Hearing Zachary’s tongue twister, Mrs. Thompson’s face broke into a smile, but she still complained, "You and your father both have such big hearts—fine, if the mission is classified, I won’t ask too much. As long as you’re certain your dad won’t encounter any danger, that’s good enough for me.

I won’t say much more; saying too much will only annoy you. But there’s one thing I still have to ask you about again, and you have to tell me the truth."

Zachary was somewhat puzzled upon hearing Mrs. Thompson say this. He didn’t know what she could possibly want to ask about, especially since everything seemed pretty stable for him recently.

"Mom, you can ask me anything."

"Then, tell me about Walker Violet—after her visit that one time, when you were supposed to pick her up, you said she was tied up with things in Pengcheng and couldn’t come over.

But looking at you now, either you’re secluding yourself for martial arts training or you’re just home. You don’t even seem like someone who’s in a relationship. Tell me the truth, what is really going on between you two?"

Hearing Mrs. Thompson say this, Zachary felt resigned. His relationship with Walker Violet was still the same. After all, ever since his "Cave mansion" was upgraded to "Cave," Zachary had been able to enter the "Cave" at any time and any place, and he indeed forgot about the time he had asked Walker Violet to come over and pretend.

Since he could see Walker Violet every night in the "Cave," he didn’t really feel the need, like couples living apart, to rush over and cling to her whenever he had a moment to spare.

It was because of this that Mrs. Thompson suspected they might have had a falling out. Zachary wasn’t engaging in cultivation, he was just bouncing between home and the base, seldom going to Pengcheng where Walker Violet was. Thus, Mrs. Thompson suspected there might be trouble between them.

After all, it used to be rare for Zachary to stay overnight at either of their places. Even if he ate dinner late, he wouldn’t stay the night at home, always returning regardless of how late it got.

That behavior was more indicative of someone who had someone waiting for them at home, not like now, where he just hangs around the house all the time. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Zachary understood which of his actions had aroused his mother’s suspicions from her words.

However, Zachary’s response to his mother’s inquiry was very straightforward and unambiguous, "Mom, Walker Violet and I haven’t had any conflicts. We’re doing just fine.

It’s only that her lab is on a very important task these days. Recently, the whole lab has been living on-site because they’ve obtained some materials from Kyoto, but the specifics I’m not too clear on.

The lab where Walker Violet works is a key laboratory directly under the control of the Pengcheng Government. It has many rules, so their security measures are strict too. We barely talk about work when at home, so I’m not too familiar with the details, but I’ve gone to see her a few times, and she truly is very busy.

You already know my situation. I was in seclusion for martial arts training, and since Walker Violet wasn’t coming home, coupled with some business I had with Madeline, I decided to move over here to live.

If you’re fed up with me and don’t welcome me at home, shall I move out?"

Seeing her son’s joking and smiley face, Mrs. Thompson knew he was just teasing her, playing along she said, "Go on, leave. Hurry up and go. When Walker Violet is done with her busy schedule, you both can come back together, otherwise don’t come back at all."

Seeing his mother’s bright smile, Zachary knew she was joking with him, so he pretended to be offended and said, "This is my home too. You tell me to leave, and that’s exactly why I won’t go today."

Watching Zachary act stubborn, Mrs. Thompson stood up, saying, "If you won’t go, I will." and then picked up the racket and shuttlecock canister next to the chair.

Seeing what was in Mrs. Thompson’s hands, Zachary knew she had plans with others for the afternoon. So he didn’t say anything more and let his mother leave.