Chapter 5: Parent-Teacher Meeting

She felt she should give him a heads-up first.

After all, she was bringing him a meal. She couldn't just show up at his door with a lunchbox, could she?

So she took out her phone, unlocked the screen, and scrolled through her contact list from A to Z.

After searching for a long time, she still couldn't find the name "Chu Mulin."

Just as she was wondering why, a sudden spark of inspiration struck her.

Right, the blacklist!

She opened the blacklist menu and slowly scrolled down.

Sure enough, she found Chu Mulin among a string of unfamiliar numbers.

She sighed, her fingertip hovering over his name.

After a two-second silence, she tapped it lightly and selected "Remove from Blacklist."

The system popped up a confirmation prompt. She clicked "Confirm," then immediately opened the chat box and sent a barrage of emojis: a blinking bunny, a dancing bear, a cat throwing confetti, a rainbow jet, fireworks exploding...

The colorful animated emojis popped up one after another, as lively as a festival.

Zaobao: A'mu, good afternoon! Zaobao: [Photo of the meal.jpg] Zaobao: I made a few dishes. I'll bring them over to you in a bit.

After the messages were successfully sent, she stared at the screen, waiting for a moment.

The message was marked as read, but he still hadn't replied.

Ten minutes later, she refreshed the chat interface again. It was still silent.

But she wasn't angry. Instead, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Zaobao: If you don't reply, I'll take it as a yes!

She sent another message, this time adding three winking-kiss emojis.

After sending it, she stuffed her phone into her bag, grabbed the insulated lunch box, turned, and pulled open the door to leave.

Meanwhile, at the Chu Group headquarters.

In the conference hall outside the President's office on the 23rd floor.

The long table was packed with managers from various departments, and the atmosphere was tense.

The projector was displaying the sales data charts for the current quarter. A male employee stood at the front, delivering a steady report.

Suddenly, the black phone in the center of the conference table vibrated continuously. First, a slight buzz.

Then, the notification tones began to ring incessantly: Beep—beep—beep—

Chu Mulin, seated in the main seat, frowned almost imperceptibly.

His gaze remained fixed on the presenter.

But the executives around him had already sensed something was wrong.

The employee on stage even trembled slightly, his finger shaking as he clicked through the PPT slides.

"President Chu..."

The Finance Director spoke tentatively, his tone cautious.

Chu Mulin still didn't glance his way, nor did he touch the phone that kept buzzing incessantly. He simply raised his right hand slightly, his slender fingers pressing down in the air, signaling the employee to continue.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zaozao sent her message, grabbed her insulated lunch box, and headed out.

As the elevator descended, she looked down to check if the lunch box's latch was secure.

Stepping out of the building's main entrance, the afternoon sun spilled over her shoulders.

Just as she reached the entrance to the underground parking garage, the sight before her made her pause.

Two red sports cars were parked side by side in their reserved spots.

She walked closer, looked up at the low-slung doors, and muttered, "These are way too low. You'd have to curl your legs up inside. Wouldn't your back ache like crazy after a while?"

Glancing around, she spotted a pink figure in a dimly lit corner.

It was her little pink electric scooter, petite and charming.

The body was adorned with cartoon rabbit stickers, and a fluffy little bell hung from the rear storage compartment.

She hurried over, bent down, and patted the scooter.

"Sweetheart, it's been so long. Did you miss Mommy? You must be dying to get out, huh?"

As she spoke, she took out the key and turned on the power.

Only after hearing the motor's soft hum did she nod in satisfaction.

"Today, Mommy's taking you out for a joyride to let loose! We're not just some good little baby parked in a corner."

With a grin, she donned her helmet and twisted the throttle. The electric scooter emitted a faint buzz as it slowly pulled out of its parking space.

As she rode, a gentle breeze brushed against her face, carrying the crisp chill of early spring. Jiang Zaozao squinted her eyes, a smile spreading across her lips as her mood soared.

While waiting at a red light, she brought the scooter to a steady halt before the crosswalk. Resting her hands lightly on the handlebars, her gaze wandered aimlessly over the plane trees lining the street.

Suddenly, a flashy purple sports car screeched to a halt at the curb.

"Oh, Jiang Zaozao? Am I seeing things?"

A cloying, affected voice drifted from inside the car.

"It's you! You're actually out on this little scooter today? Tsk, tsk, how rare."

The speaker paused, deliberately drawing out her words.

"I heard you're getting a divorce. Did Chu Mulin even take the car away? Oh, how tragic."

Jiang Zaozao looked up to see Song Qinghuan lounging lazily in the driver's seat of the convertible.

Sigh.

I forgot to check the almanac before leaving today. How could I run into this plague of a woman?

She pressed her lips together and quietly withdrew her gaze, her fingers tightening on the handlebars of her electric scooter.

She had always despised Song Qinghuan.

It wasn't out of jealousy or hostility.

It was simply that she found the woman utterly superficial and shallow.

In the original novel, Song Qinghuan was nothing more than a complete "silly sweet" supporting character. She chased a whole bunch of male gods, and Chu Mulin was one of them. She had even flooded social media with public confessions to him.

The result? He shut her down publicly with a single phrase: "Sorry, I'm married."

"You look so pathetic," Song Qinghuan sneered, her fingers—painted with nude pink nail polish—pointing dramatically at Jiang Zaozao's electric scooter. "Look at my new car, a Lamborghini Urus. And this one is number 88, so auspicious! Don't you agree?"

Just then, Song Qinghuan's gaze fell on the footboard by Jiang Zaozao's feet.

A simple, insulated lunch box sat there.

She immediately seized the opportunity, shouting deliberately loud, "Oh, no way! You can't even afford to eat at a restaurant now? You have to bring your own lunch? Tsk, tsk. You used to eat at three-star Michelin restaurants every single day~"

The light turned green.

Song Qinghuan tapped the accelerator twice, and the sports car immediately emitted a low roar.

The car barely moved, yet the vehicle blocked behind it fell silent, not even daring to honk its horn.

Song Qinghuan glanced at the rearview mirror, a triumphant smile playing on her lips.

"Oh, by the way, Jiang Zaozao, I almost forgot to tell you," she said, her voice dripping with mock concern. "My cousin got a call from your son this morning. He said you were busy and asked her to attend the parent-teacher meeting in your place. You might still make it if you hurry. Don't thank me all at once!"

Before the words had even fully registered, the sports car roared away, leaving Jiang Zaozao in a cloud of dust.

Jiang Zaozao had been too numb with rage to even acknowledge her. But the words "parent-teacher meeting" struck her like a physical blow.

Her movements froze, her pupils constricting.

Chu Dongye never mentioned anything about this!

She whipped out her phone, checked the time, and felt her heart sink.

Less than twenty minutes until it starts!

Without a second's hesitation, she swung her electric scooter around, twisted the throttle, and tore off toward the kindergarten at breakneck speed.

Thank god the meeting was scheduled for 3:00 PM, she prayed. Otherwise, I'd be staring at the closed gates right now.

She gritted her teeth, weaving through side streets to avoid the main road congestion, her eyes glued to the GPS as she silently pleaded to arrive before it was over.

But the moment she reached the school gates, a uniformed security guard stepped out to block her path.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Staff only. Please use the back entrance."

Jiang Zaozao skidded to a halt, gasping for breath. "I'm not staff! I'm here for the parent-teacher meeting. My son is in the senior class!"

"Parent-teacher conference?"

The security guard frowned, his gaze sweeping up and down her figure.