Chapter 370: Chapter 370: Yue Ming 20
Liuu Yuming took a sip of her juice. "Well now, President Liuu is certainly loaded. Buying a house just like that? You haven’t even renovated your other place yet."
Liuu Jun gave a bitter smile. "If I buy a place, I can use it to hide from my mom for a while. Sigh, her eldest grandson already has a kid, so now all the heat is on me."
Liuu Yuming said, "You’re the youngest son. Auntie is just worried about you. But honestly, it’s understandable why I haven’t been dating all these years, but you haven’t had any bad experiences. Why won’t you date?"
Liuu Jun thought for a moment. "Maybe my standards are a bit high? I don’t require her to be particularly beautiful or her family to be especially well-off. I want to find someone I can have a real conversation with."
"Even if all we talk about is nonsense, we won’t get bored of each other."
Liuu Yuming mused, "A soulmate, huh. That’s definitely tough. No wonder Little Min calls you a hopeless romantic. It’s easy to meet the external criteria sometimes, but that kind of mental and emotional connection... that’s incredibly hard to find."
"And that kind of deep connection isn’t something you usually find right away."
Liuu Jun said, "I knew you and Little Min would get me. My mom just doesn’t. She thinks all that isn’t important. I don’t want to fight with her, so I figured I’d come here to get away from it all."
Liuu Yuming offered, "Why don’t I ask Little Min to put in a good word for you with Auntie? You know she’s always doted on Little Min."
Liuu Jun clasped his hands together. "Then I’m counting on Little Min. My mom won’t listen to anyone else right now, only her. Who can blame her? Little Min’s been brilliant since she was a kid. My mom always says all the brains in the Liuu family went to Little Min."
"Speaking of which, Sis, you’re not exactly a genius yourself. How did Little Min turn out so brilliant?"
Liuu Yuming shot him a glare. "What’s that supposed to mean? I remember you used to say I was wise, just playing the fool."
Liuu Jun burst out laughing. "Right, right, wise but playing the fool. So, Sis, what’s for dinner? My treat. Want to get some Western food?"
"Let’s not. My Chinese stomach isn’t cut out for that. Let’s just buy some groceries and cook at home." Liuu Yuming stretched. "Actually, it’s good you’re here. I remember our apartments are in the same building, right? Why don’t you renovate yours at the same time?"
"That’s a great idea," Liuu Jun said, picking up Liuu Yuming’s case. "It’s perfect timing. Sis, you just focus on your classes. You can leave all the other miscellaneous tasks to me."
Liuu Yuming said, "And there are a lot of them. Besides handling the renovations, you’ll need to check on the clothing factory. I’ve already given them the designs, so you’ll need to check their production schedule."
"Also, the wedding dresses at the shop need updating. I’ve come up with new designs, so go and keep an eye on that process."
"You can rest assured. I promise I’ll handle everything perfectly." Liuu Jun’s spirits lifted at the mention of work. "Let’s hit the supermarket first. I’m guessing your place is completely empty."
Liuu Yuming held up her hands. "I’m always so busy, I just make do with whatever’s convenient. With you here, a huge weight is off my shoulders."
Liuu Jun sighed. "It would be great if we could trade places. Imagine how much peace and quiet I’d have."
Liuu Yuming was amused. "You’re really something else. You have both your parents, yet you’re envious of your own cousin whose parents died young. But to be fair, most people really couldn’t stand Auntie’s nagging."
"Auntie doesn’t push me to get married because she knows marriage is like a second birth for a woman. I already messed up once, and now that I’ve finally managed to build a decent life, she doesn’t want to see me mess up a second time."
"Besides, no matter how nice she is to me, she’s ultimately my aunt, not my mother. She’s very conscious of that boundary."
’Besides, not even her own mother would have pressured her to date or remarry, so Liuu Yuming truly gave it no thought. Ever since she’d started making her own money and building a career, she’d long since stopped caring about what was in a man’s wallet.’
’She no longer thought about depending on anyone, so her sights were no longer set on men. As it turned out, a heart free of men allows the sword to strike true.’
Liuu Jun knew he had just said the wrong thing and looked a little sheepish. "Sis, it just slipped out..."
"I know. Do you think I’m that petty?" Liuu Yuming tucked her hair back. "Tell you what, since you feel so bad, you can make dinner when we get home."
"No problem, Sis! I’ll make you some red-braised pork, and how about some stewed pork knuckle..." Liuu Jun grinned. "But Sis, you love all this rich, heavy food. How do you never gain any weight?"
"I don’t eat like this every day," Liuu Yuming said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Besides, I make sure to exercise after eating. Even I couldn’t handle this kind of food every single day."
After a shopping trip at a nearby supermarket, the two cousins returned to Liuu Yuming’s rented apartment, laden with bags. Liuu Jun was perfectly familiar with the place. He had a room there too and usually stayed over whenever he was in S City on a business trip.
As soon as they got home, Liuu Jun started preparing dinner. Liuu Yuming wasn’t idle either; she was sketching out designs for her dream home. After all, she would be living there for many years and was determined to design it perfectly.
Liuu Jun left her to it, busying himself happily in the kitchen. He enjoyed spending time with Liuu Yuming. His cousin had excellent boundaries and never pressured him about marriage, which was a huge relief for Liuu Jun, who felt stifled at home.
Liuu Jun was in an excellent mood, humming to himself as he prepared the fish. His work was interrupted by the doorbell. He wiped his hands and went to answer it, but froze the moment the door swung open.
The visitor seemed surprised for a second as well. "Is Liuu Yuming here? I’m Xu Jia. A friend gave me two tickets for Fashion Week, but I’m not really interested in it."
A playful smile touched Liuu Jun’s lips. "She is. Come in, have a seat. Sis, you have a visitor!"
Hearing Liuu Jun call her "Sis," Xu Jia instantly relaxed. He politely declined, "I won’t come in. I just came to drop this off, and then I’ll be on my way."
Liuu Yuming shuffled over in her slippers. "Mr. Xu? What brings you here?"
Xu Jia’s smile grew warmer upon seeing Liuu Yuming. "There’s a fashion week here every year. I thought that since you’re in the industry, you might be interested."
Liuu Yuming’s eyes swept over the tickets. "Oh, thank you so much. I’ve been so busy lately with my daughter’s college entrance exams that I completely forgot to pay attention to any news about Fashion Week."
"I thought I was going to miss it this year. I really can’t thank you enough."
Xu Jia was pleased to see how much Liuu Yuming liked the tickets. When it came to giving gifts and reading people, Xu Jia was definitely a pro.
"I’m glad you like them. Well, I’ve made my delivery, so I’ll be going now."
Liuu Yuming felt a bit bad. "You came all this way. It’s too much trouble. If you don’t have any other plans, why not stay for a simple meal? Jun is an excellent cook."
’Isn’t she just inviting the wolf into the den?’ Liuu Jun thought. He was a man; how could he misread the look in Xu Jia’s eyes? Outwardly, however, he had to offer a warm invitation. "If you’re free, please stay for dinner. It’s just some simple home-cooked food."
