louding her judgment. Instinctively, she quickly responded.Su Cen looked at Chen Lingshan sincerely and apologized, but his tone was somewhat dejected: "I was just joking. I'm sorry."Chen Lingshan's i...Chapter 3 Independence

The sea is a brilliant and grayish city, where the bustling crowds number in billions. It has towering skyscrapers and financial centers as well as construction sites filled with workers like ants, surrounding subway stations and residential areas every morning.

In this city, which foreign media compares to Manhattan, everyone's face reflects their joys and sorrows. Whether it be being fired from a job or carrying luggage with high expectations while stepping into the gates of universities.

Of course, most people live ordinary lives, using holidays to send off their children to school or for other reasons, but something like a bullet breaking the sound barrier can suddenly impact their lives.

When Mr. Tang approached Su Licheng with an intimate yet cautious attitude, and Mu Bian unexpectedly encountered the vice president of Great Construction here, Tang Wu was still worried about whether she would bump into Su Cen on this university campus, how awkward it might be if they did meet, and even found herself thinking that the middle-aged man beside her looked somewhat familiar.

Su Cen's arrival could be described as sunny and bright.

He appeared from the administrative building and walked up to them, calling out "Dad." Then he quickly suppressed his rising emotions, turned around, smiled at Mu Hui and Mr. Tang, and said, "Aunt Mu, Uncle Tang, are you here to send Tang Wu for registration today Really very coincidental."

This coincidence created a brief silence in the surroundings under the shade of the garden where cicadas were chirping.

Aside from Su Licheng being confused, the two adults present were quite shaken by this.

Su Licheng was trying to understand what Su Cen said. Mu Hui squinted her eyes and tried to analyze through Su Cen's expression whether his "really very coincidental" was genuine.

Mr. Tang, who is rotund, looked momentarily stunned for a short time before he recovered from this "chance encounter." He waved his hand with laughter and said, "So you're Su Cen Is that your dad That means, Old Su, I got to know your son earlier than you did and our Tang Wu has a very good relationship with him."

During the three days in Shanghai, Tang Wu hardly exchanged messages with Su Cen. The last time was last night when they said "goodnight" and mentioned their registration today.

Today's registration would be followed by various procedures and preparations; it wasn't known until what hour everything would get done, so the two hadn't made plans to meet up. Perhaps today or tomorrow, but their parents wouldn’t leave this soon since university life hasn't begun yet for them.

Tang Wu was distracted; when she saw how big the school was, she thought that if they were to walk around it together, it could easily take a whole day. But she never imagined that she would run into Su Cen here and now, and moreover, this middle-aged man who just caught her attention is Su's father.

Tang Wu's only impression of Mr. Su was through the telescope at home; however, since Tang Wu’s house is lower in elevation, they could only see the telescope that both she and Su Cen bought placed by his bedroom window from a distance above. She also didn’t have any special preference for peeping into boys' bedrooms.

The girl's shyness made her only occasionally glance at Su Cen, and most of the time she would watch them when it was just beginning to get dark, creating a warm atmosphere. As for Su Cen’s parents, they were rarely seen by her, let alone having many opportunities to observe them closely. She did not know Su Licheng well but felt familiar with him as if she had met him somewhere before.

"You have such good relations" Su Licheng was surprised and suddenly realized that this circle seemed quite large.

He previously thought that Tang Fu's father didn't intend for his son to meet her, which made him feel a bit regretful. Who knew that in an instant, his son had already developed such unusual relations with their daughter

This kid still surprises me; this trip to Shanghai was not in vain.

"When we were exchange students, Tang Fu and I went abroad together, and she was also my classmate," Su Cen quickly explained when he saw his father’s expression.

Su Licheng nodded with a smile. From his angle, the girl looked charmingly blushing, extremely intelligent at first glance, and her large eyes were full of water, making her rare in both appearance and demeanor.

Before, within the construction industry circle where he was well-known, it was joked that many boys would vie for girls like Wu Shimiao who could make a director blush. However, Su Cen was merely an outsider figure.

Little did they know, Su Cen’s level was actually much higher; completely breaking free from the group company circle, this girl directly surpassed all the young ladies in the internal courtyard of the big family.

Sensing Su Licheng's gaze, Tang Fu had no choice but to look at him with a hard exterior. She swore that never before had anyone, except for certain times when it was Su Cen, made her worry about whether she had done something wrong in his presence. Her heart raced as she said, "Hello Uncle Su."

"Hello, hello," Su Licheng replied hurriedly. “Su Cen has caused some trouble at school; we hope that you and your classmates will help each other to improve.”

“Yes. Actually, in many ways, Su Cen does very well,” Tang Fu nodded.

"No need to praise him. I know this child; he becomes arrogant once he achieves something. College and society are only the beginning of his real life," said Su Licheng as he patted Su Cen's head, making Su Cen a bit depressed. In his father’s eyes, no matter what achievements he made, he would still be considered an immature child.

Tang Fu smiled at this father-son duo.

Tang Fu's father and Mu Bian looked incredulously at their daughter who had set two records on coming to Shanghai today: she initiated a greeting with someone unfamiliar to her for the first time, and she displayed her naturally generous smile which was usually quite frugal.

The couple exchanged a complex glance at this moment.

Dad Tang was extremely uncomfortable with Su Licheng's gaze towards Tang Wu, thinking, "This is my daughter whom I gave birth to and raised. Why does your gaze feel like you’re looking at her as if she were your own daughter If you have the ability, go ahead and give birth to one yourself." However, it seemed that his son Su Can might actually make his daughter Tang Wu have a chance of becoming his daughter-in-law.

Tang Wu would place some school newspapers under a transparent glass table, all containing information about Su Can. At least the name "Su Can" had been discussed by both Mr. and Mrs. Tang for a while. Regarding the content of their discussion, they generally felt that it was still unrealistic at this stage but did not stop it.

Occasionally, when Mr. Tang would flip through those newspapers, he couldn’t help feeling bitter; his cold daughter eventually had her day, leaning towards others and no longer viewing him as the towering figure in her heart. The man she cherished was also no longer solely himself.

After Su Can returned from his American exchange program, Mr. Tang hosted a dinner for them in Shanghai. Su Licheng insisted on inviting Tang Wu’s family to dine with them that day.

Mu Yi hesitated but eventually agreed out of some unknown reason.

As Su Licheng stroked Su Can's head and walked, he finally let out a sigh of relief. He felt this arrangement wasn’t too shabby for a father to make.

A father knows his son best; every day when Su Can would use binoculars or secretly call home or send text messages, Su Licheng generally knew what was going on. Cen He secretly told him that the kid might have started dating already, but Su Licheng always smiled and said, "Su Can will eventually grow up."

When Su Can saw Tang Wu’s family approaching, even though he appeared very natural, Su Licheng could tell he was nervous.

The girl seemed excellent, with parents who also had good manners; at first glance, they came from a well-off background. In terms of family status, their family might not be able to compare.

But he still needed to support his son in front of the girl’s family, providing them an important meal so that this girl could see their condition.

No matter what their thoughts or attitude were, if they accepted a meal together, it at least proved that they didn’t think it was unnecessary. Ignoring something was actually the greatest form of disrespect; when someone showed respect and agreed to the dinner, that was already good enough.

Su Licheng even thought he had indirectly created an opportunity for his son, but Su Can secretly wondered why his father felt compelled to intervene like this.

The Mu Yi in front of him wasn’t a common person. If she were to think about it, she would likely deduce that their coincidental meeting wasn't accidental and was perhaps prearranged. What scared Su Can the most was that this chance encounter never even registered on his schedule but had happened so dramatically. Now, Mu Yi might be feeling murderous; he couldn’t wait to avoid her, yet now he had to dine with her.

Mu Ying, a natural skeptic, how would she view him Would she think everything was planned and that he intentionally enrolled in the same university as Tang Wu, then staged this chance encounter for show

Right now, Mu Hui's expression was calm; sitting down at the beef restaurant outside the eastern gate of the university that Su Licheng had invited them to, Su Can felt it was a miracle she hadn’t overturned the table yet.

After sitting down and ordering food, Tang's father started chatting with Su Licheng about various topics related to architecture, the development of Rongcheng Construction Group, astronomy, geography, history, and current politics. With a broad knowledge base, Tang's father often left Su Licheng speechless; however, it wasn't awkward when this happened, as Tang's father continued his monologue enthusiastically.

The dishes were served, but both Tang Wu and Su Cai maintained a low profile, not engaging much in eye contact during the meal and focusing on eating. If one observed their feet under the table, they would see that both were drawing them inward out of nervousness and hesitation.

Both found this situation bewildering and amusing; it seemed like an informal meeting with the parents after all, which went beyond what they had envisioned for a normal university life. This dramatic start was quite unexpected.

Mu Hui tasted two bites of food before putting her chopsticks down on the rest. She then looked directly at Su Cai.

Su Cai deliberately ignored her and continued eating, thinking that if his father weren’t here and Tang Wu wasn't beside him, he would have said something like "Auntie, please say what you’re thinking," rather than bottling it up inside. It could be quite tormenting.

Mu Hui’s questions in her heart were somewhat answered by the fact that they had registered at the same administrative building of Nan University.

She just wanted to ask how many points Su Cai scored, but now it seemed pointless.

The meal thus passed without any major incidents.

Even though only a few dishes were served, they cost nearly one thousand yuan. Even the usually frugal Su Licheng felt that this expenditure was justified; although he still felt a pinch in his heart, he thought to himself that Shanghai indeed was a big city.

The next step was for each of them to proceed with formalities such as confirming their dormitories and collecting bedding and other supplies.

After settling these matters and sitting down on Su Cai's bed in his dormitory, his father thought about it and gave him 1,200 yuan. "Your mother and I originally planned to give you 600 yuan monthly for living expenses. But I think that might not be enough." He continued, "At your age now, you should have some money on you. So from next month onwards, we’ll send you 1,200 yuan per month through a bank transfer. Use it wisely and let us know if you need more. There are certain places where you shouldn’t let girls pay."

From his father's attitude, he seemed to have confirmed the relationship between Su Cai and Tang Wu. Well, at least he had good eyesight. But after returning home and letting his mother hear about this from him, there would probably be some unrest at home for a while.

In Tang Wu’s dormitory, Mu Bian just handed her a card, saying, "There are 6,000 yuan in here, which I initially intended to use as your living expenses for the semester. Take out 1,000 yuan per month. However, take out 2,000 yuan instead and have your father transfer another 6,000. Girls should be independent… Don't rely on men’s money."

Tang Wu looked up in surprise at her mother, who remained composed.

She didn’t say it with force or express a negative opinion about Su Cai; instead, she told Tang Wu that girls needed to stand on their own feet.d there in silence.Chen Lingshan watched him with some regret. Her former deskmate was Tang Wu; now that she had left, Li Weimei found Su Cen inflexible and stubborn at times, deliberately opposing Go...