The heavens set sail from the courtyard

Lu Tao and Xia Lin took a taxi home. Sitting in the car, Lu Tao's face remained sour.

Xia Lin leaned against Lu Tao, unsure how to comfort him.

Xia Lin actually knew that the main reason Lu Tao was in a bad mood was because he was jealous of his classmates.

They graduated from the same university, but Lu Tao couldn't find a job for several months and was supported by his parents.

In contrast, Hua Zi has already opened a used car dealership, and Xiang Nan has also been arranged by his family to work in a public institution.

Not to mention Gao Qiang (Wang Gang), I heard he made a fortune, buying houses and shops.

They used to be roommates, but after graduation, everyone did well, except for Lu Tao who was living off his parents. It's perfectly normal for him to feel resentful and jealous.

They returned to their rented apartment in silence. Seeing that Lu Tao still looked grumpy, Xia Lin suggested, "Are you hungry? I'll make you some noodles."

Lu Tao said with a sullen face, "I'm not eating anymore, I'm already full of anger."

Charlene sighed and said, "Why do you envy others? You are already very outstanding."

Lu Tao sneered, "Who said I'm jealous of Gao Qiang? He just got lucky and made a little money through crooked means."

Charlene looked at the hypocritical man in front of her and laughed, "I didn't say that the person you're jealous of is Gao Qiang."

Lu Tao was speechless for a moment, then said angrily, "Anyway, I'm not jealous of him."

Charlene shook her head, no longer wanting to provoke Lu Tao, and changed the subject, saying, "I'm really hungry."

Lu Tao sighed and said, "There's some instant noodles at home, and eggs in the refrigerator."

Charlene laughed and said, "Shall I get you a packet?"

Lu Tao shook his head and said, "You eat, I'm really not hungry."

Charlene went into the kitchen to make noodles.

Lu Tao sat down at the computer, ready to look at job postings again, vowing to find a decent job so he wouldn't fall too far behind his classmates.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Lu Tao glanced at Xia Lin, who was busy in the kitchen, and went to open the door himself.

"It's you?" Lu Tao realized that the person standing at the door was his biological father, Xu Zhisen.

"What are you doing here?" Lu Tao's expression was somewhat unpleasant; he had never had a good impression of his biological father.

"I heard you lived here, so I came to visit," Xu Zhisen said kindly.

One shouldn't hit a smiling face, so Lu Tao didn't ask to kick him out.

"Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?" Xu Zhisen said with a smile.

Lu Tao hesitated for two seconds, but finally stepped aside and invited Xu Zhisen into the house.

"Would you like to change into slippers?" Xu Zhisen asked, glancing around the room.

"No need to change, we'll be mopping the floor soon anyway," Lu Tao said indifferently. "I rarely have guests, so I don't have any extra slippers."

Xu Zhisen ignored his son's attitude, smiled as he walked into the house, and said, "This house was rented for you by Lu Yaxun, right? It doesn't seem very big."

Lu Tao said impatiently, "I live alone, so I don't need a big place. Did you come to see me for something?"

Xia Lin, who was in the kitchen, vaguely heard Lu Tao's voice, and then came out and asked, "Lu Tao, who are you talking to?"

Xia Lin was stunned when she saw Xu Zhisen as soon as she came out.

"Who is this?"

"This is Xu Zhisen," Lu Tao introduced them. "This is my girlfriend, Xia Lin."

Xia Lin had naturally heard of Lu Tao's biological father, who had returned from the United States, but she had never met him in person.

Xu Zhisen smiled at Xia Lin and said, "Miss Xia, I'm sorry to bother you. I hope I haven't disturbed your time together!"

Xia Lin had a good first impression of Xu Zhisen, feeling that he was a very easy person to get along with.

puff...

An unusual sound reached the ears of the three of them. Xia Lin exclaimed, "Oh no, the noodles are bubbling over!" Xia Lin quickly returned to the kitchen to turn off the stove, and Lu Tao followed her in worriedly.

The kitchen stove was a complete mess, and Xia Lin even got burned when she reached out to turn off the stove.

"Are you alright?" Lu Tao asked, holding Xia Lin's hand with concern.

"I'm fine, it's just that I can't finish this pot of noodles," Xia Lin said apologetically.

"You go out first, I'll clean up here!" Lu Tao took a rag and put the pot in the sink first.

Xia Lin was kicked out of the kitchen by Lu Tao. Xu Zhisen apologized, "I'm sorry, this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been so presumptuous in visiting."

"No, no, it's not your fault, it was all my own carelessness," Xia Lin said hurriedly.

Xu Zhisen glanced at his son, who was busy in the kitchen, and said with a smile, "How about this? To express my apology, I'll take you out to eat after Lu Tao finishes cleaning up."

I know a good restaurant; they serve authentic Tan family cuisine.

Xia Lin said with difficulty, "You'll have to ask Lu Tao about that; I can't make that decision."

Xu Zhisen smiled and said, "I'll talk to Lu Tao."

After saying that, Xu Zhisen went into the kitchen and came out with Lu Tao a few minutes later.

"My car is parked downstairs, let's go together."

Xia Lin looked at Lu Tao and saw that he had not rejected Xu Zhisen, so she could only follow him downstairs.

Downstairs, a brand-new Mercedes-Benz S300 had been waiting for a long time, and the driver opened the rear door.

"Lu Tao, you and Miss Xia sit in the back, I'll sit in the front passenger seat," Xu Zhisen arranged.

"Lu Tao, why don't you and your uncle sit in the back? I'll sit in the front," Xia Lin said shyly.

“Let’s sit in the back.” Lu Tao pulled Xia Lin and they sat directly in the back row.

Xu Zhisen smiled, not paying any attention, and opened the door to sit in the passenger seat.

As soon as Lu Tao sat in the car, he felt something different. The spacious and comfortable environment of the Mercedes-Benz was quite different from that of a regular taxi.

After Xu Zhisen got into the car, he said to Lu Tao, "Are you comfortable here? This car is brand new, so it might still have a bit of an odor."

Charlene said modestly, "Uncle, your car smells wonderful, there's no unpleasant odor!"

Lu Tao asked bluntly, "Your car must cost over a million, right?"

Xia Lin felt that Lu Tao was being a bit rude, so she gently tugged at his clothes.

Lu Tao, however, did not think it was bad.

"It was purchased by the company. I've forgotten the exact price, but it was close to two million." Xu Zhisen maintained a smile throughout, demonstrating excellent manners.

"You rich people really know how to enjoy life," Lu Tao said sourly.

“Lu Tao, you are my only son. All my money will be yours in the future,” Xu Zhisen said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Tao's eyes narrowed, a glint of something unreadable flashing in them, which was noticed by Xia Lin and Xu Zhisen.

Xu Zhisen's lips curled up, seemingly having achieved his goal, and he turned his head to focus on the road ahead.

Xia Lin was a little worried. She had a vague feeling that Xu Zhisen had ill intentions, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what he wanted to do.
The Mercedes drove all the way to the gate of a courtyard house in the city center and stopped.

Lu Tao got out of the car and asked curiously, "Is this a restaurant?"

"This used to be a prince's mansion, which was later converted into a private restaurant," Xu Zhisen explained enthusiastically.

"Didn't you just return to China? How do you know about places like this?" Lu Tao asked in surprise.

“A friend brought me here once. I heard that the head chef here is very famous and has won many awards!”

Xu Zhisen led Lu Tao and Xia Lin into the courtyard house, opening the door to a new world for them. (End of Chapter)