'Revenge?'
In that moment, Chu Zihang couldn't help but recall his own experience — those years he spent obsessively training kendo, just to defeat that black-belt karate kid who humiliated him back in elementary school.
Now, though, he no longer had a goal that drove him to that kind of madness.
The red-haired man continued training the girl with the same fiery hair color as his own. His level of kendo was so deep that no matter how hard Chu Zihang watched, he couldn't gauge it — like a towering peak with no visible summit.
He tried to put himself in that situation: if he were to spar against that man, how would he win? But the more he played out the fight in his head, the more scattered his thoughts became… he couldn't find a way.
Perhaps a better idea would be to look for an opportunity to humbly ask for a lesson. But why would he have the right to interrupt that pair's training and take up their time? Most likely, he wouldn't even get the chance.
Gradually, his gaze became transfixed on them, until the sound of rain pelting down snapped him out of his trance. The summer sky had turned in an instant, and now it looked like a full-on downpour was coming.
Worse yet — he didn't even bring an umbrella.
He pulled out his phone. A text from his mother said she was staying out late drinking with some of her friends at the mall, so he should get home on his own.
He quickly replied that she didn't have to worry. Then he thought about calling his "new dad" Lu Tianming — but decided against it. That man was always too busy, and he never cared about little things like picking up a kid in the rain.
So instead, he sent a text to someone else… to Chu Tianjiao's phone.
"No problem! Wait for me at the entrance — I'll be right there!" The reply came instantly, full of enthusiasm. That old man was always quick to answer, almost too eager… then again, he was a driver by trade.
Not long after, a sleek black Maybach arrived — supposedly worth several times more than Lu Tianming's Mercedes S500. At least, that's what Chu Tianjiao liked to brag about, as if that 9-million-yuan Maybach was his.
The older man got out of the car, umbrella in hand and a wide grin on his face as he rushed over to shield his son from the rain — but Chu Zihang simply walked straight into the rain himself, leaving his father's warm gesture hanging awkwardly.
At that exact moment, that pair of "red-haired siblings" also came out the door and ran straight into the rain. Chu Zihang paused, debating whether to invite them to ride with him.
But the two darted off at full speed and quickly reached a bright red Ferrari, climbing in smoothly.
Chu Tianjiao followed his son's gaze. "Friends of yours?"
Chu Zihang shook his head. "We just met at the kendo hall. Don't really know them."
The two climbed into the Maybach as the rain poured harder, and Chu Tianjiao immediately turned on the heated seats in the back for his soaked son.
Then, with a solemn tone that Chu Zihang had never heard from him before, he said:
"Listen to me, son. Whatever you do — don't get involved with them. Especially not that red-haired man."
"…?" Chu Zihang looked up, startled. His father had turned around from the driver's seat, wearing a grave expression utterly unlike his usual easygoing grin.
This time, he wasn't joking. Normally, Chu Tianjiao never worried about his son, letting him live his happy life in their patched-together family. But now he gave this strange warning, so abrupt and out of nowhere.
"Why?"
"They… they're trouble. Dangerous," Chu Tianjiao mumbled after a long pause, his lips trembling, as if the words were hard to get out.
The middle-aged man — who outwardly seemed to be nothing more than a humble chauffeur — could only sigh inwardly.
Son… they live in a world you're not part of… and if I can help it, I hope you never have to set foot in their world.
———
Meanwhile, Shirou and Nono didn't pay any attention to the passing pair of father and son. They ran through the rain and climbed into the bright red Ferrari. Shirou casually took the driver's seat, started it up, shifted gears, and hit the gas — this was the car Nono had called for earlier.
Originally Nono had insisted on driving herself, but after all that sparring in the kendo hall, she'd worn herself out.
Her sweat and the rain had soaked her fitted top, making the outline of her light-colored undergarments faintly visible through the fabric. She'd thrown on a loose kendo jacket over it, but her damp red hair still clung to her neck and dripped onto the white cloth.
So Shirou told her to sit and rest while he drove.
When he asked about the car's origin, she explained that she borrowed it from a friend.
"A friend? Which friend?" Shirou asked. It was the first he'd heard of Nono having any connections in this city — he thought she'd spent her life trapped in that estate, never free to travel anywhere.
Nono reached out to turn on the wipers. The rain streamed off the windshield as the Ferrari sliced through the downpour.
"Well, technically… not really a friend. Just an old elementary school classmate. He's the son of Mr. Shao from the Black Prince Group. They've got a whole garage of cars — he doesn't care if one goes missing."
"I see," Shirou nodded. Then, noticing Nono's usual blunt manner, he added in a nagging tone, "Remember to thank him."
Nono froze, like she hadn't even thought of that. "…Fine. If you say so."
The rain grew heavier and heavier, hammering the Ferrari like a silver curtain, while a heavy silence filled the car interior.
Seeing that Nono was still staring at the storm outside and not relaxing, Shirou reached over and switched on the radio.
"…We interrupt for a typhoon warning," the announcer's calm voice came through. "According to the city weather bureau, Typhoon 'Dandelion,' number 0407 of the year, is expected to make landfall along the southeast coast tomorrow evening, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds. Please take precautions as necessary."
"With the anticipated severe downpour, all provincial and national highways through the city will close starting at midnight tonight. Visibility on elevated roads is expected to drop below thirty meters — drivers should plan alternate routes."
Shirou's brow furrowed. Another storm, another typhoon?
The last time he encountered Odin was during weather just like this…
With the ominous forecast and the uneasy feeling that they were being tailed, his good mood from earlier was completely gone.
He drove back to the Regent Hotel and asked Nono to check if there was any reply from Wa-zhu about the report he'd sent earlier — about his suspicions that there were hidden enemies lurking in this city.
When they parked in the underground garage and took the elevator up to their suite, Shirou also called Lao Tang.
The noise on the other end sounded like a cacophony of keyboard clacks and game sound effects bouncing off the walls.
"Hey, Lao Tang — it's pouring out there, and you're still gaming?"
"Of course, bro! This kind of weather is for couples on dates — but us StarCraft players? As long as we've got a PC, we've got the world! Rain doesn't stop me!"
"…Figures." Shirou wasn't sure if Lao Tang was subtly mocking him and Nono, but he let it go. "Just watch yourself. Something's up."
"Eh? Whoa! Watch your micro! Don't scare me like that, Shirou — I almost botched my control!"
Shirou didn't reply immediately. Instead, he told Nono to go take a shower and change clothes first — they'd talk later.
And while Lao Tang kept hammering away at his keys on the other end, Shirou told him to find a quiet spot and call back when he was free, since it wasn't good to discuss sensitive matters out in a noisy net café.
Meanwhile, the sound of running water was already coming from the bathroom. The damp, wrinkled white top lay discarded off to the side as Nono slipped into the steamy, veiled space behind the sheer curtains, shedding her clothes completely.
The Regent's bath was quite beautifully designed — a bronze French-style tub and a lotus-shaped brass shower head, surrounded by four massive dark green marble pillars, with delicate drapery hanging between them.
When Shirou hung up the phone, the lemon-colored bathroom light was glowing softly, casting Nono's slender figure from head to toe as a blurry, shifting silhouette behind the misty curtains…
Damn.
(End of Chapter)
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