CHAPTER 323: CHAPTER 323: XINGXING HATES YOU

"Mom, Cheng Guang wants to wear the little military outfit," Song Chengguang articulated his request, already vain for a child, who would only ask to wear the uniform on important occasions, and that uniform was specially tailored for him by Xu Xiuxiu when she saw how much he liked it. The little guy, decked out in his military outfit, never failed to make Xu Xiuxiu’s nosebleed with adorability.

"Okay!" Xu Xiuxiu immediately took out the neatly arranged little military outfit from the wardrobe for him to put on.

"Mom, does Cheng Guang look handsome?" Song Chengguang asked, preening in front of the mirror.

"Handsome," Xu Xiuxiu complimented him cooperatively.

Song Chengguang instantly became so happy he didn’t know what to do with himself, and then he even specially matched it with a little military cap.

By nine in the morning, the kindergarten was already bustling with activity, with parents of all kinds gathered, looking like children being taken out by their parents for a walk. After Xu Xiuxiu settled the boy and girl twins at home and took Song Chengguang to the kindergarten, there were already many participating parents. All the parents, with boisterous chatter, took seats in the classrooms where their children usually had lessons. Those who were acquainted were already striking up conversations. The parent-teacher meeting, as its name implies, began with a session of communication between the teachers and parents. Only after this exchange was it time for activities for the parents and children.

Song Chengguang performed very well, with excellent grades, though compared to other children, he was more silent and aloof. This was also Mr. Chu’s evaluation of Song Chengguang. At the same time, Mr. Chu reminded Xu Xiuxiu, expressing his concern about Song Chengguang’s aloofness and fearing that the child’s excessive introversion could lead to autism.

But with regard to her own son’s temperament, Xu Xiuxiu didn’t find anything wrong with it. This aloof demeanor, although not endearing at the moment, would be a real asset in a dozen years when Song Chengguang reached the age to date. After all, Song Chengguang wasn’t aloof; he was simply selective with his enthusiasm.

"Cheng Guang, your mom is out," announced the end of the parent-teacher meeting, and a crowd of waiting children immediately rushed toward their own parents.

Song Chengguang and Hao Xingxing had been sitting on the little swing outside the classroom all this time. Because of Song Chengguang’s silence and coolness, Hao Xingxing said a lot, but none of it entered Song Chengguang’s ears. Therefore, the little girl just stared at the classroom, watching the parents coming out one after another. When she finally saw the beautiful mom from the Yu Family, Hao Xingxing immediately voiced a reminder to Song Chengguang.

Song Chengguang’s eyes lit up, then he stood up from the little swing and hopped over to Xu Xiuxiu, "Mom, did the teacher praise Cheng Guang?" Song Chengguang asked with a hopeful expression, tilting his little face upward.

"Yes, praised. The teacher said our Cheng Guang is smart, handsome, and has a pleasing personality," Xu Xiuxiu replied.

"Really?" Song Chengguang was overjoyed at her words.

"Yes," Xu Xiuxiu looked at her son’s happy little face and didn’t feel there was anything wrong with the white lies she had just told.

After all, she didn’t feel at all that her son, Cheng Guang, was introverted and antisocial. Song Chengguang was very smart, his IQ obviously much higher than his peers his age. In his eyes, his classmates all seemed foolish, which was why he didn’t want to bother with them, but that didn’t mean he was introverted as Mr. Chu had described. Moreover, when in front of Xu Xiuxiu, Song Chengguang never had a problem with being introverted. He was lively, cheerful, sensible, and Xu Xiuxiu knew her son well. Therefore, she didn’t want Song Chengguang to feel pressured by the teacher’s evaluation. After all, a child should be allowed some whims, and other worries should be left to her, the mother, to deal with!

However, seeing that the kindergarten’s Mr. Chu was quite strict, Xu Xiuxiu also planned to guide Song Chengguang’s temperament in everyday life. No matter what, it was better for a child to be lively and cheerful.

"Auntie, I’m Hao Xingxing, do you remember me?" The little girl, Hao Xingxing, followed behind Song Chengguang. Seeing the affectionate interaction between Song Chengguang and his mother, she wore a thick jacket emblazoned with Tom and Jerry. Judging from its design and quality, it seemed to be an expensive import, since domestic children’s clothing at the time was rather mundane, lacking in innovative designs, mostly prioritizing warmth and practicality.

"Of course, Xingxing is so cute, how could Auntie forget," Xu Xiuxiu bent down to play with the little girl, who immediately grinned like a blooming flower, utterly adorable.

"Mom, don’t praise her, she’s so dumb. She didn’t even do the homework the teacher assigned, and she can mess up adding one plus two," Song Chengguang haughtily tugged at Xu Xiuxiu’s clothes, planning to drag Xu Xiuxiu to the playground for a race. The little guy didn’t consider that a year ago, he himself was a math dunce, yet now he disdained others with uncompromising confidence.

"Cheng Guang, you can’t speak like that, you know?" Xu Xiuxiu sternly faced him. "Haven’t I told you that you should be polite to other children? Do you think the way you just spoke was right?"

Song Chengguang’s face immediately puffed up, thinking stubbornly, she is really dumb anyway! Silent, he uttered not a word: "..."

"Cheng Guang, apologize to Xingxing," Xu Xiuxiu reminded Song Chengguang.

"Auntie, Cheng Guang is really nice, don’t scold him. I am indeed very dumb..." The haughty manner of Song Chengguang, on the contrary, made the girl called Xingxing blush with shame, and then she tugged at Xu Xiuxiu’s clothes, speaking up for Song Chengguang.

"Xingxing." Just as Xu Xiuxiu was about to say something else to Hao Xingxing, a man’s voice suddenly sounded, followed by a man who appeared to be quite successful emerged in front of Hao Xingxing: "Daddy has to deal with something at the company, so we won’t be able to join the race today, okay?" He squatted down in front of Hao Xingxing, his eyes full of guilt and consolation.

"..." Hao Xingxing’s originally happy face immediately fell, and tears slowly welled up in her eyes: "Daddy, you promised me. You said you would be with me to get the small red flower." Her voice was filled with grievance and sadness, but also carried an accusation tinged with heartache.

"I’m sorry, Xingxing, Daddy really has something urgent. How about we get the small red flower next time?" The man hurried to soothe his daughter, it was clear he adored Hao Xingxing, but he also valued his career highly: "Otherwise, shall we ask Aunt Li to join you in the race, would that be good?" He suddenly suggested, as if the thought had just struck him.

"I don’t want to." Hao Xingxing rejected, crying with red eyes. Thinking of the unpleasant stepmother Aunt Li, she became infuriated.

"Xingxing doesn’t want Aunt Li to come, then what should we do? Daddy has an emergency and needs to return to the company now. Xingxing, be a good girl and listen to Daddy, okay? Daddy will buy you lots and lots of small red flowers to bring home tomorrow, is that okay?" He attempted to calm Hao Xingxing’s emotions, planning to get her to give up on today’s children’s contest.

"Xingxing doesn’t want the small red flowers you buy. You break your promises, Xingxing hates you." Hao Xingxing cried as she struggled out of the man’s embrace, then walked over to Xu Xiuxiu: "Auntie, Xingxing doesn’t have a mommy, can you be Xingxing’s mommy? Then I can live with Cheng Guang." As she spoke, she looked at Song Chengguang beside her with a face full of longing.