Chapter 423 - 423: Adoption Request

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Assistant Qin, are you still in the office? I was about to call you.”

Just as he took a few steps, Assistant Qin suddenly heard a voice.

“Mr. Li!” Assistant Qin was surprised to see him here. He sighed inwardly. He wondered if he would be assigned more tasks.

“Are you heading home? I just have a few words. It won’t take much of your time,” Li Yanchen said.

“Of course. Please go on.” Assistant Qin breathed a sigh of relief.

“Tomorrow, I’ll bring Wanwan along to the company. At lunch, please ask the canteen to cook a few dishes. Wanwan said she likes sunny-side-up and salted pepper prawns. Deduct the extra cost from my salary.”

“Alright. Anything else? Do you need another identical chair in your office?”

“No need. You can leave now.”

“Alright, see you later, Mr. Li! Call me if you need anything.” Assistant Qin walked cheerfully into the elevator.

As he pressed the button for the first floor, Assistant Qin couldn’t help but hum a tune. “Rarely get to leave work early… I’m going on a date. The company is good, the boss is good, I’ll work until I’m old…”

Li Yanchen was speechless. ‘What happened to my serious employees in this company?’

He went back to his office and reviewed a few proposals. His neck was stiff. He stood by the window and stretched. It was already getting dark.

He hadn’t even realized that it was already evening.

He wouldn’t be able to enjoy a hot meal at this time. He took a short break and then continued with his work.

At Yun Xi Junior High School, Li Zexin’s friends wanted to accompany him home again. However, they were afraid of asking Li Zexin because they didn’t want to bother him too much. They didn’t want any rift in their friendship.

They walked Li Zexin to the entrance of the neighborhood. They didn’t ask him if they could stay for a meal, but the desire to do so was evident on their faces.

Preserved Egg pouted. “Will Xinxin’s family have hot pot today? It sounds so tempting.”

“Maybe they’ll have porridge, green vegetables, and millet. It’s warm and good for the stomach. I can almost see the steam rising.”

“I think it’s stir-fried dishes. Grandma Huang is excellent at cooking.”

“Never mind… Let’s go to the cafeteria. They have over a dozen dishes there.

Come on, Xinxin, enjoy your meal. Don’t worry about us.”

“Xinxin, eat more. See you later.”

After the three of them said goodbye, they walked away with their arms around each other.

Chubby Jiang said, “You make it sound so sad. Xinxin is soft. He wouldn’t abandon us. One, two, three…”

They turned around.

Only two dim streetlights were visible.

‘Where’s Xinxin

“Xinxin?”

Li Zexin saw that his friends were about to turn around, so he picked up his backpack and ran as fast as he could.

He liked having them over, but he didn’t want to bother Auntie Huang and Lin Wan too much.

He ran without looking back and arrived at his house in a few minutes.

When he pushed open the door, both Auntie Huang and Lin Wan looked surprised.

“Are you being chased?” Lin Wan asked. “Did your friends come for dinner?” “I ran back while they weren’t paying attention.” Li Zexin panted.

“They aren’t here? I made some extra dishes just in case.” Grandma Huang looked out the window but didn’t see anyone there.

“It’s okay, Auntie Huang. We have meal boxes at home, right? Pack the food. Xinxin will take it with him. Bring them over tomorrow after the evening self-study session, alright?”

“Aren’t you annoyed with them? I was afraid you would think it’s too noisy to have them over every day. So, I came by myself today,” said Li Zexin in surprise.

“What’s there to be annoyed about? When Xuanxuan and Jiejie are home, it’s noisy with all of you, too. It’s lively. Wanwan said you had such a good relationship with your friends. Childhood friendships are precious. Cherish it.” “Did Ms. Lin really say that?” Li Zexin asked.

“Would Auntie Huang lie to you?” Lin Wan asked. “If you’re lucky, you’ll all go to the same high school and become lifelong brothers in the future.”

“In this world, only mothers are good…” Li Zexin pretended to wipe away a tear while singing a sad song. Then he stopped. “Wait… if they can come every day, then they will buy groceries. I’m not a fool. Let me calculate how much it costs for each meal. My brother said real brothers settle their accounts clearly, and charging some money is reasonable.”

Li Zexin picked up a pen and paper. “Granny Huang, write down the cost of each meal. I’ll give them the bill later.”

“That isn’t right,” said Auntie Huang. “It’s good to learn to save money, but… calculating everything to the dot with friends… Won’t they mind?”

“No. They won’t mind. They always make me give them living expenses for taking care of me. I’m calculating it now to let them know the exact amount.”

“Auntie Huang, tell him.” Lin Wan took out her own account book. “It’s all here.”

“Wow! Grandma Huang is so meticulous…” Li Zexin skimmed over the records from three days ago.

“Alright, let’s eat.”

At Yun Xi Junior High School, Preserved Egg and the others reluctantly went to the cafeteria. As they passed by the metal fence, they saw some parents bring dinner for the students. Several kids stood outside the fence and accepted the meal boxes. A mother delivered a bulk of packed food, and everyone was going to eat together.

“I envy them,” Preserved Egg wiped his drool.

“Xinxin is also very good to us, but it’s just that there are always so many of us visiting. Why don’t we go separately? One person each day?” Chubby Jiang asked.

“You’re so clever!”

After some discussion, the three of them smiled.

As the evening self-study bell rang, Li Zexin rushed to the classroom.

Big Mouth sat behind Li Zexin in his usual seal. “Xinxin, why are you late again?”

“Qin Yang, pay attention and do your work. This is self-study,” the teacher said. “Li Zexin, please try to come to class on time or a few minutes earlier.”

“Yes, teacher.”

After the evening self-study class ended, Preserved Egg and the others gathered around Li Zexin. “Xinxin, we discussed it. We admit that it’s not convenient for the three of us to go to your house for dinner every time. We thought… Why not go one by one? I’ll go on Mondays, Chubby Jiang on Tuesdays, and Big Mouth on Wednesdays. That way, it will be more manageable. Of course, we won’t just freeload. We’ll definitely contribute toward the living expenses. What do you think?”

Li Zexin had planned to tell his roommates later that they could all come to his house. However, seeing how eager they were, he decided to tease them a bit. “But then, every day, I have to take someone to my house, which would be troublesome for Grandma Huang. She’s getting old, and cooking for so many people must be tiring,” Li Zexin said in mock seriousness.

“Xinxin, I can eat less. I mean it. I can be full by eating just a little.” Chubby Jiang thought he scared Grandma Huang with his appetite.

“I want to help Grandma Huang cook, but I don’t have that much time. How about this? I’ll come to our house during every holiday and help out in the kitchen or with any work you might have,” said Big Mouth. “Xinxin, I have a small appetite. Take me along,” said Preserved Egg..