“Grandpa Huo, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Witnessing his daughter on the verge of being utterly enchanted by the deluge of magic crystals Huo Shenming was producing, Aya Tone swiftly interjected, breaking the man’s captivating ‘spell’.
The magic crystals Huo Shenming continued to draw forth grew progressively larger and more advanced.
While they were merely common magic crystals, not quite matching the unique pink one presented initially, their escalating grade was undeniably impressive.
The most recent one he’d produced, for instance, was at least B-grade.
If this continued, Aya Tone mused, even selling himself wouldn’t fetch such a price.
“Oh, I nearly let the important matter slip my mind.”
Huo Shenming gave his head a light tap, admitting to himself that the little darling was simply too endearing, causing him to inadvertently overlook his primary objective.
“Little Jiu, Great-grandpa needs to speak with your daddy about something important. Would you mind going to play with Sister Wushuang for a bit?”
Mindful of his previous mishap where he’d nearly brought Little Aya Jiu to tears, Huo Shenming’s voice was imbued with an almost excessive tenderness.
Beside them, Huo Wushuang covered her eyes with one hand, openly declaring that she must be experiencing hallucinations.
In her mind, her grandfather had always been a man of strict discipline, especially when training her father, where not a shred of father-son affection was ever displayed.
This, this, this!
‘When did I fall under this hallucination? I felt absolutely nothing!’
‘Drat!’
“Mm-hmm~”
Clutching a sizable heap of magic crystals, Little Aya Jiu obediently bobbed her head.
“Daddy~ could you help Little Jiu carry these?”
With too many magic crystals clutched in her small hands, she simply couldn’t manage them all.
Ultimately, she could only manage to keep hold of the very first pink magic crystal, before scampering over to Huo Wushuang’s side.
Er…
In truth, she had merely slid off Aya Tone’s lap, settling back into her chair.
It was there that she ‘harvested’ her impressive haul of magic crystals.
‘Heh, heh, it seems convincing an elder to part with their retirement savings is remarkably easy…’
‘Truly, it’s akin to the innocent allure of a 2D world.’
Aya Tone found himself inwardly speechless, unable to even muster a coherent complaint.
“Little Aya.”
From his pocket, Huo Shenming produced a pack of ‘Double Happiness’ cigarettes.
“Grandpa Huo, I don’t smoke,” Aya Tone quickly demurred, waving a dismissive hand.
“Ah, I see. It’s probably better that you don’t,” Huo Shenming remarked, his hand, which had been offering the cigarette, pausing mid-air.
Realizing a child was nearby, he reluctantly tucked the cigarette pack back into his pocket.
Then, shifting topics, he asked, “What do you think of my granddaughter?”
“Granddaughter? *Hiss!*”
Aya Tone initially froze, his gaze then darting to Huo Wushuang, who sat beside them…
He drew in a sharp, cold breath.
‘A high school student?’
‘Could it be!’
His expression instantly stern, he adopted a solemn tone and admonished, “Grandpa Huo, I believe Wushuang is exceptionally intelligent. There’s no need for any ‘backdoor’ entry; with her capabilities, she can undoubtedly gain admission to a top-tier university on her own merit.”
“Out of respect for you as an elder, I shall, for now, pretend I never heard a word of this.”
‘Hmph, to think he’d attempt to pull strings!’
‘Even though I haven’t officially started my tenure, I am a law-abiding and principled teacher. I simply cannot allow this elder to compromise my professional integrity.’
A surge of self-satisfaction swelled within Aya Tone, prompting him to inwardly commend his own judiciousness.
“University? What university are you talking about? This old man was referring to Fire Finch, not Wushuang,” Huo Shenming clarified with a sigh.
He had no idea what the young man was thinking; he had almost been completely sidetracked by his unexpected tangent.
So, he wasn’t discussing university matters after all.
Aya Tone paused, slightly bewildered, before offering a sheepish smile.
It appeared he had made quite the blunder.
He had mistakenly assumed Huo Shenming intended for Huo Wushuang to enter the newly established Combat Academy, momentarily forgetting that he wasn’t conversing in his S-rank capacity.
‘My nerves have been completely frayed lately…’
“The President, you mean.”
Aya Tone’s mind raced, frantically trying to decipher Huo Shenming’s underlying intention behind the question.
“The President, she’s a truly good person…”
‘But good in what specific ways, exactly…’
For a moment, Aya Tone found himself utterly speechless. He struggled to open his mouth, yet not a single word managed to escape.
It was as if Fire Finch possessed no discernible virtues in his recollection.
All day long, she would slack off at work, and when not slacking, she was busy exploiting him…
Aya Tone’s lips twisted into a wry, pained smile.
‘I’m truly sorry, President. I genuinely tried my best, but I simply couldn’t recall a single virtue you possess.’
Aya Tone’s prolonged silence caused Huo Shenming’s heart to sink with a palpable thud.
‘Surely this boy doesn’t harbor absolutely no feelings for Little Fire Finch, does he!?’
“Little Aya, look at Little Jiu, she’s growing so quickly. Have you ever considered finding a wife, someone to help care for your child?”
“Er… no, I haven’t…”
Aya Tone spoke truthfully; even when Little Jiu was much younger, the notion of taking a wife to help raise his child had never crossed his mind.
It was as though a certain primal impulse within his mind had been profoundly suppressed.
This left him unlike other men, unswayed by the actions or presence of the opposite s*x.
Yet, despite this, every medical examination he underwent at the hospital revealed no abnormalities; in fact, his physical health surpassed that of most ordinary individuals.
Everything appeared to be perfectly normal.
“This simply won’t do! Listen to Grandpa, son; once a man reaches a certain age, he absolutely needs a sensible wife by his side, someone who can offer counsel and help plan his future.”
A glimmer of distant memory flickered in Huo Shenming’s eyes. “Ah, to think back to the days when your grandmother and I first met…”
Just recalling it brings tears to my eyes.
‘How could a renowned ladies’ man such as myself have sired a son so utterly dominated by his wife?’
‘And his granddaughter? She inherited none of his finer qualities, instead somehow managing to surpass her father in the art of being ‘dominated’…’
Alas—
“Grandpa Huo, my deepest condolences,” Aya Tone offered, mistakenly assuming Huo Shenming’s sigh was one of sorrow for past events.
“Condolences for what, exactly?”
“Grandma Huo…” Aya Tone began, then trailed off, unsure how to continue.
“Hah!”
Huo Shenming slapped his thigh, exclaiming, “I knew something was amiss! Why would this young man suddenly utter such inauspicious words?”
“My old woman is perfectly hale and hearty; she’s merely been traveling for the past few days! This old man was simply reminiscing. My main point was to impress upon you that a man’s success is eternally intertwined with a virtuous wife. Do you understand now?”
“Oh…” Aya Tone murmured, nodding thoughtfully.
Even if he were utterly oblivious, he could now clearly discern that the old man was, in fact, attempting to ‘market’ his granddaughter to him.
He smiled wryly, “Grandpa Huo, I don’t currently have a stable career. As for marriage, let’s discuss it another time.”
‘Marriage? I truly haven’t given it any thought.’
‘Heh, this kid!’
Aya Tone’s imperviousness left Huo Shenming wide-eyed, his beard bristling with frustration.
The world was changing too rapidly; he simply couldn’t comprehend the youth of today.
In his time, they would bravely pursue anyone they liked.
This boy, however, looked at girls as if they were venomous vipers.
This simply wouldn’t do!
“Little Aya, tell Grandpa, have you been deceived by a wicked woman before?”
“No, it’s just that I believe any relationship not aimed at marriage is merely fooling around, and I currently have no intention of getting married… so…”
“Grandpa understands.”
Huo Shenming deeply empathized, realizing he had misunderstood the boy.
He was a comrade of pure love too!
****
“Grandpa, how did it go?” Fire Finch asked in a low voice, pulling Huo Shenming aside as he returned.
“Give Grandpa a moment.”
Huo Shenming stroked his snow-white beard, feigning mystery. “Grandpa’s advice is: go find your mother!”
“Huh?”
“Then what’s your role in all this, Grandpa?”
Fire Finch’s tone held a hint of disdain. *’A master of romance, indeed? Is this all you’ve got? If I could get Mom to handle it, I would have done so ages ago. What do I need your advice for?’*
Fire Finch hadn’t forgotten what Xuan Yuanhuai had told her: if she couldn’t win him over, her mother would simply tie him up!
Apparently, that’s how her father had been ‘captured’ back in the day.
“Heh, your wings have grown strong, daring to mock your Grandpa, have they?”
Huo Shenming dropped the playful facade. “Grandpa can sense that the boy’s mind is entirely focused on Little Jiu; he has no thoughts of marriage whatsoever.”
“So, getting your mother involved is the quickest solution. That’s how your father was won over back then—a complete, one-step package deal!”
“…”