Chapter 100: Her Only Path Is the College Entrance Examination

Lu Yuanqiu spoke with a serious tone, asking, “What is it?”

Lu Tian and his wife exchanged a glance before replying, “I’ve been discussing with your mother about contacting a doctor for Uncle Bai to see if we can help with his disoriented state.”

Lu Yuanqiu smiled. “That’s wonderful. Let’s reach out to him.”

Su Xiaoya sighed. “It is a good thing, but I’m afraid Little Xia might feel burdened, thinking she’s indebted to us too much.”

Lu Yuanqiu nodded. “She must want her father to recover, so she probably won’t refuse our kindness, yet there will still be that weight in her heart. Interacting with our family in the future would make her feel even more uneasy. You’re right, Mom; she’s always been like that.”

Lu Tian sighed. “It’s not truly an obligation. If we cure Uncle Bai, we might even obtain some secret recipe from him, which could prove useful for her future.”

“But if we frame it that way, it makes our family seem overly utilitarian… Life is indeed difficult.”

Lu Yuanqiu chuckled.

His parents were truly kind.

Or rather, they deeply cherished Bai Qingxia and always carefully considered her mental well-being.

Lu Yuanqiu offered a suggestion: “We could simply assist secretly. Bai Qingxia isn’t always at her father’s side.”

“Dad and Mom, I’ve had an idea for some time: can we let Uncle Bai try working at the supermarket, with him taking on only the simplest tasks?”

Lu Tian looked up. “You mean…?”

Lu Yuanqiu remained silent for a moment, gazing quietly at the water cup on the table. The still surface of the water seemed to gradually transform into the glass of a Ferris wheel cabin.

Reflected within it was the girl’s sorrowful face from that day.

Lu Yuanqiu spoke slowly. “Bai Qingxia’s future should not be confined by her father in Lucheng. She needs an opportunity to witness a wider world and the bustling affairs of society.”

“A few days ago, when I heard her inquiring about Xianjian 3, I felt a pang of guilt. She is nearly an adult yet has never watched a TV series. Perhaps she does not enjoy them?”

“For Bai Qingxia, her only path to transform her life lies in the college entrance exam, yet she also loves her father and requires care. These two aspects create a profound contradiction.”

As he murmured this, Su Xiaoya walked toward her husband with a surprised expression, and the couple met each other’s eyes.

When had their always carefree son become so subtly thoughtful?

The son from before had been, bluntly put, the foolish heir of a wealthy landlord family.

But now, something had clearly shifted.

Lu Tian had grown somewhat accustomed to it, for he had heard Lu Yuanqiu utter such profound sentiments on multiple occasions.

Lu Yuanqiu continued, “Therefore, I hope you may assist me by teaching Uncle Bai the skills to live independently, treating you as his new family, rather than allowing him to feel that his only family is his daughter. If he does not wait at the school gate for her dismissal, he cannot leave the house with peace of mind for an entire day.”

“Thinking about it makes me nearly cry. Son, if I were Little Xia, I would definitely fall in love with you…” Su Xiaoya raised her finger to wipe her eyes.

Lu Yuanqiu twitched his lips. “Enough, enough. The training these past few days has been exhausting. I’m returning to my room to rest.”

He closed the bedroom door.

The following day was Saturday.

Lu Yuanqiu opened the bedroom door.

He staggered into the living room, glanced at the clock, and realized he had slept until one in the afternoon.

The house was silent, with no one present.

Squinting, he clutched his stomach and walked to the refrigerator. Just as he opened the door, the doorbell rang.

He went to answer it.

Standing there with a smile was a girl carrying a pink schoolbag and dressed in a blue-and-white school uniform. But her smile soon froze as her gaze dropped to Lu Yuanqiu’s bare shoulders.

Bang! Lu Yuanqiu shut the door without a trace of expression.

Ten seconds later, the door reopened. Lu Yuanqiu, now wearing a short-sleeve shirt and grinning with teeth bared, appeared before her.

“Come in.”

The girl entered with flushed cheeks and began removing her shoes.

She then took off her socks as well, her tender white feet and pink toes stepping onto the smooth floor. As he closed the door, Lu Yuanqiu silently kicked the family’s slippers beneath the shoe cabinet.

Since Bai Qingxia disliked slippers, the obtrusive pair would be hidden! Hehe.

“Perfect—you’re here. Make me a meal! I haven’t eaten yet!”

Lu Yuanqiu commanded.

The girl turned in surprise. “It’s already one in the afternoon…”

“Slept until now—what is there to not understand.”

He had expected reluctance, yet the girl responded cheerfully, “Okay, what would you like?”

It seemed she truly enjoyed cooking.

Lu Yuanqiu opened the refrigerator and said, “Whatever is there, prepare it. I am not particular about food.”

“Alright!” She agreed readily once more.

Unfamiliar with the gas stove and range hood, Lu Yuanqiu assisted her in resolving the equipment issues, then stood at the kitchen doorway.

He had intended to watch her cook, but inevitably a patch of snowy white color entered his view. His gaze descended gradually, and he was silently captivated by those exquisite jade feet.

These tender feet, too small to be concealed by the loose school pants, were often hidden or partially revealed in a game of hide-and-seek.

Lu Yuanqiu finally grasped the psychology behind those who treat feet as delicacies.

A girl’s feet—snowy white, rosy pink, delicate and adorable—perfectly embodied human infantile aesthetics. Who would not steal a few extra glances?

Lu Yuanqiu swore he had never been a foot fetishist; he simply had not encountered what he truly desired.

After placing the meat in the oil pot, the oil splashed outward. Bai Qingxia quickly withdrew her feet and looked down at her instep.

Suddenly, the boy at the doorway roared.

“Bai Qingxia!!! Hurry! Turn off the fire! My feet are burned!!! Hurry to the doctor!!! Hurry to the doctor!!”

He swiftly shut off the stove. The girl, spatula in hand, was still processing when Lu Yuanqiu lifted her in his arms and rushed her toward the living room.

“What are you doing?” Bai Qingxia clutched his shirt with one hand, puzzled.

After setting her on the sofa, Lu Yuanqiu gazed at the girl gravely. “Just to help me with a meal, how could your feet be injured? I feel terrible! I’ll fetch medicine and bandages for you!”

With that, he hurried toward the cabinet.

Bai Qingxia sat up and examined her fair instep, where a small red mark had been seared by the oil.

If Lu Yuanqiu had delayed by even a moment longer, the mark would have vanished.