Take Me Away, My Love - Chapter 33 - Parents' Meeting

Jian Yiqing was so busy tormenting Jian Gangchen every day that he naturally neglected Jian Qingtian, who was still in school.

One day, Jian Qingtian came out of the kindergarten with a displeased expression on his face. Even surrounded by several bodyguards and a luxury car, he didn’t want to go home. He let the bodyguards follow at a distance while he walked slowly down the street alone.

Lately, there had been so many annoying things. For some reason, his teacher had demanded that he bring a parent to the upcoming parents’ meeting.

Others might not understand, but he knew very well that his father would disrupt the order of any parents’ meeting he attended.

All sorts of infatuated people would cling to his father, not only irritating him but even giving the teachers a headache. This time, the teacher specifically asked him to bring his mother.

The fact that Jian Qingtian didn’t have a mother was a little secret he generally kept to himself. He especially feared that his classmates and teachers would treat him differently if they knew, which would make him particularly sad.

He was a little man and couldn’t be looked down upon or pitied by others.

This was a basic principle of life.

Of course, this life principle was also taught to him by Jian Yiqing.

“Jian Qingtian, what are you doing here?”

From a distance, Li Minchun could already see her son walking dazedly on the road. Compared to the usually witty and clever boy, her son now seemed more haggard and preoccupied.

Li Minchun, who had a deep understanding of human psychology, knew her son’s thoughts the moment she saw him.

She walked over and asked with concern.

Initially, he wanted to look up and scold the annoying person in front of him, but as he lifted his head, a bold idea suddenly popped into his little head.

Then, with a sly smile, he said, “How about I treat you to some food, and you accompany me shopping?”

“Huh, you want to go shopping and eat?” Li Minchun was curious. A little boy liking that too?

Having not lived with her son for a long time, she guessed that she would indulge any suggestion Jian Qingtian made now.

Just shopping and eating, that was nothing much.

So, Li Minchun smiled and said, “How could I let you treat me? Let me treat you instead.”

Li Minchun and Jian Qingtian cheerfully walked into a cake shop together. Jian Qingtian insisted that Li Minchun choose a cake while he watched her eat a yogurt cake without having any himself.

She had already guessed that this little guy had a favor to ask, given his eager attentiveness. But she wasn’t going to rush him into telling her.

Understanding his inner thoughts, Li Minchun became much more relaxed.

Taking bite after bite of the cake, she smiled and looked at Jian Qingtian, sipping her juice, and asked, “So, what do you need from me?”

“What do you mean?” Jian Qingtian blinked his innocent big eyes, looking very clueless at Li Minchun.

But Li Minchun just chuckled and said, “Don’t think you can fool me with your little tricks. Spill it out, what do you want my help with?”

If she wasn’t so confident in her ability to read people’s thoughts, Li Minchun might have doubted her eyes and judgment just a moment ago. This little guy was quite the actor.

“Okay, you saw through me,” Jian Qingtian admitted since it had come to this point. “Actually, I want to ask you to pretend to be my mom and go to the parents’ meeting for me.”

Those words were enough to shake Li Minchun’s heart.

Her own son was right in front of her – and yet he couldn’t get something as simple as attending a parents’ meeting sorted out? Didn’t Jian Yiqing know to attend these meetings for his son? At this thought, Li Minchun’s heart was burning with anger, and she had the urge to go back and question Jian Yiqing.

No matter what happened between the adults, for a child, this was undoubtedly very cruel.

Fortunately, Li Minchun held back and quietly listened as Jian Qingtian continued, “Tomorrow, our teacher wants all the parents to attend the parents’ meeting, but the teacher specified that my dad shouldn’t come, so…”

As he said this, those innocent, watery big eyes looked expectantly at Li Minchun again.

With such an adorable and innocent look, how could Li Minchun possibly refuse him?

After hesitating, Li Minchun finally asked, “Why doesn’t your teacher want your dad to come?”

Hearing this question, Jian Qingtian became quite upset and said with frustration, waving his small fists, “It’s all my dad’s fault! Of all the ways to look, he had to be so handsome that when the moms come to the parents’ meeting and see him, they’re all so mesmerized that they don’t even pay attention to what the teacher is saying.”

“Pfft!”

Li Minchun couldn’t help it. She finally burst out laughing, almost spraying her drink all over Jian Qingtian.

To be honest, this was quite a convincing reason. Even when she was around, Jian Yiqing would always attract so much attention. Whether someone was new or had been around, they would swarm him.

If even she found it bothersome, it’s no wonder a child would too.

Jian Qingtian asked, “Are you going to agree or not? Don’t worry, I definitely won’t let Dad find out about this. And even if he does, I’ll cover for you so he won’t take all his anger out on you,” he promised, swearing to keep his word.

He had finally found someone willing to help, and he didn’t want to lose this opportunity.

However, Li Minchun was puzzled. “I’ve only met you once, we’re not very familiar with each other. Why did you choose me?”

“Because you look ordinary, so you won’t attract attention!” Jian Qingtian blurted out loudly.

This comment immediately brought a pained expression to Li Minchun’s face.

Actually, he had another reason he didn’t mention: there was something comforting about Li Minchun. Seeing her always made him feel warm and at ease.

Now all that was left was for Li Minchun to nod in agreement to make everything okay.

Despite being amused by his reasoning, Li Minchun still agreed to help him.

They excitedly discussed the important details, particularly the little things Li Minchun needed to know, like their daily lives and Jian Qingtian’s learning progress.

After all, she would need to have some topics ready to talk about with the teacher.

After a while of discussing, they finally reached an understanding.

As they were leaving, Jian Qingtian repeatedly asked, “Did you really remember everything?”

Li Minchun gave him an OK hand gesture, a signal Jian Qingtian had just taught her.

“Alright, good luck. I believe in you.”

After parting ways, the next day soon arrived.

To make her son proud, Li Minchun dressed more formally than usual, looking very much like a model homemaker.

She even changed her hairstyle accordingly.

The ten-centimeter high heels she typically wore were replaced with five-centimeter ones. This gave her a more dignified presence.

The moment Jian Qingtian saw her, his eyes lit up, and he gave her a thumbs-up, praising her, “Excellent, really excellent. Looks like you’ll definitely be able to handle today’s event.”

Hand in hand, they walked into the kindergarten together.

Sure enough, during today’s parents’ meeting, many students came with their fathers or mothers. Everyone had put in a lot of effort to look their best, but no matter how much they tried, they still couldn’t match up to Li Minchun. Even though Li Minchun was wearing a mask today, which made her appearance less striking than usual, her impressive aura still left a strong impression on everyone present.

Upon seeing Li Minchun, many of the mothers straightened their backs, puffed out their chests, and tried to walk confidently beside her, feigning a proud demeanor.

However, no matter how hard they tried, they still fell short compared to Li Minchun.

“And you are?” the teacher asked with a skeptical look when she glanced at Li Minchun.

Jian Qingtian quickly introduced, “This is my mom.”

“Oh, you’re Mrs. Shangguan,” the teacher said, her tone immediately becoming much warmer once she realized it was Jian Yiqing’s wife.

Anyone who had kept up with the news knew all about Jian Yiqing. The stories about him were widespread and ubiquitous. Now that Mrs. Shangguan, who had remained hidden from the public eye, finally made an appearance, she naturally attracted the teacher’s eager attention.

There were rumors that Jian Yiqing was deeply in love with a woman named Li Minchun. Could this woman be Li Minchun then? Yet, she looked so ordinary. Though the teacher thought this to herself, she still put on a highly appreciative façade, saying, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Why have we only seen Mr. Shangguan attending before, but never you?”

What seemed like a simple question from the teacher caused Jian Qingtian’s heart to skip a beat.

What was with this teacher’s fascination with chatting with their family? There were so many other parents, yet she seemed focused on talking to his family endlessly.

Li Minchun smiled and said, “It’s because my husband is very concerned about our child’s matters. He insists on personally attending every parents’ meeting. This time, he wanted to come as well, but since you specifically requested that mothers attend… so here I am.”

As she spoke, both Li Minchun and the teacher shared a laugh, while Jian Qingtian breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for his mom’s quick thinking.

While they were talking, Jian Qingtian discreetly tugged on Li Minchun’s skirt and whispered, “Look, the weirdo is here.”

Puzzled, Li Minchun glanced toward the entrance.

Just yesterday, Jian Qingtian had mentioned something about this “weirdo.” Apparently, this child liked to compete with Jian Qingtian at every turn. Moreover, he had a bloodthirsty and cold demeanor that frightened others.

Many children were too scared to approach him and would keep their distance.

There had been instances where he had directly broken the arms of children who offended him.

Jian Qingtian was his constant rival, and the two kids often ended up in fights, causing quite a bit of frustration.

Li Minchun turned her attention to the doorway.

Sure enough, a cool-looking boy with a stern expression walked into the classroom.

At such a young age, not only did he lack the innocence of a child, but he also wore a fierce expression, his eyes were so malevolent that they instilled fear in anyone who looked at him.

How could someone so young turn out like this?

Seeing this child piqued Li Minchun’s curiosity about what kind of parents could raise such a kid.

But when the woman behind the child stepped into the classroom, Li Minchun was instantly stunned.