It was late morning, and the living room was filled with gentle sunlight.
Lucy bounced on the sofa, her pale little feet tapping happily as she played.
"Let's go!"
"Andrew, hurry up and get ready—we're going out!"
Lucy jumped and called out, panting, worried Andrew wouldn't hear her. She cupped her small hands around her mouth to amplify her voice.
Click.
Andrew stepped out of his room, already dressed for the day.
He'd promised to take Lucy out today, so he woke up early and practiced Mountain-Sketch Pillar Stance twice. Now, his head still felt a bit tired.
But seeing Lucy's carefree face, his fatigue melted away instantly.
"Lucy, you look so pretty today."
"Looks like our Lucy will be a real beauty when she grows up." Andrew laughed and picked her up. For once, her face showed a hint of shyness as she buried herself in his chest—she actually understood the word 'beauty.'
Uh...
Andrew pinched Lucy's cheek and shook his head, laughing softly.
He couldn't even remember what he was like at four years old—probably didn't understand anything back then.
Meanwhile...
Dad, William Han, and Mom, Linda Chen, strolled into the living room dressed casually, their faces relaxed. "Let's go! Family outing—let's show your little sister around her kindergarten."
"Let's go!"
Lucy thrust out her pale, tiny fist and shook it with excitement.
Warm sunlight streamed into the living room, lighting up Lucy's innocent face and filling the air with pure, unreasoning happiness.
Does happiness need a reason?
For Lucy, probably not.
......
Vroom vroom.
The car sped along the elevated road.
William Han sat in the driver's seat and glanced at his son beside him. "Andrew, you usually prefer sitting in the back. Why do you want the front seat today?"
"The front seat has a better view."
Andrew smiled slightly. The real reason he chose the front seat was simple—if an accident happened, he could instantly stomp through the car floor to brake and use his hands to deflect anything crashing in.
Even if a heavy truck crashed into them, it would be no problem.
Although the odds of an accident were very low.
"Andrew!"
"Lucy wants to sit in the front too!"
Lucy's face flushed with excitement. She wriggled free from her mother's arms, insisting her brother hold her. Andrew simply picked her up. "Alright, but you have to sit still and behave."
Vroom vroom.
The car kept moving.
Andrew’s phone buzzed twice in his pocket, but he was holding Lucy and didn’t have time to check.
No message was more important than the three loved ones in the car. This was all he wanted in this life.
Giggle giggle.
Lucy couldn’t stop laughing, her big watery eyes looking everywhere. Even though the car was going fast, she wasn’t scared at all.
She just thought—
Her brother’s arms were the safest place in the world.
Linda Chen leaned back in her seat, her eyes gentle with affection. "Andrew, make sure to hold Lucy tight and don’t let her squirm... By the way, are you going back to campus on the seventh?"
Yes, Mom.
Oh, since you’re the Umbrella Emperor, are you going back with Monica Zhang?
Mom?
Andrew froze, staring in disbelief at his mother, Linda Chen, turning his head mechanically as if he were a robot.
Most of all, he dreaded sudden silence.
Most of all, he dreaded his mom’s uncanny wisdom.
Andrew sat up awkwardly, adjusting his posture, still uncomfortable, and shifted again.
Even as a Peerless Martial Artist, faced with this situation and these words, he had no idea what expression to wear. It was probably the first time since he started training that he’d felt so embarrassed... No matter how strong he was, his mother’s authority was absolute.
Andrew.
Linda Chen smiled gently. "A couple days ago, I browsed your academy’s forum and instantly recognized the blurry photos of the Umbrella Emperor. That was definitely my son."
She really was his mother—
Andrew didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but suddenly felt a pang of emotion.
Yes, this was his mother, Linda Chen... She’d learned to use the internet just to understand her son better. Registered for WeChat just to see his posts.
She didn’t think much about it.
She just wanted more topics to share with him.
For most middle-aged people, using the internet is easy. But honestly, for his mom Linda Chen, it was anything but simple.
Ahem.
Andrew blinked and looked out the window.
Linda Chen pressed on, "Son, let me ask—how are things going between you two?"