Once he recovered, Chu Yi'an gave Tongtong a sympathetic look, then looked at the others wearing the same shocked expressions and said helplessly.
"My mom isn't very good at cooking. A while ago, she suddenly wanted mushrooms, so she bought some at the supermarket, but she didn't cook them through, and Tongtong ended up in the hospital. Then there was the time she didn't wash the vegetables properly, and Tongtong got diarrhea and had to get another shot."
Tongtong nodded repeatedly beside him. Yes, that was exactly what had happened.
Everyone: !!!
"Tongtong's mom really is something else." The corner of Gu Wancheng's mouth twitched as he stiffly offered a word of praise.
Chu Yi'an smiled awkwardly and offered no opinion on the matter.
Everyone tacitly moved on.
"Everyone's full, right?"
"If I said no, would you bring over your chicken soup?" Jian Yue asked resentfully.
They could smell the chicken soup from far away, while they were eating yesterday's leftovers. It was practically impossible to swallow, utterly tasteless.
Chen Liqing smiled faintly and said, "No. Now, please come and collect your tools."
Several buckets of different colors sat beside him, some large and some small, with a few little shovels inside.
"Mommy, I want the pink one." Mi Tu looked at the miniature pink bucket, her voice full of longing.
There were two little pink buckets, clearly intended for Mi Tu and Tongtong, so Xu Xiashi went up, took one, and handed it to her.
Mi Tu wore a pink sun hat with a big bow at the back, its two tails hanging down behind her like a cute little lop-eared rabbit. Holding her pink bucket, she happily spun in a circle. "Mommy, do I look like the little girl picking mushrooms?"
[Yes! Baby, that's you!]
[Baby, you're a little bunny cake!]
[So cute, I can't breathe.]
Xu Xiashi clutched her chest. "Yes. You're so cute, sweetheart."
"Thank you, Mommy."
"What color bucket would you like, Chaochao?"
"Can I have pink?"
Gu Wancheng looked at him in surprise. He hadn't expected Chaochao to like pink.
What a contrast.
[I never expected Chaochao to have such a girlish heart.]
[Pink isn't just for girls. It's perfectly normal for Chaochao to like it.]
Chaochao tugged at his hand. Gu Wancheng looked at the remaining pink bucket, a little troubled. Mi Tu had already taken one, and the remaining one was Tongtong's.
Chen Liqing probably hadn't expected a boy to like pink either.
Hearing Chaochao's words, Chu Yi'an came over. "Brother Gu, Tongtong doesn't like pink. Let's swap."
Tongtong held out the pink bucket to Chaochao. "Yep, yep! I hate pink the most."
"My sister keeps buying Tongtong pink clothes and dresses. Being forced to wear pink from head to toe made her hate it."
"Thank you, then. Chaochao, say thank you to Tongtong."
"Thank you, Tongtong."
"It's okay." Holding Chaochao's blue bucket, Tongtong smiled and waved her hand.
"All right, has everyone got their equipment?"
The little ones eagerly played along. "We've got it!"
"Then come with us."
With the little ones around, every remark got a response. "Okay!"
Watching them, Chen Liqing felt his shattered conscience gradually mend.
Following Chen Liqing, Gu Wancheng admired the surrounding scenery as he walked. Unlike the neatly arranged, carefully designed trees and greenery in the city, everything here felt free and unrestrained. The air was fresh, and as they drew near the sea, he caught the distinctive salty smell of seawater.
Next time, he could take Bo Yizhou to the seaside with him.
Holding his megaphone with its peeling paint, Chen Liqing said something utterly speechless-making. "All right, you can find your food here now. How well you eat will depend on your luck. I'm sure your luck will get you a seafood feast."
Gu Wancheng gave two dry chuckles inwardly. Luck? Did he even have such a thing? The goddess of luck had always worked against him.
Zhao Chengyu put on a fake smile. "May your words come true, Director Chen."
[Hahaha, who doesn't know about Brother Zhao's luck?]
[Huh? Is he really lucky?]
[No, his luck is terrible. He once bought a stack of scratch cards and didn't win a single yuan.]
[...Isn't that a kind of luck too?]
Chen Liqing didn't blush or miss a beat. "Of course, of course."
Jian Yue: "..." Ha.
Gu Wancheng looked down at the excited Chaochao and sighed inwardly. Never mind. He would give it his best shot.
"Hmph." Lu Keran rolled his eyes at the man before him, crunching noisily on the mint in his mouth.
"What is it now?"
Lu Xuanran looked helplessly at the person who had come to bother him so early in the morning.
"You have the nerve to ask? It's all because of that little lover of yours."
"Who?"
Lu Xuanran looked puzzled. Lu Keran glared at him. "Who else could it be?"
Lu Xuanran's expression remained indifferent, his words showing no regard for Jiang Yu whatsoever. "You mean Jiang Yu? He's not my little lover. Just a little pet."
"But to everyone else, isn't he your little lover?" Lu Keran muttered.
Something flickered in Lu Xuanran's eyes, and he reached out.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? Keep your hands to yourself."
Seeing the hand reaching toward him, Lu Keran grew visibly nervous and hurriedly spoke.
Watching Lu Keran tense up, he chuckled and pressed his hand forward. "What am I doing? Don't you know?"
With that push, Lu Keran fell straight into his arms, both hands braced against his chest. At the sensation beneath his palms, his entire face instantly went red.
He stammered, "Y-you... Can't you have some shame!"
Lu Xuanran stroked his face and, under his shocked gaze, kissed him. Lu Keran's eyes widened, and for a moment, he forgot to struggle.
"Close your eyes."
Lu Keran instinctively closed his eyes. In the darkness, his senses sharpened, and the soft sensation against his lips left his mind blank.
"Open your mouth."
Lu Xuanran used his tongue to pry open his slightly parted lips, slipping inside and chasing his tongue.
Their tongues entwined. Lu Xuanran stared intently at his flushed face, a frightening desire lurking in his eyes.
He guided Lu Keran step by step. Seeing that he could barely breathe, Lu Xuanran pulled back a little, giving him time to recover.
When the kiss ended, Lu Keran gasped for breath, licked his lips, and swung a backhanded slap at him.
With a loud smack, a handprint appeared on Lu Xuanran's face.
He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, his voice husky. "What's wrong? Didn't like it?"
"I was talking to you. What were you using your mouth for? You're so annoying. Let go of me."
The other man obediently released his grip on his waist. "I told you, he's not my little lover."
Lu Keran curled his lip, disbelief written all over his face. Seeing this, Lu Xuanran leaned toward him again.
It frightened him into hurriedly declaring that he believed him.
Lu Keran pushed his face away and said fiercely, "Whether he's your little lover or not, you'd better have someone keep an eye on him."
He raised a hand and rubbed his cheek. "What's wrong?"
"Bo Yizhou's wife and child are on the same variety show as him."
Lu Xuanran's eyes darkened, and he said unhappily, "Why are you always minding other people's family affairs? Can't you pay some attention to me?"
"You? What is there to pay attention to? Just looking at you annoys me."
"If you don't look after me, who will?"
"Oh, give it a rest. Stay away from me, you pervert."