CHAPTER 490: CHAPTER 293: FAMILY REUNION

Xiaoju has had a condition since she was young—she must get up at midnight even if there’s not much in her bladder; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to sleep the rest of the night.

After coming out of the bathroom, she walked a couple of steps in a daze, and then suddenly became alert—a girl’s voice was coming from Young Master Luo’s room!

She listened carefully but could not make out what was being said; however, she was certain that the voice was not the lady’s, causing sweat to seep onto Xiaoju’s palms.

Having worked as a maid at the Secretary’s house for nearly a month, she was well aware of the Secretary’s seriousness and integrity. If he found out... she dared not think further, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"Xiaoju, what are you doing?"

Just like a spinning top, Xiaoju shivered, turned around, and vaguely saw two figures—one tall and one short—standing by the bedroom door.

"I..." Xiaoju stuttered as she approached, her voice low, "Young Master Feng, the Secretary might not be awake yet."

When she had first arrived at the Luo family, she thought to address him as Young Master Feng like on TV, but before Young Master Feng could respond, the Secretary frowned and said, "You’re older than him, just call him Luo Feng!" And so, the form of address was set.

Luo Ye burst into laughter and patted her brother’s shoulder: "It seems you give off the impression of—bad behavior! She’s covering for you."

Xiaoju, in her urgency, waved her hands, her voice unconsciously getting louder, "No, no..."

"Xiaoju, what’s wrong?" The master bedroom door opened, and Wen Xin walked out.

"Mom!" Luo Ye flung herself onto her, hugging her warmly. Wen Xin hadn’t figured out the situation yet; then, the lights in the hall turned on, and the sudden brightness made everyone reflexively squint.

"Grandpa!" The first to clear the situation, Luo Ye let go of Wen Xin and ran to Grandpa who was near the light switch, embracing his arm, her voice sweet and sticky: "I planned to see Grandpa tomorrow morning, didn’t expect to wake you up."

"Ye’er, is... is that really you coming back?" The old man somewhat disbelievingly touched Luo Ye’s cheek: "I’m not dreaming, am I?"

"Dad, even if it is a dream, it’s a family reunion," Wen Xin walked over and put her arm around her daughter’s shoulder: "May this dream last a little longer, and not wake up."

"Ouch!" Xiaoju suddenly cried out.

Seeing everyone look at her, she quickly stretched out her arm, showing two particularly clear purple-red fingerprints: "I... I was just making sure it wasn’t a dream."

Her cheeks burnt almost as red as a piece of cloth when her gaze met the camouflaged, pretty Luo Ye, wondering what kind of mix-up this was and whether Lady Luo would mind.

Worry overwhelmed her, she wanted to explain, but her voice got stuck in her throat, unable to make a sound, making her pinch her throat in desperation.

Luo Ye, understanding her embarrassment, smiled sweetly: "Xiaoju, it’s okay."

Noticing Luo Zhenggang coming out of the bedroom, Luo Ye let go of Grandpa and greeted him: "Dad, I’m back!"

"Ye’er, did you sneak back?" Luo Zhenggang’s eyes were brimming with joy, but his words sounded firm and emphatic.

"Dad, am I that kind of person? Of course, I took leave," Luo Ye withdrew her arm to hold her father’s, her face discontent: "Haven’t seen you for more than three months, and the first thing you say is so cold, seems like Dad doesn’t miss me at all."

"I say I don’t miss you, but I often hold up the family portrait in the bedroom and look at it," Wen Xin said teasingly.

Luo Ye joyfully took her father’s arm: "Dad, tell the truth, you missed me, didn’t you?"

"Look at this return of yours, making the house chaotic," Luo Zhenggang evaded the topic, patting his daughter’s head: "When are you going back?"

Luo Ye pouted in protest at her dad, "The flight’s at noon, I still have a medical check-up in the afternoon."

"Just staying for such a short while?" Wen Xin showed a disappointed face, then, thinking her daughter could come back was a pleasant surprise, she cheered up: "Ye’er, tonight mom will sleep with you, okay?"

Luo Ye, feeling embarrassed, "Mom, I really want to sleep with you, but I have to return to my Master’s villa later, Qu Yue and Master are organizing materials, I must help them."

"Grandpa, Dad, Mom, why don’t we accompany Ye’er and stay over there tonight?" Luo Feng consulted the somewhat disappointed elders.

Grandpa Luo nodded: "Yes, that’s a good idea."

Losing hope but then showing delight again, Wen Xin said: "I’ll go change my clothes quickly."

"Mom, no need, I can stay a bit longer..."

"That’s settled then," Luo Zhenggang interrupted Luo Ye and followed his wife back to their room, and Grandpa Luo and Luo Feng had already—each entered their bedrooms.

"You guys..." Luo Ye helplessly covered her forehead: "I could have stayed at home for an hour or two, everyone’s been through special training, this speed..." Seeing Xiaoju standing there looking bewildered, she initiated conversation: "Xiaoju, are you not afraid being alone at home?"

"Not afraid." Xiaoju hesitated looking at Luo Ye: "Miss Luo, I cook very well, and it’s rare for you to come back, so I’ll follow and cook something delicious for you, okay?"

"No need, you rest well," Luo Ye smiled lightly: "Don’t worry about what happened just now, I won’t mind, just call me Luo Ye."

"I really do want to cook something delicious for you. Before coming here, I used to help out at my aunt’s restaurant, I really enjoy making all kinds of food, just give it a try, please?" Xiaoju pleaded with Luo Ye.

Thinking about leaving her here alone wouldn’t be reassuring, she conceded: "Alright, let’s go together."

"Thank you, Miss Luo." Xiaoju instantly became excited and almost floated as she dashed back to her room; she was 21 this year, having taken college entrance exams last year but performed poorly and missed out.

A year younger than her, a pair of twin brothers who were just one grade below her, considering the heavy burden on their parents, she gave up re-applying to take the exam and went to help out at her aunt’s restaurant instead.

A month ago, cousin Li Yue introduced her to work as a nanny at the Secretary’s house, and even now she feels like she’s dreaming. She initially thought that working as a nanny in an official’s home would involve lots of rules, but to her surprise, the Secretary’s family treated her like one of their own, which made her cherish this opportunity even more.

Just now, seeing how cherished the Secretary’s daughter was, she especially worried that they might dislike her because of the confusion she caused and ask her to leave. If she left... Thinking that she would never see that face again, which wasn’t particularly handsome but immensely soothing, made her heart ache slightly.

Luckily, the Secretary’s daughter agreed to let her come along, which meant she was accepted, and that made her feel more at ease!

...

Wen Xin was the first to come out of the bedroom, dressed in a light grey casual outfit that didn’t make her look old but instead added to her elegant and intellectual charm. Luo Ye gave a thumbs up: "Mom, you look so beautiful."

"You just want to make your mom happy. I am getting old," Wen Xin joyfully sat next to her daughter. "My daughter is the real beauty here."

"Of course, how can mom’s daughter not be beautiful? Besides, mom is not old at all. If we go out together, people will definitely mistake us for sisters."

"You..." Wen Xin playfully tapped her daughter’s forehead, "Your sweet talk is getting better."

"Mom, what made you consider hiring a nanny?" Luo Ye asked, curious, as her mother had always been resolute against letting strangers live in their home before.

"With Ye’er not at home, it felt quite empty, so I decided to hire a nanny to liven things up a bit. Xiaoju is Li Yue’s cousin, we completely trust her background, and she has a good character." Wen Xin caressed Song Qiu’er, who nestled in Luo Ye’s arms, "Even this picky little creature likes her, which indirectly shows she really is a good person."

"Big Pine Ball, you dare to betray me and like someone else?" Luo Ye playfully scritched Song Qiu’s neck as the little creature stretched its head out comfortably, making him purr.

"Chirp chirp..." Dou Dou protested.

"Jealous, are you?" Luo Ye teased by scratching its head, "You’ve made progress."

"Made progress! Made progress!" The Golden Macaw, Honghong, began to screech loudly.

"There, another jealous one."

...

"Who else wants to go out?" Xiao Wang stared at the car approaching from afar, squinting for a while, and nudged Xiao Lou, "That’s the car that went in earlier. You said it was the Secretary’s daughter, who are you trying to fool? Would the Secretary’s daughter leave so soon?"

Xiao Lou ignored him, hurriedly left the duty room, and as the car approached, Luo Zhenggang rolled down the window and nodded to him, "Thanks for your hard work."

Xiao Lou saluted excitedly, "Secretary, it’s no trouble for me."

Luo Feng got out of the car and handed him a pack of cigarettes, "Take this to perk up."

After the car drove away, Xiao Wang snapped out of it, regret written all over his face, muttering quietly, "Damn it, luck never comes my way."

Xiao Lou, walking in the door and hearing his complaints, shook his head, "You always think about what you can get in return, that’s why you always feel disappointed."

"Easy for you to say," Xiao Wang snatched the cigarettes from his hand, "Since you don’t care about rewards, give these to me."

Xiao Lou readily nodded, "All right, we’ll each take one pack, that’s fair."

"Are you serious?" Xiao Wang looked at Xiao Lou incredulously.

"Of course."

Xiao Wang suddenly turned serious, "I want to tell you something."

"Go on."

"Captain, I’ll listen to you from now on."

"You kiddo!" Xiao Lou punched him playfully, "And here I thought it was something serious, your expression was too frightening."

"I actually know a secret about the captain," Xiao Wang whispered mysteriously into Xiao Lou’s ear, making his face quickly turn red, "Don’t talk nonsense!"

Xiao Wang chuckled, "Stop pretending, captain. You look at her differently. But she’s from a rural area, would your family agree?"

"What’s wrong with being from a rural area? We all were before," Xiao Lou, gazing distantly into the dark night sky, was lost in thoughts...

...

Night at Seventh Uncle Ye’s villa.

Luo Ye, Qu Yue, and Seventh Uncle Ye were organizing materials, Luo Feng was assisting, Luo Zhenggang was helping with proofreading, and Wen Xin, along with Xiaoju and the already awake Sister Li, busied themselves in the kitchen.

Even though it was late at night, everyone was brimming with energy.

By five o’clock, all the materials for the acquisition were finally ready, Luo Yeshu took a deep breath, looking at the family and friends who were with him, a wave of happiness surged through his heart. Home is a harbor of happiness, friends are a pillar of support!

Having returned too late last night, after only a two-hour nap, he started writing, and just finished. (To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters, support the author, support official reading!)