Oh no, the aloof school beauty has been reborn too!

As soon as Lu Ningning spoke, the atmosphere at the dinner table became awkward.

Lu Xing seemed oblivious to the probing in her words, picked up some shredded meat and put it in his bowl, saying quite naturally:

"Isn't this normal?"

Lu Ningning squinted.

"What's normal about it?"

"There are so many different clubs and activities at university."

Lu Xing said without changing his expression:

"It's hard not to be lively when you're dealing with different people every day, right?"

Then he added:

"And my roommates are all incredibly talkative; they're basically social butterflies."

"If you stay in that kind of environment for a long time, you'll be influenced by it to some extent."

That's a reasonable and well-founded statement; it sounds quite plausible.

Lu Ningning stared at him, clearly still not believing him.

She always felt that something was off about Lu Xing...

Seeing the brother and sister bickering again, Liu Chunmei couldn't help but laugh and interject:

"Isn't it a good thing that your brother has become more cheerful?"

"Didn't you used to always say that your brother was quiet and didn't like to talk to people?"

Lu Ningning choked for a moment.

"That's true..."

Liu Chunmei served Lu Xing some food, her tone filled with joy.

"Studying away from home can make you more open-minded, which is a good thing."

Lu Xing lowered his head, ate a mouthful of rice, and smiled.

Lu Shoucheng didn't say a word from beginning to end.

He ate his meal quietly, occasionally picking up some food and taking a sip of soup.

But when he heard Liu Chunmei's words, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

After a brief silence at the dinner table, Lu Xing abruptly changed the subject.

"But you..."

He looked at Lu Ningning, his tone leisurely.

"How did you do on your final exams?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ningning froze instantly.

She blinked and silently lowered her head.

Then he picked up the bowl and buried his head in drinking the soup.

"..."

Lu Xing raised an eyebrow.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Lu Ningning mumbled:

"The soup was quite delicious."

"I'm asking you about the exam."

"Radishes are quite delicious too."

"Lu Ningning".

Liu Chunmei also looked over.

"Your brother asked about your grades?"

Lu Ningning immediately became much more docile, like a kitten whose neck had been pinned down.

She muttered to herself:

"It's...it hasn't been released yet..."

"Not out yet?"

Lu Xing chuckled.

"Then why are you so guilty?"

"Why would I feel guilty?"

Lu Ningning immediately looked up and stubbornly said:

"I'm doing this out of respect for the food; we don't talk about studying while eating."

Lu Shoucheng rarely spoke, but he did say something:

"Let's not talk about it now that the exam is over, let's eat."

Lu Ningning immediately nodded repeatedly, as if she had grasped at a lifeline.

"Yes, yes, Dad is right, let's eat."

Lu Xing didn't press further, and the atmosphere at the dinner table quickly warmed up again.

The family ate their meal while chatting about recent events in Nanhe.

Liu Chunmei said that business at the supermarket has been pretty good these past few days.

When the weather gets cold, hot pot base and salt sell out quickly.

Lu Shoucheng said that the factory has recently started rushing to meet production targets again.

With a lot of orders at the end of the year, the machines in the workshop are running from morning till night, and we estimate we'll have to work overtime for a few more days.

Lu Ningning then spoke with great interest about the children of Old Wang's family in the next building.

"He insisted on keeping a cat, and he would hold that little orange cat downstairs every day and wouldn't let go of it."

She gnawed on a rib and mumbled indistinctly:

"But it seems to have run away again after only a few days of keeping it."

"I'm looking for the cat in the neighborhood every day now, and I've even put up missing cat notices."

Lu Xing chuckled lightly.

"That makes it difficult to find."

"you do not say……"

A cold wind swept past the window, but the heat in the kitchen had not yet dissipated.

Now, sitting here again, Lu Xing finds every word of everyday conversation to be exceptionally pleasant to hear.

……

After finishing his meal, Lu Xing took the initiative to stand up and clear the dishes.

Liu Chunmei immediately said:

"Let me do it. You must be tired from the car ride back."

"fine."

Lu Xing stacked the empty bowls together.

"I can do it."

"Hey, stop it."

Liu Chunmei said that, but she didn't actually stop them.

Lu Xing carried the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen and then wiped the table.

Liu Chunmei stood by and watched, finding it increasingly strange.

This child has really changed...

Many small movements have become more refined.

Liu Chunmei watched his retreating figure, feeling gratified yet unable to suppress her unease.

A grown man...

How did it suddenly become so delicate?

The sound of running water could be heard in the kitchen.

Lu Xing was washing the dishes with his head down when Liu Chunmei circled around him twice before finally unable to resist.

"You really didn't have a boyfriend at school?"

Lu Xing nearly slipped from the bowl in his hand.

He didn't turn around, and said in a natural tone:

"Mom, why are you here again?"

Liu Chunmei leaned against the kitchen door, her tone as if asking casually.

"You don't need to hide it if you have a boyfriend/girlfriend."

"You're already in college, and we're not the kind of parents who are unenlightened."

"If you really do date, your parents will give you more pocket money every month."

She paused, then added earnestly:

"Don't mistreat that girl, you know?"

Lu Xing was both amused and exasperated by these words.

He bent down, rinsed the bowl clean, and put it in the drainer.

"Mom, I'm only a freshman in college, what are you thinking?"

"Besides..."

Lu Xing turned his head away, his tone helpless.

"Aren't you afraid I'll pretend to have a girlfriend to scam you guys out of your monthly allowance?"

Liu Chunmei was taken aback.

She immediately realized what was happening and reached out to give him a hard rub on the head.

"Dare to lie?"

"If you get caught, you'll be eating garbage in Jiangcheng."

Lu Xing's lips twitched slightly.

"She's really my mom."

Liu Chunmei snorted.

"Only your own mother would remind you like this."

Lu Xing didn't say anything more, and just continued washing the dishes.

Liu Chunmei wandered around the kitchen and realized that she really didn't have much to do.

Lu Xing washed the bowls and soaked the pot.

Having been used to being busy all the time, I feel a little unaccustomed to suddenly having free time.

Liu Chunmei watched her son's busy figure, thought for a moment, and sighed softly.

"It's okay if we talked about it."

Lu Xing paused slightly.

Liu Chunmei seemed oblivious and continued speaking:

"Parents may not know everything, and they may not be able to help."

"But you really need to keep your eyes open..."

Don't be fooled by shady people.

Lu Xing paused, his fingers holding the bowl, as if he wanted to turn around and say something.

But before he could speak, Liu Chunmei resumed her normal tone.

"Okay, now that you're done washing up, go and get some rest."

"I'll go to the living room and keep your dad company for a while."

After saying that, she didn't ask any more questions and turned to leave the kitchen.

Lu Xing watched her retreating figure, and after a moment, shook his head and smiled helplessly.

One by one...

Lu Xing rinsed the last bowl clean and put it back on the shelf.

After the sound of water stopped, the kitchen became much quieter.

He wiped his hands.

When it's time to bring it back and introduce it, of course we will bring it back.

……

Lu Xing returned to his room.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, just as he picked up his phone to say something to Shen Qingyi, when there was a knock on the door.

Two tapping sounds.

Before Lu Xing could speak, the person outside had already carefully pushed the door open a crack.

Lu Ningning, clutching a cushion, slipped in through the crack.

After entering the room, she immediately closed the door behind her.

The movements were very skillful...

Lu Xing frowned slightly when he saw her like this.

What are you doing?

Lu Ningning blinked, looking completely innocent.

"Nothing much~"

Lu Xing became alert and said:

"Why are you here instead of eating your snacks?"

The next second, Lu Ningning sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning forward slightly.

"elder brother……"

She lowered her voice and her expression was serious.

"You never used to cook on your own initiative."

Lu Xing leaned back in his chair and said calmly:

"so what?"

"So something's really wrong with you."

Lu Ningning stared at him.

"And... the way you talk now is like a completely different person."

"You couldn't even get a fart out of him with three blows before."

Several black lines immediately appeared on Lu Xing's face.

How can you talk about your own brother like that?

He hesitated before refraining from slamming the phone onto her forehead.

"People always grow after going to university."

Lu Xing said earnestly:

"You'll understand when you go to college."

Lu Ningning wasn't buying it at all.

Don't you know your own brother well?

In the past, Lu Xing was too lazy to talk to her much at home, but when she annoyed him, he would occasionally threaten her with his eyes.

But things are different now...

He seemed much more relaxed, both inside and out.

This change is huge!

There's definitely something fishy going on.

The book often describes something that can cause a man to undergo a dramatic change overnight...

Lu Ningning hugged the pillow tightly, her eyes growing brighter.

"Hey, are you really in a relationship?"

Lu Xing remained expressionless.

"no."

"Just tell me if it's true or not."

Lu Ningning immediately moved closer and lowered her voice even further.

"I absolutely won't tell my mom."

Lu Xing chuckled.

"You don't know anything anyway, what can you tell Mom?"

Lu Ningning was stunned for a moment.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"So, if you say that, then it's really true?"

"..."

Lu Xing shrugged.

"no."

Lu Ningning didn't believe him and continued to try to trick him.

"Hey, brother, tell me!"

"If you tell me, I might even be able to cover for you if the opportunity arises!"

Lu Xing raised an eyebrow.

"Little girl, something's wrong with you?"

Lu Ningning blinked and pretended to be stupid.

"What's wrong with me?"

"Why are you being so nosy about my love life?"

Lu Xing couldn't help but smile as he looked at her excited expression.

He reached out his finger and flicked Lu Ningning's forehead.

With a "smack," Lu Ningning immediately covered her forehead.

"pain!"

"Just a little kid..."

Lu Xing withdrew his hand, his tone leisurely.

"Take care of what's in front of you first."

"In the blink of an eye, a few years will pass, and you'll have to start thinking about the high school entrance exam."

Lu Ningning covered her forehead, her face scrunched up.

But this time she didn't react. Instead, she rolled her eyes and looked at Lu Xing with a smile.

"It's mainly out of curiosity."

"What are you curious about?"

Lu Ningning drawled out her words.

"I wonder what kind of girl would be interested in a scruffy guy like my brother."

"and……"

She looked Lu Xing up and down, her tone full of meaning.

"And you've changed so much!"

The smile on Lu Xing's face gradually disappeared.

He slowly put down his phone.

Lu Ningning sensed danger and tried to shrink back while hugging her pillow.

It's a pity it's too late.

Lu Xing reached out and grabbed Lu Ningning's cheeks, pulling them apart.

"Who are you calling a slovenly guy?"

Lu Ningning protested vaguely:

"Mmm... Let go!"

Lu Xing continued expressionlessly:

"You little chubby girl, you're getting bolder and bolder."

Lu Ningning instantly bristled.

Even with her face still being pinched, she tried her best to widen her eyes.

"I'm not fat!!!"

The sound was somewhat distorted because the cheek was being pulled.

Lu Xing couldn't help but chuckle.

The brother and sister were playing around when a clear notification sound suddenly rang out in the room.

"Ding-dong..."

Lu Xing's phone received a message.

The two of them looked at the phone almost simultaneously.

The phone was originally on the lock screen.

But just as Lu Xing turned his head, the camera recognized his face.

The next second, the phone screen lit up and unlocked automatically.

The desktop wallpaper appeared before them without any obscuring.

The light fell on her profile, revealing her clear eyes and a bright smile on her lips.

Clean, beautiful...

It also carries a kind of gentleness.

Shen Qingyi's smiling face was thus completely imprinted in Lu Ningning's heart.