Mom raised her hand and gently stroked my hair, saying softly, "Son, it's not that I don't want you to date. It's just that you're in your senior year of high school now—a crucial year in your life. Do you understand?"
"I understand," I nodded obediently.
"Then can we focus our hearts and minds on studying?"
Mom smiled, her eyes filled with kindness, and she radiated a maternal glow. But I knew that if I dared to say no, I would face her thunderous wrath.
"Mom, I really am trying my best to study."
"How hard are you trying?"
"Very hard. Look, I always rank in the top ten in my class."
"But you're only in the top hundred in your grade, and your school isn't even a key high school. With your current grades, getting into a decent university will be a struggle."
I closed my eyes and nodded, pretending to accept her advice humbly.
Mom displayed a rare gentleness, speaking softly, "I've thought it over. In the past, I was too busy with work and neglected to discipline you properly. But now... we must start from this moment and give it our all to prepare for the college entrance exam."
"But Mom, I've been giving it my all. Look at how much homework I do every day—I can't even finish it all. I've even quit gaming. I just take a little time now and then to spend with Yiyi to relieve some press—"
Seeing the frost return to Mom's face, I quickly corrected myself, "Of course, that's all in the past. From now on, all forms of entertainment are canceled. I'll shut out the outside world and focus solely on my studies. How does that sound?"
Mom patted my forehead and smiled. "I knew my son would understand. So, you should stop playing with those stamps too. I'll keep them for you for now."
"What?" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. "You're confiscating my stamps too?"
"It's not confiscation. I'm just holding onto them for you temporarily."
"Those... those are my treasures, they're my very lifeblood."
Mom put away her smile. "One moment they're the love of your life, the next they're your precious treasures—just how many things can you not bear to part with? Huh? Why is it so hard for you to focus on your studies?"
I clasped my hands together, wearing a pitiful expression. "They're just poor, helpless stamps. They won't affect my studies. Please, just let them be."
"You were serious for a moment, and now you're back to your cheeky self," Mom said expressionlessly. "Hurry up and hand them over. Don't make me search for them myself. If I have to do it, I'll really confiscate them."
I pouted helplessly, took down a stamp album from the top of the bookshelf, and handed it to Mom. She flipped through it and asked, "Is this all?"
"That's all," I nodded, though in truth, this was just the most ordinary album. The valuable one was already hidden away. Of course, I wasn't hiding it from Mom—I was guarding it against that little thief of a sister.
Mom didn't understand stamps. After flipping through a few pages, she closed the album, stood up, patted my head, and said with a smile, "Now that's my good boy. Study hard."
I added, "Strive for progress every day."
"Good that you know," she said before leaving the room.
I let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed.
No matter what, I'd safely made it through this ordeal.
I was a little worried about Lu Yiyi, but with my phone confiscated by Mom, I couldn't contact her. I didn't dare go to her house either, so I'd have to wait until school started again.
It was almost noon by then. After lying down for a while, Mom pushed the door open and called me to get up, saying she was taking me out for lunch.
This was part of the routine: first, a scolding; then, a lecture; and finally, a treat—a slap followed by a sweet date, the same old trick.
Mom went into her room to change. She put on a white lace-trimmed blouse, a khaki belted trench coat, a black knee-length skirt, skin-toned stockings that looked almost real, and black suede high-heeled ankle boots. She carried a new Prada handbag and let down her usually pinned-up hair, tying it into a low side ponytail. Before heading out, she put on a pair of sunglasses, instantly transforming her aura from a career-driven woman to a stylish city mom.
I followed behind her. Just as I closed the front door, Mom suddenly remembered and asked where my sister was. I told her the truth—that she'd gone to watch a movie.
Mom held her bag with one hand and pulled out her phone with the other to send a WeChat message. By the time we reached the gate of our residential complex, she muttered softly and put her phone away.
I didn't ask, but I guessed Mom had tried to invite my sister to join us for lunch, but she was nowhere to be found and couldn't be called back.
Mom took a taxi with me to the Western restaurant we often visited. The small steaks there were delicious. Unfortunately, during the meal, Mom kept nagging about my studies. I could only pretend to be obedient, nodding along while eating, swallowing her words along with the steak.
As we finished our meal and prepared to leave, a man's voice suddenly called out Mom's name. Turning around, I saw two middle-aged men in suits walking toward us with smiles.
Mom paused for a moment, then greeted them with a smile. "Mr. Li, what a coincidence running into you here."
"What a coincidence. We see each other every day at work, and even on my day off, you still run into me." The bespectacled man walking ahead turned to me with a smile and asked, "Is this... your younger brother?"
My mother covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Not at all, this is my son."
"Oh!" Manager Li exclaimed in surprise. "Your son is already this big! You always said your son was mischievous and naughty, so I thought he had just started elementary school. Turns out he's already grown up."
I bowed politely. "Hello, Uncle."
"Oh my, so well-mannered. Such good upbringing." Mr. Li praised a couple of times before introducing the man with a crew cut behind him to Mom: "This is Mr. Chen from Xicheng. This is our marketing department manager..."
"Zheng Yiyun."
The man with the crew cut smiled as he looked at Mom, and Mom returned the smile.
"Ah, you two know each other?" Mr. Li seemed surprised.
Mom nodded slightly. "Yes, old classmates."
Mr. Chen, the man with the crew cut, smiled and said, "Haven't seen each other in over a decade."
Mr. Li said, "Well, that's perfect, what a coincidence. Let's find a place to sit down together. Old classmates meeting up must have a lot to catch up on."
"Another day, perhaps. I have some things to take care of with my son this afternoon." Mom wore a very professional smile on her face.
Mr. Li glanced at Mr. Chen and said, "Alright then, we'll find another time."
After exchanging a few pleasantries and saying goodbye, Mom quickly left the restaurant, with me hurrying after her. I flattered, "Mom, the way you handled that with such ease just now was really cool. You're practically a career powerhouse."
I had intended to butter her up, but it backfired. Mom turned her head and said, "Nonsense, your mom has always been a career powerhouse. It's only when I come home and see you all that I turn into a housewife."
I gave a thumbs-up and praised, "You're the kind who excels both in the living room and the kitchen—not only stunningly beautiful but also exceptionally poised. Dad is incredibly lucky to have married someone like you. When I look for a wife in the future, I'll have to find someone just like you."
Mom sneered, "Oh, so you're not looking for your beloved Yiyi anymore?"
"Lu Yiyi can't compare to you at all. At most, she's just a water-serving maid in front of you." I recalled the earlier scene and asked, "Mom, are you and that Mr. Chen really classmates?"
"Yes, why?"
"The way he looked at you seemed a bit off."
"What do you mean 'off'?" Mom glanced at me sideways.
"Hard to say, just a bit off." I didn't dare tell Mom that the man's eyes held a hint of greed, just like the look I have when I see a beautiful woman in stockings—outwardly pretending to be proper, but with all sorts of dirty thoughts in my head.
After a moment of silence, Mom said, "He was a year ahead of me, my senior. He... used to pursue me."
"Did you agree?" I paused, feigning surprise. "That guy's eyes look a bit like mine. Could I be your secret love child with him? Oh my~!"
I got another slap on the head.
"Talking nonsense all day long." Mom scolded me, then added, "I never paid him any attention."
"Why not? I think he's quite handsome, even more so than Dad."
"That guy has poor character. Back in school, he got a junior girl pregnant and then forced her to have an abortion."
"That guy is really scummy."
Mom suddenly stopped walking, turned to look at me, and said self-mockingly, "Why am I telling you all this?"
I chuckled. "Because you love gossip. Scientific experiments show that gossip can quickly bring people closer."
"Enough of that. Our relationship is close enough as it is. I wish you'd stay away from me right now."
I was about to speak when I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure moving through the crowd ahead. Taking a closer look, it was indeed my dad. And there, clinging to his arm, was a beautiful teenage girl, her head resting on his shoulder. Their behavior was extremely intimate.
Startled and worried that my mom might see, I pretended to be surprised and pointed in another direction, saying, "Oh! Isn't that... isn't that so-and-so?"
Mom followed my finger and looked for a while before asking, "Who?"
"That one, that one... the one who acts in TV dramas, the one who often plays emperors." To cover for Dad, I started making things up, though I wasn't sure why I was doing it.
"Zhang Tielin? Chen Jianbin? Zhang Guoli? Tang Guoqiang?" Mom kept guessing until she grew impatient. "Who is it, really?"
I glanced back to confirm Dad was no longer in sight, then scratched my head and grinned foolishly. "I must have been mistaken."
Mom shot me a look. "Wasting my time."
All the way home, I couldn't stop wondering what the relationship was between Dad and that young girl.
I also remembered what my sister had said this morning—Dad had been acting a bit strange lately, secretive and mysterious. Could it be related to that young girl?
Still puzzled, we arrived home. As Mom bent down to take off her high-heeled ankle boots, she asked, "What's wrong? You've been frowning all the way home, as if someone owes you money."
I vaguely sensed this wasn't a small matter and didn't dare tell Mom the truth before figuring it out, so I made up a random excuse to brush it off.
After changing my shoes, I went to use the bathroom. When I came out, I thought I heard Mom talking to me from the bedroom. I walked over, pushed the door open, and asked, "What did you say?"
But the scene before me left me stunned. Mom had already taken off her coat, blouse, and skirt. She stood with her back to me, slightly bent forward, her hands reaching behind her back to undo the clasp of her violet lace bra. Without the cover of clothing, her delicate, porcelain-like fair skin was exposed—her round, lovely shoulders, her smooth, silk-like back, and her slender waist, showing none of the plumpness typical of middle-aged women. Below, she wore skin-toned pantyhose tightly hugging her full, shapely buttocks, with a glimpse of dark underwear faintly visible inside—mysterious, sensual, and utterly captivating.
This hourglass figure with a full bust, narrow waist, and rounded hips is the shape men crave the most. And for someone as perfect as my mother, it was truly one in a million.
"I said that when Beibei comes back and finds out we went out for Western food without her, she'll definitely be upset. Later, you should go to the supermarket and buy some..." Mid-sentence, Mom suddenly realized something. She turned around sharply and saw me peeking in from the doorway, staring at her in a daze. Quickly grabbing the clothes from the bed to cover her chest, she scolded with slight embarrassment, "What are you staring at all day?"
I grinned foolishly. "Watching a fairy descend to earth."
Mom snatched a plastic makeup bottle from the dressing table and threw it at me, shouting, "Get out!"
I hurriedly closed the door and slipped away. Yet that beautiful image lingered in my mind, refusing to fade.