Chapter 42: A Family Unveiled

How was Su Qingyao to assess the scene unfolding before her?

Admitting that Su Muxue was her daughter remained well within Su Qingyao’s realm of acceptance.

At most, it would just involve a slight awkwardness.

However, acknowledging Lu Zhichuan as her husband was an entirely different matter altogether—

She would either have to spend an eternity explaining, or unfairly relegate Lu Zhichuan to the role of a ‘stand-in dad’.

Thus, in response to Xu Yiyi’s almost interrogative question,

Su Qingyao’s only answer was silence.

She offered her signature smile, accompanied by a subtle blush.

Then, she left all further questions to be answered by the other party’s own imagination.

Hehe.

Beside her, Lu Zhichuan stood frozen, his gaze flitting between Su Qingyao’s face and the pink-haired newcomer.

Finally, he let out a sigh.

“Hello.”

He extended his hand, only for the enthusiastic young woman to seize it firmly and pump it vigorously twice.

“Whew, I’ve been so curious about the kind of man who could capture little Qingyao’s heart!”

Xu Yiyi raised her eyes, scanning Lu Zhichuan’s stiff face before remarking, “As expected, you truly look quite mature.”

Lu Zhichuan’s expression grew even more rigid.

If before it had been merely hardened chocolate, it was now entirely a block of dried cement.

“Xu Yiyi.”

The girl, unable to watch any longer, softened just a little.

With that, Su Qingyao, the instigator of the situation, leaned into Lu Zhichuan’s ear and discreetly filled him in on the other party’s details.

“Hmph, I’d say he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, wouldn’t you?”

A discordant voice drifted over from the side.

The pink-haired girl, who had been standing nearby, now peeked out from behind Xu Yiyi, exposing half her body as she pointed at Lu Zhichuan.

“For such a young girl to have a child, he might have exploited a loophole in the statute of limitations. It’s truly unsettling.”

Clearly, her personality had also been amplified by the magic core—

Or perhaps she simply lacked upbringing.

The curve of Su Qingyao’s lips softened slightly as she narrowed her eyes and spoke.

“Ah, I was already like this back when we first met.”

The young woman continued.

“Come to think of it, our appearances haven’t changed much in over twenty years.”

As Su Qingyao rubbed her own face, she tugged at Lu Zhichuan’s cheek, revealing a patch of skin that remained youthful and firm.

“See? Excellent skin, isn’t it?”

Just as the magical girl, later identified as Liyev, hid behind Xu Yiyi,

Su Qingyao also leaned half her body forward, shielding Lu Zhichuan.

“Oh…”

Liyev half-closed her eyes, transforming her beautiful green gaze into a narrow, willow-leaf shape.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

Lu Zhichuan was clearly exasperated by the inexplicably tense atmosphere.

As the one with the highest mental age among them, he first gently pried Su Qingyao’s hand away, then picked up Su Muxue, who had been observing the drama from the side.

“My name is Lu Zhichuan.”

“It might not be obvious, but both Qingyao’s and my transcendent abilities have a rejuvenating effect. That’s likely why we appear so young.”

“Indeed, meeting my wife has been the greatest fortune of my life.”

Lu Zhichuan spoke with emotion, causing Liyev, who had initially been somewhat displeased, to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

While it was true that some transcendent abilities could extend one’s lifespan,

even so, growth and development typically only began to slow down gradually after middle age. Before that, individuals still followed a normal human growth cycle.

This was the core reason Liyev had initially perceived Lu Zhichuan as a depraved individual with unsavory preferences.

“Then I have misunderstood Mr. Lu. It seems I was mistaken this time and owe you an apology.”

Her attitude shifted with remarkable speed.

In stark contrast to her earlier aggression, Liyev’s narrow eyes widened, and she offered Lu Zhichuan a sincere, humble bow.

“Tsk…”

An unidentifiable click of the tongue reached Lu Zhichuan’s ears.

The young woman’s finger subtly poked Lu Zhichuan’s waist.

[I’ll deal with you later.]

‘That must be what she meant,’ he mused.

Lu Zhichuan, who hadn’t communicated through gestures in a long time, found himself surprisingly nostalgic.

This nostalgia, however, did not extend to Su Qingyao’s thorny washboard.

—Though Su Qingyao might not even remember it herself.

“I’m Xu Yiyi.”

Xu Yiyi, conversely, was the most composed, having completely failed to grasp the drama unfolding between the two women and one man.

“Su Qingyao.”

Su Qingyao curtsied in return, lifting the hem of her skirt.

Today, she wore a black Hepburn-style dress paired with a white shirt Lu Zhichuan had kindly provided.

The umbrella-shaped skirt flared into an elegant arc as Su Qingyao moved, its contrasting colors subtly concealing the young woman’s figure beneath the fabric. Simple and refined, it accentuated her youthful aura.

“I came today primarily to get him a team escort pass.”

“Ah, that’s easy enough.”

Xu Yiyi clapped her hands. “Perfect! Yanqing is already handling paperwork, so we can just go up and mention it to her.”

“Mr. Lu Zhichuan,” Xu Yiyi turned to him, “since you’re already here, you might as well come along.”

“Ah—”

Before Su Qingyao could protest, a Su Muxue was placed into her arms.

The original plan was for Lu Zhichuan to wait at the base of the tower, but with Xu Yiyi’s invitation, Su Qingyao had no reason to refuse.

Compelled, Su Qingyao held her daughter’s hand with her left and linked her right arm with Lu Zhichuan’s—though her arm merely formed a loop without actually touching him.

It was a known fact that Su Qingyao’s exceptionally striking appearance, even among magical girls, had already garnered her considerable recognition among the tower’s staff.

Consequently, under the watchful eyes of numerous familiar passersby, Su Qingyao and her family were subjected to a rather public stroll through the street.

A bead of sweat trickled down Su Qingyao’s cheek.

****

“Oh, you’re here.”

Xu Yanqing set down the stack of files in her hands.

Liyev hadn’t joined the training queue; she had merely been passing by and soon parted ways with the group.

Thus, only the family of three and Xu Yiyi remained standing before her.

Having already met Lu Zhichuan two days prior at Su Qingyao’s home,

Xu Yanqing managed to maintain a calm expression regarding this family, whose combined apparent age seemed to be no more than forty years.

After Su Qingyao offered a brief explanation, Xu Yiyi quickly understood the full story.

Then, under the guise of “review,” she only kept Lu Zhichuan behind.

Sitting in her office, she retrieved a registration form.

With an impassive expression, Xu Yanqing asked the man seated before her,

“Although Miss Qingyao has vouched for you, I still need to ask why you insist on participating.”

Lu Zhichuan composed his features, responding with equal solemnity.

“I want to see my daughter.”

“But Mr. Lu, your transcendent rank is lower than Su Muxue’s, isn’t it? How can I ensure your safety then?”

“I am a Council member. I have bodyguards.”

“What rank?”

“Fifth rank.”

“Very well.”

Xu Yanqing nodded. “Then I will approve your request.”

It was Lu Zhichuan’s turn to blink in surprise.

‘Could this cold-faced magical girl actually be quite amenable?’ he wondered.

From just outside the door, the three women, who had peeked in with half their heads, similarly formed a slow question mark on their foreheads.

‘How is it that these two seem to get along surprisingly well?’ they thought.

Su Qingyao wore an expression of utter shock.