190: The resounding slaps echoed repeatedly!

"Ah—" A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the entire room.

Even Mother Shen, who was cooking in the kitchen, and Shen Chuya, who hadn't yet managed to run out of his room, were startled by the piercing shriek and rushed out.

Mother Shen, having just emerged, saw a terrifying scene that almost made her faint.

Her younger brother's entire head was enveloped in an orange-red glow of fire.

His hair, eyebrows—everywhere there was hair—had ignited.

The culprit behind the rising fireball was the lighter he clutched tightly in his hand.

Xiao Yuan, sitting beside him, was also stunned the moment the fire appeared, only reacting with a drastic change in expression and wide, fearful eyes when she felt the terrifying heat ignite the air in front of her.

"Ah!"

The second scream came from Xiao Yuan's mouth.

Her husband had been burned beyond recognition by the sudden fireball, and a deep-seated panic and fear instantly enveloped her.

She covered her mouth, her entire body trembling uncontrollably as if struck by lightning.

Xiao Long, seeing his father's entire face covered in flames, was also scared stiff.

He stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move.

The nezha figurine and the small round piece in his hands clattered onto the sofa.

Fortunately, the soft sofa provided a cushion, preventing the figurine/model kit from being damaged by the sudden drop.

Xiao Long's eyes widened, looking at his hands in disbelief, then he looked up at his father, who was still engulfed in flames.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

The flickering fireball, from its appearance to its disappearance, actually lasted less than three seconds.

The moment Xiao Long's father threw the lighter from his hand, the fireball vanished with it.

However, even though the fireball disappeared, his hair and clothes, instantly ignited by the blaze, were not spared, and the scorching flames still made him shriek.

Father Shen, the fastest to react in the entire household, had already turned and rushed to the bathroom the second the fireball erupted.

A moment later, he emerged, carrying a bucket of wastewater from the toilet, rushing out in a few quick strides.

He approached Xiao Long's father without hesitation, pouring a bucket of water directly over his head.

Whoosh—

The icy water, carrying a hint of slipperiness and the peculiar smell of a mop, poured down from above, drenching him completely while extinguishing the flames on his body.

Hoo hoo hoo.

Xiao Long's father disregarded his soaked body.

He frantically wiped his face with his hands, clearing away the dirty water before he could finally open his eyes, gasping for air.

The burning pain on his face and the smell of scorching protein made him realize that he had actually been burned by a fireball!

"Yu Xiaolong!!!!"

"This is what you call performing magic?!"

Xiao Long's father endured the pain, gritting his teeth as he issued a soul-deep question.

Only then did everyone else present finally react.

Mother Shen rushed to her younger brother's side, her concern and heartache evident in her eyes.

"What happened! Old Shen, what exactly happened just now! How did the living room suddenly catch fire? And Xiao Long's father, this, this, what exactly is going on?!"

Xiao Yuan also came to her senses, she continued to shriek as she ran to her husband's side, cupping Xiao Long's father's burnt, blackened face with her hands, tears dripping down profusely in her distress.

"Husband, husband, how are you?"

"Does it hurt! Oh my god, your eyebrows are all gone!"

"I'm going to call 120 immediately, to get an ambulance here!"

"Husband, wait for me!"

Xiao Long's father winced in pain as Xiao Yuan cupped his face.

He gritted his teeth and pushed Xiao Yuan's hands away, saying with a trembling voice.

"No, it's okay, wife, no need to call 120."

"You drive me to the hospital."

"Okay, I, I'll drive right now, I'll go drive right now! Hold on, husband! You absolutely can't let anything happen to you!"

Xiao Yuan's voice became even more choked with sobs upon hearing this.

"Old Shen, quickly, you go drive, don't let Xiao Yuan go alone."

"It'll be busy at the hospital, we'll need someone to run errands!"

Although Mother Shen was also extremely anxious, she managed to keep her composure, clearly assigning everyone their roles.

Father Shen nodded at her words, then got up to grab the car keys from the shoe cabinet.

Mother Shen, meanwhile, supported her injured brother, stumbling towards the door.

Only then did Xiao Yuan's mind finally clear a bit.

Looking at her husband, who was burned beyond recognition, she suddenly remembered what he had said after the flames on his head were extinguished by the water.

The lighter igniting, the original small flame suddenly turning into a fireball—was it all because of Xiao Long's mischief?!

As soon as she thought of this, Xiao Yuan's anger was instantly ignited!

She suddenly rushed to Xiao Long, screaming like a madwoman.

"Yu Xiaolong! Look at the good deed you've done today!"

"Burning your dad like this, what were you thinking?! If I don't beat you to death today, I'll be letting your dad down!"

"I really! How did I give birth to such a useless thing like you!!"

Then, "Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap"—five or six crisp slaps echoed throughout the living room.

Xiao Long stared blankly at his raging mother, covering his red face, and plopped down onto the floor.

His eyes were filled with innocence and confusion.

"Mom, it wasn't me."

"I, I just wanted to perform a magic trick."

Slap—

Before he could finish explaining, another fierce slap landed, almost making his nose bleed.

"Magic tricks, magic tricks!"

"Perform another one for me to see?!"

"If you have the guts to burn your dad, burn me too!"

Xiao Yuan shrieked, her eyes bloodshot, her right hand slightly numb from slapping too hard just now.

This pent-up anger, if not released, would suffocate her to death!

Damn it! How could she have raised such a son!

Setting his own father on fire!

"Alright, alright, Xiao Yuan, don't hit the child and hurt him! The most urgent task now is to get his dad to the hospital first."

"The rest of the matters, we can discuss later when we have time."

Mother Shen was both anxious and angry, urging them on quickly.

Xiao Yuan glared at her son, who was slumped foolishly on the ground, and said irritably.

"Why aren't you getting up to help your dad!"

"What are you doing sitting here?!"

"If anything happens to your dad today, I'd like to see what you'll do in the future!"