Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 201 The Final Step of Adolescent Fantasies

"What did you say?"

Warm light spilled down, illuminating the entire living room. Liu's mother stared in disbelief at Liu's father on the sofa, as if she were wondering if what she had just heard was a hallucination.

I said... I can't find it.

Mr. Liu sat on the sofa, his elbows propped on his knees, crossed and placed in front of his mouth, his back hunched, looking somewhat dejected.

"Lu Mingfei's identity is very unusual. I asked someone with connections to help investigate, but when they called back less than half a minute later, it was a different person, even though it was the same phone number. The other party... is of unknown identity, but they warned me."

"warn?"

For a moment, Liu's mother found it hard to believe. "This... what level of person must they be? Are there any confidentiality regulations? How could someone like this be just a high school student!"

“I don’t understand either, but this is certain.”

As Mr. Liu spoke, he smiled wryly and said, "If the person who called me hadn't been relatively mild-mannered, I would have been worried that someone might come to investigate us."

An invisible silence enveloped the brightly lit living room. The heating was on full blast, and normally one should feel warm and cozy. But Liu's mother only felt a chill, a chill that seemed to come from the depths of her heart.

That's how it is with parents. Almost every responsible parent in the world hopes that their son will become a dragon and their daughter will become a phoenix. But when their children are about to become dragons and phoenixes, the first emotion that comes to their hearts is worry.

I worry that flying too high will be too cold, that I might accidentally fall and hurt myself badly, and that I might not have the ability to catch myself.

This internal struggle will linger in their hearts, leading them to make different choices, such as supporting or discouraging others.

After all, most parents don't actually hope their children will achieve great things in the future; they just hope they can live a peaceful and safe life.

Liu's mother originally felt that she and her husband were quite competent as parents. They had given Liu Miaomiao a very stable environment to grow up in, where she didn't have to worry about money at all. She thought that if anything happened in the future, they could take care of her with their connections and assets... But now, this situation is in question.

She wasn't unaware that there were always people more capable than herself, but she never imagined that such a thing would happen to the boy her daughter liked... nor did she want it to!

Putting everything else aside, that kid Lu Mingfei is already playing such wild games now; who knows how much more he'll do in the future? A person's energy and stamina are limited; if he can't take care of everything, wouldn't he be neglecting his precious daughter?

Rather than living alone in an empty house and feeling sad and disheartened later, it's better to cut ties now!

But how can one make this cut?

"What do we do now?"

As if by telepathy, Liu's father also spoke up at this moment.

"Miaomiao went there to play at noon and didn't look back, and she stayed there for a long time after lunch... I don't know how far her relationship with that guy has gone."

He didn't mention that it was Liu's mother who had asked Miaomiao to go over at noon, firstly because it would be pointless to bring it up at this time, and it might only lead to a futile argument.

Secondly... given the circumstances at the time, that choice was indeed the optimal one. Neither of them expected that the plan to "investigate Lu Mingfei's identity" would lead to such an outcome.

Liu's mother stared at him blankly for a moment, then composed herself and said after thinking for a while, "Since we can't even find out his identity, then contacting his parents... is also impossible, right?"

There wasn't even a warning.

Mr. Liu nodded gently, "Because there's simply no way to start, and we don't even know where to look."

Once again, they both fell silent. Having built their fortune from scratch, Mr. and Mrs. Liu had seen it all, big and small, and they both understood what this situation meant.

Dimensionality reduction attack!

Encountering this kind of situation is the most difficult to resolve and the most distressing. It's like the best fish in a school of fish leaping out of the mud to a better living environment, only to be scooped up and placed on a chopping board one day, becoming the fish on the chopping block.

"The good news is that Lu Mingfei doesn't seem like the heartless type, and his feelings for Miaomiao are clearly very deep."

Liu's mother calmed her thoughts and tried to untangle the mess of ideas one by one, and then find the most feasible path.

"But people change. Even the best people can turn bad. The present doesn't define the future..."

"There's no point in continuing this analysis."

Finally, Liu's father spoke, his tone low and solemn. For a moment, he finally displayed the composure that a head of the family should have when facing a major event.

"Then what should we do?" Liu's mother asked in return.

“...Tell Miaomiao.”

He spoke those four words, "father Liu," with great difficulty, as if he were squeezing them out one by one from between his teeth. After he finished speaking, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his whole body seemed to relax.

"Since it's something beyond our capabilities, let's not try to come up with a perfect solution. What's that saying again? Don't take on a job you can't handle."

We just need to explain to Miaomiao that Lu Mingfei's identity is not simple, and what might happen next... then we'll leave the rest to her to choose.

Because she is the one who can influence the course of this matter the most, it is meaningless for us to think or do more. The child is about to become an adult, and she should learn to think for herself, make her own choices, and bear the consequences of those choices.

Only kites are held in someone's hand forever, but children are not kites but birds; we can't hold onto that string forever... Letting go at the right time, perhaps she can fly higher?

……

"I know?"

The surprised question came as abruptly as a sudden turn of events, leaving Liu's parents, whose expressions were stern, stunned in place.

"...Miaomiao, what did you say?"

The silence was brief, feeling like a second or two, yet also like an hour or two. A flood of guesses rushed through her mind, and Liu's mother couldn't help but ask again.

"you know?"

"Um……"

Liu Miaomiao sat obediently in the chair, facing her parents. Her well-behaved eyes were slightly curved, and her pretty little face tried her best to show obedience and seriousness.

She's maintained this expression ever since she was called from the bedroom to the living room.

Since she went out for lunch until Lu Mingfei was about to go to the basketball court to play basketball as planned in the afternoon, she suddenly had no reason to stay in the villa. She finally remembered that she "still had to go home".

It's like a child going out to play after a rare, even unprecedented, approval from their parents... Even though they have permission, they are still uneasy. No matter how wild they play, when it's time to go home, they worry, "Will they go too far this time and not let me out next time?"
So she felt she had to maintain her image as a good girl in her parents' eyes... Regardless of how convincing that image still was, at least she had to maintain the right attitude! As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face.

So she returned home with great trepidation... Although nothing happened, her mother simply asked, "You're back," and didn't ask any more questions or say anything more, she still practiced this pose in front of the mirror for a long time with utmost seriousness.

By the time dinner was over, and it was almost 10 p.m., she had almost thought the day was over... when her parents arrived. Not fighting an unprepared battle is definitely a good habit!
Liu Miaomiao thought to herself and said seriously.

"I've always known!"

Of course, she didn't always know, but the girl subconsciously lied again. This time, there was no particular reason for the lie; it was simply because she subconsciously felt that "a lie should be told here."

Since she recently learned to lie, her understanding and application of this skill has rapidly evolved... At least this time, she successfully fooled her parents.

"He... told you?"

“He told me everything, but I realized it myself first.”

Liu Miaomiao puffed out her chest with a touch of pride, "Your daughter is very, very smart!"

Mr. and Mrs. Liu exchanged a silent glance, their tacit understanding honed over many years of marriage allowing them to reach a consensus through their eyes—"It seems that Lu Mingfei was the one who brought it up."

Lu Mingfei wasn't familiar with them, but how could he not understand what was going on with his own daughter whom he had watched grow up? Being smart in academics and being smart in love are two completely different things...

She's the type of person who can't keep a secret at all. If she were really in a relationship, she'd probably blush and have her defenses broken down with just a few words. In a dating sim, she'd be at the very bottom of the difficulty charts, practically an easy win.

However, this brought a sigh of relief to Mr. and Mrs. Liu. There's a saying, harsh but true, that "fools have their own kind of luck"... It seems their precious daughter has turned misfortune into blessing?

"So, what did he say to you?" Liu's mother asked subconsciously.

She had just finished asking the question when her father gently tugged her elbow.

"If it can't be said, then there's no need to say it," Mother Liu quickly added.

The fact that someone would issue a warning just for investigating information, and with such a fast response time... makes it hard to say what kind of important person they are.

At least, based on their current understanding and experience, even including those who are just bragging, they don't reach that level.

Since secrecy is required, it is certainly necessary. Lu Mingfei can voluntarily tell Miaomiao, which represents trust and open communication, but others cannot ask him directly.

"Well... there seems to be nothing more to say..."

Liu Miaomiao thought about it seriously for a moment, and although she was embarrassed, she still firmly shook her head.

She knew her parents were worried about her, but the things Lu Mingfei told her were things that absolutely could not be known to ordinary people. Some things you might never know and never be a concern for your entire life, but once you know them, even if it's just a subconscious influence to seek them out, the risk will instantly increase exponentially.

Mr. and Mrs. Liu looked at each other in disbelief. Although they had roughly guessed what was going on, it was still unbelievable that the matter had been laid bare like this.

After all, he was just a high school student!
If one's identity is truly of paramount importance, why stay in a place like this?
"However, he gave me something quite important."

Liu Miaomiao smiled slightly, recalling the power she had obtained from Lu Mingfei.

Afterwards, she realized that it was precisely because of that power that she had the means to interact with this world. Otherwise, Lu Mingfei would definitely have kept it from her; he was just that kind of considerate person.

"So Mom and Dad, you don't need to worry! He's a really, really good person... He won't have any of the things you're worried about."

Praising Lu Mingfei in front of her parents obviously made the piano prodigy a little shy. In the past, she would have been lucky to keep her brain from shutting down and fainting, but now, even though her pretty face was so red it was almost bleeding, she was still able to hold on.

People grow up, and she felt it was time for her to be brave... Putting everything else aside, Su Xiaoqiang had somehow managed to appease the parents and openly "enter the Eastern Palace." She dared not say she was ahead of the curve, but at least she couldn't fall too far behind, right?

Mr. and Mrs. Liu exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised and somewhat wistful.

The unexpected turn of events was the discovery of his daughter's transformation, which boosted his courage considerably. But the disappointment... any vegetable farmer who found their carefully nurtured cabbage praising an exotic wild boar like that, even if it might be a "golden pig," would probably still be quite displeased.

"OK then."

Finally, Liu's mother spoke to conclude the heart-to-heart talk, "Miaomiao, you're about to become an adult. Your parents support your own choices, but there are two conditions!"

"Please tell me, please tell me~"

Liu Miaomiao breathed a slight sigh of relief and felt happy. Things had come to this point; her parents clearly wouldn't harm her.

"Very good. First, your grades cannot drop significantly. We can understand some minor fluctuations, but the college entrance examination is less than five months away. At this time, you absolutely cannot let dating affect your grades."

"Uh-huh!"

Liu Miaomiao nodded repeatedly.

Grades are definitely important, especially the college entrance examination... Her family isn't at the point where they can disregard the college entrance examination, so it's understandable that her parents value it.

Of course, theoretically speaking, even if she doesn't enter the world of mixed-race people in the future, her talent for composing music will be enough to get her into college... but she was smart enough not to say that out loud.

Anyway, studying wasn't too difficult for her. Compared to solving a challenging problem, figuring out how to further improve her relationship with Lu Mingfei was much more difficult.

"What about the second one?"

"second……"

Liu's mother said slowly, "I can understand that you teenagers are attracted to the opposite sex. Hormones and curiosity may make you want to take things further, but... absolutely, absolutely not to the last step, understand?"

"Know it!"

Liu Miaomiao blushed bright red again.

The conversation ended there, and she was finally able to slip away. She hopped into her bedroom like a shot, finally escaping the incredibly tense atmosphere. Her heart was pounding as if she had just gone through some intense exercise.

Before I came to my senses, the lights in the room opposite the window had just turned on.

Liu Miaomiao pouted as she looked at the people who appeared in the room.

Another thing I need to get used to!
She had gotten used to Ling appearing in Lu Mingfei's room... but now there's Su Xiaoqiang too.

Now that I've already talked things out with my parents, can I go on like this openly and honestly?

Liu Miaomiao thought about it seriously, but ultimately gave up the idea in frustration. After all, in the middle of the night, the farmer couldn't possibly agree to Xiaobaicai actively seeking out wild boars, could he?
"Mom even said not to go to the last step..."

she whispered.

"I don't even know when I'll get to second base..."

(End of this chapter)