Does This Count as a Date?

The night was as dark as ink, but the reception room on the top floor of the Mittel Auction House was brightly lit.

Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on the child, who looked to be about five or six years old, in the center of the room.

Even though he already knew, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but smile when he saw it with his own eyes, "Pfft—whose child is this!"

"Hey! Kid Huo! What are you laughing at!" Hai Bo roared in a crisp voice, but with his childish face, it had no intimidating power whatsoever. "Look carefully! I am Hai Bodong!"

Huo Yuhao's laughter immediately made Hai Bodong explode. His previously smiling face instantly turned bright red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Waving his short arms and legs, with a "I'll fight you to the death" attitude, he roared and pounced on Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's smile deepened, and he calmly reached out and placed his index finger firmly on Hai Bodong's forehead.

"Ugh--! Let me go!" Hai Bodong swung his arms frantically, but his arms were too short. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even reach the hem of Huo Yuhao's clothes. He could only kick his legs in vain, like a turtle being held down by its shell.

Huo Yuhao leaned closer, scrutinizing the miniature version of Hai Bodong, his eyes gleaming with inquiry. "Senior Hai Bodong, your transformation—it's truly astonishing. After your body shrank, did your mind revert back as well? What's the underlying principle?"

In the corner, Yao Chen was squatting on the ground, drawing circles on the ground with his fingertips, looking utterly devastated.

"It's only been half a year since we last met— Huo Yuhao, your progress is simply unreasonable! It makes your teacher seem useless!"

He glanced at Hai Bodong, who was completely immobilized by Huo Yuhao's single finger, and felt utterly bewildered.

Huo Yuhao smiled and said calmly, "I was just lucky. If I hadn't received the gift of the plane's will in that world, my strength would probably be about the same as Xiao Yan's."

"By the way, where is Xiao Yan?" Xiao Yi Xian asked.

From the moment Huo Yuhao stepped into the reception room, she immediately pounced on him, her slender arms tightly wrapped around Huo Yuhao arm, clinging to him as if no one else was around.

Only when she heard Xiao Yan's name did she suddenly realize that she and Yao Chen had abandoned him on the way and hadn't seen him since.

"Him?" A mischievous smile flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes, "Is currently isolating himself in his room."

As Huo Yuhao spoke, he used his other hand, which was not being held, to take out a necklace from his storage ring.

The necklace's chain is woven from a silver-gray metal, shimmering softly under the light.

At the end of the necklace is a teardrop-shaped purple gemstone, which seems to contain a miniature nebula.

"Xian'er, this is for you." Huo Yuhao handed the necklace to Xiao Yi Xian.

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes lit up with surprise. She let go of Huo Yuhao's arm, carefully took the necklace, and couldn't wait to put it on her fair neck.

The purple teardrop gemstones dangled perfectly between her delicate collarbones, complementing her pale purple dress.

After putting on the necklace, Xiao Yi Xian tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Does it look good?"

"Tch!" Hai Bodong, back in his seat, glanced at it sideways and immediately complained, "It's hideous! Kid Huo, your taste is terrible! Come on, come on, I'll take you to the jewelry exhibition area of Mittel Auction House to broaden your horizons—"

Before Hai Bodong could finish speaking, a white shadow flashed by! Yao Chen appeared behind Hai Bodong in an instant like Gui Mei, his right hand passing precisely under Hai Bodong's armpit and lifting him up from the ground.

"Hey! Hey! What are you doing, old man?!" Hai Bodong's limbs were dangling in the air as he kicked his legs in a panic.

With a friendly smile on his face, Yao Chen dragged him straight towards the door. "I'll take you to buy lollipops, the super big and super sweet kind."

"Who wants a lollipop! Put me down! Kid Huo! That necklace is really—"

Huo Yuhao looked at Hai Bodong, who was being forcibly taken away from the scene, and smiled helplessly. He then explained, "This necklace is actually a Sixth Grade Spirit Artifact, capable of—"

"Brother Huo Yuhao!" Xiao Yi Xian's clear voice interrupted Huo Yuhao Huo Yuhao. She took his arm again, her eyes flashing with a burning light. "Let's go out for a stroll! The night market in Jia Ma Imperial City is so lively!"

Before she finished speaking, she grabbed Huo Yuhao without saying a word and rushed out of the Mittel Auction House like a gust of wind.

There is no curfew in Jia Ma Imperial City, and the residents have a very vibrant nightlife.

As dusk settles, shops line both sides of the street, and various lights adorn the street with dazzling colors.

The cries of vendors, the laughter of pedestrians, and the performances of street artists mingled together, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

Although she was supposed to be shopping, Xiao Yi Xian's gaze rarely lingered on the dazzling array of goods around her.

She simply held Huo Yuhao's hand tightly as they passed through one noisy street corner after another, finally merging into an even more bustling night street.

Her interest seemed entirely focused on talking, as she recounted to Huo Yuhao her experiences at the Jia Nan Academy, as well as the various amusing incidents she encountered after arriving in the Jia Ma Imperial City, during Xiao Yan's marriage proposal and wedding preparations.

Huo Yuhao listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word or two, his gaze gently falling on her slightly flushed cheeks, which were flushed with excitement.

The night breeze ruffled her hair, carrying with it the aromas of various foods and drinks from the night market.

The two walked hand in hand, one talking excitedly and the other listening quietly and attentively, strolling through the bustling crowd until late at night when the crowds thinned out, as if everything around them was just a backdrop.

Not far away, behind a sugar painting stall, three heads peeked out, piled on top of each other.

At the bottom is Xiao Yan, helplessly bearing the weight of the two above him. In the middle is Xiao Hai Bodong, holding a giant rainbow lollipop. At the very top is Yao Chen, looking quite wistful.

Hai Bodong licked his lollipop, watching the couple walk away hand in hand in the distance, and curled his lip in boredom. "That's it? Just strolling around chatting? What kind of date is that?"

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes and nudged upwards irritably. "They're already doing pretty well. What else do you want to see? And Hai Bodong, have you been eating junk food again? You're getting heavier and heavier! Get off my head!"

"No!" Hai Bodong hugged his big lollipop tightly, then nudged Xiao Yan's shoulder with his short legs. "They've gone far! Hurry up and follow them! Let's see where they go next!"

Yao Chen looked at Huo Yuhao and Xiao Yi Xian, who were snuggling together under the moonlight, and then looked down at Hai Bodong and Xiao Yan, who were playing around.

A gentle, wistful smile appeared on his somewhat ethereal face as he sighed softly, "Youth—it's truly wonderful."