noveldrama
Vol. 3 Ch. 37
Vol. 3 Ch. 37
The interview began quickly.
Leon and Rosvisser sat down, and as it had been two years prior, the same three officials were in charge of their interview.
The two officials on the sides remained stern and expressionless, but Vice Principal Wilson was visibly excited, clearly looking forward to how the couple would perform this year.
Unfortunately for him, old man, you’re about to be disappointed.
“If you’re ready, we’ll begin the interview now,” the vice principal said.
The couple nodded. “We’re ready, Vice Principal.”
“Good.”
The vice principal glanced down at the interview materials on the table before continuing, “Let’s start by discussing the most obvious change in your family over the past two years.”
Rosvisser blinked in surprise. “Vice Principal, what do you mean?”
“Your third daughter, Aurora.”
The vice principal leaned forward. “It’s quite rare for dragon families to consider having a second child, especially when the first birth resulted in twins. So, I’d like to know what motivated you to have a second child?”
Motivated?
If an unplanned pregnancy counts as motivation, then we could certainly give you a story.
The couple exchanged glances, silently communicating.
It was an undeniable fact that Aurora’s conception had been a surprise, but both Leon and Rosvisser knew that under no circumstances could they admit that now. If they told the interviewers that their third child was an accident, it might come across as irresponsible.
This would certainly lower their family interview score as intended, but if the score dropped too low, Moon and Aurora might not pass the entrance test.
So they had to handle this question with care.
After a brief moment of thought, Rosvisser responded,
“Well, my husband and I have been married for several years now, and we’ve been through a lot together. Naturally, after so long, our marriage moved from the fiery passion of the early days to something more routine. So, we began to wonder if there was something we could do to reignite the spark between us.”
“We tried a few different things, but none of them really worked.”
“That’s when my husband suggested that maybe we should have another child. Just like we had with Noa and Moon, we could raise Xiaoguang to be just as excellent as her sisters.”
“I agreed to this idea, and then Aurora was born.”
This answer was a perfect two-for-one. Not only did it completely avoid the term “unplanned,” but it also introduced the idea that their marriage had cooled, subtly lowering their interview score.
After her response, Leon glanced over at the official on the far right, who was scribbling something on the score sheet, his brow furrowed in seriousness.
It seemed Rosvisser’s answer hadn’t been what he’d expected.
Perfect—the plan was working.
But while the response had the desired effect, the couple had overlooked a small flaw in their explanation.
“If the reason for having your third daughter was to rekindle your relationship, does that mean your feelings for her are a little different than those for your other two daughters?” the official on the left asked.
He phrased it delicately, but it was clear what he was implying: Did they see Xiaoguang as nothing more than a tool to save their marriage?
Naturally, Leon didn’t need to think much before answering.
“Our feelings for Aurora are no different from our feelings for Moon and Noa.”
“Oh? But didn’t you say you had her to reignite your passion?”
The official twirled an expensive pen in his fingers. Compared to the shipping-obsessed vice principal and the strict scorekeeper, this official was much more sharp-tongued.
It made sense—after all, every serious interview needs someone to play the “bad guy.”
You couldn’t expect the vice principal to do it. If he were in charge, the interview would have ended in two rounds with perfect scores.
“Mr. Interviewer, in my view, the reason behind our daughter’s conception has nothing to do with how we feel about her after her birth,” Leon said, his voice firm. “Do you think parents who raised someone as outstanding as Noa could be so irresponsible?”
A well-timed rhetorical question could be a good way to turn the tables.
And Rosvisser could tell that her husband was getting a bit annoyed by this “bad guy” routine.
Sure, they had crafted this response to lower their score, but questioning a doting father’s love for his daughter was bound to get under his skin.
If Leon had been in a more favorable position, he might have flipped the table and summoned his lightning magic already.
The official smiled faintly, lowered his head, and stopped twirling his pen, then wrote something down on the paper in front of him.
“Miss Rosvisser, you mentioned earlier that your married life had become routine, and that the two of you no longer have the same passion for each other that you once did,” Vice Principal Wilson interjected, his white eyebrows furrowed. “Has this changed since your third daughter was born?”
Rosvisser smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s improved, certainly, but to return to the way things were when we first got married? That would be very difficult.”
At that, she subtly nudged Leon’s leg under the table.
Leon immediately caught on and added, “Honestly, not just the way things were when we first got married—even going back to how things were when Noa started school two years ago would be impossible.”
The couple seamlessly played off each other, dancing along the fine line of an acceptable family interview performance.
It was hard to say they were on the verge of divorce.
But it would also be a stretch to say they were still madly in love.
In short, it was weird.
Weird enough to make sure their interview score landed firmly in the “mediocre” range.
And “mediocre” was good. It would allow them to pass the entrance test without being named the model family.
Leon and Rosvisser watched the interviewers’ reactions, feeling secretly pleased.
This was going to work!
They had gauged the limits of their answers, knew exactly how far to push things, and managed to stay within the boundaries of the interview’s expectations. What they hadn’t accounted for, however, was the vice principal.
The old man took several sips of water, seemingly trying to calm himself.
After a few more rounds of questions, the two officials leaned over to whisper to Vice Principal Wilson, indicating that they had no more concerns.
Wilson glanced at their score sheets. While the couple’s score was good enough to pass the family interview, it was only just enough to scrape by.
There was none of the overwhelming triumph of true love that the vice principal had been hoping for.
Vice Principal Wilson took a handkerchief from his suit pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow.
He pursed his lips, staring at the couple sitting before him.
They were relaxed, leaning back in their chairs with their legs crossed, looking perfectly at ease.
It was a harmonious picture, but to the vice principal, it seemed as though his cherished couple was growing further and further apart.
The vice principal rubbed his fingers together nervously before, with great hesitation, summoning the courage to ask:
“I just have one more question for the two of you… do you still love each other?”
Rosvisser raised an eyebrow. “Love? Of course.”
Leon nodded in agreement. “Even if the passion isn’t what it used to be, I still love my wife.”
They weren’t about to admit they didn’t love each other anymore.
Even without their “no embarrassment” plan, it’s unlikely they’d ever confess such a thing.
Well, probably not—who could say for sure? *Cough*.
Although Leon and Rosvisser had clearly stated their feelings, to Vice Principal Wilson, it felt like they were just saying it to get through the interview.
The old man clenched his fists, silently vowing:
No.
This can’t happen.
My OTP *will not* fall apart!