Wang Arthur froze for a moment before quickly pulling out a silver-gray Nokia phone.
He glanced at the number displayed on the screen.
His pupils shrank violently.
His breathing stopped for a moment.
Almost trembling, he pressed the answer button and raised the phone to his ear.
"H-Hello… who is this?"
"Son, what's wrong with you?"
A deep and familiar voice came from the other end of the line, carrying a hint of confusion and teasing.
"You don't even recognize your own father's number?"
"Dad… you're not dead?!"
Arthur's voice suddenly rose, filled with overwhelming disbelief and joy.
"Brat, what nonsense are you talking about? You wishing for your father to die already?"
"No, it's just… earlier your subordinate told me you were shot. I thought you—"
Arthur's lips moved slightly.
But the word dead never came out.
"I choked on some mochi earlier and was lying in the car catching my breath. I was never shot at all."
The father and son chatted for quite a while before finally ending the call.
Putting the phone away, Arthur let out a long breath.
The sorrow that had weighed heavily on his heart instantly vanished.
Looking around, he noticed that Wang Dadong had somehow already walked out of the alley.
With his back turned, he seemed to be watching some pretty girls across the street.
It was obvious—
He had deliberately given Arthur privacy to take the call.
"This guy actually has some sense."
"Someone worth befriending."
The thought suddenly surfaced in Arthur's mind.
"I'm in a good mood now. My treat—let's go get some sweet soup. You coming?"
Arthur teleported directly in front of Wang Dadong and asked.
Dadong thought about it for a moment before accepting the invitation.
"There's a mango shaved ice place nearby. Their stuff is amazing. Want to try it?"
"Alright. I'll follow your lead."
Arthur nodded.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
The earlier tension between them had melted away considerably.
Wang Dadong naturally threw an arm over Arthur's shoulder.
This time, Arthur didn't avoid it.
Just like that, the two walked side by side toward the dessert shop that carried a faint milky aroma, chatting and laughing along the way.
On the busy main road—
The flame-red Ferrari cruised steadily through traffic.
Soft music flowed inside the car.
Yet the atmosphere was quietly complicated.
Tian Xin's beautiful, watery eyes occasionally stole glances at Lan Tianyu, who was focused on driving.
The streetlights flickered across his handsome profile, making him appear even more profound.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke softly.
"Teacher Lan… are you really human?"
"Cough—!"
Lan Tianyu nearly choked at the sudden question.
Even the hand gripping the steering wheel trembled slightly.
He turned to give Tian Xin an annoyed look.
"If I'm not human, what else could I be?"
"But the way you looked earlier… it's really hard to see you as an ordinary human."
Tian Xin pressed her lips together, her long legs drawing slightly closer.
"That move just now— I can only use it once a day at most. Don't think I'm some omnipotent being, alright?"
Lan Tianyu kept his eyes on the road as he controlled the steering wheel, sounding somewhat helpless.
Hearing that, Tian Xin's curiosity immediately flared up.
She leaned slightly toward him.
"So what things can't you do? Or what are you bad at?"
"Hm… let me think."
Lan Tianyu suddenly had an idea and answered almost instinctively.
"For example… dating. I've been single since birth and have never had a girlfriend."
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it a little.
That wasn't exactly something to be proud of.
It even damaged his lofty image.
"You're kidding, right?"
"With your conditions, Teacher Lan, if you just stood on the street, the women lining up to chase you would probably reach the school gates. How could you possibly not have had a girlfriend?"
Tian Xin rolled her eyes, clearly unconvinced.
"You're beautiful and elegant yourself, yet you've never had a boyfriend either."
Lan Tianyu shot back.
Under the perception of the Six Eyes, certain things were impossible to hide.
Someone who had maintained such a pure yin body all this time—
How could she have had a boyfriend?
"…."
Tian Xin was instantly speechless.
Her cheeks warmed slightly.
That was true.
She wasn't unattractive either, yet she was still single.
What right did she have to question him?
For a moment—
A subtle silence filled the car.
The Ferrari continued gliding through the dazzling lights of the city.
Until it slowly stopped at a traffic light.
Only then did Tian Xin break the silence.
"Teacher Lan, the western restaurant I mentioned is already here. Just turn right and you'll see the sign."
"Alright. I'll find a spot to park."
Lan Tianyu nodded slightly.
With the vision granted by the Six Eyes, he almost instantly spotted an empty parking space by the roadside.
With a smooth turn of the wheel, the car slipped into the spot like a swimming fish.
"We're here."
Lan Tianyu turned off the engine and unfastened his seatbelt.
Tian Xin reached to release her seatbelt as well.
The two almost stepped out of the car at the same time.
As Tian Xin's right foot, clad in thin high heels, stepped onto the slightly rough parking lot ground—
Her heel accidentally caught on a loose pebble.
"Ah!"
Her body tilted sharply.
Her balance collapsed instantly, and a sharp pain shot through her ankle.
She was about to fall to the ground in a very embarrassing manner.
But in that split second—
Lan Tianyu, who had been standing beside the driver's seat, instinctively used teleportation.
The next moment—
He appeared directly in front of her.
One strong arm wrapped firmly around her slender waist.
His other hand supported her arm, stabilizing her falling body securely in his embrace.
In that position—
Their bodies were almost pressed together.
Lan Tianyu's gaze drifted slightly.
Even through the fabric of her shirt, he could feel the softness of her skin—light and delicate like clouds.
Tian Xin was still shaken.
Half leaning against Lan Tianyu's solid chest, she could smell the clean, refreshing scent that lingered around him.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Her cheeks flushed red from both the fright and the sudden intimate contact.
"Are you alright?"
Lan Tianyu steadied himself and looked down at Tian Xin in his arms.
"I… I think I twisted my ankle."
Her voice trembled slightly with pain.
She tried to stand properly, but the moment she put weight on her left foot—
A sharper pain shot through her right ankle.
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