"Rui, let's go sing karaoke!" Yang Ming said as he stood not far away.
Yang Ming was the shorter male student with a slender build and around 170cm tall. He always had a roguish expression on his face, and would get crow's feet when he looked up.
They had come to visit Zhou Rui, guessing he must have gotten an earful from his mom this time. They were just discussing how to find Zhou Rui when he showed up himself. Seeing Zhou Rui was even able to go out and had a pretty girl following him, they were quite shocked.
It looks like...he's doing alright?
Since they came all this way and ran into him, why not go out and have some fun! It could help clear their minds too.
The male student standing next to Yang Ming was called Li Xiaonan, also one of Zhou Rui's best buddies. Chai Meicen thought he looked familiar too.
She had seen Li Xiaonan twice before. Other than calling her Auntie, Li Xiaonan hadn't said another word to her.
Today was the same - he hadn't spoken from start to finish, just looking at them. He was probably the silent type.
Earlier in their class group chat, he had helped smooth things over when everyone was teasing Zhou Rui, changing the subject.
He was about the same height as Zhou Rui with neat, short black hair. His features were sharp and rather handsome. He had a very recognizable look with distinct angles and single eyelids.
With a world-weary expression, he was especially suited for print ads, able to pull off a half-dead look that would turn out great.
"I'm not going..." Zhou Rui reflexively rejected the idea. He felt he should resolve Chai Meicen's issues first.
"Go on, I'll join too. It'll help clear my mind, I'm not feeling great right now." Chai Meicen said as she stood to the side, then waved grandly at the two guys, "Let's go, my treat today!"
"The pretty lady is so generous!" Yang Ming cheered loudly.
Zhou Rui tensed up instantly, imagining them together being indecent and Chai Meicen witnessing it. That would just add injury to injury with his mom.
She really hated seeing him act improperly.
"Maybe not..." Zhou Rui immediately tried to stop them, but Yang Ming was already chatting with Chai Meicen and they got in a taxi.
Li Xiaonan stood by the car door looking at him, so he could only reluctantly get in too.
At the KTV, after Yang Ming went in, he started picking songs then turned and asked Zhou Rui, "Rui, what songs are you going to sing? Your signature tunes?"
Zhou Rui rushed over to shoo Yang Ming away, carefully selecting a line of songs in case Yang Ming randomly chose something weird to play.
Seeing the lyrics on screen, even Yang Ming was confused. Zhou Rui had some episode, picking <I Love Beijing Tiananmen>.
"Hey Rui, what's with you today..." Yang Ming got halfway through speaking when he was interrupted.
"We're the kind of positive youth who should sing songs suiting our style!" Zhou Rui said, then sang the whole song holding the mic, posture proper.
His WeChat Moments that Chai Meicen could see were all positive and portrayed the world as peaceful and beautiful. The stuff he actually posted privately ran the gamut, just nothing decent.
After Zhou Rui finished singing, Chai Meicen even praised him, "Not bad singing."
"Want me to pick a song for you?" Zhou Rui asked Chai Meicen.
"Sure." Chai Meicen was also a karaoke queen herself. She just rarely went out to play with her son, so naturally she wouldn't be shy.
And so, Yang Ming and Li Xiaonan watched the gorgeous Chai Meicen, looking like a fairy, sing <In That Place Where Peach Blossoms Bloom>, swaying as she sang.
The two got increasingly excited listening.
When they first came in, Li Xiaonan had ordered fruit plates. Zhou Rui stood waiting at the door, and sure enough when the order came it included beer.
He immediately stopped it, saying, "Change it to fruit juice for me, Sprite, Coke, anything like that."
"We'd have to add quite a bit more then." The KTV had minimum spend requirements, but singing fees were waived for several hours if you spent enough.
"Then add another fruit plate, some dried fruits, popcorn, anything is fine." Zhou Rui finished speaking and went into the room.
He whispered to Li Xiaonan after entering, "I switched out the stuff."
"She monitoring you?" Li Xiaonan motioned with his chin towards Chai Meicen, asking Zhou Rui.
"Yeah, she's my parent."
"Oh." Li Xiaonan understood too. Zhou Rui had just gotten in trouble, so his family keeping tabs was normal. He didn't think much else about it.
After singing, Chai Meicen sat next to Yang Ming and softly asked, "What was the reason Zhou Rui fought this time?"
She was still a bit concerned after all. She really hadn't asked Zhou Rui about it. She would inevitably lose her reason for a spell when angry.
She felt it was right to understand what happened too. If she had misunderstood Zhou Rui, she should have a good talk with him as well.
In her mindset, even if she was the parent, she still needed to apologize when in the wrong.
"Rui is the best person in the world!" Yang Ming answered bizarrely.
"Pfft!" Chai Meicen laughed at Yang Ming's sudden serious look.
"You just don't understand. There's a saying that goes, fight violence with violence, stop killing by killing. That's what our Rui did. That Chen bastard deserved the beating." Yang Ming spoke rather heroically. Zhou Rui was a chivalrous hero in his eyes.
Chai Meicen wanted to ask more but Zhou Rui pulled her out, insisting they leave.
Just seconds earlier, Zhou Rui saw the class group teasing that a bunch of them were coming to the KTV to see the little beauty.
He was really afraid those bastards would ask for Chai Meicen's WeChat ID when they saw her, and casually say some crude words. Even just one cheesy pickup line felt like them yelling "F*** your mom!" in front of him. He'd fly into a rage and beat down that group.
"We haven't been here long." Chai Meicen still wanted to ask Yang Ming more. Yang Ming was artless and would spill with some probing.
"Let's go to the salon first, fix up your hair, then the mall to buy you some clothes you can wear." Zhou Rui could only try to divert Chai Meicen's attention. He knew just how frightening Chai Meicen could be when she lost it.
Chai Meicen didn't insist and planned to ask Zhou Rui himself when they got back.
At the salon, even Tony was at a bit of a loss seeing Chai Meicen's perm.
"Straighten it." Zhou Rui said standing behind Chai Meicen's chair. He tugged her hair to gauge length, then compared it to her neck, "To about here, slightly layered bangs."
"Collarbone length?" Tony asked.
"This length could only work with that style on her I think."
"Okay, we'll go with what he said." Chai Meicen immediately nodded. Her son rarely commented on her image, so if he advised something, she listened.
"Then we'll start by dealing with the curls first." Tony replied.
After instructing Zhou Rui, he went and sat on the sofa, taking out his phone to message Hou Ranxi.
Zhou Rui: Hey~
Uncle Hou: Hmm, need me to plead for you?
Chai Meicen had called Hou Ranxi that morning, so he knew the situation already.
Zhou Rui: No need, my mom and I are getting along very peacefully.
Uncle Hou: How much do you need?
Zhou Rui: No allowance today.
Uncle Hou: I had my assistant buy local snacks for you.
Zhou Rui: Feeling like being my dad again today, huh?
Uncle Hou: Don't joke around.
Zhou Rui: I never really understood before why you treat my mom so well. I figured you just had a grateful heart. Single for so many years, you must be too picky. But today I suddenly understand.
Uncle Hou: Homework finished? Or did your mom beat you silly?
Zhou Rui: Don't change the subject! Don't you think this face looks a bit familiar?
Zhou Rui sent the short video Yang Ming secretly took to the group chat for Hou Ranxi.
The call came right after. Seeing the caller ID, Zhou Rui couldn't help an evil grin. He picked up and heard Hou Ranxi's slightly anxious voice, "What's going on?"
"Done with your business trip?"
"Don't change the subject. Who is that girl?"
"My mom!"
"Don't joke around."
"You might not believe me if I tell you, but my mom suddenly became like this today. I took her to get checked out, physically she seems fine. Just not really sure why she's suddenly this way. And there's the issue of identification being difficult now. Looking like this, nobody would believe she's thirty-six. Her old look is too different from now, can't use her ID or driver's license."
Zhou Rui spoke in an especially mocking tone, irritating to listen to.
On the other end of the call, Hou Ranxi seemed to feel Zhou Rui was messing with him, still confirming with him, "Really?"
"Really."
"Where are you now? How is she?" Hou Ranxi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and asked.
"We're at the salon. Going to straighten out that tumbleweed perm of hers."
"Let me check on plane tickets. If nothing else, I'll arrange a car back. Help keep her steady, I'll be back very soon."
"Sounds good. I'll be taking care of her while you rush back, don't worry."
After hanging up, Zhou Rui couldn't hold back the gloating smile.
Chai Meicen had done many wrongs in her life. Even Zhou Rui felt having him was one of Chai Meicen's mistakes.
But she had done two things right. First was buying property. Second was investing in Hou Ranxi's company.
When Chai Meicen was pregnant with Zhou Rui, she had some money on hand. Being pregnant, there wasn't much great undertaking she could embark on, so she used the most old-fashioned method - buying property.
She didn't have any grand ideals at the time. She just wanted to be a landlady.
Unexpectedly, housing prices grew wildly insane in later years. She sold several places inside the Second Ring Road, then bought more inside the Third Ring. Soon those had also changed beyond recognition.
And so, in the time before purchase restrictions, relying on flipping over a dozen properties, Chai Meicen was carefree in food and shelter.
Their current complex, she owned most of the units in one building herself. The rest were rented out for income. Their neighbors were all her tenants.
Originally it was one whole building, but she sold two floors to save Hou Ranxi's company.
At the time, Hou Ranxi's company was facing bankruptcy. Employees were protesting, clients were kicking up a fuss outside, even saying they would sue Hou Ranxi until he was destitute.
Back then, even Hou Ranxi's own family abandoned him. After all, there were still two kids to care for without him.
They directly gave him harsh words: Don't expect to provide for us anymore. Just don't drag us down in the future.
That was essentially cutting ties.
Chai Meicen was the only one who stood by Hou Ranxi then.
Chai Meicen had a fierce temper. If people caused a scene, she would be even more vicious driving them off. She even sold houses to help Hou Ranxi muddle through.
Hou Ranxi didn't collapse. He really did stand back up.
At the time, Hou Ranxi's company was small and not yet publicly listed. Chai Meicen invested, acquiring 30% ownership.
Later after going public, Chai Meicen was also one of the original major shareholders, her stake second only to Hou Ranxi's.
Hou Ranxi's company simply turned into an incredible existence in its later stages.
Not only expanding bigger and bigger, its momentum was also strong.
Chai Meicen basically didn't go to Hou Ranxi's company, but she received regular income from it. One quarter's revenue was enough for Chai Meicen to buy another two floors.
Over the years, Hou Ranxi and Chai Meicen maintained a good relationship. Hou Ranxi took very good care of Chai Meicen too.
Chai Meicen felt that she and Hou Ranxi grew up together. Add in helping Hou Ranxi, she found Hou Ranxi's care reasonable and didn't think twice.
But Zhou Rui felt that Hou Ranxi was trying to be his dad.
Zhou Rui wasn't being sensitive, it was just that the tender look in Hou Ranxi's eyes when he gazed at Chai Meicen made him feel uneasy.
And Chai Meicen kept saying that Hou Ranxi was too kind-hearted and easygoing, always getting taken advantage of.
But Zhou Rui had seen a different side of Hou Ranxi long ago that Chai Meicen didn't know about. He just hadn't told her.
That day when he went to deliver the pickled vegetables and handmade buns that Chai Meicen had made for Hou Ranxi, he saw some commotion at the door of the company. A man was jabbing his finger in Hou Ranxi's face and yelling, "What you're doing will bring divine retribution!"
Hou Ranxi let out a cold laugh, an evil glint in his smile that sent chills down Zhou Rui's spine.
He looked just like those refined villains in TV shows and movies, wearing a suit and tie with gold rimmed glasses, gazing contemptuously as he laughed at the man.
How could someone like that be a kind person? Zhou Rui was so frightened he hid away for a long time before appearing again.
From that point on, Zhou Rui was convinced that a rabid wolf in meek dog's clothing lurked around Chai Meicen.
