Gu Yaoyang was reluctant to part with Xia Qingtian, but there was still a lot to do. After watching her car drive away, he got into his own car, took a deep breath, and his gaze sharpened as he shifted into work mode. "Assistant Lin, send me all the work I've fallen behind on during this period."
"Yes." Assistant Lin, sitting in the passenger seat, hesitated for a moment before asking, "Mr. Gu, are we returning to the company or..."
"To the company." Gu Yaoyang had no time for rest now.
"Yes."
Back at the Xia family home, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh my goodness~ We're finally home!" Xia Qingtian stood in the living room, taking a deep breath and stretching. "This is great!"
"Sister! Be careful of your wound!" Xia Qingyu immediately stepped forward, seeing Xia Qingtian's posture. "It's not fully healed yet! I still think you should go to the hospital for a proper check-up."
"Yes," Aunt Liu also felt this matter couldn't be delayed. "The medical conditions on the ship were limited. Now that we're finally home, Qingyu and I will accompany you to the hospital."
Xia Qingtian initially wanted to decline, but looking at the earnest and caring eyes of Xia Qingyu and Aunt Liu, she found it hard to refuse.
Although she felt fine, after all, the system was still with her when she was injured, and with it around, Xia Qingtian's safety was guaranteed to some extent.
That darn system, although a bit of a scammer, Xia Qingtian still trusted it.
Suddenly thinking of the system, Xia Qingtian felt a pang of nostalgia.
She wondered how it was doing now, and if that treacherous Heavenly Dao was still targeting it.
"Sister?" Seeing Xia Qingtian lost in thought, Xia Qingyu asked nervously, "Does your wound hurt? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
"It's nothing." Xia Qingtian snapped back to attention, smiled, and continued, "Perhaps I stayed on the boat for too long. Suddenly being back home on solid ground feels a bit unaccustomed."
"Speaking of which, I also feel a bit strange," Xia Honglang said with a hearty laugh. "You all rest up first. This afternoon, I'll have my secretary book appointments with hospital specialists for tomorrow. Then you can accompany Qingtian for the check-up."
"This afternoon? You're going to the company this afternoon?" Aunt Liu looked at Xia Honglang in surprise. "Aren't you resting?"
"No, I haven't been to the company for so many days. Email exchanges always have delays and oversights. I'd feel more at ease if I went myself." This was the first time in many years that Xia Honglang had been away from the office for so long.
Faintly, a sense of unease lingered in his heart. He needed to go to the company to see for himself.
"Alright." Knowing Xia Honglang's personality, Aunt Liu didn't try to persuade him further. She just told him to take care of himself and come home early if he felt unwell.
The kitchen had prepared a sumptuous meal, and the Xia family was about to have lunch.
While the Xia family was dining, Lei Xirui arrived at the martial arts hall with Shi Xingwu.
Seeing Shi Xingwu return, and with a girl in tow, someone couldn't help but tease, "Is the young hall master bringing his girlfriend back to meet the hall master?"
Upon hearing this, Lei Xirui's face immediately turned red.
"Where's the young hall master's goddess? Did he change people after going abroad? Is this the new goddess?"
"Get lost, get lost!" Shi Xingwu waved his hand speechlessly. "What nonsense are you talking about! This is my little sister Siri! She's a guest at our martial arts hall! Anyone who continues to spread rumors will have extra training on the arena later!"
Hearing Shi Xingwu say this, everyone then closed their mouths with a smile.
"Shi Xingwu, will I be causing you trouble?" Lei Xirui asked softly, following behind Shi Xingwu.
"What trouble, what not? We're all familiar here," Shi Xingwu said with a smile. "These people just have loose tongues, but they're not bad people. You can stay with peace of mind. If anyone dares to joke with you, just note it down, and I'll deal with them for you later. When you've mastered your techniques like my goddess, you can deal with them yourself."
"I..." Lei Xirui's neck shrunk when she heard this. "Can I do it..."
She had always been mediocre at everything, lacking confidence in anything. Her brothers never let her do anything; she felt like she was just a decorative piece of the Lei family.
This was also the first time she had mustered the courage to leave her brothers' sight. Every moment now was filled with anxiety.
Lei Xirui was very panicked.
"Be confident!" Shi Xingwu said, reaching out to pat Lei Xirui on the back. But seeing Lei Xirui flinch as if afraid of him hitting her, shrinking her neck, closing her eyes, and looking timidly like a frightened little rabbit, Shi Xingwu stopped his hand mid-air. Just as he was about to apologize, a heavy force landed on his back, nearly sending him to the ground.
Following closely was a boisterous male voice, tinged with anger, "You little brat! I taught you martial arts from a young age, and it was for you to bully young girls?"
"Hiss!" Shi Xingwu's back throbbed. He turned around with an innocent look. "Dad! You can't do this! How can a dignified hall master sneak attack someone from behind!"
"I think you're just not skilled enough. I was right behind you, and you didn't even notice!" Hall Master Shi snorted, grabbed Shi Xingwu's ear, and pulled him up. "You little brat, I think you're not coming home anymore, right? Didn't you say you'd follow right behind us back? Where did you go? The Atlantic! Huh?"
"No! It hurts! Dad, be gentler! It hurts!" Shi Xingwu stood on tiptoe, supported by Hall Master Shi's grip. "Dad! No! We changed our minds and decided to come back by boat, and it's definitely not as fast as flying! Everyone took the boat! You! You can't blame me alone, right?"
"Or else what?" Hall Master Shi snorted and released his grip. "What about Li Xiaozhong and Xia Qingyu? They have such excellent grades. They don't even go to school, and it's fine. What are your grades? You're a sports scholarship student, and you've skipped classes all the way until summer vacation? That's great! Why don't you skip classes until graduation!"
"Hey? That's right! It's summer vacation!" Shi Xingwu, who was rubbing his sore ear indignantly, got excited upon hearing "summer vacation." "No more school!"
"You little punk!" Hearing Shi Xingwu's words, Hall Master Shi's anger surged, and he stepped forward to hit him.
However, Shi Xingwu leaped back, hiding behind Lei Xirui. Then, feeling it wasn't quite right, he pulled Lei Xirui protectively behind him before looking at Hall Master Shi and saying, "My friend is here, can you give me some face!"
Seeing Shi Xingwu's demeanor, Hall Master Shi couldn't help but laugh at him, but he also sized up Lei Xirui with a somewhat serious expression.
Lei Xirui had only met Hall Master Shi once before, at the final match at Vincent's. Hearing Hall Master Shi's comments and praise for Xia Qingyu, she knew he was very formidable. They hadn't spoken before, and she was a bit flustered. Blinking her large eyes, she pursed her lips, took a deep breath, then lifted the hem of her skirt, slightly curtsied, and said, "Guian."
This left Hall Master Shi completely bewildered. After a brief hesitation, he lifted the edge of his martial arts uniform, mimicked Lei Xirui's gesture, and very awkwardly bent his knees slightly, saying, "You too, Xian."
Shi Xingwu: ???