The Patriarch Must Have Authority

Chapter 20: A Family Head Must Have Authority

Cheng Yun glanced at the crooked bill the Heroine had written on paper, shook his head, and sat down on the bed.

The quilt and sheets on the bed were completely new, neatly spread out, without a single wrinkle, as if the Old Mage had never slept on them.

"I'm thinking, the three of us all come from different worlds, yet why do we have such similar appearances, and even... our biological characteristics are very similar!" Cheng Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, this discovery even filled him with a sense of fear. "This clearly negates our theory of evolution."

"Theory of evolution?" The Old Mage showed an amused expression. "About three hundred years ago, some people in our world also followed the theory of evolution. The theory of evolution is supported by research conclusions, which state that all races in our world, whether it's various human races, elves, or any other biological races, evolved from very primitive organisms. And the differing opinion was very direct—almost all intelligent races in our world share certain similarities in appearance or other biological forms like ways of thinking. This coincidence is truly astonishing."

"And then?"

"Then I obtained the scroll and began to travel the world, and I also discovered what you've just discovered." The Old Mage looked at Cheng Yun with a half-smile. "If this is a coincidence, then it's clearly a much bigger coincidence. So big it's inconceivable, so big it's almost impossible."

"So?"

The Old Mage looked at him with a half-smile, his expression full of meaning, but he didn't answer: "You've discovered a very significant problem, child."

Cheng Yun fell silent.

It was then that the Old Mage sighed deeply and said, "Actually, we still don't have an answer to this problem. Although we seemed to be very close to the truth from the moment we discovered it, I am still constantly pursuing it. Perhaps my life won't be enough to approach that truth, but it's okay. In the countless years to come, someone will eventually approach the truth. You are different, though. You have a lifespan almost equal to this world's. Unless this game ends early or the rules change, you will eventually see the final answer."

His tone was light and calm, yet it inexplicably made Cheng Yun's hair stand on end and his heart grow cold.

Cheng Yun thought that if there was a final answer, perhaps the answer was God, God in a broad, nonexistent sense.

Of course, it might not be.

"Relax, Station Master." The Old Mage patted him on the shoulder with a smile. "You can never imagine how terrified I am, as a mage who has spent his life pursuing wisdom and truth, to face such a problem laid out before me, one that I am destined to never overcome in my lifetime. Yet, I still stand here calmly, doing what I must do. So, you don't need to feel fear or dejection because of it, much less despair. The ancients already saw the sky was vast and unattainable, and you now stand much higher than the ancients, only to see something even more extraordinary."

His tone was as calm and indifferent as ever, making Cheng Yun nod as if possessed.

Heroine Yin, sitting beside them, smacked her lips, recalling the taste of lunch. Suddenly, she interjected, "What kind of nonsense are you two talking about..."

Cheng Yun gradually came to his senses and realized what the Old Mage meant to convey—regardless of how this world came to be, he should live his life well at this moment.

So he waved his hand at Heroine Yin: "It's something your intelligence can't comprehend anyway."

"What's wrong with my intelligence?" Heroine Yin's brows suddenly furrowed, and her voice rose. "Explain yourself! What's wrong with my intelligence? I can even master the difficult Southern School Flying Fish Saber Technique! Heh, it's really strange! After so many years of wandering the jianghu, this is the first time I've heard someone talk about my intelligence..."

"..." Cheng Yun twitched the corner of his mouth.

"You're jealous!" Heroine Yin declared.

"Mm." Cheng Yun nodded decisively.

Heroine Yin fell silent.

Then Cheng Yun said to the Old Mage, "I'll go upstairs first. In the afternoon, I'll introduce this Heroine to our world, and we can continue our research tomorrow."

"Good."

"Heroine, please follow me." Cheng Yun said, picking up the bowls and chopsticks, and turned to walk out.

The Heroine quickly followed.

Just as they reached the stairs, a loud broadcast suddenly came from outside: "Congratulations to Yizhou City ** Middle School for admitting ** students to the top-tier universities in 2017, with a top-tier university admission rate of **, while the neighboring ** Middle School's admission rate is only **..."

Cheng Yun suddenly froze. Today seemed to be... the 28th!

His expression changed instantly.

According to Yizhou's regulations, college application submissions close at 12:00 PM on the 28th, and now...

He quickly took out his mobile phone to check.

It was just past 1:00 PM!

This meant Cheng Yan had already completed her college application!

Given Cheng Yan's personality, there wouldn't be any mistakes, and her grades were seemingly not a cause for worry. However, connecting it with her unusual behavior this morning and noon, Cheng Yun had a bad premonition.

Seeing him standing there motionless, his expression shifting between moods, Heroine Yin couldn't help but frown and ask, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Cheng Yun waved his hand, walking upstairs while taking out his phone to call Cheng Yan.

The call rang once, no answer.

Cheng Yun called again, and Cheng Yan finally answered.

Cheng Yun quickly said, "Hello, Cheng Yan."

Cheng Yan was silent on the other end for a moment before humming, saying somewhat unnaturally, "If you have something to say, say it quickly, I'm bench-pressing!"

Cheng Yun asked, "You've already submitted your college application, right?"

"Uh... Isn't that... stating the obvious..."

"I'm concerned about you!" Cheng Yun frowned. "How can that be stating the obvious?"

"The application deadline has already passed. If I hadn't submitted it yet, would I be waiting to repeat the year?" Cheng Yan twitched the corner of her mouth. "What else is that if not stating the obvious?"

"Then which school did you apply to?"

"I... I don't need your concern." Cheng Yan's tone was somewhat guilty.

"What's with your attitude! I'm your brother, and your current guardian! This is a big matter like applying for college, and you didn't discuss it with me, I won't say anything. I know you've been independent since you were little, and you know what you're doing, but at least I should ask about it!"

Cheng Yan was silent for a moment before weakly saying, "Since I know what I'm doing, why are you still asking me..."

"Don't I know it myself?!"

"It's not like you're filling out the college applications, or going to college yourself..."

"Where did you end up applying?" Cheng Yun's heart sank. "It wasn't Tsinghua or Peking University, was it? Wuhan University? Fudan? Zhejiang University?"

"Yida..."

"What?" Cheng Yun was stunned. "Say that again!?"

Cheng Yan was silent for another moment before saying, "Yida, Yizhou University. Okay, I'm hanging up. You can't rest for this long during a bench press..."

"Don't you dare hang up!" Cheng Yun suddenly roared, startling the Heroine Yin beside him.

Cheng Yan didn't hang up, but she didn't speak either.

Cheng Yun stood at the doorway, one hand holding the mobile phone, the other holding his card but not swiping it to enter. They seemed able to hear each other's breathing.

After a long silence, Cheng Yun took a deep breath and said with an irrefutable tone, "You come back here right now!"

"No!" Cheng Yan replied guiltily.

"Hoo!" Cheng Yun took another deep breath. Cheng Yan's answer was not unexpected, but he still tried his best to muster the authority of the head of the household. "Then where are you now? I'll come find you."

"I won't tell you!"

"...Cafe Gym, right? You wait, I'm coming over immediately," Cheng Yun said in a low voice.

Cheng Yan didn't answer him.

So Cheng Yun hung up the phone, swiped his card with a beep to open the door, and threw the Heroine inside. "You stay here. I'm going out to handle something and I'll be back later!"

"Where are you going?! Is there trouble?" the Heroine Yin asked quickly, then puffed out her chest and volunteered, "I'll go with you! Old Mage said people in your world are actually very weak, and not everyone can use magic. In that case... I'm not bragging, but based on the people I saw when I went out for noodles today, I could take on ten thousand of them! Wait a minute... my saber is still in your palace, I need to get it!"

Cheng Yun grabbed her arm.

...And pulled himself stumbling along with her!

After finally standing straight, he said sternly, "I'm not going to fight. You stay in the room and wait for me to come back."

The Heroine froze, then looked him up and down. "Don't you consider me a brother!"

"..." Cheng Yun was speechless. "I'm going to find my disobedient sister. It's just a family matter. What's it going to look like if you follow me with a big saber!"

"Oh, I see!" The Heroine looked skeptical.

After this little farce, Cheng Yun calmed down a bit. He went into the room and turned on the TV for the Heroine. To help her understand this world more quickly, Cheng Yun chose a regional news program that was more down-to-earth and fragmented with information – Yizhou News.

Then, while the Heroine was still staring blankly at the TV screen, he quickly opened the door and went out.

The Cafe Gym was very close to Cheng Yun's home, but in the opposite direction from the hotel. It took him twenty minutes to get there.

As soon as Cheng Yun walked into the gym, intending to call Cheng Yan and wait for her in the lounge area, he heard a surprised shout from behind him: "Cheng Yun?"

He turned around and was also stunned. "Pan... Shimeng?"

"I... Did I hear wrong? Why did you hesitate just now?" Pan Shimeng feigned a frown, then beamed. "Long time no see, big brother. I didn't expect to meet you here."

"Yeah, quite a coincidence," Cheng Yun said a little awkwardly. He had almost not recognized her just now.

Pan Shimeng was wearing a tight-fitting tracksuit and sports shoes. Her already good figure now had even better proportions. She had her hair in a ponytail, had dyed it, and was wearing what was rumored to be "man-slaying makeup." She was a refreshing and beautiful, sporty, natural beauty.

"We haven't seen each other since you graduated, right? I heard you broke up with Senior Sister Tang?"

"Uh... we broke up a long time ago."

"That's a shame." Pan Shimeng had wanted to catch up, but seeing that Cheng Yun seemed uninterested, she asked, "Are you here... to work out? I didn't see you here before."

"I'm here to find my sister. She's inside," Cheng Yun said, pulling out his mobile phone. "I'll call her to come out."

"Alright then." Pan Shimeng said, and then walked into the reception area next to them, looking at Cheng Yun.

She was from Yizhou University's sports department. Cheng Yun was a year ahead of her. Back then, Cheng Yun often played basketball with people from the sports department, so he knew her. She actually had a good impression of the handsome Cheng Yun, but unfortunately, Cheng Yun had a girlfriend at the time, and after waiting for a while without seeing any signs of them breaking up, she gave up. Now Cheng Yun had broken up with his ex-girlfriend, but she... already had a new boyfriend.

In an instant, the young girl's mind raced, showing a hint of regret. She looked up at Cheng Yun again and found that he was also looking at her.

She was startled, her face flushed, her heart pounding like a deer's. Her mind raced –

Did he know I liked him before? What if he's single now and wants to hit on me? How should I reject him to show my tact and maintain my image as a good girl in his eyes...

Indeed, she saw Cheng Yun walking towards her.

She even lowered her head.

Then Cheng Yun's gentle, familiar voice sounded in her ear: "Um, Shimeng..."

Wow, such an intimate address!

Pan Shimeng felt like she couldn't take it anymore!

"My sister isn't answering my calls. Can you help me go in and find her? I'm really in a hurry." Cheng Yun was truly angry. That girl was not only treating her college entrance exam choices as a joke, but she was also not answering his calls now!

Pan Shimeng: "..."

"If it's too much trouble, then forget it," Cheng Yun said awkwardly.

"Not at all!" Pan Shimeng quickly said. "You can just go in. I'm the only one on duty here anyway. Just come out quickly."

"Then I'll trouble you!" Cheng Yun didn't say any more, and walked in without looking back.