Fang Xin spent the afternoon busy with his aunt's funeral.
However, since Jiang Xiaocha was her daughter, many decisions still took Jiang Xiaocha's advice into account.
What's more, his grandfather was also there.
Experiencing the pain of a white-haired person burying a black-haired person, the old man's mood was noticeably low.
The funeral was simple.
Those who attended the funeral were close friends and relatives.
Before, because his aunt and uncle were not Awakened, their social status was relatively low, and they had very few friends and relatives.
Ever since their two daughters became Awakened, suddenly many relatives who hadn't been in contact for years started reaching out.
Even though not many people were notified about the funeral, quite a few still came.
Fang Xin had never met many of the relatives who came.
But each of them came up, grabbed Fang Xin's hand, and talked endlessly, some even claiming to have held Fang Xin when he was a child.
When Fang Xin heard this grammatically incorrect sentence, he muttered to himself, "You son of a bitch, I was still a liquid when I was little, where did you hold me?"
Those relatives also provided Jiang Xiaocha with unprecedented emotional support and meticulous care.
They all knew that Fang Huilan's daughter and nephew had joined official organizations, and to them, they would all be officials in the future, so they naturally wanted to curry favor.
Fang Xin was busy inside and out.
Chu Xinyao sent a message: "Xiao Fang, Xiao Fang, I'm coming back tomorrow! Can we have a small get-together tomorrow?"
"No time tomorrow! My aunt's funeral is tomorrow!"
Chu Xinyao was silent for a long time, then said, "My condolences, Xiao Fang!"
"Mm, see you the day after tomorrow."
"Mm-hm."
The day after his aunt's burial, it was already evening. Fang Xin sent a message to Zhuge Heng.
As soon as the message was sent, almost within seconds, Bai Mao Zai appeared in the living room, looking refreshed.
Seeing Fang Qingdi on the sofa, Zhuge Heng grinned, cupped his fists, and smiled at Fang Qingdi, "General Fang! I finally get to meet you!"
Fang Qingdi looked calmly at Zhuge Heng, "If there's anything, just say it here!"
Zhuge Heng grinned, "Shall we talk somewhere else?"
Fang Xin, who had been sitting nearby with his ears perked up, listening to them talk, couldn't help but smack his lips, "Just say it here!"
Zhuge Heng snapped his fingers and disappeared from the living room with Fang Qingdi.
Fang Xin scurried around the living room like a monkey that had eaten garlic, unable to capture any spatial nodes.
This Bai Mao Zai's talent was truly too heaven-defying.
Fang Xin even felt a bit envious.
He felt like he had the protagonist's script.
A delivery arrived at noon, but Fang Xin was too busy to open it. When he finally did, he found two gifts inside.
One was an exquisite cloisonné enamel vase, and the other was a painting. He didn't even need to think to know that these were meeting gifts Chu Xinyao had bought for her parents on Fang Xin's behalf.
These two items clearly looked expensive. A little rich girl was indeed a little rich girl; her generosity was evident.
Below the two items were instructions for Fang Xin to read.
After a brief glance, it was clear that Chu Xinyao had gone to great lengths to ensure Fang Xin left a good impression on her parents.
After putting the gifts away, Fang Xin saw Jiang Xiaocha talking on the phone, but she was using a soundproof treasure, clearly not wanting Fang Xin to hear the specific content of the call.
After hanging up, Jiang Xiaocha explained, "Brother, I might have to leave tomorrow!"
"Leave? Go where?"
Jiang Xiaocha was silent for a moment, then said, "Spark wants me to go for training. If I perform exceptionally well, after graduating from Sky Shield Academy, I can at least become the highest-ranking person in Lan City for Spark! And then, if I work harder, I'll strive to become the top person in the province before I turn twenty!"
Fang Xin looked at Jiang Xiaocha and half-jokingly said, "Oh? So, during work hours, will I have to call you Jiang Plant?"
Jiang Xiaocha smiled sweetly, "No matter what, you're still my brother!"
"Do you need to prepare anything else?"
"Everything that needs to be prepared is already ready!"
While the siblings were chatting, Fang Xin's phone rang. It was a message from Bai Mao Zai.
"A Xin, your grandfather and I are going somewhere. You don't need to save dinner for him tonight! He'll be back tomorrow!"
"Where are you taking my grandfather?" Fang Xin asked curiously.
Unexpectedly, Bai Mao Zai replied with a rather philosophical message, "To where he needs to go!"
The house felt empty without his aunt. With Jiang Weidong and Jiang Xiaoyu, those two stupid pro and stupid promax, gone, the house was much quieter.
After a busy day, when Fang Xin lay down, he looked out the window and realized that the full moon night was approaching.
Yesterday, his grandfather said that Slaughter Talent also had the ability of an external avatar. Fang Xin wanted to ask the King of Slaughter how to operate it, as he was extremely envious of his grandfather's clone having a level 12 combat power.
After waking up in the morning, Fang Xin received a message from Chu Xinyao, "Xiao Fang, Xiao Fang, are you awake?"
"Just woke up! Are we having lunch or dinner?"
Chu Xinyao continued, "Dinner! My dad still has to work during the day! Xiao Fang, let me give you a heads-up, my dad is quite pragmatic and loves to plan, so during dinner tonight, he'll likely try to plan your future for you!"
"Is your dad resilient to punches?"
"!!! Little water gun squirts you jpg."
"Then I'll see you tonight!"
"Okay!"
After Fang Xin got up, Jiang Xiaocha had already prepared breakfast. "Brother, I'm leaving after breakfast. If grandpa comes back and asks, just say I went out for something."
"Okay!" Fang Xin saw Jiang Xiaocha's determination. Yang Haosi's incident had made Jiang Xiaocha realize the different levels of the world, and her mother's death made her feel even more insignificant without a powerful backing. Now, Jiang Xiaocha's ambition was beginning to show.
In the evening, Fang Xin took the gifts Chu Xinyao had bought in advance, and a special car was already parked downstairs at Fang Xin's house.
Fang Xin briefly inspected the car and found that it was also a defensive treasure, and its grade was not low at all.
When the car arrived at the Chu family's large villa, Fang Xin noticed that there was a whole squad of people on guard around the villa.
These were just the obvious sentries; the number of hidden sentries was unknown.
At the entrance, a tall young man stood, looking coldly at Fang Xin, and said faintly, "Frisk him!"
This arrogant demeanor was exactly like Huo Shi's from before. Fang Xin's stereotype of the Church was constantly being reinforced by these arrogant Church members.
The door suddenly opened, and Chu Xinyao, wearing a dress, pulled Fang Xin's wrist and said to the young man at the door, "Lu Ming, this is the person my dad is entertaining tonight. Do you think this is appropriate?"
"Miss, I'm just doing my duty!"
Chu Xinyao pulled Fang Xin inside, "Come on, Xiao Fang, ignore him!"
Fang Xin had been to this villa many times, but this was the first time he had seen it so lively.
Upon entering, a maid handed him slippers and took his coat.
In the kitchen, a beautiful woman was also busy, with several hired chefs assisting her.
The woman was very pretty, with long hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a fitted casual woolen sweater and suit pants, exuding a capable aura.
She was Wang Chuqing, Chu Xinyao's mother.
And on the living room sofa sat a middle-aged man, currently reading documents on an internal Church zhilian device, exuding an oppressive aura of someone long accustomed to power with every gesture.
He was Chu Tianhong, Chu Xinyao's father.
"Dad, Mom, Fang Xin is here!" Chu Xinyao called out to them.
Wang Chuqing came out of the kitchen, smiled and looked over, "Xiao Fang is here? Come sit, come sit! Just a moment, there's one more dish, it'll be out of the pot soon!"
"Auntie, you're too kind!"
Putting down the Church's zhilian device, Chu Tianhong looked up, still seated on the sofa, "Fang Xin? Sit!"
Chu Xinyao gently squeezed Fang Xin's hand, signaling him to try not to say anything irritating, as she was quite familiar with Fang Xin's mouth.
"I've heard a lot about you. Lately, you've been quite prominent. Our small place, Lan City, hasn't produced a talent like you in many years!"
Fang Xin humbly replied, "You're too kind. Lan City just hasn't produced a talent like me in the last seventy-nine years."
Chu Tianhong paused, then chuckled, "Young man, quite humorous! In this mid-term test, you were the Ninth Division's third place?"
"Yes!"
"Not bad. To also make it into the top ten of this Dragon-Tiger Rankings, nationwide, that's also an outstanding achievement."
"You're too kind!"
Chu Tianhong's tone shifted, "Do you have any plans for your future?"
"Work hard in the Ninth Division!" Fang Xin said evasively.
Chu Tianhong shook his head, "Working hard blindly won't get you much. Our society, from ancient times to the present, has always been a society of connections. Throughout history, so many powerful families and aristocratic clans have already proven this. You have strength, but you don't have anyone supporting you from behind. Even if you achieve outstanding military merits in the future, it will be very difficult to gain significant power in the Sky Shield Bureau!"
"Dinner's ready! Time to eat!" Wang Chuqing said, "Old Chu, what are you saying? How can you say such things to Xiao Fang as soon as you meet him? I heard that Xiao Fang is still protected by that Jie Liu Zi from the Ninth Division?"
Chu Tianhong stood up and gestured for Fang Xin to come to the dining table.
After being seated, Chu Tianhong looked at Fang Xin and said, "I know some of what I'm about to say might be harsh for you to hear, but young man, faithful words grate on the ear but are good for conduct. This is an unchanging truth for thousands of years. Those who can back you in the Ninth Division are, in the end, still their own forces. Once it comes to a crucial moment, they still won't help you. This is a very realistic matter. Don't think that because they helped you once, they will keep helping you!"
Wang Chuqing served Fang Xin some rice, "Xiao Fang, come eat, try Auntie's cooking. Old Chu, the child finally comes for a visit, why are you saying all that?"
"I'm talking about the problems he will face. Being prepared is an essential skill for everyone. There are no ties or blood relations between you and them, so you must always be prepared for them to abandon you."
Fang Xin pretended to listen and nodded, "Uncle makes sense! Thank you for your guidance, Uncle!"
Unexpectedly, Chu Tianhong's tone shifted, "I admit, you are very outstanding. I truly appreciate you as a young man. And for so many years, you've always helped my daughter a lot. In fact, Xinyao is even closer to you than to me, her father. Because of my daughter as a bond between us, we can be considered to have a connection. Fang Xin, I need a son!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone at the dining table was stunned.
Fang Xin was also startled. Looking at Chu Tianhong, Fang Xin understood the implied meaning of Chu Tianhong's words.
He was clearly trying to adopt Fang Xin as his godson.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Fang Xin looked earnestly at Chu Tianhong.
"I do too!"