Chapter 135

In the evening, Sheng Mumu returned to Xiyu Yuetin.

As she bent down to change her shoes, her phone vibrated.

She received a WeChat message from Qi Mo.

"I have a friend's dinner tonight, won't be back for dinner."

Sheng Mumu was stunned for a few seconds.

What is she doing?

Should she inform her?

With a smile, Sheng Mumu tapped the screen and replied, "One point for your gentlemanly behavior."

Just after she sent the message, her lips gently pursed.

Her long lashes concealed the faint flicker in her eyes as she added another message:

"One point for your likability."

On the other side,

Qi Mo was on her way to the dinner gathering.

When she saw Sheng Mumu's message, her chest trembled slightly, and her laughter became low.

Her slender fingertips hovered above the screen as she pressed the reply button:

"Are you so cautious with giving points? Should the referee consider it again?"

Sheng Mumu was still changing her shoes when she noticed her phone lighting up, so she sat on the shoe-changing stool.

Leaning against the soft cushion behind her, she opened the chat box and arched her eyebrows suddenly.

The man in the back seat of the luxury car had been staring at his phone.

After a short sound effect of "xu," the screen received her message:

"This contestant, if you say more, points will be deducted."

In the villa,

Zhang Housekeeper stood by with hands behind his back, wearing an expression that said, "I understand everything."

He handed over a warm towel and wiped his wife's hands properly.

Sheng Mumu was about to take the warm towel when a new message arrived.

Her hand, still in mid-air, paused and then retreated as she lit up her phone.

Qi Mo: "No, even one point is a point. I'll slowly accumulate them."

Unable to help herself, Sheng Mumu imagined how Qi Mo would sound saying this sentence in his deep voice.

Just the thought of it made her clear eyes curve, and her dimples deepen slightly.

It's a bit funny.

At this moment, footsteps came from behind.

Dragging and lazy.

Just by listening, she knew that Qi Shaobai had returned.

Sheng Mumu changed into her indoor slippers and turned her head to look. "Xiao Qi, your dad has a business dinner tonight, and I have a big plan. I invite you to join."

Qi Shaobai, with a backpack slung over one shoulder, furrowed his brow in alertness upon hearing her words.

"What plan?"

The more serious Sheng Mumu appeared, the more he felt that something was amiss.

Last time, when she received that stack of test papers, her expression was almost the same.

Thinking of this, Qi Shaobai wanted to slip back into his room.

Departing from his usual laziness, he quickly changed his shoes and headed inside.

Casually, he tossed out a remark:

"I'll go put my backpack away."

Sheng Mumu's eyebrow arched, seeing through Qi Shaobai's clumsy little tricks.

Normally, when he came back, Qi Shaobai would casually throw his backpack onto the sofa and head straight to the dining room.

But today, he suddenly had to put his backpack away.

Such poor acting!

"Come back!" Sheng Mumu suddenly called out.

Her tone wasn't heavy, but it carried enough seriousness to make Qi Shaobai's footsteps pause, and he turned his head leisurely.

On that cold and aloof face,

At this moment, it looked innocent, vulnerable, and pitiful.

Sheng Mumu slowed her speech, using a coaxing tone:

"Xiao Qi, isn't it turning towards autumn now?"

Qi Shaobai didn't understand the meaning of her opening statement.

The less he understood, the stronger his sense of caution became. He subconsciously tilted his neck back, looking at her with suspicion.

Sheng Mumu continued, her tone gentle and persuasive:

"The weather is gradually getting cooler. Our bodies know this signal and will start storing fat in advance to prepare for winter."

Qi Shaobai raised an eyebrow, "So?"

Sheng Mumu was taken aback and took a shallow breath, "I heard your English has improved, no need to show off right off the bat."

Qi Shaobai suppressed his smile, "Fair enough."

Sheng Mumu continued to explain her "grand plan":

"So, I was thinking, why don't we learn from your dad and make good use of the gym at home? Exercise twice a week... or maybe once a day?"

"You want to lose weight?" Qi Shaobai hit the nail on the head, then thought for a moment and added, "You're not even overweight. Why bother losing weight? Besides, I don't need to lose weight either. I'm just too lazy to move."

"Exercise! Exercise! It's not about losing weight," Sheng Mumu squinted her eyes and looked him up and down, "Haven't you noticed that you've been mentally exhausted from your studies lately?"

"..." Qi Shaobai, "...huh?"

Is that so?

Where did he become mentally exhausted???

Sheng Mumu wasn't making it up. She had recently noticed that Qi Shaobai's mental state was not as good as it was during the summer vacation.

During the summer vacation, Qi Shaobai would often go out to play basketball with Wei Zhaonan.

But since the start of their senior year, she hadn't seen him go out to play basketball once.

After evening self-study, he would lock himself in his room. The only time he would briefly come out was to go to the kitchen for drinks or snacks.

So, on her way back, Sheng Mumu seriously considered that Qi Shaobai must join the exercise routine.

Studies are important, but physical health is even more important.

Sheng Mumu nodded to herself. Hmm.

It definitely wasn't because she weighed herself in the morning and found that she had gained two pounds.

It wasn't because she found exercising alone too boring and wanted a workout partner.

Seeing that Qi Shaobai still had the expression of "I don't want to move," Sheng Mumu didn't force him like a stepmother would. Instead, she tried a different approach to persuade him.

"Classmate Xiaoqi, think about it. In a way, exercising regularly every week is a display of self-discipline. Once a person achieves self-discipline, what else in life can defeat them?"

"That's not it, from a certain perspective," Qi Shaobai remained unmoved and shrugged his shoulders.

With confidence, he said, "Not maintaining self-discipline is also a form of self-discipline."

Sheng Mumu: ...

Wow...

That...

Makes sense.

For a moment, she couldn't find a reasonable argument to refute him.

Qi Shaobai's eyebrows lifted confidently as he stared at her, conveying through his expression, "I told you I was right, didn't I?"

Sheng Mumu's temple throbbed, and she sighed helplessly.

She finally understood why Qi Shaobai always lost points in reading comprehension exams.

With this kind of thought process, it's a miracle to get it right.

Since reasoning and persuasion didn't work, Sheng Mumu had to resort to her last move.

"Well then, a forced melon doesn't taste sweet."

She casually shrugged her shoulders, took a step towards the dining room, and said casually, "It's okay, I'll talk to your dad and let him know that the plan to take you to the gym is off."

"Huh? Dad said he wants to take me to the gym?" Qi Shaobai was taken aback by her words and caught up with her steps.

"Yeah," Sheng Mumu didn't even turn her head, "I'm just the messenger. Since you don't want to, there's no need to force it."

With that, she nonchalantly turned her head and glanced at him, "Actually, I think your dad's proposal is quite boring. Who's as... dedicated as him?"

"Fine," Qi Shaobai interrupted Sheng Mumu, "I'll go."

Sheng Mumu stopped in her tracks and turned her body completely towards Qi Shaobai. "Hmm?"

Qi Shaobai averted his gaze, playfully and meekly casting his eyes upwards.

Raising his chin slightly, he said, "Now that I think about it, what you said makes sense. I have been looking a bit thin lately, like I'm not in human form."

Sheng Mumu suppressed a laugh, putting on a show with a serious expression. "Alright, I'll go along with it."

After finishing dinner and returning to the bedroom, Sheng Mumu remembered that she wanted to talk to Qi Mo about this matter.

She sent him a message.

"Guess what? Without your knowledge, I've arranged a task for you."

*Coyly biting a handkerchief.jpg*

At the dining table, the man was toasting and exchanging cups with his business partners.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed his phone light up.

After reading the message, Qi Mo didn't put the phone back on the table. Instead, he pocketed it and calmly set down his wine glass.

Those around him noticed his actions and turned their gazes towards him.

A faint smile appeared on Qi Mo's handsome face as he politely addressed his longtime friends in the business field, "Sorry, guys. You enjoy yourselves, I have to leave first..."

The people at the table had never seen Qi Mo, who was usually aloof and distant, show such an expression, one could even call it a "smug" expression.

They exchanged bewildered glances. They saw Qi Mo stand up and walk towards the private room.

A soft and airy voice drifted down.

"My wife is urging me to go home."