The rest of the week at Longhai No. 1 High School passed in a strange, muted rhythm.
Teachers were noticeably more cautious in their classes, speaking a little more carefully, watching their words—no one wanted to be the next headline. The administration issued a quiet notice saying that chemistry results were "under review," which everyone understood as an attempt to clean up whatever mistake Mr. Han left behind.
Students adjusted even faster.
By Wednesday, the dramatic whispers faded into background noise, replaced by a careful kind of distance. No one dared provoke Feng or even mention him too loudly; Zhao Kai practically glued himself to the back row whenever Feng walked by. Xue also found her classes unexpectedly peaceful—no comments, no stares. Even those who disliked her kept their heads down.
Nothing big happened.
No confrontations. No rumors that lasted more than a few minutes.
Just a quiet, collective decision:
Keep a low profile until the school returns to normal.
By Friday, the aftermath of the arrest had settled into a strange calm—
a school holding its breath,
waiting for whatever came next
---
Saturday Morning — Second Branch Villa
Warm sunlight spilled into the dining room, glinting softly off polished wood and porcelain bowls. Weekend breakfasts in the Second Branch were always calmer, quieter—no rushing, no schedules, just the three of them gathered around a single table.
Xue was the first to speak.
"Dad," she said between bites of steamed bun, "I'm going out with Liu Yue today… We're going to try out the new arcade near Central Square, then get fruit drinks together, and maybe walk around a bit."
Guohua paused with his chopsticks halfway to his lips.
His brows pulled together.
"I'm not sure today is… a good day for that."
Xue blinked. "Why? Did something happen?"
Guohua exhaled slowly.
"The Li Group visited Blue Horizon again yesterday," he said. "That makes the third time this week—and each visit has been more forceful than the last." His expression tightened. "They're not even bothering to hide their intent anymore."
Xue's expression fell immediately.
"Oh…"
She lowered her chopsticks, fingers curling slightly.
"I… I see. Then I'll tell Liu Yue later. We can go some other time."
Her voice was soft—polite resignation masking a tiny thread of disappointment.
Guohua's chest tightened.
He hated seeing that look on her face.
Before he could say more, Feng set down his cup.
"There's no need to cancel."
Both Xue and Guohua looked at him.
Feng's tone remained calm, steady.
"I'll go with the two of you," he said. "There's nothing to worry about. I'll keep Xue safe."
Xue's eyes lit up immediately—just a small spark, but enough to soften her whole expression.
Guohua studied his son for a long moment through the warm steam rising from the teapot.
"…If you're with her, then I suppose it's fine."
A silent weight lifted from the table.
Guohua's shoulders relaxed. Even he didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until now.
"Alright," he said gently. "Just stay together. Come home before evening."
Xue nodded quickly, her earlier gloom completely gone.
"Yes! I mean—yes, we will!"
Feng gave a quiet nod of acknowledgment.
Breakfast continued in peace—the kind of peace that only existed because Feng was there, quietly anchoring the room without needing to say a word.
---
Hours later
Late morning sunlight filtered through the curtains of Feng's room, casting crisp lines across the floor. Feng stood before his open wardrobe, selecting a simple outfit—dark jeans, a fitted black tee, and a lightweight white unzipped hoodie. Clean, casual, unassuming.
He laid them out across the chair, then turned to his desk.
On it:
• his newly-upgraded smartwatch
• his tablet
• his laptop
• a slim black armband that resembled a minimalist accessory—but wasn't
A faint vibration sounded from the smartwatch.
A smooth, calm female voice chimed from the device—clear, precise, and unmistakably Arachne 2.0.
"Boss, the Li Group attempted another breach into Blue Horizon's data servers. Their fifth attempt this week.
Would you like me to send them a present?"
Feng didn't even look up.
He continued fastening the strap of his smartwatch, his movements smooth.
The voice was new—cleaner, sharper, more articulate.
Arachne 2.0's vocal interface.
Fully online.
Fully active.
Exactly as he designed her.
"Not now."
"Understood," Arachne replied, tone returning instantly to neutral efficiency.
Feng glanced at the newly upgraded watch—sleek, matte black, its interface more seamless than any commercial tech.
The upgrade wasn't cosmetic.
It was structural. Essential.
After completing Arachne 2.0 the previous day, he had spent the entire evening integrating all his personal devices:
• The smartwatch now held a micro-node interface, allowing Arachne to communicate through it with perfect clarity.
• His tablet and laptop had been rebuilt from the firmware up—hardware-level encryption, parallel processing paths, silent cross-device syncing.
• The armband drive now housed a portable access kernel—if Feng ever lost his devices, one plug-in would let him pull Arachne from anywhere.
Visual sensors.
Audio sensors.
Proximity awareness.
Every device was now a part of her.
But they were only her fingertips.
Arachne 2.0 didn't need hardware to be present.
Every CCTV camera in Longhai was her eye.
Every public or private speaker could be her voice—if needed.
Every network node, every traffic system, every datapoint in the city was a vein she could traverse at will.
He rolled the sleeves of his jacket, checked the watch again, and picked up the armband.
He slid the armband into place, adjusted his jacket, and headed toward the door.
Today wasn't supposed to be about work.
He had promised Xue he would accompany her.
But even so—
Arachne, the upgraded devices, the polished readiness—
Everything moved with a single purpose:
Protect Xue.
No matter who came looking.
No matter why.
He left the room with quiet steps, the soft hum of Arachne 2.0 following him like a shadow.
---
Longhai Central District
Longhai's weekend district bustled with weekend energy—colorful storefronts, music drifting from speakers, the smell of skewers and fried dough hanging playfully in the air.
Feng and Xue arrived first.
"She said she's almost here," Xue murmured, checking her phone.
Then—
"XUE!"
Liu Yue jogged over, waving one hand wildly, her ponytail bouncing behind her. She was exactly as Xue had described: bright, sharp, full of too much energy for her small frame.
Until she noticed Feng beside Xue.
Her sprint slowed.
Her posture straightened.
Her eyes widened just a little too much.
And by the time she reached them—
She was practically walking like a well-trained attendant.
"H–Hello, Li Feng!" she said, bowing slightly. "I mean, good afternoon! I mean—uh—hi!"
Xue bit back a grin. "Yue, breathe."
"I am breathing," Liu Yue whispered through clenched teeth. "Respectfully."
Feng inclined his head. "Good afternoon."
Liu Yue nearly saluted.
But after the greetings, as they began moving through the weekend district, her natural personality bloomed again—chatty, witty, and overall endearing:
• complaining loudly about overpriced snacks
• challenging a vending machine to a "fight of destiny"
• arguing with a gacha machine like it owed her money
• effortlessly making Xue laugh every few steps
Feng followed half a pace behind, quiet and steady, letting the two girls whirl ahead like a pair of energetic satellites.
Halfway down the street—
Feng's smartwatch gave a tiny vibration.
He lifted his wrist slightly.
He shifted his hand just enough for the display to face him, eyes lowered naturally as if checking a message.
A discreet notification slid into view.
[Arachne 2.0]
Boss, four individuals have been following your group since 14:23.
Behavioral markers: low-skill muscle, local thugs.
Affiliation: Zhou envoy's watchers (92% confidence).
Likelihood of direct confrontation at dusk: 87%.
Feng's expression didn't move.
He closed the message thread with a flick of his thumb and put the device back to idle.
Ahead of him, Xue called out:
"Ge ge, look! She finally got the plushie—"
Liu Yue triumphantly held up a pink dragon she had wrestled from the machine after an intense argument with it.
Feng nodded with a smile. "Congratulations."
Yue saluted him with the plushie, then turned away quickly before her nerves made her freeze again.
The three continued down the bustling street.
Feng didn't interrupt their fun.
Four untrained thugs posed no threat.
They could have sent four hundred—it wouldn't have mattered.
But for now, he let them tail the trio through the crowded district, pretending they were invisible.
For Xue's sake. For the peace of the moment.
He walked between the girls, silent and composed, letting their laughter fill the space around him.
---
Hello, Author here!
Thanks for reading — I hope you enjoyed today's chapter.
If you're liking Li Feng's journey so far, don't forget to leave a comment or drop a Power Stone. Your support helps the story grow and motivates me to keep updating!
See you in the next chapter!