Liang Qiutong's father had arrived early and was waiting at the kindergarten gate. He checked against the photo the principal had sent him and was looking for the most eye - catching and beautiful woman. He spotted Xu Qingqing at a glance.
Liang Qiutong's father quickly rubbed his hands together, smiling excitedly as he walked over. "Hello, are you Miss Xu Qingqing?"
Xu Qingqing looked at the strange man in front of her. His face was beaming with a smile, and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes were deeply creased.
Although she didn't know him, Xu Qingqing still nodded gently. "Yes, and you are..."
"I'm Liang Qiutong's father. Thank you for paying for Qiutong's school trip today. I've brought the money to pay you back."
After saying that, Liang Qiutong's father rummaged through his briefcase and took out a yellow manila envelope, which was stuffed with a thick stack of bills. Without giving Xu Qingqing a chance to refuse, he stuffed it into her arms.
Xu Qingqing took it awkwardly without counting the money and put the envelope in her bag.
She felt a bit like she was taking a bribe.
Seeing that she had taken the money, the smile on Liang Qiutong's father's lips widened. He leaned in and asked, "How is President Lu lately?"
"… I guess he's okay." Xu Qingqing replied with a smile, her answer ambiguous.
She knew that was the real reason Liang Qiutong's father had come. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have come to return the money in person.
Seeing that Xu Qingqing was easy - going, Liang Qiutong's father pressed his luck. "Our Qiutong has been talking about An'an for a long time. I was thinking of taking her to visit your place today. Is that okay?"
He hoped that he could get closer to the Lu Corporation through this.
Xu Qingqing frowned slightly.
So that's what he was after. It wasn't about the kids playing together. He wanted to visit Lu Chuanbai.
The smile on Xu Qingqing's face faded, replaced by a fake one as she politely declined. "Sorry, I'm taking Yiyi and An'an out for dinner this afternoon, so I won't be able to receive you."
She had declined so politely. Liang Qiutong's father should understand.
Liang Qiutong's father wasn't stupid. Hearing her refusal, he didn't say much more. He just laughed it off. "We'll visit another day then."
At this time, Su Xiaoyue led the kindergarten kids out. Xu Qingqing squeezed through the crowded crowd and ran to the school gate. She waved at Xu Yiyi and Xu An'an. "Yiyi, An'an, Mom's here!"
Liang Qiutong's father imitated her and ran over, shouting his daughter's name. "Qiutong, Dad's here to pick you up today."
"Dad!" Liang Qiutong was overjoyed when she saw it was her father. Her eyes curved into happy crescents. She hadn't seen her father for days. He never came to pick her up from school.
Liang Qiutong excitedly threw herself into his arms. "Dad, why do you have time to pick me up from school today?"
"Dad got off work early today." Liang Qiutong's father awkwardly stroked his daughter's head.
"By the way, Dad, Aunt Xu paid for my travel fee this morning. Don't forget to return the money to her." Liang Qiutong tugged at her father's coat.
Liang Qiutong's father smiled. "Don't worry. I've already given the money to Aunt Xu."
"That's good."
When Su Xiaoyue saw Liang Qiutong's father, she quickly walked over. "Hello. Are you Mr. Liang Mengsong, Liang Qiutong's father?"
"I'm Liang Mengsong. Hello, Teacher Su." Liang Mengsong nodded, looking a bit impatient.
Su Xiaoyue straightened her face and spoke earnestly.
"Qiutong's father, I hope you can pay the fees on time in the future. Qiutong always pays at the last minute. It has a bad influence on the other students."
"Thank you for the reminder, Teacher. I'll definitely pay on time from now on." Although Liang Mengsong appeared humble on the surface, he was actually furious. He felt so embarrassed.
How dare she criticize him in front of so many people, especially in front of Xu Qingqing! What a clueless teacher!
He had given his wife, Zhu Mei, the monthly living expenses on time. Why wasn't the fee paid on time?
Seeing that Liang Mengsong seemed to be listening seriously, Su Xiaoyue felt a sense of superiority. She glared at Xu Qingqing, hinting at something.
"It's right to listen to the teacher. We teachers would never do anything to harm the students."
"How much time can parents spend with their kids? Kids spend most of their time with teachers. Teachers understand the students' situations better."
Although Su Xiaoyue was insinuating about Xu Qingqing, Liang Mengsong got angrier the more he listened. He thought she was talking about him.
Hadn't he already promised?
Was it necessary to keep embarrassing him?
The smile on Liang Mengsong's face faded, and his expression turned cold. He said to Su Xiaoyue, "Teacher Su, I understand all this. There's no need to repeat it."
Xu Qingqing wasn't stupid. She could tell that Su Xiaoyue was insinuating about her. She raised her eyebrows and said earnestly, "Qiutong's father, Teacher Su is just very kind - hearted."
"If it weren't for her reminding my kids to eat less hot dogs today, I would have forgotten that eating too many hot dogs is not good. You should listen to Teacher Su."
After saying that, Xu Qingqing pulled the two kids over, leaned down, and whispered, "Yiyi, An'an, say goodbye to Teacher Su."
"Goodbye, Teacher Su."
The two kids obediently said goodbye to Su Xiaoyue and followed Xu Qingqing away.
Liang Qiutong's father also dragged Liang Qiutong away, fuming with anger. He was definitely going to give this teacher a bad review today!
So annoying with all that veiled sarcasm!
As soon as the car drove into the community, Xu Qingqing saw through the windshield a black figure being dragged into the bushes by a rope and falling inside. Only two legs were sticking out.
Xu An'an had sharp eyes. She immediately recognized it was Lu Chuanbai. She knocked on the window to remind Xu Qingqing. "Mom, Uncle Lu was dragged into the bushes by something. Let's go down and check on him quickly!"
"It looks like a black - and - white animal." Xu Yiyi rolled down the window and craned her neck to look out.
"No way..."
Although Xu Qingqing was puzzled, she still parked the car by the roadside and got out to check.
Could Lu Chuanbai really be dragged into the bushes? It didn't match his image at all!
Xu Qingqing got out of the car and looked at the man's long legs, broad back, and... perky buttocks.
She averted her gaze and softly asked the man lying in the bushes, "Sir, do you need help? Let me help you up."
After saying that, Xu Qingqing was about to reach out to help the man up, but the man waved his arm at her, his voice muffled as he refused. "Don't... I'm okay. You can go first."
Lu Chuanbai was extremely embarrassed. He wanted to beat up the Border Collie his secretary had sent.
He never thought that just going out for a dog walk and waiting to bump into Xu Qingqing and the kids on the way home would turn out like this.
He didn't expect to be dragged into the bushes by the dog, tripped by the leash, and fall into the bushes!
Coming out now would only make him look like a fool!
Lu Chuanbai wanted to wait until Xu Qingqing left before crawling out. The man's voice was hoarse and muffled. It was obvious that he was deliberately hiding his real voice.