Chapter 52

Chapter 52: The Sly Lu Yao

During the day at the mall, Su Qian bought Lu Yao a phone.

She also downloaded some common apps and functions for him.

Lu Yao adapted fast. In less than half a day, he had already figured out how the phone worked.

It was only ordering delivery. It was not hard for him at all.

“I have to say, this world is much more convenient.”

Without stepping outside, you could taste all kinds of food. It was truly astonishing.

After eating.

Lu Yao tidied up a little, then walked toward the backyard.

The stars were scattered across the sky like brilliant gems set into the heavens.

Lu Yao lifted his head and stared at the night sky, and a complicated emotion rose in his chest.

This world was good, but in the end, it did not belong to him.

“The environment in this backyard, while it can’t compare to spiritual energy, isn’t useless.”

After resting and recovering these past few days, Lu Yao felt his injuries were mostly healed.

“If there were a teleportation array, maybe I could return to the cultivation realm.”

He was not skilled in formations. To set up an array, the materials required would be numerous and hard to find.

Ning Meng had been playing in the backyard. When it saw Lu Yao appear, it let out a frightened meow and bolted into the house, darting up and down.

It accidentally bumped into the smart voice device.

The smart voice device gave an electronic warning: “Please pay attention to safety and avoid collisions.”

Ning Meng jumped at the sudden sound. Its fur stood on end, and it fled again in panic.

Hearing the commotion, Lu Yao quickly walked inside.

“Who’s talking?”

He looked around in confusion.

“Master, I am the smart voice assistant, Xiao Ai. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me anytime.” The voice sounded again.

“Oh? You know everything?” Lu Yao’s interest was sparked.

He stared at the small device in surprise, full of curiosity.

Lu Yao thought for a moment and leaned closer. “Then tell me—what does kept pretty-boy mean?”

The smart voice assistant replied, “Master, ‘kept pretty-boy’ usually refers to a young, handsome man who is financially supported by a woman. This term can carry a derogatory tone, implying the person lacks independence or lives off improper means.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Lu Yao raised his eyebrow slightly. A smile he did not quite understand appeared at the corner of his mouth.

After that, he chatted with the smart voice assistant for a long time.

With its explanations, the unfamiliar words he had heard these past few days finally made basic sense.

When Su Yi Chen drove Su Qian back to Yun Jin Villa, it was already very late.

Once she entered, Su Qian did not see Lu Yao by the dining table.

Two big plastic bags by the door were filled with takeout boxes, showing that Lu Yao had indeed eaten a lot.

“This guy really eats like crazy.” The corner of Su Qian’s mouth twitched.

Ning Meng ran over with a “meow” and rubbed against Su Qian’s legs.

Su Qian bent down, picked Ning Meng up, and gently petted its head. “Why does it feel like this little one has grown a lot lately?”

Holding Ning Meng, Su Qian felt it was heavy. She did not know if it was just her imagination.

She walked toward the backyard.

In the backyard, Lu Yao had somehow moved in a tea table from who-knew-where.

At that moment, he sat leisurely by the table, lightly turning a teacup in his hand.

“You’re back?” Lu Yao lifted his eyes and met Su Qian’s gaze.

“You really know how to enjoy yourself.” Su Qian walked over, put Ning Meng down, and sat as well.

Ning Meng ran off in a flash.

Su Qian sniffed the air. “What tea is this? It smells so good.”

She did not remember buying tea leaves at home.

Lu Yao lifted his chin toward the spiritual herbs and plants in the yard. “I thought the plants in your yard were nice. They make fragrant tea.”

Su Qian’s face stiffened.

She felt a little guilty. “Haha… is that so? I didn’t even know they could be used for tea.”

Lu Yao looked at her reaction, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

He did not expose her.

Lu Yao reached for the teapot and poured Su Qian a cup.

Clear tea flowed into the cup, giving off a faint fragrance.

“Try it.” Lu Yao pushed the cup toward Su Qian.

Su Qian took the cup, blew on it lightly, and then took a small sip.

That fresh flavor spread in her mouth and instantly lifted her spirits.

“It tastes really good,” Su Qian praised.

She did not understand tea, but this rich fragrance immediately won her over.

As expected of spiritual herbs from the cultivation realm.

If she sold this as tea leaves, maybe she could make a fortune?

“Right. There’s something I want to ask you.” Lu Yao’s eyes carried a smile as his gaze settled on Su Qian.

Su Qian’s hand holding the cup paused.

For some reason, being stared at like that gave her a bad feeling.

“Can I refuse to answer?” Su Qian asked cautiously.

“No.” Lu Yao shook his head.

Su Qian screamed inside. She was done.

Was this guy remembering something?

Thinking of how he used spiritual herbs to make tea, Su Qian felt more and more uneasy.

Su Qian helplessly put down the cup and looked at Lu Yao. “Then ask.”

Lu Yao’s lips curved slightly. “What does kept pretty-boy mean?”

Su Qian: ?

That’s it?

Su Qian froze for a moment, then let out a breath.

A relaxed smile appeared on her face.

“Kept pretty-boy? Didn’t I already explain it to you? It just means you’re fair and clean-looking. It’s a compliment.” Su Qian smiled as she explained.

She had thought he was going to ask something else.

She nearly got scared to death.

“Oh? Is that so?” Lu Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

Su Qian’s heart dropped.

Then she heard Lu Yao speak. “Classmate Xiao Ai.”

Su Qian jolted.

Wait—buddy, you can even use the smart voice assistant now?

Right after that, the smart voice assistant spoke: “Master, I’m here. What are your instructions?”

Lu Yao wore a faint, unreadable smile as he looked at Su Qian. “Help me explain what kept pretty-boy is.”

The smart voice assistant replied, “Master, ‘kept pretty-boy’ usually refers to…”

Su Qian buried her whole face in her hands, embarrassed enough to want to crawl into a crack in the ground.

Damn it!

How many surprises do you still have that I don’t know about?

Why are you so obsessed with kept pretty-boy?

After listening, Lu Yao looked at Su Qian thoughtfully, amusement in his eyes.

Su Qian’s face turned red. She stammered, “Um… I was just joking before. Don’t take it seriously.”

“Oh.” Lu Yao only smiled and did not say more.

No, big brother, don’t just say “oh.” That’s scary, okay?

Under his gaze, Su Qian felt her scalp tingling.

She awkwardly fiddled with the teacup, too guilty to meet his eyes.

After a while, Su Qian cleared her throat. “Um… I’ll go look for Ning Meng. This little one ran off somewhere again.”

“Meow.”

The moment she finished, Ning Meng popped out from the bushes nearby.

Su Qian’s vision went dark.

It never showed up when it should, and when it shouldn’t, it was bouncing around everywhere.

Ning Meng tilted its head and looked at her innocently, letting out another soft meow.

Su Qian sighed and picked Ning Meng up.

When she stood, Lu Yao was already gone, and she did not know when he had left.

Su Qian quietly let out a breath.

“Oh my god. I nearly got scared to death.”