The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 852 - 851: Why are you still so clingy with my mom?

Chapter 852: Chapter 851: Why are you still so clingy with my mom?

Outside the restaurant, the crowd was bustling.

Situated in the center of the commercial district, the area was surrounded by shopping streets, financial streets, tech cities, and various malls, drawing a significant flow of people.

At this moment, Lu Xinnuan and her friend Xue Lu were shopping and happened to pass by MM Ji Restaurant, causing both of their steps to slow down.

Xue Lu, pointing at the restaurant’s sign, jumped with excitement and yearned, "Xinnuan, Xinnuan, look, it’s MM Ji! Do you know about this place? It’s all the rage online! I can’t believe they opened a branch here in Jinjing; I’m drooling just thinking about it!"

With a light and airy smile, Lu Xinnuan replied, "The restaurant near my place, how could I not know about it?"

"It’s near your place?" Xue Lu was beside herself with joy.

"Mmm, I’ve been there quite a few times," Lu Xinnuan said with feigned modesty.

"Ah, you’ve actually been there several times? Is it delicious? What are the signature dishes? Everyone online says that once you go, you want to go back a second time!"

"The taste is alright; if you eat there too much, it’s just so-so," Lu Xinnuan said like an expert, tugging on Xue Lu’s hand, "Let’s go. Once this restaurant opens, I’ll treat you to a meal here!"

"Yes, please!" Xue Lu almost drooled, reluctantly following Lu Xinnuan as they left.

After walking a good distance away, she still couldn’t let it go and kept asking, "Xinnuan, do you think you could book a spot at MM Ji? It’s really hard to get a reservation here, especially since it’s newly opened, right?"

Lu Xinnuan’s vanity immediately surfaced, "Shouldn’t be a problem."

"Right, you’ve been there so many times, you must know the owner pretty well by now."

Lu Xinnuan did not answer, but her purposely mysterious expression seemed to confirm Xue Lu’s words.

"Xinnuan, you’re so amazing!" Xue Lu clung to Lu Xinnuan’s arm, full of admiration and envy.

——

After handling matters at home, Xiao Qimo sent Lu Mian a text message asking where she was.

[In the city center.]

[Then keep shopping for a while, I’ll come pick you up. How about coming home for dinner tonight?]

Lu Mian smiled slightly, [Okay.]

After the message was sent, she suddenly remembered that her car was still parked in the side lot.

She had no choice but to temporarily hand over her car keys to Dongyang and told him to drive it for a bit.

Seeing that familiar Weilan car, Dongyang shivered and became extra careful even while taking the car keys.

Such a big shot, casually entrusting someone else with the keys to such an expensive car.

With her car, just casually taking apart a bearing could make him rich.

When the sun was close to setting, Xiao Qimo picked up Lu Mian.

The sight of his genteel wife improved the man’s mood significantly; the car had a piano track playing, and they exchanged intermittent conversation on the way back to the old Xiao Family home.

"You’ve acknowledged Yun Sang’s identity?"

Midway through the trip, Xiao Qimo asked somewhat unexpectedly.

"Yeah. It’s pretty nice to have another brother."

Xiao Qimo curled his lip.

If you want a brother, I can moonlight as one!

"Today, Yun Sang bullied me," the elegant man said childishly while driving maturely.

"How did he bully you?"

"He deducted my points." Xiao Qimo, without any psychological barrier, tattled and glanced at the girl, "If Yun Sang and I argue, whose side are you on?"

Her husband’s words reminded Lu Mian of that classic mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dilemma.

She pondered for a bit before counter-questioning, "Director Qi, do you think Yun Sang recognized me as his sworn sister just for you? Maybe, his actual target is you..."

Many novels write it that way.

At his words, Xiao Qimo’s hand on the steering wheel suddenly jerked, almost veering off the road.

He reached out and knocked on Lu Mian’s head, "Read less of those messy novels, he and I are innocent!"

"Oh." Lu Mian wasn’t entirely convinced.

By the time they got back to the old house, the sun had already set.

As the car approached the gate, just about to drive in, Lu Mian saw a figure of a middle-aged or elderly person hurrying out of the yard.

She narrowed her eyes for a moment.

The person’s face was flushed with a dark tinge, exuding an air of severity and sharpness, and he seemed to be talking about something.

Upon seeing Xiao Qimo’s car, Lu Mian could feel a hint of resentment at the bottom of the man’s eyes.

Xiao Qimo steered the wheel and passed by the man expressionlessly.

"Director Qimo, who was that person?"

"My eldest uncle."

Lu Mian thought for a moment. Was it the eldest uncle line that had been driven out of the Xiao Family before, Xiu Qian’s grandfather, presumably?

She was unaware of the Xiao Family’s old grudges and it was inappropriate to comment, so she didn’t pursue the matter. She got out of the car and followed Xiao Qimo into the main building’s living room.

The atmosphere in the living room was originally a bit stiff, but when the butler announced, "Miss Lu has returned," the mood instantly lightened up.

"Mianmian is here?"

Qi Zhen heard from afar, still wearing an apron and not even having the time to put down the soup spoon, she hurried out.

Xiao Jianli and Xiao Huazun were in the living room, and at the news, they instantly put on welcoming smiles for Lu Mian.

Lu Mian didn’t ask what had just happened and greeted them all patiently.

Knowing that Qi Zhen had gone back to the kitchen to bustle about for her, she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt without even having a sip of water and went to help wash hands.

Qi Zhen wouldn’t allow it, asking her to rest quickly.

Lu Mian disagreed and insisted on following Qi Zhen around, not willing to leave even a step behind, like a clingy child.

The three generations sitting in the living room were rather speechless.

Xiao Qimo: Mianmian, why are you still so clingy to my mom...

Xiao Huazun: My wife, mine!

Xiao Jianli: When will Mianmian cling to me like that?

The three generations, each with their own thoughts, sat in the living room drinking tea, not quite at ease. From time to time, they craned their necks, constantly keeping an eye on the kitchen’s activity.

Xiao Huazun was the first to break the silence.

"Mianmian is a good kid. What other girl would volunteer to help out?" Xiao Huazun had been in contact with daughters of family clans who were pampered and never did any manual work.

Let alone help out, they might not even step into the kitchen.

"That’s why I say it’s fate. Zhenzhen never acts like a wealthy lady, and Mianmian is a genuinely sincere and honest girl. Our family must have accumulated virtue from ancestors," said Xiao Jianli with a smile so wide he couldn’t close his mouth, "And besides, Mianmian cooks deliciously well!"

The old man expressed satisfaction with his daughter-in-law and his granddaughter-in-law in his words.

The only thing that irked him was Xiu Hualei, the eldest. Every time Xiu Hualei came to the old house, a quarrel was inevitable, disrupting the harmonious family atmosphere and turning it into a mess.

Xiao Jianli shook his head, dismissing those troublesome thoughts.

Lu Mian helped Qi Zhen prepare a rich dinner.

The Xiao Family had few members, just these few people dining together. There was none of the etiquette and rules of the great family clans, and it was no different from an ordinary family. The atmosphere at the dinner table was very good.