Sheng Muxi held her phone, flipping it over: "You should know that your sister and I have a good relationship. If you..."
"Yes, yes, I can find the time." Chai Shuqing nodded hurriedly.
——
Chai Qianning and Chai Shuqing inherited their easygoing personalities from Chai Renbo. Chai Renbo has a good temper, rarely scolds his children, and is full of fatherly love.
He Xiaoying, on the other hand, was very strict with them from a young age.
If it weren't for the fact that He Xiaoying and Chai Renbo had a good relationship, and He Xiaoying accompanied her husband on business trips every day, inseparable and not having much energy to manage them, then Chai Qianning wouldn't have had such a carefree life since childhood.
Chai Qianning was raised in a semi-free-range manner.
It's the kind of situation where, unless there's something important, like a birthday, a holiday, or the teacher calling in parents, either He Xiaoying or Chai Renbo will take time out of their busy schedules to be with her. Otherwise, they're left to do whatever they want.
Sometimes, looking at her parents who are inseparable every day, Chai Qianning wonders if her birth was an accident.
However, this had no impact on Chai Qianning.
She was actually glad that He Xiaoying didn't have time to manage her. She had never liked being controlled since she was a child. If she had lived according to He Xiaoying's rules, she probably would have psychological problems by now.
Later, He Xiaoying probably worried that she would be too lonely, so she gave birth to a younger sister for her.
Two perfectly matched individuals may not have perfect personalities, but their complementary family dynamics can create a surprisingly harmonious and fulfilling life.
When Chai Shuqing learned that it was He Xiaoying who had come, her heart sank to the bottom of the sea.
She leaned against the corridor outside the office door and waited for nearly twenty minutes before Teacher Sheng finished talking with He Xiaoying.
As expected, when He Xiaoying came out, the scene looked like a storm was brewing.
The two went to the cafeteria for lunch. He Xiaoying scolded her the whole way, telling her that she would not be allowed to use a smartphone for the rest of the semester and would have to use a basic old-fashioned phone instead.
No matter how much Chai Shuqing pleaded and acted coquettishly, it was no use; she could only eat in silence.
He Xiaoying received a phone call midway through the lecture; she had a meeting to attend in the afternoon. So she called Chai Qianning and asked her to come over and accompany her sister to the afternoon lecture.
The lecture will start at 3 p.m. The school does not require students to bring their parents, but students are encouraged to bring their parents if possible.
There will be another lecture later on the topic of communication between parents and children, and some education experts will come to share their insights with everyone.
For some reason, there were quite a lot of parents attending this time, almost the same number as in previous parent-teacher meetings.
When Chai Qianning arrived at the school, she happened to see Chai Shuqing sitting on the stone stool at the entrance, waiting for her, looking utterly hopeless as she played the single-player game Tetris on her old-fashioned mobile phone.
"Ah—I'm so miserable!" Chai Shuqing let out a long wail.
Chai Qianning handed the paper bag she was carrying to her: "Don't be sad, I bought you your favorite cream puffs."
Chai Shuqing held the paper bag in her arms for a few seconds, then opened it, put a small cream puff in her mouth, and ate it until her lips were covered with a few strands of cream.
“So what if it’s an old-fashioned phone? You have to think about it. At least you still have a cell phone, and you can still play single-player games. It’s better than having nothing at all. I’m already being lenient by not making you write a 10,000-word self-criticism. Who told you to always break the rules?” Chai Qianning said as she walked, casually ruffling a few strands of her hair.
Chai Shuqing tidied her hair, which had been messed up by her: "Sister, I feel like I've sacrificed too much for your love with Teacher Sheng."
"uh-huh?"
...
Lush trees on both sides of the road stretched ahead, and dappled sunlight mixed with the shadows of the trees fell on Chai Qianning's shoulders, swaying with her every step.
"Qingqing, Dad asked me to ask you if you want to commute to school in your second year of high school? Or stay with me."
"Ah." Chai Shuqing ate her food, her cheeks puffed out, and licked her lips. "Why do you make me a day student? I'm living comfortably at school, and besides..."
Chai Qianning glanced at her.
"Besides, you and Teacher Sheng... forget it. Since I have a strong sense of dedication, I'll just give the land to you."
I knew she wouldn't say anything nice.
“Then you can stay at home and have the driver pick you up,” Chai Qianning said.
"I'll think about it. No rush. Summer vacation hasn't even started yet."
——
A dozen minutes before the lecture began, many students and parents began to enter the venue. Each class had a designated area, and Chai Qianning and Chai Shuqing had already sat down in their seats early.
If it weren't for He Xiaoying's "threat," she wouldn't really want to attend any lectures.
She had already heard enough of it when she was in school and didn't want to have to listen to it again after graduation.
"I remember your school held a similar lecture when the semester just started. Why are you holding one again this time?"
"It seems that this time it's because someone in our grade got scammed in an online relationship."
Chai Qianning was a little surprised: "Online dating? No wonder."
No wonder Sheng Muxi forwarded her that "online dating scam" article on WeChat last time.
Chai Shuqing's fingers gripped the armrest, and after a while, as if she saw something, her pupils suddenly dilated.
“Sister…” Chai Shuqing paused for a moment, the words she was about to say stuck in her throat, and she swallowed them back.
Each classroom area had designated seats for teachers. But Sheng Muxi didn't seem to want to sit there; instead, she walked over and sat down next to Chai Qianning.
"Teacher Sheng," Chai Qianning called out to her.
Sheng Muxi nodded and sat down.
Chai Shuqing breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, the two of them didn't talk about her.
The lecture began with the host going on stage to adjust the microphone, quieting the audience, and reciting a welcoming speech for students and parents. Then, an elderly teacher in a suit with gray hair came on stage and began to present a PowerPoint presentation.
Halfway through, Chai Qianning was almost asleep when the people in the hall suddenly became excited.
The speaker posed a question: If a guy in an online chat says he likes you and asks to borrow money from you, what would you do?
The participants will be randomly selected to answer questions.
People in the audience were enthusiastically discussing with those around them, and some were even raising their hands, hoping the speaker would call on them.
The light shone on Chai Shuqing's position, and the speaker paused and said, "This student, it's you. You answer this question."
Many eyes turned to look at her from the front. Chai Shuqing straightened her head and slowly stood up. The host ran over and handed her the microphone.
Chai Shuqing held the microphone, her sweet voice echoing in the hall.
"Let him work hard to earn money to support me."
The entire audience burst into laughter, and Chai Qianning couldn't help but smile too.
"Quiet, quiet."
The speaker cleared his throat: "So, if someone says they are in debt, so poor they can't even afford food, and have no friends or family, would you lend them money or not?"
Chai Shuqing thought for a moment and said, "Then he should go to the police for help."
Applause erupted in the hall.
The speaker gestured for her to sit down, then touched his nose: "This student's logic is sound, but the best course of action in this situation is to tell your teacher or parents. After all, you are still students... and puppy love is unacceptable for you..."
Proceed to the next slide of the PPT.
Question: What should I be aware of if an online friend asks me to meet them?
The speaker continued, "Don't even mention students; many adults can also fall victim to this without realizing it... Don't laugh, it's true. So many parents are here today. Now that we've asked the students, let's ask the parents... Hey, let's hear from the parent of that student... Is that student's parent here?"
"So young, is she the student's older sister?"
Chai Qianning's eyelashes trembled, and she caught Sheng Muxi glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes, I'm her older sister," Chai Qianning said calmly as she took the microphone.
"Then please answer the question above: If you've fallen in love online and your online partner wants to meet you in person, what should you be aware of?"
Chai Qianning glanced to the side and met Sheng Muxi's burning gaze.
".."
That's really bringing up the very thing you shouldn't be talking about.
Out of concern for the many students present and adhering to the principle of not misleading minors, Chai Qianning did not speak freely, but gave a standard and conventional answer.
——
After the anti-fraud lecture, there will be a follow-up lecture on communication issues between parents and students.
During the half-hour break, many students had already left, but many parents stayed.
Sheng Muxi is the homeroom teacher, so she has to wait until everything is over before she can leave.
"Teacher Sheng, shall we go back together later?" Chai Qianning walked to her side.
Sheng Muxi watched Chai Shuqing disappear through the door: "Aren't you going back with your sister? I'll be leaving later."
"My sister went out with her friends, I'm waiting for you here, I'll hitch a ride home with you."
"good."
Chai Qianning found a corner spot, sat down, played on her phone, and enjoyed the air conditioning.
Sheng Muxi went to the restroom and came back. He sat down next to her and watched her play games. He stared at her face for a few seconds, lost in thought.
Chai Qianning raised her eyes and smiled at her: "What's wrong, Teacher Sheng?"
Sheng Muxi casually picked up an educational brochure, placed it on his lap, flipped through a few pages, and chatted with her casually until the lecture began.
The lecture that followed was much faster. The final interactive session was where an education expert promoted his new book. Many parents joined in to buy a copy, but Chai Qianning remained seated, detached from the noise.
After Sheng Muxi finished talking with several parents, he walked over to Chai Qianning with the expert's new book in his hand and suddenly asked her about her family situation.
“I can tell your parents are really busy.”
"That's true."
"So your parents don't really care about your sister, right?"
"Yeah, we don't really care."
Sheng Muxi said thoughtfully, "Well, your sister is quite quick to admit her mistakes. If it weren't for the huge number of disciplinary violations marked in red, I think your sister would be a more obedient student like you."
"Ahem." Chai Qianning chuckled. "How did you know I used to be the kind of obedient student?"
Sheng Muxi blinked: "Were your parents frequently called in when you were in school?"
Chai Qianning cleared her throat: "To put it this way, my mom would use me as a negative example every time she disciplined my sister when we were little."