TSA Chapter 101

The last chapter~ Thank you for reading The Strongest Auxiliary~

Soon, Han Xiao learned from Ran Qi that his parents wanted to meet him.

Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. It wasn’t that he was opposed to meeting Ran Qi’s parents—after all, his relationship with Ran Qi was serious, and meeting the parents was bound to happen sooner or later. He just hadn’t expected it to come up so quickly.

“Don’t worry, leave it to me. I promise I’ll make a good impression on your family,” Han Xiao assured him.

With Han Xiao’s guarantee, Ran Qi’s nervous heart finally settled.

However, while Han Xiao appeared confident on the surface, he had no experience in this area. After ending the communication with Ran Qi, he immediately went to consult his good friends for ‘strategic advice.’

“The first time you visit is very important. You have to dress appropriately to make a good impression on the elders,” said Shi Qiuyan (from Four Seasons), who was very experienced since he was discussing marriage with Shen Ruoyan.

“And you must bring a respectable gift for the first visit!” Shen Ruoyan added.

“Boss, remember to ask Brother Ran about his family’s preferences. It’s important to cater to their tastes,” Liu Nian (Sword Pointing to Fleeting Time) also contributed an idea.

“Right, right, don’t step on their landmines, or there may not be a second chance,” Lin Han (Soul Chaser) chimed in.

“Stop being a jinx!” Lin Mo (Plume Ink) gave him a playful smack on the head.

As the saying goes, three cobblers are worth one Zhuge Liang. With so many people brainstorming together, they came up with plenty of ideas. Han Xiao, who had the most experience in meeting parents, calmly recorded every piece of advice in his mind.

Three days later, at the Ran family home.

In the spacious living room, all the men from the Ran family sat together with solemn expressions, resembling an intense interrogation.

“Hmph, showing up late for the first visit—making our whole family wait so long!” Ran Shaojun snorted coldly.

“Dad… it’s not even 5 PM yet, the agreed time is 6 PM…” Ran Qi weakly spoke up.

Ran Shaojun immediately gave his youngest son an exasperated look, as if saying, How could you not know basic manners?! “Isn’t it proper to arrive early for an appointment?!”

Ran Qi: “…”

Not even an hour early, though…

But seeing his father’s dark expression, he cleverly swallowed the words that were about to leave his mouth, quietly opening his light brain to message his boyfriend, urging him to hurry up.

Qu Qing noticed and gave Ran Shaojun a look, signaling him to calm down and not scare their youngest son.

Ran Shaojun nodded, acknowledging the reminder. Their goal was simple: meet the guy. As long as he was a good person who truly cared for their son, they wouldn’t oppose him. They just wanted to make sure the boy knew that the Ran family wasn’t easy to mess with and that Ran Qi had strong support behind him.

Twenty minutes later, Han Xiao, wearing a custom black suit and carrying five high-end gift boxes, stepped off the floating car and rang the doorbell.

“I’ll go open the door!” Ran Qi immediately stood up and hurried toward the front door.

Ran Shaojun reached out to stop him but didn’t make it in time. He could only retract his hand, grumbling and maintaining a stern expression.

When Han Xiao saw that it was Ran Qi answering the door, the tense expression on his face relaxed a little. Usually, Han Xiao didn’t bother dressing up, but his natural good looks were already impressive. Today, dressed in a suit, he looked even more handsome and striking. His tall stature and good physique were unmistakable.

Ran Qi couldn’t help but blush slightly, reaching out to pull him inside. He whispered, “My dad and brothers are all here. Don’t feel too much pressure. They look fierce, but they’re actually really nice.”

“Got it,” Han Xiao replied.

Han Xiao entered the living room with Ran Qi and immediately bowed slightly when he saw Ran Shaojun and Qu Qing sitting at the table. “Uncle Ran, Uncle Qu, Big Brother Ran, Second Brother Ran, hello.”

The men of the Ran family examined Han Xiao from head to toe, their eyes sharp. Despite their scrutiny, they had to admit that the young man was good-looking, and his gaze was sincere, making it clear that he wasn’t someone with bad intentions. His outstanding demeanor and background suggested he came from a good family. Moreover, his accomplishments were impressive—he was the top student at the Imperial Star Mecha Academy.

The first impression was generally positive, so Ran Shaojun gave a low “Hmm, take a seat.”

Han Xiao complied, sitting down and presenting the gifts he had carefully prepared. “Uncle Ran, Uncle Qu, Big Brother Ran, Second Brother Ran, these small gifts are just a token of respect.”

He didn’t forget about Ran Qi and placed the fifth box in front of him. “This one’s for you.”

Seeing this, Ran Shaojun was further pleased. He took the box and set it aside before asking, “What did you get Ran Qi? Can we see?”

He wasn’t particularly interested in the gifts for himself, assuming they were just typical items, but he was curious about what Han Xiao would give his youngest son.

“Of course.” Han Xiao smiled at Ran Qi. “Go ahead and open it.”

Although the box wasn’t open yet, just the scent was enough for Ran Qi to guess what was inside. He opened it with a hint of excitement and, as expected, saw what he had anticipated.

“What is this?” The other men in the family, however, looked confused. Inside was something none of them had ever seen before. It was an oddly shaped item, looking almost like a mace, with a strange yellow-green color and an odd smell that couldn’t be described as either pleasant or unpleasant.

“This is durian! It’s a fruit, just like strawberries! It’s delicious!” Ran Qi grinned, holding the durian, almost wanting to kiss it. It was his favorite fruit, and he had mentioned it to Han Xiao during a chat. He never expected Han Xiao would remember. “I just mentioned it casually, and you actually remembered? How did you even get this? It’s not even in the game’s marketplace!”

“I got it from the GM. The marketplace hasn’t stocked it yet,” Han Xiao replied.

Thanks to the frequent live streams, their team now had a good relationship with the game GM. Moreover, this time, Han Xiao became the first player in the entire game to reach the maximum level. When receiving his reward, it was natural to make a small request. Fortunately, the game company happened to have this item available, otherwise, he would have had to find another way to buy a gift.

Seeing his son’s face full of happiness, Ran Shaojun’s expression softened. After all, someone who could remember even the smallest thing his son casually mentioned and find a way to fulfill it must have put in some thought.

He also became a little curious about what this young man had prepared for him. Pretending to be casual, he lifted a corner of the box and found a thin card inside.

Ran Shaojun raised an eyebrow in surprise, taking the card out. To his astonishment, it was an encrypted card. Everyone had a quantum computer and used it for communication. When it came to important information, people preferred encrypted cards, as they were not connected to the internet, and the information inside couldn’t be stolen by any means except by the holder.

Though he didn’t understand why this young man would give him an encrypted card, he still picked it up. After verifying his biometric information, a contract appeared on the light screen. Upon closer inspection, it was a military procurement intent contract from the Ministry of Defense to the Ran family’s nutritional liquid company for the purchase of a new flavor of nutritional liquid.

“This is…” Ran Shaojun’s eyes widened in surprise. The purchasing power of the military was far beyond that of the general public; they were a stable and substantial client. This was a huge opportunity for a private nutritional liquid company like the Ran family.

“My father is the Minister of the Ministry of Defense. After the Ran family launched the new flavor of nutritional liquid, my father took notice of it. He asked me to extend his intent to cooperate with you. If you’re interested, we can arrange a meeting with the Ministry of Defense,” Han Xiao explained, keeping a low profile. While others might not know, he was very aware of the additional benefits the new flavor of nutritional liquid could provide, beyond just filling one’s stomach.

Ran Shaojun hadn’t expected this young man to have such a deep background. He gave Han Xiao a deep look before putting the encrypted card away. “Alright, I’ll consider it.”

Next was Qu Qing, to whom Han Xiao gave an ink painting—a genuine piece of artwork on paper, created by a modern artist based on information from Blue Star. Although it was a reproduction, it was still a rare and valuable piece. As an artist, Qu Qing naturally appreciated it immensely.

“Is… is this too extravagant?” he asked, recognizing the style of a master he particularly admired.

“It’s not,” Han Xiao replied. “This is my mother’s work. If you like it, she’ll be very happy.”

Qu Qing’s eyes showed excitement, and he almost couldn’t wait to meet Han Xiao’s mother.

Han Xiao gave Ran Kai and Ran Hui some mecha enhancement parts. The brothers, who had graduated from the military academy and joined the army as elite mecha soldiers, were inseparable from their mechas. To become stronger, they needed to become familiar with and constantly upgrade their mechas, so mecha parts were a perfect gift.

The five gifts today were all carefully selected by Han Xiao, and they immediately lightened the atmosphere in the Ran family.

“You kid, not bad.”

The attitude of the Ran family toward Han Xiao visibly softened, and they even invited him to stay for a meal. Qu Qing helped him with his food twice.

Han Xiao knew that he had passed the test of meeting Ran Qi’s parents.

After the meal, Han Xiao said his goodbyes, and Ran Qi came out to see him off.

“You did really well today. My dad and brothers all like you,” Ran Qi said happily.

Han Xiao held his hand and smiled. “So, when are you planning to come home with me to meet my parents? They’ll like you too.”

Ran Qi’s cheeks flushed, and he lowered his head slightly. “You… you pick the time…”

Han Xiao smiled faintly. “Alright, it’s settled then.”

The two of them held hands and walked slowly forward, as if forgetting about the floating car. The streetlights stretched their shadows long, eventually merging into one.

The road ahead was still long, and they would continue walking side by side.