Visiting the Sick, Gwen's Room

A sleepless night.

Xi Nian lay in bed, watching the night outside the window gradually replaced by the cold light of dawn.

After all, too many things had happened last night—too stimulating—and the supernatural mysteries he had experienced surpassed everything from sixteen years of life combined.

Then there was the bathroom incident.

When his aunt mentioned his awakened superpower, Lord of Kin, she didn't show any disgust or oppose him using that strange ability. On the contrary, she actively helped him think through the trigger conditions and limits of the Lord of Kin power, clearly eager to find an opportunity for him to experiment, her curiosity running deep.

So, it wasn't that Xi Nian couldn't hold back—it was that the theory was too tempting. The part of him below involuntarily raised its hand, as if wanting to voice its own opinion.

Xi Nian wasn't sure if his aunt had seen it when she was rinsing the shampoo from his hair.

He only remembered the words she said at the end in the bathroom.

"Xi Nian, what kind of person do you want to become?"

"You don't need to answer that right away. When the time is right, I'll give you a chance to choose. No matter what you decide, I'll support you from behind."

Xi Nian thought about it all night but still couldn't understand what his aunt meant by "choice" and "support."

What choice? What kind of support?

Or rather, Xi Nian didn't dare to think in one direction—his superpower, Lord of Kin, could only truly take effect with the help of a supernatural female. And that so-called help required a series of "stringent" trigger conditions, essentially a passive skill.

If there was no suitable supernatural female nearby, he couldn't use it as a regular ability.

So, could his aunt's "support" mean...

Recalling his aunt's proactive suggestion that "liquid is the medium, and the more medium, the stronger the effect," Xi Nian felt his body heat up again. That was the real reason he hadn't slept all night.

Fortunately.

Worried that Xi Nian might suffer aftereffects from the ability, his aunt had already reported to the school and requested a day off for him.

Coincidentally, from school, Xi Nian learned that Gwen had also taken a day off.

In his mind, the half-face of Spider-Woman from last night flashed.

Xi Nian thought for a moment and couldn't help suggesting to his aunt, "Gwen has a cold. I'll go see her after lunch."

Diana naturally knew Xi Nian's childhood playmate and agreed immediately, "Sure, it's close anyway."

She surveyed the messy, wrecked living room. "Later, I'll have someone come over to repair the living room and bring in new furniture."

"Won't that cause trouble?" Xi Nian asked, a little worried.

The shattered footprints on the living room floor, the startling craters, the furniture and window frames he had smashed through—anyone with eyes could tell this wasn't ordinary wear and tear. If linked to the robbery that happened downstairs across the street last night, it might expose them.

"No."

Diana looked composed, dressed in a white blouse and suit pants that exuded intellectual elegance. "I still have some connections. I know what kind of people to call for this."

"That's good." Xi Nian finally relaxed, though he was a bit curious about what kind of connections his aunt meant.

After lunch.

Xi Nian changed into a winter coat and headed out to Gwen's house.

Just crossing one pedestrian street, less than a hundred meters, he arrived at the neighboring complex. The security guard on duty recognized him, greeting him while opening the gate, "Little Xi Nian, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it's been a while."

Xi Nian shrugged. When they were kids, it was fine, but in recent years, Officer George had been guarding against him like he was a thief. Xi Nian once even wondered if he had some criminal gene that had caught the officer's attention.

Soon, he arrived at Gwen's door, familiar with the route. But as he pressed the doorbell, his heart suddenly felt a little nervous.

Luckily, maybe his luck was finally turning. A gentle woman's voice came from inside: "Coming."

The door opened.

What met Xi Nian's eyes was a middle-aged woman around thirty-eight. Though there were some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, her figure was still well-preserved, and her lively, spirited features resembled Gwen's.

It was Gwen's mother, Mary Jane.

"Xi Nian, you're here!" Unlike Officer George's attitude, Mary was overjoyed to see him at the door and immediately pulled him inside. "Come in, it's cold out there."

"I heard Gwen was sick, so I came to check on her." Xi Nian changed into house slippers on the mat and glanced around the house.

"Don't worry." Mary seemed to know what he was looking for and winked. "Gwen's father went out last night and hasn't come back yet."

"Uh..." Xi Nian didn't know what to say.

Ma'am, your hair... no, your words are very dangerous!

Mary continued, "Gwen had a fever this morning. I gave her some medicine, and she should be asleep in bed now."

"In that case, I'll head back." Xi Nian looked at Gwen's closed door. "I shouldn't disturb her rest..."

"What disturbance?" Mary waved her hand, cutting him off, and urged, "You came at just the right time. Go in and see her!"

Mary pushed Xi Nian to Gwen's door and said with meaningful emphasis, "Don't worry, the room has good soundproofing. Even if something happens, no one outside will hear."

"I'm just here to check on a patient," Xi Nian said, his mouth twitching as he corrected her.

"Of course. Of course, just checking on a patient—a thorough checkup, as long as you don't catch anything yourself." Mary's insinuation was strong. She opened the door, pushed Xi Nian inside, and helped close it again.

Seriously, was this really Gwen's biological mother?

Xi Nian gave a wry smile, suddenly feeling that Officer George was relatively normal by comparison. He lifted his gaze—Gwen's room was much as he remembered it: clean, tidy, carrying a faint, pleasant scent, with plenty of stuffed toys. It was unmistakably a girl's room, though the photos on the bookshelf had multiplied.

Hm? Many of them were pictures with him—cherished prints he hadn't even bothered to develop himself.

Xi Nian couldn't help but take a second look, then let his eyes settle on one corner of the room.

The golden-haired beauty was like a sleeping princess, lying quietly under a snow-white down comforter. Her delicate, finely crafted mouth and nose breathed evenly, though her cheeks—tender as a baby's—were faintly flushed.

Xi Nian approached the bedside and lowered his voice to call out, "Gwen? Gwen?"

Gwen didn't respond, as if lost in deep sleep.

After double-checking that his hands weren't too cold, he gently brushed aside the golden strands and placed his palm on her forehead. A slight warmth radiated through his hand.

The fever wasn't high, but it was there.

Xi Nian silently withdrew his hand. He had come to visit Gwen for two reasons: first, naturally, to check on her illness; second, to find out if Gwen was connected to the Spider-Woman he had encountered last night.

As things stood, it seemed he had been mistaken.

Right. How could his childhood friend Gwen be that Spider-Woman who swung through the city's heights, clearly not someone to be trifled with?

Xi Nian shook his head.

But then.

When his gaze fell on the girl's slightly parted lips—perhaps due to the fever, they were rosier and glossier than usual—he suddenly froze.

A thought, like a spell, surfaced in Xi Nian's mind.

If he was wrong, wouldn't testing it settle it once and for all?