Chapter 497 — Is He Your Boyfriend?

"Oh..." Feng Xiaoxiao was no fool. She knew that if her father had not come, the old man might well have made a move against her. But the old man plainly feared her father—she did not know why, and simply assumed he was afraid of him, which cheered her up at once.

"Professor Guan, it's been a long time. I was just thinking of calling on you these past few days!" Feng Tianlong was delighted to find Guan Xuemin there; he had indeed been meaning to visit him and ask about the Life-Extending Detox Pill.

Feng Tianlong and Guan Xuemin knew each other. But Guan Xuemin, having examined Feng Xiaoxiao's condition, had been powerless to help; he had heard that even Lin Dongfang had found no way back then—so what could he possibly do?

Yet the fact that there had been no way in years past did not mean there was none now. So long as a single thread of hope remained, Feng Tianlong would not let it slip.

"So it's young Feng! It has been a long while!" Guan Xuemin said with a smile. "I have time whenever you like—just give me a call."

Toward Feng Tianlong, Guan Xuemin was noticeably warmer, which sat poorly with Wu Gonggao. He gave a cold snort, took Wu Chengtian by the arm, and hurried off.

"Very well, then. I'll leave you to your business, Professor Guan—I'll be going." Feng Tianlong had just taken a phone call; something had come up, and he had to hurry back. There was no time to exchange pleasantries with Guan Xuemin; he would have to call on him another day.

"Very well," Guan Xuemin said with a nod.

Feng Tianlong took Feng Xiaoxiao by the hand and was about to turn and leave when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Wei Zhao—and his expression changed abruptly.

"Heh..." Wei Zhao smiled bitterly. Feng Tianlong had spotted him after all. In truth, Wei Zhao had been just as startled to see Feng Tianlong; he had never imagined that Feng Xiaoxiao was Feng Tianlong's daughter. That was why he had been shrinking further and further back—though in the end he had not managed to hide. Still, he gave a slight wave of the hand, signaling Feng Tianlong not to make a fuss.

Feng Tianlong was a clever man; seeing Wei Zhao's gesture, he understood at once that the other did not wish his identity revealed. So he pretended to have seen nothing, took Feng Xiaoxiao by the hand, and left quickly.

Yet the lingering dread from before was gone, replaced by a certain self-mockery at how tense he had been. He had also seen the way Wei Zhao had shifted slightly to shield Feng Xiaoxiao—but at the time he had thought nothing of it, taking it for an accident. It had never occurred to him that Wei Zhao meant to block Wu Gonggao's strike for her.

Now that he knew the man was Wei Zhao, he understood what that movement had meant: Wei Zhao had been protecting Feng Xiaoxiao. With him watching over her, nothing would happen to her. Feng Tianlong knew Wei Zhao's strength—no match for Wu Gonggao, perhaps, but enough to hold his own for a while.

"Xiaoxiao, do you know them?" Feng Tianlong asked, betraying nothing. He could not quite understand how his daughter had come to know Wei Zhao—and by the look of it, they seemed rather familiar with each other.

"I do. That Wei Zhao is my deskmate at school," Feng Xiaoxiao said with a nod, though inwardly she found it odd. Her father rarely took an interest in her affairs.

"What?!" Feng Tianlong's eyes went wide, and he stared at her in disbelief. "You're saying... he's your classmate? Your deskmate?"

"Yes. Why?" Feng Xiaoxiao looked at her father with some puzzlement, unable to fathom that strange expression on his face.

"No... nothing!" Feng Tianlong shook his head. Wei Zhao was not one of the Mysterious Investigation Bureau's people, but he had cooperated on several missions. Even so—what was a man of Wei Zhao's standing doing in a school? As a twelfth-grader, no less, and sitting beside his daughter? It was a little too absurd for belief.

But he could not tell Feng Xiaoxiao much about Wei Zhao's affairs. Doubts or no, he would have to keep them to himself. He did not know the details of Wei Zhao's identity either; his coming to assist the Mysterious Investigation Bureau had been arranged from above.

"Xiaoxiao, go back to the hotel first. I have something urgent to deal with—I may not be back tonight, and tomorrow I might be busy as well..." Here Feng Tianlong faltered. He had only just promised to spend a few days with his daughter, and now this.

"It's fine, go do what you have to. Tomorrow I'll find my classmate and go to the auction!" This time Feng Xiaoxiao was not angry at all. She waved a hand carelessly and spoke lightly.

Her manner gave Feng Tianlong pause—until it struck him how she had defended Wei Zhao earlier. Could it be... his daughter had taken a fancy? Had she begun to like boys? And that boy was Wei Zhao?

The very possibility startled him. Yet unlike other parents, Feng Tianlong did not oppose his daughter's early romance; given her peculiar circumstances, he rather hoped she would find a boyfriend soon and give him a grandchild—so that if something truly happened to her, he would not be left to grow old alone.

And if the one she had set her heart on was Wei Zhao, so much the better. Feng Tianlong had seen with his own eyes how outstanding Wei Zhao was. He would not object to anyone else she chose, but was it not better that she choose someone who satisfied him as well?

Feng Tianlong had not wanted his daughter running about, but the thought that tomorrow she would be with Wei Zhao—and that Wei Zhao could keep her safe—put his mind at ease.

"Is that the Wei Zhao you meant?" Feng Tianlong asked once they reached the parking lot and he had opened the car door and gotten in.

"Mm..." Feng Xiaoxiao felt a little embarrassed; from her father's tone, it seemed he had sensed something. But apart from the shame, she was not afraid. Never mind that she and Wei Zhao were only fooling about now—even if they truly were together, she would not care. She had been a troublemaker since childhood; angry or not, her father would find her the same as ever.

"Xiaoxiao, is he your boyfriend?" Feng Tianlong started the car and asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Feng Xiaoxiao had not expected him to ask so bluntly. She froze, then stammered, "N-no!"

"No?" Feng Tianlong echoed. "Just now you looked as if you were quite ready to defend him."

"Well... we're classmates, and deskmates besides. Of course I'd defend him!" Feng Xiaoxiao was flustered. Fearless as she was, matters of boys and girls still made her shy.

"Heh... Xiaoxiao, I'm not against you having a boyfriend. If there's someone suitable, bring him home and let me have a look," Feng Tianlong said with a smile. Knowing his daughter was embarrassed, he asked no more, and simply made his position clear.

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