Chapter 18: Who do you want me to find?

Meng Xici was momentarily dazed.

A man of few words who never knew how to express emotions, he seemed to have forgotten how to react at this moment.

Meng Peisheng held authority in Meng Xici’s heart every word and action carried the dignity of a father.

He was too reserved, and Meng Xici, being young, had his own pride and concerns.

With such personalities, the two were naturally distant and found it difficult to confide in each other.

Yet, the warmth subtly revealed in those words left Meng Xici feeling at a loss.

Sang Miao didn’t know if hearing these words made Meng Xici happy, but she thought that if he used this approach with a girl, the other party would undoubtedly be moved.

A man who usually remained indifferent and unassuming, once he showed even a slight hint of concern, it would be enough to touch people’s hearts.

Clearly, his life experience gave him a natural charisma he didn’t need to resort to tactics; he was already on another level.

Or perhaps, this was simply a genuine emotional revelation?

At the very least, she could see that Meng Xici had been affected.

However, as a young man who was always reserved and hesitant, he was someone who kept everything hidden inside.

Their father-son relationship was quite interesting there was emotion, but no closeness.

Simply put, it was purely a result of their personalities.

It wasn’t that Meng Peisheng, as a father, was completely indifferent.

He did care, just not in an explicit way

He had remained single all these years was it really because of his child?

If so, it showed that he was indeed responsible.

Not getting married wasn’t a big deal.

The strange part was that he reportedly had no romantic relationships either.

For a man of his status, appearance, and capabilities, unless he chose to remain single, it wouldn’t be surprising even acceptable for him to have multiple relationships at the same time.

In wealthy circles, this was nothing new.

Sang Miao couldn’t help but think of Meng Xici’s biological mother.

For someone to raise a child as their own, their relationship with Meng Peisheng must have been extraordinary.

So, was Meng Xici’s mother his first love? A love that remained unresolved for years?

That didn’t seem right.

If she had been a first love from his youth, it was unlikely that Meng Xici would be someone else’s child.

Could she have been an unattainable love, one he could never have? A person he could never let go of, to the point where he extended that love to her child?

No, that was too noble.

Another possibility was that she was a relative or a friend.

He didn’t seem to have siblings, so could it be a friend’s child?

That wasn’t impossible, but the Meng family had completely accepted Meng Xici, and they had concealed the truth of his non-biological status so well for years.

If it were merely adopting a friend’s child, then the elders of the Meng family were exceptionally kind-hearted.

Even in her case with Sang Rui, at least there was a blood connection between them in the Sang family.

After getting in the car, Sang Miao began to think about this issue absentmindedly, looking as if she was deeply lost in thought.

Because she was so different from usual today, Meng Peisheng noticed her from a distance when they entered the parking lot.

Since she was attending a parent-teacher meeting, she dressed more elegantly and maturely than usual.

Her slender figure, graceful posture, and naturally cold elegance made her stand out.

But when she walked among the older parents, she still looked like a young girl.

Her skin was delicate and radiant, her gaze clear and bright, untouched by the marks of time.

She had a paradoxical quality.

Her features were beautiful, and her temperament was refined and otherworldly.

There was no doubt about her outstanding appearance.

Her personality was calm and unbothered she never competed or fought for anything, sometimes even appearing too indifferent.

Every time he saw her, she was either eating or playing with cats and dogs.

Even when he heard reports about her at home, it was mostly about how she spent her days leisurely in the villa, avoiding trouble and making few demands.

Yet, at the shooting range that day, when she locked her eyes on the target, there was a natural fierceness and steadiness something deeply ingrained, like a predator’s instinct.

She seemed carefree, but she had remarkable patience and composure.

It was like watching a quiet, elegant woman holding a brush.

You would expect her to write delicate calligraphy, but instead, she would sweep the page with wild, untamed strokes strong enough to pierce the paper.

Xici was always distant from others and never easily accepted kindness.

That’s why he had directly informed him about this marriage to prevent unnecessary thoughts and ensure he felt comfortable living under the same roof with someone.

Meng Peisheng was usually not home during the day, so he didn’t know how the two interacted.

On weekends, after family dinners, everyone retreated to their own rooms.

At some point, Xici seemed to have developed a certain trust in her the familiarity between them surprised him.

As the driver focused on the road, Meng Xici remained silent in the front passenger seat.

He was still thinking about what had happened today.

It seemed that the title of “stepmother” naturally invited some criticism.

And this criticism had nothing to do with what kind of person she was
Most people who gossiped about her didn’t even know her.

They might act polite, but their private discussions could be easily imagined.

Including himself, at the beginning.

Sang Miao had no idea how sensitive and perceptive young minds could be, nor that he had even begun to reflect on his own thoughts.

Lost in thought, she stared blankly out the window There was still some distance before they reached the villa, and she had no interest in small talk.

Sitting in the backseat with her, Meng Peisheng glanced at her for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice, “At the parent-teacher meeting today, what did the teacher say?”

Caught off guard, Sang Miao instinctively looked up at him, her eyes still a little dazed from zoning out.
Meeting Meng Peisheng’s gaze so suddenly, she blinked.

“…?”

Huh?

What did the teacher say?

…Oh no.
She had let her guard down how did she not expect a random check?

Hearing Meng Peisheng’s question, Meng Xici also turned slightly.

Since it concerned him, he glanced back from the corner of his eye, trying not to be too obvious.

At the meeting, the teacher hadn’t spoken to her privately about Meng Xici’s performance, so she hadn’t paid much attention.

She simply listened to the school’s general plans most of it seemed unimportant, like the speeches she had heard from teachers and principals when she was a student.

“Oh, they talked about overall academic performance, next year’s curriculum, and exams…”

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something important.

“Oh, right.

The homeroom teacher added me to the parent group chat.”

Since the group contained a summary of today’s meeting, she opened the chat and handed her phone to him.

Rather than trying to recall everything, it was easier for him to read it himself.

Meng Peisheng didn’t take her phone.

Instead, he leaned in slightly, moving closer to her to glance at the screen.

Feeling his proximity, she instinctively wanted to move away, but he stopped at a comfortable distance, sliding his long fingers across the screen twice.

After a quick glance at the messages, he withdrew his gaze.

Sang Miao wasn’t sure if he had actually read them carefully.

Since she brought up the group, she remembered something and started typing.

“I’ll ask the teacher to add you, and then I’ll leave the group.”

She had no plans to play the role of a good stepmother, and Meng Xici’s school affairs were not her concern.

If anything went wrong, she’d only be blamed for interfering.

But before she could send the message, Meng Peisheng stopped her.

“There’s no need to leave.

You can stay in the group.”

She paused for a moment.

Fine.

He was obviously the type who wouldn’t check the group messages himself.

She shrugged and simply muted the notifications.

Seeing how decisively she distanced herself from responsibility, a trace of amusement flickered in Meng Peisheng’s eyes.