Mo Ling looked at the name displayed on his phone and his thick eyebrows creased into a frown. He debated whether he should pick up the call but he ultimately accepted the call.
He heard a sweet, girlish voice say excitedly, âMo Ling, you must come for the dance party tomorrow.â
He frowned and a flash of annoyance crossed his eyes. He said darkly, âIâm not available tomorrow.â
His voice sounded very cold and aloof.
The girl on the other end of the line persisted and said, âCanât you try to free up some time tomorrow? Iâll only need two hours. Donât worry, I can teach you how to dance if you canât dance.â
She continued to try her luck.
Mo Ling fell silent and the annoyance on his face became more obvious.
âAnqi, please get someone else to be your dance partner. Iâll be spending time with my mother tomorrow,â he said coolly as he gave a good excuse to turn her down.
The girl sounded very disappointed. She let out a sigh of disappointment⦠and sighed twice before she said softly, âAlright then!â
He Xiyan smiled brightly and she couldnât help but ask the moment her son wrapped up the call, âThat call was from a girl, right?â
Her smile widened as she said, âDonât worry, Mo Ling. Please attend the dance party with that girl. Iâll head to New York for the day.â
She didnât want to interrupt her sonâs date.
Mo Ling turned and looked at his mother in confusion.
âMomâ¦â he said.
He Xiyan replied, âHmm? Whatâs up?â
Mo Ling said, âDo you want a daughter-in-law that badly?â
He Xiyan was speechless and she didnât know how to react.
She looked a little embarrassed and she didnât know how to respond to her son. She wasnât that anxious to have a daughter-in-law but she hoped that her son would be able to find a suitable match.
Hmmâ¦what was she thinking?
Mo Ling smiled and gave his mother a pat on her shoulder.
âAlright, mom. Stop fretting about this. 99% of campus romances will end in a breakup after graduation, so do you want me to be dumped in a yearâs time?â
She was speechless.
She didnât know what to say when she realized how easily her son was able to come back with a witty retort.
She smiled awkwardly and said, âThatâs not it. I noticed that your apartment was much cleaner than it used to be and was wondering if you had a girlfriend who came to help you clean up.â
âI clean my own house,â he said.
He didnât have time to tidy his apartment because he had been so busy with school in the past but now that he had time on his hands, he would spend three hours each week cleaning his apartment.
He Xiyan smiled and said, âThatâs great to hear!â
They spoke for a while more. Mo Ling let his mother sleep in his room while he slept in the study that night.
His study was a little bigger than his room, so his bookshelves were lined with both fiction and non-fiction books. There were also technical books that werenât related to his field of study. He enjoyed studying and had an interest in expanding his field of knowledge. He was also a homebody, so he would be at home if he wasnât at school. He would occasionally hit the gym or attend several student-teacher gatherings.
s
He selected a book on art appreciation titled âThe Most Beautiful Eyesâ, the latest release from a famous artist named Professor Ron.
He only read for several minutes before his phone rang.