When Qi Mo got off work and returned home, he hadn't even made it to the living room before he heard Sheng Mumu's voice.
"No, again, follow me and read it -"
Walking past the foyer, he saw Sheng Mumu smacking a paper fan on Qi Shaobai's head.
"You read it wrong, again."
Qi Shaobai slowly turned his head, and saw Qi Mo who had just gotten home.
He didn't expect that at seventeen, he would still get hit for not being able to recite words.
He felt both ashamed and helpless, but deep down he knew Sheng Mumu was doing this for his own good and didn't dare to talk back.
However, when he looked at his dad, his eyes unavoidably held a hint of pleading.
Qi Shaobai was very clear that his cold dad wouldn't help him.
But he still stubbornly tried asking:
"Dad, there's a limited edition Lego set I've wanted to buy but haven't been able to get. Can you ask Assistant Dong to help me find one?"
Sheng Mumu's eyes narrowed slightly as she clasped Qi Shaobai's head, forcibly turning it back and glaring at him:
"What's that about? Even if the King of Heaven himself came, you still have to learn these grammar rules today."
"Don't try to change the subject."
"Come on, let me test you again..."
Qi Shaobai: "..."
Qi Mo's eyes curved up slightly, but he didn't say anything.
He calmly took off his suit jacket, draped it over his arm, and headed upstairs with light footsteps.
Qi Shaobai took a deep breath and resigned himself to reality.
As expected.
His dad wouldn't take his side.
...
Ten minutes later.
Sheng Mumu finally understood how difficult it was to be a teacher.
Especially when dealing with a student like Qi Shaobai.
She could clearly feel that.
Qi Shaobai didn't lack the ability to learn English well, he was fundamentally opposed to it.
She secretly thought that she needed to find an opportunity to properly talk with Little Qi and get to the bottom of why he was so prejudiced against this subject. Only when he eliminated those feelings from his heart and found motivation could his grades possibly improve.
While Sheng Mumu was pondering this, Qi Shaobai was still holding sticky notes, checking example sentences from the study guide, and forcing this bitter medicine into his head.
His expression was growing more and more pained.
Suddenly, his phone screen lit up.
Seeing the flashing name on the screen, Qi Shaobai's eyes brightened.
The savior had arrived.
He answered the video call.
A familiar voice came through.
"My little one."
Sheng Mumu blinked in confusion, and noticed a rare look of warmth that could be called "enthusiastic" appear on Qi Shaobai's usually cold and aloof face.
Qi Shaobai smiled brilliantly at the phone, "Grandma."
Sheng Mumu was taken aback.
Grandma?
Qi Mo's grandma?
Sheng Mumu's gaze subtly shifted towards the screen.
An old lady with white hair appeared on the screen.
"What are you doing, my little one?" The old lady asked caringly.
Qi Shaobai angled the phone slightly, intentionally letting the old lady see the study guide on the table, and said:
"Studying English."
The old lady said: "Oh, good, good. It's a good thing to work hard since you're a high school senior now."
Because the camera angle had changed, Sheng Mumu accidentally came into view.
"Mumu, you're tutoring my little one?" The old lady was surprised to see Sheng Mumu there, and her smile grew even wider as she asked, "Where's the big one? Is he home?"
Qi Shaobai responded, "Dad's upstairs."
Sheng Mumu was startled.
Pfft!
The big one!
She really hadn't imagined that Qi Mo, with his imposing aura, and Qi Shaobai, prickly as a sea urchin, were "big one" and "little one" in the old lady's eyes.
Who would believe it if she told others?
From the old lady's words, Sheng Mumu sensed that she wanted to see Qi Mo. She instantly switched into an obedient and sensible mode.
Facing the screen, she said: "Grandma, I'll go get him to come down."
She understood very clearly that for a loving couple's act, they had to commit fully, especially in front of the old lady who had matched their marriage. They had to appear seamless.
She went to the bottom of the stairs and called up:
"Dear, grandma's on the phone."
She said it extremely naturally, without any sense of dissonance.
Qi Mo was looking over documents in the study. Hearing the sound, his writing hand suddenly stopped.
And so, Qi Mo the "big one" also joined the video call.
With three people squeezed together on the phone screen, it was a bit difficult to all fit in frame.
Qi Shaobai held the phone further away.
Seeing this, Qi Mo very naturally put his arm around Sheng Mumu's shoulders.
He leaned his head in.
He was much taller than her. Sheng Mumu could feel that if she raised her head just a few more centimeters, it would bump his chin.
She was surrounded by his scent.
It smelled especially good.
Qi Mo's eyes curved into a smile, his face taking on a grin as he called towards the screen: "Grandma."
This was a tone Sheng Mumu had never heard before.
Gentle, tender, warm.
Completely different from his usual keep-others-at-a-thousand-miles-away manner.
Seeing the three gathered together, the old lady smiled from ear to ear.
She had previously been worried whether the marriage she arranged was suitable.
Would the big one and Mumu get along harmoniously?
Although Auntie Zhang from the Qi house called her every few days to reassure her, since it wasn't seeing with her own eyes, how could she completely set her mind at ease?
Seeing their little family of three interacting affectionately today, her hanging heart finally settled.
After chatting for a bit, the old lady suddenly asked:
"Mumu, are they treating you well? Have they bullied you at all? If they bully you, tell grandma and I'll stand up for you."
Hearing these words, Sheng Mumu's nose suddenly went sour, and her eyes grew hot.
Although today was the first time she had seen the old lady, she inexplicably felt very familiar with her.
She was reminded of her own grandma.
Bad elders could be malicious in all sorts of bizarre ways.
But good elders were always affectionate in the same way.
Thinking about how in the original book, the old lady only had less than a year left before passing away, she felt stifled and her eyes grew moist.
Taking advantage of bowing her head for a moment, she secretly dabbed at the corners of her eyes to stop the oncoming tide.
When she raised her head again, she put on a smile.
"Grandma, don't worry. They wouldn't dare bully me. Rather, you have to pay attention to your health. Come to the city sooner, we all want to see you."
The old lady said: "I'm busy recently, so I'll come visit you all later."
Qi Mo smiled upon hearing this. "What are you busy with recently?"
The old lady proudly lifted her chin.
"I signed up for a Tai Chi Sword class at the senior university. It's three classes a week. The teacher praised me for learning no slower than the people in their 60s and 70s. When I come to the city, I'll show you some moves."
Sheng Mumu gave a chuckle. Her dimples sank in as she enthusiastically responded: "Great, I'll record it for you then, make it into a photo album with lots of colors and flourishes, and make you the coolest granny at the senior university."
The old lady eagerly nodded. "Good, good!"
After Qi Shaobai asked the old lady a few more questions, the video call ended amidst a happy and harmonious atmosphere.
The phone screen suddenly went dark.
In the now blackened screen, the reflections of three people appeared.
Sheng Mumu suddenly saw that Qi Mo's reflection was looking at her, his eyes still rippling with laughter.
Her breath hitched.
The atmosphere became a little subtle.
The big hand resting on her shoulder made its presence felt even more.
