Chapter 10

She Could Clearly Cover It Herself

Outside their home, Xu Xiang hid to make a phone call while a faint scent of smoke slowly wafted from the kitchen.

The burnt odor filled the air.

Visualizing this scene in his mind, Wei Lai quickly called out to Xu Xiang just as she was about to leave the house:

“Mom, the fish on the stove is about to burn.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Still holding her cell phone, Xu Xiang slapped her forehead and rushed back inside to turn off the stove without leaving the house.

As soon as she turned off the gas burner, the phone call connected.

“Wife, what’s up?”

“It’s hard to explain over the phone; let’s discuss it when you’re back for lunch.”

Xu Xiang tilted her head, balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder, then removed the fish from the pan.

“Mom, your hair fell onto the fish.”

“Don’t nag me, dinner’s ready!”

“What?”

“Nothing, don’t worry. Just hurry back home, okay? I’m talking with our son now.”

“All right, I’ll rush back immediately.”

After hanging up, another ten minutes passed before Wei Zikang anxiously appeared at the doorstep.

He peeked inside, relieved to see Wei Lai and Xu Xiang already seated at the dining table eating. He took a breath, grabbed slippers from the cabinet near the entrance, and changed shoes to enter the house.

“Dear, what’s going on that made you call me back so urgently?”

“I called you back for dinner and just wanted to discuss our son’s situation briefly.”

Xu Xiang put down her chopsticks, turned around, and walked into the kitchen to serve Wei Zikang some rice.

Wei Zikang also headed straight to the dining table and sat down, eyeing Wei Lai. “What trouble did you cause at school, son?”

Wei Lai continued eating, feeling that his scraped knee wasn’t significant.

“Nothing, I think it’s a minor issue.” Xu Xiang placed the bowl of rice in front of Wei Zikang, interjecting, “The incident itself might be minor, but its underlying cause is quite serious.” 

Wei Zikang picked up his bowl casually, joking, “What could possibly be so serious? Did our son play the hero and save a damsel in distress, leading the girl to pledge her love?” 

This comment made Wei Lai’s heart skip a beat. He lowered his head and silently resumed eating.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. He’s only ten years old! I meant his ability,” Xu Xiang lightly tapped Wei Zikang’s head with her chopsticks, lowering her voice for the latter part.

Wei Zikang whispered back, “Did classmates discover our son’s future-predicting power?”

“No.”

“Could it be the teacher!”

“Hush, do you want the neighbors to hear?” Xu Xiang stuffed a piece of meat into Wei Zikang’s mouth. “No one has discovered our son’s abilities yet, but I’m concerned there might be issues with them.”

“Having superpowers as a normal person itself is problematic… If we hadn’t already had him checked at the hospital, I’d suspect that while pregnant, you secretly ate something strange without my knowledge.”

When a man shows distrust towards his wife, it typically takes no more than three seconds before he pays the price.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! Honey, let go!”

After Wei Zikang’s prolonged wailing, Xu Xiang finally released her grip from his thigh.

“What I mean is, our son can foresee events occurring within the next minute; we’ve conducted experiments on this, and there’s no mistake. But if our son changes the future within that minute, then for those subsequent moments, wouldn’t he lose the ability to predict further ahead?”

“That possibility hadn’t crossed my mind, but you’re likely correct.” 

Wei Zikang continued chewing his meal, only to discover a hair amidst his food. Glancing at Xu Xiang, he silently placed the hair beside Wei Lai’s bowl.

Wei Lai looked up, noticed the hair, and returned it to the side of Wei Zikang’s bowl.

Ignoring the clear message on Wei Lai’s face, which read ‘It’s your wife’s, don’t blame me’, Wei Zikang persisted, “Still, it might be for the best. If he constantly foresaw the future, wouldn’t our son essentially live just one minute ahead all the time?”

“But if that’s the case, wouldn’t our son be unsafe for every minute? Today at school, during his PE class, he injured his knee.” As a mother, Xu Xiang’s primary concern was Wei Lai’s safety.

“Dear, you’re just not accustomed to seeing our son get hurt,” Wei Zikang reassured her with a gentle pat on her hand. “Every child experiences bumps and bruises; each mishap is a lesson learned. With more injuries, he’ll eventually learn to protect himself better. I think this approach is quite good.”

“Is that so?” 

After pondering it carefully, Xu Xiang realized there was truth in his words. “All right then. Let’s eat. It’s nothing to worry about now.” 

Her expression visibly relaxed as she reached out to place a piece of meat onto Wei Lai’s plate.

“Mom, I want some fish.”

Xu Xiang glared at Wei Lai and knocked away his chopsticks reaching for the fish with her own.

“You’ve already been injured, yet you still crave fish? Wait until you’re fully recovered before asking again.” 

It seemed consistent with his ability – within the next minute, without expressing his desire aloud, he could have eaten the fish. But once he voiced his wish, it was immediately denied.

Although unclear why someone couldn’t eat fish when injured, Wei Lai gained further insight into his power.

No wonder Qing Ting often teased him; perhaps he could exploit this aspect of his ability.

***

A week had passed since Wei Lai’s knee injury.

The wound had completely formed a scab, and due to prompt treatment, there were no signs of infection.

Today was another physical education class.

Adhering to the saying “where you fall is where you rise,” Wei Lai planned to use this lesson to counterattack Qing Ting.

With his ability, he aimed to successfully prank her for once.

Initially, he blended into the crowd, ready to execute his plan during class. However, Miao Luo spotted him amidst the students.

Concerned that Wei Lai might reopen his wound during physical activity, she promptly moved him aside to sit on the shaded steps, watching everyone else run.

Frustrated, Wei Lai sat on the steps, repeatedly scanning the playground but finding no opportunity to tease Qing Ting. Bored, he lowered his head to examine his wound instead.

The edges of the scab were thickest, gradually thinning towards the center, still slightly soft upon touch.

Possibly due to healing, the edges felt itchy, tempting Wei Lai multiple times to peel off the scab. However, foreseeing several instances of rebleeding in the future, he reluctantly abandoned the idea.

After everyone finished their running, Miao Luoyan gathered the students under the shade on the other side of the school building to prepare for sit-ups.

At that moment, Qing Ting approached Wei Lai directly.

“Even if we can’t exercise together, you can still help me with my sit-ups, right?” Qing Ting quietly ascended the steps, circled behind Wei Lai, and peeked out from beside him, tilting her head to look at his face.

A cool breeze lifted her hair, gently brushing against Wei Lai’s cheek.

“I suppose so, but why aren’t you sweaty today?” Wei Lai asked, instinctively touching his own face. 

Although he had anticipated this moment, it felt even more ticklish than he imagined when it actually happened.

“Well, whenever I felt too warm, I just switched to walking.” Qing Ting took Wei Lai’s hand, pulling him up from the steps to stand before her, playfully sticking out her tongue.

“Oh,” Wei Lai nodded, glancing down at the long skirt Qing Ting was wearing today.

(She really loves skirts to wear one even during gym class.)

Hearing Wei Lai’s thoughts, a smile instantly appeared on Qing Ting’s face.

“Do you know why I only asked you to help with my sit-ups?”

“Why?”

“Because I trust you. You wouldn’t peek and would ensure my skirt stays covered.”

As she spoke, Qing Ting twirled around before him, her long dress flaring out like a blooming morning glory.

A sudden gust of wind lifted half of her skirt, threatening to expose more. Panicking, Wei Lai hastily held it down.

“Why don’t you cover your skirt yourself?” Wei Lai pressed his hands firmly on the fabric, shielding it with his body, cheeks slightly flushed.

(I wonder why she didn’t cover her skirt; she clearly could have prevented almost getting exposed.)

Wei Lai couldn’t understand it. In the future he foresaw, Qing Ting was supposed to hold her skirt herself, so he hadn’t initially intervened. Yet, she did nothing, allowing him to see much more than intended, barely giving him time to react and assist her.

“Because I trust you,” Qing Ting said happily, her eyes sparkling with confidence in him.

(She seems different from others, just for me.)

Looking at Qing Ting, Wei Lai experienced, for the first time, a momentary doubt about his ability.

*****

Please support us on Ko-Fi.