Can Superman get high blood pressure?
The answer is, occasionally.
At this moment, Clark felt the blood rush to his head.
"Why don't you write something, for example, a story about an ordinary person becoming a superhero through their own efforts?" He attempted to guide Ian into writing something more conventional.
However.
"Because that wouldn't be transcendental enough for the times?" Ian tilted his head, dismissing Clark's idea and talent. Stories about the rise of superheroes were a dime a dozen.
Today's readers needed real shock value.
"..."
Clark was speechless.
He felt that interacting with his children was never easy; he couldn't seem to connect with either his second son, Jordan, or his youngest, Ian.
His temples twitched a few times, but Clark still tried to persuade Ian. "But I don't think Superman would appreciate people using literary works to fabricate his life."
"That's too much of an invasion of privacy." Clark tried his best to keep his expression serious, his tone earnest, and the moral principle he stated was very much in line with current mainstream values.
He thought he had a good chance of making Ian change his mind.
But Clark didn't know that Ian had never been confused about who Superman was. After a slight pause, the young man offered an impeccable rationale.
"We all know how kind and helpful Superman is, he certainly wouldn't refuse to help a child in need." Ian winked at his father.
His flattering words made Clark open and close his mouth several times, unsure how to reply. In the end, the strongest combatant on Earth could only choose to retreat.
"Fine, if that's the work you want to write..." Clark shook his head and retreated from his youngest son's room, focusing on preparing dinner for the whole family in the kitchen.
Of course, multitasking was not difficult for him. While cooking, Clark couldn't resist using his super vision to peek at his underage son's secret writing. He didn't know why he felt such strong curiosity, perhaps Ian's titles were truly too explosive for him.
"Oh, my eyes!"
The content of the book was even more explosive.
It was so extreme that Clark felt his mind was being contaminated by something unspeakable. Although children do have vast imaginations, Clark truly couldn't grasp Ian's thought process.
A working woman in her forties, divorced and menopausal with nine children, catches Superman's eye and is instantly pursued by him—this had completely broken through the limits of Clark's imagination. However, what followed was even more shocking: a villain also falls in love with this working woman, leading to a scene where Superman simply smirks and summons other superheroes to gang up on the villain.
*Slap!*
Clark couldn't help but smack his own forehead. He didn't believe such a work had any chance of being published. He couldn't even imagine the mental state Ian was in when he wrote such an absurd story—was this truly the precursor to schizophrenia that the psychologist mentioned?
*Hiss!*
Could my youngest son secretly wish to become a menopausal woman?
The more he thought about it, the more Clark felt alarmed, and even by dinnertime, he hadn't figured out how to explain to Lois exactly what kind of stress relief Ian was pursuing.
Could writing such an absurd story really help alleviate his condition?
Clark's mind was full of question marks.
At the dinner table.
He frequently looked at Ian, who was silently eating his meal.
"What's wrong?"
Ian looked at his father with some confusion. Clark quickly forced a weak smile and placed a piece of chicken leg onto Ian's plate.
"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 a psychologist?" The older brother, Jonathan, had neat short hair, well-defined features, and a slightly youthful, sunny look. As a high school football player, Jonathan was much stronger than most of his peers.
He was also the most gentle and steady child in the family.
"I told you that being a bookworm would cause problems. See? Now you know how right I was," the second brother, Jordan, was slim and usually quite introverted.
He was only slightly better when at home, even joking around. He looked at Ian somewhat teasingly, lowering his voice to offer Ian advice, "But if you gave me your medicine to sell at school, we'd definitely make a fortune."
These words, of course, didn't escape their parents' ears.
"Jordan!"
Lois shot her second son a glare, sounding displeased. "Stop being so flippant all the time! Your brother is not a bookworm; he just loves studying more than you and Jonathan! There's nothing wrong with that!"
Jordan merely pouted dismissively at his mother's words.
"And your brother doesn't need to take any medication; he just has some anxiety issues, just like you," Lois added seriously right after.
Though her denial was a little too fervent.
"This weekend, make sure you take your brother out to play," Clark said, looking at his reliable elder son. He felt Ian needed more social exposure.
"Alright, no problem."
Jonathan gave his father an OK sign.
"In fact, I know quite a few girls who are interested in Ian." Jonathan winked at Ian, his chuckle carrying a hint of teasing.
"Really?"
Lois looked quite happy.
"Yeah, those girls just love his 'little puppy' look," Jordan chimed in, picking at the food on his plate with a slightly sour tone.
"I knew it! Look how handsome our Ian is!" Lois smiled happily, looking at Ian. The young man was currently battling a large steak on his plate.
Ian was indeed good-looking.
To put it one way, he had a very "relatable" appearance.
He had thick, slightly messy brown hair, and his deep blue eyes were quite attractive to the opposite sex. Perhaps only a young Leonardo DiCaprio could compare with him.
"I actually wish I could be a little stronger." Ian wasn't interested in going out with his older brother to meet older girls. After all, he didn't know when he might be sacrificed.
The Kryptonian bloodline of his older brothers really put immense pressure on him.
"Then come exercise with me more often!" Jonathan immediately put Ian in a headlock. Even without awakening his powers yet, he already possessed strength far exceeding his peers.
"Cough, cough!"
Ian felt like he was being rear-naked choked. Fortunately, Jonathan noticed the issue and quickly released his neck, allowing him to catch his breath.
"Oh, sorry."
Jonathan quickly apologized.
"It's fine."
Ian flexed his neck, not caring much. He looked at his empty plate and then asked his parents for permission to return to his room to rest.
"Of course, dear." Lois kissed Ian's cheek and watched him hurry upstairs. Only then did she turn curiously to her husband.
"What is he rushing back to do? It's not studying textbooks, is it?" The reporter's intuition made Lois sense Ian's mood, but Clark didn't know how to answer this question.
"Uh, no, it's not studying."
He could only control his facial muscles and speak in as steady a voice as possible. "I think children need to have some private secrets of their own, don't they?"
It was the same old excuse about privacy.
But it worked well with Lois.
Seeing Lois stop pressing the issue, Clark secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, the subsequent topics concerning Jordan's psychological issues and academic status were also troublesome necessities. There was no way around it, this was Superman's married life. Maintaining family harmony was far more headaches-inducing than fighting disasters.
Perhaps.
This was a stage everyone had to go through. Superheroes were no exception.
[You seriously engaged in writing, grasped some writing techniques, [Student] Profession Experience +1]
[You seriously engaged in writing, grasped some writing techniques, [Student] Profession Experience +1]
...
Inside the room.
Ian was writing furiously.
Compared to Clark's disapproval, he was thoroughly absorbed in his writing. Not only could he display his talent, but he could also gain Profession Experience through this act of writing.
It was simply a win-win, a choice that let him win twice in one go. Ian felt he had fallen in love with writing, but some special condition he possessed didn't seem to agree with this passion.
Despite Ian's enthusiasm, feeling like he could write for several nights straight, a very specific sense of fatigue still arrived right on schedule as time passed.
"Sigh, can't avoid it, can't escape it."
Ian sighed, put down his pen, and looked at the clock with an air of resignation.
[11:59]
...
[12:00]
...
When the time precisely crossed the boundary between one day and the next.
Ian felt a familiar twitch in his brain.
Immediately, his vision twisted. In the next moment, a lead-gray sky, snow-white ground, and a city of broken walls and ruins appeared directly before his eyes.
"Hoo~"
Ian breathed out, unsurprised, and a white mist instantly appeared. The reflection of this world in his pupils showed a city that seemed to have been silent for millions of years, with howling cold winds and falling snow.
Everything was frozen.
And he was the only moving life in this world.
Perhaps the only life.