Chapter 32 – Parents Discover The Existence Of His Online Friend

Lu Xingwang remained silent for a moment in response to this question, genuinely deep in thought.

In his view, Jian Mei was too young to be pondering such matters of romance. He believed that he should focus on educating his child properly. However, precisely because Jian Mei was young, he considered whether his assertiveness in speaking might hurt Jian Mei and leave a lasting psychological impact.

It was peculiar to think about.

During his time in school, Lu Xingwang had quite a few admirers and received numerous love confessions, from both familiar and unfamiliar faces. However, he didn’t harbor strong emotions towards romantic relationships, nor did he yearn for them. As a prince, many aspects of his life, including matters of marriage, were not entirely within his personal control. To avoid the ensuing troubles, he often chose to reject such proposals.

But now…

The usually unwavering His Highness Lu Xingwang found himself hesitating for a moment, an uncommon occurrence, all for the sake of considering a young boy’s emotions.

“Ding Dong.”

Another message came through, and just as Lu Xingwang had figured out how to gently broach the topic, he saw a message from Jian Mei: “Are you doing okay now?”

?

Lu Xingwang felt a sense of confusion, momentarily unable to grasp Jian Mei’s intention: [What do you mean?]

“I mean, are you still feeling sad about your mother’s situation?” Jian Mei always had a special consideration for others’ emotions, often resembling a warm-hearted darling: “No wonder I always sensed that you weren’t truly happy. So, that’s the reason.”

Lu Xingwang paused upon reading Jian Mei’s inquiry.

Since the incident involving Lady Lan, hardly anyone in the palace dared to mention it. Even on the rare occasions he encountered people, their glances were either filled with sympathy or the desire to witness a spectacle. Most individuals simply wanted to revel in the misfortune or observe the current circumstances of the prodigious son of heaven, now devoid of divine power and his mother’s protection.

“I’m fine.”

This was a phrase that Lu Xingwang frequently uttered.

His pride wouldn’t allow him to bow his head or become a laughingstock. Hence, no matter how arduous or distressing the situation, he would never reveal even a hint of it. Being caught in the whirlpool of the imperial family, where brilliance shone brightly, naturally, there would be numerous tides of both overt and covert challenges. Therefore, he had become adept at silently enduring pain without confiding in anyone.

But…

Lu Xingwang sat by the desk, the room dimly lit. The young boy’s profile looked sharp. In this somewhat quiet night, facing a stranger he had never met, he hesitated for a moment. Finally, for the first time, he restrained himself and revealed his inner feelings. He replied to Jian Mei, saying, “A little.”

The immense pain was expressed with just three words, as if it were spoken casually. Fortunately, the person on the other side didn’t dwell on it.

Jian Mei called him.

Lu Xingwang answered the call. It wasn’t their first conversation, but when the call connected, there was a brief moment of mutual understanding and silence.

Then, Jian Mei was the first to speak, “Hello.”

Lu Xingwang responded, “Hmm.”

“Do you want to hear a story about polar bears?” Jian Mei suddenly blurted out, clumsily and with a hint of silliness, “I found a few jokes recently, better than last time.”

Lu Xingwang said, “About polar bears plucking their own fur?”

Jian Mei chuckled softly, “You remember! It’s amusing, isn’t it?”

Lu Xingwang replied flatly, “It’s alright.”

In reality, that joke wasn’t funny at all.

But now, as he recalled it, his mood was surprisingly good because all he remembered were the amusing and mischievous moments of Jian Mei, like a lively and entertaining treasure.

Sensing his lack of interest, Jian Mei, a considerate child, didn’t say much more. He whispered gently in Lu Xingwang’s ear, “If you feel very sad, I can tell you many more jokes, not just about polar bears. As long as you’re willing, I’ll share them with you.”

Unconsciously, Lu Xingwang’s hand, placed on the edge of the table, curled up. He put on a tough front, “I’m not that sad.”

“I know.” There was a gentle smile in Jian Mei’s eyes as he continued, “Just a little bit.”

Lu Xingwang’s heart felt like it had been soaked in water. As the inexperienced Prince, he couldn’t truly comprehend that indiscernible emotion. His throat felt uneasy, and he didn’t say anything. The usually sharp-tongued Prince, who was difficult to handle in the eyes of officials and courtiers, appeared like a closed book but easily taken advantage of in front of Jian Mei.”

Fortunately, he had encountered someone who was patient and willing to gaze at him.

Jian Mei changed the topic and discussed the events of the day, “I received four little red flowers at the parent-teacher meeting today. Others took them to exchange for snacks or something, but I plan to keep them as a memento or souvenir.”

Lu Xingwang asked him, “Why not have it?”

He remembered that Jian Mei had a sweet tooth and loved snacks, didn’t he?

“Well… the teacher prepared candies and cakes and such, but I can’t eat them,” Jian Mei sounded a bit disappointed, but quickly cheered up, “But today, because I made progress in my grades, I was rewarded with an extra little red flower. I’m one of the students who received more little red flowers in the whole class!”

Lu Xingwang remained silent for a moment and then spoke, “That’s good.”

Jian Mei smiled happily. Even though he couldn’t exchange it for snacks and felt a bit disappointed, he didn’t express such negative emotions and remained optimistic.

Lu Xingwang said to him, “Progress should be rewarded.”

“Hmm?” Jian Mei didn’t understand the meaning behind Lu Xingwang’s words. However, as they continued talking on the phone, the nearby charger lit up. Curious, Jian Mei turned around and heard Lu Xingwang say, “Although it doesn’t have calories or real sweetness, you shouldn’t eat too much at night, or you’ll get a stomachache.”

Jian Mei blinked in confusion, just as he was about to ask Lu Xingwang what he meant, the light from the charger dimmed, and then a box, exquisitely wrapped, appeared out of nowhere on the charger. It was a vine wrapping that he had never seen before, with young green shoots on yellow withered branches, forming a natural shape that enclosed the food inside.

Jian Mei tentatively poked it with his hand, and the withered branches slowly unfolded as if they had a life of their own. After revealing the food inside, the branches gracefully withered until they disappeared.

“Wow! What kind of mysterious technology is this!” Jian Mei exclaimed.

Jian Mei saw the fruit placed in the center, looking exquisite and adorable, like a beautiful small strawberry, somewhat resembling candied hawthorn. But instead of immediately eating it, he asked Lu Xingwang, “Is this gift from you?”

“Hmm,” Lu Xingwang confirmed.

Jian Mei’s heart burst with joy, “Why?”

“As a reward for you,” Lu Xingwang made up an excuse with his eyes wide open.

Jian Mei’s eyes curved with happiness. He wanted to reach out and take one to taste, but halfway through, he hesitated. He remembered that Da Zhuang’s family wasn’t well-off. Such a beautiful thing, wouldn’t it be expensive?

“How much did you pay for this?” Jian Mei expressed some concern, “Will it be too expensive? If it’s too expensive… I won’t eat it.”

…

Lu Xingwang never expected that Jian Mei, who used to seem carefree, would be so thoughtful.

But did he misunderstand himself? Lu Xingwang wanted to answer that it wasn’t expensive, but he was afraid Jian Mei would think he spent money and refuse to eat it next time. After giving it some thought, he came up with a compromise, “I bought it with the 10 yuan you transferred to me.”

Oh!

So that’s how it is!

Jian Mei accepted this explanation, instantly feeling at ease. He picked up one of the fruits, considered expensive among the common people on the Stan Star, and placed it in his mouth. The sweetness dissolved on his taste buds, with a hint of refreshing tartness. It was like a pleasantly chilled and tangy strawberry, but even smoother and silkier.

“Wow!” Jian Mei happily exclaimed, “It’s so delicious.”

Lu Xingwang never ate sweets, but hearing Jian Mei’s cute and exaggerated reaction, he couldn’t help but curl his lips.

However, his happiness didn’t last long when he heard Jian Mei say, “I’ll let my brother taste it later. I don’t know if it’ll be enough. Can I transfer you more money so you can bring me a few more portions?”

“…No.”

Lu Xingwang flatly refused him and was quite domineering, “From now on, the things I give you are not to be shared with others.”

Jian Mei froze, “Why?”

After finishing his sentence, Lu Xingwang also froze. What do you mean from now on? Why is there even a “from now on”? Could it be that subconsciously, he was really so indulgent toward Jian Mei?

On the other end of the phone, Jian Mei cautiously asked, “Hello? Are you angry?”

Lu Xingwang snapped back to reality, calmed his mind, and replied, “No.”

Jian Mei felt slightly relieved, but still asked, “Can’t I share it with others?”

“No,” Lu Xingwang told him, “If someone asks, how will you explain where these things came from?”

His words awakened Jian Mei.

Jian Mei also realized a bit late, “Oh, right.”

But soon, he remembered, “I can say I bought them myself, right?”

Lu Xingwang was worried for this foolish guy and asked, “Where did you buy it?”

…

At this moment, Jian Mei was once again reminded that he and Lu Xingwang might not be from the same place. Moreover, Lu Xingwang was even more cautious than himself. He usually never exposed himself or leaked any information. He valued his privacy greatly. Yet, just to give himself a reward or because he wanted to eat fruits, he had sent them to him.

As he thought about it, Jian Mei said, “I understand.”

Lu Xingwang was very satisfied. He liked obedient and sensible kids like Jian Mei. It was time-saving and effortless to be with them.

Little did he know that Jian Mei would ask, “Have you eaten it?”

Lu Xingwang didn’t understand why he was asking that and answered, “No.”

He didn’t like sweets. However, right after he finished speaking, there was a beep sound—

“Ding dong.”

A notification sound came from the background.

Lu Xingwang had a bad feeling rising in his heart and asked, “What did you send me?”

Switching back to the messaging screen, he indeed saw a blatant 10 yuan red packet displayed on the homepage. And Jian Mei, who sent the red packet, said in a generous tone like a big brother, “I’m treating you, so you should eat it. Don’t be so thrifty. Treat yourself well!”

“…”

————

The next day,

After the busy National Day period, Shen Meina and Jian Shencheng finally had some time to rest.

Knowing that they missed the parent-teacher meeting, it was impossible for the two parents not to feel guilty. The journey of a child’s growth couldn’t do without companionship, and they happened to lack that. But their child was very understanding, never making a fuss or complaining. They heard that the parent-teacher meeting was quite grand, and the more so, the more guilty the couple felt.

Therefore, even though there was no parent-teacher meeting, Shen Meina deliberately chose a workday to come to the school with her husband and find the homeroom teacher, Teacher Li, to understand the situation.

As a senior teacher, Teacher Li clearly expressed, “A child’s growth cannot be separated from parents. I never asked you to accompany them every day, so why are you so busy that you must be absent for an occasional meeting?”

Shen Meina also felt guilty and said, “Teacher, it’s our fault. Actually, we came here separately this time to understand Jian Mei’s situation at school.”

Teacher Li sighed and gave up, saying, “His grades are relatively stable, but his basic skills are not very solid yet. It has something to do with his physical condition. You don’t need to worry.”

Shen Meina asked again, “And how is he getting along with his classmates?”

This topic was not easy for the teacher to answer, so they could only say, “You can rest assured about his classmates in the class. They are all friendly, and no one has any ill intentions.”

Jian Shencheng added from the side, “Teacher, sometimes our child doesn’t know how to integrate into the group. As parents, we can’t help much. We hope you can take care of him more.”

“Alright.” Since the conversation had reached this point, Teacher Li also had something to say, “Jian Mei’s personality seems good, but sometimes this child carries a heavy burden. If you parents really care about him, you should put your work aside a bit and focus more on your child.”

Shen Meina quickly agreed.

After finishing the conversation with the teacher, the two of them walked back, but they happened to encounter Cheng Yu, who came to deliver math homework.

Cheng Yu politely greeted them, “Hello, Uncle and Auntie.”

Shen Meina was a little surprised, “You look familiar. Are you in the same class as Jian Mei?”

Cheng Yu was tall and stood straight. When he smiled, he gave a refined feeling. He said, “Yes, I’m the math class representative in our class.”

Parents always have a good impression of classmates with good grades.

Shen Meina smiled and said, “That’s great. If our Mei Mei could learn more from you.”

Cheng Yu, holding his books, replied gracefully, “Mei Mei is very intelligent too. When we interact, he always absorbs knowledge quickly. We all like him.”

There is no parent who doesn’t like their child being praised.

Shen Meina then said, “It seems you have a good relationship. That’s great. I hope Mei Mei hasn’t caused any trouble for you at school and can get along well with classmates. You know, due to his physical condition, he didn’t have many friends before going to school. If there is anything not good, please tolerate him more.”

Cheng Yu was very considerate and said, “Auntie, please don’t say that. Jian Mei is great. But he doesn’t have any friends? I often see him chatting with his phone, so I thought…”

Shen Meina was a bit confused and asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” Cheng Yu deliberately interrupted his sentence, “Don’t worry, it’s good to have ambiguous relationships.”

It’s precisely this kind of curiosity that attracts people even more.

Before Shen Meina could say anything, Jian Zicheng held her back, politely smiling at Cheng Yu, “Okay, thank you, classmate. Are you here to submit homework? Then we won’t disturb you. Please go inside.”

Cheng Yu nodded and walked away.

Once he left, Shen Meina looked up and asked her husband, “What does this child mean?”

Jian Shencheng hugged his wife and walked back slowly, “He means that he has friends outside of school, that’s all.”

“What kind of friends can he have?” Shen Meina always worried about their child, so she quickly caught onto the key point of Cheng Yu’s words, “He often chats with his phone. Could it be online friends?”

Upon careful consideration, it was possible.

When Jian Mei didn’t have a new phone before, the child never seemed to constantly play with his phone. But now, it seemed like he often went to his room without any reason. They used to be lax in discipline, and they didn’t pay much attention to this aspect at all.

Jian Shencheng said, “Maybe they’re old friends?”

Shen Meina glared at him, “What kind of old friends does he have that we don’t know? It would be better if they were old friends. I’m afraid it’s someone with unknown intentions. Don’t you know what kind of foolish behavior your son is capable of? He might end up being tricked and have to pay for someone else.”

Jian Shencheng also felt a bit helpless.

After both of them returned home together, they were still thinking about this matter. As the child grew up, there was gradually a distance between him and his parents. It became difficult to truly connect with their child.

In the evening,

When Jian Mei returned home, he somehow felt that Shen Meina’s gaze towards him was somewhat strange. He nervously asked, “Mom, why are you looking at me like that?”

Shen Meina said meaningfully, “Nothing. Was the homework assigned by the teacher difficult today? Do you need any tutoring?”

Jian Mei replied, “No, it’s alright. I’ll start doing it, and if there’s anything I don’t understand, I’ll ask later.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

Watching her child go upstairs, Shen Meina quickly grabbed her husband and said, “You see, haven’t you noticed? We haven’t enrolled him in any tutoring classes. When he used to do his homework, especially in math, there was always someone around. There must be something fishy going on.”

Jian Shencheng sighed with a hint of helplessness.

Upstairs, Jian Mei was still doing homework when he heard a knock on the door. His mother came in with some fruits, but Jian Mei didn’t pay much attention. He casually chatted with his mother for a few moments before lowering his head and returning to his homework. He didn’t even notice when Shen Meina left without closing the door properly. Outside the door, Shen Meina said to her husband, “I have to keep an eye on him.”

Jian Shencheng said, “What’s there to keep an eye on? If you really want to know, just ask him.”

“What if Jian Mei gets deceived and doesn’t tell the truth because he’s been misled?” Shen Meina said to him, “Let me tell you, there are so many scammers online now. Even if they’re not scammers, children have very little self-control. Jian Mei hasn’t experienced the outside world since he was young in the hospital. If he goes astray, I want to see how you’ll handle it.”

While the two were talking, Jian Mei, who was doing homework in the room, was being very obedient.

After a while, when he came across a difficult question, he took out his phone and started searching. After a while of searching, he finally opened WeChat and arrived at the climax that Shen Meina was most eager to investigate. To her surprise, she thought Jian Mei would be distracted by his phone and not focus on his work, but instead, he simply opened the camera on his phone, took a picture of the question, and sent it to someone on WeChat.

Then, as if he was familiar with the process, he didn’t wait, but continued doing his homework.

After about ten minutes, the person on WeChat sent him a voice message, a very short one of a dozen seconds, with an unfamiliar male voice. However, the tone of the voice was slow and steady, and the logical thinking was very clear. He explained some difficult questions in a few sentences, making them easy to understand even for someone like Jian Mei who had a weak foundation.

Jian Mei said, “Thank you, I understand.”

Then the child ate a piece of fruit and continued doing his homework. The whole process repeated in a cycle, completely different from what Shen Meina had imagined, with no distractions or going astray.

Jian Shencheng pulled her away.

Shen Meina murmured, “It shouldn’t be like this.”

Jian Shencheng always had a more open-minded view: “Although Mei Mei is sometimes careless, he can distinguish between right and wrong. If someone has ulterior motives, he wouldn’t truly become close friends with them.”

Even so, as parents, they always worried.

During dinner, Shen Meina intentionally or unintentionally asked, “Have you finished your homework?”

Jian Mei nodded, “Yes! Do you want to check it, Mom? I’ll give it to you later.”

“Okay, after you finish eating and watching TV, go take a shower. I’ll check your homework,” Shen Meina said as she picked up a piece of meat for him and added, “Why are you so smart? Did you do it all by yourself?”

Jian Mei didn’t expect his mother to suddenly ask him this. He originally wanted to say that a friend taught him, but he remembered Da Zhuang’s advice and swallowed the words that were about to come out. As a child who wasn’t good at lying, he lowered his head and said, “Yeah.”

Shen Meina’s expression changed slightly as she exchanged a glance with her husband.

They knew their son best. There was nothing he couldn’t say if he truly had normal friends, like those he met at school or in the hospital.

Therefore, after finishing the meal, Jian Mei went to take a shower, and Shen Meina glanced at his homework. To her surprise, she was taken aback. Jian Mei used to be so careless, always losing track of things. But this test paper was done beautifully, showing dedication, and the problem-solving approach was clear. It was a significant improvement.

…

Shen Meina’s thoughts churned, and after considering it for a while, she took a few extra steps and picked up Jian Mei’s phone from the sofa. When she found the WeChat app, she indeed discovered an unfamiliar nickname at the top. The profile picture and address were blank, and there were no messages. Could this really be an online friend? Her expression turned serious because she absolutely wouldn’t allow Jian Mei to chat casually with strangers if they had ill intentions or if it would hinder his studies!

Thinking this, she opened the chat history. Her initially determined face froze.

The reason was simple. After flipping through the chat history, she was astonished by the upright and righteous aura emanating from Lu Xingwang. Even when her own son was studying, he would say it very seriously:

“This question type appeared last time. I don’t want to see you asking about it a second time.”

“Did you finish checking?”

“Don’t talk nonsense while doing your homework. Pay attention and concentrate.”

If it were any other time when their own son was not focused on his work and wanted to play, Dazhuang ge would be strict:

“Don’t lie down, exercise more.”

“You’re still playing with your phone even though it’s bedtime.”

“You need to plan things properly. Last-minute cramming doesn’t work every time.”

In addition to these remarks, including the troubles Jian Mei faced at school or occasional problems he couldn’t figure out, Dazhuang ge provided objective and rational analyses. After reading it all, Shen Meina felt that Lu Xingwang wasn’t merely playing the role of an online friend but more like a responsible father figure who accompanied Jian Mei’s growth and taught him life lessons, compensating for the irresponsibility of her and Jian Shencheng as parents.