Mother School.

Meiying found herself at a corner, being attended to by the director's friend who happened to be a renowned doctor. As she threw glares at Xuejian, who seemed completely engrossed in his conversation with the director, the doctor reassured her, "It's just a bruise, nothing to worry about. You'll be fine!" Meiying, however, interrupted him before he could inform the director, sharing that she plans to play a prank on her husband.

With a swift and silent movement, Meiying passed by Xuejian and the director, heading towards Jingyi to retrieve her bag. Soon enough, she dashed to her car's location, catching the curious gazes of Huang Yifan and Zhang Hongzong as they watched in amusement. Just as Xuejian began searching for his wife, she was already seated in her car. In a playful gesture, she stuck out her tongue and zoomed off, leaving Xuejian in surprise who followed suit in his own car.

Yifan and Hongzong exchanged surprised looks. "Marriage seems like quite the adventure," Yifan mused.

Hongzong, however, eyed him skeptically, remarking, "But didn't you label marriage as an inescapable dungeon?"

"Did I really say that?" Yifan questioned, unable to recall when such words escaped his lips. Nevertheless, he continued, "Regardless, it would be wonderful to experience marriage's joys."

"Don't rush into it just because of their childlike behavior," Hongzong warned.

"That's precisely why I want to get married," Yifan replied dreamily. "Who would have imagined the Ice cold prince could become so possessive and chase after his wife like a child? It just goes to show how much marriage can change someone."

Hongzong retorted sarcastically, "Yes, but more often than not, it changes a person for the worse."

"Don't be so negative! What I meant is, if there's another woman like Meiying in this world, I... I would marry her," Yifan declared confidently, leaving Hongzong staring at him in disbelief.

Having lost sight of Xuejian, Meiying saw an opportunity to make a quick stop at a phone store to purchase a new phone for Du Xinyi. While on the road, Meiying checked Du Xinyi's social media account and came across a post showcasing her interest in a new brand of phone. Inspired by her preferences, Meiying decided to go ahead and buy the same phone for her.

Knowing that the school break was just around the corner, Meiying decided to surprise Du Xinyi and her friends with a delicious treat. She drove to a nearby restaurant and purchased five meals.

As Meiying arrived at the school, she carefully balanced the bags of food in her hands and made her way to the School Director's office. She knocked on the door and, upon hearing a response, entered the room.

Inside, she found a man in his late thirties seated behind a desk. He wore glasses and had a slim figure, a departure from the typical image of a School Director. Meiying couldn't help but be struck by his polished appearance, thinking to herself that he seemed more like a CEO.

Meiying's eyes widened as she noticed a striking resemblance. "Teacher Song," she exclaimed.

The man looked at her with surprise and stood up. "Sun Meiying," he called out, confirming her identity.

"Yes, but I'm Wang Meiying now," she chuckled, causing him to laugh along.

"Of course, please have a seat," he gestured towards the chair in front of him, and she gracefully sat down.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" he inquired, his tone filled with genuine curiosity.

Meiying smiled warmly. "I can't believe you're the school director now," she said with admiration.

He laughed before becoming serious in an instant. "It was through hard work and loyalty. The former school director noticed my dedication from when I was a student to becoming a teacher and decided to entrust his school to me," he explained.

"Wonderful! You truly deserve this position. Ever since you became a teacher, you've worked tirelessly for the betterment of the school," Meiying praised sincerely.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Wang," he said, unintentionally causing Meiying to cringe at the name. She couldn't help but feel awkward whenever someone called her by her married name.

Meiying explained her visit, expressing her desire to support the students and the school during the spring festival. "It's my Mother school, after all," she concluded.

Director Song's face lit up with delight. "I have always believed that you are a blessing to me! How fortunate it is that I was searching for an artist for the festival, and here you are, offering your support to the preparations," he exclaimed happily.

Blushing slightly, Meiying replied, "I don't just want to make an appearance. I want to be involved in the preparations, to contribute in any way I can."

Director Song's eyes almost bulged out of his head at her eagerness. "That... that is wonderful! I'll inform the staff in charge of the preparation and the school president," he said, just as the bell for break time rang in the air.

Director Song made a phone call, attempting to reach the staff responsible for the festival's preparations and the school president. However, the staff was unavailable, leaving them to wait for the school president.

After a few minutes, a knock on the door signaled the arrival of the school president. Director Song greeted him and welcomed him into the room. The school president approached the table and exchanged pleasantries with the director. Then, he turned towards Meiying, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Zeng Wei, are you the school president?" Meiying asked, genuinely taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

"Yes, I am. What are you doing here?" he inquired, his voice filled with curiosity. The director swiftly interjected, clearing his throat and cautioning Zeng Wei about being too informal.

"She wishes to take part in the school's preparations for the Spring Festival, so I ask you to kindly accept her and demonstrate to her the extent of the preparations. She will also be attending the festival," the school director informed, causing Zeng Wei to turn to Meiying in surprise.

Having just left the Director's office, Zeng Wei made the decision to show Meiying what had been prepared. However, she requested him to call their other friends, as she had something for all of them.

Meiying settled herself onto a beautifully crafted stone stool, accompanied by an equally crafted stone table, just outside the school building. More of these stools and tables were scattered around, evoking a distant memory that brought a smile to Meiying's face.

Zeng Wei returned with his friends in tow, and upon sighting Meiying, Du Xinyi rushed forward and embraced her from behind, causing Meiying to giggle. The others joined them, taking their seats around the stone table. Du Xinyi and Zeng Wei were seated on either side of Meiying.

Meiying reached into her bag and retrieved a phone package, which she then handed to Du Xinyi. The latter let out a scream of excitement and joy as she eagerly received it.

"How did you know she liked that brand?" Shi Lin inquired flatly.

"I perused her social media page and saw it," Meiying replied, slightly taken aback that Shi Lin, who usually spoke very little, was the one to ask.

"Zeng Wei informed us of your purpose for being here, but I'm still unclear as to why you summoned all of us, considering you only needed to give Xinyi her new phone," Yang Mei questioned, her tone carrying a hint of malice.

Meiying ignored the slight hostility in Yang Mei's voice and proceeded to empty the contents of her bag onto the table, which left all of them marveling at the dishes.

"I didn't want to eat alone again, so I decided to buy you all food before coming. After all, we're friends now," Meiying said with a warm smile. Du Xinyi beamed with delight, Zeng Wei looked at her fondly, Yang Mei blushed in embarrassment, and Shi Lin maintained her usual stoic expression, simply staring at Meiying.

They all enjoyed the delicious meal and decided to take Meiying to see a cherry blossom tree that the students had crafted using twigs, tissue paper, and pink or white crepe paper on a half-cut old tree.

Meiying gazed in awe at the sight before her and couldn't resist climbing the ladder to fix a loose pink crepe paper that had come undone from a twig. However, as she made her way down, she slipped and started to fall. In an instant, a strong hand reached out and caught her. She looked up to find Zeng Wei looking down at her with a gentle smile.

Their brief moment of connection was interrupted by a group of students and a familiar figure walking towards them. Xuejian, with an unsettling smile on his face, was observing Meiying in Zeng Wei's arms.

A shiver ran down Meiying's spine as she felt a sense of unease wash over her. That smile... something about it made her deeply uncomfortable.