Chapter 10: A family of three, how warm and cozy!

Even if she was only a stepmother in name, she was still a stepmother.

Watching his stepmother excitedly discussing the handsome guy in class with his classmates, Meng Xici felt that something was off.

He shouldn’t be here.

Sang Miao was not excited.

She had just followed the conversation naturally, asking a casual question.

In fact, she was more curious about how this person compared to the male lead sitting next to her.

He sounded like an impressive character.

Since he was a handsome guy, perhaps he was the second or third male lead?

Of course, that was not something she could directly ask.

Shen Yu, who was asked the question, hesitated slightly.

“Um… I guess most people in school think so.

Ji Zhuoran had just finished eating a meatball, so he took the opportunity to speak.

“Auntie, you don’t even know.

Originally, I could rank second in our school, but after he arrived, I could only be third!”

Hearing this, Xu Songyue scoffed.

“Stop flattering yourself.

What does this have to do with you?”

Ji Zhuoran wasn’t entirely boasting.

He did have good looks, but he was always a bit unserious.

While discussing Jiang Jingxun, only Xu Songyue was focusing on Meng Xici.

Today, they were staying for dinner and getting along well with his stepmother.

But as the saying goes, “You know a person’s face, but not their heart.”

What if this friendliness was just an act because she was more skilled at playing the game?

Xu Songyue grew up in a complicated family.

In her understanding, even blood relatives schemed against each other, let alone a stepmother.

Many people had a certain impression of stepmothers from a young age, and it wasn’t a good one.

Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel…

Because of these stories, the word “stepmother” often carried a negative connotation.

Real-life examples were also plentiful.

Xu Songyue believed that women understood women better.

She had seen too much of this kind of thing and was less likely to be fooled by appearances.

Although she wasn’t openly hostile, she was indeed curious about Sang Miao.

After all, this was the woman who had married the man her aunt couldn’t.

What kind of person was she?

She wanted to find out.

Xu Songyue glanced at Youyou, who was eating dinner in the corner.

Then, she turned back to Ji Zhuoran and sneered.

“Look at that.

You’re not even as handsome as a cat.

The silver tabby Maine Coon was an incredibly majestic breed.

Based on appearance alone, no one would have guessed it was such a clingy, affectionate cat.

Ji Zhuoran glanced over.

Okay, that was acceptable.

Then Xu Songyue turned to Sang Miao.

“Auntie, your cat is really beautiful.

I’ve always wanted to raise one like that, but I don’t have any experience.

Could I ask you for advice sometime?”

Her words sounded polite and proper, making it impossible to refuse.

A fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, trying to get close to her carefully, with an obvious attempt to conceal her true intentions.

Sang Miao was twenty-five years old.

She had seen life and death many times, so she wasn’t interested in overanalyzing the thoughts of a teenage girl.

She casually replied, “Sure.”

Xu Songyue said, “Then Auntie, can I add you on WeChat?”

“Alright.”

Sang Miao opened her WeChat QR code and held up her phone screen.

“Scan me.”

“Me too, me too!”

Ji Zhuoran quickly pulled out his phone and scanned the code.

Xu Songyue, after adding her, gave him a disdainful look.

“You’re everywhere.”

Shen Yu glanced at them, then silently took out her phone and added Sang Miao as well.

No one noticed that Meng Xici didn’t move.

Everyone just assumed that he already had his stepmother’s WeChat…

Meng Xici was simply confused.

Why were they so eager to add her?

He hesitated for just a few seconds, and by then, she had already put her phone away.

He watched helplessly as everyone at the table added her WeChat…

“…”

Forget it.

He usually had no reason to contact her anyway.

…

Since they were all underage and had curfews, they didn’t stay long after dinner before leaving together.

Meng Xici had a fixed sleeping schedule.

He never stayed up late studying or playing games.

For many people, studying was the only important thing at this age.

For Meng Xici, studying was important, but it was just one of many things.

Being in this kind of family, he had access to countless opportunities.

Even when it came to leisure, he could experience something different every day.

But he didn’t indulge in idle entertainment.

Even in his free time, he engaged in structured activities or skill-based training.

For example, today was Saturday, and he had an afternoon session at the shooting club.

Even better, his dad had time to go with him today.

This kind of opportunity was rare.

At lunchtime, Sang Miao walked into the dining room and noticed that, surprisingly, Meng Peisheng had not gone to work today.

She couldn’t just ignore him.

After all, this was his house.

So she casually greeted him, “Morning.”

As soon as she spoke, Meng Xici looked at her, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.

From his reaction, she immediately understood his unspoken words.

“You want to say it’s already noon, not morning, right?

I know, I know.”

“Morning.”

A deep, pleasant voice responded.

She saw Meng Peisheng glance up slightly, reply without any change in expression, then return to his work.

See?

Compared to the younger one, this adult was much calmer.

Having exchanged greetings, Sang Miao felt free to ignore them and went to check what was for lunch.

After a while, the dishes were served.

The three of them sat at different sides of the table and ate in silence.

Sang Miao noticed that both men were dressed in athletic wear, indicating they were heading out.

That was expected for Meng Xici.

At his age, sportswear was a perfect match especially the crisp, vintage white outfit he wore today.

Paired with his sharp, handsome features, it actually improved her appetite.

She had rarely seen Meng Peisheng wear anything other than suits or coats.

Of course, they hadn’t met many times.

In a business setting, as the head of the Meng family, he was refined, noble, and reserved.

Today, however, he was dressed in all black.

Without his gold-rimmed glasses, his sharp, untamed aura became even more pronounced.

Still, as always, his emotions were unreadable.

Looking at them, she had to admit they were definitely father and son.

No matter what they wore, they looked like they belonged on a magazine cover.

Sang Miao wasn’t curious about where they were going.

After eating, she planned to take her cat for a walk.

She called, and Youyou ran over and jumped onto her.

Sang Miao had no choice but to pick up its heavy body.

“…”

She wanted to take it for a walk, not carry it!

Just as she was “talking” to her cat with her eyes, she heard Meng Xici answering a phone call.

It was probably Ji Zhuoran.

His tone was noticeably familiar and blunt.

“I’m not home today.”

“I’m going to the shooting range…”

Shooting range?

Sang Miao caught the keyword.

Her eyes lit up.

So they were going to a shooting range today?

She had completely forgotten about that.

In this country, private gun ownership was illegal, but shooting ranges were allowed.

Would they be using real guns?

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she forgot to avert her gaze.

Meng Xici couldn’t ignore the obvious excitement in her eyes.

She seemed very interested…