Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

Yu Zhe took the phone first, but looking at the number, he had no recollection of it at all; it was a foreign number.

He didn't rush to answer, looking at Su Zhenfeng with confusion: "Who is this?"

"Your mother."

"You dare swear again?!"

“Uh…” Su Zhenfeng was taken aback. He corrected himself, “No, I mean, it was your mother who made the call.”

Oh, you should have said so earlier.

Chinese characters are a profound and complex culture; even a slight misunderstanding can lead to errors...

What?! This call is from my mom?!

Yu Zhe was surprised and quickly put the phone's earpiece close to his ear.

Over the next two minutes, Yu Zhe walked a little further away with his phone, pacing back and forth nearby. After talking for a short while, he hung up the phone on his own initiative.

Then he returned the phone to Su Zhenfeng.

Seeing Yu Zhe about to leave, Su Zhenfeng quickly called out to him, "Hey, don't go yet! What did your mother say to you?"

"Oh? Right, Dad, she's made me so angry. I forgot I haven't told you yet."

"?"

What did she do to upset you this time? Just now, Su Zhenfeng heard Qiu Yun's tone and she seemed quite expectant. She shouldn't have said anything offensive to talk to Yu Zhe.

Yu Zhe repeated the main points of what she had just said.

"She said she's currently wandering around in Northern Europe, and she also said she predicts that the family's division of property should be settled by now. If there are no more problems, she wants to come back obediently for a grand reunion and never leave again."

Su Zhenfeng's eyes widened slightly, feeling pleasantly surprised. Qiu Yun hadn't been back for many years, and this time she was probably back for good. Moreover, the matter of dividing the family had been basically settled by Yu Zhe, Yu Che, and Zi Xiao a few days ago, so all the conditions had been met.

As expected of Qiuyun, she can even predict something like this.

"Oh, so she finally said that? Okay, I'll get ready..."

"No, Dad, there's no need to prepare. She won't be back for the time being."

"?"

A big question mark seemed to appear above Su Zhenfeng's head again. Why can't they come back? Didn't they just agree on something?

Yu Zhe laughed and said, "I just lied to her and said that her prediction was completely wrong. There's still no progress on the family division. I told her to keep hiding there."

"why?"

Su Zhenfeng was truly baffled this time. This mother and son were completely unpredictable; they were both incredibly strange.

Or am I really drunk right now?

Yu Zhe continued, "It's very simple. She left back then, and now she wants to come back? There's no such thing as a simple thing in this world. Can she really just come and go as she pleases?"

“Yu Zhe… listen to your father,” Su Zhenfeng advised. “I know you have a lot of grievances against your mother, but she really had her reasons back then. When she comes back, I’ll have her explain and apologize to you and Yu Che, so please don’t stop her from coming back.”

“I didn’t say she couldn’t come back,” Yu Zhe chuckled to himself. “Dad, you didn’t hear what I just said. What I meant was, she can come back if she wants, but it won’t be that easy. I have to personally seek ‘justice’ from her for the years I’ve been tormented by her sudden disappearance without a word. You agree, Dad?”

Hmm, I feel like Yu Zhe looks a little scary right now!

Su Zhenfeng wiped away his cold sweat and smiled wryly: "Okay, okay, as long as you can bring her back, Yu Zhe."

"Of course, but Dad, and you too, you helped her keep it from me back then, so you're an accomplice. But all these years you've managed the company at the highest level of the Su family, which is really not easy. You didn't just run away, and I'm still very grateful to you. So this time, as long as you don't tip her off, I'll forgive you."

"Absolutely! I'll keep my mouth shut!"

"Yes, that's right."

Yu Zhe seemed to be plotting something, and returned to his residence with a mischievous grin.

All Su Zhenfeng could say was, "Qiuyun, good luck to you."

27. You asked me to do this?

Yu Zhe's New Year was a smooth and peaceful one, yet not without a few ripples.

Compared to that, Qin Ruoke, an ordinary person, found it much more boring.

It sounds strange, but it's true. In the past, she thought the Lunar New Year was great. Part-time jobs were on holiday, and school was on holiday. Finally, she could catch her breath from the overwhelming pressure of life.

But the changes this year have been too great, and her feelings are now completely reversed from before.

The Lunar New Year is now utterly boring for her.

Because I can't see Yu Zhe.

Qin Ruoke went back to her father's place yesterday to have New Year's Eve dinner with her grandparents. It was a long-awaited reunion, and she was really happy.

But as the first day of the Lunar New Year approached, she felt increasingly unable to stay in her hometown.

I've never had this much free time before. But being free isn't the main problem; the main problem is that I haven't had a chance to see Yuzhe at all back home.

She was too embarrassed to directly message Yu Zhe to ask if he had returned to the apartment; that would be too awkward.

It's not that Qin Ruoke is arrogant; she's not arrogant at all.

She felt that there was no doubt that she liked Yu Zhe, and she had already confirmed it, but she did not want to interfere in Yu Zhe's life.

That would put him in a difficult position; he was just an ordinary kid... fundamentally different from the girls around him.

So, it's enough to just observe from afar; Qin Ruoke is truly content as long as she can watch him from a distance.

But you have to be able to see it first!

So she decided to come back today and try her luck.

What if he's already back?

However, things didn't go as planned. Qin Ruoke patiently knocked on Yu Zhe's apartment door for a long time, but there was no response.

That's true... The New Year in a large family is definitely busier than I can imagine, so why would I expect him to be home on the first day of the Lunar New Year?

Qin Ruoke felt that it was a bit silly of her to stand in front of the door and knock for more than ten minutes, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She didn't know when it started, but she was like she was "poisoned". If she couldn't see Yu Zhe or hear his voice for a day, she would feel uncomfortable all over.

Somewhat dejected, she returned to her side, closed the door, and began watching television.

Hmm... It feels like so many TV dramas these days are romance dramas?!

Qin Ruoke quickly turned off the TV. No... she was already overthinking enough, why was she adding this to her own thoughts?

She really didn't know what she would do if Yu Zhe moved away from here...

She kicked off her shoes and lay back on the sofa, looking bored. Her pink hair spread out in an instant, though she herself couldn't see it. In fact, her cherry-colored eyes were filled with the color of love.

What do I need to do now to distract myself and kill time?

What could Qin Ruoke possibly think of?

That's of course...studying!

"As expected of me..." Qin Ruoke gave herself a thumbs up in her heart. "I doubt there are many people who are still thinking about studying on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

Sigh... I won't see Yuzhe anyway. The college entrance exam is next semester, so studying more isn't a bad thing. At least I can't let Yuzhe down when it comes to her grades.

No...that's not right! Learning is for myself, always has been, so why am I suddenly making this connection to Yu Zhe?

Qin Ruoke felt like she was going crazy...

She stood up, shook her head, patted her cheeks, and prepared to wash her face before going to study.

Ding-a-ling~

Suddenly, the doorbell rang in the living room.

Is Yu Zhe back?!

Qin Ruoke was truly surprised by her first reaction... she was definitely possessed.

Still filled with anticipation, she hurried towards the door, asking as she went, "Who is it?"

"I am your classmate, Luo Xiaomeng."

The soft voice came through immediately.

Xiao Meng?

Why are you here on the first day of the Lunar New Year instead of staying home?

Qin Ruoke felt that she probably had the same idea as her, and came here after seeing that no one was next door.

Open the door for her, and Luo Xiaomeng, this little girl, stands at the door with her hands behind her back.

She was wearing a princess dress, little leather shoes with bows, pink and white stockings, and her two blue pigtails were decorated with black and white bows.

Dressed up so beautifully, it's no surprise she was originally planning to see Yu Zhe.

Luo Xiaomeng tilted her head, puzzled, and said, "Qin Ruoke, why do I feel like you're so disappointed in me?"

How could I not be disappointed? It's not like I'm Yu Zhe.

Qin Ruoke made way for her: "No, it's just your imagination. Come in and sit for a while."

"Good~"

The little girl didn't stand on ceremony at all, striding in and sitting on the sofa with practiced ease.

She stayed here once before the Lunar New Year, the time when Yu Zhe got drunk. She and Qin Ruoke brought him back, and since it was too late, she stayed at Qin Ruoke's place for the night.

Qin Ruoke brewed tea for her and placed it in front of her.

Then I made myself a cup too.

"Happy New Year, Luo Xiaomeng! You're here today too... cough cough, are you here to see Yu Zhe?"

“Yes.” Xiao Meng stretched her short legs, but not very far. She looked a little disappointed. “But even though he’s not here, it’s not a wasted trip. At least I can come here to ask for some tea. Happy New Year, Qin Ruoke.”

Then she said in confusion, "You're actually home? I thought you went back to your hometown for the New Year. I was just knocking on the door here to try my luck. I didn't expect you to actually be here."

"Um...this..."

Qin Ruoke smiled wryly and made up an excuse: "I forgot some things here. Oh right, I forgot to bring my textbooks and stuff. If I stay in my hometown for a whole vacation, wouldn't that interfere with my studies? The college entrance exam is coming up soon, so I came back to get them. I'll leave in a bit."

"I see... You really are a studious person. I don't have any ambitions. I just want to get a passable score on the college entrance exam."

So-so...