The Reincarnated OP Protagonist Is Now A 3rd Grade Student (Patreon)

Chapter 39: Meeting His Mother

On Saturday...

A little girl extended her arms to both sides, looking ahead with a serious expression, trying to maintain her balance as she walked carefully on the way to her destination.

Although the path was the same as before and there was nothing to be cautious about, everything changed because of the appearance of a white line. She made a great effort to step on the white line and not let her feet touch any other place.

It was supposed to be another day of diligent studying under her father's supervision, but for some unknown reason, her father's temperament had changed dramatically, allowing her to go out and meet a friend.

Perhaps her father thought she would have some fun, but unfortunately, she came today to study seriously for that one-fourth chance.

Standing at the doorstep of her classmate Chen An's house, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Soon, a long-haired woman in pajamas, looking very comfortable, opened the door.

"You must be the friend Chen An mentioned, here to study together, right? I'm his mom, you can call me Aunt Mei."

Lu Li stared at the adult in front of her, squatting down and making eye contact. After a while, she finally came to her senses, lowering her head in embarrassment. Even though she wanted to say hello, her shyness only allowed her to produce a faint whisper.

Chen Xuemei didn't mind at all. She held Lu Li's hand and welcomed her into the room.

Lu Li curiously looked around her classmate's living space.

"Compact," "simple," but very clean and tidy. The whole house was filled with a pleasant floral scent, indicating that Chen An's mom was a very clean person.

"An went out for a while and will be back soon. In the meantime, let's have a chat," Chen Xuemei said as she sat down next to Lu Li, blinking her eyes and looking at the adorable little girl. "Has Chen An done anything bad at school? I've tried to ask him many times, but he never wants to tell me anything. He just says, 'I'm fine.'"

"Well... he does seem to be doing well," Lu Li replied, feeling a bit strange. Why did Chen An's mom assume that "Chen An" had done something wrong and start the conversation that way? It was actually Lu Li who had done something wrong.

"For example, does he daydream in class and not pay attention to the lessons?" Chen Xuemei asked expectantly.

"Um... he does seem to do that," Lu Li admitted hesitantly.

"Great!" Chen Xuemei excitedly clenched her fist.

"He was openly reading a book called 'A Brief History of Humankind' during class, right in front of the teacher, and although the teacher saw it, for some reason, she acted as if she hadn't seen anything."

Oh...

Chen Xuemei shook her head in frustration and then asked, "Has he ever gotten into fights or arguments with other students on school?"

"Yes, the group he belongs to had some unpleasant conflicts with the Dragon Club at school."

Great!

Chen Xuemei happily clenched her fist.

"According to him, once they defeat the Dragon Club, the Dragon Club members won't mock the students with lower grades anymore."

Oh...

Chen Xuemei shook her head in frustration but still held onto a glimmer of hope. "Has he ever used his strength to bully others?"

"He did use a school broom to attack students from another school."

That's great!

Chen Xuemei excitedly tightened her fist. Regardless of the reason, fighting is not acceptable behavior, and her child was finally doing some mischievous things that normal kids do.

"But the reason he fought was to buy time to confront the police and catch the perpetrator of the explosion case."

Oh...

Click!

As the sound of a key turning echoed, Chen An entered the room, looking at Lu Li sitting with his mother and then at his mother covering her face. He immediately understood everything but didn't know what to say. He could only sigh and say, "Mom, we have a guest."

"Huh?"

Chen Xuemei raised her head in confusion and saw the familiar policewoman who had come to inquire about the progress of the case. The policewoman is holding a cake in her hand.

"Mrs. Chen, I've come to discuss the progress of the case with your child again. Is right now a convenient time?"

"Of course, please come in."

Chen An pushed the door open, gesturing for Tan Jing to move away from his nosy mom. He then led Lu Li towards his room.

"Chen An, your mom is acting strange," Lu Li said, puzzled. "It seems like... she's not happy with you not doing bad things."

"Well, that's true. She wishes I would go out and fool around and be mischievous all day," Chen An replied.

"Huh..."

Lu Li looked at Chen An in shock. "Did you hypnotize your mom or something?"

Chen An stumbled and nearly fell, then turned to look at Lu Li with a puzzled expression. "Hypnotize my mom? Where did you learn such an evil term, from some non-serious comic book?"

"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Lele hypnotized her own mom."

Lu Li looked at Chen An with curiosity and said, "What's so evil about that?"

"Hmm, that's actually a good question..."

Instinctively avoiding admitting that he might be the one with the "evil" inclinations, Chen An quickly diverted Lu Li's attention and opened the door to his room. He handed Icarus, placed prominently, to Lu Li.

Lu Li gladly took Icarus and then got distracted by the room itself.

Chen An's room was quite simple - just a desk, a bed, and nothing else?

No large closet, not even a study desk, only a few large boxes filled with books. This room...

"It's quite Spartan, isn't it?" Chen An shrugged. "Well, my family isn't struggling for food and drinks, but we're not exactly well-off either, not like..."

"It's fantastic!"

Lu Li looked at the clean and tidy little room with admiration.

"What's fantastic about it?" Chen An scratched his head, puzzled, and looked at Lu Li. "My room can only fit a bed and a desk, and that's about it."

"Isn't that great?" Lu Li said enviously. "My room is large and spacious to the point that the most comfortable place for me to sleep is in the closet where I keep my clothes, even though that's not what it's meant for."

Is it a form of claustrophilia, the opposite of claustrophobia?

Chen An chuckled and shook his head, then picked up a small table and brought it to the bed after placing some things on the corner.

After all, his room was just too small. While he could study in the living room, the cheerful chatter and laughter from his mom and Tan Jing in the living room made it an unsuitable place for studying.

Lu Li took off her indoor shoes and carefully stepped onto someone else's bed. The stiff straw mat and the soft, cushiony bed at home gave her a completely different feeling.

"Alright, let's get started then," Chen An said as he brought out his secret books, including "I Ching Eight Characters," "Complete Guide to Astrology," "Tarot Cards," and...

"Wait, what are these books?" Lu Li asked in horror, looking at the pile of inexplicable books.

"These are English study guides," Chen An replied. "Is there a problem?"