"Tch."
After learning from his memories what that spectator Yang Wei's so-called "surprise" actually was.
Although Wang Hu had anticipated encountering this little lolita before him, and possibly the future Wang Liumei with her mature lady figure—
After all, this girl's looks could score high marks, and as for her figure... being born into the Wang family and serving as its head, how could she be lacking?
But to immediately hit him with such an outdated "broken engagement" trope?
To be honest, Wang Hu felt completely unmoved.
He wasn't some lustful demon who couldn't move his legs at the sight of a beautiful woman.
Wang Liumei was indeed beautiful, and her traits perfectly aligned with Wang Hu's preferences.
But in terms of beauty, was Lacus any less than her?
In terms of figure, Captain Murrue's "headlights" were quite spectacular.
If he really wanted to, Wang Hu would have succeeded long ago—why wait until now?
As the saying goes: "How can one settle down before the Huns are eradicated?"
Wang Hu was a great man with lofty ideals and moral standards.
Therefore...
Unnoticed by others, Wang Hu secretly glanced at the man sitting calmly on the sofa—the man who was nominally his adoptive grandfather in this world.
The influential elder of the Wang family's council of elders, the old master Wang Long.
According to the information from his memories, his engagement to Wang Liumei was entirely arranged by this man.
Due to Red Dragon—the silent man now standing behind Wang Liumei, who was the strongest individual in this world in terms of combat prowess—
Originally the designated next head of the Wang family, he had voluntarily given up the position for some unstated reasons.
This led to his younger sister, Wang Liumei, taking over. And since Wang Liumei was a girl...
The Wang family was relatively traditional, believing that "a daughter will eventually marry and leave."
To prevent the Wang family's power from falling into outside hands after Wang Liumei married, the engagement between Wang Hu (the adopted grandson of the second elder) and Wang Liumei was established.
"Grandfather, I leave the decision entirely to you."
Instead of responding to Wang Liumei's broken engagement himself, Wang Hu followed the approach his original self would have taken—
He directly handed the choice over to Wang Long, the elder sitting on the sofa leaning on a cane, with half his face bandaged and only one hawk-like eye visible!
Hearing this, Wang Liumei's jade-like face showed no impatience, but her slightly raised eyebrow still betrayed her inner dissatisfaction.
Another one like this—those around her forever trapped within the Wang family's rules.
Never taking control of their own lives.
Whether it was Wang Hu before her or Red Dragon behind her.
This was why the Wang family was so detestable, and why the world needed change!
Only then could her life truly transform!
With such thoughts swirling in her mind, her face maintained a proper smile as she picked up the teacup from the table.
Wang Liumei took a light sip, suppressing the irritation in her heart, and quietly awaited the decision of Wang Long, the second elder of the Wang family beside her.
In truth, if not for the opportunity presented by Wang Hu being expelled from Celestial Being's plan by Veda, she wouldn't have dared to boldly demand the annulment of the engagement.
For no other reason—Elder Wang Long controlled over seventy percent of the Wang family's martial forces.
He could be called the sharpest blade in the Wang family's shadows.
However, to the surprise of those present, Elder Wang Long, who was always decisive in his actions, had unusually delayed making a decision this time.
He simply fixed his single eye intently on Wang Hu, who maintained a respectful posture.
"Elder Wang Long?"
It was ultimately Wang Liumei who broke the silence. She understood that if she didn't take the initiative to speak, waiting for Wang Hu or the Red Dragon behind her to do so would be like waiting for mountains to crumble and heaven and earth to merge. Since the matter concerned her freedom and lifelong affairs, she hoped to hear the answer sooner rather than later.
"What do you think?"
"Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, after Wang Liumei's inquiry, Elder Wang Long, seated on the sofa, leaned on his cane with both hands and let out a hearty laugh, something he had never done before.
The abrupt laughter startled Wang Liumei, nearly causing her to drop the teacup she was holding to steady her nerves.
Suppressing the thoughts that surged in her mind, Wang Liumei carefully placed the teacup back on the coffee table.
"Red Dragon."
At this critical moment, when danger seemed imminent, Wang Liumei's thoughts turned to her brother, whom she had always privately dismissed as a useless martial artist.
A sidelong glance revealed the Red Dragon, expressionless yet poised for combat.
The young girl regained a measure of calm and composure.
"I agree."
After his laughter, Elder Wang Long gave the answer that brought visible joy to Wang Liumei's face.
Hearing the answer she had hoped for, her expression flickered with emotion but was quickly suppressed. Wang Liumei struggled to control the trembling that ran through her body.
Fearing complications, she rose and excused herself politely, not even sparing Wang Hu a second glance.
She then hurriedly left the reception room with the Red Dragon in tow.
From start to finish, the girl regarded Wang Hu with nothing but contempt and disdain.
After all, in the past, Wang Hu was, at best, the young master of the Wang family's second elder, and at worst, nothing more than a tool.
Did he deserve the attention of the future head of the prestigious Wang family?
Especially since, at the time, Wang Hu was no different from a puppet, acting solely on Wang Long's orders.
Once Wang Liumei's footsteps had faded, Wang Hu, following the habits of his original self, bowed slightly and said,
"Grandfather, is there anything else you require? If not, I would like to take my leave."
After speaking, Wang Hu straightened up and waited quietly, expecting either a reprimand or a dismissive gesture from Elder Wang Long.
However, though Wang Hu had planned well and performed flawlessly, after he spoke, Elder Wang Long neither replied nor gestured.
Instead, perhaps because Wang Liumei had already left and there were no outsiders in the reception room, the elder fixed his hawk-like gaze intently on Wang Hu, as if scrutinizing and probing him inch by inch.
Having experienced many trials and having been a formidable force in the CE world, where his name alone could silence crying children, Wang Hu should have been immune to—or at least unaffected by—the gaze of a white-haired old man, especially one with a single eye.
Yet, under Wang Long's stare, Wang Hu began to feel uneasy after a while.
He had never imagined that the gaze of an elder from a powerful family could rival that of the East Asian Federation's Number One leader—and even surpass it in intensity.
Fortunately, Wang Hu was no stranger to high-stakes situations. With a slight adjustment, he quickly regained his composure.
However, it was only at this moment that he suddenly jolted awake—could the original owner of this body withstand the old man's piercing gaze?
Most likely, before awakening his memories, he couldn't have managed it!
A mistake!
Just as Wang Hu noticed his oversight and prepared to feign fear, Elder Wang Long swiftly drew a long sword hidden within his cane, moving with an agility that defied his age.
The cold, gleaming blade thrust straight toward Wang Hu's face.
At the critical moment, the fierce aura honed from battling through countless battlefields surged within Wang Hu. Instinctively, his head tilted slightly to the side.
As Elder Wang Long's sword grazed past Wang Hu's ear, Wang Hu clenched his hand into a fist, channeling force from his feet, through his waist, and upward.
Even though he was seated on the sofa, Wang Hu's posture resembled a horse stance—seemingly awkward for generating power, yet he could still mobilize the full strength of his body.
His spine arched like a dragon, his fist poised like a spear.
It was foreseeable that if Wang Hu's punch landed squarely on Elder Wang Long's face, even with the elder's meticulous maintenance and rigorous training, given his age, the best outcome would be a lifetime confined to bed, drooling from the corner of his mouth.
Fortunately, Wang Hu's instinctive counterattack was still slower than his thoughts. Just as his fist stirred the short hair on Elder Wang Long's forehead, he managed to rein in his power before making contact.
"Grandfather, what are you doing?"
Instantly retracting his fist, Wang Hu transformed from a fierce tiger into a timid, delicate rabbit. He shifted aside, feigning extreme fear as he asked.
Where was the murderous, tiger-like aura he had exuded just moments ago?
"Who are you? Where has my grandson gone?"
Elder Wang Long deftly sheathed his sword, though his hand still trembled slightly. He forced an air of imposing authority, his single eye gleaming with the intimidating intensity of an eagle as he questioned Wang Hu.
"I don't understand what you mean?"
Wang Hu's heart skipped a beat. Of course, he couldn't reveal the truth. Wouldn't that mean everything would end before it even began?
Who knew what stance this Wang Long held toward Aeolia's plans?
What if—what if he, too, yearned to become an Innovator, seeking to extend his lifespan and maintain his power and influence?
"Don't underestimate a grandfather's intuition."
Drawing the sword from his cane once more, likely learning from his previous lesson, Elder Wang Long dared not gamble on whether Wang Hu might seize the opportunity to send him straight to the intensive care unit.
This time, he plunged the sword into the coffee table between them.
"My good-for-nothing grandson may have the name 'Tiger' and the strength to match, but he never had the eyes of a man-eating tiger. From the moment you stepped into this room, even though your imitation was flawless and the doctors confirmed you are genetically my grandson, those eyes—those tiger-like eyes—could never deceive me!"
"Even if you don the disguise of a lamb, how could a meat-eating tiger ever fool me while posing as a grass-grazing sheep?"
"Are you a puppet created by Aeolia? Have you finally decided to move against the Wang family? Or is this your approach to all the Watchers, disposing of us once we've outlived our usefulness and the plan is about to unfold?"
"So your true colors are finally showing!"
"Huh."
Wang Hu froze momentarily, his mind racing as he stared at the one-eyed Elder Wang Long.
He frantically searched through the memories transmitted from Homeworld, digging for information about Elder Wang Long's character and stance.
After a moment, Wang Hu found what he was looking for.
Nodding slightly, Wang Hu looked at the elder before him.
He never expected this elder to be a thoroughgoing hawk faction member, and a hardcore nationalist at that.
Regarding cooperation with Celestial Being, he had maintained a purely utilitarian attitude from start to finish.
Sending his adopted grandson into the organization was also part of his scheme to monitor Celestial Being's plans at all times.
To be honest, the original Wang Hu deserved to be turned into a vegetable by Veda - even without considering the abnormalities after memory awakening.
Surely Veda would never have selected the original Wang Hu as a Gundam pilot.
With such background, unless Veda was infected by Quantum Virus, it would absolutely never do something so insane.
But even after confirming this fact, Wang Hu would never repeat the mistake of exposing his identity again.
"I am not Aeolia's puppet, and I am indeed your grandson."
"However, after experiencing life and death, I've come to understand that might makes right."
Clenching his hand into a fist, Wang Hu revealed his ambition.
(End of Chapter)