Chapter 20: Parent-Teacher Conference

What were they talking about earlier? The old lady?

Which topic drove Shen Han a bit mad again?

However, the only one who could lower the villain’s blackening value, Xu Nanqiao, was not here. Last time, Su Mi was just a blind cat hitting a dead mouse, mentioning a few words about Xu Nanqiao’s feelings, which slightly reduced the blackening value.

But Shen Han was already quite impatient last time.

If she went to the lounge now to talk about these random things, she would probably get beaten by Shen Han, right?

Su Mi stared at the two fluctuating numbers of the blackening value, biting her lip, feeling anxious.

She first returned to the classroom and asked for leave from the teacher on Xu Nanqiao’s behalf.

She didn’t dare to sit directly at her seat, wandering around the classroom door, lifting and lowering her leg to go to the lounge.

Honestly, Su Mi was still a bit scared of the villain.

Thinking about her performance, no, she was very scared.

If possible, she really didn’t want to be with the villain.

Su Mi wandered in the corridor for a while until she saw the fluctuating numbers stabilize and stop increasing before she breathed a sigh of relief.

During this period, she understood.

When the villain was with the protagonist, the blackening value would steadily decrease.

At other times, the increase and decrease were completely mysterious, and she couldn’t figure out any pattern.

But to figure out the pattern, wouldn’t she have to get into Shen Han’s inner world…

Just thinking about it made Su Mi shiver.

While she was trembling with fear, someone suddenly came up behind her and patted her.

Su Mi, like a startled bird, almost jumped up.

Turning around, she found it was her former followers, Ai Yiyi and Wei Wan.

The two were dressed exquisitely, with a different temperament from before.

Ai Yiyi smiled, “Su Su, what are you circling around here for, why don’t you go in?”

Wei Wan followed Su Mi’s unconscious gaze to the corridor outside.

Downstairs, Mrs. Zhang and Ren Yue were still there, talking about something.

Mrs. Zhang was arrogant, and Ren Yue had her head down listening.

Wei Wan said, “Are you looking at Ren Yue? I heard she grew up with President Shen, did you know that?”

Ai Yiyi lightly tapped Wei Wan’s arm, “Wan Wan, that’s not fair, how would Su Su know so much? She probably doesn’t even know where President Shen grew up. She only knows to hang out with that nobody, Xu Nanqiao, almost losing her way.”

The tone was sarcastic.

Wei Wan laughed, “Alright, it’s all my fault. I thought Su Su didn’t care about Ren Yue, but it turns out she didn’t know her.”

Su Mi: …I still had her Guangxun contact just now.

But she wasn’t one to argue over such trivialities.

She glanced at the now almost imperceptibly fluctuating blackening value.

Su Mi smiled calmly, “I really didn’t know. Could you enlighten me?”

Hearing this, Ai Yiyi glanced at Su Mi in surprise, feeling a bit smug.

“There’s something you don’t know… alright, I’ll remind you a few things so you won’t think you’re a special case with President Shen.”

Su Mi: “Mm-hmm.”

Nonsense, the special case is Xu Nanqiao, obviously.

Ai Yiyi paused, then said mysteriously, “Ren Yue grew up in Guancheng, the ancestral home of the Shen family. I heard she played with Shen Han since childhood. She transferred to Lorraine just after the mid-term exams to get a school record, arranged by the Shen family. She often attends the Shen family’s banquets.”

Wei Wan added, “And, you saw Ren Yue’s appearance, right? Don’t you think she looks a lot like Xu Nanqiao?”

Su Mi: Eh?

She was momentarily dazed and did compare the two’s looks.

To be fair, Xu Nanqiao was more attractive and had a vibrant, determined vitality that could infect others.

In contrast, Ren Yue seemed timid and hesitant. She didn’t even get a clear look at her face earlier.

…No.

She almost got swayed by these two.

Given Shen Han’s straightforward command to delete the contact and her avoidance of Mrs. Zhang and Ren Yue, how could there be anything?

Su Mi said nothing.

Ai Yiyi and Wei Wan thought Su Mi was scared and felt victorious in the confrontation.

They haughtily clapped their hands and said, “Fine, you just keep hanging around with that Xu Nanqiao. Wishing you a bright future at Capital University~”

They left.

Su Mi stood in place, still pondering the matter.

Although she believed there was nothing between Ren Yue and Shen Han, if she indeed came from Guancheng, would this have something to do with the old house?

Was the family banquet Mrs. Zhang mentioned the same dinner they attended?

Weird.

Su Mi thought to herself, if she wanted to understand more, she should get close to Ren Yue.

But Shen Han’s attitude was clear; she didn’t want Su Mi to interact with those people. If she found out about any private interaction, she would definitely be displeased.

Su Mi felt torn.

Thus, she overlooked the crisp sound of footsteps behind her.

Shen Han’s footsteps had a specific rhythm, passing numerous people who wanted to greet her, and leisurely stopped in front of Su Mi.

She seemed to have calmed down, slightly tilting her head, watching Su Mi with interest for a while.

Su Mi was lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice until—

Shen Han finally asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Su Mi turned around in a daze, meeting the villain’s gaze.

Her mouth worked faster than her brain.

Su Mi said, “I was thinking about your relationship with Ren Yue…”

As soon as she spoke, Su Mi was startled, her eyes widening as she looked at Shen Han in shock.

…

Help.

Su Mi instinctively took a step back.

Shen Han remained unfazed, “What do you want to know?”

This reaction seemed okay?

Su Mi’s courage grew a bit.

Though still nervous.

Su Mi tentatively said, “It’s just, you seem to treat her quite specially. They said Ren Yue even attended your family banquets, so I’m a bit curious.”

After speaking, she put on an innocent, curious look, blinking at the villain.

Shen Han stood straight, arms crossed, her lips slightly curled.

Who knew what she was thinking about.

Shen Han, word by word, slowly said, “Special, huh? Why not say I’m special to Mrs. Zhang? So, in my heart, the most special one is Mrs. Zhang, not someone else?”

“Someone else” instantly translated to Xu Nanqiao in Su Mi’s mind.

She’s finally getting it!

Su Mi immediately followed up, “Really?”

Shen Han: …

The woman closed her eyes briefly, then turned and walked away, her coat sleeve almost hitting Su Mi’s face.

If you don’t want to answer, fine, but why act like this!

Su Mi jumped in place, quickly following Shen Han through the back door into the classroom.

Inside, parents stood in small groups, most having already arrived, with ten minutes left until the meeting began.

Su Mi was in Class A, mostly consisting of students from better-off families in Lorraine, so the parents gathered here inevitably discussed business matters.

If not for the location, anyone would think it was a high-society party judging by their attire and interactions.

But as soon as Shen Han stepped into the classroom, it fell silent for a moment.

Eyes flew from all directions, filled with surprise.

Why was Shen Han here?

Meanwhile, Su Mi sneaked in through the gap Shen Han created.

Thinking Shen Han paused because she didn’t know where Su Mi sat, she enthusiastically said, “Sister, I sit over there…”

Turning to point, she realized she had become the focus of everyone’s attention.

A group of well-dressed, glamorous parents seemed to resume their conversations but were actually subtly watching them.

No one dared to greet them first.

Shen Han rarely appeared in public and was known for her peculiar temper and ruthless methods. Recently, a family surnamed Yang had offended her somehow and had to leave the capital hastily, with several families here sharing a piece of their business pie.

So, everyone only dared to steal glances.

Even someone as oblivious as Su Mi realized the atmosphere was off.

But standing in front of Shen Han, she couldn’t back away, cautiously looking at Shen Han.

Shen Han lowered her eyes, asking, “Where do you sit?”

Su Mi, dejectedly, pointed, “Over there.”

She didn’t dare speak loudly, leading Shen Han to her seat.

Su Mi had cleaned her desk early in the morning, leaving it especially tidy with a few textbooks and draft papers meant for Su Ci Yu and the others.

She had thought the setup was nice, but now it seemed unworthy for Shen Han to sit there.

On the way, the class teacher, noticing Shen Han, quickly approached.

She was also surprised, “President Shen.”

Shen Han nodded politely, “Hello, Ms. Chen.”

Ms. Chen was taken aback that Shen Han knew her surname, glanced at Su Mi, and asked, “Are you here for Su Mi’s parent-teacher meeting?”

Shen Han nodded.

Everyone knew Su Mi was Shen Han’s god-sister, especially since the Su family had always been supported by the Shen family, so this relationship was just icing on the cake.

But no one expected it to be close enough for Shen Han to attend a parent-teacher meeting for Su Mi.

Though there was no blood relation, no one would say it was inappropriate with Shen Han present.

Some even wondered if Su Mi had asked Shen Han to support her, sending messages to their children who were out playing, inquiring about Su Mi’s situation in the class.

The answers were all the same: no one dared to offend her.

Ms. Chen shared this sentiment. After seating Shen Han, she returned to the podium, mentally reviewing the recent class status. Everything seemed fine, especially Su Mi’s significant academic improvement, and no major issues had been reported.

Some parents had spoken with Shen Han, who remained courteous and composed. Gradually, the atmosphere in the room lightened as most parents started feeling more comfortable. After all, just Shen Han’s status as an SS-class Alpha made her a sought-after figure in any social gathering, let alone her position as the head of the Shen family. Ever since she took over Shen Group, she had been single and without any scandal, making her a figure of intrigue and admiration.

Su Mi stood by Shen Han’s side, initially intending to stay on standby, but soon felt uneasy under the scrutiny of so many parents. Wondering how Shen Han could withstand so many prying eyes, Su Mi glanced around, spotting the class teacher preparing to hand out school brochures. Her eyes lit up as she approached Ms. Chen.

“Ms. Chen, let me help you.”

She grabbed a stack of brochures, planning to distribute them like she would homework, placing one on each empty desk. But she quickly realized that the parents, as if having eyes on their backs, would turn around the moment she placed a brochure down, taking it with a polite smile and a thank you.

Su Mi found the situation eerie. She felt like a helpless monk in the demon’s den, surrounded by a group of curious parents.

She hurriedly finished distributing the brochures and returned to Shen Han’s side, standing for a few seconds before deciding to crouch down. She rested her fingers on the desk’s edge, tapping the wood absentmindedly.

Her peaceful school life…

The villain was undoubtedly here to make her uncomfortable, wasn’t she?

Feeling a bit anxious, Su Mi tentatively said, “Sister, why don’t you sit for a while? I’ll go get some fresh air.”

Shen Han, gazing down at the crouching blonde girl, who looked like a loyal little golden retriever, reached out to pat her head. Su Mi’s strange expression drew a soft laugh from Shen Han.

“Can’t handle a little attention? And you want to attend the Shen family’s banquet?”

Su Mi: …Huh?

When did she ever say she wanted to attend the Shen family’s banquet? Wait, sister, you didn’t lower your voice!

Su Mi anxiously glanced around, confirming that several parents were now looking at her with a new expression.

Listen, let me explain!

Author’s Note:
Parallel thought processes:

Su Mi’s OS: The most special one… Oh! Xu Nanqiao! You really love her (tearful). Finally, you’ve figured it out, I feel so relieved!

Shen Han’s OS: Wants to attend my family banquet but can’t even stand next to me. Truly a foolish puppy with a heart but no courage (shaking head).