Chapter 487 - 486: As If a Different Species

"But aren’t you going back to Villa No. 2? Why are you getting out of the car with me?"

It was her car and her bodyguard, but Yun Zijin didn’t mind having Zero One drive Lu Yunque to Villa No. 2.

"It’s still early. I was worried you’d be bored at home, so I came over to keep you company."

Lu Yunque’s excuse sounded righteous, but Yun Zijin didn’t believe a word of it.

Still, Yun Zijin didn’t try to send him away. With so many servants in the villa, she wasn’t worried Lu Yunque would dare to do anything too out of line.

After entering Villa No. 1, Lu Yunque didn’t let his eyes wander. He walked over to the living room sofa with practiced ease and sat down.

Wang Minli was Yun Zijin’s housekeeper. Seeing Lu Yunque arrive, her expression was neither pleased nor displeased.

"Mr. Lu, this tea has gone cold. Allow me to brew a fresh pot for you."

Wang Minli took the teapot from the table and prepared to return to the tea room to brew a new pot.

"Don’t tell me... you only came over for a sip of my tea!"

Yun Zijin refused to believe that Lu Yunque had really come over to keep her company out of fear she’d be bored. It was obvious he was after her tea leaves.

Lu Yunque rubbed his nose and didn’t answer, but Yun Zijin knew she had just hit the nail on the head.

"Didn’t you take some when Uncle Yan came asking for tea leaves before?"

’Does he think the tea tastes better when it’s brewed here or something?’

"The old master confiscated everything I got from you."

Lu Yunque had already prepared a share for the old master, but who would have thought he’d take everything?

He was the junior, so he couldn’t very well argue with an elder over such things.

Yun Zijin looked at Lu Yunque with a hint of sympathy. "All right, if you want to drink some, just tell me. You can come over anytime."

Although the only way she could get Lingwu tea was through rewards from consumption tasks, the amount she received each time was quite large, so Yun Zijin had a small stash saved up.

"This tea of yours is exceptional. Even by the old master’s standards, it would be considered top-grade. If you put it up for auction, it would definitely fetch a high price."

"Forget it. It’s not like I need the money. An auction is out of the question."

There wasn’t even enough for her and her friends to drink. If she put it up for auction and more people learned about Lingwu tea, her entire cabinet of stock would be plundered in no time.

Lu Yunque was only making a suggestion; what she did was ultimately up to Yun Zijin.

"The kitchen is starting on dinner. If you’re not in a hurry, why don’t you stay and eat before you go?"

They had left the equestrian club around 5 p.m., so by the time they got back to Xingyu Mansion, it was just about time for dinner.

Lu Yunque had been waiting for her to say exactly that. He agreed without a hint of hesitation, "Okay!"

’If I could stay the night, that would be even better.’

But that was a thought Lu Yunque would only dare to have in his mind; he would never, ever say it out loud.

They were still just boyfriend and girlfriend and hadn’t even held an engagement ceremony yet. Lu Yunque didn’t dare make such an outrageous request.

However, speaking of engagements, Lu Yunque was already making plans.

He didn’t dare to think about marriage just yet, but an engagement was definitely something he could start thinking about.

Lu Yunque stole a glance at Yun Zijin, his mind already starting to outline his plan.

Yun Zijin didn’t notice anything was off with Lu Yunque. Her attention was completely captivated by the various small pastries Wang Minli was bringing out from the kitchen.

That was the only bad thing about her chef at home. Besides making meals, she would also craft all sorts of pastries every day, forcing Yun Zijin to make the difficult choice of which one to eat first.

It was currently the season when osmanthus flowers were in full bloom, and a single bite of an osmanthus crisp filled her mouth with a lingering fragrance.

Having found something delicious, Yun Zijin didn’t forget to grab one for Lu Yunque to try.

"Just have one. You won’t have any room for dinner otherwise."

Although Lu Yunque also thought they were delicious, he knew how to restrain himself.

Yun Zijin looked at the pastries on the table, torn between wanting to eat them and wanting to save room for dinner.

"Save them for now. I’ll go on a walk with you after dinner to help you digest. You can eat them when we get back from our walk."

As for the issue of gaining weight from eating too much, Lu Yunque thought Yun Zijin would look even better with a little more meat on her bones.

Yun Zijin had no idea Lu Yunque was thinking such things. Hearing his words, she happily accepted his suggestion.

At six o’clock, Yun Zijin pulled Lu Yunque to the dining room table. Wang Minli then led the young maids out from the kitchen, placing dishes on the table one by one.

Wang Minli skillfully covered the pastries that had been on the living room coffee table with a few delicate cloches.

As for whether Yun Zijin would remember them after dinner, that was up to fate.

Because Lu Yunque was there, the kitchen had added two extra dishes today.

Yun Zijin had been particularly fond of shrimp lately, so as usual, there was a plate of poached shrimp for dinner.

Lu Yunque very conscientiously put on a pair of gloves and began peeling shrimp for Yun Zijin.

"Don’t just focus on me. You have to eat too."

Seeing Lu Yunque focus solely on peeling shrimp for her without taking more than a few bites himself, Yun Zijin quickly reminded him.

"It’s fine. I’ll peel for you first. I’m a fast eater."

Even after peeling shrimp for Yun Zijin, Lu Yunque was certain he could still keep up with her eating pace.

The speed he had developed from his training in the army wasn’t something that would fade away with time.

It was his hands, after all. Yun Zijin could protest, but she couldn’t stop him if he refused to listen. In the end, she just let him be.

In the end, by the time Yun Zijin was almost finished eating, Lu Yunque finally started to focus on his own meal.

As Yun Zijin watched Lu Yunque elegantly yet rapidly demolish the food in front of him, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect.

They say teenage boys can eat you out of house and home, but Lu Yunque, who was pushing thirty, could certainly pack it away too.

"My chef’s cooking is pretty good, isn’t it?"

The chef Mei Lin had chosen... well, her skills were absolutely beyond question.

"It’s excellent. The control of the heat is extremely precise."

Lu Yunque had been on missions, eaten dry rations, and sampled countless delicacies. His palate was far more discerning than the average person’s.

The two of them chatted as they walked out of the dining room and headed outside.

They had agreed to go for a walk after dinner, and of course, they had to keep their promise.

After the two left the dining room, Wang Minli and the maids began to clear the table.

Hand in hand, they strolled along a tree-lined path in the back garden of Villa No. 1 at Xingyu Mansion.

"Your two trees, the Ice Tree and the Fire Tree, are growing quite well."

Whether it was because of Yun Zijin or the soil, the Ice Trees and Fire Trees other people grew were just not as tall as the two she had here.

Moreover, they had somehow grown into two perfectly "umbrella-shaped" trees.

"Right? I think so too."

Take the two that Li Yuexing bought at the auction. She often saw him posting pictures or short videos of them on his social media feed these days.

But Yun Zijin had also noticed that after all this time, Li Yuexing’s Ice Tree and Fire Tree looked no different than they had at the auction.

There were no signs of withering, but they just wouldn’t grow.

Huo Yue Lan had also taken a pair of seeds from Yun Zijin, but what she ended up growing were merely person-high potted plants.

If it weren’t for the unique appearance of the Fire Tree and the Ice Tree, you would never recognize them as being the same species if you placed them side-by-side.