Su Yang smiled. "Yes, that's right."
Su Yang waved at Xiaomi.
Tang Xiaomi came to Su Yang's side obediently. Su Yang patted Xiaomi's head and said to the teacher, "I'm Xiaomi's… Um, distant relative.
"I have some work-related collaboration with Xiaomi's mother.
"I've known Xiaomi since I was young.
"Thank you for taking care of Xiaomi all this time."
The teacher looked at Xiaomi in surprise and then at Su Yang.
The expression on his face looked like he wanted to laugh, but it was a little stiff.
She really could not associate Tang Xiaomi, who was mischievous in class but smart and had good grades, with Su Yang, the world's richest man.
Even though the school she was in was one of the top private primary schools in Shanghai, and the students there were all either rich or powerful.
She had never seen anyone so "rich and powerful".
However, after hearing Su Yang's polite introduction and seeing how familiar Xiaomi was with Su Yang, the teacher came back to her senses.
The smile on her face gradually bloomed. "No trouble, no trouble at all. Xiaomi is a very good girl."
Then, as if remembering something, the teacher took out a document and a piece of paper from her pocket and said, "Although I've already confirmed it with Xiaomi's mother, I still need you and Xiaomi to sign here please."
Su Yang took it over and took a look. It was a statement stating that the child written inside had gone out in the afternoon. It listed the corresponding safety requirements and waiver terms.
The general meaning of it was that when the child went out with a parent at noon, the parent would have to be responsible for their safety, and the parent had to be responsible for the child's safety. There was also a list of things to take note of, which the parent had to adhere to.
Other than that, it also mentioned that if something happened to the child, the school will not be held liable.
Su Yang read through it quickly. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with it, he signed his name on it.
Then he handed the document to Xiaomi, and she signed her name.
Su Yang nodded at the teacher and held Xiaomi's hand as they got into the car.
The car then started up and the teacher stood by the side of the road as she waved.
Su Yang smiled as he watched his teacher gradually disappear from the rearview mirror.
Xiaomi seemed to have noticed Su Yang's smile. She crawled over and stared at him. "Su Yang, what are you smiling about? Have you fallen for the teacher?"
Su Yang almost choked on his own saliva.
He flicked Xiaomi's forehead lightly. "Am I that kind of person in your heart?"
Xiaomi covered her head and curled her lips, but she did not say anything.
However, the [Eye of Origins] was popping out notifications continuously. [Unhappy], [Unhappy]...
Su Yang could not be bothered to argue with a child, so he watched Pan Zhaodi drive quietly.
After driving for a while, the car stopped at a high-end restaurant nearby.
When the car stopped, Su Yang and Xiaomi did not get off immediately.
Pan Zhaodi got out of the car first and went to arrange a room before returning to the car to invite Su Yang.
Su Yang got out of the car and entered the private room with Tang Xiaomi.
When they reached the private room, Pan Zhaodi was outside ordering dishes while Su Yang and Tang Xiaomi were chatting inside.
Perhaps because there were no outsiders around, Tang Xiaomi became much livelier.
Her eyes darted around as she sized up the room and Su Yang.
She did not know how long she had been staring at him. Just as Su Yang was about to find a topic to talk about, she looked at Su Yang and said coquettishly, "Su Yang, you're different how you were two years ago."
When Su Yang heard what Xiaomi said, he asked curiously, "Different? How so?"
Xiaomi held out her hand and gestured between them. "It feels like we used to be family last time." Then, she said with a coquettish voice, "But now… It feels like there's this distance between us."
Su Yang smiled. "Do you even understand what that means already?"
Xiaomi nodded and said proudly, "Of course."
She added, "Also, I feel like you were happier before. But now, you don't seem happy anymore."
Su Yang was even more curious now. "How can you tell?"
Tang Xiaomi sat up and leaned towards Su Yang. She placed her hand on Su Yang's forehead and gestured at the corner of his mouth. "In the past, you wouldn't frown here and this wouldn't be flat.
"In the past, you felt genuine. Now, you… Well... You seem to be wearing a mask."
Su Yang fell silent.
All these years, as his position grew higher and higher, his influence grew. Whether it was negotiation or outside, Su Yang was used to wearing a mask to hide his feelings.
As the saying went online, "never show your emotions on your face".
This was the sign of a mature leader.
However, just as Xiaomi had said, Su Yang did not feel as happy as before indeed.
After all, the happiness he felt in the past was much simpler.
At that thought, Su Yang removed the mask on his face and adjusted his emotions. He tried his best to return to how he was before.
Then, he pinched the tip of Xiaomi's nose. "You're just a little brat, but you seem to know everything."
Xiaomi wrinkled her nose and covered her nose with one hand to prevent Su Yang from persecuting her further. She said angrily, "Of course. I'm no longer a five-year-old child."
Su Yang laughed.
When Xiaomi saw Su Yang laughing, she said indignantly, "You don't believe me, do you? Let me put it this way then, I know why you're here today!"
Su Yang was curious. "You know why I'm here today? Go on, tell me then."
Xiaomi tilted her head to look at Su Yang and said cutely, "You've two reasons for coming to meet me today, right?
"The first is, you want to ask is if Sister Chu Xia said she didn't mind you being with someone else.
"The second is, you want to ask what Mommy thinks of you.
"Am I right?"
Su Yang was stunned.
'Bingo.'
When Su Yang was chatting with Tang Jing that night, Tang Jing's emotions were too complicated. Furthermore, Su Yang was not prepared to accept Tang Jing's feelings. In order to not do something wrong on impulse, he deactivated his [Eye of Origins].
Hence, when Xiaomi said that Chu Xia agreed to have someone else, Su Yang could not tell if she was telling the truth or not.
'Xiaomi's a smart girl. I can't guarantee whether she's being genuine or not.
'Or perhaps, she's purposely trying to let something happen between me and her Mommy.'
Therefore, Su Yang had to confirm it.
If he could confirm that Tang Xiaomi was not lying, then Su Yang would have to seriously consider his own thoughts. Did he like Tang Jing? Did he want to be together with her?
Therefore, Tang Xiaomi's guesses were rather accurate.
Su Yang looked at her in surprise. "Xiaomi, you're getting smarter by the day."
Xiaomi raised her head proudly. "Of course! I'm an adult after all."
Looking at Xiaomi's cute face, Su Yang could not help but smile.
He said, "Then tell me. The thing you talked about with Sister Chu Xia the other day, was that true?"
Tang Xiaomi waved her little hands. "Of course!"
[Eye of Origins] judged it as… [Truth].
Su Yang heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this.
Tang Xiaomi said, "Maybe Sister Chu Xia thought I'm a child and went on to speak her mind."
Su Yang shook his head silently.
'Chu Xia probably wouldn't pour her heart out because Xiaomi's a child.
'She said that because she knew that Xiaomi's a smart girl, and that she would come and tell me about it later on.
Perhaps she just did not want to make things difficult for herself, and she did not want to compromise because she was holding onto herself too tightly.
After Su Yang had roughly guessed Chu Xia's thoughts, he asked again, "Then what exactly is your Mommy thinking about… These past few years..."
Xiaomi interrupted Su Yang and said, "For the past few years, Mommy has been busy with her career and has never had a boyfriend. She would always nag at home about you, saying that you're our benefactor, and that without you, both Mommy and myself wouldn't have what we have today."
Su Yang knew that Tang Jing was probably referring to the fact that he had been doing business with her and that he had helped her stand up to her father.
Just as Su Yang was thinking about this, the dishes were served.
As Su Yang invited for Xiaomi to eat, he asked, "By the way, how is your Grandpa and his family now?"
Xiaomi said happily, "Grandpa and Grandma are very nice to Mommy now.
"Who doesn't know that Mommy is doing business with you right now? Grandpa's family is in finance, and they know about your achievements in the stock market. That's why they keep talking about you.
"As for my stepmother, she treats me and Mommy very well too. She brings me to buy toys and delicious food whenever she has nothing to do." Xiaomi took a bite of food and waved her hand. "But I don't like her, so I can't be bothered to talk to her."
Su Yang smiled. He was relieved to hear that Tang Jing and Xiaomi were living well.
Perhaps sensing Su Yang's relaxation, Xiaomi stopped picking the food and tilted her head to look at Su Yang. She blinked her big eyes and said, "But, you mustn't go thinking that Mommy loves you just because she's grateful to you.
"Mommy really loves you as a person."
Su Yang laughed. "What do you know about love? You're so young."
When Tang Xiaomi heard Su Yang's words, she angrily placed her chopsticks on the table and puffed up her cheeks. "Why wouldn't I understand? I have someone I love too!"
Su Yang was shocked. "You do?!
"You're still so young! What you have there is puppy love, do you know that?"
Tang Xiaomi rolled her eyes. "I don't know if it's puppy love, but I know I have someone I love."
Su Yang was a little serious. He felt that even though he was just a friend, he should avoid correcting Xiaomi's thoughts. He said earnestly, "You're still too young, so you should be focusing on your studies."
Tang Xiaomi said, "Love is another thing that has nothing to do with studying. I won't let it affect my studies."
When Su Yang heard Xiaomi's words, he frowned and wanted to persuade her.
However, Xiaomi said impatiently, "Alright, stop bothering about my stuff. Although I do love him, but I know it's impossible between us.
"After all..."
She looked at Su Yang and said, "It's impossible for me to snatch Mommy and Sister Chu Xia's boyfriend."
Su Yang spat out a mouthful of water and broke out in cold sweat.
He stood up in surprise and looked at Xiaomi. "Xiaomi! Do you know what you're talking about? I'm 13 years older than you!"
Xiaomeng rolled her eyes at Su Yang and said mischievously, "Su Yang, I realized that you haven't changed much all these years.
"You're already the richest man in the world, but you're still so childish when it comes to relationships.
"Can 13 years old be considered to be a distance?
"When I'm 18, you will be 31. When I'm 25, you will be 38. When I'm 55, you will be 68.
"Do you find it unacceptable just because of the age between us?
"Furthermore, you have those magical items that can extend your life. Perhaps when you're older, you might even be the one to watch me leave first.
"Therefore, this age difference is nothing."
With that, Xiaomi picked up her chopsticks angrily and ate another mouthful of food. "If Mommy didn't love you, I would never have let you go."
Su Yang was speechless and confused.
'Is this what it means… That if one works hard enough, their girlfriend might even still be in kindergarten at that moment?
'Oh, wait… She's in primary school now.
'But this is just ridiculous!'
Even though there were many celebrities and powerful people who did that, Su Yang, a "normal person", could not accept the difference in age between them.
Seeing how surprised Su Yang was, Tang Xiaomi took another glance at him and said nonchalantly, "But… You can still consider it carefully. If you don't think Mommy is a suitable match for you, you could wait a little longer.
"When I grow up in another 10 years, I'll marry you.
"I'll definitely look as pretty as Mommy."
Su Yang was speechless.
Su Yang looked at Tang Xiaomi. He felt that Tang Xiaomi was lying. 'She's definitely not going to be as pretty as Tang Jing, but prettier…
'Pui!
'Is this the time to think about this?!'
Su Yang felt that it was not a good time to continue chatting. It would be weird if they continued.
Therefore, after having dinner with Tang Xiaomi, Su Yang sent her back to school.
On the way back, Su Yang and Little Deeny were texting each other. 'Do you think…'
Su Yang did not finish his sentence, but Little Deeny understood what Su Yang meant. 'Master, you don't have to be overly anxious. Xiaomi likes you now mainly because she's young. She can't differentiate her feelings too clearly and doesn't know the difference between admiration, liking, and loving. So, this is very normal.
'Furthermore, she has already said that she's going to "withdraw", so there's no need for you to feel bothered about her.
'Also, as she grows up, her feelings for you will gradually fade. Right now… You just need to think about Tang Jing.]
Su Yang rubbed his temples.
In his mind, he started to recall everything that had happened between him and Tang Jing.
'Do I… Love Tang Jing? Is that how I feel about her?'
Su Yang was really confused.
In his daze, Su Yang picked up his phone and opened Tang Jing's WeChat. After some thought, he sent her a WeChat message. 'When are you free to meet?'
Tang Jing was quiet for five minutes before she replied. [If you're looking for me, I can meet up anytime. Otherwise, tonight, my house?'
Su Yang thought for a while and replied... 'Okay.'
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