What should I do if I find out my underage daughter is reading an adult book?
Chen Ru’s first instinct was to wake Wen Ying up.
She hadn’t yet confronted Wen Ying about earlier events, and now Wen Ying had caused another issue. Why couldn’t this girl let her have some peace?!
But if she woke her, Chen Ru would have to sit down and openly discuss “sex” with Wen Ying, a topic she’d never tackled face-to-face with her daughter.
How should she phrase it?
How deep should the conversation go?
Why did she have to face such an awkward situation while Wen Dongrong got to stay out of it?!
A string of questions, and Chen Ru had no answers.
This daughter wasn’t hers alone; she shouldn’t have to deal with this by herself. Swallowing her anger, Chen Ru quietly took the book.
Manager Chen had previously sneaked a peek at Wen Ying’s diary, so she should’ve been used to such antics, but for some reason, taking the book felt particularly sneaky this time. Her palms were sweating as she held it, and she tiptoed out of the room.
Chen Ru was so nervous that she didn’t notice anything unusual about Wen Ying.
After Chen Ru took the book, Wen Ying, pretending to sleep with her eyes closed, let a sly smile creep onto her face.
Though Xie Qian had picked out an English study guide to give to Manager Chen and Old Wen, Wen Ying wasn’t foolish enough to hand it over directly. Gifting it outright could bruise Manager Chen’s pride, and Wen Ying would bear the consequences!
As for this so-called “banned book for minors,” a science book, recommending it directly to her parents was even less feasible. With Manager Chen’s hypocritical, stubborn pride, she wouldn’t just refuse to read it—she might get embarrassed and snap at Wen Ying: “Are you trying to teach me how to do things?”
Now that Chen Ru had taken the book herself, with her temperament, she’d definitely flip through it.
With such a provocative title, how could Chen Ru not be curious about the contents?
It was just a question of whether Manager Chen would curse it as “clickbait” after reading it.
Wen Ying stretched, reopened her textbook for the second semester of high school, and decided it was time to focus on her studies.
Outsmarting her parents was fun, but setting traps for Manager Chen, like tonight, was a minor trick. Wen Ying didn’t care how other parents and kids got along, but in her family, if she wanted her parents to treat her as an equal, she had to do her part first.
Do what’s right for your age. As a student, she should study hard. Even Li Mengjiao, diving headfirst into the entertainment industry, didn’t dare neglect her studies.
Wen Ying had earned some money and small achievements, but that made it even more important not to forget her duties as a student.
As long as she wasn’t planning to drop out, she had to keep studying. This wasn’t just an obligation to her parents but her attitude toward her own life.
…
Half an hour after Chen Ru took the book, Wen Dongrong returned.
“Why aren’t you asleep?”
It was still early in the lunar year, and the night was chilly. The short walk from the car to the building left Wen Dongrong freezing. Setting down his briefcase, he blew warm air into his hands.
Noticing Chen Ru wasn’t sleeping and was instead fixated on a book, Wen Dongrong initially thought she was wrestling with an English textbook again.
How childish!
No matter how much she stared at the cover, if she didn’t memorise it, she wouldn’t remember it.
Chen Ru, silent, pushed the book toward him.
Wen Dongrong was unscrewing his thermos to drink when he saw the cover and nearly spat out his water.
“This, this is—”
“Confiscated from Wen Ying!”
Chen Ru lowered her voice. “She’s not just my daughter. What do we do?”
Wen Dongrong had no idea either.
As kids grow up, they’ll encounter these things sooner or later. If Wen Ying were a son, Wen Dongrong would definitely talk to him, but with a daughter, how could a father have that conversation?
Wen Dongrong and Chen Ru stared at each other. Chen Ru didn’t budge, and Wen Dongrong gave in. “Let me think.”
“First, find out where this book came from and why she’s reading it. Curiosity is normal, but as long as she’s not secretly dating, I don’t think we need to make a big deal out of it.”
Drawing on years of work experience, Wen Dongrong offered advice and picked up the book to take a look.
The book was brand new, still smelling of ink.
Wait, something’s off. The paper quality was high, not like a pirated adult book, and the publisher was a major one in Rongcheng. Why would they publish something like that?
Sensing something wasn’t right, Wen Dongrong flipped through it.
Skimming it, aside from a few overly clear illustrations, the content wasn’t outrageous.
To Wen Dongrong, it was just a book on adolescent physical health.
“You’ve misunderstood.”
He handed the book back to Chen Ru. “Read it, then we’ll talk.”
Chen Ru had only planned to skim it, but it took her nearly an hour. The book wasn’t adult material at all. It clearly explained adolescent physical changes with precise language and a light, humorous tone. But its stance on teenage romance rubbed Chen Ru the wrong way, making her frown repeatedly.
Quoting the *Book of Songs* with “Green is your collar, lingering in my heart,” claiming that budding feelings are natural for teens, that suppression is worse than guidance, and that we should rationally handle and guide youths through this phase?
Chen Ru openly disagreed!
Quoting the *Book of Songs*? That was centuries ago when life expectancy was low. Living to forty or fifty was considered a full life, and seventy was “ancient.” Back then, teens weren’t just falling in love—they were old enough to marry and have kids!
This is the 21st century.
With modern life expectancy much higher, national retirement ages tell the story: men work until 60, women until 55. Combined with legal marriage ages, teens don’t need to date. The state has clearly outlined when to fall in love and when to marry and have kids!
Chen Ru had a bellyful of rebuttals but summed it up in one line:
“What’s this ‘guidance over suppression’? If parents let down their guard, who’s going to control the kids?”
Wen Dongrong handed her a cup of water. “Alright, listen to the parts that make sense, and don’t get mad about the rest. But this book is actually good, suitable for teens.”
It saved parents!
Without it, parents would have to talk to their kids about sex themselves.
Imagining that scenario, Wen Dongrong preferred the book.
But here’s the question.
Why did Chen Ru just happen to find this book?
Even if Wen Ying wanted to read an adult book, she wouldn’t leave it openly on her desk and fall asleep.
“Tell me carefully, was there anything else today?”
Wen Dongrong suspected Chen Ru had fallen for Wen Ying’s trap, but he had no proof.
Chen Ru was still cursing the publisher for misleading with the slogan. If it hadn’t been labelled “banned for minors,” she wouldn’t have sneaked it away… Now the problem was, how to return it without Wen Ying noticing?!
