Love Me in Another Universe

Chapter 16. Soupy's Game Console

July 8, 1994, Friday.

Mrs. Guan returned home from the parent-teacher meeting with Guan Xuchen, her face beaming with joy.

Mr. Guan, not having seen his wife so elated in a long time, teased, "What's got you so excited, Dearie? Did the teacher praise you for your beauty?"

"Oh, stop it. Don't be silly in front of our son. Why would the teacher praise me for no reason?" Rolling her eyes at her husband, Mrs. Guan replied with a warm smile, "Our son came in third in the class and tenth in the entire grade in the exams! Of course I'm happy. Aren't you happy as his father?"

Mr. Guan laughed out loud, "I see. But didn't Xuchen tell us that already?"

"Well, you don't understand. Xuchen told us a couple of days ago. But today the head teacher announced the results in class." Mrs. Guan continued with a satisfied expression, "Remember Cheng Xianchu, the son of Cheng Mingli (pron.: cheng ming lee) from your company? He topped the class last semester, just a few places higher than our son. And his mother acted as if there were something great about it. She said Xuchen 'slipped up'. Well, this time, her son only came in fourth, lower than Xuchen. So I told her, 'I guess Xianchu just slipped up this time. Keep trying next time.' You should see how she looked hearing that."

"Hey, it's just children's academic results. Why so serious?" Mr. Guan looked a little uneasy, "Cheng Mingli holds a higher position than me, and his son is the class monitor. Maybe you shouldn't have been so direct."

"I was just being honest. Why are you so nervous?" Mrs. Guan glared at her husband, patted her son's head and then said with a smile, "It's my good son who makes me proud."

"Alright, alright. Xuchen deserves praise for his improvement." Mr. Guan tried to smooth things over and asked Guan Xuchen, "Xuchen, you did so well this time. What do you want as a reward?"

Guan Xuchen looked at his father, then at his mother, and tentatively said, "I'd like...I would like to have a game console like the one I played at my cousin's house last time. Is that okay?"

"A game console?" Mrs. Guan frowned upon hearing this. After a few seconds, she said to Guan Xuchen with a smile on her face, "Xuchen, what's so good about a game console? Don't you want to buy some extracurricular books instead?"

"I'd like to..." Guan Xuchen hesitated for a moment and once again summoned up the courage to say, "I still want a game console..."

"You..." Guan's mom was a little upset.

"It's okay for children to play games sometimes. All work and no play would make him a dull boy." Mr. Guan tried to smooth things over again. He smiled at his wife and said, "I remember when we were in technical secondary school, you loved playing dolls. But didn't you still get excellent grades. You were the top student and the class beauty. That's why I fell for you."

"Why bring up something from so long ago? Mrs. Guan said this, but her face was beaming with happiness.

"You were the class beauty in my eyes..." Mr. Guan said playfully, "No, in my eyes, you were practically the school beauty, the city beauty, and provincial beauty, and even the national beauty."

"Okay, okay, you smooth talker." Mrs. Guan scolded playfully, "After I receive this month's paycheck, I'll give you 100 yuan. Then you can go buy a game console for your son."

"Thank you, Mom!" "Thank you, Your Highness!" "Mom is so great!" "My wife is so great!" Guan Xuchen and Mr. Guan said in unison.

Mrs. Guan smiled even more happily and then asked, "Is dinner ready yet? I'm starving."

Mr. Guan straightened up, saluted, and said with a flourish, "Dinner is ready, Your Highness. At your service."

Both his wife and his son were amused and bent over with laughter.