"What are you doing up the mountain?"
Lu Baiyi asked them casually.
Xu Gui blinked, her innocent expression suggesting, "I heard that the sunrise from this mountain is beautiful, a bright red like a big egg yolk. I wanted to come and see it while we were still in H Province, but I didn't expect there to be a gate guarding it."
She smiled at Lu Baiyi and said, "Mr. Lu lives on the mountain, so you must have seen the sunrise there, right?"
Lu Baiyi nodded, "Yes, it is indeed very beautiful. I even took some pictures. Do you want to see them?"
As he spoke, he actually took out his phone, found the photo album, and showed Xu Gui the sunrise photos in his hand. Xu Gui leaned closer, her face, which had initially seemed uninterested, actually lit up when she saw the photos on the phone.
...It was indeed quite beautiful.
Lu Baiyi said, "It's very beautiful when the weather is good, and it's also nice when it's foggy..."
Xu Gui nodded gently.
"By the way, do you have a place to stay on the mountain?" Lu Baiyi remembered this and asked them again.
Xu Gui shook her head: "No." She had only come up the mountain on a whim, intending to come back down if things didn't work out, but she hadn't expected to run into Lu Baiyi.
Lu Baiyi looked at her and said, "My family has a villa on the mountain. My driver and I are currently staying there. If you don't mind, you can stay at my place… If you want to watch the sunrise, the rooftop balcony should have a pretty good spot."
"That's so kind of you…" Xu Gui said, quickly adding, "Then thank you so much! How about I tell your fortune? As a way of repaying you!"
Yuan Lu: If Teacher Xu's "I'm sorry" and "thank you" had been spaced a little longer, it would have sounded much more sincere.
Lu Baiyi: "No need to thank me. You're my grandfather's friend. If my grandfather knew I met you, he would definitely make me do the same."
Xu Gui said earnestly: "I'm the kind of person who repays kindness. You helped me, so of course I have to thank you... Or, how about I tell you about that rotten romance you had before?"
Lu Baiyi chuckled: "...You still remember that rotten romance of mine?" He actually remembered it quite well, after all, it was the first time he had met someone who could actually tell fortunes, so it was impossible for him not to remember it.
Xu Gui said: "I have a very good memory."
She looked at Lu Baiyi and asked: "Are you really not going to let me tell yours? I think if you refuse, you might regret it very soon."
Hearing her words, Lu Baiyi's words of refusal suddenly caught in his throat.
"Then please tell me yours?" he said.
Hearing this, Xu Gui suddenly felt her fighting spirit rise. She looked at Lu Baiyi with burning eyes and said: "Actually, you'll see that rotten romance of yours very soon!"—The reason why rotten romance is called "rotten" is because it will bring trouble to the person involved.
And now it's clear that this rotten peach blossom is constantly causing Lu Baiyi trouble.
"...Soon, you'll see her?" Lu Baiyi was puzzled, not understanding where Xu Gui got that idea. After all, he was in H Province; she couldn't have chased him all the way from A Province to H Province, could she?
Xu Gui looked at him with bright eyes and said, "Not only that, she'll meet you in a completely unique way."
Lu Baiyi had a bad feeling, and his premonitions had always been quite accurate.
"...Miss Xu, could you be more specific?" he asked.
Xu Gui looked at him, no longer keeping him in suspense, and said frankly, "What I mean is, she's right here in your villa on the mountain, lying naked on your bed, waiting to give you a big surprise."
Lu Baiyi: "..."
Lu Baiyi's face turned green. This wasn't a surprise at all, it was a shock!
Sitting in the front, Yuan Lu and the driver perked up their ears. Upon hearing Xu Gui's words, they both gasped. Lu
Baiyi inhaled, looked at Xu Gui, and said, "Miss Xu, there's something I might need your help with later..."
...
The car smoothly arrived at the mountain's summit.
The car entered the Lu family villa and stopped at the gate. Xu Gui and the others got out, and only then did they see Lu Baiyi. He was impeccably dressed in a suit, exuding an indescribable air of nobility and handsomeness.
Xu Gui had seen him several times, but this was only the second time she'd seen him dressed like this, and she couldn't help but take a second look—among all the people she knew, Mr. Lu seemed to look the best in a suit.
Lu Baiyi led Xu Gui and the others into the house, all the way to the second floor. Standing in front of one of the rooms, he said, "My bedroom is on the second floor... that's my room, Miss Xu, thank you for your help."
Xu Gui nodded, reached for the doorknob, opened the door, and went inside.
Lu Baiyi turned his back to the room, not looking inside. Not long after, he heard voices coming from inside.
"Brother Baiyi..."
"You're not Brother Baiyi? Who are you? How did you get here?"
"Ah! What are you doing? Get out! Get out of here!"
The voice inside changed from soft and shy to frightened and angry in just two minutes. A moment later, a slender white figure rushed out of the door, completely disheveled.
When she saw Lu Baiyi standing in the doorway, her eyes lit up, and she said, "Brother Baiyi..."
"...I've already called the police." Lu Baiyi killed the game with a single sentence. The young woman's expression froze, staring at Lu Baiyi in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe that he was such a cold and unromantic man.
However, Lu Baiyi's expression at this moment couldn't really be described as cold; it was more like indifference. He glanced at the time on his watch and said, "The police should be here in about fifteen minutes. You can start thinking about how to explain to them why you're here."
He then beckoned Xu Gui and the others downstairs: "Miss Xu, I'm sorry you had to see this. Come downstairs, I'll get you some lychee soup."
Xu Gui, who was watching the two with a gossipy expression, thought, "...Lychee soup?" Her mind was immediately filled with thoughts of lychees, and she obediently followed Lu Baiyi downstairs.
The young woman was left on the second floor, her mind completely blank. When she came to her senses and realized what Lu Baiyi had done, she couldn't help but stomp her foot and hurriedly made a phone call to someone.
"Auntie..." The girl cried out as soon as the call connected, "Didn't you say that Lu Boyi is the most gentle and considerate person? But, but why did he call the police?"
"Auntie, what should I do..."
At this moment, Xu Gui and the others had already followed Lu Boyi downstairs. He asked them to sit down in the living room, while he went to the kitchen to get the lychee soup he had mentioned.
The lychee soup was served in a round bowl, the broth a light red color, filled with many snow-white and translucent lychee pieces. Because of the heat, Lu Boyi had thoughtfully added a few ice cubes, giving the whole bowl of lychee soup a cool and refreshing feel.
Judging by its appearance alone, this lychee soup looked incredibly tempting, the kind that looked delicious.
Xu Gui took a sip from the bowl and found the soup refreshingly cool, with a delightfully subtle sweetness that wasn't cloying—a perfectly balanced, light sweetness.
The lychee flesh, originally snow-white and translucent, had taken on a slight reddish hue after cooking. The seeds had been removed, making it easy to bite into without hesitation.
She didn't know how Lu Baiyi had prepared it, but the lychee flesh was incredibly plump and juicy. Each bite felt like a burst of juice in her mouth, the light, refreshing sweetness spreading coolly and pleasantly, with a sweet aroma that was especially cooling.
Xu Gui initially took a small sip like a kitten, but once she tasted it, her eyes lit up, and she began gulping it down.
"It's so delicious!" She finished it in one gulp, feeling the intense heat of H Province instantly dissipate with this bowl of lychee soup. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Lu Baiyi and asked, "Can I have another bowl?"
Yuan Lu, standing beside her, was eager to try it—she actually wanted another bowl too, but was too shy to ask. Who would have thought that this Mr. Lu, who looked like a domineering CEO, was such a good cook?
This lychee soup was simply the best she had ever tasted.
Yuan Lu: Following Teacher Xu, there's always good food!
Lu Baiyi nodded after hearing Xu Gui's words: "Of course, I made a big pot, it's all refrigerated…wait a moment."
He went to the kitchen and brought out the entire pot of lychee soup he had made.
This pot of lychee soup was all homemade; he used the best lychees, small-pitted and fleshy, delicious even raw, and now, as a soup, the flavor was even more intense.
When Xu Gui drank her second bowl, her posture was much more elegant and composed. She looked at Lu Baiyi curiously, noticing he was sitting beside her without offering her a bowl of lychee soup, and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to drink some?"
Lu Baiyi smiled and said, "I don't like these things." He wasn't particularly fond of food, and he didn't like eating at night.
Xu Gui: ?
She glanced down at the beautifully colored lychee soup in her bowl and asked疑惑地问道, "If you're not going to eat it, then why did you make this?" And such a big pot of it.
Lu Baiyi smiled and explained, "I just enjoy cooking, but I don't really like eating it. Cooking is just a hobby. Whenever my thoughts are chaotic, I think about cooking something."
Cooking helps his chaotic thoughts gradually calm down, and his ideas gradually become clearer.
Xu Gui asked curiously, "What do you do with the food you make if you don't eat it?"
Lu Baiyi replied, "Oh, I share it with the neighbors, the maids, or my friends..."
As for the situation where the food couldn't be shared, that hadn't happened yet, and Lu Baiyi was quite confident in his cooking skills, so it was unlikely to occur in the future.
Hearing this, Xu Gui couldn't help but feel a little envious. Holding the lychee soup, she sighed, "Being your neighbor and friend must be so wonderful!" Having delicious food every now and then!
Xu Gui was very envious.
Lu Baiyi smiled, looking at Xu Gui, and said, "If Miss Xu doesn't mind, I'll send you some of my next cooking if I have the chance."
"Is that okay? Won't that be too much trouble?" Xu Gui said, but her face was full of eagerness. For a turtle who loves to eat, this was a huge temptation.
Xu Gui: I really have absolutely no resistance to this suggestion.
Lu Baiyi smiled, "It's alright. I always make quite a lot, and often it goes to waste. If I can give it to someone who likes it, it would be my honor."
He spoke very kindly, his tone and attitude were very gentle, making people feel comfortable.
Xu Gui looked at him and happily praised, "Mr. Lu, you're such a good person... Should I give you my address first? Otherwise, if you want to send me something delicious, I won't know where to send it."
"Let me tell you, I'm currently living in the company dormitory..."
Just as Xu Gui was enthusiastically telling him her current address, Lu Baiyi's phone, which was on the coffee table, suddenly rang. He glanced at it, apologized to Xu Gui, and got up to take the call.
"Hello... Second Aunt."
"Bayi!"
While Lu Baiyi was on the phone, Xu Gui and Yuan Lu huddled together, chatting away.
Yuan Lu had been curious for a while and couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Xu, are you very familiar with this Mr. Lu?"
"Not really," Xu Gui replied matter-of-factly. "I'm closer to his grandfather, but Mr. Lu is truly a good person..." She looked at the empty lychee soup in her bowl and couldn't help but sigh again.
Yuan Lu nodded in agreement. Although she had only met Mr. Lu twice, she could indeed sense his genuine kindness. He didn't have any of the bad temper often associated with wealthy people; on the contrary, he had a very good temper.
"I want to be friends with him..." Xu Gui said softly, her tone serious, "The best kind of friends."
Yuan Lu was startled and looked at Xu Gui in surprise. "Why?"
Xu Gui whispered, "His cooking is amazing! If I'm his best friend, he'll definitely think of me first when he makes something delicious!" And she could be the first to enjoy the delicious food.
Xu Gui thought to herself: I'm such a genius!
Yuan Lu: "..." She was terrified. Seeing Xu Gui's serious expression, she thought she was about to say, "I want to pursue Mr. Lu." Turns out
, she just wanted to be friends with him...
"You really like to eat," she couldn't help but say.
Xu Gui cupped her face and said, "If you had lived a life like mine when you were little, you would like to eat too... Humans are so amazing, how can they make such delicious food?"
Hearing her words, Yuan Lu thought Xu Gui was referring to her life in the orphanage, but Xu Gui was actually talking about her past life as a Xuan Turtle.
Xuan Turtles, in essence, are still turtles. Turtles are mostly very lazy, able to bury themselves in the sand for hundreds of years. This resulted in a very poor culinary culture among the Xuan Turtle clan. Xu Gui ate fish, shrimp, and seaweed from the sea when she was little, which led her to believe for a long time that all food in the world was like that.
But after she became human, she opened up a new world and realized that there were actually such delicious foods in the world.
Humans are amazing!
After becoming human, her greatest satisfaction was with the food. It was far better than the fish and shrimp she used to eat—in fact, the fish and shrimp there were delicious, much better than those on Earth, sweet and flavorful, brimming with spiritual energy.
However, no matter how delicious something is, no one can stand eating it every day, especially since it was supposedly all-natural, uncooked, and without any seasoning.
Xu Gui sighed: Only after becoming human did she realize the hardships she had endured before.
Over there, the young woman who had been upstairs finally came down. She glanced cautiously at Lu Baiyi, who was on the phone, and seeing that he wasn't looking this way, she ate a moment and then sat down with Xu Gui and the others.
"Who are you to Lu Baiyi?" she asked, her voice laced with hostility. "How come you're with him?"
Xu Gui looked up at her and said, "Shouldn't we be asking you that? Who are you to Lu Baiyi?"
The woman's eyes darted around, and then Xu Gui said, "Don't lie. If you lie, I'll know."
The woman said without batting an eye, "...I, of course I'm Baiyi's fiancée."
Xu Gui chuckled.
"Aren't you his second aunt's niece?" she retorted.
The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know? Did Lu Baiyi tell you?"
Xu Gui said calmly, "Didn't I tell you, don't lie? If you lie, I'll know..."
The woman was completely bewildered.
However, Xu Gui's move instilled a certain fear in the woman, making her unusually timid when he asked her questions.
Yuan Lu, watching from the side, remarked: "This young lady doesn't seem very bright."
According to the young woman's self-introduction, her surname was Yu, and her name was Yu Fei.
Yu Fei was young, only in her early twenties. Her face was somewhat round, with chubby cheeks, giving her a youthful appearance, but the heavy makeup created an incongruous effect, like a child wearing adult clothes.
Even so, she was still very beautiful, with a slender, delicate figure, a small face, and large, watery eyes, looking pitiful yet timid, tender and beautiful, like a delicate, vine-like beauty.
Her aura was contradictory, both youthful and alluring, like a plump, unripe peach, exuding a fragrant aroma that was unripe yet irresistible.
It was contradictory and discordant.
According to Yu Fei, she was Lu Baiyi's second aunt's niece, so her relationship with Lu Baiyi was that of distant relatives, though they had only met once or twice when they were young and hadn't seen each other since.
This was actually their second meeting since they grew up; the first time…
"The first time we met after growing up, he actually called me a 'rotten peach blossom' right off the bat!" Yu Fei said, spitting out lychees, her expression indignant. "He went too far! How can a beautiful girl like me be called a 'rotten peach blossom'?"
Clearly, their first meeting after growing up wasn't pleasant.
Xu Gui looked at her, somewhat amused, and asked, "What kind of beautiful girl would so brazenly sneak into someone else's bed?"
Yu Fei blushed, probably realizing that what she had said wasn't right.
She said somewhat awkwardly, "My aunt said that men can't resist temptation. For men, a woman with her clothes off is like a piece of fat meat; no man wouldn't want to eat her… As long as I do this, Lu Boyi will definitely be unable to resist pouncing on me, and then we can consummate our relationship."
Saying this, she got angry again, saying, "I've been waiting in bed since four in the afternoon, but who knew Lu Boyi would only be back now? I've already taken several naps in bed!"
Xu Gui subconsciously glanced at the time; it was 10:30 PM. They arrived around 10 PM, meaning Yu Fei had waited from four in the afternoon until ten at night.
She was quite patient.
"So, after you and Lu Boyi consummate your relationship, what do you plan to do?" Xu Gui asked her.
Hearing this question, Yu Fei looked somewhat bewildered, then said uncertainly, "So, marry him?"
Xu Gui asked again, "And after you get married, what do you want to do?"
Yu Fei: "Have children?"
She didn't even realize that when she said this, her eyes were full of confusion and uncertainty, even a little awkward and at a loss.
Xu Gui looked at her: "Besides getting married and having children, don't you have any other things you particularly want to do? For example, reading, painting, or singing?"—Although she didn't really know what human girls would do after they grew up.
But the girls in the orphanage liked reading and painting.
"You're still young, you can definitely try doing other things first..." she said to Yu Fei.
Xu Gui felt that everyone, even turtles, would have things they wanted to do.
Like herself, she loved eating human food and wanted to eat lots of delicious food, and because she wanted to build the orphanage into the largest in the world, she was also working hard to earn money.
But Yu Fei, she didn't seem to have these thoughts?
"...I...I don't think I have anything I particularly want to do," Yu Fei said somewhat absentmindedly. "My mom says that if I could marry into a good family like my aunt and enjoy a lifetime of happiness, that would be a blessing from our ancestors."
Yuan Lu, listening, suddenly felt something was amiss. She couldn't help but ask, "Miss Yu, at your age, you should still be in school, right?"
Yu Fei shook her head. "No, I stopped after high school...My mom says that studying isn't very useful. My aunt only graduated from high school, but she married into a good family like my uncle's!"
Her tone was relaxed, as if she didn't see anything wrong with her words. Her expression even seemed cruelly naive.
Yuan Lu found it unbelievable—was this really the kind of talk she heard in the 21st century? She thought that the idea that studying was useless had long since disappeared from society.
Yuan Lu couldn't help but look at Xu Gui.
Xu Gui, however, had a normal expression, as if she had expected Yu Fei's words. She simply looked at Yu Fei and said, "You said you don't have anything you particularly want to do, but don't you really like wearing makeup?"
Yu Fei was taken aback.
"Didn't you say you wanted to be a makeup artist when you were little, to do beautiful makeup for pretty people?"
"My mom said that was a waste of time..."
"I'm not asking about your mom's opinion!" Xu Gui stared intently at her, saying, "I'm asking about you! I want to know your thoughts, I want to know if you still want to be a makeup artist!"
"Tell me, do you still want to be a makeup artist?"
Yu Fei felt flustered under her intense gaze. "
I, I..."