Chapter 540 - 539: A Different Kind of Like

For a moment, Lu Yunque’s expression faltered at the children’s words.

"I never said your Sister Zi Jin doesn’t like you, but... there are many kinds of ’like’ in this world.

Sister Zi Jin likes you all as if you were her little brothers and sisters, but she likes me as a boyfriend.

But she can only have one boyfriend, so you can’t all be Sister Zi Jin’s boyfriend, okay?~"

Lu Yunque placed the gifts he was holding on the ground and squatted down, trying to reason with the crowd of children.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are there different kinds of ’like’?"

"Yeah, I like Meimei from kindergarten, and I also like Director Grandma. What’s the difference?"

Lu Yunque: ...

’This... how am I supposed to explain this to you?’

"You’re still young, so it’s okay if you don’t understand. You’ll get it when you grow up.

Right now, I need to go find your Sister Zi Jin and Director Grandma. Can you let me through?

If you’re good kids, I’ll give you presents later, okay?~"

’If nothing else works, presents should get them to listen, right?’

’Why didn’t I realize how hard to handle these kids were the last time I came?’

"Director Grandma isn’t home—"

The children always liked to draw out the last word when they spoke. Lu Yunque found it rather cute.

"That’s okay. I’ll go find Sister Zi Jin and wait for Director Grandma with her."

Lu Yunque unconsciously started calling Liao Zhuxiu "Director Grandma" just like the children did.

"I want to go find Sister Zi Jin too!"

"Me too, me too! I want to play with Sister Zi Jin!"

Hearing that Lu Yunque was going to find Yun Zijin, one of the children instantly set aside the bird’s nest and started running, leading Lu Yunque toward where Yun Zijin was.

Lu Yunque quickly picked up the gifts he had just put on the ground and hurried after the children.

One of his steps was equivalent to several of theirs, so while the children ran ahead, he followed behind at a leisurely pace.

When Yun Zijin stepped out of the house, the sight that greeted her was a handful of little sprouts, with a big one trailing behind them.

Seeing Lu Yunque, an unconscious smile spread across Yun Zijin’s face. "You got here pretty fast."

Lu Yunque replied, "I had to be fast. This is the first time you’re formally introducing me to your family. If I wasn’t quick, Director Auntie might think I don’t take you seriously."

Lu Yunque wanted Liao Zhuxiu to know that he was serious about Yun Zijin and that he was in this relationship with marriage in mind.

Hearing Lu Yunque’s words, Yun Zijin’s mood clearly brightened.

"You can put your things here. Go sit in the living room and wait; Director Mama should be back soon."

She saw that Lu Yunque was still laden with bags, which were clearly gifts for everyone at the orphanage.

But since Liao Zhuxiu wasn’t home—the main person he was here to see—no one else could touch them.

Of course, Lu Yunque did as Yun Zijin said and sat where she told him to.

When Liao Zhuxiu returned home, her first sight of Lu Yunque was of him sitting in the living room, sharing an intimate moment with Yun Zijin.

"AHEM!"

Liao Zhuxiu let out two fake coughs, and the pair immediately sprang apart.

Only then did the two of them finally notice Liao Zhuxiu, their faces instantly becoming incredibly awkward.

"Xiao Lu, you were here last time when Zijin came back, weren’t you?"

Liao Zhuxiu recognized Lu Yunque at first glance as one of the young men who had come back with Yun Zijin last time.

’Back then, she had wondered which lucky girl would end up with such a high-quality catch.’

She never expected that, as fate would have it, the lucky girl she’d thought about would turn out to be her own Yun Zijin.

"Yes. I hadn’t managed to win Zijin over last time, but now that I finally have, I came back to see you at the first opportunity."

A smile was plastered on Lu Yunque’s face as he tried his best to appear more approachable.

"These are some small gifts I brought for everyone."

Lu Yunque quickly handed all the items he was holding over to Liao Zhuxiu one by one.

"Just you coming is enough, why bring so many gifts? Zijin just bought them so many toys and dolls for New Year’s Day. If you buy any more, the rooms will be overflowing."

But even though she said that, the smile never left Liao Zhuxiu’s face.

Regardless, the fact that he knew to bring gifts for his first visit proved that Lu Yunque was truly taking this meeting with her seriously.

"This is my first time formally visiting you, so of course I should bring some gifts for the children. I promise I won’t bring so many next time."

This statement from Lu Yunque made Liao Zhuxiu’s smile even wider.

"Alright! Since you’ve already brought them, I can’t ask you to take them back. You can hand them out to the children yourself. Dinner will be ready soon."

Liao Zhuxiu had personally gone out to buy groceries today to host Lu Yunque.

"Zijin can hand them out. Let me help you with the cooking. My skills aren’t on a professional level, but my food tastes pretty decent."

Lu Yunque knew how to cook, and he also knew that a man who could cook scored major points with the girlfriend’s family.

Of course, that didn’t apply to parents with more traditional, patriarchal views.

Sure enough, when Liao Zhuxiu heard Lu Yunque say he could cook, her eyes lit up instantly.

"You know how to cook? I would have thought that a big boss like you wouldn’t be very good at it."

Given he ran a company like the Lu Group, Liao Zhuxiu found it truly difficult to imagine what Lu Yunque would look like in a kitchen.

"Yes! I studied abroad for a while, and I cooked for myself back then."

With the Lu Family’s wealth, they could have certainly hired a chef for Lu Yunque, but he was a very territorial person and disliked having strangers in his house for long periods.

Therefore, while studying abroad, Lu Yunque would only occasionally hire a cleaner. He handled everything else himself.

However, Lu Yunque already knew how to cook; his skills had just improved significantly during his time abroad.

And to Liao Zhuxiu, the fact that Lu Yunque cooked for himself while studying abroad meant one thing: ’Not only can he cook, but he can also handle housework. It’s a win-win!’

Liao Zhuxiu shot a subtle glance at Yun Zijin. ’Her taste in men is pretty good, no worse than my own back in the day.’

"That’s great, but we don’t need your help today. The kitchen in our orphanage has its own system. If you join in, you might throw them off their rhythm."

The staff in the orphanage’s kitchen were a fixed team.

Everyone had their own daily tasks. If a new person suddenly appeared, their duties might change.

And that small change could potentially bring the entire kitchen’s operations to a halt.

"In that case, I’d better not disturb their work. Zijin and I will go give the gifts to the children!"

Hearing Liao Zhuxiu say this, Lu Yunque didn’t insist further.

Liao Zhuxiu waved her hand. "Go on. Seeing that pile of things you brought in, those kids definitely can’t sit still any longer."

Because every time someone came in with bags big and small, they would get a gift, large or small. So whenever someone arrived carrying things, the children would think they were about to get new toys.