Sister, can I be a maid too?

Jiang Yubai found it amusing and stopped teasing her, instead looking out the window.

His gaze swept across the crowd in the corridor, and he quickly spotted his parents.

Jiang Pinglan, the father, was dressed casually as always, in a light gray polo shirt and khaki pants, and was talking to the person next to him with his head slightly turned to the side.

When Jiang Yubai's gaze fell on his mother, Qin Huiyi, he couldn't help but pause for a moment.

Ms. Qin Huiyi was clearly fully prepared and exuded confidence today.

She wore a light apricot-colored suit skirt, her hair was carefully styled, and she wore lipstick to brighten her complexion. She also carried a small leather handbag.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Yubai hissed and gasped.

To be honest, he had only ever seen this kind of thing done when his mother was doing business.

No, it's just a parent-teacher meeting, is it really that big of a deal?

After looking at him for two seconds, he lowered his head and met Lin Jianxia's gaze, which seemed to say, "Now you understand, right?"

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yubai still reluctantly advised:

"Well... my mom is usually very casual. But she's showing you two special consideration and making a big impression on you. I haven't seen her dress up so formally in ages."

Clearly, these words did not offer any comfort; instead, they put even more pressure on the little hedgehog.

The girl's face fell, and she slumped onto the table, completely still.

Jiang Yubai watched, feeling a pang of sympathy.

He could understand that kind of pressure.

This feeling is probably equivalent to when your parents angrily call you by your full name "Jiang Yubai"... or ten times that.

But it's really not that bad, it's just a parent-teacher conference, not like we're meeting the whole family...

Jiang Yubai paused for a moment, then blinked.

No...right?

A few minutes later.

Class teacher Zhang Shufang walked into the classroom carrying a thermos.

She glanced around at the slightly restless students, tapped on the podium, and the classroom quickly quieted down.

"The parent-teacher meeting is about to begin," Zhang Shufang said calmly. "Everyone, please move over and move any empty chairs next to you to your seats. If there are any books on the table that haven't been put away yet, please try to tidy them up as well."

After saying that, she glanced at the classroom that was starting to get lively, turned around and walked towards the door to invite the parents who had been waiting in the corridor.

Li Yang was carrying a thick stack of tutoring books and moving sideways to his seat in the back row when a large group of parents rushed in through the back door.

"Excuse me, excuse me..."

He carefully protected the book while reminding the reader aloud.

Halfway through his call, his gaze swept across the crowd, suddenly fixing on two figures, and his eyes lit up:

"Uncle Jiang! Aunt Qin!"

Qin Huiyi was about to walk forward when she saw him and smiled.

"Li Yang?"

"Oh~ Auntie is all dressed up today," Li Yang said cheerfully, pointing with one finger, "Look, Brother Jiang has changed his seat and is now sitting in the first row of the podium."

He and Jiang Yubai have been good friends for many years, and they are quite familiar with each other's parents.

But this time, Qin Huiyi smiled and waved her hand:

"You'll have to tell your Uncle Jiang that. That kid Jiang Yubai isn't under my jurisdiction today."

Li Yang was taken aback upon hearing this, a question mark popping into his mind.

What do you mean by "it's not your responsibility"? Aren't parent-teacher meetings usually just about each parent taking care of their own child?

Before he could figure it out, he saw Qin Huiyi's eyes suddenly light up, and a smile ten times brighter than before bloom on her face, her voice becoming much gentler:

"You're here?"

Li Yang turned his head with some confusion and saw Lin Jianxia leading Lin Tingwan through the crowd to the back row.

Lin Jianxia's ears turned slightly red, and she whispered somewhat awkwardly:

"Hello Aunt Qin, hello Uncle Jiang."

Lin Tingwan, standing to the side, also tilted her head back, holding up the little notebook she had prepared beforehand, her eyes blinking rapidly:

"Hello Aunt Qin, hello Uncle Jiang."

"Okay, okay!" Qin Huiyi's voice was full of satisfaction, brimming with indescribable joy. "Seeing Xia Wanwan, she's gotten even more beautiful in just a few days!"

She gently took the two sisters' wrists, one in each hand, looking them over from left to right, her face full of smiles that said, "I like them no matter how I look at them."

Lin Jianxia felt a little embarrassed by the stares and whispered a reminder:

"Aunt Qin, Uncle Jiang, shall we go to our seats first? We've already set out seats for you both."

"Okay, okay, let's go, let's go."

Qin Huiyi readily complied, immediately letting go, yet naturally supporting Lin Tingwan's back with a familiar tone.

"Wanwan, shall we take Auntie over there?"

Lin Tingwan obediently nodded her little head and led the way.

Li Yang, who had been watching from the sidelines the whole time, stood there dumbfounded, holding his stack of books, his mouth slightly agape, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

No... what's going on here?

Brother Jiang, you're truly my brother!

My buddy was a bit skeptical before, saying, "You two sisters are here? Is it for real?"

So today they went straight to meeting the parents?!

And judging from Aunt Qin's demeanor, with that beaming smile... it's not just a casual greeting, she's clearly extremely satisfied!

No, Brother Jiang, did we go to the same high school?

Li Yang was still standing there in a daze, thinking in a daze, when he suddenly received a sharp rap on the forehead.

He cried out in pain, turned his head, and asked with a pained expression:

"Dad?"

"What are you standing there for?" a burly middle-aged man behind me asked. "Have you gone stupid from reading too much?"

"......without."

on the seat.

Jiang Yubai watched as his father sat down next to him, while his mother, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, led the Lin sisters, Jianxia and Tingwan, to sit down beside her.

The two sisters had different expressions.

Lin Tingwan was alright, just quieter than usual, with her back straight and her hands neatly placed on her knees, looking like a well-behaved student.

Lin Jianxia, ​​on the other hand, was not in such good condition.

The girl's ears were already bright red, her eyes darted around, and she didn't dare to look around. Her small hands unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, as if she was barely holding on.

There was no other way, since everyone knew that Lin Tingwan couldn't speak, so Qin Huiyi kept bombarding her with questions along the way.

Yet her tone was incredibly affectionate, going from "How have you been lately? Has Jiang Yubai been bullying you?" to "What does Jianxia like to eat? Auntie will make it for you next time..."

Lin Jianxia was already nervous, and now she felt her head spinning even more, and she was answering questions based on instinct.

At this point, Jiang Yubai finally couldn't help but speak:

"Mom, can't you see people are practically steaming over the summer? And you're still asking this question?"

Upon hearing this, the dazed Lin Jianxia immediately gave him a grateful look.

—How come I never noticed before? Jiang Yubai... he looks so pleasing to the eye!

Qin Huiyi wasn't annoyed by being interrupted; she simply turned to look at her son and said with a smile:

"I didn't realize you two were so close, you even use nicknames for each other?"

"Isn't this convenient? When I see Xia Wanwan, I'm missing a word in my address," Jiang Yubai said, his argument both unconvincing and assertive. "What does this have to do with how good our relationship is?"

He paused, then took the initiative and said:

"By the way, Mom, what's the meaning behind your outfit?"

"What's wrong with my outfit?" Qin Huiyi raised an eyebrow. "What, doesn't it look good?"

"It looks good... but you don't even want to come to my parent-teacher conference, but you dress up so nicely for these two parents? Who is your real son?"

"Hey, now when I see Xia and Wanwan, I regret not having a daughter. They're so cute."

Jiang Pinglan was used to the mother and son's daily bickering and paid no attention to it. She simply opened the thermos and took a sip of the goji berry tea she had brewed that morning.

Lin Jianxia finally managed to calm her pounding heart, which was about to leap out of her throat, and composed herself.

She quietly turned her head and looked to the side.

Qin Huiyi sat intimately next to him, her arm even slightly touching his arm.

A little further on, Wanwan was sitting quietly, her clear eyes filled with a hint of curiosity.

Looking past Wanwan, Jiang Yubai was listening helplessly to his mother's nagging, while Uncle Jiang calmly continued drinking his tea.

The warm afternoon sunlight streamed in at an angle through the window sill, and tiny dust particles floated slowly in the beams of light.

The rustling sounds of the surrounding students suddenly faded away, leaving only Jiang Yubai and Aunt Qin's voices in her ears.

The atmosphere was so warm... that she felt a little dazed.

It's like... it's like...

We're like one family.

Lin Jianxia's heart, which had just calmed down, started pounding again, as if something was jumping around inside it.

She bit her lower lip, hurriedly lowered her eyes, and dared not think any further.

It was only for one day...