Lu Chuanbai nodded appreciatively. "Not bad. This name sounds nice."
"Yeah!"
"Uncle Lu has agreed. From now on, it'll be called Wangcai!"
The two kids cheered and pulled the puppy around the room, running back and forth.
"Stop playing. You might not be hungry, but Wangcai is!" Although Xu Qingqing thought the name was a bit tacky, it was Lu Chuanbai's dog after all. Since he didn't say anything, she had no objections either.
Xu's mother watched Wangcai wagging its tail and picked the bones from the cooked ribs for the puppy. She said happily,
"I've always wanted to buy a puppy to keep the kids company. I didn't expect you to buy one, Chuanbai. You really know what I'm thinking!"
"Yes, puppies are great friends for kids," Lu Chuanbai echoed.
He had earned full marks in Xu's mother's eyes.
Xu Qingqing was speechless. Lu Chuanbai had pretended to be pitiful in front of her before, saying that he got the puppy because he was afraid of being lonely. But here with Xu's mother, he had a different story.
What a hypocrite!
Xu Qingqing kicked Lu Chuanbai under the table. He let out a muffled grunt. His smile froze as he looked at Xu Qingqing. He reached for his thigh.
This girl really knew how to kick hard!
Xu's mother asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just a leg cramp," Lu Chuanbai rubbed the spot where he'd been kicked. He glared at Xu Qingqing warningly, silently threatening that if she kicked him again, he'd tell Xu's mother.
Afraid that Xu's mother would scold her, Xu Qingqing lowered her head and stuffed rice into her mouth.
"You should exercise more," Xu's mother advised.
"I know, Auntie."
After dinner, Lu Chuanbai offered to help Xu's mother clear the table and even do the dishes.
Xu's mother quickly pushed Lu Chuanbai out of the kitchen. She didn't think she deserved the CEO of the Lu Corporation to do the dishes for her.
"Xu Qingqing, go wash the dishes," Xu's mother called out.
"Don't. If it's Qingqing doing the dishes, then I'll do them instead," Lu Chuanbai reached out to stop Xu's mother. His phoenix eyes were full of affection as he looked at Xu Qingqing. He curled his lips and quietly rubbed his kicked leg.
Xu Qingqing: "..."
Lu Chuanbai was so vengeful. He was just trying to get back at her for kicking him earlier.
Xu Qingqing felt a chill run down her spine, and goosebumps covered her arms. Damn Lu Chuanbai. Why did he have to be so cheesy!
"Ah, youth is really wonderful," Xu's mother covered her face and laughed.
"Stop talking. I'll go wash the dishes," Xu Qingqing said, shaking her arms as she walked into the kitchen.
After washing the dishes, Xu Qingqing shook the water off her hands and went back to her room to reply to Mr. Bai.
Xu Qingqing: Mr. Bai, I've restored your antique. You can come and pick it up tomorrow.
Mr. Bai: Okay. Thank you. I'll send Lao Huang to pick it up tomorrow.
When Lu Chuanbai received this message, he was sitting in his study, looking through some documents. After reading it, he took a sip of his coffee and stood up. He walked over to the floor - to - ceiling window. Opposite was Xu Qingqing's house. The room he'd chosen was directly facing Xu Qingqing's room.
He could even see Xu Qingqing's shadow on the pink curtain.
Xu Qingqing exited the chat and habitually scrolled through her Moments. She noticed that Mr. Bai had posted several Moments about cultural relic promotion, and each one had a like from Lu Qi.
Strange.
Xu Qingqing frowned. Did Mr. Bai have Lu Qi as a WeChat friend?
Xu Qingqing: Mr. Bai, you're one of my regular customers. If you have anything else to be restored in the future, come to me. I'll give you a discount.
Xu Qingqing always felt sorry for Mr. Bai, thinking that she'd extorted quite a bit of money from him.
Mr. Bai: The normal price is fine. I don't want to cause you any trouble.
Lu Chuanbai replied politely.
If he used the discounted price, how could he give money to Xu Qingqing?
Xu Qingqing narrowed her eyes.
Was Mr. Bai really that generous, or did he simply not care about the money?
Seven million was no small amount.
Moreover, as an antique collector, he should have a rough idea of the restoration price.
As far as Xu Qingqing knew, antique collectors were all very shrewd. They would save money whenever they could.
But this Mr. Bai always gave her the feeling that he was eager to spend money. If he said he had no motives and was just doing charity, Xu Qingqing wouldn't believe it.
Suddenly, Lu Chuanbai's face popped into Xu Qingqing's mind. Cunning and calculating. The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became. She decided to test him.
Xu Qingqing replied: Mr. Bai is really a generous person. You're so willing to spend money on antiques. You must be a real expert. Can I ask you a few questions?
Without waiting for a reply, Xu Qingqing just asked.
Xu Qingqing: Mr. Bai, is it true that the sky - blue glaze can only be fired on a rainy day?
To prevent the other person from not being able to answer, she chose a relatively simple question.
But even such a simple question, Lu Chuanbai had never studied. Everyone had their own expertise, so of course he didn't know the answer. He called Lu Qi for help.
Lu Qi was used to going to bed early. He was woken up by the repeated ringing of the phone. He impatiently groped for his phone.
"Hello, Lu Chuanbai! What do you want? Can't you let people sleep? Don't you know I need to maintain my health?"
"I have an urgent question for you. Can the sky - blue glaze only be fired on a rainy day?"
Lu Chuanbai calmly relayed Xu Qingqing's question to Lu Qi. Lu Qi yawned, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Are you kidding me, bro! You woke me up in the middle of the night just to ask me this?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Answer the question quickly," Lu Chuanbai tapped the table with his other hand.
"I really owe you!" Lu Qi impatiently told Lu Chuanbai the answer. "Since we can't create the temperature and humidity of a rainy - day environment, we can only fire it on a rainy day when the air humidity is high."
"Are you sure?" Lu Chuanbai asked seriously.
Hearing Lu Chuanbai doubt his professionalism, Lu Qi propped up his eyelids and roared, "If you're not sure, look it up on the Internet yourself!"
"Okay. I'll trust you this time," Lu Chuanbai replied with the answer to Xu Qingqing.
Mr. Bai: Of course. The sky - blue glaze can only be fired on a rainy day when the air humidity is high.
Xu Qingqing stared at the answer on the screen. Her eyes darkened. She wasn't that easy to fool. She asked an even more difficult question.
Xu Qingqing: Mr. Bai, do you have any recommendations for insecticides and ways to preserve calligraphy and paintings?
Then, Xu Qingqing found Lu Qi's phone number and called him.
Lu Qi was different from ordinary playboys. Because he ran an antique shop, he was more mature and health - conscious than others.
Lu Qi had once told Xu Qingqing that he would go to bed on time at ten o'clock every night, no matter what happened.
It was already half past ten at night.
When Xu Qingqing called, the other end said the line was busy and asked her not to hang up.
When Lu Qi saw Xu Qingqing's call reminder, he panicked. He quickly informed Lu Chuanbai, "Oh no, Qingqing is calling. She must be suspicious."
"Don't answer. Just ignore it."