A Difficult Son to Teach

After dinner, it was already past eight. Zhao Han said goodbye to her uncle's family, left the villa, rubbed her round little belly, and slowly walked down the path leading to the Wooden House where she lived alone.

The streetlights on both sides had already come on, illuminating the road clearly.

She had eaten a little too much today. After all, she had just attended a grand feast at noon.

She was not good at refusing others' kindness. Faced with her uncle constantly putting food on her plate, she could only accept everything.

In that respect, her uncle had not changed much compared to their relatives back home.

But Zhao Xu was still as annoying as ever. She had not been bragging, okay? Sister Xu really did take good care of her. Teacher Wenren had been willing to send her such an important suspect list directly—didn't that show how much he valued her? As Zhao Han thought about it, she was nearly at the Wooden House when she suddenly heard a faint but fierce argument coming from the villa. An Ordinary Person might not have been able to hear anything at all, but she was no longer an Ordinary Person.

"You bastard! You actually maxed out my credit card for 1.6 million just to play some lousy mobile game!"

That sounded like her uncle, furious beyond measure.

Zhao Han stopped instinctively, deeply shocked. 1.6 million? Her uncle's credit limit was that high? She seemed to have heard that some credit cards had extraordinarily high limits.

But Zhao Xu was only sixteen. He dared spend that much just to play a game? "I had to spend it! If I didn't, how could I crush those stupid poor losers? How could I make the little brothers in the group respect me? I'm a V16 big shot—I can't afford to lose face! Besides, if I didn't spend more, wouldn't that be wasting President Zhao's talent for making money?" It was Zhao Xu's voice, utterly unconcerned.

"I can make money, but not a single cent I earn is surplus! If you were willing to attend Otherworldly training classes, I'd hire any teacher, no matter how expensive! But you squander money like this for such pointless things. If I don't beat you senseless today, you won't know why I'm your father!"

"Enough, enough. What's there to feel bad about? You're going to die sooner or later anyway, and then the inheritance will all be mine. What's wrong with me spending a little in advance?"

Hearing this, Zhao Han froze completely. She could not imagine a person's bottom line being so low that he could say such things to a father who loved him. Her own family spoiled her too, especially her grandfather, and sometimes she could be quite willful—but she would never, absolutely never, say something like that.

As she stood there stunned, the argument abruptly stopped. It seemed President Zhao had also been shocked dumb by his son's words, and it took him quite a while to respond.

"Fine. Well said. Very good. I, Zhao Wei, have failed to teach my son. I deserve this, and I admit it! But you, Zhao Xu—you think my inheritance will be yours after I die? Keep dreaming!

"I can see it now. Forget becoming some Otherworldly Expert—even when it comes to caring for me in old age, handling my funeral rites, breaking the mourning basin, and burning paper offerings, you'll be useless! I'd better make plans early and pass this Zhao family business, which has only just risen, to someone else!"

"Weren't you already planning that? That stupid dark country girl—just because she awakened some Otherworldly thing from who-knows-what backwater, you treat her like treasure. You spend so much time teaching her every day, and you even humble yourself to have the capable people in your company take special care of her!"

"Bastard! If you'd listened to me sooner, been willing to endure hardship, and trained seriously, how many chances have I given you? If you had awakened even once, I would have put ten times the effort into nurturing you! But all you know is how to play around, you worthless trash!"

"Yes, yes, I'm worthless. I'm not as smart as her, not as good at bullshitting as her, not as obedient and well-behaved as her. Go recognize her as your real daughter, then! No—maybe she really is your real daughter. You're Ouyang Feng!"

Slap!!

A fierce slap.

"Y-you actually dared to hit me? If my real mother were still alive, you definitely wouldn't dare hit me! Sob..."

"It was your real mother who spoiled you into this! Were those words you just said even human? Forget those great clans and Tycoons—no respectable family would raise a foul-mouthed bastard like you!"

Zhao Han was completely dumbfounded, her mind a muddle.

Then she heard a loud bang, as if a door had been violently flung open, followed by rapid footsteps. A figure ran swiftly toward the courtyard gate.

"Go, then! If you've got the guts, don't come back! Then I might even think a little better of you!"

Zhao Wei stormed out after him, but halfway there, he seemed to notice Zhao Han standing blankly nearby. He stopped, then walked toward her instead.

Looking at her uncle, Zhao Han said with difficulty, "Um, Uncle... I'm sorry. I think I should move out."

"No!" Zhao Wei's expression changed. He hurried over and pressed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't listen to that unfilial brat spewing nonsense... You're at the most crucial stage of getting started. You don't have any ability to protect yourself yet."

He let out a breath. He seemed to transform from a furious father helpless before his son back into a steady, sincere elder.

"But..." Zhao Han still felt deeply upset.

"Uncle understands how you feel. Living under someone else's roof doesn't feel good. If possible, Uncle wouldn't want you living with that bastard anymore either. But we aren't Ordinary People. Since we enjoy the benefits brought by Otherworldly things, we have to bear the corresponding risks." Zhao Wei spoke earnestly.

"Thank you, Uncle, but... if I keep living here, Zhao Xu might really never come back." Zhao Han said through gritted teeth.

She could not be too selfish. Her uncle had already done everything he could for her. She could not become the thorn between father and son that could never be removed.

Zhao Wei let out another long sigh. After pondering for a moment, he looked to the right.

At last, he said, "All right. Since that's the case, I can't make things too difficult for you. I'll take you somewhere new right now. You'll definitely be able to live there comfortably and safely."

After that, Zhao Han somehow followed Zhao Wei out through the courtyard gate in a daze, then walked along the sidewalk to the right.

A few minutes later, the two stopped in front of a somewhat familiar two-story villa.

Then Zhao Wei took out his phone and started making a call.

After quite a while, the call finally connected, and a lazy voice came through.

"Old Zhao, what urgent matter is it this time? Let's make this clear first—if you wake me up to work overtime while I'm sleeping, I charge triple."

"Get lost. I'm not asking you to work overtime. I have a niece, Zhao Han. I've mentioned her to you several times before, and you know her now. I'm going away on a long business trip soon, so let her stay at your place for a while. You understand."

"I don't understand. I only know that the Hourly Workers and nannies I hired several times weren't very reliable. She seems like a pretty responsible girl, so let her live here. She can sweep the courtyard, wash clothes, and cook for me while she's at it... In that case, she can stay as long as she wants."

"Get lost. She's my real niece, not a servant for you to use. If you're willing to take her as your wife, though, I wouldn't care how you arranged things." Zhao Wei laughed and cursed, sounding considerably more relaxed.

"Uh, I'll send Brother Li out to make arrangements for you. I'm going back to sleep. Call me again if it's urgent."

Steam practically rose from Zhao Han's face, but all the distress she had felt earlier vanished without a trace, and she recovered her usual ability to think.

So that was it. The hint Narration Mister had given that afternoon, the choice she had made, the turning point it would affect—it was here.

If she had shrunk back then, if she had not dared take the initiative and only seemed like someone who talked big, her uncle's request would probably have fallen through.

Since the other party did not trust her, he would very likely have pushed her off onto someone else.

After all, who would feel at ease letting an Otherworldly User they did not trust live in their home? Her uncle's initial hesitation made that clear. He had not been very confident.

"Hmph, this kid is getting more and more full of himself. Even when I personally show up, he dares not come out to greet me himself." Zhao Wei hung up.

"Uh, Uncle, maybe Teacher Wenren just didn't want to waste our time. After all, he was sleeping."

"No need to speak for him. That guy isn't as simple as he looks, but his moral bottom line is quite high. You don't need to worry about safety." Zhao Wei reassured her.

"Thank you, Uncle. I understand." Zhao Han said gratefully.

Sure enough, before long, Driver Li Shuangyue came jogging over to open the gate.

"Greetings, President Zhao. Greetings, Miss Zhao." He greeted them respectfully.

"Hello, Mister Li." Zhao Han hurriedly greeted him with a bow.

"Xiao Li, Wenren should have told you already. I won't be going in. Help make the arrangements," Zhao Wei instructed.

"Yes, President Zhao. Please rest assured, the Young Master has already given his instructions," Li Shuangyue said respectfully.

Zhao Wei nodded, then turned to Zhao Han. "Xiao Han, call me if anything comes up. Don't overthink things. Uncle is getting old. In the future, I'll be relying on all of you. It's only right for me to pave the way for you now. If you feel uneasy, put those feelings into your studies."

"Thank you, Uncle. I definitely will." Zhao Han gave him a serious bow.

"Good, good. No need to see me off." Zhao Wei waved his hand, then turned and walked back with his belly thrust out.

Zhao Han watched him leave and faintly heard him sigh.

"Ah, today I finally learned how two university math professors could raise a son who only scored ten points in elementary school math."