Volume 11: The Lingering Warmth of Melting Snow
Chapter 30: The Arriving Miko
Lu Li asked himself, ever since his breakup with Jingyi, he had never had the thought of actively provoking another girl. So who could be looking for him? Was it a classmate from high school? Or perhaps a friend from the Mulan Low-Rent District? Lu Li had very few friends; he could count them on one hand.
When he returned to the courtyard of his home with a stomach full of doubts, the first thing he saw was seven or eight dogs of various fur colors frolicking and running in his yard. They weren’t pet dogs, but common and unremarkable stray dogs. Lu Li wasn’t particularly fond of dogs to begin with, and his impression of stray dogs was limited to them being breeding grounds for germs, disobedient, and possessive of food and aggressive. Before he even entered the door, he already had a preconceived notion. The stray dogs, upon seeing Lu Li enter, surrounded him with their tongues hanging out, not with malice, but with fawning barks. A wave of dog smell hit Lu Li, making him frown slightly. Perhaps he had grown too used to the smell of cats at home and was particularly sensitive to the smell of dogs.
What kind of person brings stray dogs into someone else’s home… Lu Li’s face fell, and he continued toward the door. The people inside heard the dogs barking and opened the door. It was An Baili. “Li, you’re finally back. Someone’s looking for you. They insisted on seeing you before they would say who they are…”
Lu Li gave a serious “mm.” It seemed he would have to properly teach this uninvited guest how to be a guest. Entering the house, the first thing he saw was a flash of bright yellow. It was a large yellow hat, which seemed familiar. Under the hat was chestnut-colored long hair, which seemed a little messy, perhaps from not being cared for for a long time. Further down was a pair of large toad-like sunglasses and a black mask, a stark contrast to the woman’s tender white skin. Lu Li grumbled to himself: Doesn’t she even know the courtesy of taking off her hat when entering a house?
Lu Li cleared his throat. His attitude was not friendly, nor did he greet her, just looked at her with feigned severity.
But the yellow-hatted woman’s next sentence made Lu Li instantly lose his composure. “Good morning, Mr. Producer~” She stood up joyfully, took off her hat, and approached Lu Li. She didn’t smell very pleasant, and her clothes were also quite messy.
Lu Li’s thoughts spun three times in his head. There was only one person who would call him “Mr. Producer,” and that was Zhu Qiao, whom he had mistaken for Zhu Xi. Was it really Zhu Qiao? The names Zhu Xi and Zhu Qiao collided in Lu Li’s mind. The words, actions, and faces of the two sisters constantly intertwined and overlapped, making him stop thinking for a moment.
Zhu Qiao took off her sunglasses and mask, revealing a face that had many similarities to Zhu Xi’s—dusty, with black smudges on her face, yet it couldn’t hide those bright eyes, as clear and translucent as mountain spring water, flowing ceaselessly. Lu Li had never seen a woman’s eyes that could be as bright as shining stars, like a flash of lightning illuminating this beautiful face.
At first glance, it would be easy to confuse Zhu Qiao with Zhu Xi, just as Wen Hupo, An Baili, and even Chen Jianing were now. They were dumbfounded and subconsciously blurted out, “Princess?”
But Lu Li could already distinguish the difference between Zhu Qiao and Zhu Xi: Zhu Qiao’s facial lines were softer, not sharp and chiseled like Zhu Xi’s, whose features were clear and cold. Zhu Qiao also loved to smile more, and her words and actions were full of an optimistic and free-spirited temperament, unworldly, the light of her teeth flashing between her red lips.
She was a girl who was shining all over.
“Zhu Qiao?” Lu Li wondered what Zhu Xi would think if she knew the sister she had been searching for so hard was now in his home.
Zhu Qiao nodded like a chick pecking at rice. “It’s me, it’s me! Mr. Producer, you know my name?” She was smiling as she spoke, a joyful smile, a smile without any impurities. Lu Li carefully sized up Zhu Qiao and saw that her yellow coat had faded to a dark yellow, its surface covered in scuff marks, and there was even a tear at the corner. The canvas shoes on her feet were also battered. It was hard to imagine how many obstacles she had overcome after leaving the Yan family, and it was hard to imagine how this girl with nothing could still smile so purely and brightly.
“Your sister told me…” The thought Lu Li had of teaching her the “way of a guest” vanished into thin air. He was at a loss for a moment, rubbing his hands together on his body, wanting to pull something out to give to Zhu Qiao as a meeting gift. But right now, all he had on him besides his phone was the “payment for services” from Zhu Xi.
Zhu Qiao was the first to take a ring out of the inner pocket of her coat and presented it with both hands. “Mr. Producer, this is the meeting gift I brought from home. It was given to me by my sister before. I don’t have anything too valuable, so I can only give you this. Please don’t dislike it…”
Lu Li carefully took the ring. “Of course not, of course not. Little Qiao, can I call you Little Qiao?” Someone stepped on his foot. Lu Li didn’t see clearly which girl it was, but it was most likely Chen Jianing.
Zhu Qiao’s smile grew even happier. “Of course you can~ That’s what Sister Xi calls me.”
Lu Li looked down at the ring and saw a line of small characters laser-engraved on the inside: “From Xi to Qiao.”
This girl, Little Qiao, is really so generous, Lu Li thought with emotion. “Little Qiao, I came in a hurry and didn’t bring you a meeting gift. Next time—no, how about I make it up to you this afternoon? Come, come, have a seat.”
After clearly distinguishing between Zhu Qiao and Zhu Xi, Lu Li re-examined his previous chat history with Zhu Qiao and only then discovered that this girl had always existed as his little fangirl. Not to mention the daily good mornings and good nights, every time she saw some negative comments, she would take the initiative to report them to Lu Li, and she would also ask for Lu Li’s advice on the small confusions she encountered in life. It was a pity that Lu Li had always been wary of Zhu Xi back then, and his answers to Zhu Qiao’s questions had always been ambiguous, and sometimes even perfunctory.
Lu Li looked back at the surprised and uncertain girls. “She is Zhu Xi’s sister, Zhu Qiao. Her biological sister.”
“Then is she also a princess?” A trace of envy flowed from An Baili’s eyes. It’s so good to be a princess. You can casually ask Lu Li out, and you can get Lu Li’s attention. If she were also a princess, it wouldn’t have been so difficult back then.
Hearing Baili’s question, Zhu Qiao shook her head seriously. “No, I’m not a princess. Sister Xi is the princess. I’m just a little Miko who sweeps the floor in the ancestral hall.”
An Baili’s gaze fell on Zhu Qiao’s chest. Although she was dressed conservatively, her chest was full and ample. No matter how you looked at it, she was not a “little” Miko. She cupped her own breasts with a touch of sadness. In the past, she thought her breasts were just the right size, but now it seemed Lu Li still preferred larger ones.
Lu Li looked at An Baili’s sly little gaze and knew this girl’s mind had wandered off to some boundless place again. He patted her cheek with a wry smile. “Be good. Help me get some fruit from the fridge in the back kitchen. I’ll spend time with you later, okay?”
Wen Hupo tactfully pulled the gossipy Chen Jianing along to the back kitchen. Chen Jianing was still shouting, “Why are you pulling me? Lu Li didn’t ask me to go…”
After the living room quieted down, Lu Li poured a pot of tea for Zhu Qiao. After all, Zhu Qiao’s matter involved the secrets of the Zhu family. Before he could be absolutely certain, it was better not to let the girls at home know things they shouldn’t.
“Little Qiao, have some tea.” Lu Li asked gently, “Did you come alone?”
