Honkai Impact 3rd: Join Anti-Entropy at the start and dominate the entertainment industry.

"Sister Aili! You're back!"

Ellie smiled and patted the little girl's head: "Ling, it's been so long! You've grown so much. Did you miss your big sister Ellie?"

"Yes! Everyone misses Ellie so much!" the little girl shouted, pushing her way through the doorway. "Everyone come out quickly! Ellie is back!"

Soon, more than a dozen children poured out of the courtyard and surrounded Alicia, chattering excitedly.

"Sister Aili!"

"Sister Ellie has finally come to see us!"

"Sister Ellie, this is a gift we made for you! Each child folded a paper crane!"

Ellie took a bottle filled with origami cranes from the children, her face beaming with smiles.

"Well—Sister Aili also has gifts for everyone!" She waved to Bai Qianqu and introduced him to the children, "This is your brother Qianqu, and the gifts are all in his hands! He used to be a child here too."

Upon hearing this, the children all gathered around Bai Qianqu again.

"Brother Qianqu, where are our gifts?"

Are all these big bags for us?

"Brother Chikuma, are you also a child who came from here like Sister Airi? Are you here to play with us too?"

"By the way, what's the relationship between Chiku-nii and Airi-neechan?"

"Is that even a question? They're definitely boyfriend and girlfriend, just like in the movies, they'll get married in the end!"

"Huh? I was hoping to marry Ellie when I grew up! And she's been snatched away!"

Listening to the chattering of the children around him, Bai Qianqu felt his mind go blank and he was completely at a loss. He really wasn't good at dealing with children.

He looked at Ellie with pleading eyes, only to see her watching the commotion with great interest, her face flushed and offering no explanation.

This further convinced the children that the two were in a romantic relationship, and they cheered even more enthusiastically, with some even shouting "Give them a kiss!"

The children only quieted down after a middle-aged woman came out and coughed.

Upon seeing the middle-aged woman, Bai Qianqu and Ai Li both showed expressions of respect.

“Mother Seria”.

The middle-aged woman's hands were wet, and her face was full of surprise when she saw Bai Qianqu and the other woman.

"It's Chiku and Airi! You two are back without telling me! I'm cooking, come in and have lunch together!"

Surrounded by the children, the two entered the courtyard. Bai Qianqu looked around. It was a very ordinary residential courtyard, with single-story houses on three sides. The long single-story houses on both sides had many rooms, which should be the children's living quarters. Directly opposite the door was the canteen and Seria's living quarters.

There are many newly built recreational facilities in the small courtyard in the middle, where children usually play when they have nothing to do.

The houses and recreational facilities have been renovated and are much better than Bai Qianqu remembered. The entire orphanage is now much warmer and feels more like home.

Seeing the children's smiling faces, Bai Qianqu also smiled from the bottom of her heart.

No matter what time it is, this is where he grew up and is his home.

Seria led Bai Qianqu and Ai Li into the middle room, one on each side. The three of them had just sat down when a child brought up tea and carefully placed it in front of them.

Bai Qianqu took a sip, and although it was a very ordinary tea, he felt it tasted even better than his own top-grade teas.

Seria smiled and said, "The orphanage has changed a lot over the years. Many children often come back to help out, and life is much better than before. Of course, what I hope most is that you can come back and visit more often."

She looked at Bai Qianqu: "You've always been stubborn since you were little. After you ran away from home, you disappeared without a trace. Do you know how worried Ai Li and I were?"

Bai Qianqu lowered her head somewhat awkwardly upon hearing this: "Wasn't I just being immature back then? I acted impulsively without thinking about anything, and I didn't cause you any trouble, did I?"

“No, that guy was taken to the hospital and found out he was a human trafficker. He was arrested on the spot.” Seria said with lingering fear, “He had his eye on Ellie back then. Luckily, Chikuro kicked you back then, otherwise who knows how many innocent children would have suffered.”

Bai Qianqu:! ! !

I didn't expect that I actually kicked the right one?

There was no need for me to run away in the first place.

Chapter 168 Ellie is Ellie

“I heard from Ellie that you’ve been working with her recently.” Seria looked at Bai Qianqu and Ellie with gentle eyes. “That’s good. The two of you can take care of each other when you’re together. Don’t neglect yourselves when you’re working outside. Eat and drink as you please. It’s great at home. I’m happy every day with so many children by my side.”

"If you're coming back, don't always bring so much stuff. Save your money."

Listening to Seria's rambling, Bai Qianqu and Ai Li exchanged a knowing smile.

These words cannot be heard outside; they can only be heard when you return to this place called "home."

I used to find it very annoying, but now it sounds very warm and friendly.

Soon it was time to eat. A dozen children sat together, and the food was all home-style dishes, but it was very plentiful.

Braised pork belly, braised fish, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and vegetable and tofu soup.

Seria laughed and said, "I had nowhere to spend the money you sent back, so I used it all to buy groceries."

"You should buy yourself something too. You've been wearing the same clothes for years," Ellie said, pouting. "I bought you a few new outfits this time. You can change into them after dinner!"

"Oh dear, clothes are fine as long as they're not torn, why buy so many new ones? It would be better to buy some new stationery for the kids."

"I bought them all."

Upon hearing this, Seria showed a worried expression again.

"That must cost a lot of money, right? It's not easy for you young people to earn money outside, so you should be more frugal, otherwise you won't have money to get married in the future."

"Don't worry, Chiku and I have both made a lot of money."

"Made a lot of money? Is that legal?"

"Of course! Don't worry!"

"Okay, you guys need to be careful out there, and don't get scammed out of your money."

"By the way, Airi is all grown up now. Does she have a boy she likes? What about Chiku? If not, I think you two are quite a good match."

"Why are you eating only rice, Chiku? Eat more vegetables!"

After finally finishing their meal, Seria and Ellie cleaned up the dishes and went to wash them, and Bai Qianqu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the dinner table, Seria was trying her best to bring herself and Ellie together, leaving her speechless and only able to eat frantically.

Strangely, Ellie didn't say a word either, just blushed and ate her food in small bites.

Given Ellie's personality, she's probably secretly laughing to herself, right?

Just as Bai Qianqu breathed a sigh of relief, the children who had finished eating gathered around her again.

"Hey, Brother Qianqu, do you like Sister Ai Li?"

"If Brother Chiku likes Sister Airi, he must get our approval first!"

"That's right! We are all Ellie's family, and we must protect her! We can't let bad people get close to Ellie!"

"Huh? Isn't Brother Qianqu from the orphanage too? Isn't he family with us?"

"It seems so, oh, what a mess! Never mind! Even if Chiku-nii is family, he still has to accept our test!"

Bai Qianqu looked helplessly at the children around her, wanting to explain but the children didn't give her a chance.

"Accept our first test! Ellie's birthday is—"

Bai Qianqu blurted out: "November 11th!"

The children stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Is that right?

A child looked at a piece of paper, then nodded affirmatively.

"Yes!"

"You answered so quickly! You seem to care a lot about Sister Aili!"

Bai Qianqu: ""

As a veteran captain, how could he not know it was Ellie's birthday?

"The next question isn't so simple! Please tell me, what is Ellie's height and weight?"

One girl immediately retorted, "Asking a girl's weight is very impolite!"

The boy who asked the question scratched his head: "Okay, then tell me your height!"

Bai Qianqu replied helplessly, "163cm".

"What?! You can answer that?" The boy was stunned. "Did you specifically bring a measuring tape and have Sister Ellie measure you by hand?"

"Don't we not have a correct answer?"

Shh! Don't say it!

Bai Qianqu couldn't help but laugh out loud; these kids were really funny.

"Ahem! One last question! As long as Brother Qianqu can answer it, we will acknowledge Brother Qianqu's status!"

Bai Qianqu finally couldn't help but say, "Actually, Ai Li and I—"

He was interrupted by the children before he could finish speaking.

"Even if Brother Chiku and Sister Airi are sincere, we still can't skip the proper procedures!"

"That's right! We're Ellie's family! We have to take responsibility to the end!"

"Now, get ready for the final challenge!"

Bai Qianqu was completely helpless. Looking at the enthusiastic children, he could only nod casually, treating it as playing with the children. Anyway, it didn't mean anything, and Ai Li wasn't there either.

"Alright, that settles the last question!"

"Of course!"

"Okay, then you can ask."

The boy holding the paper was reading the questions on it carefully.

"As we all know, Ellie has many things she likes, but what is her favorite?"

After the question was asked, all the children quieted down and looked at Bai Qianqu.

Upon hearing this question, Bai Qianqu was stunned for a moment, and many answers popped into his mind in that instant.