I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

Chapter 23 Parent-Teacher Meeting

Time flies.

The days of first grade passed quietly in a cycle of going to class, getting out of class, doing homework, and playing with Ji Xiaoxiao.

Before we knew it, it was the end of the second semester of first grade.

On the day the results came out, Shen Yue stood on the podium, holding a report card in her hand, and scanned the whole class with a blank expression.

"The top student in the grade for this final exam—"

She paused for a moment.

The whole class fell silent.

Zhang Zihan subconsciously straightened his back, his eyes fixed intently on the paper in Shen Yue's hand.

This time he studied like crazy, doing practice questions until 10 p.m. every day.

His dad said that if he gets first place in his grade, he'll buy him that limited edition Ultraman.

I refuse to believe I can't beat Jiang Ye this time!

Shen Yue announced, "Jiang Ye, with a total score of 298, is first in the grade."

Zhang Zihan's back slumped down visibly.

Ji Xiaoxiao was the first to clap, her clapping louder than anyone else's.

"Ah Ye, you're amazing!"

Jiang Ye leaned back in his chair, looking completely at ease.

First in the grade.

Indeed, with the system's reward of mastering all high school subjects, his first place was no surprise at all.

The only two points deducted were for the Chinese composition.

This thing will deduct two points from anyone who comes here.

……

However, when the news of being ranked first in the grade reached home, it sparked a war even more intense than the final exam itself.

Who should attend the parent-teacher meeting?

"I'll go."

Hao Mei put down her chopsticks, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Jiang Cheng also put down his chopsticks, his gaze unwavering, determined not to back down.

"Why should I? I'm his father."

"What's wrong with you being his father? Last time you picked him up from school, you left him at the school gate and came back by yourself!"

"Well, I just answered a phone call..."

"You were so engrossed in answering the phone that you forgot about your son?"

Jiang Cheng was in the wrong, but he refused to admit defeat.

"My son got first place in his grade, so isn't it only right for me, as his father, to go?"

Hao Mei sneered, "You don't even know his homeroom teacher's last name."

"surname……"

Jiang Cheng hesitated for two seconds, then said, "His surname is Shen!"

"Full name?"

"Teacher Shen... Teacher Shen."

Hao Mei looked at him as if he were a poor student who couldn't even answer an easy question.

Jiang Cheng looked away guiltily and started eating.

Ultimately, this power struggle within the family ended in a resounding victory for Hao Mei.

Jiang Cheng was stripped of his right to attend, retaining only the glorious mission of "washing dishes at home".

The night before the parent-teacher conference, Hao Mei sat in front of the mirror, hesitating for a long time.

Then, she dyed her signature long pink hair black.

Jiang Ye glanced at it as he passed by and almost didn't recognize it.

"Mom, what's wrong...?"

Hao Mei looked at herself in the mirror from left to right, her tone a little uneasy.

"Other parents all look so proper, but I show up with this pink hair. The teacher's going to think I'm the president of some idol group's fan club!"

Jiang Ye's lips twitched.

"Mom, you have a good sense of humor."

"Anyway, let's... make it a bit more formal."

Hao Mei touched her new hair color and said softly, "My son is first in his grade, I have to be worthy of him."

Jiang Ye looked at his mother carefully examining herself in the mirror and suddenly felt a tightness in his throat.

In his previous life, he had never paid attention to these details.

Hao Mei must have done something similar back then, but he never noticed.

"Mom, you look good no matter what color you dye your hair."

Hao Mei paused for a moment, then laughed and reached out to ruffle his hair.

"You're so sweet-talking."

On the day of the parents' meeting.

The school gate was packed with parents.

Hao Mei wore a well-fitting dark blue dress, her long black hair draped over her shoulders, looking completely different from her usual self.

She stood at the school gate, looking up slightly at the plaque that read "Jiangcheng No. 1 Primary School," and couldn't help but smile.

My son studies here.

First in the grade.

This feeling was even better than when she did well on her exams back then.

Although she was a poor student back then...

Upon entering the classroom, Shen Yue was already standing on the podium.

The parents took their seats one by one, and Hao Mei found Jiang Ye's seat and sat down.

Next to me is Ji Xiaoxiao's seat.

Chen Mei was already sitting there. When she saw Hao Mei, she smiled and greeted her.

"Congratulations, Ono's mom, you're first in your grade!"

Hao Mei said "Not at all," but the smile on her face was impossible to hide.

Shen Yue began to speak.

First, we analyze the overall performance, and then we comment on each result individually.

When Jiang Ye was mentioned, Shen Yue's tone softened unusually: "Jiang Ye's performance this semester has been outstanding. Not only are his grades excellent, but he is also extremely self-disciplined and never loses focus in class—"

She paused.

"Yes, he occasionally glances out the window, but he never gets a question wrong."

The parents laughed good-naturedly.

Hao Mei stood tall and proud, like a flag.

After the parent-teacher meeting, Hao Mei came out of the classroom and ran into Xu Zhiyu in the corridor.

The little girl stood quietly at the end of the corridor, clutching a report card in her hand.

The parent-teacher meeting for third graders ended half an hour earlier than that for first graders.

The other children in the corridor were being led out by their parents, chatting and laughing.

Xu Zhiyu was alone, her silhouette conveying a heartbreaking loneliness.

Hao Mei stopped in her tracks.

"Little Fish? Where's your mom?"

Xu Zhiyu looked up and saw Hao Mei, and was taken aback at first.

Then he shook his head.

"She didn't come."

Where's your dad?

He shook his head again.

Hao Mei's smile vanished.

Why?

Xu Zhiyu lowered her eyes.

"I came in seventh in the grade this time, and my mom said... it wasn't worth her taking a day off since I didn't come in first."

Seventh in the grade.

There are over two hundred students in the entire grade, and he is seventh in the grade.

Any normal parent would be ecstatic.

But unfortunately, Cheng Jinglan didn't have that.

Xu Zhiyu smiled wryly and said, "It's okay, Aunt Hao. My mother has never attended my parent-teacher conferences. I'm used to it."

Jiang Ye was taken aback.

Xu Zhiyu never told her about this.

[During her school years, parent-teacher conferences were always a source of regret for Xu Zhiyu. Everyone else had their parents accompany them, but she was the only one who didn't, which left a significant scar on her young heart.]

[Task: Please make up for the regret of the girl next door.]

[Task Reward: Appearance +10.]

The long-lost system has reappeared.

But Jiang Ye wanted to say that even without being given a task, he still intended to do it.

He tugged at Hao Mei's sleeve, wanting to say something, but Hao Mei had already squatted down and looked Xu Zhiyu in the eye.

"Little Fish, wait here for Auntie for a little while, okay? Ten minutes."

Xu Zhiyu didn't understand, but she still nodded obediently.

Hao Mei turned around, walked to the corner of the stairs, took out her phone, and dialed a number.

The phone rang twice before I answered; the voice was cloying.

"Feed? Sister Mei~~"

Hao Mei interrupted his greasy advances.

"Jiang Cheng, you come here right now!"