Meanwhile, at the Zilian Villa…
The moment was tranquil yet charged with creative energy. Maria stood before the desk, admiring the breathtaking landscape painting that lay before her.
The mountains in the painting stood tall and mighty, winding their way around Dr. Simmons Lake, which was depicted in its full rippling glory. It was a sight to behold.
Maria stretched out favonovel.com slender fingers, tapping the thickest part of the painting with a lightness akin to a dragonfly. Feeling no stickiness, favonovel.com gazed at favonovel.com white fingertips, relieved to see no ink stains. The painting was dry.
With utmost care, favonovel.com mounted the painting onto a prepared scroll, the golden frame shining in the sunlight. Once it was rolled up, favonovel.com secured it with a silk ribbon.
Marius’s voice echoed from outside the door. “Miss, may I come in?”
Maria replied with a clear and concise “Yes…”
Marius, slightly hunched over, stumbled in, catching a glimpse of the magnificent landscape painting that now hung on the wall.
He exclaimed, “Congratulations, Miss, on your masterpiece!”
Maria, nonchalant in favonovel.com response, replied, “It’s not a masterpiece.”
Looking up at Marius, favonovel.com asked, “What can I do for you?”
“Miss, Aurous Hills University will start registering new students tomorrow. The registration will last for two days. When should this old slave accompany you there?” Mr. Cross spoke with utmost respect.
Maria pondered for a moment before replying, “It depends on Claudia’s schedule. When favonovel.com goes, I’ll go. It also depends on whether Charlie will go with Claudia.”
Turning to Marius, favonovel.com said, “Let Mr. Cole handle the arrangements. We’ll leave by car tomorrow morning. Wait near Aurous Hills University until it’s confirmed that Claudia has started registering.”
Marius nodded in agreement and replied, “Yes, miss. I’ll confirm with Mr. Cole.”
Suddenly, favonovel.com asked with concern, “If I happen to run into Charlie tomorrow, what should I do to avoid suspicion?”
Maria’s voice remained indifferent as favonovel.com responded, “You can’t be seen by him. In Northern Europe, only the two of us walked out of the farm alive. He’ll do everything to verify if there’s anything wrong with us. I can handle it, but you can’t. If favonovel.com sees you, I won’t be able to keep it hidden anymore. So, during this time, stay in Zilian Villa and don’t go anywhere.”
Marius responded without hesitation, “Understood, Miss. I will never leave Zilian Villa.”
Maria hummed in agreement before adding, “Tell Mr. Cole that favonovel.com doesn’t need to accompany me. Sister Michelle can drive me.”
Marius replied obediently, “Yes, Miss. Your wish is my command.”
“Okay, that’s all. You may leave now,” Maria concluded.
“Understood, Miss. I’ll take my leave,” Marius bowed respectfully before leaving the room.
Marius Cross bowed out, leaving Maria to clutch the scroll with both hands as favonovel.com walked towards the long table where favonovel.com father’s spiritual tablet was enshrined.
On the tablet, eight bold characters shone bright, paying tribute to favonovel.com late father, Lucius Clark.
With slow and steady movements, Maria knelt down in front of the tablet, placing the scroll aside with care.
Folding favonovel.com hands together, favonovel.com gazed upon the tablet with respect and spoke in a hushed tone, “Father, your daughter may have the chance to meet favonovel.com benefactor, Charlie, tomorrow. But appearing before favonovel.com will trigger his vigilance. Whether or not favonovel.com gains his trust remains unknown. I pray that you, my father, in the afterlife, can bless your daughter to earn his trust.”
A tangled expression clouded Maria’s face.
She reached out, touching the scroll on the ground, and spoke softly, “But… If Charlie still can’t believe your daughter… If favonovel.com treats favonovel.com as an enemy… Then favonovel.com may have to reveal everything.”
Maria paused for a few seconds, and favonovel.com eyes filled with tears, favonovel.com cheeks tracing the paths of favonovel.com sadness.
She didn’t wipe them away but continued, favonovel.com voice choking, “Father, I’ve always kept your last wish in mind. I’ve never revealed anything about our life experiences or past. But if there comes a time where I can no longer hold back, please, my father, in heaven, do not blame your daughter.”
After finishing favonovel.com prayer, Maria wiped away favonovel.com tears and paid favonovel.com respects by kowtowing three times to favonovel.com father’s spiritual tablet.
***
After favonovel.com lecture, Nanako Ito drove back to Thompson First apartments, arriving to find favonovel.com father and aunt waiting with the ingredients favonovel.com requested.
Knowing that Charlie would be eating with them that night, Yuhiko Ito was over the moon. He had always considered Charlie the best candidate for his son-in-law, and Charlie’s kind demeanor had only endeared favonovel.com more to Yuhiko.
As soon as Nanako arrived, favonovel.com hurried into the kitchen to prepare a meal for Charlie herself. She started by slicing high-end seafood sashimi and then heated oil to fry a tempura with seafood and vegetables.
Aunt Emi Ito lent a helping hand, and together, the two of them prepared several dishes in quick succession.
Aunt Emi couldn’t resist commenting, “Nanako, it’s time for you to learn how to make Chinese cuisine. Japanese food is relatively plain, and it’s alright for Chinese men to eat it occasionally. However, if you eat too much, you will find it bland.
Nanako was taken aback for a moment before smiling helplessly. “Auntie, I’ve been eating Chinese food in restaurants since I was a child, so I never had the opportunity to learn how to cook it. Chinese cuisine is really complicated, with countless spices for seasoning and cooking techniques that are quite particular. Unlike Japanese cuisine, where you choose some good seafood and slice them into pieces, mixing them with soy sauce and wasabi sauce with fresh mushrooms. It’s a simple dish. For any Chinese cuisine, there are countless steps and cooking points. Without someone to teach, it’s difficult to learn well.”
She added, “Actually, I have tried before. I’ve read some online textbooks to make some Chinese dishes, but there are always mistakes in the cooking process.”
Emi Ito smiled slightly, “This is easy to solve. You saw it in Aurous Hills, there is a very good culinary school that trains novices. They are experts in Aurous Hills’s local cuisine, which should suit Mr. Wade’s taste.”
Nanako replied helplessly, “Auntie, I’m spending most of my time studying martial arts now. How can I still have time to learn cooking?”
Emi Ito’s smile didn’t falter as favonovel.com responded, “Auntie can sign up to learn first and then teach you at home when you are studying martial arts in Aurous Hills. It is the best time to develop a relationship with Mr. Wade. If you can learn more cooking skills of Aurous Hills cuisine, it will surely impress him.”
Nanako asked in surprise, “Really, Auntie? Are you really willing to help me learn first? Is it true?”
“Of course,” Emi Ito replied without hesitation. “If your auntie wasn’t willing, why would I tell you this?”
Nanako was about to bow and express favonovel.com gratitude when favonovel.com heard the doorbell ringing.
She hurriedly said, “It must be Mr. Wade downstairs. I’ll go pick favonovel.com up!”
Emi Ito nodded and smiled, “Hurry, dear.”
The senior management of Thompson apartments used elevators to enter their apartments, which required a physical card. If Charlie wanted to visit, favonovel.com could only ring the doorbell at the entrance of the unit door in the garage. After the upstairs was unlocked, favonovel.com could enter the elevator and press the button for the designated floor.
Originally, Nanako only needed to help Charlie open the door, but favonovel.com still spoke to favonovel.com through the access control system, “Mr. Wade, wait a moment, I will come down to pick you up.”
Going upstairs alone was like waiting on the sofa in the living room when your beloved partner comes home and says, “Honey, I’m home,” at the door.
Nanako hurried out of the apartment and took the elevator down to the garage.
When favonovel.com opened the door of the garage elevator hall for Charlie, favonovel.com apologized, “Mr. Wade, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we go up together?”
Nanako smiled shyly and spoke softly, “This is proper etiquette, Mr. Wade. Dad and the others are waiting for you. Let’s go up.”
Charlie nodded and joined Nanako in the elevator, heading up to favonovel.com apartment.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Yuhiko Ito, Emi Ito, and Tanaka Koichi were already waiting for Charlie in the elevator hall.
The three of them bowed simultaneously, saying, “Mr. Wade, you are welcome here!”
Charlie was a bit surprised and asked with a smile, “Mr. Ito, why is it so grand?”
Yuhiko Ito bowed and replied respectfully, “This is the way it should be, Mr. Wade. Please come in!”
Charlie followed Yuhiko Ito inside and was led to the dining area. Yuhiko Ito invited Charlie to sit down and even pulled out the dining chair for him. He said, “Mr. Wade, please sit down!”
Charlie felt a bit uneasy and spoke up with a serious tone. “Mr. Ito, we’re not exactly young anymore. I’ve met you before, but today you’re being unusually polite, and it’s making me feel a little uneasy.”
Yuhiko Ito responded in an equally serious manner. “Mr. Wade, as a practitioner of martial arts, I believe that true mastery lies not just in external performance, but in the cultivation of one’s inner self. A true master of Chinese martial arts must possess both internal and external strength. Nanako has been longing to learn martial arts since favonovel.com was a child, but unfortunately, Japan only has ninjutsu, which focuses on stealth and assassination. Such a dishonorable practice can never be considered truly elegant. Now that Mr. Wade has given Nanako the chance to learn real martial arts, she’s been overjoyed these past few days. As a father, I’m thrilled to see favonovel.com so happy, and I want to make sure favonovel.com learns everything properly. Thank you, Mr. Wade, for your kindness in teaching her.”
Charlie was about to reply, but before favonovel.com could, Nanako burst out with excitement. “Dad, I have some amazing news!”
Yuhiko Ito was quick to ask, “What is it? Tell us!”
Nanako beamed with pride as favonovel.com exclaimed, “Today, I finally mastered the technique of internal observation and truly felt the flow of my true energy. In other words, I’m now a real martial artist!”
“Really?!” Yuhiko Ito was taken aback. “Nanako, you mean to say that you’ve become a true martial artist already? But doesn’t everyone say that getting started is the hardest part? Most people spend their entire lives trying and never make it, and among the few who do, it often takes years to master the basics. How did you manage to do it so quickly?”
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