Ending Up with the Female Lead’s Mom - Chapter 14

On the day of enrollment, the roads were packed with cars. Every subway entrance and bus station was draped with banners welcoming new students. Su Ming felt as if she had been transported back to her youth, experiencing the genuine illusion of being a college student once again.

Su Yao was driving up front, her hands gripping the steering wheel, her mood souring by the second. “Stuck in traffic again.”

City A was nicknamed “University Town” for its abundance of colleges. Once orientation season hit, students from all corners of the country converged here. The sidewalks were filled with freshmen dragging suitcases, and the main roads—already congested on normal days—were now paralyzed by cars from every province.

The weather was sweltering. The cars crawled forward like tortoises. They should have taken the subway; at least the subway tracks didn’t get gridlocked. But neither of them wanted to haul heavy suitcases through the crowds.

“Don’t be anxious.” Su Ming popped a piece of dried fruit into Su Yao’s mouth.

Su Yao reflexively bit down, then immediately grimaced. “What is this? Why is it so sour?”

Su Ming said, “Dried apricot. It’s for refreshing the mind. Do you feel refreshed?”

“No, I’d rather listen to the radio.” Su Yao turned on the receiver, listening to a female broadcaster detail the traffic conditions ahead. If Su Ming hadn’t been in the backseat, she would have lost her temper long ago.

“This broken school of yours actually mandates living in the dorms. Do you want me to help you get a medical certificate so you can apply to be a commuter student?”

Su Yao knew Su Ming had been delicate since childhood and feared she would suffer hardships.

“The school rules state that freshmen must live in the dorms; only after that can you commute. It’s only a year—it’ll pass quickly.” Su Ming wanted to experience a different life. While living at home was comfortable, it definitely wouldn’t be the same as the campus experience.

Su Yao was unconvinced; she felt a year was a very long time.

By noon, they finally reached the school gates. Rows of cars stretched out like a long dragon. The moment they stepped out, upperclassmen from the welcoming committee swarmed toward them.

Su Ming was beautiful, wearing a white dress like a picture of pure youth. Su Yao was even more dazzling; the charm of a mature woman was unstoppable. Several boys from the Student Union instantly blushed, competing for the chance to pull their suitcases.

Su Yao, forced to walk empty-handed, felt her charm points being validated. Her bad mood from the traffic finally improved. “See that? Proper utilization of beauty.”

Su Ming: “…”

Led by two students, they went to the registration desk to pay tuition and finally arrived at the dormitory.

The dorm was a four-person room with bunk beds over desks. Her three roommates were all from out of town. Su Ming greeted them one by one, and after finishing the bedding with Su Yao’s help, they prepared to tour the campus.

Su Yao said, “It’s so hot. Let’s go check out the cafeteria.”

Su Ming held her small fan, walking beside Su Yao. They were both beautiful with great figures, and Su Yao was wearing oversized sunglasses in a futile attempt at discretion. They turned heads everywhere they went, and multiple people approached them to strike up a conversation.

Su Yao couldn’t help but sigh. “University really is a great place. The sky is clear, the rain has stopped, and I feel like I’ve ‘got it’ again. I want to come back to school to ‘eat tender grass’ too.”

Su Ming: “…”

“Sis, you’ve always been popular.”

Su Yao arched an eyebrow. “Then how do I compare to Gu Zhanci?”

Su Ming, remembering how Gu Zhanci told her “my condolences,” temporarily felt that Gu Zhanci’s charm had taken a massive hit. “Today, you are the most charming and popular one.”

Just as she spoke, Su Yao adjusted her sunglasses. Then she pulled them off entirely, wearing a look of total disbelief. She gasped, “Is that Gu Zhanci’s stepmother?”

Su Ming looked toward the crowd. “Where?”

Su Yao pointed. “In front of the library.”

Su Ming looked over. A woman was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, looking very gentle, surrounded by several students. As for how she could tell she was gentle, Su Ming relied purely on intuition.

“That’s her? She looks like someone who’s very easy to bully.” Su Ming knew appearances could be deceiving, but the stepmother gave off an aura of being fragile and “soft”—like an anime character who blushes as soon as they appear.

Su Yao spread her hands. “I told you she was soft. Er—I mean, Gu Zhanci’s stepmother is soft. I mean… her personality is soft.”

Su Ming: “…”

Su Ming was puzzled. “Is she staff at this school?”

“She must be a teacher. I never expected her to be a university professor. How could a teacher fall for that old fossil of a father?” Su Yao wondered.

“Maybe it’s a ‘Grandpa-Granddaughter’ romance. Those are trendy now.”

The book hadn’t detailed this plot point; things were getting more and more stimulating. Su Ming began to suspect she hadn’t transmigrated into a pure campus Yuri novel.

Su Yao disagreed. Under her inherent prejudice that Gu Zhanci hid a wild soul beneath a serious exterior, she preferred the theory that there was an “unspeakable secret” between the stepmother and Gu Zhanci.

She said, “I think there’s definitely something going on between the stepmother and Gu Zhanci. ‘Stepmother Literature’ is real.”

Su Ming: “…”

That’s impossible. Gu Zhanci is someone who tells people ‘condolences’ regarding school starting; she’s incapable of having a girlfriend.

Even if there is ‘something going on,’ it can only be between me and Gu Zhanci. I wonder if Su Yao will be able to handle that when the time comes…

Gu Zhanci had felt her ears burning lately—likely someone was talking about her behind her back. Since Gu Shiyue moved into the dorms, she was all alone at home. Ever since she told Su Ming “my condolences,” Su Ming hadn’t proactively reached out. Gu Zhanci felt things were much quieter.

While chatting with Lu Lu, she used one of Su Ming’s stickers. Lu Lu was shocked, thinking her account had been hacked, and called immediately to confirm. “Where did you get that sticker? It completely clashes with your style.”

Gu Zhanci said, “Just saved it casually. Isn’t it cute?”

Lu Lu said insincerely, “Cute, very cute. By the way, I’ve noticed Su Yao is very interested in your stepmother. I’ve heard her asking about her more than once. She wouldn’t be trying to ‘green’ (cuckold) your dad, would she?”

Gu Zhanci said indifferently, “If she wants to, she can.”

Lu Lu was speechless. “You really are something… Anyway, have you seen your mom this week? How is she?”

Gu Zhanci’s expression paused slightly. “Everything is normal. Occasionally she says nonsensical things. Yesterday, she made me crouch on the ground with her to pretend to be mushrooms. The doctor says her emotions are stabilizing; she isn’t as volatile as before.”

Lu Lu was curious. “You actually joined her?”

Gu Zhanci: “I did.”

Lu Lu couldn’t imagine the scene—Gu Zhanci expressionlessly crouching on the ground pretending to be a mushroom. She wanted to laugh just thinking about it. “Next time I’ll go with you. I want to be a mushroom too.”

“No way,” Gu Zhanci flatly refused.

For some reason, Gu Zhanci felt life had been a bit monotonous lately. It was likely because Su Ming hadn’t contacted her in a while, nor had she tried to please her “future mother-in-law.”

On September 21st, Gu Zhanci arrived at the office to find a massive bouquet of roses on her desk. They were from Ji Li. This man had been a fervent pursuer, sending roses once a month. Gu Zhanci always had them thrown out, but Ji Li seemed like a masochist, sending them even more frequently.

Gu Zhanci: “Next time, don’t even sign for them.”

Secretary: “Yes, ma’am.”

After a moment of silence, another bouquet arrived. The secretary asked if she should sign for it, as it wasn’t from Ji Li, and the choice of flowers was… strange.

Gu Zhanci asked, “Not roses this time?”

Secretary: “They’re pink carnations.”

Pink carnations symbolized maternal love. The secretary guessed, “Could they be from the President Gu?” But it wasn’t Mother’s Day, nor any special holiday. The closest holiday was the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was three days away.

Gu Zhanci said, “She wouldn’t send flowers. Reject them.”

The secretary was about to leave when Gu Zhanci said, “Wait. Have them brought up.”

The secretary was confused but brought the flowers up. Gu Zhanci took them and found a pink card tucked inside. Written in a flamboyant script were the words: To my future mother-in-law.

The corner of Gu Zhanci’s mouth quirked up. “Leave them.”

The secretary thought it was bizarre. What kind of pursuer sends carnations? They must be sick in the head.

When Gu Zhanci got off work, she predictably received a message from Su Ming.

Su Ming: “Did you get them? Blessings from your future daughter-in-law.”

Gu Zhanci: “I got them.”

Only after hitting send did she realize Su Ming said “future daughter-in-law.” She wanted to clarify it should be “future daughter’s wife,” but felt that would look like she was protesting too much.

Su Ming: “Can we video chat?”

Gu Zhanci: “No.”

The next second, she received a photo. In the photo, Su Ming was pitch black, like a lump of coal.

Gu Zhanci: “…” She was incredulous. “Why are you so dark now?”

Su Ming: “Military training! Half a month of tanning under the blazing sun.”

Su Ming sent another photo showing a sharp tan line on her arm. Actually, she had intentionally used a dark filter; when she sent it to Su Yao earlier, it had given her sister quite a shock.

Gu Zhanci had almost forgotten about military training. She knew Su Ming was most afraid of the heat, and yet she was being baked like this… She asked with concern, “Are you okay?”

Su Ming: “I’m okay, just almost fainted from the sun twice.”

Su Ming began to play the pity card. “Our military review is tomorrow. My sister is coming to see me. Sister, will you come see me too?”

This time, she sent a voice message. Gu Zhanci usually hated voice messages—why make her use her ears when she could see everything at a glance? But because it was Su Ming, she patiently tapped it. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Su Ming’s voice sounded like she was acting spoiled.

Su Ming immediately followed up with two stickers:

Cat Rolling Over.gif

Cat Blowing a Kiss.gif

Seeing her act like a spoiled little girl, Gu Zhanci smiled softly and typed: “What time? I have an important meeting tomorrow morning. If there’s time after, I will definitely go.”

Su Ming switched to text: “Our department is near the end. It should be around 11:00 AM. Sister, you must come!”

Gu Zhanci: “Okay.”

Gu Zhanci: “Also, thank you for the flowers.”

Gu Zhanci: “Just… don’t send such ambiguous things in the future.”

Su Ming: “Can’t I even show my ‘filial piety’ to you?”

Gu Zhanci sent four messages in a row:

“It’s better not to. Others will mistake me for having an illegitimate daughter.”

“Even if you must send them, don’t send them to the office. You can send them directly to my house.”

“Actually, stop sending carnations. If you keep sending them, our ‘future mother-in-law relationship’ is going to ferment into something else.”

“I don’t need another daughter this big.”

Su Ming: “…”