Quick Wear: Love still depends on two love brains

Quan Jiuxi took a sip of warm water, and the coolness from the wall of the cup spread up along her fingertips. When she raised her eyes, the alienation in her eyes when she opened the door just now was gone, and there was a bit more carefree and casualness in them.

"I just suddenly became able to do it." She pushed the water cup to the middle of the coffee table, and the metal bottom of the cup collided with the microcrystalline table surface, making a crisp sound.

The tone was so light, as if he was saying that there was a cloud floating outside the window, but it made the two people opposite frown at the same time.

Quan's father, Quan Zhongnian, tapped his knees lightly with his fingers. His knuckles were distinct and his nails were neatly trimmed - this was a habit left over from years of dealing with precision mecha parts.

He slowly took off his gold-rimmed glasses, revealing a pair of deep eyes. The fine lines at the end of his eyes hid years of calculation, but when he looked at his daughter, he added a bit of subtle complexity.

"Xiao Xi, you should know your father's temper." He took out a glasses cloth from his pocket and slowly wiped the lenses. His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable sense of oppression.

"In the Quan family's mecha engine, not a single screw was inserted 'accidentally'.

The physical fitness report you submitted on the optical computer yesterday was still in the lower B level, but today you can melt a mecha with your bare hands. Do you think this is so 'sudden'? Who would believe it?"

He put his glasses back on his nose, the lenses reflecting the cold light from the living room ceiling lamp:

"I checked the military academy's surveillance. When you stood in front of the mecha, the energy fluctuations overwhelmed three monitors like a tsunami.

Even the strongest energy warrior in the Federation at that time had to rely on an amplification device to achieve an energy field of this intensity.

Tell me the truth, have you secretly accessed those energy catalysts on the 'Dark Web'?"

Quan Jiuxi did not answer immediately, but looked at his mother Tang Wan who was sitting next to Quan Zhongnian.

The woman in the neatly-cut marshal's uniform was unconsciously stroking the star pattern on her epaulettes with her fingers. That was the symbol of the highest honor of the Federation, representing the glorious military exploits of having led an army to defeat the Zerg's main fleet.

Tang Wan's military boots had left a shallow half-circle mark on the floor, and the folds of her military pants still carried the lingering smell of gunpowder, obviously she had just rushed over from the military area.

Her voice was more direct than Quan Zhongnian's, with a soldier's characteristic crispness: "Xiaoxi, your father speaks in a roundabout way, so I'll just speak directly."

She leaned forward, the medal on her chest swaying slightly with her movements. "On the way here, I had the General Staff check the list of all banned drugs entering and leaving the main planet in the past month, as well as those energy research institutes that operate on the edge of federal law. If you really did touch something you shouldn't, speak up now. Mom can suppress it. Once this gets to the parliament, even the Quan and Tang families won't be able to protect you."

Her eyes were sharp as a knife, but they trembled slightly at the end of her voice.

Quan Jiuxi had seen in the original owner's memory that the marshal's mother never frowned when facing millions of Zerg on the battlefield, but at this moment, her fingertips turned white because of her words.

"Mom, do you think I'm someone who would use banned drugs?" Quan Jiuxi suddenly smiled, a faint arc at the corner of her mouth, resembling Quan Zhongnian's expression when his plan succeeded, but with a unique young girl's clearness. "Original owner... I used to be afraid of the pain even when injecting nutrient supplements, how could I dare to touch something that would burn my nerves?"

She suddenly raised her hand, palm facing up.

A wisp of light golden energy spread out from her fingertips, like flowing liquid metal, swirling into a small vortex in her palm.

The air in the living room suddenly became scorching hot. Fine water droplets condensed on the wall of the glass on the coffee table and quickly evaporated into white mist.

Quan Zhongnian's pupils suddenly contracted, and the fingers holding the teacup tightened -

He recognized this form of energy as the "source energy" recorded in the ancient books left by the first patriarch of the Quan family. It was said that it could directly act on the molecular structure of matter and was the core energy for manufacturing top-level mechas, but no one had ever observed it on a living organism.

Tang Wan's breathing paused for half a second, and the Marshal's aura suddenly subsided. She looked at the energy as if she were looking at an interstellar bomb about to explode: "This... this is..."

"Maybe it's awakening." Quan Jiuxi withdrew her hand, and the energy instantly dissipated, as if it had never appeared. She picked up the water cup and took another sip, but this time she didn't swallow it. She held it on the tip of her tongue and shook it gently.

“As you all know, when I was a child, my energy affinity was detected to be zero, and I was determined to be unable to channel energy for the rest of my life.

But last week I found an old book in the family library that said some energy bodies are late-maturing and require a specific opportunity to activate.

She looked up at Quan Zhongnian, a sly glint in her eyes. "Dad, is there a piece of 'Star Marrow' hidden in the third layer of the safe in your study? It's the one you dug out from the abandoned interstellar fortress. The test report said its internal energy is disordered. Actually, it's not disordered, it's just that the frequency is too high for ordinary instruments to detect."

For the first time, a crack appeared on Quan Zhongnian's expression. He suddenly looked at his daughter - that piece of star marrow was his most proud collection, and even Tang Wan didn't know its exact location.

"I went to see it the night before last." Quan Jiuxi put down his water cup and said casually, "I accidentally touched it. I didn't feel anything at the time. But during the exam today, I was stimulated by the energy field of the mecha, and suddenly I was cleared."

This explanation sounds full of loopholes, but it accurately hits Quan Zhongnian's soft spot - his obsession with ancient books and legends, and his obsession with "source energy".

Tang Wan wasn't so easily convinced. She stood up, her military boots clattering against the floor. "Xingsui? How come I didn't know about this? Quan Zhongnian, you're hiding something from me again!"

Her anger shifted in an instant. It was obvious that the couple had long been accustomed to this way of getting along - one was in charge of the military power in the open, and the other was planning the family in secret. They seemed to be doing their own jobs, but they had already figured out each other's weaknesses.

"Oh, haven't we figured out the results yet?" Quan Zhongnian rarely showed any embarrassment. He reached out to pull his wife's arm, but Tang Wan shook it off.

"Don't interrupt!" Tang Wan glared at him, then turned to Quan Jiuxi, her tone softened, but still with the majesty of a marshal.

"Xiao Xi, no matter how you awakened, from today on, your energy training must be taken over by the military district.

I've asked my adjutant to arrange for the highest level of energy isolation room, starting tomorrow, two hours a day - this is not a negotiation, it's an order."

Quan Jiuxi raised an eyebrow: "Mom, are you treating me as an experimental subject?"

"It's because you are the heir of the Quan family and the granddaughter of the Tang family."

Tang Wan's tone brooked no argument. "Your energy form is too unique. If those old men in the parliament knew about it, they would definitely force you to undergo living research. I'm the Federation Marshal, and I'm also your mother. How can I protect my own daughter if I can't protect the entire Federation?"

Quan Zhongnian also put away his joking expression and put on his glasses that could see through people's hearts again: "Your mother is right. I have asked the mecha department to send the alloy fragment you melted for analysis. The results will be out in three days.

Before then, it's best not to use your abilities in public again—even though the Quan family is powerful, they can't withstand the combined efforts of several other families." He paused, then added, "Especially the Lin family. Their youngest son just awakened his S-level spiritual power last year and is looking for an opportunity to overpower the Quan family."

Quan Jiuxi leaned on the sofa, tapping the armrest with his fingertips.

She could sense that the words of her parents contained calculations and considerations of family interests, but were also genuinely filled with concern—just as Quan Zhongnian seemed to be giving a warning, but in fact he had already blocked the sight of the parliament for her; Tang Wan seemed to be exerting pressure with orders, but in fact she wanted to use the power of the military region to build a barrier for her.

"Okay." She suddenly smiled, and this time her smile was more genuine, like ice and snow just beginning to melt. "But the energy training has to be done on my own time. I have a pharmacy exam next week, and I need to review."

Tang Wan was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting her to agree so readily. Quan Zhongnian smiled, the calculation in his eyes turning into understanding: "As expected of my daughter, you know when to compromise."

He stood up and adjusted his suit cuffs. "Then we'll leave first. We have something else to do in the military district."

Tang Wan didn't move. She stared at Quan Jiuxi for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and awkwardly touched her daughter's hair - this action was rare in the original owner's memory.

"Don't be too tired." Her voice lowered, losing its sharpness. "If anyone dares to bully you at school, just tell me my name."

Quan Jiuxi didn't dodge, letting her slightly cool fingertips stroke his hair and said "hmm" softly.

Watching the two figures disappear at the door, Quan Jiuxi picked up the already cold cup of water and drank it all in one gulp. The starlight outside the window poured in through the French windows, casting tiny spots of light in her eyes.