Chapter 338

After Evelyn Langley returned home, Adrian Klein politely excused himself. He declined Victoria Langley's invitation to stay for dinner, leaving the precious family reunion time to them.

William Langley was still immersed in their earlier conversation, his eyes shining with admiration. "That Adrian is such a fine young man."

He took a sip of tea and added thoughtfully, "Truly remarkable..."

Evelyn couldn't help but laugh. "Dad, you're looking at him like he's your future son-in-law."

"Nonsense! My heart belongs only to your mother!"

Evelyn: "..." The unexpected romantic display caught her off guard.

Considering their exhausting trip to the Great Wall the previous day, William and Victoria decided to rest at home.

Evelyn naturally respected her parents' plans.

The next morning, the family of three set out together.

Their destination was the Forbidden City.

Evelyn had booked tickets a week in advance.

Victoria enthusiastically participated in a Qing dynasty-style photoshoot.

The photographer kept praising, "This lady has such elegant grace. Every movement exudes classical charm, like she stepped right out of a painting..."

Victoria beamed at the compliments.

The photographer's keen eye proved accurate—the final photos were stunning.

That night, Evelyn fell asleep nestled in her mother's arms.

The familiar comforting scent lulled her into slumber.

Upon waking, Evelyn checked her emails out of habit.

To her surprise, the biology journal she'd submitted to requested complete references.

Though she'd double-checked before finalizing the draft, she decided to verify everything once more for absolute certainty.

"Dad, Mom, I'm heading to the library. I should be back by noon."

"Go ahead, don't worry about us."

At midday, the weather changed abruptly.

Sunny skies gave way to dark storm clouds.

Victoria watched the gathering storm with concern. "It's going to pour. Evelyn didn't take an umbrella. The library isn't far—should we go meet her?"

William immediately began gathering rain gear.

As they reached the stairwell, footsteps echoed from below.

The motion sensor light revealed Adrian's familiar figure.

"Adrian? You're back early today?"

After their frequent recent encounters, they'd become quite familiar.

"Are you going out, Mr. and Mrs. Langley?"

"Yes, we're heading to the library to bring Evelyn an umbrella before the rain starts."

Adrian glanced at the ominous sky.

He considered mentioning the library's umbrella loan service, but understood the parents' desire to personally fetch their daughter.

"The library has a complicated layout. Would you like me to guide you?"

"We couldn't impose..." William protested politely.

"I need to retrieve some materials from the lab anyway. It's on my way."

This was only partially true.

While he did have items at the lab, they weren't urgently needed.

Seeing Adrian's insistence, the elder Langleys relented. "We'd appreciate that. We were worried about getting lost in all those branching paths..."