Xu Jin"s study was clean, almost serene. Unlike her occasional wild streak, all her old doc.u.ments and papers were sorted and put away. The tidy novels, and all types of legal texts on the bookshelves were lined up in a way that hinted at OCD.
She sat behind the desk. There was a wide swath of wooden desk between her and Dou Xun, as if he was a client.
"Take a seat." She put on her thin prescription gla.s.ses, a.n.a.lyzing him through the thin lenses. She couldn"t comprehend what made Zhu Xiaocheng and Dou Junliang"s genes combine into such a human being. "I heard what your teacher told your mom yesterday."
Seeing as she was going to unleash a familiar string of verbal flogging, he immediately lowered his head, a tasteless feeling in his mouth. He exhibited a demeanor that said I"ve made up my mind.
Unexpectedly, Xu Jin said nonchalantly, "Overall, delaying taking the exam for a year isn"t as severe as they think. I looked into the situation a little. It"s a shame that you can"t have the bonus scores anymore, but if someone thinks that a mere ten extra points in the entrance exam can change your life, then they probably don"t have anything better to do in life."
Hearing this out of line comment from her, Dou Xun still glared at her, guarded——starting the conversation flamboyantly was a tactic not uncommon among teachers and parents.
"I"ve already listened to Ms. Zhang"s complaints. She expresses her thoughts on how you have no justified reason to give up entering the entrance exam," Xu Jin told him calmly.
"However, I think everyone has their own logic on the inside. Especially so for someone your age. You might even have more concerns than we do, it"s just that you won"t tell us what they are, isn"t it?"
" If you won"t tell anyone, you probably won"t tell me either. Nor will I bother asking." Xu Jin maintains her open and honest stance. "It was you who signed up for the exam; it is also you who makes the decision to give up on it. It"s a good thing to make the decisions for yourself early on, Dou Xun——it explains how mature you are for your age. You have won at the starting line. But as an adult, I have to give you a fair warning."
"Since you have made the decision, you will also have to bear responsibility for it. That"s why your teacher calls you reckless, that"s why she"s playing the nice guy and calling everyone she can think of. Because she doesn"t think you can take responsibility; can you understand what I mean?"
Xu Jin bore almost no likeness to Xu Xilin. She seemed astute without gla.s.ses, but with them on she gained a harsh tint. At first glance, she presented an icy cold, business-type of exterior. It was a mystery how she gave birth to the permanently overexcited Xu Xilin.
"You"re actually not that young. Had you been born in a poorer household, you would"ve been one of the family"s main incomes. But you"re brash, and that"s why the adults are afraid to let you decide for yourself," said Xu Jin.
No adolescent would let this slide. Dou Xun opens his mouth for a reb.u.t.tal.
"The Politics teacher has taught this before, right? "Economic foundation decides the formation of the upper cla.s.s"—— are you economically independent yet?" Of course, since you"re still in high school, objective factors prevent that from happening. But what about the subjective ones? Have you ever thought of future events in this direction? You"ve helped a cla.s.smate with his shift at a restaurant before, you should know what a day"s work is worth. Think about it. Can young spoiled misters like you live with such a meager pay? What if one day Dou Junliang finally loses all conscience, and puts a stop on your allowance? What would you do then? Ever thought about it before?"
Dou Xun was speechless.
"Once you"ve reached economic independence, there"s the issue of mental independence," said Xu Jin, "Who do you want to become, what kind of life you want to have, what path down life you want to take. Have you thought of any of it? It"s fine if you haven"t; it"s normal. No one will criticize you, because you"re still a kid, and the parents and teachers are still responsible for your wellbeing. We will help plan out an ideal future for you within our knowledge and available resources. To ensure this process runs smoothly, we will ask for your obedience and cooperation. Please stop trying to challenge the problem-solving ability of us mediocre adults. Can you understand this too?"
After a moment of hesitation, Dou Xun slowly nodded in agreement.
"There"s still a week until the exam. If you are sure about your goal, have a clear reason to not attend the test, and can bear the weight of the consequences, then you can start making the decisions for yourself. If you haven"t thought this through, and is just following the heat of the moment, you are not allowed to. Aren"t the rules simple? If you want to have a right of speech like an adult, you gotta act like one. b.u.t.tering up your parents or being a wilful brat won"t work. Sleep over this when you go back."
For the first time in his life, Dou Xun got a real taste of some decent talking-to. His mind was in ups and downs, mixed up with shame and anger and remorse. Walking away with a heavy heart, he ran into Xu Xilin, who was here to pour some flower and herb tea for Xu Jin.
Xu Xilin whispered, "What"s going on? Were you scolded?"
Then Dou Xun slipped past him and went to contemplate his life, grabbing an iced black tea from the fridge on his way.
"Get over here, Xiao Lin Zi!" Xu Jin yelled.
Xiao Lin Zi poked his head out from behind the door, "What are you summoning me for, Mom? Did Qilixiang......oops, Ms. Zhang, my bad----snitch on me like a "buy one, get one free" deal?"
"She said that you were flighty and impatient and couldn"t concentrate on studying," Xu Jin rapped on the wooden desk, "What were you up to last night? Bringing Dou Xun with you?"
Xu Xilin avoided her gaze, mumbling, "......out with a couple of friends."
The guilty way he said "out with some friends" just proved to her that he was up to no good. Xu Jin flicked his forehead, "Careful, don"t let me have something on you----I see you"ve met Zheng Shuo?"
"Zheng Shuo? Who"s Zheng Shuo?" Xu Xilin answered.
Seeing his unchanged expression, Xu Jin sighed.
"Oh," Xu Xilin finally realized, "I know who he is. That"s your ex-husband."
"......"
Xu XIlin jumped onto the chair like some kind of huge monkey. His torso was braced on Xu Jin"s desk, his knees twisting the chair left and right. "He came to me, not the other way around, I promise on the Jade Emperor and Grandpa Mao! I haven"t committed treason and contacted the enemy. I didn"t even take the enemy"s sugarcoated bait!"
Xu Jin leaned back and watched her precious son with a frown. As Xu Xilin had already met Zheng Shuo, he obviously knew of her interfering conversation between him and his father.
But he had not mentioned a word of it.
Every hair of that kid"s was an ounce of cleverness, b.u.t.tering up to her wave after wave. Not one part of his brain was maturing towards the right direction.
He was the spitting image of a young Zheng Shuo.
"Your dad has saved up an educational fund for you to attend college," said Xu Jin, "He also said that he would be able to take care of everything if you ever desired studying abroad."
Xu Xilin"s eyebrows arched up. "I don"t need...pffft, the one who doesn"t need cash is you, what is he meddling in for?"
Xu Jin rebuked his statement expressionlessly. "What if I say I do?"
"How much does cash worth, really? Dollars are easy to get, but a true beauty is rare. Who would leave a gorgeous lady for an old grandpa with a saggy face? Moreover, there"s more than one beauty in this house. A single swipe of my Grandma"s sleeve is worth two mansions."