Chapter 12: The Son Who Triumphs Over Heaven

“Fang Yifan!!!”

Before Li Tiegun could lose his temper, Fang Yifan’s mother, who had just been blaming Li Tiegun for letting her son take those photos for no reason, suddenly erupted and shouted as she rushed over.

Fang Yifan, reacting instinctively, ignored his discomfort and took off running, shouting, “Mom, why are you chasing me?”

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, mother and son staged a chase that turned the college entrance exam mobilization rally into a farce.

Li Tiegun’s face darkened as if it might drip with anger. Rubbing his painfully bruised hand, he yelled for Fang Yifan and his mother to stop causing a scene. Seeing it was useless, he approached the principal and complained, “Principal, do you still think my previous suggestion was wrong?”

“Teacher Li, are you hurt?” The principal was not pleased either. He had firmly rejected Li Tiegun’s pragmatic proposal to monitor classes before, and now this public outburst involving Fang Yifan made him even less happy. But principle was principle, and the topic was quickly shifted.

After the commotion, under the hosting of Li Tiegun’s devoted assistant Pan Shuai, the rally resumed with the balloon release segment.

“Now, let’s write our wishes for the college entrance exam on these balloons and release our hopes and dreams together. Parents and students, please collect one balloon per family unit. Markers are available on both sides of the stage. Please queue to receive them.”

He Chen and Du Tiantian walked toward Class 2 of Senior Grade Three, joining Ruan Liuzheng and Aunt Ruan, while Du Tiantian’s aunt, Du Xiaoqing, followed along.

Nearby, Qian Sanyi’s mother accompanied him, along with Lin Miaomiao’s parents, who had been pulled over from the liberal arts class by Lin herself.

“Kid, not bad! Have you trained?” Qiao Yingzi’s father, awkwardly pushed aside by Qiao Yingzi’s mother and his ex-wife, spotted He Chen and couldn’t help but compliment out of curiosity.

“This is called the Sunflower Acupoint Strike, the greatest miracle in human medical history,” He Chen said, raising a finger in jest as he looked at the middle-aged, cheerful face that resembled the character Lao Bai from the martial arts comedy “My Own Swordsman.”

“Naughty!” Qiao Yingzi’s father immediately understood and smiled more broadly than AK-47 could suppress, “You think I look like that star from ‘My Own Swordsman’? Let me tell you, back when that show was popular, I was young and people called me the ‘Thief Saint’ and ‘Lao Bai’; they often asked for my autograph!”

“I can tell, I can tell,” He Chen laughed, amused by the proud expression. “Do you know who taught me this move? Aunt Wang Shengnan, my university sports teacher. I formally apprenticed under her for traditional martial arts since childhood.”

He pointed over: “Look, she’s here!”

Qiao Yingzi’s father looked and immediately exclaimed in surprise. After a closer look, he laughed wryly at He Chen, “You really know how to tease!”

That was true!

If he fancied himself as Lao Bai from “My Own Swordsman,” then Lin Miaomiao’s mother, Wang Shengnan, was like Tong Xiangyu, the beloved shopkeeper character.

Both were now parents, though he was divorced and living with a younger yoga instructor, and “Shopkeeper Tong” was also settled with a family.

He felt a bit embarrassed being teased like this by his daughter’s classmate.

He Chen stopped just in time, not wanting to fan the flames further.

Everyone had now gathered with their families. Qiao Yingzi called out to her father, and the middle-aged Lao Bai hurried over eagerly.

“Dad, do you know He Chen?” Qiao Yingzi asked curiously.

“Just met him, pretty funny kid,” Qiao Wei Dong, Qiao Yingzi’s father and a devoted dad, smiled and recounted their exchange.

“He’s really funny,” Qiao Yingzi nodded, thinking of the chain of events caused by his humor.

“Yingzi, this is a critical time, don’t get distracted,” Qiao Wei Dong warned, glancing at He Chen’s strikingly handsome face, rivaling his own youthful peak.

“Dad, what are you talking about!” Qiao Yingzi snapped, “I'm stressed out all day, no energy for that!”

“Dad knows, don’t worry. With me around, you’ll definitely get some relaxation,” Qiao Wei Dong said, sympathetic to the iron-willed education style of his ex-wife, looking tenderly at his daughter.

Qiao Yingzi was then called over by her mother. Qiao Wei Dong hurried after her, only to hear his ex-wife scolding, “What are you telling her? He Chen? Qiao Wei Dong, are you crazy?! Fang Yuan never told you, right? That kid is a little troublemaker, slick and untrustworthy. Why didn’t you warn your daughter to stay away? And you even dared to talk to her about this? What are you thinking?!”

Qiao Wei Dong was scolded like a child but had no retort.

He understood his ex-wife’s reasons: she was a teacher herself, once a prestigious educator at Chunfeng High School, now working in training. She naturally disliked He Chen’s tendency to talk back to teachers.

Moreover, He Chen was so handsome, almost as good-looking as Qiao Wei Dong in his youth. This stirred resentment in his ex-wife, who hated him for his past infidelities, and she feared it might spark inappropriate feelings in their daughter.

Especially since He Chen’s target, Fang Yifan, was the son of her best friend. Between close friends, the unspoken rule of loyalty above all else was well understood.

Qiao Yingzi felt utterly embarrassed, covering her eyes with her hand, wishing she could disappear.

When she saw He Chen glance their way, she feared he had overheard her mother’s harsh words and growled at her mom, finally silencing her.

Her worry was not unfounded.

He Chen, sharp as ever, did catch those words, but for now, he chose to ignore them, silently storing them away.

At that moment, he stood with Ruan Liuzheng and Ruan Lutuan, a balloon between them. Ruan Liuzheng handed He Chen a marker: “You write first!”

Without hesitation, He Chen took it and wrote four characters.

“Crane’s Calculation, Tortoise’s Longevity?”

Ruan Liuzheng rolled her eyes at him, thinking he was truly obsessed, always fixated on that.

He Chen ignored her disdain and passed the marker back.

The wish-writing and balloon release was meant to set free the most beautiful dreams of the moment. For He Chen, that dream was to fully realize the supernatural power of “Crane’s Calculation, Tortoise’s Longevity,” his ultimate divine ability—nothing else mattered.

Ruan Liuzheng took the marker, thought for a moment, and out of He Chen’s line of sight, wrote: “Peking University Medical School.”

After finishing, she glanced at her mother, who nodded and smiled. Delighted, she handed the marker over: “Mom, you write one too.”

“Alright,” Ruan Lu accepted without refusal. Like He Chen, she wrote four characters without hesitation:

“Half the Sky’s Child!”