Entertainment: A song that brought his deceased wife back to life.

Chapter 190 If Uncle doesn't like bland food, I'll make you boiled vegetables in plain wat

The sixteenth floor of Jinxiu Garden.

The combination lock beeped twice.

The door was closed.

They pressed it again from the outside.

It's still not open.

Luo Qianyu was squatting in the entryway changing her slippers. She glanced out through the peephole.

He froze on the spot.

A slightly overweight middle-aged man stood outside the door. He was wearing an ordinary dark gray jacket, a baseball cap, and carrying two boxes of tea that looked to cost no more than fifty yuan each in his left hand.

Luo Tianxiong.

Her biological father.

The richest man in China.

Luo Qianyu's knees buckled, and she almost lost her balance. She quickly turned her head to glance at the living room. Xu Qing was sitting on the sofa looking at her phone, appearing perfectly content.

Her pink slippers sat on the coffee table. Her little...clothes were drying on the windowsill.

Luo Qianyu rushed to the balcony in three quick steps, grabbed everything off the clothes rack, and stuffed it under the sofa cushions.

Xu Qing looked up at her.

"Is it acting strange?"

Luo Qianyu ran back to the entrance hall. She glanced through the peephole again.

Luo Tianxiong is still alive.

They've already rang the doorbell for the third time.

Luo Qianyu turned around and walked stiffly to Xu Qing.

"Xu Qing."

"Um."

There's someone at the door.

Go open the door.

That person is my dad.

Xu Qing paused for a second on her phone.

Then Xu Qing put her phone on the coffee table, stood up and straightened her sweater.

"oh."

"You only said 'Oh'?"

Luo Qianyu stomped her feet in frustration.

"Can you act normal for once? Stop being sarcastic, stop arguing, stop being sarcastic. Can't you just speak normally?"

Xu Qing walked to the entrance hall.

"I've always been normal."

Xu Qing opened the door.

Luo Tianxiong, standing outside the door, was raising his hand, ready to ring the bell for the fourth time. The two men faced each other.

Luo Tianxiong was half a head shorter than Xu Qing. Luo Tianxiong looked up at Xu Qing for three seconds.

Then he grinned.

"Hello, hello, I am Luo Dafu, a distant cousin of Qianyu. I just happened to be passing through Jiangcheng to visit my niece."

Luo Tianxiong handed the two boxes of cheap tea forward.

"A small token of my appreciation."

Xu Qing took the tea leaves and glanced at them.

Tieguanyin tea. The kind you find on the bottom shelf of a supermarket.

Xu Qing looked up and took another look at the "cousin" at the door.

Slightly plump, with a prosperous-looking face, he wore a string of old amber beads on his right wrist. His baseball cap was pulled low, but it couldn't hide the face that appeared on the cover of at least three financial magazines every month.

Xu Qing placed the tea leaves on the shoe cabinet.

"Come in and have a seat, Uncle."

His tone was completely flat, without the slightest fluctuation.

Luo Tianxiong stepped through the door. His eyes darted around, scanning the entire living room.

How big is this house?

Luo Qianyu peeked out from behind Xu Qing.

"Uncle, what brings you here?"

Luo Tianxiong glanced at her.

"My uncle is just passing by. Is that not allowed?"

Luo Qianyu forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Sure, of course."

Luo Tianxiong sat down on the sofa. He shifted his position slightly.

"This sofa is hard."

Xu Qing walked to the water dispenser, filled a glass with water, and handed it over.

"IKEA."

Luo Tianxiong took the water glass. He glanced at the fruit plate on the coffee table, then looked at the old violin case in the corner—no, the violin case had been replaced.

Luo Tianxiong's gaze shifted to the new guitar by the balcony wall.

The guitar has a brown body with several obvious sandpaper marks, and a pink clownfish sticker on the headstock.

Luo Tianxiong's temple throbbed twice.

Luo Tianxiong withdrew his gaze, his smile remaining unchanged.

"What kind of work do you do, young man?"

Xu Qing sat at the other end of the sofa.

"Write something."

"What should I write?"

"novel."

Luo Tianxiong nodded.

"Can you support yourself?"

Luo Qianyu interrupted.

"Uncle, he writes really well—"

Luo Tianxiong glanced at her.

Luo Qianyu shut up.

Xu Qing picked up her water glass and took a sip.

"We won't starve to death."

Luo Tianxiong snorted. He then shifted his position on the sofa.

"Xiao Xu, since your uncle is here, you should at least try your cooking, right? Qian Yu tells me every day that your cooking is delicious."

Luo Qianyu had never said anything like that to Luo Tianxiong. Luo Qianyu opened her mouth to explain, but when she met Luo Tianxiong's smiling eyes, she swallowed her words back.

Xu Qing stood up.

"What would you like to eat, Uncle?"

"Make it simple. Any home-style dish will do. My uncle isn't picky."

Xu Qing walked into the kitchen.

Luo Qianyu followed behind.

Upon entering the kitchen, Luo Qianyu immediately lowered her voice.

"Dad, what's wrong—"

Xu Qing turned her head.

"This is the kitchen, not an interrogation room. Go outside and keep your uncle company."

Luo Qianyu's face turned red with anxiety.

"Can you stop pretending to be stupid right now? That's my dad! The richest man in China! Aren't you nervous?"

Xu Qing opened the refrigerator and rummaged through it.

"Is being nervous helpful? You might as well just cook the braised pork well."

Luo Qianyu stood at the kitchen doorway, unsure whether to go in or back.

"At least let me help you—"

"Last time you fried eggs, you almost burned the kitchen down."

Xu Qing didn't even turn her head.

"go out."

Luo Qianyu was sent back to the living room.

Luo Qianyu sat next to Luo Tianxiong. The father and daughter stared at each other.

Luo Tianxiong leaned back on the sofa, his hands resting on his stomach.

"Did you rent the house?"

"Um."

How much does it cost per month?

"Uncle, don't worry about it."

Luo Tianxiong curled his lips slightly.

"Is he even good at cooking? What if he brings out a plate of charcoal? It would be embarrassing for my uncle."

Luo Qianyu muttered something under her breath.

"His cooking is much better than your top chefs."

"What did you say?"

"I said, Uncle, please sit down and rest for a while."

The sound of a wok sizzling came from the kitchen. The range hood whirred.

Luo Tianxiong sat on the sofa and waited for a full thirty-five minutes. During that time, Luo Tianxiong went to the bathroom and examined the two toothbrushes on the sink three times.

One is blue. The other is pink.

Luo Tianxiong's expression was not good when he came out.

Xu Qing brought out the last dish from the kitchen.

Three dishes and a soup were laid out on the table.

Braised pork belly. Stir-fried green beans. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes. A pot of seaweed and egg drop soup.

The plates were arranged neatly. The presentation was quite respectable for a home-style dish.

Luo Tianxiong sat down at the dining table. He picked up his chopsticks and first took a piece of braised pork.

The meat chunks were a bright red color, and the skin trembled slightly.

Put it in your mouth.

Luo Tianxiong chewed twice.

Then he paused for a second.

The pork skin is soft and tender, rich but not greasy. The sauce is flavorful but not overly salty. The sauce is reduced to the perfect consistency, and each piece of meat is coated with a thin layer of glossy oil.

This tasted all too familiar to Luo Tianxiong. It was the traditional way he used to eat it when he was a child in his hometown.

Luo Tianxiong's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.

Luo Qianyu stared nervously at Luo Tianxiong from the opposite side.

Another bite was taken.

Green beans.

Dry, fragrant, and crisp. The numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns is just right.

Luo Tianxiong cursed inwardly.

How come this kid is such a good cook?

Luo Tianxiong calmly put down his chopsticks.

"It's a bit too salty."

Luo Qianyu was about to speak.

Xu Qing picked up a piece of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and put it into her bowl.

"If Uncle doesn't like bland food, I'll boil some vegetables for you next time. I'll also help you get an appointment with a specialist for high blood pressure."

There was a two-second silence at the dining table.

Luo Qianyu kicked Xu Qing hard under the table.

Xu Qing grabbed Luo Qianyu's calf with his other hand.

Luo Qianyu tried to pull her leg out, but couldn't.

Xu Qing's hand was firmly clenched.

Luo Tianxiong glanced at the two people opposite him, each harboring their own secrets. He then looked down at the area below the table.

Luo Tianxiong didn't say anything.

He picked up the bowl and shoveled a big mouthful of rice into his mouth.

I chewed it twice.

He picked up another piece of braised pork.

"But the meat tastes alright, it's edible."

Luo Qianyu breathed a sigh of relief.

As a result, Luo Tianxiong kept stuffing food into his mouth while saying it would be alright. The braised pork was gone. The green beans were gone too. He even drank two bowls of soup.

After finishing his meal, Luo Tianxiong wiped his mouth with a tissue.

"Xiao Xu."

"Um."

"How well did you play the piano?"

Xu Qing glanced at Luo Tianxiong.

Luo Qianyu clenched her fists under the table.

"good."

Luo Tianxiong nodded. He didn't ask any further questions.

"My uncle had to leave early. He'll come to see you again next time."

Luo Tianxiong stood up and walked towards the entrance. Luo Qianyu followed him to see him off.

Upon reaching the door, Luo Tianxiong glanced back at Xu Qing, who was clearing away the dishes in the living room.

Luo Tianxiong lowered his voice.

"You brat, next time you steal something, can't you at least use the front door?"

Luo Qianyu's face turned pale instantly.

Luo Tianxiong snorted, opened the door, and left.

After the door closed, Luo Qianyu leaned against the door panel, her legs going weak for a full half minute.

Xu Qing carried the bowls and plates into the kitchen.

"Your father ate three bowls of rice."

Luo Qianyu walked back to the sofa listlessly and slumped down.

"How dare you say that? Your comment about boiled vegetables almost scared me to death."

"It's true. Eating too much salt isn't good for him."

"What do you care what he eats! He's here to test you!"

Xu Qing turned on the tap and started washing the dishes.

"The inspection results were alright. I still gave them the courtesy of three bowls of rice."

Luo Qianyu grabbed a cushion and threw it at them.

The cushion flew into the kitchen and hit Xu Qing squarely on the back.

Xu Qing didn't even turn her head.

Luo Qianyu slumped on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. Her heart was still pounding.

My phone vibrated.

A message from Ma Dongteng.

Tencent Music President Ma Dongteng: [Ms. Mingyue, I have a top-secret project I'd like to discuss with you.]

A document was then thrown at me.

Luo Qianyu didn't open it. Because this message wasn't sent to Luo Qianyu.

Xu Qing finished washing the dishes and came out, then picked up her phone and glanced at it.

Ma Dongteng: [A brand new slow-paced music variety show, tentatively titled "Echoes from the Clouds."]

Ma Dongteng: [Luo Qianyu is a regular guest. You've made your appearance as a surprise guest.]

Ma Dongteng: [I guarantee you the ratings with my life.]

Ma Dongteng: [But there's something I need to tell you in advance.]

Ma Dongteng: [The Star Emperor group has been active lately; it's rumored that someone has planted their own people in the production team of this show.]

Ma Dongteng: [Just keep that in mind.]

Xu Qing placed her phone screen-down on the coffee table.

Luo Qianyu came closer.

Who posted this?

"Ma Dongteng".

"What did you say?"

Xu Qing leaned back on the sofa.

"Someone invited you to be on a variety show."

Luo Qianyu's eyes lit up.

"What variety show?"

"It's a music-related show. But there might be some pitfalls."

Luo Qianyu thought for a moment.