Chapter 3: Family And Otherworld
Does Superman get high blood pressure?
The answer is occasionally.
At this moment, Clark felt blood rushing to his head.
“Why don’t you write something like the story of an ordinary person who becomes a superhero through their own efforts?” He tried to guide Ian to write something decent.
But.
“Because that’s not groundbreaking enough?” Ian tilted his head, rejecting Clark’s idea and talent; stories about the rise of superheroes are all over the street.
Today’s readers need some real shock.
“…”
Clark was directly speechless.
He felt that his interactions with his children were always not going smoothly; whether with his second son Jordan or his youngest son Ian, he couldn’t establish a connection on the same wavelength.
His temples throbbed a few times, but Clark still wanted to persuade Ian. “But I think Superman probably wouldn’t like others fabricating his life with literary works.”
“This is too much of an invasion of privacy.” Clark tried hard to make his expression serious, his tone earnest, and the reason he stated very much aligned with current mainstream values.
He thought he had a good chance of getting Ian to change his mind.
However, Clark didn’t know that Ian had never been confused about who Superman was. The youth just pondered for a moment and gave an impeccable reason.
“We all know how kind Superman is, always willing to help others. He certainly wouldn’t refuse to help a child in need.” Ian blinked at his old father.
His flattering words made Clark open his mouth several times, hesitating without knowing how to respond. In the end, Earth’s strongest fighter could only choose to yield.
“Alright, if this is the work you want to write…” Clark shook his head and chose to leave his youngest son’s room, focusing on preparing tonight’s family dinner in the kitchen.
Of course, multitasking was no difficulty for him. While cooking, Clark couldn’t help but use his super vision to peek at the underage boy’s secret writing. He didn’t know why he had such strong curiosity; perhaps Ian’s book title was really too explosive for him.
“Oh! My eyes!”
The content of the book was even more explosive.
Clark even felt his spirit had been polluted by something indescribable. Although kids are indeed quite imaginative, Clark really couldn’t understand Ian’s thought process.
A 40-year-old divorced menopausal working woman who had nine kids, just glanced at Superman and was crazily pursued by him—this already completely exceeded Clark’s limit of imagination. However, unexpectedly, the villain later also fell in love with this working woman, and Superman smirked and summoned other superheroes to gang up on the villain.
“Pa~”
Clark couldn’t help but slap his forehead, not believing such a work had any chance of publishing. He couldn’t even imagine in what mental state Ian wrote such an absurd story—could this really be the precursor to schizophrenia as the psychiatrist mentioned?
Hiss!
Could his own youngest son long to become a menopausal woman?
The more he thought, the more alarmed and trembling Clark felt. Until dinnertime, he still hadn’t figured out how to explain to Lois what kind of stress relief Ian was engaging in.
Writing such an absurd story.
Could this really help alleviate the condition?
Clark’s mind was full of question marks.
At the dining table.
He kept glancing at Ian, who was eating with his head down.
“What’s wrong?”
Ian looked at his old father with some confusion. Clark quickly forced a strained smile and casually picked up a chicken leg and put it in Ian’s bowl.
“Eat more, eat more.”
Clark didn’t want the children to notice his emotions.
“I heard you didn’t go to school today? Did Mom and Dad take you to see the psychiatrist?” Eldest brother Jonathan had neat short hair, regular features, and a face with some youthful freshness and sunshine. As a high school American football player, Jonathan had a sturdy build far exceeding most peers.
He was also the most gentle and steady child in the family.
“I told you being a bookworm would cause problems. See, this proves how right I was.” Second brother had a slim build and was usually quite aloof.
But at home, he was slightly better and even knew how to joke. He looked at Ian with a slightly teasing glance and lowered his voice to give Ian a suggestion. “But if you give me your medicine to sell at school, we could definitely make a fortune.”
These words naturally didn’t escape the parents’ ears.
“Jordan!”
Lois glared unkindly at second brother, her tone displeased. “Don’t be unreliable all the time. Your brother isn’t a bookworm; he’s just more passionate about learning than you and Jonathan! There’s nothing wrong with that!”
Mother’s words made Jordan purse his lips noncommittally.
“Also, your brother doesn’t need to take any medicine. He just has some anxiety issues, just like you.” Lois immediately added seriously.
But the attempt to cover it up felt a bit too strong.
“This weekend, take your brother out to play more.” Clark looked at his reliable eldest son, thinking Ian needed more social exposure.
“Sure, no problem.”
Jonathan gave his father an OK hand gesture.
“In fact, I know quite a few girls who are interested in Ian.” Jonathan winked at Ian, his laughing tone carrying some teasing.
“Really?”
Lois looked quite pleased.
“Yeah, those girls like little puppies like him.” Jordan poked at the food on his dinner plate while sourly chiming in.
“I knew it would be like this! Look how handsome our Ian is!” Lois smiled at Ian, who was now battling a large steak on his dinner plate.
Ian was indeed quite good-looking.
In one sentence, he had a very relatable appearance.
He had thick, slightly messy brown hair, and deep blue eyes that were quite attractive to the opposite sex. Perhaps only young Leonardo DiCaprio could compare to him.
“I actually wish I could be a bit more muscular.” Ian had no interest in going out with big brother to meet big sisters, since he didn’t even know when he might be sacrificed.
The Kryptonian blood in big brother and second brother really put immense pressure on him.
“Then come exercise with me more!” Jonathan directly put his arm around Ian’s neck. Even unawakened, he already had strength far beyond his peers.
“Cough cough!”
Ian felt like he was in a naked chokehold. Luckily, Jonathan noticed something wrong and released his neck in time, allowing him to catch his breath.
“Oh, sorry.”
Jonathan apologized quickly.
“It’s fine.”
Ian rubbed his neck, not minding much. He looked at his now-empty dinner plate and asked his parents if he could go back to his room to rest.
“Of course, no problem, dear.” Lois kissed Ian’s cheek and watched him hurry upstairs before turning to her husband with curiosity.
“What is he busy with? It shouldn’t be studying textbooks, right?” The old reporter’s intuition made Lois sense Ian’s mood, but facing this question, Clark had no idea how to answer.
“Um, not studying.”
He could only control his facial muscles and try to speak in a steady voice. “I think kids need some private secrets of their own, don’t they?”
The same old privacy excuse.
But it worked well with Lois.
Seeing Lois no longer pressing, Clark secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, next came the troublesome topics about Jordan’s mental issues and academic status that had to be discussed. No way around it—Superman’s married life was like this; maintaining family harmony gave him more headaches than fighting disasters.
Perhaps.
This is a phase everyone has to go through, superheroes included.
【You seriously engaged in writing and grasped some writing techniques. 【Student】 profession experience points +1】
【You seriously engaged in writing and grasped some writing techniques. 【Student】 profession experience points +1】
…
In the room.
Ian was writing furiously.
Compared to Clark’s lack of optimism, he himself was writing with great enthusiasm—not only could he showcase his talent, but he could also gain profession experience through such writing.
It was killing two birds with one stone, a choice that won twice over in one go. Ian felt he had already fallen in love with writing, but some special circumstances about him seemed not to approve much.
Even though Ian was full of enthusiasm and felt he could write through several all-nighters in one go, with the passage of time, a very peculiar drowsiness still arrived right on schedule.
“Sigh, can’t avoid it, can’t escape it.”
Ian sighed, put down his pen, and resignedly looked at the clock.
【11:59】
…
【12:00】
…
When time precisely crossed the boundary from one day to the next.
Ian only felt a familiar twitch in his brain.
Immediately, his vision distorted, and the next moment, a lead-gray sky, snow-white earth, and the ruins of a city appeared directly before him.
“Hoo~”
Ian exhaled casually, white mist instantly forming. His pupils reflected this world: howling cold winds, a city buried in heavy snow as if silent for millions of years.
Everything was frozen.
And he was the only life in this world that could move.
Perhaps the only life.
