Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Yue Ming 21
Xu Jia looked at Liuu Jun. "Then I’ll impose. I can make a few simple dishes. How about I help you out?"
Liuu Jun happened to be curious about Xu Jia as well, so he smiled. "Sure. Sis, you can go back to what you were doing."
Liuu Yuming turned toward the kitchen. "Let me make Mr. Xu a cup of tea first. I said I’d treat you to a simple meal, how can I let you do all the work?"
Xu Jia reached out a hand to stop her. "There’s no need to be so formal. I’m the one who showed up uninvited."
Liuu Jun also chimed in to persuade her. "Sis, I can take care of Mr. Xu. You just focus on your work. Oh, right, could you make a template for me too? I trust your aesthetic sense."
Pushed out of the kitchen by the two of them, Liuu Yuming clung to the doorframe. "You really don’t need me?"
Liuu Jun was exasperated. "No, I’m more than enough. Plus, Mr. Xu is helping. Dinner will be ready soon."
Liuu Yuming didn’t argue further. She sat down at the coffee table and went back to mulling over her interior design. The kitchen was semi-open-plan, so from there, Xu Jia could see Liuu Yuming sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling, and occasionally sketching a few lines in her notebook.
"My sister is beautiful, isn’t she?" Just as Xu Jia was watching, captivated, a cool voice spoke up. It was Liuu Jun.
"Of course she is," Xu Jia replied, snapping out of his reverie without a hint of embarrassment. "But more than her looks, Yue Ming’s eyes are what’s most captivating. They’re so clear and pure."
"My sister is a simple person," Liuu Jun said with a smile, his eyes lowered as he continued to caramelize the sugar for the pork belly. "If you want to be with her, she isn’t the biggest obstacle. Little Min is not so easy to fool."
Liuu Jun chuckled as he spoke, a hint of someone looking forward to a good show in his eyes. "Little Min is coming here for university after she gets her acceptance letter."
Xu Jia’s hands, which were snapping green beans, paused for a moment. "Yue Ming is only 33, and her daughter is already going to university?"
"Little Min is brilliant. She skipped grades all the way through," Liuu Jun said, glancing at Xu Jia. "My sister doesn’t usually handle practical matters. She just focuses on the makeup artistry she loves. Little Min is the one who runs the household."
"Ever since we started our business and began making money, Little Min has managed every cent she’s earned."
Xu Jia said lightly, "I’m not after her money. I’m more than capable of supporting a family."
Liuu Jun said, "Alright, I won’t say any more. In any case, I won’t be helping you."
"Just don’t get in my way," Xu Jia said with a smile, surprised by how blunt Liuu Jun was being.
Liuu Jun pursed his lips. "Let’s talk about something else, Mr. Xu. How did you and my sister meet? From the way you two act, it seems like you’ve met several times. You even know she wants to go to Fashion Week."
Xu Jia was also frank. "We’ve met a few times. I didn’t know who she was before I met her, but after we were introduced, I did my homework."
The media wasn’t as developed back then, and print was still the mainstream. But Liuu Yuming’s career had been doing well over the years, and she had been featured in several newspapers and magazines, making her quite well-known in the fashion world.
"Then do you know she’s divorced?" Liuu Jun’s voice was very soft. He glanced toward the living room, worried that Liuu Yuming might hear. They usually never mentioned it at home, since that marriage had been anything but happy for her.
"I know," Xu Jia said with a small smile. "She mentioned it in an interview before. It’s not a big deal. Divorce is a woman’s right, too."
Liuu Jun didn’t press further about Liuu Yuming. "What about you? You look a few years older than my sister..."
"I got divorced ten years ago," Xu Jia said, perfectly calm. "It’s a very common story. My ex-wife was after my money, even back when I didn’t have any. A pity your sister doesn’t care about money."
Liuu Jun understood. "I see. It’s not that my sister doesn’t like money."
He chuckled again. "She just doesn’t care for a man’s money. Besides, she can support herself just fine with her own skills, so she’s never thought about relying on anyone."
"Exactly. That’s why your sister now seems a bit like a desireless Bodhisattva," Xu Jia said, also glancing at Liuu Yuming. "She’s hard to please because she asks for nothing from others. She can satisfy her own needs."
’Xu Jia’s got a point there,’ Liuu Jun thought. He, at least, had the requirement of finding a soulmate. But his sister, Liuu Yuming, was truly desireless. Even if a man wanted to get close to her, there was no way in.
’Isn’t that what intimate relationships are all about? One person needs something, and the other provides it. That’s how the relationship develops. But with someone like Liuu Yuming, the other party is truly at a loss.’
"Honestly, my sister has been beautiful since she was little." Liuu Jun fell silent for a moment, his gaze falling on the small red mole between Liuu Yuming’s eyebrows. "She’s the only girl in our family. No matter how hard things got, everyone protected her."
Xu Jia smiled, his eyes downcast. "A pretty face is a dime a dozen, but a pure soul is rare. She’s the kind of person who’s easy to be around, someone who makes you feel at ease."
"That’s true. My sister is someone who provides a lot of emotional value." Liuu Jun’s years of experience hadn’t been for nothing. He always made sure to improve himself, and even when facing a successful man like Xu Jia, he could more than hold his own.
While the two men were talking in low voices, Liuu Yuming grew restless in the living room. It’s not like she was deaf. Even though their voices were soft, she could still hear them, okay?
She felt even more awkward when she saw Tan You sitting cross-legged across from her. She was in her thirties, for crying out loud, but right now she felt like a teenager caught dating by her parents. The crucial point was, there was nothing going on between her and Xu Jia!
"Mom, what are you doing here?" Liuu Yuming leaned forward slightly, speaking in a near whisper.
"And why can’t I come?" Tan You teased. "I was thinking about how busy you are here, so I came to check on you. I didn’t expect to walk into such a big surprise."
’Could she admit that she only came over to get the gossip because the Beauty System had projected a live feed for her?’
Liuu Yuming wasn’t surprised at all. She was used to it by now. No matter where she was, if her mother wanted to find her, she would appear in the blink of an eye, as if she could teleport.
"What’s so surprising about this?" Liuu Yuming shifted uncomfortably. "He’s just someone I’ve met a few times. He brought me tickets for S City Fashion Week."
"I was busy with Little Min’s college entrance exams before, so I didn’t have time to deal with this."
After trying to explain herself for a bit, Liuu Yuming finally flopped onto the coffee table. "Forget it. Think whatever you want."
Tan You was perfectly at ease. "I’m not thinking anything. Are you busy with the design for the new house? Let me see the blueprints."
Tan You didn’t mention Xu Jia again, and Liuu Yuming immediately returned to her usual self. Soon, the soft sound of sketching filled the living room once more. Seeing Liuu Yuming immersed in her work, a slight smile touched the corners of Tan You’s lips.
She had no intention of mentioning Xu Jia too much in front of Liuu Yuming. In Tan You’s opinion, Liuu Yuming was doing just fine as she was. Women didn’t have to get married. Marriage was a choice, not a requirement.
