Parent-Teacher Conference

The Corgi’s test results came back quickly—a broken leg, and the wound was quite large. As long as there was no infection, the dog’s life wouldn’t be in danger.

“Sir, in its current condition, surgery is still necessary,” the veterinarian briefly explained to Ye Shuang. She remembered him—last time, he had spent ten thousand on a stray kitten. Most people wouldn’t be willing to part with that kind of money.

“How much?” Ye Shuang asked.

“Well… the surgery and treatment costs will be around sixty-five hundred. If you opt for conservative treatment, without considering restoring leg functionality, it would be about five hundred,” the vet said. “If it’s not your dog, conservative treatment might be a good option, given how expensive surgery is.”

“Go ahead with the surgery,” Ye Shuang said directly.

He had grown somewhat attached to this Corgi. Besides, the little guy had been beaten up protecting his car, and with the whole business of finding Yezi, Ye Shuang couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

“Alright.” The vet wasn’t surprised—after all, he’d spent ten thousand on a stray kitten without hesitation.

The rest was straightforward. Ye Shuang paid the fees and had the vet admit the Corgi for observation. After its IV drip, the Corgi seemed calmer, lying quietly in its crate with its eyes closed, sleeping.

“The painkiller shot probably helped, right?” Tang Keke looked at the Corgi in the crate and couldn’t help asking, “Was it from a fight?”

“Maybe,” Ye Shuang replied.

After spending some time at the pet hospital, Ye Shuang took the two girls home. It was already eleven at night when they arrived. If he hadn’t found a 24-hour pet hospital, they wouldn’t even have found a vet.

“Dad, you’re back!” Yezi ran over and said.

“Mm.” Ye Shuang reached out and ruffled Yezi’s hair. “Aren’t you asleep yet, Yezi?”

“I just took a nap.”

“Go back to your room and sleep. You have school tomorrow.” Ye Shuang smiled gently.

“Okay!”

Just as Yezi was about to head back to her room, she suddenly turned around. “Oh, Dad, there’s a parent-teacher meeting in my class this Friday…”

Parent-teacher meeting?

The unfamiliar term made Ye Shuang pause for a few seconds. He scratched his cheek with his finger. “A parent-teacher meeting, huh.”

It felt like a word he’d almost never heard. Probably not since college.

“Do you have time, Dad?” Yezi asked.

“This Friday…” Ye Shuang thought for a moment. “Is it in the afternoon?”

“Yeah!”

“I can make it,” Bai Yuyou suddenly chimed in from beside him. “Mom has time.”

Since Silver Mountain Academy let out at three or four in the afternoon, as long as she didn’t have club activities, she had plenty of time to attend the parent-teacher meeting.

“Great!” Yezi beamed.

“No, no, no. It’s a bit odd for you to go,” Ye Shuang quickly stopped Bai Yuyou. Given her age, showing up at a parent-teacher meeting for Yezi would be too strange, no matter how you looked at it.

“It’s fine, Ye Shuang. I’ll be a good mother,” Bai Yuyou said with a serious nod.

Where did this sudden seriousness come from? It’s not that I think you can’t be a good mother…

“Fine, I’ll go too. I shouldn’t have any problem with that,” Ye Shuang said. But from the look of it, Yuyou was determined to go.

“Great! Mom and Dad together!” Yezi seemed really happy.

Seeing the little girl’s joyful expression, Ye Shuang knew he had to go.

“I can’t exactly be a parent who spoils the fun,” Ye Shuang thought to himself. Even if it sounded odd, Yezi was truly his daughter.

...

Time flew, and it was already Friday.

Ye Shuang arrived at the company early and started busying himself. Since he’d promised Yezi to attend the afternoon parent-teacher meeting, he’d moved most of his work to the morning or postponed it to the next day.

“If Little Fish were here, I’d probably be more efficient,” Ye Shuang thought as he looked over the documents. Kou Kou was his personal assistant for daily matters, but far less capable at handling work tasks compared to An Shiyu.

“What are those two up to now?”

Ye Shuang sat in his chair, thinking for a few seconds, then pulled out his phone. But it was quiet—no messages from either of them.

The only message was from several days ago. Anshi Yi had sent a selfie of herself and An Shiyu carrying large bags, captioned—

[Just went zero-dollar shopping with Kuisangti. Another free day, God damn it.]

Were those two actually out there doing “zero-dollar shopping”?

“They really don’t let me rest, even when they’re abroad,” Ye Shuang muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. He set his phone aside.

As he continued reading the documents, his phone buzzed again. He glanced at it and saw a message from Chen Qin.

Chen Qin: Honey, has my belly gotten any bigger?

Chen Qin: photo.jpg

Ye Shuang looked at it, paused for a few seconds.

Ye Shuang: Why are you showing me your chest?

Chen Qin: Oh, sent the wrong one.

Ye Shuang wondered if Chen Qin was doing this on purpose. Even in pregnancy, she couldn’t behave herself.

They chatted for a bit, then Chen Qin stopped messaging. She knew Ye Shuang was still working—after all, she understood how busy he was in his position, even though she’d already delegated some of her own work.

Once the phone went quiet, Ye Shuang handled his tasks until it was noon.

He didn’t even eat lunch, working straight until four in the afternoon.

“Let’s stop here for now. I’ll double-check these contracts later, Kou Kou. You go over those documents first.”

“Got it, Boss Ye.”

Kou Kou stood nearby but seemed hesitant. “Um, Boss Ye…”

“Hm?”

“Do you need to eat something?” Kou Kou pointed to a table where a cold meal sat untouched.

“I am a bit hungry.”

Now that he’d stopped, Ye Shuang could feel his stomach rumbling. He pointed at the food. “Bring it over for me to eat.”

“Boss Ye, I can heat it up for you, or go down to the cafeteria and get a fresh serving.”

“No need. It hasn’t gone bad.”

Ye Shuang had Kou Kou hand it over, and he started eating right there. Being cold didn’t bother him at all.

As he ate, Ye Shuang pulled out his phone to check the agreed time. He’d need to leave soon for Yezi’s parent-teacher meeting.

“This is my first time. Should I change clothes to make a better impression?” Ye Shuang wondered. He glanced at his formal wear—too stuffy for school.

“Eh, it’s probably fine. I don’t have time to change anyway,” he decided.