My Crush Also Has a Crush on Me!
Chapter 52: My Kid

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: My Kid

The weather was beginning to get hotter, and during PE class free time, only a few boys were ignoring the scorching sun on the sports field, dripping with sweat.

A few girls hid under the shade of a tree, applying sunscreen and chattering about something.

As Fu Ying walked past them, she overheard Shen Liguang’s name.

Involuntarily, her pace slowed.

"Zhou Wei, what do you think he and your sister will do when they meet up?"

One of the girls smirked.

Immediately after, another girl chimed in: "What else can a man and a woman alone do? Of course, they do things adults do."

"You’re so dirty."

"Zhou Wei is dirtier, okay? She sent me a dirty picture last night, it was unbearable to see."

"Hey, Zhou Wei, which hotel did your sister and your future brother-in-law book?"

The girl poked Zhou Wei’s arm with a meaningful look.

Zhou Wei smiled, "You guys are the ones being dirty. He’s just meeting my sister for a meal, at a restaurant near our school. I’ll go there after school."

"Going there to be a third wheel? Ruining your sister’s good time."

"I think Zhou Wei has a thing for the handsome firefighter brother too."

The girls laughed heartily.

"Don’t you?"

"I do too."

The girls bantered playfully.

Fu Ying sat nearby in an inconspicuous place, her head down, absentmindedly playing with pebbles on the ground, yet she heard the girls’ conversation crystal clear.

Beside her, Wen Tian stopped his rustling pencil and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing." Fu Ying shook her head, noticing him working on papers even during PE class, feeling somewhat envious of his self-discipline, "You study even during PE class. No wonder you perform well. There’s upcoming mock exams, I wish I could be half as diligent as you."

Wen Tian pushed up his glasses, speaking maturely, "Not everyone excels at studies, and of course, you can’t measure a person solely by academic performance. We all have our own fields."

We all have our own fields.

Fu Ying didn’t know where her field lay.

All she knew was that next week were the mock exams, followed by a parents’ meeting.

As the self-study class was about to end, Fu Ying made a very bold decision.

She stood by the roadside, texting Fu Mingchuan that she was going to a classmate’s house and would be back later.

As soon as the text was sent, Zhou Wei and a few girls happened to walk out from the school.

She hesitated for a moment, then followed them at a distance.

Zhou Wei and her friends chatted and laughed, utterly unaware she was being followed.

Eventually, Zhou Wei and her friends parted ways at a restaurant.

Zhou Wei stood at the doorway, fixing her hair and applying lipstick from her bag to her satisfaction before entering.

Fu Ying stood by the door, pacing back and forth clutching her backpack straps, until a waiter came over and asked if she was lost. Only then did Fu Ying muster the courage to enter.

Inside the restaurant, Fu Ying saw Shen Liguang.

He was walking toward her direction.

Her heart tensed, breathing slowed, and suddenly the phrase "What a coincidence" that she had prepared felt so humiliating.

She turned to leave.

But as she turned around, she bumped into someone—a woman with an enchanting, mature perfume.

Fu Ying apologized in a hurry, "I’m sorry..."

Along with her voice, the woman’s sharp rebuke rang out.

"What’s the matter with you, kid? Can’t you watch where you’re going?"

"Miss Zhou, what’s wrong?"

His voice rose from behind her, and Fu Ying’s body stiffened, her nerves taut.

She desperately wished for a hole to crawl into; she could be anywhere but here.

Fu Ying’s eyes reddened, her chest ached, and her body shakily trembled in tense embarrassment.

His legs felt as if they were filled with lead, unable to take a single step.

The woman frowned and brushed the juice off her skirt, complaining disdainfully, "The juice I just bought has all spilled on my clothes. Who knows whose kid this is, no parents in sight, walking around without looking. Now my brand new skirt is ruined!"

Shen Liguang looked at Fu Ying.

Sensing his gaze, Fu Ying hung her head lower.

Shen Liguang chuckled, his tone tinged with apology, "I’m sorry, my child has dirtied your clothes. I’ll cover the cost for the juice-stained garment. How much was it?"

The woman’s expression changed slightly, disbelief in her voice, "She’s yours?"

"Blame it on youthful foolishness, I have a daughter born out of wedlock."

"She, she is your daughter?" The woman couldn’t believe it, she glanced back and forth between Shen Liguang and Fu Ying, momentarily unable to discern the truth.

The girl’s face still had traces of baby fat, she wasn’t tall, and her features were youthful. As young as she looked, she appeared to be in her teens.

By age, she shouldn’t be Shen Liguang’s daughter.

What Shen Liguang said was half-true, half-joking, "We’re all adults here, no need to hide it. Don’t be fooled by my decent job, I’m not exactly the most upright guy. Back in high school, I fancied the girl next door, things happened, and voila."

"My mother and Aunt Wang probably didn’t tell you about this, right? If you don’t mind being a stepmother, I have no objections. Let’s get the marriage registered and you can help me take care of the kid."

The woman forced an awkward smile. Although she had a good impression of the man, she never expected him to have a daughter at such a young age.

Did Aunt Wang really not tell her about this, was she expected to marry in and become a stepmom?

To help him raise a child?

What a well-played move.

She thought to herself, how could a man with such good conditions need to resort to arranged dates.

The woman smiled, "We’ve just met, it’s too soon to talk about getting married. Besides, I’m not someone who marries casually. We need to know each other better. Oh right, I just remembered I have something else to do, I have to go."

After saying that, the woman grabbed her bag and left.

Zhou Wei went to order dishes and came back to see his sister walking out with a look of disgust.

"Sister, what’s wrong?"

"I’m not eating, going home."

Zhou Wei was confused, "Why?"

"Don’t ask, such bad luck, ran into a marriage scammer!"

....

The dishes had just been served, and Fu Ying sat opposite Shen Liguang, not knowing what to do.

Her hands under the table, resting on her legs, fidgeted nervously with her clothes, gaze lowered to the glass in front of her with lipstick marks left by the woman.

Fu Ying felt a heavy discomfort in her chest.

Shen Liguang reached out to take away the glass in front of her and replaced it with a new one.

Fu Ying said softly, "I’m sorry."

Shen Liguang leaned back in his chair and asked with a smile, "Sorry for what?"

"You were on a date and I messed it up."

"It wasn’t really a date, you actually helped me out of a tight spot. Thanks for that."

Fu Ying looked up, met his gaze, and then calmly moved her eyes elsewhere.

Her heart was pounding wildly.

"I wasn’t really interested in her."

A sense of regained joy bubbled up in Fu Ying’s heart.

She had no idea what to say, and the mood became awkward.

The man opposite her started speaking again, "You seem to have a lot on your mind."

Indeed, a lot on her mind.

Fu Ying shook her head, "I have mock exams coming up, and I’m really struggling with my studies."

"Hmm." His tone was light, almost amused, "Your brother told me that you scored 200 in your midterm exams. That’s an improvement."

Fu Ying was terribly embarrassed; why did her brother have to tell him everything?