“Do You Know Personal Coach Xiao Z?”
Shu Run had never met her boyfriend’s mother.
She had only heard Liang Chaoluo mention that his mother was involved in the arts, very elegant and refined, but with a rather authoritative personality.
In his family, the one with the most say was also his mother.
From these descriptions, Shu Run had imagined a dignified, powerful, wealthy matriarch.
Although Liang Chaoluo had never explicitly expressed his family’s stance in front of her, Shu Run could still sense from some of his reactions that his family was not particularly accepting of her.
After all, the gap between their families was right there. If they really got married in the future, her relationship with her future mother-in-law would probably be quite difficult.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Fuyao was a friend she had made this year. Someone who comforted her when she felt down, stayed up all night chatting with her, playing games, drinking together…
Although they had only known each other for a few months so far, she was already Shu Run’s closest friend aside from Song Qing.
So no matter how she thought about it, she never imagined these two people would turn out to be the same person.
——He was originally my ex-husband’s older brother’s child, and later he was adopted by my ex-husband and me.
Shu Run suddenly recalled this sentence Zhuang Fuyao had once said. But how could she have imagined that the “child” mentioned in those words was actually Liang Chaoluo?
Her emotions were tangled and complicated, impossible to clearly describe.
……
Liang Chaoluo unobtrusively sized up the man beside Shu Run, still feeling somewhat bothered.
He pulled Madam Zhuang aside and spoke to her in a low voice.
“Mom, so you came here together with Shu Run? Then… who is that guy?” His tone sounded both aggrieved and pitiful. “I’m your son. You can’t take someone else’s side and steal my girlfriend away.”
Zhuang Fuyao found it a little amusing and asked, “You mean that guy just now?”
“…..Yes.”
She could not help but laugh. “That’s my good friend’s younger brother. What are you even thinking?”
Liang Chaoluo said gloomily, “Someone showed me some photos. They were taken late at night. Shu Run and that guy were chatting on the street, and in the end, they even got into the same car.”
“Who showed them to you?” Zhuang Fuyao asked. “Yi Han?”
Liang Chaoluo did not dare hide it from Madam Zhuang and nodded.
As expected.
Zhuang Fuyao felt a bit speechless and knocked Liang Chaoluo lightly on the head. Trusting slander so easily.
After knocking him, she suddenly felt a trace of delayed regret.
When Liang Chaoluo was little, he had been extremely mischievous. If he went three days without being disciplined, he would climb onto the roof and tear off tiles. Pulling his ears and knocking his head with her knuckles were common occurrences.
Of course, she never used much strength. It was mainly meant as a deterrent.
She was used to treating the young Liang Chaoluo this way and had forgotten that he was now already a twenty-two-year-old adult.
“The four of us went out together that time. Since Song Qing and I were on the same route, I drove her back. I was worried it wouldn’t be safe for Beiguo to go home alone, so I asked Cheng Fan to send her. That day was the first time they met.”
She shot him a look that conveyed disappointment and frustration. He had even picked the wrong rival. The one he should really be paying attention to was Jing Song. What did Cheng Fan have to do with anything?
In the original storyline, Jing Song had always been secretly in love. But with her intervention, who knew whether the butterfly effect might cause some changes.
“Oh—”
After being knocked on the head by Madam Zhuang, a smile unconsciously appeared at the corners of Liang Chaoluo’s mouth.
When he was young and made mistakes, Madam Zhuang scolding him and pulling his ears had been unavoidable. Later, when he grew up, she rarely scolded or hit him anymore.
Their relationship also shifted. They were no longer friends who talked about everything, but instead a strict mother and an obedient son.
Sometimes, he actually missed being hit by Madam Zhuang…
The slightly improved mood quickly sank again when he thought of that ‘Personal Coach Xiao Z’.
Maybe today he had targeted the wrong person, but ‘Personal Coach Xiao Z’, that extremely close game friend of Shu Run’s, undeniably existed.
Zhuang Fuyao said, “I met Shu Run a few months ago. We really get along well. I used to call her Beiguo. I only found out today that she’s actually my future daughter-in-law.”
She added irritably, “But if you don’t cherish her properly, whether she ends up being my future daughter-in-law is still uncertain.”
Hearing the words “still uncertain,” Liang Chaoluo felt discouraged. Then he thought of something and suddenly perked up.
“Mom, my best mom, my revered mother, let me ask you something.”
Zhuang Fuyao narrowed her eyes. “Go on.”
“Do you know ‘Personal Coach Xiao Z’?”
Her eyelid twitched. “Why?”
Liang Chaoluo gathered his thoughts.
Although he felt that Madam Zhuang would definitely stand on his side, he still wanted to make sure. “If someone is pursuing Shu Run and trying to steal her from me, between that person and me, who would you side with?”
“You.” Zhuang Fuyao replied flatly.
But if it were ‘Personal Coach Xiao Z’, she would side with ‘Personal Coach Xiao Z’.
With Madam Zhuang backing him, Liang Chaoluo’s urge to curse ‘Personal Coach Xiao Z’ reached its peak.
He ground his teeth and said, “That bastard. Being attentive to Shu Run online, trying to steal her away, putting a green hat on me.”
“So that’s how it is,” Zhuang Fuyao said.
Zhuang Fuyao put on a look of feigned surprise and then, in a casual tone, said, “You didn’t happen to report him too, did you?”
Liang Chaoluo answered with righteous confidence, “Yeah.”
So that was the real culprit.
Zhuang Fuyao sucked in a sharp breath. She still vividly remembered the suffocating frustration of being reported on the very last day of the season.
She no longer cared whether the person in front of her was twenty-two years old or six years old. In her anger, she grabbed his ear. “So you’re the bastard who reported me!”
Not far away, Song Qing stared at the scene with her mouth hanging open.
Ever since she had known Liang Chaoluo, her impression of him had always been that of a lofty young heir from a wealthy family, usually aloof and cool, not someone who smiled much.
Only when Shu Run was around did he seem a bit more approachable.
Sister Zhuang really was Sister Zhuang… this was pure, natural suppression.
“Mom… it hurts!”
Although Liang Chaoluo actually missed Madam Zhuang treating him so roughly, thinking that Shu Run was still watching from the side made him care about his image after all.
After Madam Zhuang let go, he covered his ear and asked in disbelief, “‘Personal Coach Xiao Z’ was you?”
But that simple sketch of abs…
He looked at Madam Zhuang and forced a smile, but no matter how one looked at it, that smile seemed ominous.
“It was me. Is there a problem?” Zhuang Fuyao asked.
Liang Chaoluo swallowed. “No… no problem at all!”
He just felt it did not really fit Madam Zhuang’s usual style, but there was no way Madam Zhuang would lie to him.
Besides, Xiao Z… Xiao Zhuang. There really had been signs if one thought about it.
He collapsed in defeat and ran a hand through his hair. Who could have imagined that the person his girlfriend was supposedly cheating with turned out to be his own mother?
That meant he had truly wronged Shu Run.
He looked toward Shu Run, put on an ingratiating smile, and was about to go over and placate her.
Shu Run turned her head away and walked outside, clearly angry. Liang Chaoluo hurriedly chased after her…
After this farce, the group chat stayed quiet for two whole days. No one said anything.
This could not go on. Zhuang Fuyao felt she needed to find time to talk to Beiguo.
On Friday night, she brought milk tea and braised snacks and went to Shu Run’s place.
When Shu Run saw through the peephole that it was Zhuang Fuyao, she froze for a moment. After opening the door, her gaze darted away awkwardly. “Come in.”
Zhuang Fuyao changed her shoes and sat down beside her. “What’s wrong? Are you mad at me?”
Shu Run pressed her lips together, shook her head, and awkwardly brushed back her hair.
It was not really anger, nor was there anything to be angry about.
She could tell from Zhuang Fuyao’s reaction that before that day, neither of them had known the other’s identity.
She just had not fully accepted it yet and did not know how to face the fact that her good friend had suddenly become her boyfriend’s mother.
That night, after she left, Liang Chaoluo immediately chased after her. At first, she had been somewhat angry, feeling that he had shown hostility toward another man without bothering to clarify anything.
But Liang Chaoluo’s attitude in admitting fault had been exceptionally good, even to the point of being humbler than she had ever seen him.
After hearing the reason behind his actions, Shu Run could not help but feel both amused and helpless.
It was her first time seeing someone treat his own mother as an imaginary romantic rival.
But when she thought of Zhuang Fuyao’s avatar and ID, she felt that being misunderstood like that was actually quite normal.
If she put herself in his shoes, if Liang Chaoluo had a gaming partner like that, she would probably overthink it too.
The two of them put the recent misunderstandings out in the open, talked them through properly, and finally reconciled.
The difference was that Shu Run still had not figured out how to face Zhuang Fuyao.
She had a somewhat avoidant personality. When faced with something like this, her instinct was just to hide.
Zhuang Fuyao smiled and said, “Don’t tell me it’s because you complained about Liang Chaoluo in front of me so much that you feel embarrassed now?”
Having it pointed out like this, Shu Run’s entire face flushed red, like it had been painted with pink clouds.
Zhuang Fuyao found her incredibly cute and could not help but lightly pinch her cheek. “What’s there to be embarrassed about? Didn’t I also tell you in front of you that I wanted to get back together with Liang Chaoluo’s father? These are our little secrets. We just keep them between us and tell no one.”
She then remembered the pain of being reported and added, “Besides, that brat Liang Chaoluo really does deserve a scolding!”
When Shu Run thought of that scene, she burst out laughing. The frustration and gloom from earlier completely dissipated at that moment.
Zhuang Fuyao said, “Anyway, we can each count things our own way. I’m Liang Chaoluo’s mother, and I’m also your good sister.”
Shu Run curved her eyes and replied, “Okay.”
After talking it out, they returned to their former closeness. They even took photos of the milk tea and braised snacks on the table and shared them in the group chat.
Song Qing, who had also been lurking silently for several days, replied instantly: [Wow, you guys. Eating alone behind my back and having a two-person world!!!]
Song Qing: [Where’s the morality? Where’s the bottom line? And where’s the address?]
Shu Run: [My place [grinning]]
Song Qing: [Wait for me for twenty minutes!! Ahhh, leave me some grilled sausage and chicken feet!]
Song Qing: [And duck neck too!]
Some time ago, Zhuang Fuyao went to visit Teacher Yu.
When she was in university, Teacher Yu had been the vice dean of Jiang University’s Academy of Art. Over these sixteen years, she had already been promoted to vice president of Jiang University.
Zhuang Fuyao sought out Teacher Yu as an intermediary, hoping to establish a platform that would provide internship opportunities for students from the Academy of Art and the School of Literature.
Saving costs was secondary. What she really looked forward to was the spark that would be created when university students interacted with a traditional-style restaurant.
Art students would handle artistic creation. Dance and music students would be responsible for audio and dance performances. Students from the School of Literature could compete in the traditional-style restaurant to vie for the title of “Top Scholar.”
Work experience at the traditional-style restaurant could count as an internship, and she would also provide corresponding pay. That way, whether students came for internship experience or for work-study income, they could all participate.
Projects involving university–enterprise cooperation like this had always been encouraged by Jiang University, so the approval process went very quickly.
These past two days, Zhuang Fuyao had received Jiang University’s reply approving the setup.
The traditional-style restaurant could carry out promotion and recruitment at locations designated by the school, but there was a personnel limit. Only three people were allowed to go.
So Zhuang Fuyao brought Cheng Fan and Song Qing, who were still on vacation, with her.
Whether it was because the school had notified students in advance or because the pay she offered was relatively high, a large number of students came to inquire.
They collected many resumes, both paper copies and electronic versions.
After being busy for most of the day, they were completely exhausted, drenched in sweat, and had already drunk several bottles of iced water.
Cheng Fan was not sure if he had drunk too much cold water, but his stomach started acting up, so Zhuang Fuyao told him to go back and rest first.
Under the sunshade canopy, she and Song Qing each held a small handheld fan, blowing air on themselves. They had originally put on makeup, but later, for the sake of feeling cooler, both of them removed it.
Song Qing teased herself. “Just now, when I hadn’t taken off my makeup yet, I still ran into a few fans. As soon as I removed it, no one recognized me anymore.”
“That’s because when you perform, you’re always wearing very heavy stage makeup,” Zhuang Fuyao said. “The first time I saw you without makeup, I was surprised too. How can someone look so cool with makeup on, but so cold and aloof bare-faced?”
Song Qing had a typical understated look. Single eyelids, an oval face, eyes that were not particularly large, thin lips, and a few light freckles. When she was not styled, with long straight black hair and that face, she really gave off the feeling of a cold, aloof beauty.
Once Song Qing put on makeup, she became a completely different person, with an immediate impression of a hot, bold, domineering woman.
“Sister, you’re way too good at complimenting people,” Song Qing said with a laugh, rubbing her shoulder against Zhuang Fuyao’s. “My mom says my face looks bland. In your mouth, it turns into ‘cold and aloof.’ I never thought there’d be a day when I’d become a cold beauty too.”
“You are a cold beauty to begin with,” Zhuang Fuyao said. Even though she spoke sweetly, she would not make things up out of thin air. She pretended to look disgusted and nudged Song Qing’s head off her shoulder. “It’s so hot!”
“I want to lean on you!” Song Qing reached out and wrapped her arms around Zhuang Fuyao. “I’m going to stick to you!”
But after clinging to her for a while, Song Qing also started feeling hot and had to let go. “It’s already autumn. Why is it still so hot?”
Zhuang Fuyao laughed at her. “I told you not to stick to me.”
Song Qing pouted. “I’m sticking anyway!”
By noon, many students had gone to take their lunch break, and there were fewer people passing by.
They planned to pack up first and then go rest in the car for a bit.
The promotional boards and speakers had been borrowed from the school. Since they would not be there, it was better to return them first.
The two of them carried one load of promotional boards together, and their clothes were almost completely soaked through.
Song Qing was panting heavily from exhaustion and complained about the school. “I really don’t get it. How did a perfectly good university end up implementing entry and exit registration? It’s just like my closed-off high school back then. If they weren’t doing this registration, we could’ve called a few more people to help.”
Zhuang Fuyao thought of some news she had read recently. “It seems to be because the area nearby hasn’t been very safe lately. They said there are some extreme individuals seeking revenge on society, going around stabbing people with needles. The school is probably worried something might happen to the students, so they had no choice but to implement personnel control.”
“Ah,” Song Qing said, getting a bit of goosebumps. “There really are all kinds of people in society. In that case, they really do need to be careful.”
After carrying this load, they would probably have to go two more times. It was so troublesome that they no longer even wanted to go back to the car to rest.
The two of them carrying things together was really too exhausting.
Zhuang Fuyao suddenly thought of Liang Huaixu. Today was Monday, and he seemed to be teaching at the university as well.
She sent him a message, asking whether he had left yet.
Liang Huaixu replied: [Not yet. I’m eating with Old He.]
He remembered that back then, she had not known Old He yet.
Liang Huaixu explained: [A male colleague I’m on pretty good terms with.]
Liang Huaixu asked: [What’s wrong?]
Zhuang Fuyao replied: [We’re doing promotion at Jiang University today. If you’re free, could you come help me move some things?]
Liang Huaixu replied: [Okay. Send me the address.]
Liang Huaixu added: [Have you eaten yet? Do you want me to bring food over?]
Zhuang Fuyao asked Song Qing, “Qingbao, do you have an appetite to eat right now?”
Song Qing said, “Yes! I could eat a whole cow right now.”
Zhuang Fuyao smiled and replied to Liang Huaixu: [Bring two portions.]
After seeing the message, Liang Huaixu sped up his eating, then went to the cafeteria counter to pack two meals.
“No cilantro, thank you.”
When He Zongqin came back from the restroom, he saw Old Liang carrying two packed meals and froze for a moment. “Who are you bringing food for?”
“Two friends,” Liang Huaixu said, raising his wrist to check the time. “I’m heading out first.”
He Zongqin asked instinctively, “Which two friends?”
Liang Huaixu did not answer.
He Zongqin thought to himself that there was no one at Jiang University he did not know. With Old Liang acting like this, there was definitely something going on.
His curiosity flared up. He did not even bother finishing his meal and hurriedly followed after him. “Old Liang, wait for me!”
Liang Huaixu shot him a cold glance. “Why are you following me?”
“I happen to be free anyway. I’ll go meet your two friends,” He Zongqin said with a grin. “Is there anything you need help with?”
Liang Huaixu thought about it. There really was some physical labor that required moving things.
He answered, “Then let’s go.”