Preparing for the Birthday Party (Part 1)

8:00 AM, at the airport.

"Is she almost there?" Roccia asked Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling glanced at the time and nodded, "Soon, she told me she'll land at 8:15."

Roccia, then took out a makeup mirror and began to carefully touch up her makeup, from foundation to lipstick.

"How many times have you touched up your makeup already?" Xiao Ling stared at her strangely. "Isn't it a bit much?"

It wasn't that Xiao Ling was deliberately picking a fight; it was just that Roccia had touched up her makeup five times, adjusted her clothes eight times, changed the position of her hat six times, and checked herself from head to toe two or three times since arriving at the airport. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was there to pick up an important client.

"After all, you're here to meet the student's parents. How can you not be more formal?" Roccia asked with a smile.

"I feel like you're meeting your mother-in-law like a daughter-in-law, afraid of making a bad impression on her," Xiao Ling teased in a lighthearted tone.

Xiao Yue: Who are you calling old?

He had assumed Roccia would readily accept his teasing, but instead, the lovely woman beside him fell into an eerie silence the moment he finished speaking.

Turning around, I was surprised to see that the headmistress's pretty face was flushed an unnatural red.

"What's wrong Roccia? Is it too hot? Do you need me to fan you?" Xiao Ling grinned and leaned closer, staring at her slightly flushed face without any sense of boundaries.

Then Hajiling's ear was twisted hard by Roccia, making him wince in pain.

"Ouch! Ouch! Sister Luo, Sister Luo, let go! My ear is going to fall off!"

"When you were teasing me, did you never think this day would come?" Roccia with a smile, as if she had everything under control, but the reddened ears hidden in her long hair revealed her shyness after being exposed.

Actually, when Xiao Ling asked Roccia to accompany him to pick up his child at the airport this morning last night, she didn't think much of it.

"Who are we going to pick up?" Roccia asked.

"My mom, she flew all the way here to celebrate Yaya's birthday. The gift I wanted to give her is with her too," Xiao Ling replied.

"What? A-Yu's mother is coming?" Aemeath the first to come over.

"The mother of the Fated Seed..." Tsubaki nodded thoughtfully.

"Blank! What does your mother look like? Give us a glimpse!" Iuno nudged Xiao Ling with his elbow, trying to get some photos out of him.

"A-Ling's mother..." The Shorekeeper lowered his head, lost in thought.

At that time, Roccia didn't quite understand why these girls reacted so strongly to Xiao Yue's arrival. Even the usually mature and composed Professor Morning became a little nervous.

After discussing the follow-up plans and returning to her room, just as she was about to fall asleep fully clothed, a sudden flash of inspiration struck her, as if someone had suddenly connected her to the internet.

Xiao Ling's mother = the woman who could potentially become my future mother-in-law

Realizing this, Roccia suddenly sobered up, got up and began rummaging through the clothes she had brought, preparing to pick out an outfit suitable for meeting her elders.

The final result is this outfit: a white short-sleeved T-shirt with a misty blue knee-length skirt, khaki summer ankle boots, and a straw hat instead of the principal's aura, which adds a touch of girlishness.

At 8:30, Xiao Ling and her companion finally met the person they were waiting for not far from the arrivals gate.

"Mom! Over here!" Xiao Ling had been listlessly leaning on the railing, immediately perked up when she saw the familiar figure and waved.

Following Xiao Ling's gaze, Roccia saw a young woman wearing a white sunshade and a black long skirt, with sunglasses on, walking gracefully towards them in the distance.

"I spotted your conspicuous bag from a mile away!" Xiao Yue walked up to Xiao Ling and slapped the gift box squarely on his head. "Here, your stuff."

"Oh, thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Xiao Ling bowed.

"Stop being so pessimistic. This isn't a feudal society anymore." Xiao Yue gave Xiao Ling a light kick.

"The person next to you... is Principal Roccia, right?" Xiao Yue took off her sunglasses, her deep black eyes, which resembled Xiao Ling's, scrutinizing Roccia from head to toe.

After a moment, she smiled gently and said, "She looks quite young. If you hadn't told me, I would have immediately thought she was your senior."

(Regarding the average anti-aging rate in Solaris.)

"Let me introduce myself, Xiao Yue. It's a pleasure to meet you, Principal Roccia." Xiao Yue smiled and extended her left hand. "Thank you for taking care of my son these past few months."

"Me too, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Xiao Yue." Roccia smiled and shook Xiao Yue's outstretched hand. "As for any trouble, it's not really my place. As educators, we naturally have a responsibility to our students."

"You're quite responsible, you even made a special trip to pick me up as a student's parent." Xiao Yue gave the other person a meaningful look, a playful smile curving her lips.

Upon understanding the implied meaning, Roccia, which had subsided, instantly returned to her delicate face like a rekindled flame.

"Alright, Mom, stop teasing her." Hajiling stepped in to defuse the situation, taking her mother's suitcase with her. "Let's go back first; things are busy at home."

"Yeah, that's true. Xiao Ya's probably out having fun right now, right? We should take this opportunity to get the party venue set up."

Xiao Yue was well aware of the priorities, so she entrusted her suitcase to her son and walked ahead.

After exchanging a smile with Roccia, who had just suppressed the heat in her cheeks, Xiao Ling followed Xiao Yue and left the airport together.

Knock knock knock.

"Ah, they're here." Professor Morning, who was controlling a small robot to clean the living room, heard a knock at the door and gracefully went to open it for the guest outside.

With a click, the door opened, and Morning immediately saw Xiao Yue standing behind the door with a smile on her face.

At this moment, she took off her white sun-protective coat and hung it on her hand. She was wearing a dark gray V-neck short-sleeved shirt and a black long skirt that reached her ankles. Her long, black hair was naturally curled at the ends. Although there were a few more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, they still could not hide her elegance and beauty.

"You are... Senior's mother?" Morning asked to confirm.

"It's me. Would it be convenient for me to come in and lend a hand?" Xiao Yue said with a gentle smile.

"Of course! Please come in!" Morning Ning immediately made way for Xiao Yue to enter.

When the girls in the party organizing team saw Xiao Yue arrive, they greeted her warmly one after another, trying to win over their future mother-in-law.

"So this is my partner's mother! She really does look like her!" Lupa circled around Xiao Yue. "Hello, Auntie, my name is Lupa, and I'm Yu's partner!"

"Your wolf ears..." Xiao Yue's attention was actually on Lupa's wolf ears, "Are they decorations or real?"

"It's true, Auntie, look!" Lupa said, her wolf ears twitching twice.

"Oh, I see." Xiao Yue said with a sudden realization, then called out to Xiao Ling, "Xiao Yu, bring me my suitcase."

Xiao Ling had just put her things down, rushed over upon hearing the noise, carrying Xiao Yue's suitcase.

Xiao Yue opened her suitcase, took out a bottle of liniment, and gently patted it into Lupa's hand. "Xiao Yu told me that you often get injured during training and competitions. This is the liniment I used a lot when I was practicing dance. It's very effective. I hope it can help you."

"Oh, thank you, Auntie!" Lupa obediently accepted the liniment and bowed respectfully.

"So, all you've packed in this suitcase are gifts for them, Mom?" Xiao Ling asked, looking at the dazzling array of gifts in the suitcase.

"Since we're already here, of course we should bring them some local specialties." Xiao Yue tapped Xiao Ling's head. "This gift... let me think... oh, it's for Chisa. I heard she's been learning to cook lately, so I brought her a cookbook."

"The gold jewelry is for Iuno. It's been with me for many years, and it might be a little worn down in places, Iuno, please don't mind..."

"This is for Miss Augusta..."

"This is for that girl, Morning..."

Xiao Yue muttered to herself as she gave each gift to the corresponding girl. The girls who received the gifts were overjoyed, their faces showing either reserved or radiant smiles. They kept calling her "Thank you, Auntie," making her heart flutter with happiness and her face beaming with joy.

When it was Roccia's turn, Xiao Yue's gift made Xiao Ling's eyes light up.

"Isn't this the osmanthus honey that our family used to make all the time?"

"It's amazing you still remember." Xiao Yue chuckled, then placed the entire jar of osmanthus honey into Roccia's hand. "Keep this jar of osmanthus honey. If your throat feels sore, just make a cup with warm water. I used to make this for Xiao Yu when he was little and had a cough."

Roccia carefully took the jar of osmanthus honey. Under the light of the room, the honey looked even more crystal clear, and a few whole osmanthus flowers were still at the bottom.

"Thank you, I like this gift." Roccia smiled and nodded solemnly.

"I'm glad you're happy. Even if you're busy with work, you must take care of your health," Xiao Yue said with a gentle smile.

She and Roccia almost the same generation, but in her eyes, Roccia was just another little girl who needed to be taken good care of.

Roccia held the bottle of osmanthus honey and looked into Xiao Yue's gentle, smiling eyes. She felt the honey burning hot in her hand, like a fire burning into her heart.