Xu Qingqing was joking as she spoke. After hearing her words, Lu Chuanbai reached out his hand to tickle her and pinned her down.
"Do you still need me?"
Lu Chuanbai pretended to threaten in his tone. Xu Qingqing burst into giggles as she was being tickled. She only made a gesture of surrender when she was out of breath from laughing.
"I was just joking. How could I really not need you?"
Just then, the hotel staff who had come to deliver the clothes knocked on the door. Only then did Lu Chuanbai let go of Xu Qingqing. He casually grabbed a bathrobe and wrapped it around his waist.
The staff member delivering the clothes was a woman. She didn't expect that the one who opened the door would be an extremely handsome man with broad shoulders, a narrow back, and eight distinct abdominal muscles. His slender waist was especially free of any excess flesh.
The female staff member blushed and lowered her head. She handed two sets of clothes to Lu Chuanbai.
From the two sets of clothes she delivered, she could tell that there must be another woman inside. It was better not to let her imagination run wild.
"Thank you." Lu Chuanbai casually took the clothes and walked back into the bedroom.
Xu Qingqing wrapped herself in the quilt and hid in the bathroom to change. She washed the flush off her face with clean water to make herself look calmer before quickly going out and returning to the room next door.
"Yiyi, An'an, I'm sorry, Mom is back late."
Xu Qingqing felt apologetic as she reached out her hands to hug the two children and pulled them into her arms.
The two children really thought that Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai had gone for a walk. They didn't cry or make a fuss. Instead, they were very understanding.
"It's okay, Mom. It's because Brother and I got up late."
Xu An'an wrapped her arms around Xu Qingqing's neck understandingly. Xu Qingqing felt even more guilty after hearing this.
The observant Xu Yiyi noticed that the clothes on Xu Qingqing were unfamiliar. He tugged at the cuff of Xu Qingqing's clothes and asked with concern.
"Mom, I remember there wasn't this dress in our luggage. Did you fall outside?"
Xu Qingqing panicked when she heard this. She didn't expect Xu Yiyi to be so observant. She swallowed hard and stammered to make up an excuse.
"Mom accidentally tripped while walking outside. My clothes were all covered in mud, so I asked the front - desk lady for a new set of clothes."
When Xu Yiyi and Xu An'an heard this, their ears immediately perked up. Their soft, chubby little faces were full of worry and anxiety.
Xu An'an held Xu Qingqing's hand and examined it carefully. Xu Yiyi quickly rolled over to look for the first - aid kit prepared in the hotel.
"Mom, does it hurt when you fell? An'an will blow on it for you!"
"Yes, Mom. If you're injured, you should continue to apply medicine."
Xu Qingqing was touched by the two children and also a bit amused. She smiled and kissed each of their foreheads gently, saying in a mild tone,
"Don't worry. Mom is fine."
Only then did the two children feel relieved.
After that, Lu Chuanbai asked the staff to bring breakfast. The sumptuous Western breakfast was quietly lying on the dining cart.
Xu Qingqing asked the waiter to push the breakfast cart to the balcony of the room so that they could enjoy the beautiful sea view while having breakfast.
In the early morning, the green sea was as gentle as silk, with slight ripples. Looking out from the balcony of the hotel, the sea was vast and solemn.
Lu Chuanbai helped Xu Qingqing and the two children cut the steak and proposed the itinerary for today.
"Do you want to go with me to visit Lu Qi's mother? She was sick a few days ago and is recuperating on the island."
Lu Qi's mother was a relative of the Lu family. Moreover, Lu Chuanbai and Lu Qi were good friends, so Lu Chuanbai respected Lu Qi's mother very much.
Back then, when Lu Chuanbai's mother was killed, his father was often busy with business outside and had no time to take care of him. So he was sent to Lu Qi's house and taken care of by Lu Qi's mother.
Xu Qingqing readily agreed to this proposal. Her beautiful almond - shaped eyes reflected the light of the sea, looking beautiful and calm.
"Of course it's good. She didn't attend our wedding. It's right for us to go and see her."
Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai's wedding was when Lu Qi's mother was at her sickest. She only sent a red envelope to the wedding.
"Okay."
Lu Chuanbai nodded slightly in agreement and instructed the two children on how to address Lu Qi's mother.
"Lu Qi's mother is from my parents' generation. You two little guys should remember to call her Grandma when you see her."
"Qingqing, you can call her Auntie like I do."
"Sure." Xu Qingqing nodded happily.
After breakfast, Lu Chuanbai asked Zhu Lulu to drive the sightseeing car to take them to Lu Qi's mother's residence.
On the way, Lu Chuanbai told Xu Qingqing and the two children a lot about Lu Qi's mother.
Lu Qi's mother's name was Qin Hongying. She had married into the Lu family from afar. She was an ambitious businesswoman.
Since Lu Qi's father and Lu Qi were both laid - back people who liked to enjoy life and live a leisurely life, they didn't like the intrigues in the business world.
When Lu Qi clearly stated that he wanted to manage the antique shop well and had a casual attitude towards the family business, and Lu Qi's father also wanted to travel around the world, Qin Hongying took over the family business on behalf of Lu Qi and his father. She managed the business in an orderly manner and made it thrive.
Qin Hongying's illness was also because she had worked too hard when she was young. She endured all kinds of illnesses by herself and didn't go to the hospital. Gradually, she developed some chronic diseases.
After hearing Lu Chuanbai's introduction, Xu Qingqing admired the unseen Qin Hongying very much. She thought that such a woman was a real strong - woman.
The villa where Qin Hongying lived was one of the earliest - built villas on Penglang Island. This villa had a long history and retained the Chinese - style architectural style when the Lu family first built it.
The tall trees in the villa's yard shaded the sky. The pebble - paved path was neatly maintained.
The roof of the wooden ancient building was surrounded by lush leaves. The complicated wooden window grilles revealed a touch of ancient charm.
In front of the villa was a well - trimmed lawn and blooming roses, emitting a faint fragrance.
When they arrived, Lu Chuanbai got out of the car and rang the doorbell on the fence gate. After the doorbell rang for a long time, they finally heard some movement from inside the villa.
"Coming."
It was a middle - aged woman wearing an apron and plain clothes.
The middle - aged woman had a plain face and her hair was neatly coiled up behind her head. She looked like a kind - hearted person at first sight.
When the middle - aged woman saw that it was Lu Chuanbai, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"So it's Young Master Chuanbai."
The middle - aged woman had small dimples at the corners of her mouth, looking even kinder.
"This is Auntie's caregiver, Aunt Zhou. She takes care of Auntie's daily life on weekdays."
Lu Chuanbai introduced Aunt Zhou to Xu Qingqing with a faint smile. He pulled the two children forward.
"Aunt Zhou, this is my wife and my two children."
The two children stood on their tiptoes and called out sweetly, "Hello, Grandma Zhou."
Xu Qingqing also nodded slightly and called out obediently, "Hello, Aunt Zhou."
Aunt Zhou was very happy to see that Lu Chuanbai's wife and children were so well - behaved and not at all pretentious. She quickly opened the iron gate and let Lu Chuanbai and the others in.