Rui Rui often read extracurricular books, a fact Chen Li Shu was aware of. Many of these books were gifts from He Zi Yu.
Since Rui Rui enjoyed them, and Chen Li Shu felt it did not affect his studies while broadening his horizons, she never objected to him reading them.
Believing the teacher wanted to discuss Rui Rui's extracurricular reading impacting his studies, Chen Li Shu quickly said, "Rui Rui's grades have been stable. I might have overlooked that a child's energy is finite. Teacher, please don't worry, I'll have a good talk with him when we get home."
The homeroom teacher smiled and said, "Rui Rui's mother, you might have misunderstood. It's like this: after the final exams, I gave He Rui another set of third-grade test papers. His results were completely beyond my expectations. He scored a perfect hundred on both papers. While it's a source of pride for me as a teacher to have such a student in my class, I can't selfishly keep him here indefinitely, as it would hinder his progress. So, I wanted to discuss with you whether you would consider letting him skip a grade."
Chen Li Shu hadn't expected this to be the topic. She quickly thanked the teacher, "Thank you, teacher, for thinking of my Rui Rui. For such a long time, his studies have never been a cause for concern for us parents. I know this is inseparable from your dedicated guidance."
Chen Li Shu's few words made the teacher beam with joy, "This is all our duty. Gu Rui is indeed a very outstanding child."
"I will discuss it with him when I get back. If he agrees, I might have to trouble you again then."
After finishing her conversation with the teacher, Chen Li Shu turned to leave.
Rui Rui was playing with his classmate Xiao Pang and others. Seeing her emerge, he ran over, "Mom, what did the teacher say to you?"
Chen Li Shu stroked his head, "It wasn't much. She was praising you, saying you excel in all aspects—moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor—and that you're a very outstanding child."
Previously, he had seen other parents leaving, but his mother had not, and he had felt a bit anxious. Hearing Chen Li Shu's words, his tightly strung little face finally broke into a smile.
"Your teacher said your third-grade test scores were also excellent, so she asked if I wanted you to skip to third grade when school starts. I want to ask your opinion."
As the mother and son were talking, their deskmate Xiao Pang waved at him from a distance, "Gu Rui, I'm going home with my mom. See you at the start of the school year!"
Rui Rui waved back at him.
Seeing Xiao Pang leave, Rui Rui said, "I think it doesn't matter whether I skip or not."
Rui Rui paused, then added, "Maybe it's better to skip. It'll save a year's tuition and miscellaneous fees."
Hearing his serious tone, Chen Li Shu couldn't help but burst into laughter.
She took his hand and walked towards the school gate, not forgetting to tease, "My son is so good at managing expenses."
A few days after the parent-teacher meeting for Rui Rui, the Spring Festival Gala costumes were almost completed.
Chen Li Shu needed to go to Jingdu again to confirm the costume effects with the television station's directors and actors.
This time, besides Li Qiang, she also brought Sun Chang and another designer. This way, any issues could be communicated and corrected promptly.
As Rui Rui was on holiday, she decided to bring him along to accompany the elder He couple.
The courtyard house was almost finished from her last visit. She arranged for the group to stay in the courtyard house and then took Rui Rui to the He family's residence.
"Grandpa, Grandma." As soon as they entered, Rui Rui proactively greeted the two elders.
The elderly couple was delighted by their eldest grandson's arrival. After a few words, Mrs. He asked Rui Rui what he wanted to eat and then got up to prepare to buy groceries.
"Godmother, I'll go with you," Chen Li Shu said, picking up her hat and scarf, and heading out with Mrs. He.
Seeing his wife leave, Mr. He hesitated, then picked up the phone and called his second son, He Zi Nian's office.
"Hello, this is Mr. He's secretary. May I ask who is calling?"
A sweet voice came from the receiver. Mr. He couldn't help but frown, "I am his father."
"Hello, Mr. He's father. Mr. He is currently in a meeting. I will definitely notify him as soon as the meeting is over," the young secretary's voice, which had been artificially high-pitched, became much more respectful upon hearing Mr. He's identity.
Father He hung up the phone and glanced at his grandson playing beside him, shaking his head helplessly.
Meanwhile, He Zi Nian was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the situation his subordinate had reported.
"The plot of land we've been closely monitoring has been acquired by Tian Cheng Group."
He Zi Nian frowned, "How is that possible? Wasn't everything proceeding smoothly? How did the buyer suddenly change?"
"The CEO of Tian Cheng Real Estate, Zhang Zhi Hui, specifically returned from abroad to Jingdu recently. The project was personally handled by him. Within a couple of days, the authorities released information explicitly stating that the land had been approved for Tian Cheng Real Estate."
He Zi Nian's expression turned very grim, "Didn't I tell you to keep a close watch and report any developments immediately? You're only telling me now that the matter is settled?"
The subordinate replied hesitantly, "Everything was going smoothly. But who could have known that Mr. Zhang from the other party would suddenly return and catch us completely off guard?"
He Zi Nian waved his hand, no longer wanting to hear any more explanations.
The reason he had targeted that piece of land was due to insider information that the government planned to build a large comprehensive shopping mall nearby.
Once the land was secured and residential buildings were constructed, the properties would sell without a hitch, promising substantial profits.
"Alright, I understand this matter." Rubbing his temples, He Zi Nian stood up, "Let's end today's meeting here."
As he walked out of the conference room, Secretary Xiao Zhang approached him, "Mr. He, your father called. He said your son is back and asked you to make time to go back."
He Zi Nian nodded to acknowledge this and then said to the secretary, "Arrange a car for me in a bit. I need to go out."
Not long after, He Zi Nian's driver stopped the car in front of a government office building as instructed.
After getting out of the car, He Zi Nian walked directly into the lobby, registered at the front desk, and then proceeded to a familiar office.
Director Wu saw him arrive and, guessing the reason for his visit, spoke proactively before He Zi Nian could ask, "Zi Nian, you're here about the land, aren't you? Sit down, let's talk."
He Zi Nian sat down opposite the desk as requested.
"Uncle Wu, wasn't that land supposed to be leased to me? Why did they suddenly change the recipient?"
Director Wu gave him a calming look, picked up the water pot on the desk, poured him a cup of water, and then began to explain, "This matter did happen rather suddenly. To be honest, the land deal wasn't something I could decide entirely on my own, otherwise, I would have approved it for you directly."
"From what I gather from higher-ups, it seems your financial situation might not be able to bear this project. That Tian Cheng company appears to be thoroughly aware of your circumstances."