Chapter 497 — Is He Your Boyfriend?

"Oh..." Feng Xiaoxiao was no fool either. She knew that if her father hadn't arrived when he did, this old man might very well have laid hands on her. Still, the old man was clearly wary of her father. Feng Xiaoxiao didn't know the reason behind it, and assumed the old man was simply afraid of her father, which made her rather pleased.

"Professor Guan! It's been a long time. I was just planning to visit you these past few days!" Feng Tianlong was delighted to find Guan Xuewen here as well. He had indeed been meaning to pay Guan Xuewen a call and inquire about the Life-Extending Detoxifying Pill.

Feng Tianlong and Guan Xuewen were acquainted, but after Guan Xuewen had examined Feng Xiaoxiao's condition, he too had been powerless to help. After all, even Lin Dongfang had been unable to do anything back then; what chance did he have?

Still, the fact that no remedy existed in years past did not mean none existed now. As long as there was even the slimmest thread of hope, Feng Tianlong would never let it slip.

"So it's little Feng! Long time no see!" Guan Xuewen smiled. "I always have time. A phone call will do!"

Guan Xuewen's warmth toward Feng Tianlong was unmistakable, and it soured Wu Gonggao greatly. With a snort, he grabbed Wu Chengtian and left in a hurry.

"Very well, then. Please excuse me, Professor Guan—I'll be on my way." Feng Tianlong had just taken a phone call with an urgent matter waiting for him, and had to rush back. There was no time for pleasantries with Guan Xuewen, so he would have to visit another day.

"Of course." Guan Xuewen nodded.

Feng Tianlong took Feng Xiaoxiao by the hand and was about to turn away when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Wei Zhao. The color drained from his face in an instant.

"Heh..." Wei Zhao offered a wry smile. Sure enough, Feng Tianlong had spotted him. In truth, Wei Zhao had been no less shocked upon seeing Feng Tianlong—to think that Feng Xiaoxiao was Feng Tianlong's own daughter! He had been backing away as fast as he could, but in the end there was no hiding. Wei Zhao gave a slight wave of his hand, signaling for silence.

Feng Tianlong was a shrewd man as well. Seeing Wei Zhao's gesture, he understood at once that the other man did not want his identity revealed. He pretended not to have noticed, took Feng Xiaoxiao by the hand, and hurried away.

The lingering dread he had felt was gone now, replaced by a faint self-deprecation—he had been far too tense just now! He had seen Wei Zhao shift slightly to shield Feng Xiaoxiao earlier, but at the time he had thought little of it, brushing it off as a mere accident. It had never crossed his mind that Wei Zhao had stepped in to block Wu Gonggao's strike for her.

Now that he knew the man was Wei Zhao, it all made sense: Wei Zhao's movement had been meant to protect Feng Xiaoxiao. With him on guard, she would surely come to no harm. Feng Tianlong knew Wei Zhao's capabilities well enough—though no match for Wu Gonggao, he could at least hold his own for a while.

"Xiaoxiao, do you know them?" He asked casually, keeping his composure. He was a little puzzled. How could Feng Xiaoxiao know Wei Zhao? By all appearances, they seemed quite close.

"Know them? Wei Zhao sits next to me in class," Feng Xiaoxiao nodded and said. Inside, though, she found it a bit strange—hadn't her father always been rather indifferent to her affairs?

"What?!" Feng Tianlong's eyes flew wide open. He stared at Feng Xiaoxiao in disbelief. "You're saying... he's your classmate? Your deskmate?"

"Yes. What's wrong?" Feng Xiaoxiao gazed back at her father, equally bewildered. She couldn't fathom why he was wearing such a strange expression.

"N-nothing!" Feng Tianlong shook his head. Though Wei Zhao did not technically belong to the Mysterious Investigation Bureau, he had assisted on several operations. But even so—a man of Wei Zhao's standing, enrolled in a school? Not merely enrolled, but a high school senior, sitting right next to his own daughter? The whole thing bordered on the absurd.

Still, he could not tell Feng Xiaoxiao too much about Wei Zhao. Puzzled as he was, he would have to keep it to himself. The truth was, he didn't fully understand Wei Zhao's identity either; the Bureau had arranged his cooperation on those missions from above.

"Xiaoxiao, go back to the hotel on your own in a moment. Dad has some urgent business to attend to and may not be back tonight. Tomorrow I might be tied up as well..." He faltered here. He had just promised to spend a few days with his daughter, and now this had come up.

"That's fine. Go ahead. Tomorrow I'll find my classmates and go to the auction!" This time, Feng Xiaoxiao was not angry at all. She waved her hand dismissively and spoke with easy good cheer.

Feng Tianlong was taken aback by her attitude. Then it struck him—hadn't she been defending Wei Zhao earlier? Could it be that... she had taken a liking to someone? Started falling for a boy? And that boy was Wei Zhao?

The mere possibility startled him. But unlike most parents, Feng Tianlong was not opposed to his daughter falling in love too early. Given her special circumstances, he actually hoped she would find a boyfriend soon and give him a grandson or granddaughter to dote upon—so that if anything truly befell her, he would not be left to grow old alone.

And that the boy in question was Wei Zhao only made him more supportive. Feng Tianlong had already witnessed Wei Zhao's exceptional qualities for himself. Not that he would object if Feng Xiaoxiao chose someone else—but finding one who satisfied him as well? Could anything be better?

Feng Tianlong had originally meant to keep his daughter from wandering about. But he realized that if she really did spend tomorrow with Wei Zhao, then Wei Zhao would look after her safety—and so his worries eased.

"You mean that Wei Zhao?" Feng Tianlong made his way to the parking lot, opened the car door, climbed inside, and asked Feng Xiaoxiao.

"Um..." Feng Xiaoxiao flushed at once with embarrassment; from the tone of her father's voice, it seemed he had noticed something! But beneath her sheepishness there was no fear. Not only was she merely fooling around with Wei Zhao for the time being—even if she and Wei Zhao were truly together, she wouldn't care a whit! She had been nothing but trouble since the day she was born, so whether her father was angry or not, she was going to be who she was.

"Xiaoxiao, is he your boyfriend?" Feng Tianlong turned the ignition and asked suddenly.

"Ah?" Feng Xiaoxiao had not expected her father to come right out and ask such a thing. She froze, then stammered, "N-no, he's not!"

"Not?" Feng Tianlong echoed. "From the look on your face just now, you seemed awfully keen on defending him."

"Uh... we're classmates, we sit at the same desk—of course I have to stand up for him!" Feng Xiaoxiao reddened with awkwardness. Fearless though she was of anything under heaven or earth, when it came to questions between young men and women, she was still prone to shyness.

"Heh... Xiaoxiao, Dad has no objection to you having a boyfriend. If you find someone right, bring him home for me to meet." Feng Tianlong chuckled, knowing his daughter was embarrassed, and pressed no further—simply stating his position plainly.