Chapter 608 Meeting the Parents 2

Mazao's parents welcomed us into the bakery.

To be precise, only Asa was truly welcomed, while I was completely unwelcome. What respectable parent would have a good first impression of their young daughter bringing home a strange adult boyfriend? This couple was no exception. Asa's father scrutinized me from head to toe with the eyes of someone examining a criminal, while Asa's mother held her daughter tightly in her arms as if protecting her.

Mazao looked up at her mother with a troubled expression, then at me, as if she wanted to get closer to me, but couldn't forcefully break free from her mother's arms.

The second floor of the bakery seemed to be the family's living space, while the first-floor sales area had a small dining area, which was now being used temporarily as a living room. We sat down here. Asaho's father sat opposite me, while Asaho's mother held Asaho at the next table.

"Then, please explain what you just said," Asaho's father asked seriously, "and... what exactly happened to our daughter."

Asaha's father—hereafter referred to simply as "Asaha's father"—will also be addressed in the same way as Asaha's mother.

In the eyes of young people like myself, in our teens and twenties, a man over thirty can be called a middle-aged man. But in a more formal definition, people over forty or forty-five are considered to have entered middle age. Although the man in front of me is Mazao's father, he is still a little short of middle age, and his face does not show any signs of fatigue or aging.

He clearly has a habit of exercising; his complexion is healthy, his hair is quite thick, and his skin shows no obvious signs of sagging. His eyes are bright and piercing, and when he frowns and stares at someone, there's a sharp edge to them. If I hadn't known beforehand that he was a mid-level manager at the Xianshui City Construction Company, I might have mistaken him for someone working in law enforcement.

Judging from the way Ma's father asked the questions, it's very likely that he wasn't completely unaware of me. Since Zhu Shi had formally communicated with them about Ma Zao beforehand, he must have also informed them of my existence. However, rather than secondhand information, this couple probably wanted to get the truth directly from Ma Zao and me.

Then, I openly told them about my relationship with Asaho.

Although I consider myself Asah's lover, according to our past agreement, until Asah truly grows up, our relationship is only a pre-arranged one. Even though we sleep together, it still feels strange to say it's pre-arranged. This verbal agreement doesn't prevent me from hugging and kissing Asah like I would with Shushi, nor does it prevent us from taking things further. Looking back, it seems like a mere formality.

As I explained, Asaho assisted me. At first, she simply added to my explanations, but gradually, she became the primary speaker. Compared to me, Asaho's parents clearly trusted their daughter more and wanted to hear her more. However, little by little, they became less trusting of her.

It wasn't that they didn't believe Asaho's words, but rather that Asaho's face gradually revealed happiness and joy as she introduced me in detail. In the eyes of this couple, this scene was probably like a naive and adorable daughter being tricked and deceived by a mysterious young man in society, only to fall in love with him and speak well of him.

Asaho's explanation was from her own perspective. From her point of view, I was initially a kind person who took her in when she was seriously injured and lonely, and then did everything I could to help her. Although she later discovered that I had malicious intentions to take advantage of her special constitution, we are now in love and we are in a relationship of sharing joys and sorrows—at first glance, it seems as if I really will never have any rifts with her again in the future.

It's very likely that she didn't say that with the subjective intention of speaking well of me, but rather that she genuinely believed it.

Asa's father, with his wealth of social experience, didn't seem to be swayed by these subjectively charged words. He frequently glanced at me with suspicion as Asa spoke, and continued to ask Asa questions.

"...According to what you just said, you're a superpowered person now, right?" Father Ma asked cautiously. "Can we see your superpowers with our own eyes?"

Such a problem was naturally without any difficulty. Masaha left her mother's embrace, stood up, summoned the phantom recurve blade, and cleaved the nearby table into pieces as if it were tofu, then used the power of return to restore it to its original state.

Although they were probably mentally prepared, seeing their seemingly weak and powerless daughter actually manage to do such a thing left the couple with expressions of disbelief, as if they had been suddenly thrown from reality into a magical fantasy world.

“As expected…it really happened…” Father Ma murmured in shock.

Ma sat down next to me early.

After a short while, having finished answering most of the questions related to me, Asa's father began asking Asa about her experiences before she met me. Although Asa had lost more than 90% of her memories of the "apocalyptic era," she still had quite a few things to answer.

She can now recount those tragic memories that once tormented her, those nightmares that kept her tossing and turning at night, with a calm demeanor. On the contrary, her mother couldn't help but shed tears again after listening for a short while, and her father seemed to find it increasingly difficult to ask.

Compared to those terrifying experiences that often involve life and death, or even worse than death, even the richest social experience pales in comparison. As a father, Ma's father clearly has a strong sense of responsibility to protect his daughter from harm, and every time his daughter recounts a bloody and terrifying experience that he wasn't present for, it's as if a large chunk of flesh is being ripped from his dignity as a father.

However, avoiding the question from his daughter because of this would be an even greater loss of dignity. He could only force himself to continue asking his daughter questions, silently enduring the torment from his own heart. In the end, he could no longer maintain his fatherly demeanor; the light in his eyes dimmed, and his body exuded a dejected air.

He was still putting on a brave face, but this level of concealment couldn't hide it from Asaha's eyes. Gradually, Asaha also became unable to answer, looking at her father with worry.

Beneath this worry lies a sense of confusion. Even knowing that the "strange man" before her is her father, Asahi has no memory of him and may find it difficult to perceive the reality of his presence.

At the same time, perhaps sensing the unfamiliarity in Asaho's tone of voice, Asaho's mother also seemed somewhat confused. The last time this couple spoke with their daughter was probably when she was ten years old, and Asaho's way of speaking back then was likely quite different from the Asaho of today. Furthermore, the current Asaho, in order to explain her experiences, often has to use words that are difficult for ordinary people to understand, which further exacerbates the estrangement.

Everything seemed to indicate that Ma had already become a character from a different world than them.

Ma's father glanced at the bakery window. Outside, there were only a few passersby. The atmosphere of social unease caused by the frequent strange events seemed to drift into the room through the window.

He then looked at the restless Asao and revealed a somewhat lonely expression.

"When do you plan to leave?" he suddenly asked.

Ma's mother was startled and said, "What...what are you suddenly saying? Of course Mazao is going to stay!"

“Uh, but…” Asaha was clearly about to voice her objection.

“They’re not like us ordinary citizens who can’t even take care of ourselves; they’re going to save the world. How can we indulge in those petty family matters?” said Ma’s father.

"What nonsense are you spouting..." Ma's mother looked anxious. "Oh...right! Why don't you stay for dinner? Don't leave so soon..."

"It's only past noon, and you're already talking about dinner?" Ma's father asked.

Ma's mother argued, "It's not easy for the three of us to be reunited, so we should at least have a family meal together!"

No one could refuse such a request, and Ma's father no longer objected. Ma and I stayed behind for the time being. During this time, Ma's mother took Ma to the second floor and started a conversation between the two of them.

The apartment wasn't very soundproof, and you could hear them talking about Asaho's childhood. Asaho's mother seemed to be trying desperately to awaken Asaho's past memories, hoping to persuade her to stay during this time. However, just as Asaho's father had become a stranger to her, so had her mother. Asaho couldn't handle the emotions from her parents, but it was impossible to use these emotions to persuade her to detach herself from her mission to save the world and simply stay by her parents' side as a lovely daughter.

The family reunion dinner was repeatedly delayed. During this time, Mr. Ma acted as if he couldn't hear anything and didn't communicate with me at all. It wasn't until eight o'clock in the evening that I saw the mother and daughter come down from the second floor. Mrs. Ma went into the kitchen with a sad and haggard expression, while Maya looked at her back with apologetic eyes before returning to my side.

"Zhuang Cheng...am I an unfilial daughter?" she suddenly asked.

I didn't know how to answer, but it didn't seem like she was really looking for my answer.

It's really strange. She, who wants to save the world, and I, who expect the end of the world, with completely opposite goals, seem to have become so-called unfilial children.

After dinner, Ma's mother seemed to want to keep Ma Zao there. Ma's father left first, giving me a look as he stood up. I followed him out and saw him at the back door.

“…Thank you.” He looked at the dark sky and said, “You saved Asaho’s life when she was on the verge of death. Later, when her life was threatened, you saved her again. As Asaho’s father, I am truly grateful to you.”

“That’s what I should do,” I said.

“From a general societal perspective, my daughter is still too young,” he said. “She should continue to receive compulsory education, go to school properly, make friends with peers, and do things appropriate for her age.”

"However, I no longer have the right to interfere in my daughter's life. I wasn't there for her when she needed help the most; and now, after countless painful struggles, she has finally built her own circle of friends and developed her own independent thoughts and life. She has grown her own wings and is entitled to decide for herself what to do and what not to do."

"Therefore, I will try my best to respect her will and decision. However..."

"But?" I asked.

He turned to look at me, his gaze turning fierce once more.

“As a father, I still cannot condone Asaha being with an evil person like you. Although I cannot stop my daughter’s choice, it does not mean that I will allow anything.”

As he spoke, his voice turned undisguisedly menacing as he threatened me, "So, remember this: if you ever do anything bad to Mazao in the future, I will absolutely not let you off the hook!"

(End of this chapter)