Master of Nine Stars

Just then, Rong Taotao was half-hidden in the doorway, secretly peeking into the kitchen.

’Secretly observing.jpg?’

”Come on in, Taotao.” Cheng Yuan turned off the stove. She had been about to scold her daughter, but then she spotted Rong Taotao in the doorway. Instantly forgetting about Gao Lingwei’s troublemaking, she called out warmly to Rong Taotao and picked up a small plate and chopsticks again.

”Happy New Year, Auntie,” Rong Taotao said, but his eyes were glued to the small, crispy fish on the plate as he walked in.

As Cheng Yuan handed the small plate over, Rong Taotao didn’t even bother with the chopsticks, instead pinching the tail of a golden-yellow fish with his fingers.

At that moment, the concept of ”too hot to touch” simply didn’t exist for him...

’Eh, it’s fine. If I get burned, I’ll just apply some Huilian to the wound.’

If the Red-clothed Merchant knew that Rong Taotao was using his Snow Realm Treasure, Huilian, just to eat some crispy fish, he’d probably be angry enough to die a second time...

”CRUNCH.” The fish was golden and crisp. Rong Taotao took a bite, and a wonderful flavor exploded on his taste buds.

’Holy crap, this crispy fish is incredible!’

’What are dreams? Who knows! What is love? Who cares!’

Rong Taotao’s lips were stained with golden grease as he nodded again and again, mumbling his praise, ”This is so good! I wish I could start calling you Mom already so I could come home and eat like this every day.”

Gao Lingwei: ???

A smile spread across Cheng Yuan’s face, but just as she was about to speak, she saw Gao Lingwei raise a long leg and kick Rong Taotao right in the butt.

But Rong Taotao didn’t even try to dodge. He was still spitting out fish bones as the kick landed...

”What are you doing, kicking him like that?” Cheng Yuan immediately slapped Gao Lingwei’s arm before turning to Rong Taotao. ”Come by anytime, eat anytime. Mom will... uh, Auntie will cook for you.”

Gao Lingwei: ”...”

’Unbelievable!’

’He eats one tiny fish, and the two of you decide my future just like that?’

At this moment, Rong Yang, who was standing at the kitchen entrance, was also a bit stunned.

He had originally come to greet Gao Lingwei’s mother, but he never expected to walk in on a scene like this and overhear such a conversation.

’So this is what they mean by ”the shy go hungry, but the bold eat their fill,” huh?’

’Little brother! You’re truly amazing! Not only are you a master at scrounging for food, but you’re also way more efficient at getting engaged than I am...’

’All it took was a single crispy fish to seal the deal!’

Cheng Yuan then noticed the tall, slender, and handsome young man in the doorway and couldn’t help but ask, ”And you are?”

”Hello, Auntie. I’m Rong Yang, Taotao’s older brother,” Rong Yang said hurriedly, offering a polite greeting.

”Oh, hello, hello,” Cheng Yuan replied, though she felt a little puzzled. ’The two brothers don’t really look alike. Is it because of their hair?’

’One has naturally curly hair, and the other has a buzz cut?’

’If I look closely, their facial features do have some similarities, but how come they look so completely different when put together?’

’Hmm... it must be their disposition. It’s just so, so different.’

While everyone was still chatting, Rong Taotao had already made a beeline for the wok!

His future mother-in-law’s thoughts were spot-on! A guy who makes a beeline for the wok is hardly going to have the same disposition as anyone else...

A moment later, Rong Taotao was forcibly dragged out of the kitchen by Gao Lingwei, a small, crispy fried yellow croaker in hand.

Everyone returned to the living room and sat on the sofa with Gao Qingchen. Since Mr. Gao had difficulty moving around, Rong Yang took over the task of pouring tea. He certainly seemed to know how to handle social situations better than Rong Taotao.

The relationship between Gao Qingchen and Rong Yang was also somewhat special; one was a retired commander of a special forces unit, while the other was an active-duty soldier in the same. Because of this, Gao Qingchen didn’t refuse Rong Yang’s courteous gesture.

To be honest, interacting with a family like this put Gao Qingchen at ease.

Gao Qingchen had lived a life of loyal service and was medically discharged due to injury. However, his eldest daughter had shamed the family by becoming an internationally wanted criminal. While it didn’t drastically affect the daily lives of him and his wife, they inevitably became the subject of gossip.

Gao Qingchen paid no mind to any of it; he had no need to listen to such idle talk. Compared to the wagging tongues of others, the self-reproach and guilt he placed upon himself were far deeper.

But in the past year or two, his younger daughter had brought home an extraordinary young man.

A young man from a truly top-tier family in the northern Snow Realm, and one who... didn’t care about the stain on the Gao Family’s name.

Moreover, Gao Qingchen sensed no arrogance from the young man, even though he had taken first place in the Outer Region and won a national championship.

On each of the boy’s visits, the people who came with him—renowned Pine Soul Masters, his sister-in-law, and his brother—had all been friendly and warm.

Gao Qingchen wasn’t surprised that Rong Taotao’s circle was filled with Great God-level figures.

What satisfied Gao Qingchen, and what he was secretly grateful for, was their attitude.

Gao Lingwei took the task of making tea from Rong Yang. Kneeling before the coffee table, she prepared the tea and said, ”Dad, Taotao and I were awarded medals a couple of days ago. There wasn’t a formal ceremony since the squad’s been busy with missions, but the captain of the Twelfth Squad presented them to us personally.”

”Oh?” Gao Qingchen took the teacup his daughter offered and asked with a smile, ”You earned a commendation?”

”Yes. On our last joint mission, we arrested Mi Tu, Feng Zi, and the Red-clothed Merchant.” Gao Lingwei looked up, meeting her father’s admiring gaze, and said softly, ”The Snow Burning army awarded us the Star Disc Snowflake Medal.”

”The Star Disc Snowflake Medal...” Gao Qingchen murmured, as if mulling over the words. After a long moment, he set his teacup down on the coffee table and nodded. ”For breaking the stalemate, it is well deserved. The Poachers have run rampant in the Snow Realm for decades...”