A figure suddenly flashed through Xiaorou's somewhat dazed mind—it was Ling Yun. The melancholy air vanished instantly, and Xiaorou couldn't help but smile. She just wondered if that blockhead would still be as affectionate as he was now when he reached the age of Oswit and Tian Yuning.
Wait a minute! Xiao Rou suddenly realized that even now, Ling Yun hadn't really been that proactive with her. Why was Oswald so eager to fawn over Tian Yuning? When they were together, it seemed like she was the one who took the initiative most of the time. That Ling Yun kid hadn't really pursued her at all!
This is intolerable! Xiao Rou was instantly filled with anger, her heart filled with rage. She bit her lip, determined that once everything was settled, she would make Ling Yun personally present her with flowers, kneel on one knee, and propose to her. Moreover, she would pretend to refuse him several times before she could shyly accept the fool's pursuit and satisfy her vanity, which she had never felt before.
Thinking of that fool kneeling on one knee to beg for love, Xiao Rou couldn't help but smile. A girl's heart can change in an instant. As she walked, she began to slowly plan her happy life with Ling Yun.
It would be best to stay in Beijing... otherwise, that apartment would be wasted, and it's a shame. It seems Lingyun and I are both students and should be living on campus. But we haven't attended many classes this semester. However, it doesn't really matter whether we attend that kind of university or not. As for housing, we could consider buying a villa in the suburbs of Beijing. Housing prices... are not a consideration; money is just a symbol for people with superpowers.
………
"Gu Xiaorou!" a surprised voice suddenly called out, sounding very familiar.
Xiao Rou was taken aback and quite surprised. She never expected to run into someone she knew in this remote town in the American West. Coincidences really do happen everywhere.
Looking up, she saw that while she was engrossed in planning her future life, a large group of people had slowly walked over from across the street. A somewhat haggard but extremely beautiful girl emerged from the crowd, smiling, waving, and calling out to her. Upon seeing her, Xiao Rou's eyes immediately lit up. The girl was none other than Xia Lan, who had been kidnapped by a super strong person.
"Xia Lan!" Xiao Rou exclaimed in surprise, instantly forgetting her plans to live a quiet life with Ling Yun. Since the battle in Hong Kong, the two girls had shared a life-and-death experience, and although the time was short, they had forged a deep bond. Seeing Xia Lan safe and sound, Xiao Rou was overjoyed.
"Xia Lan, did Ling Yun rescue you, or did you escape on your own? Did you see her?" Xiao Rou's gaze quickly swept across the crowd. There were many familiar faces, likely all superhumans from the China Superhuman Headquarters, but Ling Yun was nowhere to be seen. It seemed Xia Lan wasn't rescued by Ling Yun; the Superhuman Headquarters acted swiftly.
Xia Lan's expression dimmed slightly. "Xiao Rou, I'll talk to you privately later. You should meet your colleagues at the Superpower Headquarters first. You're from Ling Yun's... we're practically family. This time, we must settle accounts with the Superpower Bureau. They've gone too far."
Xiao Rou nodded, her heart tightening involuntarily. Although Xia Lan's expression was subtle, it did not escape her notice.
Could something have happened to Ling Yun? Xiao Rou wondered, her heart suddenly filled with urgency. As Xia Lan introduced the ability users of the Ability Headquarters one by one, she simply nodded and said hello in a light tone. Fortunately, most of the people in the Ability Headquarters had seen her before and had a deep impression of this beautiful girl, so they all took the initiative to greet her.
“This is my sister, Xia Zhen.” Xia Lan pointed to an elfin-like girl who looked similar to herself, and then pointed to an equally beautiful girl standing next to Xia Zhen, saying, “This is a new colleague at the Superpower Headquarters. I won’t introduce her; you should know her. We’re all classmates from Jinghua University.” As she spoke, she gave Xiao Rou a meaningful look.
Xiao Rou looked at Xia Zhen and that gentle and refined girl, and her heart stirred. She took the initiative to reach out and said, "You must be Yang Yuqi. I've seen you at school. Last time when I went to Hong Kong, Ling Yun went there specifically for you. It's a pity that I didn't get a chance to meet you in the end. I've heard Ling Yun mention you, and Xia Zhen too."
Xia Zhen and Yu Qi carefully observed Xiao Rou, greeting her with demure smiles, but a complex and bittersweet feeling welled up inside them. This feeling stemmed from Ling Yun. Was the girl before them the most important person in Ling Yun's heart? She was indeed very beautiful and had a great presence, Yu Qi and Xia Zhen couldn't help but admire her secretly, while at the same time feeling sad. How come they hadn't noticed Gu Xiao Rou at school? And when did she and Ling Yun develop feelings for each other? The two girls couldn't figure it out.
"Xiao Rou, it's been a long time. Your cultivation has improved again. Congratulations!" Before Xia Lan could introduce her, a middle-aged man with an imposing presence greeted Xiao Rou warmly. He was Tang Tiejin, the chief instructor of the China Supernatural Abilities Headquarters.
Several days later, Tang Tiejin was exactly the same as when they first met. His expression was indifferent, but his eyes seemed to possess a mysterious power, as if he could see right through people. Despite being a super strong person and having just mastered a super special technique, Xiaorou still felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at by Tang Tiejin's eyes.
Tang Tiejin had clearly seen through her true cultivation level; even her words just now were ambiguous. Although he appeared calm and composed on the surface, Tang Tiejin was inwardly shocked. As the strongest, he could naturally see that Xiao Rou had entered the ranks of super-strong individuals, and not just any ordinary super-strong individual. This girl even possessed a terrifying power that made Tang Tiejin take notice. Moreover, another unfamiliar power, not belonging to her but equally powerful, faintly emanated from Xiao Rou, as if possessed and deeply hidden. Even with Tang Tiejin's abilities, he could not discern what this unfamiliar power was.
Several months had passed since Tang Tiejin last saw Ling Yun and Gu Xiaorou. Although it wasn't a short time, Tang Tiejin couldn't be mistaken. The last time he saw Gu Xiaorou, she was just an ordinary lieutenant-level ability user. Although her strength was decent, it was worlds apart from what she was now. In just a few months, an ability user with the strength of a lieutenant-level officer had advanced to the ranks of super strong individuals, and not just ordinary super strong individuals?
Even someone as strong as Tang Tiejin couldn't help but feel confused, and even couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was able to achieve what he had today through countless life-and-death battles, extremely high talent, and various opportunities. But the most important thing was time. Without decades of immersion, he would never have been able to reach his current level. Not only him, but all super strong people are like this. This is the rule.
However, Xiao Rou's appearance broke this pattern. Tang Tiejin couldn't believe that a superhuman could grow into a super strong person in such a short time, but it really happened, and Xiao Rou didn't seem to have any problems. This meant that there must be some inexplicable reason at work, but it was just that they couldn't investigate it yet.
Tang Tiejin suddenly paused, noticing something odd about Xiao Rou's gaze. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions. She kept looking into his eyes, remaining silent and unresponsive to his greetings—this was rather strange. Even the usually composed Tang Tiejin felt a little awkward being stared at so openly by a girl.
Not only Tang Tiejin, but everyone else in the Superpower Headquarters also noticed something was wrong.
Chapter 401 Tang Tiejin's Memories
None of them knew what had happened, so they looked at Xiaorou and Tang Tiejin in bewilderment, feeling somewhat confused. Several experienced and composed instructors wanted to step forward and ask, but hesitated because it might involve the privacy of the highest-ranking officer of the Superpower Headquarters.
Xiao Rou stared blankly at Tang Tiejin, her heart filled with complex and indescribable feelings for the first time. Although Tian Yuning did not explicitly tell her who her biological father was, the implication in her words was clear: it was Tang Tiejin, the number one person in the Chinese Superpower Headquarters and one of the strongest people in the world. Moreover, under the circumstances at that time, Tian Yuning had no reason to lie.
Since even Tian Yuning knew this secret, her mother must have known who her biological father was long ago. But why didn't she tell her before she died? Instead, she was left to search for him like looking for a needle in a haystack. The reason is probably just as Tian Yuning said: Gu Ling'er was afraid that her daughter would affect Tang Tiejin, and even more afraid that Golden Miracle would fall into obscurity and use Xiao Rou to blackmail her.
However, since even Tian Yuning knew the secret, Golden Miracle probably already knew it. Gu Ling'er's painstaking efforts for her lover were actually wasted. Moreover, Golden Miracle did not use Xiao Rou to threaten Tang Tiejin. The whole incident only made Xiao Rou suffer. As a result, the relationship between the mother and daughter never improved until their deaths.
Actually, Tian Yuning didn't need to explain. Xiao Rou had grown up by Gu Ling'er's side since childhood and knew her mother's personality very well. She had already guessed her mother's thoughts, but guessing was worse than not guessing, and knowing was worse than not knowing.
Xiao Rou's heart was filled with bitterness. Although she had no feelings for her mother, her mother's indifference towards her, treating her only as a tool for killing, still left Xiao Rou feeling lost and bewildered.
All of this was because of the gentle middle-aged man before her. Looking at her heartless father, Tang Tiejin, Xiaorou should have felt hatred, but for some reason, Ling Yun's image flashed through her mind, making it difficult for her to muster any more hatred. In fact, Xiaorou should hate her mother; she used to. She had no feelings for her mother, only a blood relation. The estrangement between mother and daughter was inseparable from Gu Ling'er's consistently cold attitude and cruel abuse.
However, this hatred gradually disappeared after she fell in love with Ling Yun. When the loneliness in her heart was filled with happiness, the original hatred slowly faded. Besides, Xiao Rou was not the kind of person who loved and hated intensely. If she had been constantly reliving pain and misfortune, she would not have grown to the level she is today.
"Xiao Rou, let's go talk over there. Don't you want to know about Ling Yun?" Xia Lan saw Xiao Rou staring blankly at Tang Tiejin and her heart skipped a beat. Although she believed Xiao Rou wouldn't do anything foolish, it was better to take her away in this situation. The others didn't know Xiao Rou and couldn't interfere, so Xia Lan was the most suitable person to step in.
The clever Xia Lan knew exactly what Xiao Rou cared about. Sure enough, upon hearing the name Ling Yun, Xiao Rou's attention immediately shifted to her face, and her voice became anxious: "Where is he?"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Tang Tiejin smiled with relief as well. Being stared at by a super-former wasn't a pleasant feeling, even for the strongest. Tang Tiejin didn't understand why Xiao Rou had such unusual emotions towards him, but for some reason, despite Xiao Rou's rudeness and impolite attitude, Tang Tiejin felt no annoyance or anger, but rather a faint sadness.
His heart suddenly ached. Xiao Rou's gaze touched the softest part of his heart. This girl seemed to have some kind of inexplicable relationship with him. For a moment, even Tang Tiejin felt confused.
Xia Lan took Xiao Rou's arm and was about to pull her away when Xiao Rou glanced at Tang Tiejin one last time and suddenly said, "Mr. Tang Tiejin, I really want to tell you something. I don't know if you want to hear it."
Xia Lan immediately groaned inwardly upon hearing this. This Xiao Rou, she really knew how to bring up the most sensitive topics, why did she have to make things difficult for the headquarters leaders? Couldn't she just take a break? Just as she was about to speak up to stop her, Tang Tiejin smiled gently: "Go ahead and say it, I'd love to hear it."
“Then listen carefully. I didn’t say this. It’s a secret my mother told me when I was eleven. Actually, she didn’t tell me anything. I just overheard her talking to herself when she was alone. After seeing you, I suddenly remembered her talking to herself. Now I believe that no one else knows this, or even if they did, they wouldn’t understand. Only you know it, and you should be the only one who understands it.”
Xiao Rou spoke with a stern expression, which even stunned Xia Lan. Everyone's eyes were immediately focused on Xiao Rou, and their curiosity was piqued. They wondered what the girl's mother's mutterings had to do with Tang Tiejin.
In fact, Gu Ling'er's identity was not a secret within the Superpower Headquarters. This super strong person with the title of Major General was also a key focus of the Superpower Headquarters. However, apart from a blurry photo and the fact that she was a Chinese woman, the Superpower Headquarters had not gathered any more information about Gu Ling'er. This mysterious woman was quite low-key even within the Sky Eye Society and did not attract attention. If it weren't for her prominent status as a Major General, no one would even have noticed her existence.
Any super-strong individual is an extremely illustrious figure. The fact that Gu Ling'er could manage to maintain such a low profile speaks volumes about her profound and terrifying style. Such an enemy is undoubtedly extremely frightening. However, no matter what methods the Superpower Headquarters uses, the information they obtain about Gu Ling'er is always the least and most useless.
The only thing she did that made all the supernatural beings in the world take notice was to betray the Sky Eye Society and steal the Sky Eye, thus ending her own life. No one understood why she did it; there was no reason. Even within the Sky Eye Society, no one knew. This secret was forever buried in the grave with Gu Ling'er's death, and even her only daughter, Gu Xiaorou, did not know.
However, at this very moment, Xiaorou suddenly understood her mother's heart. She wasn't a member of the Heavenly Eye Society, and never would be. She would always belong to the person she loved most. Everything she did was for the person before her, her familiar yet strange biological father. Perhaps she was just an accident.
Tang Tiejin's heart, which had been beating steadily for many years, suddenly started racing. He was suddenly filled with a mixture of anticipation and fear, as if he had sensed something in advance. For many years, the chief instructor had never felt so uneasy: "What did your mother say?"
Xiao Rou sighed softly, turned around, and pulled the stunned Xia Lan away. Her clear voice drifted over: "She said her name isn't Gu Ling'er; someone once called her Fei'er."
Suddenly, Tang Tiejin trembled violently. His calm expression changed drastically, and countless complex and indescribable expressions flashed across his face. The light in his eyes shone brightly, as if the name possessed some kind of incredible magic that made even the strongest person tremble with fear.
"Chief Tang"