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"That white-haired man too? Shameless, raising three kids and still daring to date someone with such good prospects."

The waitress wanted to speak up for Lou Yu and his group, but there were more people criticizing them than speaking up. She was immediately silenced as soon as she opened her mouth, and her face turned green with anger.

Fortunately, she wasn't completely isolated and helpless. By the time the waiters returned after serving the dishes, her reinforcements had arrived.

"You lot are talking nonsense! What era are we living in? We don't even know if we'll be alive tomorrow, and you're still arguing about some damn blood relation."

"That white-haired gentleman and his child were very polite, thanking each of us. They were happily together, so why are you all being so sour?"

"Luckily, he's an esper, not Lou Yu? If what you're saying is true, when the mutated monsters attacked the base, Lou Yu was a complete stranger to us, so why did he risk his life to protect us, even getting seriously injured and hospitalized several times?"

"So what if I'm a stepfather? White hair? My husband is handsome and gentle, and the kids are well-behaved and sensible. If I were that kind of person—rich and powerful—I'd also date someone like him!"

The waiter who went to serve the food not only saw a family with exceptionally good looks, but also felt their humility and politeness.

One of the colleagues was so excited that he almost knocked over the dishes, but the white-haired gentleman stepped in to help catch him. The three children asked him worriedly if he had been frightened or burned.

Such a kind family naturally won the favor of many waiters, who were also willing to speak up for them.

Those who were pessimistic were fiercely criticized and fled in fear.

After they left, the remaining allies continued gossiping.

"Now that we're all on the same side, let's whisper. Don't you guys think the three kids look a lot like Lou Yu and Mr. White Hair? They almost look like their children."

"I think so too, but... two men can't have a child."

"Is it possible that the child's mother is a relative of Lou Yu's family, which is why the child resembles him?"

"I think this explanation is quite reasonable."

"But regardless of whether he's biologically related or not, I fully support Lou Yu and Mr. White Hair dating and him becoming a father to three children."

"Me too? Me too?."

Tao Qiu and Lou Yu noticed the sidelong glances from passersby and the unusual behavior of the waiters, because this was exactly the effect they wanted to achieve.

Besides learning the way, the main purpose of going out today was to spread the word about Tao Qiu and the child's existence, as well as their relationship with Lou Yu.

As for the possibility of some bad rumors being spread, they anticipated it and were in no hurry to defend themselves, knowing that the truth would eventually come out.

The whole family has a big appetite, and they finished almost all the dishes on the table. In this time of food shortage, being able to eat is also a form of thrift.

As they paid at the front desk, everyone in the lobby turned their attention to them, some with good intentions and some with bad, but mostly with the former.

After deducting the money, the cashier returned the card to Lou Yu, and at the same time smiled sincerely and said to them, "Congratulations, Captain Lou, on finding your perfect match! You two look very well-matched. I wish you a long and happy life together."

Upon hearing this, the three children chorused, "May we be forever united in heart and grow old together!"

The childlike tone was lively, pleasant to the ear, and innocent.

Lou Yu smiled and patted the children's heads, then said to the cashier, "Thank you for your blessing."

Tao Qiu remembered the cashier's appearance and said with a smile, "Thank you, and I wish you all the best."

The family walked out of the restaurant amidst many stares, arrived at the parking area, and were about to open the car door when they heard a voice calling from behind them.

"Captain Lou."

They turned around at the same time and saw a couple walking towards them hand in hand; it was the woman who called out to them.

Upon seeing someone he knew, Lou Yu smiled.

Upon reaching them, the woman continued, "Long time no see! Are you all done eating and leaving?"

"Oh? Oh, you two are also going to lunch?"

"Yes, I didn't expect to meet you here." When the woman looked at Tao Qiu and the three children, her eyes revealed a look of amazement. The white-haired man and the three children were all very good-looking.

Who are this gentleman and child?

Lou Yu introduced them, "This is Tao Qiu, my lover. These three are my children, Tao Mo, Tao Xue, and Tao Yuan. They are from the Yongkang Base and just returned to Yong'an with me yesterday. I brought them out for a stroll today."

The couple had run into Lou Yu by sheer coincidence. They hadn't had a chance to hear any gossip about Lou Yu before, so Lou Yu's words truly shocked them.

Before they could think further, Tao Qiu said, "Hello."

The three kids joined in the greeting. "Good afternoon, Auntie and Uncle!"

The two instinctively smiled and replied, "Hello, Mr. Tao, hello, you three children."

Seeing their somewhat dazed expressions, Lou Yu felt it wasn't appropriate to provoke them any further, so he took the initiative and said, "Then you two enjoy your meal, we'll be going now."

"Okay, okay." The two were still brainstorming when they gave a dry reply, then stepped aside to make way for them, watching helplessly as the others drove away.

After the car had driven some distance, Lou Yu said to Tao Qiu, "The first time I bought clothes for the children, it was this lady who gave me the advice."

Tao Qiu still remembered this. "So it was her?"

When the couple arrived at the restaurant, they realized that everyone seemed to be discussing Lou Yu's situation.

During their meal, the two overheard most of what everyone was saying and roughly figured out the cause and effect.

The woman recalled her meeting with Lou Yu, feeling that something was amiss. It wasn't until she got home that she suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!"

Her husband asked her, "What's wrong?"

The woman suddenly realized, "I remember now! The shoes those three children were wearing are exactly the same as the ones I suggested the building manager buy. My daughter has the same style of shoes, so I remember them very clearly."

Husband or...? Confused: "So what?"

"Tsk, are you... or are you... stupid?" The woman glared at him before saying, "Everyone says that Captain Lou fell in love with Mr. Tao at first sight during his trip to the Yongkang Base, which is why he brought him and the child back. But buying clothes and shoes was so long ago. I remember Captain Lou saying at the time that he was giving them to a friend's child, but now those three children are wearing the shoes, which means Captain Lou had a relationship with them a long time ago."

The husband said, "There are so many of the same style of shoes in the store, maybe she just bought them."

"No, no, no, I think it's... those pairs I suggested the building manager buy that time."

"Okay, let's say that's it. Besides proving that Captain Lou had prior contact with Mr. Tao and the child, right? And that they only recently fell in love at first sight, what other meaning does it have?"

The woman said, "My intuition tells me there's more to this than meets the eye... But while we can discuss it privately, you can't tell anyone about our conversation. Go ahead, didn't you see how venomous those people in the restaurant were? If they find out, who knows what they'll say next."

"I understand. I'm not stupid; I wouldn't go out and spread rumors."

Lou Yu, as the base's only ability user, always does his best to protect the base whenever danger arises, and the couple greatly admires him.

And before, when her husband went to buy mutated monster meat, Lou Yu even gave him a discount; they both remembered that.

Lou Yu's next stop? The shopping mall, where they need to buy some new clothes and shoes for Tao Qiu and the children.

On the way there, Tao Qiu said to Lou Yu, "I almost forgot, we haven't worn the matching couple outfits and family outfits you bought before. I brought them back with me when we moved."

Lou Yu said, "Those two pieces of fabric are too thin. Let's wait until summer to wear them. We'll go buy some thicker ones later."

"Okay, let's buy both couple outfits and matching family outfits, what do you think?"

"Sure, Qiuqiu can buy whatever she wants."

"Wow, that's incredibly extravagant!"

Lou Yu raised an eyebrow. "You are my husband and children. If I don't show off my wealth to you, who should I show off to?"

Tao Qiu smiled brightly, "You know how to talk."

In order to find clothes that were both suitable and to their liking, they visited almost every clothing store and bought quite a lot. In the end, even the three kids each carried a bag.

Naturally, just like in a restaurant, they also attracted a lot of attention and gossip.

When we got back to the car, the space between the front and back seats was filled with shopping bags.

Tao Qiu rubbed her calves and said, "Shopping is really tiring. Let's not go anywhere else and go home first. We have a welcome banquet tonight, and I want to rest."

The kids were exhausted too, slumped in the back seat and didn't want to move.

Lou Yu said, "Alright, let's go back."

Halfway through the drive, when they reached a familiar road, the kids, having caught their breath, crowded around him excitedly, saying, "Daddy Lou Yu, we know the way! Let us show you the way!"

"Sure, then I'll leave it to our little navigation systems." Lou Yu didn't say anything like "I know the way better than you guys," not wanting to spoil the kids' fun.

The kids weren't lying before; they said they remembered, and they really did. After that, whether it was a main road or a side road, they could clearly and correctly tell you which way to go straight and which way to turn.

Lou Yu was both surprised and delighted to see this; his darlings were indeed very clever.

As soon as Lou Yu got home, he received a message from Lou Quan.

Lou Yu handed the table to Tao Qiu, saying, "This restaurant isn't far from our house, only a ten-minute drive. The banquet starts at seven, so let's go at six. It wouldn't be good to be late."

Tao Qiu also said, "The remaining time? It's just right to use it to... present a gift."

They got out of the car while talking and carried all the shopping bags into the house.

Chen Lin was busy in his study when he heard the commotion. He came out to check, told them something, and then went back inside.