"Name?"

"Huai Shi."

"Age?"

"17."

"Occupation?"

"Cowherd… Ah, no, that just slipped out." Huai Shi cleared his throat twice. "Student. I also serve as the Astronomical Society's secretary and Action Officer stationed in Xinhai… Say, can't we turn off that light?"

Under the glaring light, he struggled to lift his hands, cuffed to the table, to shield his eyes, but he fell just short.

My reach wasn't long enough.

"No!"

The interrogator across the table slammed his teacup down and asked coldly, "Spit it out. Last night at 7:30 p.m., where were you, who were you with, and what were you planning to do?"

Huai Shi curled his lip. "Garden Restaurant. With your daughter. We were planning to have dinner."

BANG!

Director Fu slammed his palm on the table, his eyes bulging. "You dare say that! What is it? Do you think I can't handle my gun anymore, or are you just getting cocky? I've told you again and again, yet you still dare to hit on my daughter!"

"COUGH, COUGH."

Huai Shi covered his mouth and coughed a few times, then earnestly defended himself, "Look, this is a philosophical question… Everyone is born from a father and mother, right? If someone is a person, they must be someone's son or daughter, yes? That is to say, whenever I go out for a meal, I'll inevitably be eating with someone's son or daughter. It just so happens that this particular person's father is you. See how coincidental that is, isn't it!"

"DAMN IT!"

Director Fu glared at him hatefully, his teeth nearly grinding to dust. "Look at the fine mess you've made! Your crimes and misdeeds are one thing! My daughter and I had just started to mend our relationship, and now it's all gone to hell again!"

"It's not my fault you forgot to go to the school anniversary, is it?"

"I…"

"You don't want to see your wife, do you?" Huai Shi sighed. "Coincidentally, your wife feels the same way."

"…"

Against the light, Huai Shi studied Director Fu's somber expression. He shook his head, clicking his tongue. And so, you both stood each other up. What a mess.

"What does that have to do with you eating with her!"

Huai Shi rolled his eyes, unable to stand him anymore. "Come on, she's an adult. She was just having dinner with a friend, not going to a hotel. What are you making such a big deal about?"

BANG!

"You even dare to think about hotels!"

No sooner had Huai Shi finished speaking than a dark shadow pounced, yanking him from his chair. With a ferocious expression, Director Fu snarled, "I knew you little bastard had no good intentions!"

"It's a metaphor! A metaphor! Just an example!" Huai Shi was almost out of breath. "Let go! I'm calling for help! Help! The Special Affairs Department is beating someone up! Help!!!"

"Director Fu, calm down, calm down…"

The equally stunned officer beside them quickly rushed over. Some grabbed Director Fu's arms, others tried to calm him down with soothing words. It took a good while to get Director Fu back into his chair.

Such is the heart of a parent.

Huai Shi sighed and shook his head helplessly. A piece of wire flicked out from between his fingers. He twisted it inside the handcuff a few times and unlocked it himself.

After flexing his wrists a bit, he straightened his collar, sat upright, and said earnestly, "Look, Old Fu, you know what kind of person I am…"

"Who are you calling Old Fu!" Director Fu's eyes widened. "Your character? Don't you know how despicable you are!"

"For crying out loud, enough is enough!"

Huai Shi was so angry he felt like flipping the table, but then said with resignation, "Fine, let's not get stuck on this. I swear to God, I don't harbor any inappropriate thoughts towards your daughter…"

"Oh?" Director Fu's expression darkened. "What, are you saying you're too good for her now?"

Huai Shi felt like his head was going to explode.

"Boss, you're really one of a kind… So, it's wrong if I'm interested, and it's wrong if I'm not. What the hell do you actually want!"

Director Fu's face turned green. "You try that 'big brother' act on me again, and I'll throw you out of here, believe it or not!"

"Alright, alright, fine, fine."

Huai Shi conceded, bowing his head and clasping his hands in a plea for mercy. "Fu Yi is a good buddy of mine. I'd rather die today, even jump off this building, than think about dating her! What era are we living in? Please, get rid of your dirty thoughts immediately!"

"She's a good student; you are not!"

Director Fu eyed the little bastard in front of him warily, as if looking at a thief who had snuck into his backyard with a hoe while he wasn't home.

"Don't you know what kind of person Fu Yi is? Well, maybe you don't know her that well, but at least have some faith in her, okay?"

Huai Shi scratched his head and sighed. "Honestly, I have no interest in your family dynamics, nor do I intend to meddle in her private affairs. But you have to understand, not everyone's mind is filled with teenage hormones driving them towards mindless romantic pursuits. Not everyone needs their father to appoint snipers to keep a 24-hour infrared lock on her classmates, or their mother to hire detectives to thoroughly investigate every classmate. Besides, even if you do all that, is it really effective? Has it ever changed her mind?"

Director Fu was speechless for a long time, then sighed irritably. "...Ah, the rebellious phase."

"I must say, if this is what her rebellious phase looks like, you've got it easy."

Huai Shi shook his head, no longer wanting to wrangle with his classmate's father over how to raise a daughter. He tried to recall why he was there in the first place, then realized he'd completely forgotten.

"Right, what did I come here for again?"

"How should I know!"

Director Fu was seething. "Do you think the Special Affairs Department is your playground, somewhere you can just wander into for fun?"

"I barely walked in the door, hadn't even said a word, and you cuffed me here. I'm pretty exasperated myself!"

Huai Shi immediately felt even more aggrieved. After pondering for a long time, he finally remembered and slapped his forehead. "Right! My Border Hunter license and my Current Circumstances Travel Permit."

"…"

At this, Old Fu's expression became exceptionally reluctant.

Ten minutes later, an officer handed Huai Shi an entire file folder.

"TSK."

Director Fu saw him to the door, offering a final reminder, "Don't think that just because you have a license and permit, you can do whatever you want. You still need to obey the law, understand?"

"Look who's talking! You're the one leading the charge in breaking rules, yet you're lecturing me!"

Huai Shi slung his backpack over his shoulder and strode off.

I'm outta here, outta here. Definitely not coming back. This damn place. I get locked up every time I come. Who could stand it?

Not long after leaving, he received a call from Fu Yi.

The other end of the line was quite noisy; he could hear the hustle and bustle of people.

"Are you free?" He could faintly hear the clatter of keyboards as she asked, "Liu Rong, Liao Jun, and I are at the internet cafe, teaming up. Come quick, I'll carry you and boost your rank."

"No thanks. The last guy who wanted me to boost his rank has been six feet under for four hundred years."

Huai Shi shook his head, but after a moment's thought, he explained, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Just two fellow sufferers comparing notes. It was just dinner; he's not going to exile me to the Border over it, right?"

"Alright, then we'll eat again next time."

Fu Yi's tone seemed a little more relaxed.

"Eat what, eat what?" Liao Jun's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Count me in! My treat! There's a skewer place nearby…"

"Get lost, get lost! You made us lose all our points, all you think about is food! I'm CC'd! Use your ult, use your ult! Rong Rong, get out! ARGH, my bad, my bad…"

Liao Jun, a member of the student union's organizing committee, seemed to harbor feelings for Fu Yi that weren't exactly condoned by school regulations.

Though his family was well-off, he wasn't a spoiled brat. On the contrary, he had a big-brotherly vibe, good grades, and a pleasant personality—a genuinely bright and handsome young man. After being turned down by Fu Yi a few times, he apparently hadn't given up. He was already secretly asking about her university choices, seemingly planning a long-term pursuit.

Unfortunately for him, the young Miss had an iron will, having long since seen through the Red Dust thanks to her parents' example. Although she didn't deliberately distance herself in their usual interactions, she had always politely maintained a friend-zone boundary. It seemed he was inevitably going to get the "good buddy" card.

After seeing her extensive life plan, Huai Shi wondered if marriage was even on her agenda.

But that was none of his business.

After all, life isn't a novel; it's not all about romance. Even if she never married, Huai Shi believed Fu Yi would thrive on her own.

Listening to their playful banter, Huai Shi could only sigh sincerely, Ah, youth is truly wonderful.

For some reason, a sense of worldly weariness washed over him, and he suddenly felt an urge to be poetic.

After one team fight ended, Fu Yi still seemed somewhat concerned. "You sure you don't want to eat?"

"Really, I'm going home to study," Huai Shi said. "Next week, I'm off to Jinling for the exams."

"Alright then…"

Fu Yi said nothing more, calmly adding, "Then we'll meet up in Jinling."

What did she just say?

Huai Shi was stunned, but before he could ask, the call ended.

He was left standing alone in the middle of the busy road, staring at the bustling traffic, utterly befuddled.

He suddenly had a terrifying thought: What if Director Fu and his men came storming into Jinling?

When he got home, he saw that the flowers Uncle Fang had been watering for the past two days had bloomed, restoring the front courtyard to its usual gentle charm. Uncle Fang was standing at the door, signing for a delivery after completing an inspection.

After the delivery person left, Huai Shi dropped his bag and saw a huge box in the living room.

"What the heck? Where'd you buy this? How much did it cost?"

Huai Shi fixed his gaze on Raven and fired off the three questions.

"Your textbooks. Bought them from the Stone Pot Society Official Giant Goose Tengu Store. The whole set came with free shipping, plus eight master-class DVDs with lectures on difficult topics. Not expensive at all, only four million for the set…"

"How much!"

Huai Shi was so startled he almost jumped high enough to punch a hole in the ceiling. "Four million?! You spent four million on this pile of junk?"

"Knowledge is priceless, Little Brag."

Raven glanced at him with a mix of exasperation and disappointment. "In a monopolized industry like this, they charge whatever they want. Besides, if you actually learn this stuff, you'll earn that money back in a few years."

"Earn my ass! You'll spend it all!"

Huai Shi rolled his eyes and opened the box. He found that the Stone Pot Society was absurdly stingy. The large iron box was padded with layers and layers of bubble wrap, but inside were only about a dozen books: one nearly useless Introduction to Alchemy, two volumes of the Mineral Illustrated Handbook, and eight volumes of A Brief Discussion on Metallography…

All stuff he already knew!

Huai Shi was furious. "And this junk costs four million?"

"You know, there once was an unlucky kid, much like you—poor, but exceptionally talented," Raven said earnestly. "He didn't buy the expensive textbooks. He studied on his own and passed the Stone Pot Society's alchemy exam. Guess what happened next?"

"He became a great master?" Huai Shi ventured.

"When the results came out, the Stone Pot Society couldn't find any record of him purchasing the textbooks in their database. So, they accused him of stealing knowledge that wasn't his and reported him to the Astronomical Society, who then arrested him."

Raven stated coldly, "For infringing on the Stone Pot Society's copyright, he was sentenced to ninety-two years of imprisonment with hard labor. He's still in jail, supposedly growing chrysanthemums."

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