We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

A black car kept parallel to him. Li Mubai didn't know much about cars, but he felt that this car didn't have the ostentation of a luxury car, nor did it feel cheap. It looked just like an ordinary car.

Under the car window was a middle-aged man wearing glasses, who didn't look old.

Li Mubai subconsciously waved his hand, indicating that he wouldn't take a taxi.

"I'm Xiaoshu's father. You must be her classmate. Get in the car, I'll take you home," the man in the car said.

Li Mubai's heart tightened immediately. Had he been discovered after all?

"No, Uncle, my home is very close by; it's just a few subway stops away." He quickly refused.

"Get in the car." Xie Zhiqiang didn't waste any words; his stubborn personality was just like Xie Shu's.

He stopped, and with no other choice, Li Mubai opened the back door and sat down.

"Where is your home?"

"..." Li Mubai hesitated for a moment, "Hualian Community."

Xie Zhiqiang didn't say anything. He drove to the gate of the villa area, and the security guard who had questioned Li Mubai during the day saluted the car.

The car gradually drove away from the villa area and onto the highway. Neon lights flashed outside the car window, but there was silence inside. Li Mubai could hear the roar of passing cars.

His home isn't far, but that's only in terms of taking the subway; it's still quite a distance without taking the subway.

Will Xie Shu's father question him? It's as if the middle-aged man in the driver's seat will interrogate him about his relationship with Xie Shu at any moment...

"Are you the male class monitor of Xiaoshu's class?"

"Yes, Uncle."

"Oh, you're the boy who got into a fight a couple of weeks ago, right? Xiaoshu told us that a boy in their class got into a fight, but the school chose to let it go and asked us to talk to the school about it."

Xie Zhiqiang spoke calmly, as if he wasn't the one who had contacted the school.

Li Mubai lowered his eyes, his gaze blank.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"You're welcome, you should thank Xiao Shu." Xie Zhiqiang paused for a moment, "By the way, I also wanted to ask you..."

Is it coming?

"How is Xiaoshu doing at school?"

"fine."

"Specifically?"

Li Mubai pondered for a moment:

"Xie Shu is our class monitor. She has excellent grades, many classmates admire her, and she has made many friends."

The car gradually slowed down and finally came to a steady stop at an intersection, waiting for the green light.

"What's your name?" Xie Zhiqiang asked.

"My name is Li Mubai, Uncle."

"Li Mubai," Xie Zhiqiang read aloud, "Do you think Xiaoshu is better off at No. 6 Middle School... or studying abroad?"

Li Mubai's heart skipped a beat; this was definitely not the kind of question a father would ask his daughter's classmate.

The car started, without turning left or right, and drove straight ahead.

Is it better to go to No. 6 Middle School? This answer might be suspected of being biased.

Going abroad is better? That's a lie.

"Don't be nervous, I just want to know about Xie Shu's situation at school." Xie Zhiqiang stared intently at the road ahead.

"Perhaps... it would be better at No. 6 Middle School."

If only future development is considered, studying abroad might be the best choice for Xie Shu. However, one should not only consider one's own future.

Just like when Li Mubai was choosing between arts and sciences, many people told him to choose science because science graduates have better job prospects. Even Li Mubai's parents suggested that he choose science, but he still firmly chose arts. He didn't like science, and making him choose science was like pushing him into a fire pit.

He recalled the scene he had simulated with Doubao the night before and began to say:

"Uncle, I know that you arranged for her to go abroad so that she could have a better future. Your starting point is to make things better for Xie Shuneng."

Li Mubai took a deep breath and continued:

"But if we force her to go out now, she might feel even more confused and upset. She's the most amazing person I've ever met. I think she can do well anywhere."

After he finished speaking, the car gradually fell silent again.

One second? One minute?

Xie Zhiqiang didn't say anything, but the car came to a steady stop. Li Mubai turned to look out the window at the Hualian residential area.

This is an old residential area with outdated buildings, lacking exquisite landscaping and high-end facilities. The security guard at the gate hums a leisurely tune.

The main gate wasn't as grand as Yuehu Bay's; it had four large, faded gold characters that read "Hualian Community" hanging above it. The "guan" radical next to the character "lian" was even tilted, and the character "xiao" was missing a dot.

"We've arrived," Xie Zhiqiang said calmly. At this moment, he was just like a driver, dropping off his passenger without saying anything more.

"Thank you, Uncle." Li Mubai pushed open the door and got out of the car.

"Your parents must be quite open-minded and able to listen to their children's ideas," Xie Zhiqiang said abruptly.

Indeed, enlightened parents generally fall into two categories: one is those who are well-read and can respect their children's ideas; the other is those who are not well-read and don't know how to make decisions for their children...

Li Mubai opened his mouth as if to say something, but Xie Zhiqiang didn't give him the chance. He rolled up the car window, and the car sped away.

Will it work...?

Xie Zhiqiang returned to Yuehu Bay. He pushed open the door and entered the villa. Although the temperature had risen, the empty living room still made him feel a little cool. Only Xu Ting was sitting on the sofa, checking the documents Xie Shu needed for studying abroad.

"Where's Xiao Shu?" He sat down, picked up the rental contract he had prepared for Xie Shu in England, and asked casually.

"I'm going back to my room." Xu Ting took out a certificate of enrollment from a manila envelope. "This is what that boy brought over today, right?"

"That should be true."

Xu Ting chuckled, but the meaning behind her words was unclear.

"Xiao Shu is almost seventeen. This is the age when people are going through puberty. It's normal for them to be curious about the opposite sex. But they need to be careful. Relationships during school years are irresponsible."

Xie Zhiqiang pondered for a moment, then said:

"We can't just apply a blanket approach, can we? Didn't we all start from high school?"

"Can you accept this?" Xu Ting put down the documents in her hand and looked at him.

"No, it's just that I've gradually come to understand a principle: no matter how much money a person has, if they are not happy, then what they hold in their hands is just a pile of worthless paper."

"Ha." Xu Ting chuckled dismissively. "Does happiness really mean living in a tiny room of just over ten square meters like we did right after graduation?"

"That's not it. The foundation of spiritual pursuits is the satisfaction of material needs. Only when the granaries are full can one know honor and shame."

"Xie Zhiqiang, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying, we've made enough money now. Even if Xiaoshu ends up as an ordinary person, it'll be enough for her to live comfortably for the rest of her life. Shouldn't we consider her feelings?"

"Impossible!" Xu Ting stated firmly, "Money always runs out eventually. Do you want Xiao Shu to go through the same precarious existence we had back then?"

Xie Zhiqiang felt that Xu Ting was sick and was always worried that he didn't have enough money. He was worried not only about his own money, but also about Xie Shu's, and even the third generation...