Spring sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the wooden recliner in the corner.
The soft light cast a gentle glow on the two people in the recliner. The beautiful woman had her eyes closed, while the handsome man gazed at her silently.
A gentle breeze, carrying wisps of floral fragrance, caressed their faces. The scene was harmonious and beautiful, as if a scene from an idol drama had come to life.
The live stream chat was flooded with comments like "What a perfect match," "What amazing faces," and "You should watch ordinary people talk about love." Meanwhile, in the room, a short figure slowly approached the two of them from a distance.
"Qin Jia, are you asleep?"
A soft, cute sound drew Lu Tingzhou's attention back. He looked at the chubby gray koala in front of him, reached out and rubbed its head, and made a shushing gesture.
"Sister is asleep." Lu Tingzhou looked down at it and whispered, "Would you like your brother to play with you?"
The little koala tilted its head and thought for a moment, then nodded gently. It took a few steps forward, grabbed Lu Tingzhou's ankle, and climbed up his leg.
The little guy had just returned from delivering fish and was covered in dust. Lu Tingzhou mentally prepared himself before reaching out and hugging him.
Using his core strength, Lu Tingzhou gently sat up. Then, he carried the koala outside. As he approached the door, he suddenly remembered something and deliberately took a thin blanket from the bedside and covered Qin Jia with it.
Within minutes, she fell asleep, and seemed to be sleeping very soundly.
Lu Tingzhou didn't bother Qin Jia. He carried Rou Rou out and closed the door behind him.
He walked out of the living room and into the yard before speaking: "Rou Rou, where do you want to go play?"
The little koala's eyelids kept drooping as it yawned and pleaded with Lu Tingzhou, "Brother, Rou Rou did so much today and is a little tired. Can you pretend to be a tree for a while so Rou Rou can lean against it and rest, okay?"
Lu Tingzhou burst out laughing.
Logically, robots shouldn't get tired. To ensure the best possible recreation, he had the technicians set up a special program. Clearly, Rou Rou was mistaking herself for a koala.
Lu Tingzhou gave a soft "hmm" and walked to the pavilion not far away, where he sat down on a bench.
As soon as he sat down, the koala in his arms immediately fell fast asleep. Listening to its breathing, Lu Tingzhou was momentarily dazed. If he hadn't known beforehand that Rou Rou was a robot, at this moment, he might have thought that he was holding a real koala.
Do koalas really like being hugged?
The box of memories was opened, and he unconsciously drifted back to the day of the charity gala. He still remembered that after the gala ended, as everyone was leaving, Qin Jia suddenly bumped into his arms.
Qin Mo said that she hallucinated after eating mushrooms, imagining herself as a koala and him as a tree, which is why that happened.
Even though he knew the truth, his heart still fluttered uncontrollably several times during the hour Qin Jia held him in her arms.
Just like now...
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He knew they were just friends, yet he always felt something different about them that went beyond friendship.
When he sees Qin Jia laughing and talking with other men, he gets upset and even jealous.
Having lived a smooth and successful life for twenty-seven years, Lu Tingzhou discovered for the first time that he could become incredibly childish when he met someone he liked.
What he used to scoff at has now pierced him like a boomerang.
Lu Tingzhou looked into the distance, feeling the spring breeze blowing from a certain direction, and sighed softly.
-
Half an hour later, the aroma of food wafted from the backyard to the front yard, waking Qin Jia from her deep sleep.
Qin Jia stumbled out of the room, only to be met by Cheng Lele, who had come to call for someone.
"Qin Jia, let's go eat."
After Cheng Lele finished speaking, she walked into the courtyard and saw a figure in the distance near the pavilion. Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration.
She quickly turned around and grabbed Qin Jia, "Hey, Qin Jia, don't go yet."
Qin Jia gradually came to her senses. "What's wrong?"
Cheng Lele pursed her lips and said, "You're familiar with Lu Tingzhou, why don't you go and call him?"
"We'll be waiting for you at the restaurant."
Qin Jia nodded and walked out in the direction Cheng Lele pointed. Upon entering the pavilion and getting closer, she discovered that Lu Tingzhou was asleep, holding Rou Rou.
This was the first time Qin Jia had seen Lu Tingzhou asleep. His eyes were closed, and his long eyelashes, like raven feathers, covered his eyelids, making one want to...
Qin Jia reached out as if possessed, and just as his fingers were about to touch the man's eyelashes, he opened his eyes.
Two beautiful eyes met, their bright pupils reflecting each other's faces.
Qin Jia gave an awkward smile and was about to speak when she was surprised to find that Lu Tingzhou's breathing had become rapid.
She straightened up, took a step back, and asked with concern, "Lu Tingzhou, are you feeling unwell?"
Your face looks red.
Lu Tingzhou subtly shifted his gaze, picked up Rou Rou, and said, "I'm fine."
"Don't worry," he said slowly. "It's just a physiological reaction after waking up."
Qin Jia gave a thoughtful "oh," and said, "Lunch is ready, let's go eat."
Lu Tingzhou: "Hmm."
-
Inside the restaurant, everyone was chatting and laughing.
Qin Jia sat down next to Cheng Lele, while Lu Tingzhou arrived late and took the last empty seat.
Cheng Lele asked Qin Jia, "Hey, where's your koala? Isn't it fussing for someone to hold it anymore?"
Qin Jia smiled and said, "It's asleep. According to the program settings, it probably won't wake up until evening."
Cheng Lele nodded. "Oh."
Once everyone had arrived, Xu Wen took the lead in picking up food with his chopsticks and urged everyone to eat while it was hot.
During the event, Xu Wen took control of the atmosphere, constantly posing questions to guide the conversation and create topics of discussion.
Qin Mo and Cheng Lele answered honestly, Qin Jia and Lu Tingzhou replied with a few words here and there, while Duan Baihan, who was usually very talkative, was uncharacteristically quiet and kept his head down while eating.
After everyone had finished eating, Xu Wen, as the eldest brother, asked with concern, "Xiao Duan, is something wrong? Why are you so quiet today?"
Duan Baihan barely came to his senses. He looked at Xu Wen and uttered two words with a look of utter despair: "Exhausted."
Xu Wen was stunned upon hearing this. "What happened? Are you so tired that you don't even want to talk?"
Duan Baihan: "By chopping firewood."
He leaned back and swung his arm, saying, "I don't want to chop wood again anytime soon."
Xu Wen's lips twitched. "Bai Han, you didn't chop up all the firewood in the yard this morning, did you?"
Duan Baihan raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise what?"
Everyone's task deadline is noon. Wouldn't he lose face if he couldn't finish?
Xu Wen crossed his arms and laughed, "It's my fault for not explaining it clearly to you. The firewood in the yard is enough for four days. Chop up the firewood for today, tomorrow, and the next batch."
Duan Baihan rubbed his aching arm and, upon hearing this, was instantly amused and exasperated.
Xu Wen put his arm around his shoulder and comforted him, "It's okay, the guest on the next episode will thank you."
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"However," Xu Wen said with a smile, "I'm very curious, how do you chop so fast? Do you have any secrets? Tell everyone!"
Duan Baihan sat up straight and looked at Qin Jia, who was staring blankly across from him. "Thanks to Qin Jia for teaching me. If it weren't for her guidance, I would still be struggling with brute force."
Xu Wen followed Duan Baihan's gaze and looked at Qin Jia with approval, "I didn't realize Qin Jia was also knowledgeable about chopping wood."
As he spoke, he brought up Qin Mo, "Qin Mo, your sister is really amazing. Have you two both practiced those wilderness survival skills?"
Qin Mo was momentarily stunned. "I learned a little bit at summer camp when I was a child, so I know a little about it."
He then shared some wilderness survival tips with everyone, and as he talked, he recalled his experience on the plane, which sparked a lot of questions in his mind.
My sister was seriously ill, and her eating habits and hobbies changed. But can she learn things she couldn't do before in a day or two?
For example, climbing trees, chopping wood, and that strange kind of strength...
Even if someone has delusions, their physical condition can't suddenly improve, right?
What exactly is she...?
"Qin Mo, what's wrong with you? Why did you drift off into thought? Did you catch your sister's attention?"
Hearing someone call his name, Qin Mo snapped back to reality and gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, I got lost in thought about my childhood."
Looking around and noticing that fewer people were around, he asked Xu Wen, who was still sitting on the stool, "Where is everyone?"
"I'm going to learn how to chop wood," Xu Wen said while clearing the dishes. "Do you want to come?"
"No, thank you." Qin Mo took a deep breath and helped him clean up the mess. "I'll wash the dishes."
Xu Wen: "No need, we just played rock-paper-scissors, and Qin Jia and Lu Tingzhou lost."
"They washed the dishes together."
Qin Mo paused for a moment, "Isn't there only one loser in rock-paper-scissors?"
"They tied." Xu Wen put the dishes in the sink, turned on the tap to wash his hands, and then Lu Tingzhou forfeited.
"Let's go to the market this afternoon and buy some things we'll need for tonight's bonfire party."
Qin Mo silently pushed aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind and nodded, "Okay."
-
After teaching the basics of chopping wood, Qin Jia returned to the kitchen as promised and put on gloves to wash the dishes.
Lu Tingzhou arrived later, and the two of them stood in front of the two pools and worked, neither of them speaking.
Qin Jia was concentrating on washing the dishes when she suddenly felt a pulling force under her feet. @Unlimited great articles, all at Jinjiang Literature City
She looked down and saw that it was Rou Rou coming over, the little guy was hugging her leg and acting cute.
Qin Jia put down her bowl and said gently, "Rou Rou, play by yourself for a while."
"I have something to do right now and can't be with you."
Upon hearing this, Rou Rou immediately stopped crawling, stretched out her arms, and nimbly climbed onto Lu Tingzhou, muttering as she crawled, "Brother, hug me."
"Rou Rou wants her brother to hold her."
A few minutes later, Lu Tingzhou felt the weight on his shoulder. He turned off the tap, gave a helpless smile, and said, "Rou Rou, you're lying on me and disturbing my washing of dishes. Can you get off first?"
Rou Rou retracted its paws, patted Lu Tingzhou's shoulder with its little paw pad, and asked, "Brother, if you were carrying Qin Jia right now, would you let her get off?"
Lu Tingzhou was stunned by the question and inexplicably began to imagine the scene of him carrying Qin Jia on his back, his cheeks suddenly burning.
"Don't talk nonsense."
The little guy ignored him and continued without restraint: "Besides, the meat is so light, and you're so tall, brother, surely you can carry me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Tingzhou felt a burning gaze. He turned his head and found Qin Jia staring intently at him.
Those amber eyes seemed to be saying: Lu Tingzhou, are you really not good enough?
Lu Tingzhou looked at her and subconsciously explained, "Qin Jia, actually I..."
"Actually, I'm quite strong."
Qin Jia withdrew her gaze from Lu Tingzhou's slightly flushed face and looked at him, puzzled. "So?"
"Do you want to have a competition with me?"
Lu Tingzhou suddenly froze, "?"