Free Web NovelChapter 166: Chapter 166: Unlucky Xiao Gu
As Xie Ning stepped into the villa’s living room, she saw a large industrial fan swinging back and forth, blowing a gale-force wind.
Being near the lake, the temperature inside the villa was much lower than outside. Coupled with the strong breeze, much of the stifling heat had dissipated.
The family gathered around the mahogany tea table and started chatting about recent events.
Song Kexin was the first to raise her hand, announcing with a grin, "I’ve awakened a superpower!"
As she spoke, she conjured a small Fireball in her palm. With a WHOOSH, it lit up the eyes of Xie Ning and her mother.
Song You’ai was absolutely delighted. She hugged her niece and praised her endlessly. "Xinxin, how are you so amazing? We won’t even need to use gas canisters for barbecues anymore! And boiling water will be effortless."
Song Kexin couldn’t get enough of the praise. Having been showered with compliments by everyone in the Old Song Family for the past few days, she was already getting a big head.
Hearing her aunt’s praise, she couldn’t help but plant her hands on her hips and roar with laughter.
Song Shijun rolled his eyes at her, speechless. "Auntie, please stop praising her. She’s been waking up laughing in her sleep for the past two days. None of us have been able to get a decent night’s rest."
Song Kexin shot her brother a fierce glare. "Weren’t you excited when you awakened your Wind Ability?"
’She’d only been this excited for a couple of days, that’s all.’
Song You’ai cleared her throat and announced her own good news: she had awakened a Water Ability.
As she spoke, several ice spikes materialized in her palm, pointing menacingly upward.
Everyone stared at her, dumbfounded.
"Auntie, that’s an Ice Ability!"
Song You’ai looked quite smug. She retracted the solid ice and replaced it with a stream of water.
The stream of water writhed in her palm like a small snake, coiling back and forth without spilling a single drop anywhere else.
Seeing this, Xie Ning offered her heartfelt praise. "Mom, you’re amazing."
"Whoa, Auntie, how are you doing that?" Song Kexin and Song Shijun felt that their own superpowers couldn’t achieve that level of precision.
"It just takes a lot of practice." Song You’ai sounded like an expert on the subject. "My daughter and I have been training like crazy these past few days. Besides going out to scavenge for supplies, all we do after meals is practice our superpowers. I’m telling you, Xinxin, Shijun, the more you practice, the better feel you’ll get for it. I find it really helps."
"Oh." The two youngsters nodded repeatedly, listening with rapt attention.
"Auntie, you can adjust the water’s temperature?" Gu Chen asked, quite surprised.
The Water Abilities he had seen were just that—Water Abilities. Ice Abilities were Ice Abilities. He had never seen someone who could adjust the water temperature.
Song You’ai smiled proudly. "Ningning taught me. The Water Element isn’t very strong offensively in the early stages, so you have to find another way to make it work."
"You’re First Rank now?"
Song You’ai nodded.
Gu Chen praised her generously. "Auntie, your First Rank Water Ability is even more impressive than some Late-stage First Rank users I’ve seen."
"Someone on your team awakened a Water Ability?" Xie Ning picked up on the important detail.
Gu Chen nodded, not hiding anything. "Xiao Bai did."
Song You’ai smiled happily. "That’s wonderful news."
"We haven’t announced it publicly yet. We’ll wait and see what the safe zone’s official stance is," Gu Chen said with a smile.
Just then, the group heard the roar of car and motorcycle engines outside.
Song Kexin, who could never sit still, quickly scrambled up and ran outside to take a look.
When she returned, she wore a strange expression as she looked at the others. "We have neighbors on both sides now."
"Huh? You have a weird look on your face. Is it someone we know?"
"Dad, you’ll never guess. I saw Li Dawei and his people."
"I know about the one on the right, Qiuju Garden," Gu Chen said calmly. "Dr. Yu insisted on living there, and Dr. Wei’s team couldn’t talk him out of it. I guess they were moved in today."
"Li Dawei’s family is in the one on the left, Chunmei Garden." Song Kexin’s expression was grim. "I also saw that group that used to live at Number 98. Uncle Ge Liang and his daughter are there with them, joining the party."
Her grandmother, on the other hand, was quite happy. "Is that so? That’s wonderful! They’re all our old neighbors from the Song Family Pavilion. We know everyone."
’Wonderful? What’s so wonderful about it?’
Song Kexin and Song Shijun silently rolled their eyes.
’Any place with Li Dawei and his sister is bound to be trouble!’
Gu Chen saw their concern and said with a smile, "Don’t worry. The base prohibits private altercations and forced entry into residences. If they cause any trouble, you can just tell me."
He had a thousand and one "gentle" ways to make Li Dawei and his people behave themselves.
"These lakeside villas are all two-story buildings, each with probably five bedrooms. Will that be enough for all of you?"
His gaze shifted to Ji Taixian, who was perched on the arm of the sofa, eating sunflower seeds. "If you’re short on rooms, you can just hand these idlers over to me."
The sunflower seed shell fell from Ji Taixian’s mouth onto the plate. His expression was one of pure shock.
’An idler?’
’My brother just called me an idler?’
He turned to look at Wang Zongxuan. Wang Zongxuan gave him a sympathetic look and patted him on the shoulder.
"No, no, that’s not necessary." The grandmother immediately waved her hands protectively. "Xiao Xian isn’t an idler at all! He’s like that... Dorae-something-or-other, pulling whatever you need right out of his pockets. Plus, he keeps me company!"
The grandfather also nodded along. "Don’t you worry, Xiao Gu. We have plenty of room. We’ll let Ningning and Kexin share the largest suite, and You’ai can sleep in the room just outside it. They’re all 1.5-meter beds anyway, so it won’t be too crowded."
’Well, there you have it. Her dad had already assigned her sleeping quarters.’ Song You’ai chuckled and stood up, heading to the kitchen with her aunt to prepare a meal.
Now that they had water, everything was much more convenient.
The two of them bustled about the kitchen for over an hour. They whipped up a simple meal of seven or eight dishes and brought the already-steamed rice to the table.
With the industrial fan blasting at full tilt, everyone ate a hurried meal, drenched in sweat...
After lunch, Xie Ning and Song You’ai saw Gu Chen to the villa’s entrance.
As they pulled open the large iron gate, the corner of her eye caught a glimpse of a dark figure squatting by their entrance.
Song You’ai, who had been stepping out, shrank back, startled for a moment.
"Auntie." Song Xue could only push herself up by bracing her hands against the wall. Her legs were so numb that she could barely stay upright.
"Song Xue? You..." Song You’ai was at a loss for words.
’She thought the girl had left long ago...’
’She never expected she’d still be squatting at their gate.’
’What is she trying to do?’
Song Xue bit her lip, her gaze fixed on Song You’ai and Xie Ning with a sorrowful, pitiful expression. Large tears welled in her eyes. "I’m looking for Brother Gu Chen."
The mother and daughter’s gazes instantly shot toward Gu Chen, bright and piercing like four small spotlights.
Song You’ai’s kind face instantly vanished, replaced by a stiff, emotionless mask.
That one look sent a jolt through Gu Chen. "I—I don’t know her at all. Seriously!"
’He sounds exactly like a scumbag,’ Xie Ning thought, shooting him a sideways glance. "Mom, let’s go back inside."
The mother and daughter turned to go back through the iron gate. Gu Chen scrambled in after them and SLAMMED the gate shut behind him.
Xie Ning turned to look, so exasperated by his actions that she almost had to laugh. "Weren’t you leaving?"
"I..." For some reason, Gu Chen was a nervous wreck. "I feel like I should explain."
Xie Ning was clearly impatient.
’She’s already calling him ’Brother.’ What’s there to explain?’
