Rebirth of the Rich Second Generation's Growth Diary

Chapter 176 Sharing a Room (Part 1)

For Tang Qiaoning, seeing her mother, whom she hadn't seen for quite some time, would have been a heartwarming and happy experience. Compared to her dull and old-fashioned father, Tang Qiaoning naturally preferred living with her mother.

However, even after Tang Qiaoning grew up and became more aware, she still felt that her mother was somewhat unrealistic and childish. Despite being 40 years old, sometimes the things her mother said left even her, her daughter in her early twenties, speechless.

Regardless, she missed her mother, but only if no outsiders interfered before she saw her. Her mother told her that she had a new boyfriend, something that happened last week.

Unlike herself, her mother lived more abroad and was more open-minded in many ways. In contrast, Tang Qiaoning was more traditional. She briefly inquired about her mother's so-called boyfriend: a Chinese man in his early thirties, who apparently worked as a surgeon.

It's hard to say what mindset I'll have when facing my mom and her boyfriend.

At this moment, Li Xu was driving Tang Qiaoning to the airport.

Tang Qiaoning remained absent-minded throughout the journey. She gazed out the window and sighed softly. She was undoubtedly angry, but this anger was tinged with a profound sense of powerlessness.

As she imagined various scenarios of meeting her mother, she suddenly gave a helpless laugh and turned to Li Xu, saying, "Li Xu, if I slap my mom's boyfriend later, will you take my side?"

Li Xu drove the car smoothly without turning his head, and said calmly, "I support whatever you do."

Tang Qiaoning laughed and said, "That's settled then. Just wait and see if I can give him a slap in the face."

……

Li Xu and Tang Qiaoning finally met her mother at the airport.

Li Xu spotted Tang Qiaoning's mother in the crowd from afar, then glanced down at Tang Qiaoning and whispered, "You really weren't lying at all, your mother is much prettier than you."

Tang Qiaoning angrily slapped him.

Tang Qiaoning's mother was named Shu Xiaohui. She wasn't very tall, but she was very refined. She wore a large straw hat, sunglasses, and a casual dress, with high heels on her feet, and her gait was very graceful.

While Li Xu was sizing up Shu Xiaohui, Tang Qiaoning's gaze was fixed on the man beside Shu Xiaohui. This surprised Li Xu somewhat; the man looked very young, tall and handsome, with good features and a gentle smile. Judging from his appearance alone, he could be considered a high-quality male, so it was reasonable that Tang Qiaoning's mother would be interested in him.

The two walked up to Li Xu and Tang Qiaoning. It was the man who spoke first. He looked at Tang Qiaoning and said with a warm smile, "This must be Qiaoning."

The scene she had envisioned—a slap across his face—did not occur. Tang Qiaoning's hand felt as if it weighed a ton, and she couldn't lift it at all. This emotion was stuck in her chest, and finally, tears welled up uncontrollably.

Tang Qiaoning glared at Shu Xiaohui and said, "Mom, you're so mean!"

Shu Xiaohui blinked, then looked at Li Xu.

At this moment, Li Xu took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away Tang Qiaoning's tears.

At this moment, Shu Xiaohui and her boyfriend both turned their attention to Li Xu.

During the phone call, Tang Qiaoning had already mentioned that she would feel a bit awkward coming alone, so she would be bringing her boyfriend along. Shu Xiaohui was initially quite surprised by this.

Shu Xiaohui knew her daughter all too well. She seemed to have a strong personality, but in reality, it was mostly just talk. When Tang Qiaoning was studying with Amei, her father threatened to break her legs if she dared to date, so Tang Qiaoning never dated.

Now that she's back in China, they've only kept in touch by phone and video for a long time, and she's never mentioned having a boyfriend. So, when Tang Qiaoning suddenly said she was bringing her boyfriend along, it really startled her.

On the contrary, Shu Xiaohui doesn't oppose her daughter dating; in fact, she supports and encourages it. In her view, wouldn't it be a waste not to date during the most vibrant and beautiful years of one's life?
As a mother, I still hope that Tang Qiaoning can meet the right person, or at least a boy who can bring her happiness.

When Shu Xiaohui saw Li Xu, a weight was lifted from her heart. She looked Li Xu up and down, and putting everything else aside, at least in terms of appearance and physique, he was extremely pleasing to the eye.

The scene was somewhat awkward, but it was the surgeon who broke the silence. "How about we go and visit Qiaoning's university for the rest of our trip?"

Tang Qiaoning didn't have a kind tone towards the "other woman" who broke up her parents. She coldly said, "Forget about my school." Then she looked at Li Xu and said, "Some people are like invalid weather forecasts—everyone else has clear skies, but they insist on saying there's rain in some areas, and then they become the dark cloud themselves."

These words, both overt and covert, implied the other party's behavior as a "male third party," but he wasn't angry. He just smiled slightly and said, "Okay, how about we go for a stroll around Tsinghua and Peking Universities?"

When Li Xu saw Tang Qiaoning winking at him, he chuckled and said, "Qiaoning and I are too familiar with Tsinghua and Peking University. How about we go somewhere that none of us have been before, like Tiananmen Square or the Great Wall?"

This piqued Shu Xiaohui's curiosity, and she asked, "Do you often go to Tsinghua and Peking Universities?"

Tang Qiaoning nodded smugly and said, "Of course."

Shu Xiaohui blinked, unable to connect Li Xu with a student from Tsinghua or Peking University no matter what. She wasn't a graduate of a prestigious university and had a strange, idealized view of them; in her eyes, those who could get into those universities were all bespectacled, somewhat dazed academic geniuses.

He then asked, "What are you two doing at Tsinghua and Peking University?"

Li Xu smiled faintly and said, "Oh, then let's go to class."

Only then did Tang Qiaoning's mother come to her senses, her eyes widening as she asked, "You're a student at Tsinghua or Peking University?" She then looked at Tang Qiaoning, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Tang Qiaoning looked smug, but suppressed a laugh as she said, "It's not something to brag about, right, Li Xu?"

Shu Xiaohui's gaze towards Li Xu changed. She looked Li Xu up and down again, her eyes sparkling, and said, "I never expected this, I really never expected this. How could you have fallen for my daughter? She's so stupid."

Li Xu blinked, and Tang Qiaoning immediately said with dissatisfaction, "Where am I stupid?"

The three of them chatted amongst themselves, leaving Shu Xiaohui's boyfriend standing aside. Li Xu, however, had been observing the surgeon and noticed that he always wore a gentle smile and showed no signs of embarrassment or discomfort, which filled him with admiration.

The four of them then decided to visit Tiananmen Square first. On the way from the airport to the airport parking lot, Tang Qiaoning pulled her mother to the front and chatted with her, while Li Xu and the surgeon walked behind.

A slightly awkward silence fell over them; their relationship, in a way, felt somewhat strained. The surgeon paused for a moment before speaking, albeit somewhat stiffly, "How about Tsinghua or Peking University?"

Li Xu glanced at the surgeon and smiled, "It's alright, nothing special. But it's better than Huajing University. If you accidentally get into Huajing University, your life will be over."

The other person chuckled twice, then stopped and extended his hand, saying, "My name is Gao Lei. Nice to meet you."

Li Xu casually shook hands with him, then slowly posed a question that made Gao Lei even more embarrassed: "Although it may be presumptuous, I still want to ask, does Uncle Tang know about your existence?"

Gao Lei was clearly taken aback for a moment, then coughed lightly and said, "I came back this time to talk to him about this."

Li Xu nodded, then said somewhat stiffly, "You know your behavior is somewhat..." He paused, then looked into Gao Lei's eyes and said, "Morally corrupt."

Gao Lei's eyes flickered, then he looked away, chuckled, and said, "They've lost their marital intimacy. After being separated for so long, they can't rekindle their passion."

He then looked at Li Xu and said seriously, "Don't you think it's a bit too cruel that Tang Qiaoning's mother lives alone abroad?"

Li Xu remained silent for a moment, without responding.

Meanwhile, Tang Qiaoning, standing in front of them, was gently shaking her mother's hand like a young girl, acting coquettishly. Seeing this, Li Xu suddenly said, "You're a little younger than her, aren't you?"

Gao Lei nodded, somewhat frankly saying, "She's six years older than me, but age isn't a problem." Then he looked at Li Xu and said, "I can sense that Tang Qiaoning doesn't like me. And you, you're on her side, right?"

Li Xu nodded: "Yes, of course I'm on her side." Then Li Xu gave a bright smile, "I'm her boyfriend, after all."

However, after a pause, Li Xu said, "Your situation is a bit complicated. From a moral standpoint, you are not entitled to a pleasant look from me. After all, no matter what your motives are, you have interfered in someone else's marriage, and that cannot be changed. In any case, I have to stand with Tang Qiaoning."

Gao Lei fell silent for a moment. He knew that although Li Xu's words were sharp, that was the essence of the matter. Li Xu continued, "But what's done is done. Both Tang Qiaoning's mother and her father are respectable people. Her father wouldn't beat you up, right? Tang Qiaoning did want to slap you, but she was too timid and didn't dare to do it. Besides, it would be too undignified if she did."

They had already reached the AMG. Li Xu paused for a moment and said, "No matter what, things still need to be resolved."

Li Xu opened the car door, and Tang Qiaoning sat in the passenger seat without any hesitation.

The rear seats of the AMG weren't very spacious, but they could still fit four people. After getting into the car, Li Xu drove towards Tiananmen Square.

On the way, Shu Xiaohui finally started asking about Li Xu: "How did you meet my daughter?"

Li Xu drove the car skillfully, smiled and replied, "We went to the same high school. She came back from abroad and came to our school."

Shu Xiaohui nodded. Just then, Tang Qiaoning suddenly turned to Shu Xiaohui and said seriously, "By the way, Mom, please don't tell Dad that I have a boyfriend."

Shu Xiaohui paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'm not as old-fashioned as your dad."

Afterwards, Shu Xiaohui asked Li Xu a series of questions, which Li Xu answered in a generous and appropriate manner.

In the car, Gao Lei was the only one who didn't say much. After all, in a sense, he was indeed an outsider, and Tang Qiaoning would occasionally make sarcastic remarks about him.

Actually, when I drove here, the person who surprised me the most was Li Xu. It has to be said that what a strange scene it was: Tang Qiaoning and her mother, along with her mother's "mistress" boyfriend, went to Tiananmen Square together.

However, through their conversation, we gradually gained a general understanding of the living conditions of Tang Qiaoning and her family of three. To put it simply, Tang Rui and Shu Xiaohui probably had no feelings for each other for a long time. Not to mention that they rarely saw each other, their marriage was in name only. They had been dragging their feet on divorce, probably out of consideration for Tang Qiaoning's feelings.

Perhaps this time, he felt that Tang Qiaoning had grown up, or perhaps he felt the time was right, and wanted to get this done in one go? That's why Shu Xiaohui seemed so indifferent, and Gao Lei didn't seem so worried either. Li Xu could only think that way.

Theoretically, this wouldn't be a pleasant trip, and in reality, it was. Even though Shu Xiaohui tried her best to maintain a harmonious atmosphere, Tang Qiaoning would still find ways to upset her.

The four of them toured several famous attractions in the capital in a routine manner, and time flew by. Even though it was a whirlwind tour, it didn't end until evening.

Li Xu didn't reveal any more information about himself to Shu Xiaohui. As for whether Shu Xiaohui would ask Tang Qiaoning about it later, Li Xu didn't care. If Shu Xiaohui told Tang Rui about it afterward, Li Xu wasn't too worried. He could just say that Tang Qiaoning had dragged him there, and make up an excuse.

That night, Tang Qiaoning didn't have many opportunities to chat alone with her mother, so Shu Xiaohui suggested that the four of them go find a hot spring resort to rest for the night.

We then found a decent hot spring resort in the capital city, where we could soak in the baths, enjoy a variety of entertainment facilities, and have a buffet.

Once inside, Tang Qiaoning and Shu Xiaohui naturally began to have a heart-to-heart chat while soaking in the hot spring. Of course, this part was Li Xu's imagination, because once inside, he could only take off his clothes and stare at Gao Lei, a scene that was somewhat awkward.

Li Xu quickly changed his clothes and went outside to wait for the others. It wasn't until late at night that Tang Qiaoning and Shu Xiaohui came over hand in hand.

It was clear that the mother and daughter had a deep and heartfelt conversation, as Tang Qiaoning still had a few tears in the corners of her eyes.

The next moment, Shu Xiaohui suddenly put Tang Qiaoning's hand into Li Xu's palm, then gave her an ambiguous look and said, "The rest of the time is up to you two young people, go and have fun."

Tang Qiaoning, who seemed to be still immersed in the warm atmosphere of her conversation with her mother, suddenly widened her eyes, but dared not breathe, for fear of revealing a flaw.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Li Xu quickly regained his composure, nodded, and smiled, saying, "Okay, I'll take good care of Qiao Ning."

Leaving the two of them behind, Shu Xiaohui had to go find Gao Lei. Watching Shu Xiaohui's departing figure, Tang Qiaoning gritted her teeth and said fiercely, "It was clearly her own choice to go find Gao Lei."

Then Tang Qiao stared at Li Xu and said, "Don't you think it's a bit much for the two of them to be so open and uninhibited? Especially in front of me."

Li Xu stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then said, "What do you think your dad's reaction will be when he finds out about this?"

This question really surprised Tang Qiaoning. After a long silence, she said somewhat dejectedly, "I don't know either, but I guess there won't be much of a reaction. Maybe... my dad will just smile and say, 'Then I wish you happiness.'"

Li Xu sighed slightly and said, "That's settled then. Everyone is an independent individual, even parents. Don't try to control their lives. Ultimately, the choice of what kind of life they want to live is their own."

Tang Qiaoning pouted and said, "Are you on my side or not?"

Li Xu chuckled: "Of course I'm on your side, but instead of dwelling on this now, let's think about how we're going to get through the rest of the night."

Tang Qiaoning blinked. These hot spring resorts have public rest areas, but because there is no soundproofing, everyone sleeps in one area, and the snoring is deafening. In addition, the hot spring resorts also offer paid hotel rooms.

Just as the two were pondering this question, Shu Xiaohui suddenly came over again, this time with Gao Lei.

Shu Xiaohui, holding the token, said to Tang Qiaoning, "Luckily, there are still two guest rooms left. If we had gone any later, even these two rooms would have been taken. So I booked them. Since you need to use tokens to book rooms, I used my own and Gao Lei's. We can switch tokens. You and Li Xu can go to the guest room to rest when you get sleepy."

Without further ado, he exchanged cards with Tang Qiaoning. Tang Qiaoning's eyes widened immediately, and she stammered, "Ah, I'm sleeping with Li Xu?"

Li Xu coughed, but Shu Xiaohui asked matter-of-factly, "You two are a couple, shouldn't you sleep in the same room?"

Then she gently patted her head and said, "Oh, people in China are quite conservative about this, but I don't think it's necessary. You're already university students, so as long as you take proper safety precautions, there shouldn't be any problems."

Hearing this, Tang Qiaoning's face immediately turned red. She said angrily, "Mom, please, stop talking, just go, just go now." She made an exaggerated gesture to chase her mother away.

She then sat back down next to Li Xu, looking somewhat dejected. Li Xu glanced at Tang Qiaoning; her face was flushed red, like a ripe apple, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Tang Qiaoning said with dissatisfaction, "You're still laughing along, what are you going to do later?"

Li Xu thought for a moment, then looked at the entertainment area next door and suddenly stood up, saying to Tang Qiaoning, "Let's go play video games over there."

Tang Qiaoning blinked: "Play video games?"

Li Xu nodded: "Anyway, I'm just idling around."

Tang Qiaoning thought about it and agreed, so she followed Li Xu. The entertainment area not only had video games, but also billiards and PS game consoles. Li Xu took Tang Qiaoning to try almost all the games available. By late at night, Tang Qiaoning's eyes were a little puffy with sleepiness, but she was very happy.

Tang Qiaoning suddenly said, "Li Xu, my mother told me today that she hopes I will wish her happiness."

Li Xu nodded, and Tang Qiaoning yawned, then said, "I'm her daughter, how can I not wish her happiness? But I'm really so unwilling."

She looked left and right, then glanced at the reading area and said, "Let's go rest over there for a while."

Li Xu nodded and led Tang Qiaoning to the reading area. Tang Qiaoning looked at the books on the shelf, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she picked out a book on French poetry, saying, "I majored in French, let me read you some poetry." Tang Qiaoning said excitedly.

Li Xu nodded.

So, in this upscale hot spring resort, most of the tourists were already resting in the rest area, their snores rising and falling. A few people were still wandering around, occasionally carrying a plate or two of fruit, while only a few teenagers in the entertainment area were still shouting excitedly about "pentakill".

In a quiet corner, a young girl was enthusiastically reciting French poetry to the person in front of her.

Tang Qiaoning didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up, she found herself lying in bed, with sunlight streaming in through the window.

She opened her eyes and saw Li Xu washing up in the bathroom. She had no idea what had happened the night before.

When Li Xu finished washing up and turned his head around, Tang Qiaoning subconsciously buried herself in the blanket.

(End of this chapter)