After my mother's surprise, there was a long period of silence. I thought she had hung up, but I glanced at my phone screen and saw that the call was still ongoing.

"Mother...," I said hesitantly.

"Mhm," she responded.

"Did you hear what I just said...?"

"Are you asking me to bring back some French specialties? French specialty perfume, I suppose. But it seems like it won't suit you," my mother replied.

"What specialties? Did I mention perfume? I was talking about the agreement between you and me. Don't try to brush it off," I raised my voice in frustration.

My mother seemed taken aback by my outburst. "I'm sorry... I was rude," she apologized after calming down.

"This is not your fault; it's all because of mother's broken promises. But I'm genuinely surprised at how you managed to succeed... Didn't you say that every boy who confessed to her was rejected or chased away?" I questioned.

"So, you never expected me to succeed," I couldn't help but feel a little disdain towards my mother.

"A-ha-ha, I just wanted to comfort you. Too bad it failed," my mother sighed.

"Are you really sure you don't want to be with Zhiye anymore? I really thought highly of her. She's so gentle and kind, and she's more than compatible with you," my mother asked.

"It's true that Zhiye is more than compatible with me, but I am not worthy of her. And most importantly, I don't have any feelings for her, so I can't be with her," I explained.

"Is my child just unique in his thinking or is something wrong with his brain?" my mother muttered to herself.

"I heard that! Can you please stop talking about your son like that?" I protested.

"Your hearing is really good, Yu Jie," she remarked.

"Don't make jokes at a time like this," I retorted.

"I really want to give you a big hug, Yu Jie," my mother said.

"I'll suffocate..."

"This silly boy succeeded, and now he wants to break off the engagement with Zhiye. He's so foolish," my mother grumbled.

"Hey, hey, hey... No more insults!" I intervened.

"Ah, ah, ah!" My mother let out a deflating sound.

"What's wrong?"

"It's complicated, so complicated. What will Chuanmei say? How will Zhiye think? It's so complicated..." My mother sounded genuinely worried for the first time.

"As a mother, not being true to your word is deserving of scorn... And besides..." she suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong again?"

"Yu Jie... Be ready tomorrow at ten o'clock to learn the cross lock and over-the-shoulder throw. Mommy will take good care of you..." and then the call ended. After hearing that, I tremblingly and nervously hung up. The cross lock and over-the-shoulder throw? That would leave me crippled. I hated to think about what would happen to me.

But she will probably come tomorrow, so Zhiye and I should finally put an end to this.

"Yu Qian?" I noticed Su Yuqian standing there, seemingly eavesdropping.

"You... you idiot," she suddenly blushed and kicked my shinbone. I almost lost my balance but managed to keep myself upright. However, my phone wasn't as lucky and fell to the ground.

"Why did you suddenly kick me..."

I rubbed the sore area and grumpily asked.

"Hmph... who said I kicked you? I was just practicing my leg stretches. It's your fault for getting so close," she retorted.

"...," I was at a loss for words. As I bent down to pick up my phone, I noticed Su Yuqian giggling.

I turned on the camera function on my phone and snapped a picture of her blushing face.

Click. Su Yuqian noticed and saw me holding the phone, capturing her slightly embarrassed expression.

Her face instantly turned red...

"Yu Qian's funny face acquired," I muttered to myself, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

"You... idiot... give me back... give me back my phone," Su Yuqian suddenly lunged at me, but I quickly dodged.

"Ah-ha-ha, even the servant wants a turn..." I tightened my grip on the phone and started circling around the house with Su Yuqian, engaged in a pointless game. We passed the remaining time like this. Tomorrow would be the real beginning.