Xiaojun said, sticking out her pink tongue to lick the ice cream off the corner of her mouth. Watching her like this, I felt a strange sensation.
We played in the water by the sea for a long time, walking barefoot on the sand, laughing and having fun. Suddenly, I realized spending time with a girl could actually be quite pleasant.
As the evening glow hung over the horizon, I said goodbye to Xiaojun and took a taxi home.
"Mom, I'm back," I said wearily, collapsing onto the sofa. "Oh, you still remember to come home," my mom said, emerging from the kitchen with a metal spoon in her left hand and a pair of chopsticks in her right, a black apron tied around her waist. I glanced at my mom and couldn't help but think her chest was much larger than Xiaojun's. Even though I knew it was wrong to think that way, the thought lingered in my mind.
"Hehe, Mom, you look really pretty today," I quickly cut her off before she could get angry. "Enough with the sweet talk. Tell me, who did you go out with today?" Even though my mom questioned me sternly, I could already see the corners of her mouth curling into a smile, which meant my compliment about her looks had worked.
"With a classmate, the class monitor. Well... she's a girl, but we're just good friends, don't overthink it," I said, lying on the couch and looking at my mom. "Oh? Wang Zihan, let me tell you, if you start dating in high school, I won't let you off easy," my mom glared at me sternly. "I know, we were just hanging out, nothing more," I replied. "It better be that way, or else, hmph!" My mom raised her left hand, which was holding a spoon, and after finishing her questioning, she headed back to the kitchen. "Hahaha, it's fine, son, I believe you," my dad laughed as he came out of the study, giving me a mischievous grin. "Come help me wash the vegetables!" As soon as my dad finished laughing, my mom's voice echoed from the kitchen. My dad obediently headed toward the kitchen. "Hahaha," this time it was my turn to laugh. "Dad, there's an international exchange student coming to our class tomorrow, probably from Africa," I said to my dad across the table during dinner. "Hmm, get along well with them, don't bully them," my dad looked at me and said. "From Africa? Let me tell you, Wang Zihan, don't get too close to those people. They're all dark and not good people!" my mom chimed in from the side. "That's not right. 'Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?' Get along well with them, Zihan. The fact that they can come here as exchange students means they must have something special about them," my dad said. "What's so special about them? Besides being dark-skinned, they're useless!" My mom still seemed to dislike black people.
"Not necessarily. I handle business related to Africa at my company, and the African brothers I've met are quite nice. They're good people. Not all black people are bad. Just get along with them, and maybe you'll make an African friend?" My dad smiled at me. "Okay, Dad, I know," I said. I also knew that there are good and bad people everywhere, and it's not like all dark-skinned people are bad.
"Hmph!" My mom glared coldly at my dad. After dinner, tired from a long day of fun and with school tomorrow, I took a shower and went to bed early.
As expected, tomorrow I would meet the foreign exchange student. As for where they're from or what their skin color is, it doesn't really matter. Like my dad said, getting along well and making a foreign friend would be nice.