Chapter 386 - 381: Combing Hair into a Grown-up Style

Chapter 386: Chapter 381: Combing Hair into a Grown-up Style

On the bed, the couple, having just made love, held each other tightly. Lin Yanwan’s face glowed with a rosy afterglow as she lay gently on Jiang Xia’s firm chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.

"Babe, Shen Ying is coming tomorrow. Are you going to go pick her up?" Jiang Xia asked, his eyes half-closed as he gently stroked his wife’s smooth back. His voice was tinged with a weary laziness.

"Yingying? I think she gets in at night."

"Right. So, are you going?"

Lin Yanwan considered it for a moment. "Isn’t Wang Ming going? I shouldn’t be a third wheel when the young couple meets up."

"Ha, that’s what I was thinking too. Let’s wait until the day after tomorrow. We can all get together when we have time."

"Mhm..."

Lin Yanwan lowered her head and gently pecked at his collarbone, her soft whisper reaching Jiang Xia’s ear. "Honey, I want more..."

Jiang Xia gulped. ’His wife’s stamina seems a little high tonight. Could it be because of Chen Yao?’

He turned to grab a condom from the nightstand, but Lin Yanwan pressed on his shoulder and kissed his lips.

"Darling, I don’t want that. Didn’t I tell you? Today is my safe period..."

***

The next morning, Li Weiya finished cooking the noodles, but noticed her son had been in the bathroom washing up for a long time and still hadn’t come out.

"Ah Ming, the noodles are ready," she urged.

"Oh, okay, Mom. Coming."

Wang Ming looked at himself in the mirror from side to side. Thinking the hair on the side of his head looked a bit flat, he took a vent brush and curled it back a few times, then sprayed on a little hairspray to set it.

When he was done, he couldn’t help but look pleased. ’The men’s hairstyles I found on D Station are actually pretty useful.’

He suddenly grinned at the mirror, his smile confident and bright, with just a hint of goofiness.

"Ying, long time no—"

Before he could finish, he saw his mom in the mirror, who had appeared at the doorway at some point.

"Who are you talking to?" Li Weiya asked suspiciously.

"No one... I-I was humming a song. Talking to myself." Wang Ming’s expression froze, then he cleverly started singing, "Just to say one thing to you, just to say, long time no see~"

He walked out of the bathroom as he sang. Li Weiya’s gaze fell on him; she couldn’t help but feel that her son was acting very suspiciously today.

The mother and son sat down at the dining table. Li Weiya said casually, "I didn’t make much for you. Is it seasoned okay?"

"It’s perfect."

"What were you dawdling in the bathroom for? The noodles were about to get all mushy."

"Nothing, just washing my face and brushing my teeth."

Li Weiya looked up at her son’s clothes and hairstyle. His hair was styled like a grown-up’s, and he wore a black T-shirt with a red plaid shirt over it, paired with ice-silk straight-leg casual pants. A son like this looked a tiny bit unfamiliar.

"Washing your face and brushing your teeth requires doing your hair? Still, you look pretty handsome."

"Hehe, you think so?"

Hearing his mom’s compliment, Wang Ming suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

"I just suddenly felt like changing my hairstyle. This looks a little more mature," he said, scratching his head.

"Mhm... As the person in charge of the Cat and Mouse project team, you really should dress a bit more maturely. It’s not appropriate to always look like a high school student," Li Weiya said with a faint nod.

"There’s a meeting this morning. The online response to Cat and Mouse season six has been good since its release, so you’ll need to give a summary at the meeting in a bit."

"Mom, I took the day off today," Wang Ming said meekly, scratching his cheek.

Li Weiya’s brow twitched. "When did you request it? How come I didn’t see a leave request form?"

"Yesterday. I asked Old Jiang."

Li Weiya glanced at him. "Going over your superior’s head to ask for leave, are we? Don’t think you can just mess around because you’re on good terms with Ah Xia. The company has its rules. Even if I want to take a day off, I have to go through the proper approval channels, not just mention it casually."

Seeing her son’s miserable expression, she sighed softly. "Remember to submit the leave request form after your day off."

Wang Ming’s spirits lifted. "Mom, does that mean you approve?"

"What did I approve?"

"My day off..." He pursed his lips. "I already wrote the report. It’s on my computer desktop. You can just print it out and read it."

Li Weiya shot him an irritated glare. "Who’s the director here, you or me? You can handle this yourself; I’m not helping you. What’s the deal? Dressed so sharp today, are you in a rush to go meet someone?"

"No, no..." Wang Ming denied instinctively, his eyes darting away. "I’ve just been a little tired lately and wanted to rest."

Li Weiya knew her son all too well. ’That microexpression, that weak tone of voice—he was obviously lying.’

However, she couldn’t be bothered to call him out on it. Everyone has their own private matters, and besides, her son was a grown man now. He needed his personal space.

With that thought, Li Weiya huffed softly. "This is what you get for not following the leave procedure. After you give your report at the meeting, you can scram wherever you want. And don’t tell me you have something urgent. Your school exams are over and you’re on summer break. Your focus should be on work right now."

Wang Ming hesitated for two seconds. He thought about how Shen Ying still had an exam that morning. Her flight was at two in the afternoon, so she wouldn’t arrive until the evening. He wasn’t in a rush, time-wise.

"Uh, okay..."

After finishing his noodles, Wang Ming took his bowl and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash the pot and dishes. Meanwhile, Li Weiya was in her room doing her makeup and thinking about what to wear today.

About twenty minutes later, the mother and son left their residential complex and walked toward the nearby Tsinghua Science Park.

The morning meeting was a summary of the Cat and Mouse project team’s recent work. The agenda covered the animation team’s progress and recent issues, viewership ratings on major TV networks, online discussion and view counts, and even the financial returns for various partners. Also on the table were sales of derivative merchandise, the specific details for the Cat and Mouse feature film, and the upcoming Golden Dragon Award, the country’s most influential animation award.

Barring any surprises, Cat and Mouse, an anime that was a massive hit nationwide, was expected to win several awards.

As for Slam Dunk, because it had only premiered in March, it wasn’t eligible for any awards since it had missed the submission deadline, despite its excellent performance so far.

Otherwise, with nearly a hundred million views on D Station, winning a few awards would have been a piece of cake.

Wang Ming gave his report early in the meeting and then eagerly slipped away. His heart clearly wasn’t at the company.

Li Weiya saw this. When she had a free moment, she found Jiang Xia and asked, seemingly nonchalantly, "Ah Xia, do you know what Ah Ming took the day off for?"

Jiang Xia took a sip of tea and couldn’t help but smile. "Godmother, Shen Ying is coming to the Imperial Capital today. You didn’t know? Ah Ming... he didn’t tell you?"

Li Weiya paused. "Yingying’s on summer break? She never told me."

"Yeah, she has her last exam today. Once that’s done, her break starts."

’In that case, Ah Ming must be going to pick her up from the airport. No wonder he got all dressed up this morning and asked for a day off.’

She shook her head with a laugh. ’That silly boy. Did he really think he could hide anything from his sharp-witted mom?’