Downstairs in the teachers' apartment building, He Long and his wife, Zhen Yu, dragged two suitcases and saw Ge Jian waiting for them. It was clear that Ge Jian had been waiting downstairs for a considerable time, as his face was quite pale from the cold.
To be honest, He Long had genuinely liked Ge Jian as a student, which was why he had entertained the idea of taking him as a son-in-law.
Unfortunately, no matter how great one's talent, it was all in vain when their heart was set on the wrong path.
Ge Jian, about 1.7 meters tall, was wearing a long, pure black down jacket. Beside him stood two middle-aged individuals in brand new, long, red down jackets. These two were openly appraising He Siyu, who stood next to He Long.
Their gazes reminded He Long of the older ladies he often encountered at the wet market in the morning, meticulously picking through the outermost, older leaves of cabbage at a stall.
He felt displeased!
Extremely displeased!
Despite his displeasure, students had brought their parents from afar to pay New Year's greetings, and they had waited downstairs for a long time. Everyone entering and exiting the faculty apartments must have known. If he were to simply accept their gifts and send them back into the freezing weather, He Long couldn't bring himself to do it. However, staying for a meal was out of the question. Their refrigerator was empty, and He Long wouldn't bear to have his wife cook for unrelated people in the middle of winter; it was too much trouble!
After some thought, He Long nodded and said to Ge Jian:
"You've waited so long. In this cold weather, come up for a cup of hot tea before you go."
That's right, have a cup of tea and then leave!
"Thank you, Dad He!"
Hearing this address, He Long's eyes swept over Ge Jian's parents. Their eyes were already brimming with dissatisfaction.
This made He Long curious. What was Ge Jian's purpose in coming today?
"My parents both work for public institutions in a small city. They'll be able to retire in a few more years. After retirement, they plan to come to Beijing to help their future daughter-in-law with housework."
Sitting on the living room sofa, He Long listened to Ge Jian's words and raised his teacup to shield the anger in his eyes.
"Yes, yes. My husband and I will have our pensions then, and we can come to Beijing to help take care of the children."
After entering He Long's home, Mother Ge first carefully examined the ornaments and decor in the living room and dining room. Only then did a more genuine smile appear on her face as she spoke.
Hearing this, He Long couldn't help but reflect. Had he, in the past, shown such a strong inclination to entrust his own disciple, Ge Jian, with such responsibility?
Despite his anger, He Long knew that unusual behavior often signaled trouble. He smiled and said:
"Ge Jian, you scoundrel. You have a partner and didn't even tell your teacher. What's going on? Is your partner from Beijing? Do they own a home in Beijing? If you're going to bring your parents over, does the other family have any objections?"
As soon as He Long finished speaking, Mother Ge's eyes widened, and her mouth opened. Before she could speak, Ge Jian interjected:
"It's nothing, Dad He. You know I've been so busy, I hardly have time to date. It's just my parents thinking things up on their own.
Seeing that you and Dad He just returned, we won't bother you for long. We've caused trouble for you and Mom He. Siyu, see you next time."
After speaking, Ge Jian directly pulled up his mother, who was slumped on the sofa with a disgruntled expression.
"Oh dear, it's already dark outside, you guys..." why aren't you leaving yet?
Ge Jian mistook his teacher's wife's hesitation for wanting to invite them to stay for dinner. He quickly smiled and said, "No, no, Mom He, we won't stay long. We had dinner this afternoon. Goodbye, Dad He and Mom He."
Zhen Yu, hearing this, smiled. Out of respect for He Long, she didn't finish the sentence she had been about to say.
After seeing off the couple who seemed to be touring the apartment as if buying a second-hand property, Zhen Yu closed the security door and then turned to He Long, lowering her voice to scold him:
"Look at your taste, old man! Someone like this, you used to consider him as a son-in-law? Let alone how much better our daughter is doing now, even if she were still like she was as a child, silent and entrusted to such a family, she wouldn't have a good life."
As Zhen Yu spoke, tears suddenly streamed down her face.
Seeing her mother cry, He Siyu reached out and gently hugged her, patting her back:
"Mom, don't worry. Chenchen said I can support myself. With the development of the internet, I can take on jobs online to support myself in the future. I still have many good days ahead."
Zhen Yu, who had only been shedding silent tears, seemed to have a switch flipped upon hearing this, and she began to sob uncontrollably.
He Long, who had never seen his wife cry so hysterically in their decades of marriage, was stunned. Just then, his phone vibrated. He Long initially ignored it, but the vibration, like Ge Jian's persistent presence, wouldn't stop!
He Long impatiently picked up his phone to hang up, but then he saw the caller ID – Liu Chen.
"Honey, Liu Chen is calling..."
Before He Long could finish speaking, Zhen Yu pressed the answer button on his phone.
"Teacher He?"
"Ah! It's me. Your Mom He and I, ahem, your teacher's wife and I have arrived home. A student just came to pay New Year's greetings and delayed us a bit. We forgot to report our safety."
As He Long spoke, Zhen Yu couldn't help but say indignantly:
"What student! What kind of student is that! That's the person you, the teacher, found for Siyu before. Heh, they brought their parents today, and said something so good, 'bringing parents to Beijing to take care of the young couple'!
Shameless! What young couple! I never agreed with your idea from the beginning!
..."
Under the barrage of complaints from Zhen Yu, the teacher's wife, Liu Chen on the other end of the phone finally understood what had happened that day.
He raised an eyebrow. In this world, there weren't so many coincidences.
"Teacher He, coincidentally, something happened to me today as well..."
Liu Chen recounted the car accident, the brand verification, and reporting it to the police. Finally, Liu Chen shared his suspicions.
At this, Zhen Yu, the teacher's wife, who had been righteously indignant and ranting about Ge Jian, suddenly fell silent. Instead, He Siyu's anxious voice emerged:
"Chenchen? Are you alright? You should hire two bodyguards. When next semester starts, don't leave school..."
Perhaps truly pushed to her limit, He Siyu's speech was no longer her usual unhurried pace. It was as fast as her mother's earlier rant about Ge Jian.
While He Siyu was solely concerned about Liu Chen's safety, He Long caught the underlying meaning of Liu Chen's words.
Yes, Ge Jian had been so resistant to even slight hints from him before, yet now he was so proactive.
Did he have any connection to the person behind the car accident?