Chapter 286

Chapter 286: Liu Xiaoyu’s Dinner Party

Lin Guochuan’s health examination report fully illustrated what it means to suffer from ailments as one reaches middle age. Besides the lung nodule that nearly scared him to death, Lin Guochuan’s report also listed many other miscellaneous illnesses and abnormalities. On the other side, Liang Meijuan was found to have low blood sugar.

Both of them, who had participated in a full health checkup for the first time, began to take their health seriously after this ordeal. Under You Xi’s persuasion, her parents decided to take some time to recuperate together and also finish the house renovation work.

This meant that Mei Youyuan would be going to Jiangcheng alone to study without the care of her three children.

In the past, if faced with such a situation, Mei Fang’s mother, Xiang Xiaoxia, would definitely be the first to strongly oppose it. High school life is already very busy; if she had to take care of herself, how could she prepare for the college entrance exam?

However, now, Youyuan really doesn’t need to put too much effort into her studies.

Currently, both Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi have corresponding preferential policies. Xia Yuan has the qualification for an art student recommendation, which basically allows her to choose any university nationwide if she passes the first batch分数线. Lin You Xi has been directly recommended by several 985 universities. Only Mei Fang lost his chance at a reduction because he gave up on the NOI Olympiad.

However, the fact that he is the major boss behind C Station has not yet been made public. Several schools have already extended invitations to him due to his achievements in the gaming industry.

Mei Fang clearly wasn’t interested in these autonomous recruitment offers. His future plans were clear—he didn’t need to aim for top-tier universities. He needed a school that could provide him with enough “privileges” to run his company and hoped that the friends he made there could help his career.

Therefore, the location of the school, its educational funding, and its progressive nature would be the most important factors for Mei Fang.

Actually, he had a few ideal targets, but this topic would be considered later in the year.

After spending the New Year in Bai Mei County, Mei Fang did not return to Bai Zhou with his parents. Instead, he stayed in Bai Mei County, moving between his girlfriends’ homes, nurturing the relationship between their parents.

Yu Ling, as the elementary school teacher who watched Mei Fang grow up and helped him succeed, naturally trusted Mei Fang more than a typical mother-in-law-to-be would.

Although Xia Xun was reluctant to see his daughter fall into Xiao Fang’s hands, he acknowledged that Mei Fang was a good match for Youyuan and couldn’t deny this fact even if he didn’t like it.

Liang Meijuan had a two-year bond with Mei Fang and approved of his performance in Jiangcheng. Although it was a pity that You Xi and Mei Fang didn’t end up together, she genuinely liked this daughter and unconditionally trusted her, having witnessed their growth together.

Lin Guochuan had little interaction with Mei Fang, but he saw in Mei Fang the boy most important to his daughter, You Xi. Over ten years of companionship allowed him to say with confidence that he could trust Mei Fang with his daughter.

Currently, the four parents from the Xia and Lin families had unparalleled trust in Mei Fang, all cultivated over more than a decade.

While this trust was hard-earned, it could be destroyed in an instant. If Mei Fang and Xia Yuan broke up and didn’t explain it clearly, it could easily lead to misunderstandings. Therefore, Mei Fang had to be well-prepared for any breakup drama this year.

The official start of the new semester for Senior Two at Jiangcheng No.1 High School was still on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. However, Mei Fang and company planned to go earlier on the seventh day because companies usually resumed work on the eighth day, and as a leader, Mei Fang wanted to distribute red envelopes to welcome the new year, enhancing the human touch within the company.

On the sixth day, Liu Xiaoyu contacted Mei Fang, saying she had explained everything to her family, and her father agreed to let her pursue music. However, he also wanted to meet Mei Fang and Xia Yuan and invited them to dinner.

Liu Xiaoyu spoke earnestly on the phone, and Mei Fang said he needed to discuss with Xia Yuan before deciding whether to go. After all, Xia Yuan and Liu Xiaoyu’s father had a past connection, and if Xia Yuan felt uncomfortable, Mei Fang wouldn’t let his little green plum suffer.

But after Mei Fang explained the situation to Xia Yuan, she showed no resistance:

“Of course we should go! This is the result of your efforts, and I can’t let it go to waste.”

Mei Fang, being a gentleman, told Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi about his interactions with Liu Xiaoyu, making her and You Xi understand the reason for her change.

Xia Yuan seemed very excited: “Xiaoyu finally decided to get serious about music. That’s great! Now my band won’t lack a keyboardist…”

“You only need to recruit a drummer then. It should be easy to find a companion through open recruitment, right?”

“Yeah… we shouldn’t rush it. Everyone is busy with their studies, especially Xiao Xue. Her grades must be pretty bad.”

“Grades don’t decide everything. Peng Xue and the others don’t have our resources to balance both academics and career development…”

“That’s true.”

Mei Fang called Liu Xiaoyu back, agreeing to go with Xia Yuan. Liu Xiaoyu sounded very happy and set a time, even asking about Mei Fang and Xia Yuan’s preferences.

This time, Mei Fang only brought Xia Yuan to Liu Xiaoyu’s home. You Xi, not being invited, stayed home with her family.

He and Xia Yuan arrived at Liu Xiaoyu’s place, carrying things. As soon as they knocked on the door, they saw Liu Xiaoyu in casual attire. She opened the door warmly and welcomed them in:

“No need to change shoes, just wear shoe covers. Come, Yuyuan, the shoe covers are here.”

Mei Fang and Xia Yuan changed their shoes and came in. A middle-aged man walked towards them, and they greeted him immediately:

“Uncle Liu, hello.”

“Hello, hello… You must be Mei Fang and Xia Yuan, please come in!”

Liu Xiaoyu’s father had a strong presence, though he was described as a chauvinistic parent by Liu Xiaoyu. Yet, he treated Mei Fang and Xia Yuan politely and courteously. He looked at Xia Yuan intently, but Xia Yuan remained unfazed and promptly presented the gifts they brought.

“It’s our first visit, so this is something from me and Ah Fang. Please accept it.”

“Oh, you didn’t need to bring anything.”

Liu Xiaoyu’s father took Xia Yuan’s gift and remarked, “Speaking of which, I met you when you were a little girl. Now you’ve become a household name star.”

“No, it’s nothing, just singing for fun, accumulated since childhood.”

“Our Xiaoyu loved music when she was young too. She always had talent, but unfortunately…”

Liu Xiaoyu’s father’s eyes revealed a hint of regret. Liu Xiaoyu interrupted, “Dad, let’s not talk about this now. Today is about treating Mei Fang and Yuyuan to dinner.”

“Haha… right, right. The house is small, please sit down!”

Liu Xiaoyu’s home was a single-family unit, smaller than You Xi’s home, with no particularly new furniture. The TV was still the old-fashioned box type. There were four people in the Liu family—her parents and her younger brother in elementary school.

Liu Xiaoyu’s younger brother was shy, barely greeting Mei Fang and Xia Yuan, hiding behind his sister.

This timid posture reminded Mei Fang of himself in a previous life.

(The End)