"I'll have someone bring over a preservation cabinet," Butler Mu said quickly.
Everything was arranged. Lu Wanqing tidied up all the rice, seasonings, and ingredients, storing them in the kitchen cabinets. Then, she took out the items she needed one by one.
Lu Wanqing officially began cooking. She scooped out the rice, rinsed it clean, put it in the rice cooker, covered it, and started cooking. Next, she prepared the vegetables and meat dishes. Oh, and there had to be soup.
Lu Wanqing prepared everything methodically. Under her delicate hands, the vegetables were quickly stripped of their excess yellow leaves, leaving only the tenderest parts in the basin.
She picked up the cleaned tender vegetables, placed them under the faucet, and turned it on with one hand to let the water flow.
Upstairs, Lu Yuanyuan was pacing anxiously. She had already heard Mu Srui's detailed account of what happened last night and this morning. Sijie Ge and Mu Lan had both promised to keep their distance from Lu Wanqing, yet in such a short time, they had resumed their intimate relationship. What did that signify?
It could only mean that Sijie Ge must have sent someone to investigate, and Lu Wanqing was definitely not a problem. She wasn't a zombie like in those old Earth movies.
Actually, it made sense. Since Lu Wanqing came out of the Federal Academy of Sciences, she should be fine. Otherwise, how could the Federal Academy of Sciences explain any incident to the entire interstellar population?
But if Lu Wanqing was fine, then the problem was with her. Lu Wanqing and Sijie Ge already had a child. Lu Wanqing could use the excuse of taking care of the child to openly spend time with Sijie Ge. What if she took the opportunity to seduce Sijie Ge?
No, Lu Wanqing had already seduced Sijie Ge. And she was quite capable; in just a few days, Sijie Ge had been completely captivated by her, spending every evening with her after work!
The more Lu Yuanyuan thought about it, the more uneasy she became. However, she still had a trump card: her family background.
Her father was the richest man in the galaxy. If Sijie Ge were to marry her, the Lu and Mu families would form a strong alliance, bringing immense benefits to both their families. This was a level Lu Wanqing could never reach in her wildest dreams.
If Sijie Ge was smart enough, he would marry her, not Lu Wanqing.
As Lu Yuanyuan pondered, the stone that had been hanging in her throat suddenly dropped. Her eyes regained their sparkle, and a slight smile played on her lips, triumphant.
"Yuanyuan, why are you suddenly smiling?" Mu Srui had been watching Lu Yuanyuan and noticed her somewhat unsettling smile. She felt an inexplicable unease and couldn't help but ask.
Lu Yuanyuan instantly snapped back to attention. She looked at Mu Srui and said, "Ruìruì, what do you think if I confess my feelings to your elder brother?"
"Ah?" Mu Srui was startled. She never expected Lu Yuanyuan's train of thought to shift so quickly. Wasn't she just worried about Lu Wanqing stealing her elder brother? And now she wanted to confess so soon?
Lu Yuanyuan smiled and nodded. She walked over, took Mu Srui's hand, and said, "Ruìruì, I've thought it through. I'm going to confess to your elder brother right now. With our families' backgrounds, an alliance is the most suitable. Your elder brother will definitely not refuse."
Mu Srui: "..."
Lu Yuanyuan looked into Mu Srui's eyes and said excitedly, "Ruìruì, help me think too, how should I confess?"
It took Mu Srui a while to process. She asked disbelievingly, "You really want to confess?"
"Of course. Not only confess, but if your elder brother is willing, I think we could get married this year!" Lu Yuanyuan exclaimed excitedly. The more she thought about it, the more thrilled she became.
Mu Srui looked at Lu Yuanyuan's excited expression, her mind blank. After a moment, she nodded, agreeing, "Okay, okay."
"But Mu Lan's situation still needs to be resolved," Lu Yuanyuan added suddenly.
Mu Srui was stunned again, looking bewildered, "Resolve what?"
Lu Yuanyuan looked at Mu Srui and said seriously, "Of course, we can't let Mu Lan be so close to Lu Wanqing!"
"Ruìruì, think about it. Mu Lan is Sijie Ge's child. Sijie Ge must love Mu Lan very much. If Mu Lan is very close to Lu Wanqing, wouldn't that mean Lu Wanqing could use Mu Lan's name to seduce Sijie Ge in the future?"
Mu Srui followed Lu Yuanyuan's line of reasoning and actually thought it made sense, yet she felt something wasn't quite right.
Although Yuanyuan liked her elder brother, and she wanted Yuanyuan and her elder brother to be together, Lu Wanqing was Mu Lan's mother. This was something no one could replace. It wasn't right for them to… disrupt the relationship between a mother and son, was it?
Moreover, Mu Srui felt that if her elder brother found out about this, he definitely wouldn't like it.
"Yuanyuan, why don't we just focus on planning the confession? Let's not worry about other things. If Elder Brother finds out, he'll be angry," Mu Srui couldn't help but remind her.
Lu Yuanyuan opened her mouth, about to say something, but upon hearing Mu Srui's words, she quickly closed it and then smiled, pretending to agree, "Mmm, I know. I was just saying, I won't do anything."
Hearing her say that, Mu Srui's spirits lifted again. She thought for a moment and then said, "Then Yuanyuan, let's think together about how to confess to my Elder Brother?"
Lu Yuanyuan immediately nodded, and the two girls huddled together, excitedly discussing.
They were both young girls in the bloom of youth, familiar with all sorts of romantic confession methods. One suggestion after another was proposed. Whether they would succeed in the future was unknown, but at the moment, their faces were flushed as they discussed, finding it delightful.
In the kitchen, Lu Wanqing had been busy for a long time and finally finished preparing dinner. The time was just right for the meal.
Mu Sijie raised his wrist and glanced at the time on his optical computer. He smiled and said, "Mom and Dad should be back soon. Uncle Bojian, have the robots bring these dishes to the dining room."
Butler Mu nodded quickly, respectfully agreeing, and then went to fetch a housekeeping robot from another kitchen to carry out the dishes Lu Wanqing had painstakingly prepared for over an hour.
Just as they were bringing the dishes to the dining room, a hovercar pulled up outside their house. It was Mu Sijie's parents and grandparents, returning from a day of work at the company.
Hearing the commotion, Butler Mu hurried to the door to greet them.
Mu Sijie also went to meet them.
Mu Lan, holding Lu Wanqing's hand, looked up at her and said happily, "Mommy, it's Grandpa and Grandma! Let's go greet them!"
The little one had left early that morning and didn't know that his great-grandfather and great-grandmother had also gone out.
Lu Wanqing gently rubbed the child's head and nodded with a smile, "Okay."
They walked outside together. But no one knew that at this moment, Lu Wanqing felt a strange sense of unease. This morning, she had a peculiar feeling about how Mu Sijie's parents and grandparents had left, as if they were avoiding something, or perhaps afraid of her?