Wen Meimei attended the city’s most prestigious international private kindergarten, where bilingual education was implemented from the start.
Only children from wealthy or prominent families could secure a place at such a school.
However, bilingual classes began in the middle class, and little Meimei, still in the small class, hadn’t officially started learning English.
The small class focused mostly on games.
With only a dozen or so students in a class and summer vacation approaching, the teacher gathered the parents together—essentially the last parent-child gathering before the small class ended.
This tea-party-style parent-child event was completely different from what Jiang Yiyan had imagined.
All the last-minute preparation she had done for the occasion now seemed wasted.
In the classroom, some parents attended as couples, some came alone, and a few had to send grandparents in their place because neither parent was available.
Jiang Yiyan sat in the last row, quietly observing the other parents. Regardless of whether they were fathers, mothers, or grandparents, everyone was dressed with meticulous care.
The women’s makeup was impeccable, and the men were formally and neatly dressed.
It seemed she was the only one dressed casually.
In the front row, a woman kept glancing back at Jiang Yiyan, her gaze clearly unfriendly.
At first, Jiang Yiyan ignored it, but growing irritated by the repeated looks, she seized an opportunity and glared right back, deliberately rolling her eyes in slow motion.
Although she didn’t yet know who the woman was, it was clear she came with ill intent. There was no reason for Jiang Yiyan to tread lightly.
The woman was taken aback, returned the eye-roll, but after that, didn’t look at Jiang Yiyan again.
Jiang Yiyan didn’t bother with her anymore.
This so-called parent-child gathering was, in reality, just another form of social maneuvering.
After a brief explanation from the teacher, the adults were left to mingle and converse.
Jiang Yiyan had no interest in such socializing. Seeing the teacher leave, she planned to take her daughter home immediately.
At that moment, the woman who had exchanged eye-rolls earlier suddenly got up and approached Jiang Yiyan.
She was holding a little boy, around four or five years old.
The boy appeared to be her son; the mother and child shared strikingly similar facial features and expressions.
“Yiyan, why are you here alone? Where’s your husband?” The woman’s tone suggested familiarity with the original Jiang Yiyan.
Not just familiarity, likely a contentious relationship.
Since the woman’s intent was hostile and provocative, Jiang Yiyan didn’t feel the need to be polite. She shot back, “Are you very interested in my husband? If not, why does it matter whether he comes or not?”
Wu Jingmeng ground her teeth.
Her restraint broke; she let all her hostility and resentment toward Jiang Yiyan show.
“It’s only because Yaoyao is kind-hearted that she quietly left this painful place after you usurped her love, rather than seeking revenge or reproach. If it were me, I’d stay and fight you to the end. Everything you have now, you took from Yaoyao. But your peaceful days won’t last long, Yaoyao is coming back.”
Finishing her speech, Wu Jingmeng smirked, clearly expecting to see Jiang Yiyan falter.
Jiang Yiyan paid no mind to her words, though she could now roughly deduce her identity.
If she guessed correctly, this was the best friend and confidante of Shu Yao—the book’s female protagonist Wu Jingmeng.
And she had just said Shu Yao was returning to the country?
Previously, Jiang Yiyan had only a rough timeline: Shu Yao hadn’t returned yet, so the original events hadn’t occurred. But exactly when Shu Yao would return, and what the current book timeline had progressed to, remained unclear.
Now, Wu Jingmeng has answered that question.
Jiang Yiyan, no longer the original, had no concern for Shu Yao. The information only clarified the approximate timing of Shu Yao’s return.
She calmly replied, “Oh, Shu Yao is coming back? That’s good.”
Then, not forgetting to mock Wu Jingmeng, she added, “Your big supporter is back—you must be thrilled.”
Wu Jingmeng and Shu Yao had grown up together.
They had lived in the city’s old communal housing, with modest family circumstances. Later, Shu Yao’s mother remarried into the Jiang family, and Shu Yao became the family’s eldest daughter, suddenly rising in status.
Wu Jingmeng, who had been Shu Yao’s friend, naturally benefited as well.
The greatest advantage she gained through Shu Yao was social mobility via marriage—she married a wealthy man and quickly secured her position, enjoying the life of a high-society wife.
In the original book, Wu Jingmeng was genuinely grateful to Shu Yao, straightforward and righteous, which earned her some fans who admired her integrity.
When reading the novel before, from Shu Yao’s perspective, Wu Jingmeng was somewhat likable.
Now, under the original Jiang Yiyan’s identity, in opposition to Shu Yao, Jiang Yiyan found this aggressive, overbearing Wu woman thoroughly irritating.
If Wu Jingmeng didn’t provoke her, they could coexist peacefully. But repeated provocations wouldn’t be tolerated.
The enmity wasn’t deep—she simply enjoyed a verbal sparring victory, refusing to let Wu Jingmeng have it easy.
“You… you…” Wu Jingmeng was flustered.
She did rely on Shu Yao for her status, yet she had self-respect and couldn’t openly admit it.
Jiang Yiyan ignored her, walking away with satisfaction as Wu Jingmeng fumed.
Unable to gain an upper hand verbally, Wu Jingmeng sat back down and began typing a long string of complaints and accusations about Jiang Yiyan, all directed at Shu Yao, who was in the UK at the time.
It was morning there. Shu Yao, just finished her morning routine, sat at the table having breakfast.
Her phone, resting on the table, rang with a “ding.” Seeing the messages from Jingmeng, Shu Yao’s lips curved slightly.
Opening the chat, however, her smile stiffened at the long string of texts.
Her history with Mochuan was years ago, during school days, innocent and youthful. They had mutual feelings but never acted on them.
Later, Mochuan married Yiyan, Shu Yao went abroad to study… five or six years had passed.
Over the years, she had gradually let go, yet Jingmeng constantly vented to her about Yiyan.
Since their children now attended the same kindergarten, their interactions increased, and over the past year, Wu Jingmeng had frequently criticized Yiyan to her.
Shu Yao didn’t reply immediately, finishing breakfast first before making a video call.
Coincidentally, Wu Jingmeng had just left the kindergarten and was sitting in her car.
“Yao Yao,” she said, immediately including her son in the frame, “say hi to your godmother.”
On her way home, Jiang Yiyan received another call from Wen Mochuan.
It wasn’t the first, so she felt less flustered, even telling her daughter, “It’s Daddy,” before answering.
The moment the call connected, Wen Meimei shouted into the phone, “Daddy!”
Wen Mochuan had just exited the airport, now sitting in the car back to the city.
If there was no traffic, the drive would take about forty minutes; it was four o’clock, so he could reach the kindergarten before five.
By then, the event would likely be over.
He thought that even if he couldn’t join the activities, picking her up would still make his daughter happy.
Hearing Meimei’s clear “Daddy,” his lips unconsciously curved.
“Daddy is out of the airport, on his way back,” Wen Mochuan said gently, voice full of warmth. “How’s it there? Having fun?”
Meimei’s eyes lit up. “Daddy’s back?” Then she added, “But Mom and I are already on our way home.” Though slightly disappointed at missing him at school, she quickly comforted herself, “It’s okay! At least we can have dinner with Daddy tonight!”
Hearing she was on the way home, Wen Mochuan instructed the driver, “Go straight to Cui Ming Shui Yuan,” then reassured his daughter, “Forty minutes, Daddy will be home.”
Meimei responded crisply, then handed the phone back to her mother, adding, “Daddy, Mom wants to talk to you.”
Jiang Yiyan was speechless.
Wen Mochuan remained silent on the other end.
Jiang Yiyan cleared her throat, asking, “What do you want for dinner? I’ll have Feng Ma prepare it.”
He wasn’t particular about food. Calmly, he replied, “Anything, you decide.”
Jiang Yiyan shrugged and hung up.
Knowing her behavior had been unusual lately, Wen Mochuan didn’t probe further. Whatever she was up to, he’d find out once he got home.
Having rested briefly on the plane, he wasn’t sleepy, with at least half an hour left in the drive.
After finalizing a business deal, Wen Mochuan wanted some relaxation.
He didn’t put down his phone immediately.
He first browsed some news, then, bored, opened WeChat Moments.
The first post happened to be Shu Yao’s—a simple photo of her doctoral graduation, captioned: “The moon is roundest in my hometown… finally going back.”