Lu Yanzhou didn’t voice the rest. Toward Lin Juan, he had ample patience. He had always been a patient hunter, and Lin Juan was an existence he could never let go of.
No rush.
Lu Yanzhou told himself this over and over in his heart.
The current progress was heading in the direction he wanted. Don’t rush things and scare the person away.
Sometimes, feelings like this couldn’t be hidden.
Just like how Old Master Lu had seen through Lu Yanzhou’s feelings for Lin Juan. Intentionally or not, he always showed special favor toward Lin Juan.
Had Lin Juan noticed?
He definitely sensed the difference between how Lu Yanzhou treated him and others.
Feeling his face inexplicably heat up under the man’s gaze, Lin Juan looked away. “I see…”
“Now that Mingxuan has become an ability user, the plans might need adjusting.” It wasn’t quite a headache, but regarding the group’s future, Lu Yanzhou had to proceed with caution.
There was still plenty of time; no need to hurry too much.
What Lu Yanzhou cared about more was the words he’d said to Lin Juan earlier—they seemed a bit too forward. He wondered if the young man minded.
If the young man distanced himself because of that…
Lu Yanzhou carefully planned his next steps in his mind.
In the end, it turned out he’d underestimated Lin Juan’s thick nerves.
Lin Juan lay heartlessly beside him as carefree as ever, sleeping soundly without a care, completely unaffected. Meanwhile, Lu Yanzhou barely slept through half the night.
Lu Mingxuan stayed in the hospital for ten days until the toxins in his body were completely cleared. The moment he was discharged, he was taken straight to the Anomalous Affairs Bureau for ability testing.
The results were very encouraging.
Having tested two A-rank ability users in a row put Bureau Chief Liu in high spirits, and he invited Lu Mingxuan to join the Bureau on the spot.
Lu Mingxuan instinctively looked toward Lin Juan.
Lin Juan leaned against the door with his arms crossed. “What are you looking at me for?”
“Little Uncle, I…” Lu Mingxuan knew the responsibilities on his shoulders. When Lu Yanzhou had returned to inherit the Lu Group, he’d told him he’d groom him as the successor. If he joined the Anomalous Affairs Bureau, he definitely wouldn’t have bandwidth for the group side.
“Bureau Chief Liu, I need some time to think.”
Bureau Chief Liu wasn’t surprised. “Take your time to consider it after you get back. Your ability is very important to us, but don’t feel too much pressure. Even if you choose not to join, you can still train here—right alongside Xiao Shi.”
On the way back, Lin Juan asked Lu Mingxuan about his plans.
“I’m not sure,” Lu Mingxuan said, looking at Lu Yanzhou. “Little Uncle, do you think I should join the Anomalous Affairs Bureau?”
“The final decision is yours. Once you’re back, you can discuss it with your dad and the others,” Lu Yanzhou said.
“Yeah, I should talk it over with Dad, Mom, and Grandpa.” Lu Mingxuan agreed. Joining the Anomalous Affairs Bureau was different from other choices—they all knew what it entailed. It was work where you could lose your life at any moment.
Back at Lu Garden, Old Master Lu—who’d gotten the news early that morning—had prepared a welcome banquet. No outsiders were invited; it was just a family gathering.
Lu Mingxuan didn’t bring it up at the table. After the meal, he went alone to Old Master Lu’s study.
His parents were there too.
Lu Mingxuan raised the matter of joining the Anomalous Affairs Bureau.
Old Master Lu listened silently for a moment before speaking—but he asked Lin Juan. “Xiao Juan, what do you think?”
Lin Juan hadn’t expected Old Master Lu to ask him first. “I think either way works. Anomalies might coexist with humans indefinitely, and the world’s focus will definitely shift away from peaceful times.”
“Ultimately, whether he joins or not is up to him.”
Old Master Lu nodded. “You’re right. This is his life; we shouldn’t decide for him.”
Eldest Sister-in-Law Lu opened her mouth but was tugged by her husband and swallowed her words.
This choice concerned Lu Mingxuan’s future, so he didn’t decide right away.
Back in their room, Eldest Sister-in-Law Lu asked, “Why didn’t you let me speak earlier?”
“You don’t want Xiao Xuan to go, right?” Though phrased as a question, Eldest Brother Lu spoke affirmatively.
“Yes.” Eldest Sister-in-Law Lu didn’t hide her feelings. “Remember why we kept Xiao Xuan home all summer? I’ve always felt uneasy. If he really joins the Anomalous Affairs Bureau and deals with anomalies every day, won’t that massively increase the odds of that prophecy coming true?”
She had only one child. As a mother, she couldn’t bear to imagine the pain of losing her only one.
She didn’t demand greatness from her child—she just hoped he’d live healthy and safe his whole life.
Eldest Brother Lu patted his wife’s shoulder. “I know what worries you; I feel the same. But we can’t hold him back forever. In the old days, I could’ve guaranteed the Lu family’s power would keep him safe. But things are different now. Xiao Xuan awakened an ability—a powerful one at that—which means he has self-protection capabilities. When the world turns chaotic, relying on yourself beats relying on anyone else.”
Eldest Sister-in-Law Lu shot him a look. “So you’re saying you want our son to join the Anomalous Affairs Bureau?”
“It’s good for a boy to get some real-world tempering.” Eldest Brother Lu didn’t answer directly, but that said it all.
Lu Mingxuan thought it over for two days and decided to join the Anomalous Affairs Bureau.
“You’ve thought it through?” Lin Juan asked.
“Yes.” Lu Mingxuan’s gaze was resolute. “Little Uncle always taught me that the greater the power heaven grants someone, the greater the responsibility they bear. Since I’ve awakened an A-rank ability, I can’t run from it.”
Lin Juan patted his shoulder. “Then go for it. With your talent, you’ll make your mark wherever you end up.”
“Little Uncle thinks that highly of me?” Lu Mingxuan was thrilled, stars practically sparkling in his eyes as he looked at Lin Juan.
“Not just me—your Little Uncle does too.”
Lu Mingxuan turned to his Little Uncle, blinking. “Little Uncle, I’m heading off for special training at the Anomalous Affairs Bureau. Does that mean I can skip that plan?”
“What do you think?” Lu Yanzhou shot back.
Lu Mingxuan: TVT
Joining the Anomalous Affairs Bureau didn’t mean he could drop the group matters.
“Didn’t you always complain about being bored at Lu Garden?” Lin Juan teased. “More things to do should be great, right?”
This wasn’t the kind of busyness he wanted!
The little figure in Lu Mingxuan’s heart shed two streams of noodle-like tears.
Later, Lin Juan asked Lu Yanzhou if he was being too hard on Lu Mingxuan.
“I can’t hold onto the group forever. Mingxuan’s grown up—it’s time he shouldered his own responsibilities, and his father’s too.”
Ever since Lu Yanzhou returned and took over the group, Eldest Brother Lu had used the excuse of preventing outsiders from exploiting internal strife to hand over power voluntarily. All these years, he’d only taken dividends without meddling in anything.
Before Lin Juan came along, Lu Yanzhou could pour himself entirely into work—to hear Eldest Brother Lu tell it, work was practically his other half. Now he had his real other half, and he didn’t want the company taking up all his time.
He wanted to carve out more time for Lin Juan.
If Lu Mingxuan hadn’t suddenly awakened abilities, Lu Yanzhou would’ve already planned to bring him into the group officially starting next summer vacation.
Lu Mingxuan had no idea he’d nearly shouldered the group’s burdens just so his Little Uncle could pursue romance.
The day he decided, he gave Bureau Chief Liu his answer.
Bureau Chief Liu was ecstatic.
It wasn’t just about gaining an A-rank ability user—it was also Lu Mingxuan’s connection to Lin Juan.
Lin Juan counted the Lu family as his own; Lu Mingxuan was his eldest nephew. In a way, this represented Lin Juan’s stance.
“Whether by Lu Mingxuan’s ability rank or his ties to Mr. Lin, we need to nurture him properly,” Bureau Chief Liu declared.
The other higher-ups nodded in agreement.
For easier training, Lu Mingxuan began dorm life temporarily.
When heading to the training base, Lin Juan and Lu Yanzhou saw him off.
“It feels like my first time going to boarding school.” In the car, Lu Mingxuan was a mix of excitement and nerves.
“Close enough. School’s for book learning; this is for picking up skills. Same difference,” Lin Juan reassured him.
The ability user training base was fully sealed off—visitors needed advance reports. But that didn’t apply to Lin Juan. Of the ten times he’d visited the Bureau, seven involved him being roped into extra training sessions for the ability users.
Seeing he didn’t mind, Bureau Chief Liu outright made him a special instructor.
Whenever Lin Juan wanted, he could drop by to train the new ability users.
Any ability users discovered nationwide could come here to learn if they wished.
After dropping Lu Mingxuan off, Lin Juan went to see Bureau Chief Liu.
After all, this was family sending off the kid to “school”—it felt different from his usual visits.
Lin Juan found the sensation novel. “Lu Yanzhou, doesn’t it feel like we’re parents dropping our kid off at school today?”
“In a sense, yeah.”
Lin Juan mulled it over. “True.”
Bureau Chief Liu knew they were worried about their boy and immediately promised to take good care of him.
Lin Juan waved it off. “No special treatment—just train him like everyone else.”
Seeing Lu Yanzhou’s “whatever my wife says” vibe, Bureau Chief Liu knew exactly how to handle Lu Mingxuan.
Truth be told, before today, he’d worried Lin Juan might pull strings for special care due to the kid’s status.
It wasn’t impossible, but ability users needed extreme conditions to unlock their abilities’ full potential.
Mild training meant higher risk of injury or death in real anomaly fights.
Lin Juan knew this full well, which was why he’d warned Lu Mingxuan upfront: training would be brutal, so get ready mentally.
“Anomaly appearances are spiking everywhere.” Bureau Chief Liu pulled up the new system for Lin Juan.
The system was built specifically to monitor anomaly events nationwide. Any abnormal pollution spike, and it’d flag the location in red—the worse the pollution, the deeper the red.
“Accordingly, ability awakenings are surging too. After talks up top, they’ve decided to open a dedicated ability user school. Mr. Lin, we’d like you to serve as honorary principal.”
“Rest assured, the school’s run by pros—you won’t have to lift a finger. Just drop in now and then for a class.”
“And schedule’s all yours—come whenever suits you.”
Establishing the school and tapping Lin Juan for honorary principal was days of high-level debate.
Bureau Chief Liu recalled the meetings.
His direct boss had proposed the school, earning quick consensus.
At first, they wanted Lin Juan as full principal.
Opposition arose.
“If Lin Juan were in the Bureau, fine, make him principal. But he’s not. What if—what I mean is, what if—he turns someday? The school’s ability users rebel with him? All our effort wasted, making wedding clothes for the enemy?”
“On the flip, no need to worry. From day one, Mr. Lin’s been on our side. He hasn’t joined, but look at the anomalies he’s cleared for us. Those past incidents—without him, easy resolutions? Minimal casualties?”
Fair point—the waverers teetered again.
“Think: as principal, every ability user is his student. Trouble hits, he can’t fully ignore them. Isn’t that binding him to the Bureau another way?”
Days of back-and-forth, and they settled on honorary principal for Lin Juan.
Snapping back, Bureau Chief Liu laid out the pay package for the role.
To lure Lin Juan, the terms were lavish: big bucks, base salary in the seven figures yearly (teaching bonuses extra), minimal duties, total schedule freedom—work when the mood strikes.
Lin Juan felt shamefully tempted.
