"Mom! Leo and I are back!"
"Sorry to disturb you again, Aunt Helen."
Facing Gwen's mother, Leo was still very polite in his greetings.
Helen Stacy was a middle-aged woman with lingering charm. You could tell she must have been a great beauty in her youth.
Fortunately, Gwen took after her mother in looks, otherwise...
When the two returned, Helen was busy in the kitchen. She just said a few casual words and let them go play by themselves.
Gwen directly pulled Leo into her bedroom.
The bedroom wasn't large, containing only a bed, a writing desk, and a wall of wardrobes.
Two picture frames sat on the desk. One photo showed Gwen with her family.
The other was a photo of her and Leo together.
The two in the photo were smiling brilliantly, though looking somewhat youthful. This was taken when they went to Hawaii during middle school.
The bed was lined with a row of cute dolls, and the sheets were neatly folded.
On the pink walls, several band posters were hung, one of which actually featured Gwen with two other girls.
This was the school band she formed with Mary Jane and Betty Brant.
Gwen used to do gymnastics, but after Leo expressed some dislike for it, she switched to playing in a band.
Following his gaze, Gwen felt a bit embarrassed.
"Don't look at that—this poster doesn't look good."
"It looks great, especially with those two as contrast."
Leo pointed to Mary Jane and Betty Brant, who stood beside Gwen, nearly half a head shorter.
Combined with the fact that Gwen had practiced gymnastics, her graceful temperament couldn't be compared to theirs.
Hearing Leo praise her like this, Gwen was naturally overjoyed, but still playfully hit him a few times.
What kind of contrast—this was just a normal band photo.
She didn't have such scheming thoughts.
Helen, who had been paying attention to the sounds from the room, quietly sighed in relief when she heard the playful fighting.
Unlike George, Helen quite liked Leo.
He was handsome, had a good physique, was polite, and treated her daughter well.
Most importantly, Gwen really liked him, and she supported them being together.
But that didn't mean now—they were still children, and she didn't want to become a grandmother so early.
At least wait until after college.
Time flew by until seven o'clock. It was almost dark when George dragged his weary body home.
After all, this was the land of the free, where countless crimes occurred every day.
Robbery, drug trafficking, prostitution—any profitable criminal activity could be found with a complete supply chain in New York.
According to incomplete statistics, the annual bullet consumption in New York could circle the Earth if connected.
As a police chief who often went to the front lines, George getting home at this time was already relatively early.
Seeing four place settings on the table, he was stunned.
"Honey, are we having guests today?"
"No guests." Helen replied, then knocked on Gwen's door.
"Kids, come eat!"
"Coming, Mom!"
Under George's incredulous gaze, Leo emerged from his precious daughter's bedroom.
"Yo, Uncle George."
Yo, my ass!
Why are you here! And you came out of my daughter's room!
If it weren't for seeing that Gwen's clothes were still intact, George would have already fabricated some charge to arrest this damn brat.
"Stop standing there dumbfounded and help me serve the dishes."
Helen called George to the kitchen and whispered: "Don't scare Leo, or your daughter will settle accounts with you later, and you'll be the one regretting it."
George felt incredibly frustrated, suddenly discovering that he had no place in this house.
How could everyone be helping that damn brat?
The dinner dishes were quite simple—standard American steak with some vegetables and mashed potatoes.
This was more like a family dinner.
Leo didn't care about how elaborate it was, as long as there was something for him to eat.
Helen also knew Leo's appetite. The steak portion for him was a full thirty-six ounces, while everyone else's was only eight ounces.
America didn't have the tradition of "no talking during meals." Families could talk freely while eating.
Gwen recounted the interesting events that happened at school today, including the final conflict between Leo and Flash Thompson.
Her purpose was to score some points for Leo in George's mind—police officers should like such righteous actions.
Who knew that George would frown instead.
"Gwen, although the other party's behavior was despicable, Leo shouldn't have used violence either."
"He should have reported it to the school authorities, and they would have handled it fairly."
"Dad?"
Gwen's eyes were filled with disbelief. She hadn't expected George to say such a thing.
If reporting to teachers worked, would there still be so many school violence incidents in America every year?
"Don't listen to your dad's nonsense." Helen stopped George, who was about to say more, with her eyes, then looked gently at her daughter.
"George is just worried about you getting involved. That's how cops are—they think only they have law enforcement authority on this land."
"Hmph, old-fashioned."
Gwen snorted twice in anger, then said: "Anyway, Leo did the right thing. If I had the ability to stop Thompson, I would have done the same."
Leo, who was at the center of the discussion, remained silent, concentrating on dealing with the steak in front of him.
Faced with his rebellious teenage daughter, George could only helplessly change the subject.
The dinner ended in a slightly awkward atmosphere.
After the meal, Gwen walked Leo downstairs.
"Sorry, Leo. Dad didn't mean to target you."
Gwen apologized to Leo for George's earlier comments. The person involved, however, shook his head indifferently.
"Different positions, different viewpoints. Uncle George is a police officer, so he naturally cares more about procedural justice."
"As for me, it was purely out of interest—don't think too much about it."
"Procedural justice..." Gwen seemed thoughtful upon hearing this phrase.
"It's getting late. Go back quickly. I'll just take a cab home."
Leo ruffled the girl's golden hair. It felt nice. Gwen was somewhat dissatisfied that her hairstyle was messed up, but she didn't move away.
"Alright then, see you tomorrow."
After thinking for a moment, Gwen still gave the boy a hug.
Soft jade in his arms, a clear fragrance filling his nostrils.
Gwen's voice was somewhat shy: "Don't read too much into this—it's just to compensate you."