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*****
"Mike!"
John and his family stood up. John, overwhelmed with emotion, walked quickly toward Mike.
Mike was the first to speak, smiling as he said, "Congratulations, John."
He chuckled and patted John, who was so moved he could barely speak.
John took a deep breath and introduced, "This is my wife, Lana."
"Lana, this is Mike—the one who saved us."
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
Lana was even more emotional than John.
Mike had saved their lives—and her family.
Looking at the two pairs of tearful, grateful eyes, Mike scratched his head, raised the groceries in his hand, and suddenly said, "How about we all eat together?"
Lana blinked. "Eat together?"
She wondered if two years in prison had made her fall behind on current slang.
"It just means have a meal," John said with a laugh, then sincerely added, "We really should take you out to eat."
Gwen couldn't help but mutter, "But food from outside isn't as tasty as what Dad makes."
"Pfft!" Luke couldn't help but burst out laughing. "It's true. Nothing outside beats Uncle Mike's cooking."
John cleared his throat and gave his son a look, his face full of embarrassment—because his son wasn't wrong.
"Haha!" Mike laughed. "Then it's settled—we'll eat at home! Just give me a hand, and we'll have a proper meal together. Way better than going out."
"I'll wash the veggies!"
Lana eagerly grabbed the groceries from Mike's hand—only to realize she had no idea where the kitchen was.
"Auntie, the kitchen's over here."
Gwen gently took Lana's hand and led her, easing the awkward moment.
Watching this, John sighed, "Gwen is so thoughtful."
With a daughter like that, his son definitely had to step up.
Mike smiled. "You just relax for a bit."
Saying that, he walked into the kitchen and, seeing Lana already getting busy, said to Gwen, "Go ahead and play."
Gwen trotted out of the kitchen.
"Mike—can I call you that?" Lana asked cautiously, her tone unsure.
"Of course."
Lana smiled. "Thank you."
"John and I are friends. No need to be so formal."
"No, I'm thanking you on John's behalf."
"Oh?"
"He told me what happened that night. Thank you for stopping him—for keeping him from doing something foolish." Lana's heart was still filled with fear thinking about it, but there was warmth in her eyes too. "I never imagined he—just a schoolteacher—would ever dare do something like that..."
Mike smiled gently. "He's a brave man. Someone willing to do anything for his family and for love—a true hero."
He paused, then added with a teasing tone, "Though, that may be the one and only time in his life."
"Just don't blame me for stopping him from making history," Mike joked.
Lana couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. "Meeting you was his luck. Even if he didn't do any of that, he's still my hero."
"Then you'd better keep a close eye on your hero from now on."
Lana blushed and nodded.
The meal they shared was filled with joy. Unsurprisingly, John got drunk.
After walking John home, Mike left with thanks from both Lana and Luke. When he returned, Gwen suddenly jumped into his arms.
Mike quickly caught her.
"Daddy! You're amazing!" Gwen hugged his neck, holding his face in her hands with a bright smile. "You're a hero!"
"Hero?"
Mike pinched Gwen's nose, smiling. "Do you even know what a hero is?"
"You are!" Gwen shouted excitedly, waving her arms. "See injustice, draw your sword to help! Dad, you're just the coolest!"
Her dad had cleared Luke's mom's name, gotten her released, and helped solve their family's crisis. It was just like something out of a TV drama.
Mike was stunned for a moment, then pinched Gwen's cheeks. "Have you been watching martial arts movies again?"
"Hehe!" Gwen shrank her neck, held up her right hand, and with her thumb and index finger a little apart, chuckled awkwardly, "Just a tiny bit... Just a little bit."
With that, she let go of Mike's neck, slid off him, and ran toward the bathroom.
"Daddy, I'm going to wash up and get ready for bed!"
"You little rascal."
Mike shook his head with a laugh.
…
School.
Clap clap!
With the sound of the teacher's clapping, the children in the classroom quickly looked up, their eyes turning toward the podium.
"Class, today we have a new student joining us."
As the teacher spoke, she gestured toward the door. A boy with a backpack, looking a little shy, walked into the classroom.
The teacher bent down slightly and said gently to the boy, "Go ahead and introduce yourself."
At her words, the boy shrank back nervously, his shoulders tightening.
The teacher patted his head encouragingly and whispered, "You can do it."
The boy gripped the straps of his backpack tightly and gave a small nod. But as he looked around and saw every pair of eyes in the room fixed on him, panic began to rise in his chest. He stammered, "M-my name is... I'm... I..."
He stammered for several seconds but couldn't get his name out. Instead, his face turned bright red.
Hahaha!
Laughter burst out from the class.
That only made the boy more flustered—so much so that he couldn't say another word. He lowered his head in shame.
Bang!
Gwen slammed her hand on her desk. The sharp sound cut through the laughter like a blade, startling the whole class into silence.
She tilted her head slightly, casually rubbing the hand she'd just slapped the desk with, and said clearly, "Was that really so funny?"
She shot a glare at her classmates, her eyes full of authority.
The kids she looked at quickly gave her sheepish, apologetic smiles.
Watching the scene, the teacher couldn't help but smile to herself.
This little one had more presence than she did as a teacher.
Of course, Gwen wasn't just well-respected because of her grades—there was something else.
Just half a month ago, an older student had bullied one of Gwen's friends. To protect her friend—and herself—Gwen had ended up making that upperclassman cry.
Since that day, Gwen had become the most respected kid in class.
Now, looking at the boy whose head was hanging so low it was practically touching his chest, Gwen began to clap.
Immediately, the classroom filled with the sound of applause.
The boy slowly lifted his head. As he looked at the clapping, encouraging classmates, a bit of courage flickered in his chest. And when his eyes met the girl who had stood up for him, his gaze lit up, as if he were looking at a glowing goddess.
He took a deep breath, and loudly declared, "My name is—Peter Parker!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he ducked his head again, like a deflated balloon.
The teacher patted Peter Parker on the shoulder and said, "Well done, Peter. That was great. You can take that empty seat over there."
She pointed to the spot on Gwen's left.
Peter's eyes lit up as he walked toward the seat, his steps suddenly light and full of bounce. After sitting down, he couldn't help but whisper, "Thanks for earlier."
"No big deal," Gwen replied, waving her hand casually as she lowered her head and returned to her book. To her, it was just a small thing.
(End of Chapter)