Chapter: The Clan's Biggest Headache
The next morning at Snow Manor, a strange scene unfolded.
Zhang Wei sat casually in a soft pink robe, the fabric light and loose against his skin. In his arms, his young son blinked up at him, confusion flashing across his tiny face.
What happened to father…? Why is he acting like this?
The child couldn't understand it—but somehow, he found it amusing.
Zhang Wei, once distant and composed, now held a small wooden toy, shaking it gently with curiosity. His eyes lit up with innocent delight, as though he had just discovered the world for the first time.
Even the simplest things… fascinated him.
The child giggled, and the two began playing together as if they were equals rather than father and son.
But not everyone found this heartwarming.
At the far end of the courtyard, Zhang Wei's siblings sat stiffly, their expressions frozen in disbelief.
"That… is our brother?" one muttered.
"Since when did he become like a child?" another whispered.
The Zhang Wei they knew had always been mature beyond his years—cold, disciplined, and sharp.
But after last night's incident… he was completely different.
Meanwhile, the courtyard had transformed.
Tables were filled to the brim with fresh carrots—bright orange, neatly arranged, almost excessive.
This was all Zhang Mi's doing.
Servants rushed back and forth, the once quiet Snow Manor now bustling with life. Yet despite the activity, a chilling cold lingered in the air.
Breath turned visible.
Frost crept along the edges of pillars.
Even the ground carried a thin layer of ice.
Zhang Mi stood quietly at the side, her gaze fixed on Zhang Wei.
Though he was not her birth son… she had accepted him the moment his mother left him behind.
She still remembered that day clearly.
A quiet courtyard. A child abandoned. No explanations.
And her heart… unable to turn away.
From that moment, she made a silent promise—
To raise him.
To protect him.
To love him.
After all…
How could she not?
Someone as adorable as Zhang Wei… was impossible to abandon.
Her expression softened as she stepped closer, gently adjusting his robe, her fingers careful and warm against the cold air surrounding him.
"It's alright," she whispered softly.
Inside the main hall, however, the atmosphere was far less gentle.
"OUTRAGEOUS!"
Elder Mi's voice thundered, shaking the room.
The clan leader, Zhang Chuan, sat at the head seat, his expression calm but tired.
The elders around him whispered among themselves.
"He's spoiled!"
"A grown man acting like a toddler—what a disgrace!"
"Even worse, the clan is indulging him!"
"Is this the future of the Zhang family?!"
Some elders scoffed, others frowned deeply.
Yet not all their complaints were without reason.
Zhang Wei's behavior was… undeniably strange.
Worse still—it wasn't entirely harmful.
In fact, his snow aura had already begun attracting attention. Rumors were spreading beyond the clan—of a young master who could turn summer into winter.
It was bizarre.
But beneficial.
And that made things complicated.
Zhang Chuan exhaled slowly.
"I understand your concerns," he said calmly.
"But what do you suggest?"
"Discipline!" Elder Mi snapped instantly. "He needs to be beaten into sense!"
Several elders nodded in agreement.
"That is how the Zhang bloodline has always grown strong."
"No hardship, no power."
"He must be corrected before it's too late."
Zhang Chuan's fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
His gaze drifted toward the courtyard—toward Zhang Mi, who stood protectively beside Zhang Wei.
He understood her.
She had long since chosen that child as her own.
But the clan could not afford softness.
"…Prepare the training grounds," Zhang Chuan finally said.
The hall fell silent.
"We will test him."
Not long after, Zhang Wei was brought to the training grounds.
Still in his pink robe.
Still holding a carrot.
Still… hopping.
"Yes, hopping."
Each step he took was light, uneven, almost like a rabbit learning how to move.
The disciples watching couldn't hold back their expressions.
"…Is he serious?"
"That's the young master?"
"Why is he… bouncing?"
Zhang Wei paused, sniffed the air slightly, then—
Hop.
A small burst of frost spread beneath his feet.
Hop.
Another patch of ice formed.
The entire training ground slowly began freezing over.
The elders: "..."
Zhang Chuan: "..."
Elder Mi's face twitched violently.
"Control your movement!" he barked.
Zhang Wei blinked at him.
Then his lips trembled.
His eyes watered.
And in the next second—
"Waaaaahhh!!"
He burst into tears.
The sound echoed across the entire training ground.
Cold energy surged violently with his emotions.
CRACK—!
Ice spread rapidly, freezing the ground, the pillars, even creeping toward the elders' feet.
The temperature dropped instantly.
Disciples shivered.
Some slipped.
One unlucky elder nearly fell flat.
Zhang Mi rushed forward in panic.
"Who made him cry?!" she snapped, glaring at everyone like a furious storm.
The elders were stunned.
Zhang Chuan covered his face.
Elder Mi's mouth opened… then closed.
For the first time in years—
The Zhang Clan elders felt helpless.
Completely helpless.
At the center of it all, Zhang Wei sniffled, hugging his carrot tightly as cold mist swirled around him.
A soft, trembling figure.
Dangerous… yet pitiful.
And then it happened.
Amid his sobs, Zhang Wei reached out instinctively, clutching Zhang Mi's sleeve tightly.
His voice, soft and broken, barely audible:
"M… mo…"
Zhang Mi froze.
Zhang Chuan's eyes narrowed.
The elders leaned forward unconsciously.
"M… mother…"
The word fell gently—
But to everyone present, it struck like thunder.
Zhang Mi's body stiffened. Her eyes widened.
He had never called her that before.
Not once.
Even after all these years.
Even after she raised him, cared for him, protected him—
He had always kept a distance.
Yet now… in his most vulnerable state… that was the name he chose.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she looked at him.
"…I'm here," she replied, her voice gentler than ever before.
She pulled him into her embrace without hesitation, holding him carefully despite the cold aura surrounding him.
"It's alright. Mother is here."
The moment she said it—
The temperature around them shifted.
The violent cold that had been spreading uncontrollably began to calm.
The frost stopped advancing.
The biting air softened.
Even the ice beneath their feet seemed to lose its hostility.
The elders stared in stunned silence.
"…It responded to her?" one whispered.
"No… it responded to his emotions," another corrected, though even he sounded unsure.
Zhang Chuan watched quietly, his gaze deep.
Something had changed.
Not just Zhang Wei's behavior—
But his core.
At the center of Zhang Mi's embrace, Zhang Wei slowly calmed down, his cries fading into quiet sniffles.
His grip on her robe loosened slightly, but he didn't let go completely—
As if afraid she might disappear.
Zhang Mi gently stroked his hair, her movements slow and soothing.
No one dared to interrupt.
No one dared to speak.
Because for the first time—
They realized something terrifying. And unexpected.
Zhang Wei's power…
Was not controlled by discipline.
Not by force.
But by emotion.
And the only one who could calm him—
Was her.
Though Zhang Wei's emotional troubles were like a mountain, his inner thoughts were… embarrassingly candid.
Walking was hard. He promised to learn, but Zhang Mi was warm, reminding him of his own mother in his past life.
As for being a spoiled baby? That was simply how he was raised in the modern world. The core just brought out his true character—a spoiled mama's boy.
But that didn't mean he let his guard down.
Everyone still hated him, that he knew. But at least Zhang Mi was a good backing for Elder Mi and his father.
His heart was at ease now—not burdened, not troubled, just free.
As for training? He already knew everything. Besides, with power like Elsa in Frozen, why must he suffer?
He had thought survival meant training endlessly.
But now… with Zhang Mi, he had nothing to worry about.
He wasn't ambitious. He wanted to eat. He wanted to sleep. And that… wasn't a crime.
From that day onward, a new truth spread through the Zhang Clan:
The one they feared as a problem…
Had found his anchor.
And that anchor—
Was Zhang Mi.