“You rascal, you dare to joke around even on stage. I have to admit, you’re really something!”

After returning to his seat on the second floor, Xie Shu was immediately approached by Liu Ping.

“As long as you know your old man is impressive,” Xie Shu replied nonchalantly as he sat down.

“……”

Xie Shu wasn’t one to disregard the occasion; he just knew that Ruan Qin wasn’t that rigid. Although they hadn’t interacted much, they had met before.

Moreover, Xie Shu could read people’s expressions. After all, he had been a corporate slave before. From what he said earlier, he didn’t sense any dissatisfaction from Ruan Qin, except for that meaningful look when he was about to leave…

Xie Shu shrugged helplessly. Well, it’s better to put aside things he couldn’t figure out for now.

There wasn’t much interaction after the lecture. Ruan Qin continued speaking on stage while the students listened from their seats.

Before the lecture ended, student council members handed out sign-out sheets to each class monitor. After everyone signed their names, the lecture concluded in about ten minutes.

However, the Principal went back on stage to express his gratitude to Ruan Qin, delivering a round of flattery before officially announcing the end of the lecture.

Xie Shu glanced at the first-floor seats. Everyone was getting up and heading out. He took out his phone, but the signal was still poor, so he couldn’t send any messages. He decided to follow the crowd outside.

Once outside, the signal should improve after everyone dispersed.

The gymnasium had several exits. After stepping out, Xie Shu looked around but didn’t see Ruan Nianxi. He took out his phone to send her a message.

The signal was much better outside, and the message was sent successfully, but she didn’t reply.

It was already close to the end of the school day in the afternoon. The sun was still quite strong, and it was hot outside even without direct sunlight. Xie Shu thought about calling Ruan Nianxi.

But before he could dial, a student council member with a work badge approached him, saying a teacher was looking for him.

Xie Shu was puzzled. This wasn’t a specialized class, so which teacher would know him and specifically look for him?

Curious, Xie Shu asked a few more questions, but the student council member was just a messenger and didn’t know much. He only said a teacher had asked them to notify Xie Shu if they saw him.

Tsk, seems like there were student council members at every exit of the gymnasium waiting for him.

Although he didn’t know what was going on, Xie Shu decided to go. He told his friends who were waiting for him to go back first.

Before entering, he sent a voice message to Ruan Nianxi, saying he had something to take care of and didn’t know how long it would take, so she should go home first.

After sending the message, he put away his phone and followed the student council member back inside.

There were still students heading out, so they moved slowly against the flow, taking two or three minutes just to get inside.

The student council member led Xie Shu to the backstage area of the gymnasium.

The school leaders were still chatting backstage, with Ruan Qin among them.

Seeing Ruan Qin, Xie Shu instantly understood who was looking for him.

The school leaders didn’t know him, so it had to be Ruan Qin.

Why was he looking for him…?

Could it be about Ruan Nianxi?

It couldn’t be a simple meeting. They hadn’t sought him out for years, only showing up after he started seeing Ruan Nianxi. Aunt Jian and Ruan Qin had both come out.

So it must be related to Ruan Nianxi!

“Sorry everyone, I need to have a word with this student. Please wait a moment,” Ruan Qin said, stopping his conversation with the school leaders when he saw Xie Shu.

The school leaders, already informed that Ruan Qin had something to discuss with the student, didn’t ask further. Not wanting to be disturbed, they found a room to sit in.

Facing each other, Ruan Qin didn’t speak immediately, instead scrutinizing Xie Shu for a long time.

Xie Shu: “……”

Why did Uncle Ruan and Aunt Jian react the same way upon seeing him?

After a long look, Ruan Qin finally spoke, “You’ve matured quite a bit over the years.”

“Haha, I was young back then. I’ve been an adult for a while now,” Xie Shu replied with an embarrassed smile.

Since high school, his contact with Ruan Nianxi had been minimal. She rarely visited his home, so her parents hadn’t been over either. The last time they met was during his middle school years, and he was indeed still young then.

Ruan Qin acknowledged with a hum and started making small talk with Xie Shu.

He asked about his studies, his life… but avoided the main topic.

Xie Shu had no choice. After all, this was his future father-in-law. He would go along with whatever he wanted to talk about, as long as it didn’t involve breaking up with Ruan Nianxi.

He was quite worried. Judging by Ruan Nianxi’s attitude, he suspected that Uncle Ruan and Aunt Jian might not support their relationship, which was why she always avoided letting him meet them.

Could it be that Ruan Qin already knew about their relationship and was here to break them up?

Xie Shu: “……”

That would be too fast.

They had only been together for less than a day and had only held hands so far.

“By the way, Xie Shu, you’re in your third year now. Are you dating anyone?” Ruan Qin suddenly asked amidst their conversation.

So all the previous talk was just a prelude; this was the main point.

……

Outside a side door of the gymnasium.

After a trip to the restroom, Ruan Nianxi looked around at the entrance but didn’t see Xie Shu. She opened WeChat, and the “Network connection unavailable” message disappeared after a few seconds.

With the signal restored, she immediately received two messages.

Both were from Xie Shu. She opened them; one asked where she was, and the other was a voice message saying he had something to take care of and that she should go home first.

Normally, Ruan Nianxi might have listened to him and gone home, but now…

His first message was clearly looking for her, and the second one immediately mentioned having something to do…?

Thinking about her dad still being in the gymnasium, Ruan Nianxi had a bad feeling.

She was naturally suspicious, especially when it came to matters that could harm her, and even more so when it involved Xie Shu.

Clutching her phone tightly, she quickly replied to Xie Shu, asking where he was.

No response.

Biting her lip, she hurriedly sent a message to her dad.

No response either.

Without thinking further, Ruan Nianxi turned and headed back into the gymnasium.