Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Fierce Protector of His Daughter

At the dining table, Xiao Nan ate like a starved soul reborn, devouring three pancakes and five meat buns in rapid succession. He then drained the egg soup in front of him in a single gulp.

Xiao Bei watched him in astonishment, cheeks puffed as she nibbled on her chocolate cake. She was only on her second piece, not yet swallowed. The little chocolate cakes tasted of milk—absolutely delicious. As she ate, she worried, just as she had in the past few days, that her shameless brother would try to snatch them from her.

But he didn’t. Xiao Nan simply feasted on his meat buns and pancakes, savoring their flavor.

Was the sun rising in the west today? Xiao Bei was utterly perplexed; the more she looked at him, the less she understood him.

Tan Qiuyi smiled from the side. “Eat slowly, don’t choke.”

“I’m full now. I’m heading to school; I need to get there early today.” Xiao Nan, having finished, had nothing to tidy up and made for the door.

“Xiao Nan, could you help me ask the teacher for leave? Just say I need to go to Yuanjiang No.1 High School to observe martial arts and get a head start on learning,” Xiao Bei put down her bowl and chopsticks and chased after him, whispering.

She’d heard Yuanjiang No.1 High would be lively today, and she was itching to take a look—especially since she knew the competition involved real weapons, which made it impossible to resist.

“Don’t even think about it. The school’s already stated clearly: no family members allowed to observe. Outsiders can’t get in at all—what would you see?”

“Brother…” The little girl clung to his arm, using her most charming tone.

“That won’t work, even if you call me brother.” Xiao Nan laughed. Normally, she just called him by name, but when she wanted something, she remembered to be sweet. “Just focus on your studies. Don’t look for shortcuts. I’m counting on you to get into a top university in the imperial capital and make me proud.”

He ruffled her fluffy yellow hair, withdrew his arm, and strolled out of the courtyard with a grin.

Xiao Bei was fuming, baring her little tiger teeth and punching and kicking the air behind him for a long while before finally calming her frustration. She slumped back to the table and dejectedly continued her breakfast.

Strangely, the chocolate cake didn’t taste as good as usual today.

Was it because no one was fighting her for it?

…

Striding briskly into the cool morning breeze, Xiao Nan felt the hidden strength in his muscles, and his spirits lifted. He’d never felt like this since arriving in this world.

Most importantly, he realized that ever since he acquired the innate sword affinity from his sister, the subtle personality influences that had haunted him had finally dissipated.

The aftereffects had never been too severe, though sometimes they were unpleasant: he’d walk with legs pressed together, speak softly, eat delicately, and develop a particular fondness for snacks.

Otherwise, his interactions and ways of handling matters weren’t much affected. Though he’d become a bit more gentle, it was still bearable. But, no matter what, living with habits and quirks that weren’t his own always felt awkward.

Now that he was himself again, he walked with confidence and masculine energy radiated from him.

“A true man should drink the strongest wine, sleep with the most beautiful women, and urinate into the wind three meters high—what’s the point of being effeminate?”

It had taken a full three days for the aftereffects to fade—longer than he’d expected.

That made Xiao Nan a little wary. This time, the influence from his sister had been trivial, with no serious consequences. But what if, next time, he encountered something uncontrollable or picked up a truly bad habit?

Like eating excrement, for instance.

He pondered the mechanism behind his talent-mirroring ability. Since he didn’t quite understand how it was triggered, maybe he shouldn’t worry too much about aftereffects.

He’d met several people over the past few days and had tried, consciously, to test the ability again—nothing happened with Qin Shuang, the class advisor, or even Lin Hao, despite his ill will.

“Could it really only be activated by blood relations? In that case, it’s not all that useful.”

With these thoughts, Xiao Nan sighed in mild disappointment, and before long, he arrived at the gate of Yuanjiang No.1 High School.

…

A large crowd had already gathered at the entrance, bustling and noisy like a marketplace.

A teacher emerged and called out, “Parents, please go home. Today is just a test. Martial arts instructors will be supervising on site; the students won’t be harmed. Don’t worry.”

But his words had little effect. Everyone continued talking over one another.

“Dongzi, if things aren’t going well during the match, admit defeat immediately. Don’t push yourself,” a middle-aged woman nagged incessantly.

“I know, Mom. Go home, I’ll pass for sure,” the student named Dongzi replied impatiently, clearly embarrassed.

…

“Xiaofeng, if you don’t perform well today, don’t bother coming home,” growled a surly middle-aged man.

“Dad, that depends on who I’m up against. I’ll do my best.”

“Don’t make excuses. I’ve told you to work harder, but you never listen. Now you lack confidence, huh? I’ve said my piece—you decide what to do.”

This parent was being entirely unreasonable. Xiao Nan silently offered a few seconds of condolence for the aggrieved student and squeezed through the crowd into the entrance.

“Good thing I didn’t bring Xiao Bei. Otherwise, she’d make a scene and embarrass me in front of everyone.”

Xiao Nan wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Lately, the little girl was becoming a chatterbox. If she imitated the scolding parents, and her classmates heard, where would he put his face?

The sun was already high as Xiao Nan followed the flow of people to the large athletic field.

Since this was a martial arts high school, and students needed space for their training, the sports field was vast—a single lap around the track was 800 meters. The central lawn was lush and well maintained by dedicated staff.

“Xiao Nan, over here! Over here!”

A girl stood on tiptoe, waving her fair arm. Her cheeks, kissed by sunlight, were flushed—whether from shyness or excitement, it was hard to tell.

It was Zhang Xiaorou.

Xiao Nan was surprised, but also felt a surge of joy. She had been the first person he met after arriving in this world, and he felt a special sense of closeness to her.

“You’re out of the hospital. I’ve been busy these last two days and haven’t checked in on you.”

“It’s okay. You were preparing for the martial arts test… I heard you left the hospital after just a morning. Was your injury nothing serious? I was worried about you…”

She was amusing, really. She’d called out to him first, but the more she spoke, the softer her voice became, until it was barely a whisper.

The two girls beside her giggled behind their hands, clearly enjoying the scene. They were likely friends Zhang Xiaorou had brought along—girls in the prime of youth.

These two weren’t shy at all, sneaking glances at Xiao Nan seven or eight times, nearly devouring him with their eyes.

“Ahem… ahem…”

Xiao Nan felt a bit awkward. Was this a confession? Or was it?

Good looks did have their perks.

He had to admit, it felt quite nice.

Just as he was about to tease the bashful junior, he suddenly sensed a chill from behind. His muscles tensed, hairs standing on end; he shifted slightly, arm taut, and spun around.

There stood a burly figure in the school’s red-and-white staff uniform, glaring at him with eyes like oxen, fury practically radiating off him.

“Zhang Yi?”

It was the overprotective father. How had he slipped in here?

What did he want? Was he afraid someone would abduct his daughter?

I’ve done nothing wrong, Xiao Nan thought to himself, utterly aggrieved.