Marriage Comes After the Gifts-If You Can't Flirt, Don't Even Try!

Ryoma smiled faintly. "But Mei, everything has to be done step by step. There's no rushing it. And I've told you many times already—you don't need to work this hard. For many things, it's only a matter of time!"

"Yes, Father!"

Mei did not argue. She obediently agreed, though whether she would actually listen was another matter entirely!

Ryoma knew his daughter would not listen, but he still had to say it. "There shouldn't be any problems with your body recently, right?"

"I'm fine!"

Mei nodded gently and did not hide anything from her father. "But during my first mission, I had no choice but to remove the restraints. Still, my consciousness recovered quickly. I should be able to..."

"No, you can't!"

Ryoma interrupted Mei. "Honkai is not as simple as you think. I've told you so many times—don't try to make use of a power humanity cannot control. If one day you truly become a Herrscher, it will be too late for everything. Do you want me to come out and find that I no longer have a daughter?"

"I'm sorry, Father..."

Mei sincerely admitted her mistake...

Ryoma could not bring himself to say much more, nor did he want to blame Mei. Sometimes, having a daughter who was too sensible was not a good thing either. As for Ling Feng, he had watched from the side the entire time...

Ryoma and Mei continued chatting, talking here and there, but there really were not many topics the two could discuss...

"Mei!"

Suddenly, Ryoma smiled. "Go outside for a while. I'd like to speak with your assistant alone!"

"Hm?"

Mei froze for a moment, but she did not hesitate. She nodded and stood up. "All right. I'll wait outside. Ling Feng, please sit!"

After giving her seat to Ling Feng, Mei decisively walked out of the room...

Ling Feng: "..."

"Uh... Father-in... I mean, Uncle, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Ling Feng had nearly blurted out what was on his mind again, but he had always been steady enough to recover!

"Of course, I wanted to get to know you a little. In all these years, this is the first time Mei has brought a male friend to see me..."

Ryoma merely smiled before asking, "Then let me ask you this. Since you can be an assistant, you should also be a Valkyrie. D-rank or C-rank?"

"Uh..."

Ling Feng hesitated before asking back, "Do you want the truth or a lie?"

"The truth!"

Ryoma felt that this guy was rather interesting...

"The truth..."

Ling Feng thought for a moment, then smiled. "I'm actually an S-rank Valkyrie, but for certain reasons, I probably only have D-rank combat power right now, perhaps even lower!"

What he said was indeed the truth. As for whether Ryoma believed him, that was none of his business!

"Oh? I really couldn't tell..."

A trace of surprise immediately flashed through Ryoma's eyes. "I've never heard of any male S-rank Valkyrie aside from Sigfried. Did you only become one recently?"

"Aren't you suspicious that I'm lying?" Ling Feng asked curiously!

"If you were trying to show off in front of me and earn some goodwill, saying you were a B-rank Valkyrie would have been more than enough. There was no need to tell such an enormous lie. An S-rank Valkyrie—probably not even one person in ten thousand would believe it!"

Ryoma still smiled calmly!

Ling Feng: "..." Was this that famous forum logic? Because a photoshopped image looked too fake, it had to be real?

"Forget it. I don't want to ask too much!"

Ryoma blinked lightly, signaling that there were other people around Ling Feng and that he should not say what he should not say. Then he smiled. "But since you say you're an S-rank Valkyrie, I'll believe you for the time being. You were brought here by my daughter, too, so I want to ask you for a favor!"

"Please tell me. As long as it's something I can do!"

Naturally, Ling Feng would not refuse. According to the usual tropes, this was usually the part where the father entrusted his daughter to him. It was all profit and no loss—only an idiot would refuse!

"Mei... is my only daughter..."

Ryoma began slowly...

So he really was going to entrust his daughter to him? Ling Feng looked calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was excited. From today onward, he would be the officially recognized sole candidate!

"But..."

Ryoma continued, "Mei will definitely become a Herrscher in the future. There is no doubt about that!"

"Hm?"

So it was not about entrusting Mei to him. Still, Ling Feng agreed with Ryoma. He nodded. "That's right. Honkai's consciousness will grow stronger and stronger. Even though Mei's will is firm now, Honkai truly isn't something that can be resisted through willpower alone!"

"It's good that you understand too. That makes things easier!"

Seeing that Ling Feng understood his thoughts as well, Ryoma was much more relieved. It seemed he had not chosen the wrong person. He smiled. "In my view, I probably won't be able to get out by the day Mei becomes a Herrscher. So I want to ask you for something here. When Mei becomes a Herrscher in the future, please help capture her. Otherwise, it will be troublesome if she falls into the hands of Schicksal or Anti-Entropy!"

"Um, bro... ah, no, Uncle!"

Ling Feng coughed dryly. "You should understand a Herrscher's power better than I do, right? It's not as though you can catch one whenever you want!"

"I prepared for this long ago!"

Ryoma smiled calmly. "When you and Mei have time, go traveling somewhere. I left a gift for you two in the place Mei loved visiting most when she was little. Judging from the current situation, I probably won't be able to attend even if you get married in the future. So consider that gift a memento from me for the two of you!"

Because other people were always nearby, Ryoma did not directly state the answer. Instead, he made it into a riddle. And since it was a riddle related to Mei, Mei should know it clearly!

"Yes, when I have time, I'll consider going there with Mei!"

Ling Feng nodded. He understood Ryoma's meaning very well, but... marriage? Was that official approval, or merely a lie meant to fool the prison guards?

Forget it. Regardless of what it meant, the gift was the important part!

Besides, even with official approval, marrying her would not be easy. Mei was a Herrscher, a real Herrscher! If something went wrong, domestic violence would be the least of his problems. Though he had not seen it himself, he could fully imagine how terrifying the voltage must have been when Mei had directly vaporized that Honkai Beast with lightning!

"All right, kid, you can leave now. Send my daughter in..."

Ryoma had said everything he needed to say to Ling Feng. For the remaining time, he still wanted to continue talking with Mei!

Marriage Comes After the Gift—If You Can't Flirt, Don't Force It!

After waiting outside for around five minutes, Mei came out again, and the two of them left the prison together...

"Ling Feng, has your opinion of me changed at all?"

Mei turned to look at Ling Feng and smiled. "After all, I'm the daughter of a criminal!"

"Come on, let's not talk about that. Tell me about the framing first!"

Ling Feng remembered Mei and Ryoma's earlier conversation very clearly, especially when Mei mentioned searching for clues that she had been framed. The moment he heard that, Ling Feng realized that things were not simple, because stories generally went this way!

"It was Cocolia!"

The smile vanished from Mei's face, replaced by seriousness. "I don't know the exact details or circumstances. I only know that my father could never have embezzled money or harmed the company's interests, yet Cocolia framed him and exposed a scandal involving suspected financial fraud. Because he was accused of forging financial documents, he was not only removed as president by the board of directors, but also suffered imprisonment!"

"And Cocolia did all of this. On top of that, she was also the one who modified my body into that of a Herrscher!"

Ling Feng: "..." Cocolia again. Who exactly was this woman? Put her on the death list first!

"So I have to become an outstanding Valkyrie!"

At that point, Mei's gaze became resolute once again. "The money I earn will probably be far from enough to cover my father's debts, but if I become an S-rank Valkyrie, I'll have greater authority and it will be easier to investigate the case from back then. Even if all the evidence was destroyed, I'll definitely be able to find some clues. And even if none of that works, as long as I'm an S-rank Valkyrie, I can still bail Father out. Even if I have to risk becoming a Herrscher..."

Ling Feng finally understood. He understood why Ryoma was worried, and why Mei worked so hard. It was true—every family had its own hardships. He had never expected that Mei, who seemed so gentle and understanding, would be so strong inside!

"Oh, right, Ling Feng!"

Mei turned to Ling Feng again and asked curiously, "When I was outside earlier, what did Father say to you? Can you tell me?"

"Well..."

Ling Feng smiled. "Your father said you aren't young anymore, and it's time for you to find someone to marry. So he entrusted you to me, told me to marry you soon, so he could hold a grandchild sooner!"

"I see..."

Mei nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. "Mm, I believe you. How about we get married some other day?"

"Huh?"

Ling Feng: "..."

Now it was Ling Feng's turn to struggle. No way, did she really fall for that? Mei could not possibly be that gullible...

"Hehe, sorry, sorry. I was only joking!"

Ling Feng smiled awkwardly. Worried that Mei would get angry if this continued, he hurriedly apologized and explained that he had only been joking!

"Mm-hm, I know!"

Mei smiled too. Then she raised her right index finger and said calmly, "Because I was joking too. And I'm guessing what Father told you was probably about me and becoming a Herrscher, right?"

Ling Feng: "..." He really could not figure this girl out...

"That's true!"

Ling Feng nodded lightly and smiled. "But your father did mention you marrying me. I definitely wasn't lying about that!"

"Huh?"

Mei instantly froze for a moment. She looked at Ling Feng, feeling like... he did not seem to be lying. Her face immediately reddened, and she suddenly could not understand what her father meant either...

"Ahem, don't get excited. That's not the important part..."

Ling Feng hurriedly changed the subject. "Your father wanted me to find a gift for you, but he didn't tell me where it was. He only said..."

Ling Feng hesitated for a moment and gestured for Mei to come closer. Mei then leaned her head toward him...

With his mouth close to Mei's ear, Ling Feng whispered, "The gift is in the place you loved going to most when you were little!"

"The place I loved going to most..."

Mei immediately understood what her father meant. A smile appeared on her face. "All right, I know. Thank you, Ling Feng!"

"No need to thank me!"

Ling Feng shook his head lightly. Then, with his right hand cradling the back of Mei's head, his face moved infinitely close to hers. He smiled. "But since we can only get married after finding the gift, we should get it as soon as possible. After all, it was personally appointed by my father-in-law..."

"Uh... I..."

Mei suddenly blushed. She hurriedly pressed both hands against Ling Feng's chest, trying to push him away, but she barely used any strength. It was only a token push. Then she raised her head to look at Ling Feng, her face full of grievance. "I... I haven't agreed yet. Let's talk about it after we find the gift!"

Ling Feng: "???" This... was there a chance?

Although Mei had not agreed, Ling Feng could tell that this was Mei's real reaction. Her calm agreement earlier had definitely been a joke, but...

This time, Mei had not refused. That meant there really was a chance?

He had originally only intended to tease Mei and lighten her mood, yet somehow it had turned into this...

What should he do now? Should he seize the chance to go further, or let Mei go and pretend nothing had happened? Waiting online. This is urgent...

And when Mei did not see Ling Feng make a next move for a long time, she awkwardly froze in place as well, not daring to meet his eyes...

Ling Feng: "..." He had messed it up...

Mei: "..." If you can't flirt, then don't flirt recklessly, okay...

"Mei..."

Ling Feng called softly...

"Mm!"

Mei answered softly as well...

"Let's go back!"

In the end, Ling Feng decided not to take things further. Things were progressing far too quickly, and he was afraid Mei would misunderstand him...

"Okay!"

Mei nodded gently, and a smile appeared on her face again. "If we don't go back soon, Kiana and the others will definitely complain about us!"

Ling Feng took Mei's hand off his chest, but he did not let go. Instead, he held her hand like that as they walked back...

However, compared to when they had come, the atmosphere on the way back was much more stifling. That could not be helped. Though their apparent relationship had not changed compared to before, something between them had truly become different, so both of them seemed somewhat restrained!