He would give her a surprise when Jiangg Yao arrived.

He still didn’t know how Jiangg Yao would react when she learned he had a part-time job.

‘Will she feel gratified, seeing a boy grow into a mature young man…?’

Chen Yuan finished putting away the clothes on the balcony and wiped away the dust blowing in through the window screen. He silently cherished this small hope, wishing his efforts could give her a pleasant little surprise.

For the first time in his life, he wanted to prove something to someone else.

Before, whether in daily life or with his grades and activities at school, Chen Yuan had never made it a point to attract others’ attention. He found it boring.

He was someone without many ambitions, who only longed for a quiet life.

Now, he wanted to be more than just an “eighteen-year-old male college student.” He wanted other labels, so that when his girlfriend mentioned him to her friends, their only reaction wouldn’t be a surprised, “He’s so young.” Chen Yuan wanted to be a man worthy of Jiangg Ning, with comparable abilities, education, prestige, or family background.

In reality, these factors could never be completely ignored.

If Jiangg Ning could only tactfully say, “He’s still in college,” when she mentioned him, Chen Yuan would feel a little guilty, as if he had made her lose face.

This gradually rising, undeniable affection, this cautious care and excessive concern for the opinions of others, was like an official announcement: Chen Yuan, unknowingly dating two girls at once, had completely entered the honeymoon phase.

He had completely fallen in love.

Growing up is a completely different experience for boys and girls of the same age. Girls develop faster and may start on the path to maturity as early as middle school. It’s not just physical; their minds and worldviews also grow at a rapid pace. As emotional creatures, they quickly assess how things relate to their own self-interest, and their perceptions are shaped entirely by this viewpoint.

Boys are different. Their worldview forms much more slowly, often requiring them to be battered by society a few times before they can piece together even a vague set of principles. That’s why those crushing moments are so precious for a boy.

Back when Chen Yuan got into high school, his grades were excellent, placing him in the top one hundred of his year.

He was assigned to the class of a very strict female homeroom teacher.

The evening she found out, his mother immediately took Chen Yuan to visit the teacher, bringing a gift worth several thousand yuan. During their conversation, amidst all the pleasantries, his mother specifically told Chen Yuan to get close to his new homeroom teacher. He was even supposed to befriend her son—play basketball, go for runs, that sort of thing.

Chen Yuan was so embarrassed he felt dizzy, but he steeled himself and did as he was told, like a puppet on a string.

Even now that he was in college, he still couldn’t understand. He had gotten into that school based on his own grades and didn’t need any special treatment from his homeroom teacher. Why did his mother have to spend all that money and energy just to curry favor?

There was nothing wrong with being treated like the child of any other parent.

But in truth, it had become an unspoken rule in many high schools for a teacher’s child to bring a gift when visiting their new homeroom teacher. It wasn’t even about the value of the gift, but about the social courtesy and respect between colleagues.

It was a twisted form of respect, one that had to be shown through such under-the-table means.

If his mother hadn’t brought a gift and the teacher found out, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for Chen Yuan in class. Everyone says teaching is a noble profession, but there is no shortage of teachers with poor character.

This society, built on personal connections, is filled with these dark, unspoken rules.

One day, Chen Yuan would leave the ivory tower of school and enter society, where he would have to face these things. Perhaps in that moment, he would instantly understand his mother’s actions…

The value of that moment would force him to grow up in an instant. In a flash, he would understand why his parents were sometimes so pragmatic, so calculating, and why they would give gifts even when they knew it was against the rules.

It was the same with other moments. The casual glance from Qin Ting when he went to pick up a drunk Jiangg Ning. A random comment overheard at school: “I wonder what kind of man is worthy of a teacher as amazing as Jiangg.” The stares from strangers when they were on a date. The way they would trail off when, in a moment of tenderness, they tried to talk about the future. The uncharacteristically subdued tone he took when discussing calling a doctor with Jiang Zhengfeng.

These moments acted as catalysts, constantly changing a boy’s heart, eventually sanding down all its sharp edges until it was smooth and polished.

That’s why the more a boy grows up, the less he recognizes himself.

…

Eight days had passed since the New Year.

On this rare, sunny winter morning, Chen Yuan was not in his soft bed. Only a rumpled duvet remained, still holding a trace of warmth.

His phone, tossed carelessly beside the pillow, was lit up, displaying the time: 6:53 AM.

School hadn’t started and Jiangg Yao’s flight wasn’t until later, yet Chen Yuan, breaking his habit of sleeping in, was already up. He stood before the sink, meticulously shaving off his youthful stubble. After washing his face, he rummaged through a collection of bottles and jars in the bathroom, found some hair gel, and worked it through his hair. A few stylish, wispy strands now hung across his forehead.

He’d parted his hair in the middle, revealing his forehead.

Combined with the shirt and crisp trousers he was wearing, the vibrant, energetic air about him was immediately apparent.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep