Just how terrifying a person was Zhang Shutong's mother? This was well-documented in Tongtong's childhood memories—
When he was four or five years old and had just started elementary school, to use the popular phrase of the time, he could be considered a "cute kid." He had excellent relationships with everyone, which was entirely thanks to his mom.
His mom loved doing one particular thing: showing off her child.
But while most parents show off their kids to relatives and neighbors, his mom innovatively targeted Zhang Shutong's classmates.
Mostly the female classmates.
So Zhang Shutong had excellent relationships when he was young. Every time his birthday came around, a whole bunch of elementary school students would be tricked away by his mom—some crying and having their parents send them over, others directly getting into his family's car. By the time everyone realized what was happening, they were all already sitting inside KFC.
Back then, KFC still offered birthday party services. Several Family Buckets would be laid out on the table, the staff would softly sing the birthday song while clapping their hands, and dim the lights in the store a bit.
The birthday boy would sit in the very middle of the booth, looking bewildered at the large circle of classmates around him—some unfamiliar, some familiar—with no idea when they'd been called over.
Then his mom would munch on an egg tart and ask him if he was happy. Young Zhang Shutong would naturally nod happily, completely forgetting to ask why his birthday hat was now on his mom's head.
Then his mom would smear cake frosting on his face and say seriously:
"Tongtong is one year older now, but do you know? Every time a child grows a year older, they need one more smear of frosting on their face. Count how old you are this year—will you smear it yourself or will Mommy help you?"
Although having his face covered in frosting felt terrible, birthdays still had commemorative significance, so Zhang Shutong bore the humiliation and did it himself. His mom would laugh uproariously, taking photos from the side while saying, "Son, Mommy will definitely keep these for when you get a girlfriend so she can see them."
Zhang Shutong once again mistakenly believed his mom's words and actually thought he had good relationships, getting thoroughly duped.
Until he went to other kids' birthday parties.
And then when a little girl invited him to play father in house.
Finally, when a group of little girls wanted him to play father in house.
From then on, Zhang Shutong celebrated his birthdays alone.
Only later did he realize that his mother had always been this kind of chaos-causing demon, fearing nothing more than a peaceful world.
But Zhang Shutong had always been firmly in her grasp. From childhood to adulthood, every time he jumped out of one pit, his mom would already be standing cheerfully by the next pit, waving and waiting for him.
And this time, the pit was so deep you couldn't see the bottom just by looking down.
He stood warily between the two of them. When facing his mom, Zhang Shutong's brain worked even faster than when catching criminals.
First, although his mom loved showing off her child, she wouldn't just show off to any pretty girl she randomly ran into on the street.
Second, since she was wearing sunglasses and a mask, it meant she didn't want to reveal her true appearance. But she'd never met Gu Qiumian before, so this wasn't to guard against her—there must be someone else, or rather, it could only be himself.
The final conclusion was—perhaps from the moment he and Gu Qiumian entered the shopping center, his mom had already spotted them. As for what she'd imagined, no need to elaborate, otherwise she wouldn't have come over to talk to Gu Qiumian.
But it was precisely because of this that Zhang Shutong felt immense pressure. To give a more vivid example, even when that draft paper was projected back then, it wasn't as bad as this moment.
While he was on high alert, his mom just giggled. She simply stopped pretending and removed her mask and sunglasses, shaking her chestnut-colored wavy long hair.
She was a woman who looked much younger than her actual age, very well-maintained. She had a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes, with the corners slightly upturned. When she narrowed them, you knew nothing good was coming. But when she smiled, her eyes curved, giving her an unexpectedly approachable air.
Zhang Shutong really had no way to deal with his eccentric mom. His dad had once told him that when she was young, she had the personality of a demoness, whose smile could topple cities.
But in reality, she was actually a scientific researcher. When wearing her white lab coat, she was quite serious, and with both hands stuck in her pockets, she looked pretty cool.
But this appearance was limited to inside the laboratory.
Outside the lab, she was a completely different person. Like right now, the woman narrowed her eyes and smiled:
"Son, did you miss Mommy?"
"...I did."
Actually, Zhang Shutong really did miss her. Although his parents had always been safe and sound, his mom wasn't really a demoness after all—time spares no one. Eight years later, she wouldn't be like she was now, this mischievous yet cheerful, clever yet wicked she-devil stepping around in high boots. By then, she would no longer dye or perm her hair, her beautiful hair would have grown silver strands, and wrinkles would begin to appear at the corners of her eyes.
But just as Zhang Shutong was immersed in his memories, his mom's tone shifted:
"Then won't you introduce her to your mom?"
Only then did Zhang Shutong look toward Gu Qiumian.
Gu Qiumian had already turned red.
Honestly, her current performance was similar to this morning—first startled, then gradually widening her eyes. That fair face was once again dyed red, the redness spreading rapidly, this time all the way to her ear tips:
"A...Auntie, hello..."
The girl's voice was barely above a mosquito's whisper, making Zhang Shutong once again marvel at his mom's dominant ecological niche—even the young miss had to be a head weaker.
"Gu Qiumian, classmate." At this moment, Zhang Shutong was economical with words.
"No wonder I felt so close to Qiumian when I saw her—turns out she's your classmate!" His mom seemed to have a sudden realization, but her acting wasn't convincing. Zhang Shutong guessed that hearing this name should trigger some associations for her.
She pressed the chocolates into Gu Qiumian's hands again. At this moment, Qingyi also came over. His mom naturally recognized these close friends of his. She greeted him with a smile, saying Little Yi had grown taller, telling him and Zhang Shutong to stand together so she could see who was taller now.
Qingyi also couldn't withstand his mom's assault and very obediently stood next to Zhang Shutong. His mom held her chin and observed for a long time, then asked why there were only the three of them today.
Zhang Shutong was just about to say there was actually one more when speak of the devil—Ruoping also came bouncing in. She was about to greet them when she discovered something wasn't quite right with the scene. How did the planned get-together with little friends suddenly have two extra women?
She didn't blush, just looked a bit stunned.
As if there was some kind of magnetic field, the two young girls present first locked eyes, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense.
Zhang Shutong knew he had to handle this—after all, he was the one who'd invited Gu Qiumian. But before he could speak, his mom took action first.
His mom really liked Ruoping. The woman pulled the girl over to chat warmly, asking what she'd been doing, saying she'd only seen the two little boys earlier, asking if she knew that among Shutong's close friends, Auntie missed her the most. "Come here, dear, give me a kiss," she said, making a virtual kissing sound. Ruoping was amused into laughter and even forgot about Gu Qiumian.
Then his mom noticed the snacks in her hand and said Auntie was just a bit hungry.
What came next needed no explanation—the girl obediently offered up the snacks she'd waited in line for so long to get, and willingly at that, asking Auntie if it was enough, saying she could buy more if not.
His mom said no need, you all have fun, I have something to attend to at home. Then, carrying those egg burgers, she waved her hand and left like a gust of wind.
From the moment his mom arrived to when she left, Zhang Shutong never figured out what she'd come for today.
But he felt his mom's methods were truly brilliant—no wonder he always ended up falling into pits.
The four of them watched the woman walk away and were all silent for a moment. Zhang Shutong was just about to ask Gu Qiumian what she'd said earlier when someone tugged at him:
"What's going on?"
It was Ruoping:
"I don't know either, I just suddenly ran into my mom."
"I'm asking what's going on with her?" Ruoping smiled, showing the prototype of a little demoness. "You brought your deskmate along without saying anything?"
Zhang Shutong was about to answer when his phone vibrated. It was Autumn Rain Lingering typing with one finger.
She stood in the crowd looking somewhat distracted, asking if she'd been impolite to Auntie just now...
After Gu Qiumian sent the message, she subconsciously looked for his figure, only to see him standing together with Ruoping.
Although it was noisy around them, although the two had deliberately moved to the side a bit, Zhang Shutong felt that invisible magnetic field beginning to operate again.
So the distraction became vigor.
Gu Qiumian first shot Zhang Shutong a quick glare, then recovered the appearance she'd had before entering the shopping center. Her back was straight, her neck exposed from the sweater as graceful as a swan's.
The girl had specifically worn a blue-green long dress today. The bright and aloof temperaments combined together, yet her eyes sparkled with pride—she was like a young miss again.
Then Young Miss Gu stepped forward in her white sneakers, walking toward them step by step.
At this moment, another message came through on his phone, from his mom:
"This is as far as Mom can help you. The rest you'll have to handle yourself."
"Also, you'd better explain where you went last night (kitchen knife) (smile)!"