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Chapter 184 Parents’ Meeting

"Mom, did Dad really go to my parent-teacher conference?"

Wang Ziqi stared wide-eyed at Tang Xingmei and asked.

Tang Xingmei was speechless: "You've asked three times already! Didn't I already tell you? Yes, your dad went to your parent-teacher conference!"

Wang Ziqi covered her head with her hands and said exaggeratedly, "Wouldn't that expose his identity?!"

If it were anything else, Tang Xingmei would definitely think that her son was deliberately being mischievous, and she would have to say a few words to him to make him behave properly.

But this time, she didn't do that.

After all, it's absurd and ironic that the son is worried about his father's identity being exposed.

She had previously agreed with Wang Lie's low-key approach to his family for safety reasons, but that didn't mean she had no complaints about it at all.

After all, she's a normal person with her own emotions, and occasionally she feels indignant deep down.
She and Wang Lie are a legally married couple, she is not a mistress or a concubine, and the two children are not Wang Lie's illegitimate children, so why should she hide and conceal things like this?
When her son retaliated by hitting a classmate who insulted his father at school, she still criticized him for hitting someone. Faced with her son's aggrieved cries, she felt both helpless and heartbroken.

Other people's children can be proud of their fathers, so why can't my own child?
A child can vent their anger by crying, but how can they release the anger inside their heart, and to whom can they vent it?

But that's all in the past now; it seems the husband has finally let go of some kind of knot in his heart.

So this time, Tang Xingmei didn't scold her son, but gently hugged him: "It's okay, Qiqi, you don't need to hide your father's identity anymore."

Wang Ziqi, who was in his arms, was stunned. He hesitated and asked, "So... I can tell my classmates who my dad is?"

"Yes, when your classmates are talking about your dad, you can tell them that's your dad."

Wang Ziqi still couldn't believe it: "But if I have a conflict with my classmate, will it affect my dad?"

Tang Xingmei gently patted her son's back: "As long as you're in the right, Mom and Dad will support you. But then again, you still need to stick with your classmates. Didn't you say that Shi Bo is now a fan of your dad?"

Wang Ziqi broke free from his mother's embrace and ran back to his room. Soon after, he ran out again with a notebook and said to Tang Xingmei, "Can I ask my dad to sign this notebook for me?"

Tang Xingmei was puzzled by her son's request: "Why?"

"I can give them to my classmates! Didn't you say we should get along well with our classmates? I'll give them their dads' autographs, they'll be so happy. That way we won't have any conflicts!"

Tang Xingmei was both amused and exasperated by her son's wild imagination. She knew that because of Wang Lie's outstanding performance in the past six months, his autographs were now quite valuable. If he signed a jersey, the price of that jersey would increase at least tenfold.

Because Wang Lie doesn't usually sign jerseys for free; it's mostly fans or people who have connections who find him and bring him something to sign. Therefore, Wang Lie's autographs are very rare on the market, and scarcity drives up the price.

Such a precious autograph, yet her son wants to wholesale it...

But upon further reflection, Tang Xingmei had to admit that her son's idea was not wrong—what did it matter to him how expensive his father's autograph was on the market? He wasn't a middleman who resold autographs.

He knew many people liked his father's autograph, so he gave this precious item to his classmates. He genuinely wanted to give them the best; what did market price matter with this sentiment?

So she nodded in support of her son's idea: "Okay, when Dad comes back, I'll have him sign this whole book for you."

"Mom is so good!" Wang Ziqi cheered happily.

Tang Xingmei looked at her child with eyes full of love when her phone rang with a new message notification.

She picked it up and her expression changed immediately.

It was sent by my husband:

"Which class is our son in again?"

Wang Ziqi noticed the change in her mother's expression and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Tang Xingmei casually said, "It's nothing, go have fun..."

After sending her child away, she replied on WeChat: "You really don't even know which class our son is in... Class 2, Grade 1, Class 2! It's on the first floor, don't go to the wrong classroom."

Wang Lie quickly replied, "Oh, okay, I understand."

Looking at her husband's reply, Tang Xingmei first sighed, then smiled gently.

She suddenly regretted not being there to witness her husband's awkwardness at his first parent-teacher conference.

※※※

Shi Gaojun sat on the desk with his son's name tag on it, shifting his body from side to side.

The desks and chairs for elementary school students were too small for him, a fat man weighing 200 pounds; he felt as if he were being constricted when he sat inside.

His wife insisted that he attend the parent-teacher conference, saying that it was the first end-of-term parent-teacher conference for their child in elementary school, and that it would be more meaningful for the father to attend.

This reason is ridiculous. There are two parent-teacher conferences every semester, one at the beginning of the semester and one at the end of the semester... What kind of commemorative significance can they have?
He could easily understand his wife's ulterior motives. She simply felt that their son was naughty and she was afraid that he would be criticized by the teacher at the parent-teacher conference and lose face, so she pushed him out to take the blame.

whispering sound.

He scoffed inwardly, not understanding what was so shameful about it.

They're not some big star, why are they so concerned about their image? Seriously...

While mentally criticizing his wife, Shi Gaojun looked around.

At this parent-teacher meeting, fathers like him were a very small minority; most of the attendees were mothers.

Some mothers who knew each other gathered together to chat and share information about their children.

He, the father, didn't know anyone and could only sit idly in his child's seat waiting for the parent-teacher conference to begin.

Then he looked around at the nearby desks, wondering who was sitting around his son.

Then he saw, across the aisle, on the nameplate of the desk diagonally in front of him, it read:

Wang Ziqi

This must be the name of his son's classmate that he is most familiar with, because he always hears it from his son's mouth.

Moreover, the first time the homeroom teacher called his wife was because his son had gotten into a fight with this child.

So he was deeply impressed by the name.

His son was originally a fan of Chi Zhen, while Wang Ziqi was a fan of Wang Lie—it's all part of the fandom culture...

Shi Gaojun inwardly scoffed, then noticed that both Wang Ziqi and Wang Lie shared the surname "Wang".

He grinned.

Ah, so that's why they're so protective of Wang Lie... Ha!

Just as Shi Gaojun was happily congratulating himself on discovering a "blind spot," he saw a tall figure flash into the classroom.

The man was wearing a baseball cap, a dark green sports T-shirt, and light blue denim shorts, with sneakers on his feet.

His clothes and appearance were very ordinary; if he weren't a man, Shi Gaojun wouldn't have given him a second glance.

After all, fathers like myself who attend parent-teacher conferences are like fireflies in the dark—so conspicuous that it's impossible not to notice them.

Shi Gaojun originally only intended to take a look, but the more he looked, the more his brows furrowed—this person…hmm, why does he look a little familiar?

Then he watched as the man walked up to him and stopped next to the desk diagonally in front of him, looking down at the nameplate on the desk that read "Wang Ziqi".

Suddenly, a thunderbolt struck Shi Gaojun's mind, and he realized who this man who looked familiar was!

Holy crap! Wang Lie?!

Shi Gaojun was so startled by the name in his mind that he immediately stood up from his seat.

Because of the cramped space, he almost knocked over the tables and chairs. The loud noise attracted the attention of everyone in the room, including the person in front of him, who turned around and looked at him.

Shi Gaojun blurted out, "Wang Lie?"

He regretted it as soon as he said it—even if the man in front of him really was Wang Lie, he had called him out in front of so many people, so the man would definitely deny it! Which celebrity would want their identity to be exposed in such a private setting?

To Shi Gaojun's great surprise, the other party did not deny it, but nodded generously and said, "Yes, I am Wang Ziqi's father. I am here to attend his parent-teacher conference."

Shi Gaojun still found it hard to believe: "No... really Wang Lie? Wang Lie from the Chinese national team?"

He was also worried that it might be someone with the same name, and that it would be embarrassing if there were any misunderstandings.

The other person simply took off their hat, and said with a faint smile, "It's me."

Shi Gaojun also confirmed that he had indeed seen this face and hairstyle a week ago when he watched the national team match with his son.

He became excited and stammered, "No, it's not that... it really is you! I never imagined you were the father of my son's classmate..."

He almost introduced himself, but he held back because he remembered how his good-for-nothing son had gotten into a fight with Wang Ziqi—all because he had insulted Wang Lie! No wonder Wang Ziqi hit him; that son of a bitch had insulted someone else's own father!
He wasn't sure if Wang Lie knew about this, so he was embarrassed to say he was Shi Bo's father. What if the other person said, "Oh, you're the parent of the child who insulted me..."

How embarrassing! While Shi Gaojun was still in a daze, the others in the classroom also came to their senses. Although the room was mostly filled with female parents, not all the mothers were unaware of who Wang Lie was.

One of the female parents exclaimed in surprise, "Wang Lie! It's Wang Lie! Wow! I never imagined my child was classmates with the son of such a famous athlete!"

Everyone rushed over here.

Shi Gaojun snapped out of his daze and realized that now was not the time to be preoccupied with gains and losses. As the saying goes, "being near the water tower, one gets the moon first," he immediately took out his phone and said to Wang Lie, "Hey, can we take a picture together? My son is a big fan of yours, he really likes you! I'm a fan of yours too!"

Wang Lie showed no reluctance or impatience, but nodded very readily: "Okay."

Shi Gaojun quickly moved closer to Wang Lie, raised his phone, opened the camera, switched to the front camera to take a selfie, then switched to the rear camera and handed the phone to the other parents who had gathered around: "Excuse me, could you please take a picture of me and Wang Lie? Thank you!"

Even without him saying it, everyone present had already consciously taken out their phones and pointed their cameras at Wang Lie.

It won't be long before photos and videos of this scene appear on various social media platforms.

※※※

While his wife was attending a parent-teacher meeting, the man sent his child to his grandparents' house and then went out for barbecue with some of his buddies.

At a barbecue stall filled with smoke and tantalizing aromas, several men were eating large chunks of meat, drinking from large bowls, and chatting loudly.

"...Damn Iran, they actually lost to Australia at home, what trash! We could have qualified after this round, but now we have to wait another round..."

"Hey, let's just wait. We're not going to run away anyway. If we just draw with Iran in the next game, we'll qualify. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, we're playing Iran at home in the next game..."

"There's no need to worry about the Asian qualifiers now. Let's see how we do in the World Cup finals... We always say we're aiming for the quarterfinals, but I don't know if we can do it this time. If nothing unexpected happens, this should be Wang Lie's last World Cup in his professional career."

"Speaking of which, Wang Lie's performance since the beginning of this year has been truly amazing! Who would believe that this is the performance expected of a 38-year-old! It's like an old tree sprouting new buds!"

"Hey, why is Wang Lie experiencing a second spring at this age? Is he really on drugs?"

"Bullshit! Do you really think the Premier League's drug tests are just for show? Didn't the media report that Wang Lie underwent the most stringent drug tests in the Premier League? While ordinary players get tested after matches, he was randomly selected for testing. Sometimes, even when he was resting at home, he had to cooperate immediately if the testing personnel came to his door... Do you think those white guys didn't want to find something to use against him? The fact that they didn't find anything only proves Wang Lie's innocence!"

"Brother Zhang, don't get excited, I was just guessing... Come on, let's drink."

One of the men picked up a beer mug and approached the person opposite him for a drink.

The other person raised their glass to clink it with his, and then took a big gulp.

After finishing his drink, he wiped his mouth and exclaimed, "Refreshing!"

"Brother Zhang, you came out to drink with us while your wife was at her parent-teacher meeting. Won't she be unhappy when you get home?"

"No, no, I already told her."

"Oh, so it was reported beforehand..."

"Old Zhang is a respectable man!"

"Now we know who's in charge, haha!"

"Hahaha!"

The men at the table laughed and teased each other, creating a very lively atmosphere.

The man who was being teased wanted to defend himself, but first he saw a WeChat message notification pop up on his phone.

[Wife: Oh dear, I told you to come and you didn't. You'll regret it later!]

Wife: [Image]

Wife: [Image]

Wife: [Image]

Wife: [Image]

Wife: [Smirking]

The continuous ringing attracted the attention of everyone at the table. They all glanced over and saw that the name "Wife" was very eye-catching.

He then jokingly asked, "Oh, is your wife checking up on you?"

Old Zhang waved his hand: "Nonsense! She knows I'm drinking with you guys..."

He said that, but his hand still picked up his phone, unlocked it, and saw what his wife had sent him.

He skipped the text and was curious to see what pictures his wife would send him at the parent-teacher conference, and why so many of them…

Before clicking on the thumbnail, all he saw were photos of his wife with the same man, with his wife making a V sign and smiling happily.

So he snorted inwardly:
It's just that some celebrity went there... The school my child attends is a high-end private elementary school, isn't it normal for a few celebrity parents to be there? If I remember correctly, a few years ago a singer's parent even sang at some open day... I'm not a fan, what's there to regret? Tch!
With this disdainful thought, he tapped the thumbnail, and after a brief spin, a clear, large image appeared on his phone screen.

"What the fuck?!"

The man exclaimed in surprise as he held up his phone.

Then he eagerly clicked on the next picture, which was also:
"Fuck me!"

This piqued the curiosity of everyone at the table, who all crowded around, asking, "What's going on... Holy crap!"

"Holy crap?! Wang Lie?!"

Yes, the man standing next to Lao Zhang in the picture his wife sent him is none other than Wang Lie, whom every Chinese football fan knows!
Some people found it unbelievable: "Didn't your sister-in-law go to a parent-teacher meeting? How did she end up taking a photo with Wang Lie?"

Then he looked at Old Zhang with a sudden realization.

Everyone else looked at them with the same expression.

Because they all realized that Lao Zhang's child and Wang Lie's child were in the same school and the same class.

If Lao Zhang hadn't come to drink with them today, but instead chosen to attend his child's parent-teacher meeting, he would have been the most dazzling guy in his social media circle today...

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Old Zhang's face turned as red as if he had drunk two large glasses of draft beer in one go.

Big meat skewers no longer smell good, and ice-cold beer no longer feels refreshing.

※※※

After the parent-teacher meeting, the first thing Shi Gaojun did upon returning home was to look for his son.

"Shi Bo, come here!"

Hearing his father's stern voice, Shi Bo shrank back and slowly crawled out of his room. He guessed that his homeroom teacher must have complained about him at the parent-teacher conference...

During this free time, his little brain was working at high speed, thinking of a solution.

If my dad asks me about my grades, I'll tell him I'll definitely work twice as hard next time.

If Dad asks me who I fought with... wait! I haven't really fought with anyone lately!

"Why are you walking so slowly? Is there something wrong with your legs?" Shi Gaojun got angry when he saw his son's timid and hesitant appearance—look what you've done!

Hearing the commotion outside, his wife came out of the bedroom wearing a face mask: "See? I told you, parent-teacher conferences are never good, that's why I sent you... What happened to him this time?"

Shi Gaojun ignored his wife and glared at his son: "Go to the school tomorrow and find Wang Ziqi, and apologize to him sincerely!"

"Huh?" Shi Bo was stunned.

His wife rolled her eyes at him: "Are you out of your mind? School's already out for break, what school is he going to tomorrow!"

Shi Gaojun changed his tune, saying, "Then you should go apologize to Wang Ziqi when the next semester starts! And it must be a sincere apology!"

Before Shi Bo could speak, his wife asked anxiously, "What happened? Did he fight with Wang Ziqi again?"

Shi Bo quickly waved his hand: "I didn't! We made up a long time ago!"

Shi Gaojun explained to his wife, "It's just about the time he insulted Wang Lie..."

"Isn't this all in the past?" the wife asked, puzzled.

“Yes, I did insult Wang Ziqi’s idol, but he also hit me! I was wrong, and he was wrong too…” Shi Bo argued.

Shi Gaojun looked at his son and said very seriously, "Are you insulting someone's idol? You're insulting someone's own father! You insulted someone's dad, so what if he beat you up?!"

After he finished speaking, he showed a photo of himself and Wang Lie on his phone.

The wife gasped and then covered her mouth.

Shi Bo stared in disbelief at the man standing next to his father on the screen.
"what?!"

(End of this chapter)