Chapter 35 - It’s Too Hard
In the end, Tang Zihe decided that convenience outweighed his earlier reservations. He unceremoniously stuffed his belongings into Jiang Wei’s suitcase, then quite naturally took over the responsibility of hauling the luggage himself.
Mrs. Tang was already waiting at the school gates, her presence marked by a pair of oversized designer sunglasses and a vibrant yellow sports car parked nearby that drew every passing eye. Amidst the bustling crowd of parents eager to collect their children, that particular shade of yellow—shimmering like a polished lemon under the afternoon sun—served as an unmistakable beacon.
As they drew closer, Jiang Wei noticed how much of an anomaly Mrs. Tang was in this environment. It had been nearly two months since the start of the term, and many parents had formed tight-knit social circles, chatting animatedly in groups of three or five. Mrs. Tang, however, stood solitary beneath the shade of a sprawling tree, radiating a "do not disturb" aura that kept everyone at a respectful distance.
Jiang Wei was about to raise a hand in greeting when she spotted them. She whipped off her sunglasses, a radiant smile breaking across her face as she hurried toward them.
"It’s only been a few weeks, but you look like you’ve lost weight again," Mrs. Tang lamented, reaching out to clasp Jiang Wei’s hands. She began a flurry of concerned inquiries, completely bypassing her own son as if he were a mere piece of background scenery. "Is the school food not to your liking?"
Jiang Wei was well-acquainted with Mrs. Tang’s affectionate nature, but the sudden physical contact still made him a bit stiff. "I don’t think so," he replied, offering a sheepish smile. "I actually think I’ve gained a little weight recently."
"Mom, open the trunk," Tang Zihe interjected. He had been standing there for several moments, watching his mother treat him like a ghost, and finally felt the need to remind her of his existence.
Without breaking her gaze from Jiang Wei, Mrs. Tang tossed the car keys toward her son. "Gaining weight is good, gaining weight is very good. If you get any thinner, you’ll be nothing but skin and bones..."
Jiang Wei cast a desperate, pleading look toward Tang Zihe.
Tang Zihe chose to selectively ignore the SOS. He stowed the suitcase in the trunk and tossed the keys back to his mother with practiced indifference.
Jiang Wei shot him a sharp glare before turning back to Mrs. Tang with a bright, innocent smile. "Auntie, Tang Zihe has been complaining to me since we left the classroom. He must have mentioned wanting to eat fish at least ten times..."
Tang Zihe, caught in the crossfire of this blatant lie, could only stare in silent disbelief.
The mention of food seemed to jog Mrs. Tang’s memory. Realizing she was there to bring the children home for a meal, she urged them into the car, warning that the fish Mr. Tang had prepared at home would surely go cold if they lingered. Since the front passenger seat was the eternal, undisputed territory of Mr. Tang, Jiang Wei and Tang Zihe naturally slid into the back together.
Mrs. Tang enjoyed playing light, melodic music while driving, occasionally humming along to the rhythm to soothe the irritation brought on by the weekend traffic. Fearing that any noise might draw her ire toward them, the two boys remained silent. Bored, Jiang Wei pulled out his phone to scroll through his feed.
He hadn't even opened a game before a notification caught his eye.
Jiang Wei: ?
*Is this thing updating in real-time?*
The post title read: [Fellow Shippers, your reporter didn't expect to see you again so soon.]
Jiang Wei’s right eyelid twitched uncontrollably. He scrolled down to find a candid photo of Mrs. Tang holding his hand with a doting expression, while Tang Zihe stood off to the side, looking like a discarded prop.
He scrolled a bit further, and his smile froze. The comments were already exploding with theories about "meeting the in-laws" and "mother-in-law's approval."
He shoved the phone back into his pocket, his face a mask of feigned composure as they arrived home. It wasn't until they were in the elevator that he noticed Tang Zihe staring at him.
"What are you looking at?" Jiang Wei asked, unable to keep the edge out of his voice.
"I'm looking at you," Tang Zihe replied, turning his head slightly. "You were smiling like an idiot the whole way here. I’m curious what could possibly be that funny."
Jiang Wei fell silent for a moment, his expression turning grave. "I was reading a condensed version of 'The Overbearing Mother-in-Law' literature. Do you believe me?"
Tang Zihe: ?
Perhaps because Jiang Wei’s expression was so sincere, Tang Zihe didn't immediately dismiss the claim.
"Just kidding. I was looking at the school forum's trending list."
Despite having attended No. 4 High for nearly three years, Tang Zihe hadn't even known such a thing existed. He sighed, wondering if a single honest word would ever pass Jiang Wei’s lips.
Mrs. Tang dashed into the kitchen the moment they entered the apartment. "Honey, is the fish ready?"
"Just finished," Mr. Tang replied. He was wearing an apron, carrying a steaming platter toward the dining table. He paused to pull Mrs. Tang in for a quick kiss before nodding to the boys. "Go wash up, kids. Dinner’s served."
"You better leave some of that fish for me," Jiang Wei muttered as he scrubbed his hands at the sink, casting a sideways glance at Tang Zihe. "You hear me?"
Tang Zihe gave a noncommittal hum.
Jiang Wei made a silent vow: he would fight with everything he had to claim his share of that fish.
At the table, the atmosphere was warm. Mrs. Tang and Mr. Tang chatted about mundane things.
"You used my phone to buy those face masks but put in the wrong address—it went to my office," Mr. Tang said, playfully poking his wife's forehead. "I put them in the bedroom for you."
"I'm talking business here," Mrs. Tang said, catching his finger to stop his teasing. "I looked over that partnership agreement they proposed. It’s standard, nothing wrong with it. Are you taking it?"
"Like you said, it’s standard. The profit margins aren't great. I want to wait and see if a better project comes along," Mr. Tang replied, his smile never wavering. "We're home now. Let's talk less about work."
Mrs. Tang shrugged, accepting the suggestion.
Throughout the meal, the parents occasionally checked in on their studies, and Mrs. Tang continued to shower Jiang Wei with an unusual amount of attention. Mr. Tang spent half the time piling Mrs. Tang's favorite dishes into her bowl, and she graciously accepted every bite.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wei found himself in a tragic repeat of their childhood, desperately trying to wrestle the rights to the wild yellow croaker away from Tang Zihe.
"You said you'd leave me some!" Jiang Wei cried, looking at the meager portion in his bowl—hardly a tenth of the fish. A wave of mock-sorrow washed over him. He really wanted to pummel this man who couldn't keep a promise.
But just as he was about to shoot a fierce glare across the table, several more pieces of fish appeared in his bowl. They were perfectly deboned, the succulent white meat glistening under the dining room lights.
His glare transformed into a look of utter confusion.
Tang Zihe remained expressionless, his chopsticks moving with surgical precision as he meticulously picked out the tiny bones from the remaining fish. He didn't even grant Jiang Wei a glance, merely stating in a flat tone, "I promised I'd leave you some."
In the span of a few seconds, Jiang Wei experienced the full emotional spectrum from despair to being utterly flattered. As his mind whirled, he looked up and caught Mrs. Tang’s beaming gaze.
He felt a sudden, sharp jolt of panic, like a child caught red-handed doing something naughty.
To make matters worse, Mrs. Tang nudged her husband’s shoulder, speaking in a "whisper" that was clearly audible to everyone at the table. "Look at these two. Aren't they just wonderful together?"
If there had been a hole in the floor—even a mouse hole—Jiang Wei would have dived into it without hesitation to escape the sheer embarrassment. With no such escape available, he could only lower his head and focus intently on the fish in his bowl.
He thought he heard a soft, amused chuckle from the person sitting next to him.
*Laugh all you want, you bastard,* Jiang Wei thought, his internal "likability meter" for Tang Zihe dropping by at least half.
After dinner, Mr. Tang naturally took on the dishwashing duties, and Mrs. Tang followed him into the kitchen under the guise of "helping."
While the weekend homework for Grade 12 wasn't quite the literal mountain of legend, it was still dauntingly extensive. Even Jiang Wei, who usually procrastinated until the final hour, found himself retreating to his room to start.
Halfway through, however, he hit a wall.
This paper was too hard.
It was, without a doubt, the most difficult assignment he had faced since the term began. No wonder Boss Shi had emphasized that this was "special training" for the midterms. A little difficulty was normal, but this was on an entirely different level. If the actual midterm was this brutal, he might as well give up now.
He spent over half an hour agonizing over a single geometry problem. The diagram on his paper was a mess of erased auxiliary lines and frustrated scribbles, yet the solution remained as elusive as ever.
*Help!*
Driven by a desperate need for answers and a lingering shred of academic integrity, Jiang Wei eventually found himself standing outside Tang Zihe’s bedroom door, test paper in hand.
He hesitated, unable to bring himself to knock. Just as he finally summoned the courage to raise his hand, the door swung open from the inside.
Jiang Wei’s immediate instinct was to scramble for an excuse, his mind blanking on his original purpose. But before he could speak, the person in the doorway spoke with a hint of amusement.
"You've been standing outside my door for ten minutes." Tang Zihe leaned against the frame. "What exactly do you want?"
