His heartbeat quickened as a bucket load of questions flooded his mind. He silently pointed at the coffee table like a kid who saw something interesting but was also afraid to ask where it came from. Zi Xingxi just glanced over at him before taking the empty container of the egg tart on the table and handing it to him.
"Throw this away... oh and next time you want to coax me you should make it from scratch. It would be more sincere that way," she said stretching out her hand to hold the empty container but three seconds later Zi Han still hadn't taken it.
His gaze was lingering on the things on the table his emotions clearly written on his face. Countless times he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. It took Zi Xingxi calling him for him to come back to himself.
"Han Han," she said while shaking the container.
Zi Han was so absent-minded that he let out the most unintelligent response. "Huh?" he said shifting his gaze up to face his mother, "Oh..... why-"
He took the empty egg tart container and wanted to address the huge elephant in the room but she cut him off saying, "How about you make us some breakfast, anything will be fine." As she did this her head was lowered examining the scope of the AP sniper rifle seriously.
"O-oh... ok-ay," he replied as his gaze shifted back to the weapon in her hand. Because he wasn't looking where he was going he bumped into the kitchen counter twice bringing him back to reality.
He decided to focus on making breakfast first before circling back to this and getting some answers so he seriously opened the fridge checking what was available. Zi Xingxi glanced over in her son's direction and a subtle smile appeared on her face.
He was standing there scratching his messy head of hair making him look so adorable. She wanted to rub that head of hair until it resembled a bird's nest. Maybe she should give him a haircut again. The problem was how to convince him to get her hands on his hair.
Zi Han who had no idea his mother had malicious designs over his hair took out some eggs and tomatoes from the fridge and made some tomato egg stir fry which didn't take him long.
As to the question of why he was pretty good in the kitchen more especially in this era that popularised to-go drinks that had all necessary nutrients. It was because of his mother. Her motto was simple, be the jack of all trades.
She taught him to adapt, adept with good reason. It was in order for him to survive if anything ever happened to her.
Coincidentally, this handbook she used to train her son was the very same handbook she used in the Bloodgarde to train assassins and undercover agents. She was low key raising her son to be just like her without knowing it.
Zi Han plated the tomato egg stir fry on top of reheated rice and made his mother a cup of black coffee while calling her over. Zi Xingxi whose stomach was already rooting against her stood up and immediately sat on a bar stool by the kitchen counter and pulled the bowl over.
"Did you add sugar?" she asked him as he placed a steaming cup of black coffee in front of her.
"No," he replied before walking around the kitchen counter and sitting beside her. Zi Xingxi immediately began to dig in and after decimating more than half of her food she stared at him with a contented expression and said,
"You slept with the sheet mask on your face again didn't you?" While asking this she reached out to pinch his face that looked soft and squishy like milky white tofu but the tofu ran away from her.
"Tsk, you kid, I haven't even settled scores with you yet for delivering drugs yet you won't even let me touch a little. Come here...," she said reaching out to pinch and poke as much as she wanted.
Zi Han didn't protest. That's because when his crimes were exposed it was as though he had been struck by lightning. Of course, she knew what he did? How can she not know? A person who had been hiding the fact that she owns a sniper rifle and several other guns will obviously know what crime he committed.
"Ma... I," he said but it instead got him smacked upside his head. Hissing in pain he rubbed the back of his head not daring to look her in the eyes.
"You even got me slapped by your grandfather. Do you see this? It was all your fault. How many times have I said don't go to sky city? But what did you do? Tsk, you are just like your father causing trouble everywhere you go. Would it kill you to listen to me for once, huh? Answer me."
"I do-," he said before she angrily cut him off,
"Don't you dare talk back to me? Damnit... I am so mad that I can't even enjoy my breakfast," she said harshly letting go of her chopsticks. With a clang, they hit the side of the bowl expressing her anger.
Zi Han, "???"
Didn't she just ask him to answer her just now? Now she was telling him not to talk back. Shouldn't he be angry as well about the huge secrets she has been keeping from him?
His gaze subconsciously shifted to the table where the magnificent weapon quietly lay as though inviting him to play. Sharp stinging pain on his waist brought him back to earth.
His hand on his waist he yelped in pain having been pinched. Of course, his yelp was exaggerated. It was because he was trying to ease the punishment. "Ma, use your words not your hands," he said but that only reignited the raging flames.
"Use my words my ass. Uh, you made me so mad..... You even had your identification scanned. Now your grandpa wants you en route to the capital star-planet by tomorrow. You know what no, no... I can't even look at you right now. Half squat for an hour maybe that will appease me," she said pointing at the infamous punishment corner.
"But.....," he murmured only for Zi Xingxi to interrupt him and say,
"Two hours keep talking and I will make it three."
Zi Han unwillingly abandoned his breakfast and got into a half squat. He silently watched his mother finish eating then walk back to the sitting room and slump onto the couch before continuing with what she was doing before.
His mother had mentioned his grandfather before but she never really went into detail. All she said was that his grandfather was an exceptional man with an ice-cold appearance but a soft and mushy heart. She also mentioned that he couldn't meet him as of yet due to unforeseen circumstances. He fully accepted that because his mother wasn't one to make decisions without reason.
Her thought process when doing things was flawless and analytical that it terrified him at times. It always gave him the sense that there was more to his mother than what meets the eye. She did an excellent job at hiding it but there were signs here and there that were hard to ignore.
As he held his body in the half squat he squinted his eyes staring at the AP sniper rifle in her hands. Curious, he began to observe her series of actions. He carefully studied the way her fingers moved nimbly reassembling the AP sniper rifle and etching it into his brain.
He had only managed to get hold of such a masterpiece in the simulation and only knew how to fire it. Now that he was seeing it in person his blood was rushing in excitement. If only he could butter up his mother so he can get to fire it once. Even if she won't let him at least she should let him touch it.
While he was recalling her series of actions a marble suddenly hit his forehead. "Ah!... Seriously," he yelled struggling to maintain the same posture as any movement will earn him an extra ten minutes.
"No daydreaming," she said as she pointed at her eyes with both her middle and index finger before pointing at his face, "I am watching you little brat."
Yes, this brat really needed to be watched because he not only caused trouble for Zi Xingxi but also Zi Feiji. The old man had been so excited that his grandson was coming home that he spent four hours on Onyx Starnet buying things for his grandson's room that is until unexpected guests waltzed in spoiling his mood.
Zi Feiji hurriedly minimised his screen when the old steward walked in and announced the arrival of the Marshal and his son Yi Chen. The damn idiot didn't even wait to be invited in. He just strode past the old steward and directly sat opposite him wearing a wolfish grin plastered on his face.
His son was even more well mannered than him standing behind his father waiting to be invited to take a seat. "You!.... your son even has more manners than you do. You do realise I am still your senior," said the red-faced Zi Feiji pointing at him with a trembling finger.
Marshal Yi snorted coldly and said, "Yes I do remember which is why you should be slow to anger. Do you have your medication nearby lest you get a sudden heart attack?"
If Zi Feiji wasn't angry then he was absolutely angry now. Since he wasn't one to be outdone he retorted back and the two began a senseless quarrel. Yi Chen was fully aware of the type of relationship these two men had so he wisely stayed out of their quarrel.
It's just that he had a feeling that this argument might go on for an hour or two. Lowering his head he checked the time on his light brain intending to track time and see if these two would finally break their record.
While waiting he finally took a closer look at Zi Feiji. His blood froze for a second realising something. The face, the lips and the ears were a little familiar. All apart from the eyes and age everything was more or less the same.
As though to confirm his suspicions he heard his father say, "Elder Zi, who exactly are you protecting, huh?"
Yi Chen's breath stalled but he still managed to control his facial expression making it difficult for one to discern his emotions. Recalling that stubborn young man with an explosive temper he finally understood why he was the way he was. He took after his grandfather's temperwise but if he was Zi Feiji's grandson what would he be doing here selling illegal substances?
"Considering all the evidence there is no way all of this is just a coincidence," said Marshal Yi.
Zi Feiji who had been quite noisy just now suddenly wilted his expression more serious than before.
"For a man like you who abides by a strict schedule this trip to Saarilia must have been somewhat of an emergency, right?" continued the Marshal as his body leaned forward changing his sitting posture.
"You see, I so happened to check your itinerary and you.... you had no plans to leave the imperial city. But all of a sudden you show up here after blocking someone's identification in the defence system."
Wagging his index finger he smiled coldly while continuing, "Not only that but I found something very interesting in a drug den on the surface city. I am sure elder Zi recognizes what this is." He placed a sealed bag on the table and in it was a cigarette bud familiar to the two of them because it was unique to a certain someone.
Zi Feiji didn't even need to look to know his daughter had fucked up. He just stared coldly at Marshal Yi. If eyes could kill then Yi Chen would already be burning joss paper for his father by now.
"Now... I don't need to mention who this belongs to. Like I said before I will pretend like I don't know what the Bloodgarde is up to but if they involve themselves in the illegal drug trade then I will burn them to the ground," he said as a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The tension in the atmosphere was extremely tense but among them, it was only Yi Chen and the old steward who bore its brunt.
"She is not involved in that kind of business," said Zi Feiji with his jaw clenched tightly. In his mind, he was already calculating how to end Marshal Yi's life if he dared touch his daughter and grandson. If he loses the two of them there was really no point in living.
Marshal Yi leaned back into his seat and said, "Good. She should keep it that way and I am certain we can all live in harmony."
"What is it that you want then?... The Marshal didn't travel all this way just to say this," said Zi Feiji having clearly read the situation.
Marshal Yi spread his arms at the backrest of the couch as he lifted his left leg to rest over his right one. "Why of course I need Elder Zi to show his sincerity. That gang of drug dealers were plankton in the pond. What I want is the head of the big fish."
"Normally I would tear the city apart but seeing that Elder Zi is protecting someone I can only ask you to take care of it for me."
After saying this Marshal Yi got up from his seat and with a smug smile he said, "I give you twenty-four hours. After that, I will tear apart the city and maybe stumble upon your little secret."
The pair of father and son immediately turned to leave right after that in imposing steps like someone owed them millions.
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