The school beauty is aloof? Whatever, she has a younger sister.

Chapter 187 Warm Home
Chu Jie dragged his suitcase and slowly pushed open the door to his home.

The moment the door opened, a wave of warmth rushed in. The room was well-heated, keeping out the winter chill.

He walked into the room and his gaze naturally fell on the shoe rack.

On top of it was a pair of slippers that I used to wear.

I haven't been home for half a year, but my slippers are as clean as new, obviously my daughters just washed them and put them there.

Chu Jie felt a warmth in his heart, changed into slippers, and dragged his suitcase into the living room.

The room was as clean and cozy as ever, with a slender glass vase on the coffee table. Several bouquets of simple, elegant flowers tied with delicate ribbons were arranged in the vase; their colors were pale and their stems were neatly trimmed.

A white card was also stuck in the branch.

Chu Jie took a few steps closer and gently took it down.

A line of neat handwriting came into view: Dad, welcome home — Chu Jiuli, Chu Youting.

His fingertips gently traced the edge of the card, and a smile slowly appeared on his lips.

The man I met at the mutton soup stall at noon was right.

A daughter is like a warm cotton-padded jacket.

He put the card in his pocket, then turned and walked towards his bedroom.

Upon opening the door, a bright and clean scene unfolds before you.

The bedroom was spotless, and the bedding was laid out neatly.

Chu Jie sat down on the edge of the bed, gently stroking the blanket with his hand: "My daughters... are still so sensible."

He murmured softly, a light shining in his eyes.

Despite being away from home for most of the year, the two sisters not only excelled academically but also managed to maintain such a warm and loving home.

At that moment, Chu Jie suddenly felt that all the hard work was worthwhile.

His hand was still resting on the blanket as he pondered for a long time.

Suddenly, he thought of the man who had been talking so eloquently at noon.

Girls need to be careful; these days, boys are so sweet-talking, and you can easily fall in love before you know it.

Chu Jie's brows slowly furrowed.

"My daughters are all grown up now, could they already be dating?"

He muttered to himself, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette and held it between his fingers, his thoughts drifting further and further away.

Even if you don't date now, you'll eventually meet a boy in the future.

"I wonder which two guys will be able to marry my precious daughters..."

He stared at the unlit cigarette between his fingers, his eyes somewhat dazed.

An instinctive anxiety as an elderly father welled up inside me.

A little cotton-padded jacket is indeed sweet, but eventually someone else will take it away.

Click.

The lighter was lit, and the flame reflected on his fingertips.

He brought the cigarette close to the flame, but stopped abruptly just as he was about to touch it.

The next second, he released his fingers and snapped the lighter shut.

"Forget it, I won't smoke anymore."

"I just got back, don't fill the house with the smell of smoke. I'm sorry for my daughters' good intentions."

He slowly put the cigarette back into the cigarette case.

Evening self-study at No. 1 Middle School.

Zhang Muchen was engrossed in solving a math problem.

The three hours of highly efficient memory boost from the memory regulator he took last time not only allowed Zhang Muchen to master the mathematical foundations of his entire senior year of high school, but also built a complete and clear problem-solving logic system in his mind.

His greatest advantage now is his thorough knowledge of all mathematical formulas and solutions.

But mathematics is different from English; simply mastering the knowledge points is not enough.

Understanding is one thing, but to truly master it, you need to practice a lot of problems and get a feel for it.

However, compared to others who are struggling with endless practice problems, Zhang Muchen can at least reduce his suffering by half.

After finishing a challenging problem, he looked up at the wall clock and recorded the time it took him to solve it.

However, a quick glance out of the corner of his eye caused his gaze to pause for a moment.

My deskmate is actually spacing out?
Zhang Muchen tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Chu Jiuli.

The girl held a ballpoint pen, but her gaze seemed to drift towards the clock on the wall, as if she were waiting for something.

"strangeness."

Previously, Chu Jiuli was either engrossed in solving problems or quietly reading. She rarely stared at the clock in such a meaningless daze as she was now.

Only those eager to leave get out of class would unconsciously check the time repeatedly. "Hey deskmate, what's wrong? Are you in a hurry to leave school?" Zhang Muchen asked.

Chu Jiuli's thoughts seemed to be pulled back.

She paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes and nodded gently.

Then, she looked down at the test paper on the table, as if trying to refocus her attention.

But Zhang Muchen noticed that the girl's fingers were not as strong as usual when she held the pen, the pen tip paused from time to time, and her eyes were somewhat unfocused.

Zhang Muchen scratched his head in confusion, and was about to ask another question when the bell rang for the end of get out of class.

Upon hearing the bell ring, Chu Jiuli immediately stood up and hurriedly left through the back door of the classroom.

clam?
Zhang Muchen stared blankly at her retreating figure.

What could have made her so anxious?

Meanwhile, downstairs.

Chu Youting was already standing at the classroom door, her gaze sweeping back and forth on the stairs.

Before long, Chu Jiuli appeared at the top of the stairs.

She immediately jogged over to meet him.

Chu Jiuli took her younger sister's hand: "Let's go, Xiaoyou, Dad is already home."

Little Yuzu's eyes lit up: "Mmm!"

Night had fallen, and hurried footsteps echoed in the stairwell.

"Click——"

The door was opened with a key.

"Dad, we're back."

Chu Jiuli couldn't wait to shout, while Chu Youting, who was standing to the side, couldn't contain her emotions any longer and ran into the living room.

"dad."

Chu Jie heard a noise outside and opened the bedroom door to see his daughter rush into his arms.

He instinctively opened his arms and caught the warmth.

At that moment, all the fatigue and exhaustion seemed to melt away in that hug.

“Youting…”

Little Yuzu buried her face in her father's arms, hugging him tightly: "Daddy, you're really back... My sister and I missed you so much..."

Chu Jie's throat tightened, and he gently patted her back.

Immediately afterwards, Chu Jiuli's figure also walked over slowly.

"Dad," Chu Jiuli's usually aloof face showed a hint of emotion, and her eyes reddened.

Without saying anything more, she simply raised her hand and gently hugged her father.

The three figures overlapped under the light, and they stood quietly for a while.

Chu Jie closed his eyes briefly, his voice hoarse: "I...I miss you all too..."

Chu Jiuli said softly, "Dad, you've worked so hard out there."

Little Yuzu softly added, "Mmm... Daddy, thank you for your hard work..."

Chu Jie stroked his daughters' hair, a smile playing on his lips.

"It's not hard work, it's really not hard work."

"You've all grown taller in the past six months."

As he spoke, Chu Jie led his daughters to sit on the sofa.

He looked at his daughters and said gently, "I'll be back for half a month this time, so I can spend some quality time with you."

A glimmer of light appeared in Xiaoyouzi's eyes after "half a month".

Chu Jiuli's eyes flashed, and her pupils moved slightly.

"Dad, Xiaoyou and I are going to participate in the school's New Year's Eve party and perform on stage."

"This Friday, at 6:30 p.m."

"Dad, are you coming to see me?"

Chu Youting also looked up and whispered, "My sister and I are going to sing on stage."

Chu Jie paused for a moment, then smiled: "Of course Dad will go see it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked down at the family photo of the four of them on his phone wallpaper.

"I'll take my mother with me too," he thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)