The atmosphere in the cold, expansive hall was heavy with silence. Around the central round table sat men and women dressed in sharp suits, most of them middle-aged, their faces etched with grave expressions as if facing a formidable enemy.
"So... is there no one brave enough to step up?!" A sharp, icy voice suddenly shattered the frozen stillness. The tone carried no overt anger, yet it exuded an undeniable authority, accompanied by a chill that seemed to seep into the bones.
At the sound of her voice, everyone lowered their heads even further, like tamed animals.
The speaker was my mother, Lin Mengxi. Seated at the head of the table as the company's chairwoman, she had urgently convened this board meeting due to an unexpected crisis. I had just gotten out of school and, finding no one at home, came here to wait for her.
It seemed the board members were unable to offer any solutions, which had infuriated my mother. She had already smashed two teacups in her rage.
My mother usually had a calm temperament—though she could be somewhat aloof and strict—but she rarely lost her composure like this. Whatever had happened must have truly struck a nerve.
"This time... Mingshuo Company's product is outperforming ours in every aspect. We... we're truly at a loss," said one of the male directors, Xia Taiming. He was my father's cousin and held a prominent position in the company. Known for his resourcefulness, even he had to admit defeat now, which showed just how dire the situation was.
"Why? Why can they develop such a product, but we can't? We pour a hundred million into R&D every year—what exactly is the R&D department doing? All we've done is raise a bunch of incompetents?!"
As she raged, my mother repeatedly struck the table with her delicate fist, the sound echoing through the room. Seeing her so furious made me uneasy as well. She was always strict with me, and if my grades ever slipped, I wouldn't dare look her in the eye when I got home.
The head of the R&D department stood up. "Chairwoman, the R&D team has been working extremely hard. Please believe in us—we will develop a product that surpasses Mingshuo's in no time—"
"In no time? How soon is that? A week? A month? Three months? Half a year? You always use the same excuses to brush me off, but when have you ever actually succeeded?!"
"Chairwoman, I... I..."
"Get out! All of you, get out!" she shouted, her veins bulging as she pointed sharply toward the door.
The board members scattered like pardoned prisoners, scrambling to exit the room. In under a minute, the once-crowded hall was empty and silent, the air growing cold.
Now, it was my turn to face the storm. Alone with my mother in the conference room, the atmosphere was so frigid I couldn't help but shiver.
I kept my head down, not daring to look at her. I wasn't sure if she was watching me, but I could hear her rapid, angry breaths. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the rhythmic rise and fall of her full chest beneath her crisp white blouse.
Following the curve of her body downward, her slender waist tapered sharply before flaring out dramatically over her form-fitting pencil skirt. Her rounded hips were as full and tempting as ripe peaches, and below the hem, her long, toned legs were sheathed in flesh-toned pantyhose, hinting at the soft, fair skin beneath. Her black high-heeled patent leather shoes gleamed with a polished luster.
I couldn't help but feel my breath quicken. Even though she was my mother, in that moment, I couldn't suppress certain inappropriate thoughts.
My mother was renowned in the city as an ice queen—a stunning beauty with an unapproachable aura. Her rivals had even given her a nickname: the Frost Queen.
Because she strategizes and executes with decisive force in the business world, much like an ancient emperor, every one of her competitors fears her.
In less than ten years since its founding, under her leadership, the company has risen to rank among the top three in the city's corporate rankings, becoming a true business empire.
And due to her stunning appearance and icy, unapproachable demeanor, she earned this title.
I am afraid of my mother. She is very strict with me. Whenever I show any signs of misbehavior or straying from the right path, she immediately reprimands and corrects me. She never resorts to physical punishment but instead confronts me with a cold attitude and assigns me various remedial exercises. If I fail to complete them, she refuses to speak to me. I love my mother deeply, so every time I make a mistake, I study desperately to make up for it.
Like many children in families, they often resent their parents' strictness, but I do not. On the contrary, I am grateful to my mother. It is her high standards that have shaped the shining person I am today.
My exam results never fall below the top ten in my grade. I participate in sprinting and long-distance running events in every school sports meet, always placing in the top three. Besides this, I love photography, and my work was once featured at the top of the photography section in the city's daily newspaper for three consecutive days. I am kind, humble, gentle, and refined. Teachers, classmates, friends, relatives, and neighbors all like me, and I have never embarrassed my mother in public.
Although my mother has never praised me and rarely smiles at me, I know she loves me deeply. I once accidentally saw her diary, where on the last page she wrote, "Mingming, it's not that Mom doesn't love you. It's just that your father is no longer here, and the future of this family depends on you. If I don't toughen you up now, you'll suffer even more in the future. Everything I do is for your own good. I'll play the bad cop now so that no one can bully you in the future. Mingming, Mom actually loves you very, very much, but I am destined not to be like ordinary mothers—smiling at you every day, playing with you, giving you a carefree childhood."
Because of this diary, I have never resented my mother. I have nothing but endless love for her.
My father passed away ten years ago when I was only six years old. The company had just been established, and my mother raised me alone while shouldering the responsibilities of the newly founded company. She had to oversee my education while managing the company's affairs. It's easy to imagine how difficult it must have been for a woman to bear such a heavy burden.
Moreover, as a widow, she faced constant gossip. A beauty like my mother was often harassed by business competitors, and gradually, her reputation was tarnished.
Yet she never defended herself. She endured the slander and rumors, step by step, growing the company bigger and stronger, using her actions to silence those critics.
I often saw my mother hiding in her room, crying quietly. She is also a woman, fragile and longing for someone to rely on, but circumstances forced her to armor herself.
For so many years, I have wished I could peel away my mother's protective shell and embrace and care for her true, vulnerable self. This is the dream of my life.
With a light cough from my mother, I was pulled back to reality.
"Speak. How should you be punished this time?"
My mother sat in a black swivel office chair, arms crossed, her stocking-clad legs elegantly crossed, looking at me expressionlessly.
I felt an inexplicable sense of dread. Sitting on the sofa to the left of the conference room, I clenched my hands tightly. "You... you already know?"
"Your homeroom teacher called me. You've fallen out of the top ten in the exams again. She told me the reason for your lack of motivation is that you've been dating a girl from the neighboring class. Now, I want you to tell me yourself—is that true?"
"N-no, it's nothing like that."
"So you're saying your teacher is wrongfully accusing you?"
"Th-that's not what I meant either."
"Then explain it yourself. What's really going on?"
"She likes me and confessed to me. I didn't agree, but maybe some classmates saw it, so…"
"If that's the case, then why have your grades dropped?! And are you being smug about it?!"
"I… I…"
"Don't talk to me for the next week. Reflect on your behavior. If your results in the next monthly exam are like this again, you'll see what happens!"
Mom picked up her Chanel leather bag beside her, stood up, her graceful figure fully on display, and without turning her head, tossed out the words, "Let's go home!"
She strode out first, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor.
I followed, my backpack slung over my shoulder, head hanging low.
Outside, since the board of directors was located here, there were hardly any regular employees around. Only a few managers bowed respectfully to Mom, who acknowledged them with a nod before leading me into the elevator.
Back home, Mom didn't even bother changing her clothes. She dropped her bag, slipped into her house shoes, and headed straight to the kitchen to cook.
Bored but not daring to turn on the TV, I pulled out my homework from my backpack at the living room coffee table and started working on it.
Having fallen out of the top ten in the monthly exam, I had no right to watch TV. A few times in the past, I had foolishly tried and ended up being scolded harshly by Mom. I'd learned my lesson.
Before long, I faintly heard sounds from the kitchen that weren't related to cooking. I pricked up my ears to listen.
"Gao Tianxiang, you're dreaming! I, Lin Mengxi, would rather remain a widow for the rest of my life than marry a scheming villain like you!"
Gao Tianxiang again, him.
After saying this, Mom fell silent. I hadn't caught the earlier part of the conversation, but it was likely more threats from him.
I knew some of the details about this.
Gao Tianxiang was the CEO of Mingshuo Company. He had pursued Mom when they were younger, but my father had won her heart. However, Gao Tianxiang had remained single and unmarried. Ten years ago, when my father died unexpectedly in a car accident, he started pursuing Mom again. Mom had remained chaste and steadfast, refusing his advances. Even if she wanted to find someone to rely on, she would never choose someone like Gao Tianxiang.
Back in their youth, Gao Tianxiang's pursuit of Mom had been underhanded—he often set traps for my father behind the scenes. Now, he had escalated his tactics, openly and covertly creating obstacles for Mom's company. The recent Mingshuo Liankou incident was entirely his doing. He was trying to force Mom to marry him by threatening to bankrupt her company.
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. In the past, Mom had always managed to overcome such challenges with her strong mental fortitude and problem-solving skills. But this time, it seemed he had truly struck her weak spot, leaving her struggling to cope.
Both Xias and Mings were major cosmetic companies in the magic city, each valued at billions. This time, Mings' newly developed Lotus Crush completely overshadowed Xias' recently launched Mei Fang, which had been on the market for just a month. From every perspective, Xias was bound to lose this battle.
However, there were many puzzling aspects. Why had Mings, which had always lagged behind Xias in product development, suddenly gained such advanced R&D capabilities? And why had the director, who had always been adept at handling crises, suddenly seemed to lose his spirit, unable to devise any countermeasures? Even a dying camel is bigger than a horse—surely, he shouldn't be completely helpless.
Lost in thought, I didn't even notice that Mom had already prepared dinner and set it on the table.
"Mingming, come eat."
Mom's voice carried a hint of weariness. The troubles that had piled up over the past few days had truly worn her down.
I didn't dare say a word, obediently climbing onto the stool by the table, picking up my bowl and chopsticks to start eating.
Two dishes and a soup—a well-balanced meal, appealing in color, aroma, and taste. Mom's cooking skills were truly beyond reproach. If she entered a cooking show, she might even win the title of "Most Charming Home Chef."
As I was eating heartily, Mom suddenly put down her chopsticks and said weakly, "I'm full. If you're done, just leave the dishes here. I'll clean up tomorrow morning."
Then, as if she had lost her soul, she staggered upstairs.
Mom was a very frugal person, a habit she had maintained since she and Dad were together. We didn't have a maid or housekeeper at home—she handled all the daily chores like washing dishes, cooking, and cleaning. Occasionally, when I tried to help, she wouldn't allow it, saying, "Students should focus their time on studying, not on other distractions."
While I was annoyed by her stubbornness, I also understood that she meant well, hoping I would dedicate all my time to studying. After all, as a student, my primary responsibility was my education.
After Mom went upstairs, I finished my meal. I packed some food into a thermal container in case she got hungry in the middle of the night—microwaving wasn't healthy. Then, for once, I went against her wishes and insisted on washing the dishes, also taking the opportunity to tidy up the kitchen.
This time, Mom was facing unprecedented difficulties, and I wanted to share some of her burden. I didn't want to stand by idly, watching her bear it all alone.
Mom, I've grown up now. Let me be the one to shelter you from the storm.
I went upstairs and, as I passed Mom's room, called out to let her know I was back. Then I entered my own room.
Mom had always respected my privacy, never entering my room without permission under the pretext of "not disturbing my studies." She would always knock first, giving me my own space.
Due to my frequent visits to my mother's company, I've gained some knowledge about cosmetics—not just superficial understanding, but genuine research and insights. I've even made several cosmetic products myself and gifted them to female classmates and teachers. Since they know I'm the son of the chairman of Xiashi Company, even though these were my own creations, the association with Xiashi Company made them highly sought after. It turned out that my efforts weren't in vain, as they were all very satisfied with the cosmetics I gave them. After that, I occasionally shared my research results with them for testing, gradually building closer relationships with the girls in my class and the female teachers at school.
Perhaps this is why a girl named Chen Xixuan confessed to me a few days ago—she didn't like me, but my skills.
But who knows? I don't care. All I care about is my mother.
Knowing that my mother wouldn't barge into my room without permission, I took out various bottles and jars from the cabinet and began my research as usual.
In reality, my mother's threat of "ignoring me" doesn't hold much practical meaning. Even when she does interact with me, our daily conversations are limited to routine matters like waking up, eating, and greetings. However, she's noticed that this form of punishment seems effective on me—whenever she uses it, some of my bad habits get corrected, and my declining grades improve. What she doesn't know is that I'm simply accommodating her.
I love my mother, so I'm willing to play along. It's a white lie.
You could call me a simp.
But I'm fine with that.
Around nine o'clock, my mother passed by my room and called through the door, "Mingming, I'm going to take a shower. Don't study too late—make sure you get enough rest. Otherwise, you won't be energetic tomorrow, and that would be counterproductive. Go to bed early!"
Then she went to the shared bathroom on the same floor.
My mother sleeps in the master bedroom at the far end of the second floor, which has its own bathroom. But that would mean running two electric water heaters simultaneously, which wastes electricity. So ever since my father left, she's been sharing the common bathroom on our floor with me.
I quietly waited for my mother to finish her shower. When she returned to her room, she reminded me again to hurry up and take a shower before going to bed.
She doesn't usually monitor whether I stay up late. Occasionally, when she gets up for water or to use the bathroom late at night, she might check if my light is off. Since she never enters my room, she wouldn't know if I turned off the light but stayed up. Generally, I don't stay up late unless there's something important.
But I know my mother stays up late almost every day. Especially recently with the Mingshuo Liankou incident, she's been working until three or four in the morning every night, only to wake up before seven the next day to handle company affairs. Every night, I can hear her working in her room, along with phone conversations. There's rarely any good news—usually it's bad news. As the chairman, she comforts her subordinates not to panic while hanging up the phone, only to then vent her frustration by throwing pillows in her room.
That's my mother—a fragile woman who has to pretend to be strong, foolish in her own way.
After fiddling around for quite a while, I hadn't turned a single page since returning to my room, except for finishing some homework earlier while waiting for my mom to cook in the living room downstairs. But I wasn't worried at all. The reason I fell out of the top ten in this monthly exam wasn't due to a lack of effort or anything like that. It was because, in the days leading up to the exam, I had been staying up late every night to finalize a cosmetic product I had created myself. As a result, I was exhausted and dozed off during the math test, which caused my ranking to drop.
As everyone knows, the scores among the top ten students in our grade are usually very close. If one subject goes badly, it's natural to fall out of the top ten.
Otherwise, I usually have full confidence in making it into the top five. However, out of habit, I tend to keep my scores around seventh, eighth, or ninth place—neither falling out of the top ten nor rising too high. Because of this, my mom often nags me to do better.
The reason I do this is to lower my mom's expectations. If I'm frequently on the verge of falling out of the top ten, then when I do make it into the top ten, she'll be delighted. And since I'm confident I can stay in the top ten, it works out. On the other hand, if I were consistently in the top five, and one day my performance slipped, causing me to drop out of the top five, my mom would get angry and upset. And I can't guarantee I'd make it back into the top five the next time.
In the first scenario, even if I make a mistake, I can recover because staying in the top ten isn't difficult for someone with top-five abilities. But in the second scenario, I might not be able to pull it off, as that would be pushing my limits.
After my mom went back to her room, I put down the bottles and containers I was working with, picked up my change of clothes, and headed to the bathroom on our floor.
As usual, my mom had left her unwashed underwear, stockings, and other items on the stainless steel rack on the bathroom wall.
Seeing the semi-transparent nude pantyhose she had worn today, along with the sexy white lace bra and white lace panties, lying quietly on the rack before my eyes, a familiar fire ignited in my gaze once again.
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