Honey, Open The Door. I Want To Give You The Room Key - Chapter 49

“Welcome, welcome!” Shen Qiao, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, watched Liu Yu walk into the small courtyard. Her eyes lit up.

Liu Yu was dressed in a white shirt paired with black casual trousers. Her hair was styled with a vibrant, layered look, and her shirt sleeves were rolled up to reveal her shapely forearms.

“Good morning, Auntie,” Liu Yu said, removing her sunglasses with a smile on her face.

“This is a special formula milk powder brought back from abroad. It has excellent absorption and is great for maintaining health,” Liu Yu said, presenting gifts that were specifically useful for Shen Qiao at this stage of her life.

“You silly girl, why did you bring so many gifts? I specially invited you for a meal to thank you, and here you are giving me so many presents.” Shen Qiao looked at the bags of expensive gifts, feeling a bit helpless at how polite the child was.

“As long as you can use them, Auntie. These were given to me by business partners, and it’s inconvenient to take them back. You can try them out; if they’re good, keep using them.” Liu Yu looked at Shen Qiao thoughtfully, her affectionate and deep eyes making Shen Qiao’s heart melt.

Shen Qiao took Liu Yu’s hand. “Come, come in and sit down first. The food is almost ready. Where is your friend? Did she not come with you?”

Shen Qiao peered out toward the courtyard but didn’t see Liu Yu’s friend.

“She’ll be here soon. I can already smell the food; it smells wonderful.” Liu Yu chatted with Shen Qiao, a smile playing on her lips.

“You child, you haven’t even reached the kitchen yet.” Shen Qiao’s eyes crinkled with laughter as she held her spatula.

“But the aroma is really wafting out. Is it stewed chicken soup? It smells so fragrant.” Liu Yu took a deep breath, identifying the scent lingering in the air.

“Your nose is quite sharp! I’m specially stewing chicken soup with Codonopsis, Glehnia root, Astragalus, and some small herbs to balance the medicinal properties. Since you’re both busy with work, I thought I’d give you some good nourishment.” Shen Qiao was delighted as she talked about her recipe.

“I really envy Shuangshuang for having such a good mother.” Liu Yu looked at Shen Qiao with a face full of envy and anticipation.

This made Shen Qiao’s heart soften. “Eat more today. Next time Auntie goes back to Lushi, I’ll invite you to dinner again.”

“Alright.” Liu Yu nodded and stood in the kitchen with Shen Qiao.

“Aunt Wu, look, this is the guest I invited today,” Shen Qiao introduced happily.

When Aunt Wu saw Liu Yu, her eyebrows twitched. She looked at Liu Yu knowingly. “Long time no see, Miss Liu.”

“Long time no see, Aunt Wu.” Liu Yu lowered her guard and spoke kindly to Aunt Wu.

Suppreasing her previous emotions about seeing Liu Yu and Shuangshuang together at night, Aunt Wu took the initiative to say, “Thank you for saving the Madam in time back then—and for saving me as well.”

On this point, Aunt Wu was truly grateful. Without Liu Yu’s intervention, the Madam might have passed away that day, and Aunt Wu would have regretted it for the rest of her life.

It was truly thanks to the two doctors Liu Yu brought, who fought back from the brink of death bit by bit. There were several times when her breathing had stopped, but they managed to pull her back.

Aunt Wu held Liu Yu’s hand and thanked her sincerely. Every time she thought back to that day, she felt it was a terrifyingly close call.

“Aunt Wu, that’s in the past now. Let’s not mention the past anymore.” Liu Yu patted Aunt Wu’s hand to comfort her.

Seeing how considerate Liu Yu was, Shen Qiao felt moved. This child was truly remarkable.

“Mom, what are you all doing?” Lou Qingshuang appeared at some point, leaning against the kitchen door with a shawl over her shoulders, looking curiously at the three of them.

“We were just thanking Miss Liu.” Aunt Wu wiped away a tear and went back to preparing the meal with a smile.

Lou Qingshuang glanced at the smiling Liu Yu and walked into the kitchen. She looked at the dishes on the counter; there were eight dishes prepared in total.

“Mom, can we finish all this?” Lou Qingshuang looked at Shen Qiao in surprise.

“If we can’t finish it, we’ll eat it for dinner. Today is a celebration of gratitude, so I definitely have to cook more of my signature dishes. You two go on out; the kitchen is full of oily smoke.” Shen Qiao shooed them both out with a grin.

Holding her spatula, Shen Qiao watched Liu Yu and Lou Qingshuang leave the kitchen together. A glint of realization flashed in her eyes.

Just now, Shuangshuang had glanced at Liu Yu several times, and Liu Yu had looked back at her with a smile. There was definitely a spark between them.

Shen Qiao felt the excitement of a “shipper.” She leaned in toward Aunt Wu to whisper some gossip.

“Before we left the Xiny Apartment, I saw Shuangshuang go out to chat with Miss Liu more than once. But you were asleep then, and we left shortly after, so I didn’t have time to tell you,” Aunt Wu whispered.

“Really?” Shen Qiao’s eyes sparkled.

Aunt Wu nodded with certainty. She peeked out of the kitchen. “Shuangshuang specifically told me not to say anything, so remember not to ask her.”

“You and I are the best of friends; I definitely won’t say a word.” Shen Qiao happily continued cooking.

Liu Yu and Lou Qingshuang sat in the elegant living room. Lou Qingshuang stood up to pour her a cup of hot water.

“Have you had breakfast?” Lou Qingshuang asked, her eyes lifting to Liu Yu as she adjusted her plain-colored shawl.

“I have. It’s a rare half-day off today. I’m heading back to Lushi this afternoon, and I’ll be going abroad tomorrow.” Liu Yu shared her itinerary with Lou Qingshuang.

“How long will you be gone?” Lou Qingshuang asked, looking at Liu Yu’s face.

“About a week.” Liu Yu sipped the hot water and looked at Lou Qingshuang with a smile.

“Then your heat period… will you be able to get through it abroad?” Lou Qingshuang knew roughly when Liu Yu’s heat was due—about a week from now.

“I’ll do my best to rush back before the heat starts. Don’t worry.” Liu Yu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gazed at Lou Qingshuang.

“I’m not worried, I’m just afraid it might affect the treatment results.” Lou Qingshuang lowered her head and took a sip of flower tea.

“It won’t.” Liu Yu looked at her tenderly.

“In a week, I’ll be finished with my vacation and heading back too. Then we’ll meet in Lushi.” Lou Qingshuang set down her teacup and looked at Liu Yu.

“Alright.” Liu Yu also set down her cup. Just as she was about to say more, the noisy sounds of Bai Wan and Shang Qing bickering drifted in.

“Next time, I won’t tell you where I’m going. Let’s see how you find me then!” Bai Wan’s playful voice was quite loud.

Lou Qingshuang and Liu Yu both turned to look at Shang Qing and Bai Wan. When Bai Wan saw Liu Yu, her voice instantly dropped. She gave Liu Yu a reserved, elegant smile.

“It’s been a long time, Chairman Liu.” Bai Wan instantly reverted to her persona as the elegant eldest daughter of the Bai family.

Bai Wan straightened her white shawl and quietly walked over to Lou Qingshuang’s side. She always felt awkward whenever she saw Liu Yu, as if she were seeing an elder.

Even though Liu Yu was only a few years older than her, she just couldn’t feel at ease around her.

Shang Qing watched Bai Wan start acting like a “good girl” again and laughed secretly to herself.

Lou Qingshuang was surprised by Bai Wan’s sudden change in state. She tilted her head and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

“Why is Liu Yu here so early?” Bai Wan whispered to Lou Qingshuang with a strained tone, though she maintained an elegant expression.

Lou Qingshuang glanced at Liu Yu, who was sitting on the sofa in a graceful and relaxed posture. “She arrived after ten.”

“Fine, I guess I’m the late one.” Bai Wan smoothed her hair. For the past few days, she had been coming over for meals around eleven; she hadn’t expected Liu Yu to be so early.

The four of them sat in the living room chatting, and Bai Wan introduced Shang Qing.

“Hello, everyone. If you have a headache or a fever, you can come to me. I can help you ask other doctors,” Shang Qing joked with a smile.

Shang Qing’s humorous words made everyone laugh.

After lunch, Liu Yu didn’t stay to rest for long and left with Shang Qing.

Sitting in the car, Liu Yu fell into thought. This trip abroad was for business cooperation, but also to see if the Liu family members overseas were behaving themselves.

That evening, Liu Yu and Shang Qing arrived at Su Hua’s home.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Xiao Yu and Xiao Qing. Taste my cooking and see if I’ve improved.” Su Hua’s wife looked at the two of them gently.

Liu Yu and Shang Qing instinctively froze and looked at Su Hua. Their eyes asked: Is this dish edible?

Su Hua looked everywhere but at them. “Don’t look at her; there’s no food on her face. Try my meal first.” Wang Ya carried an air of classical elegance.

She was a classical dancer, and her every movement possessed a graceful, traditional charm.

Looking at the disastrous appearance of the food, Liu Yu sat at the table, not daring to move her chopsticks.

“Sister-in-law, I have a flight abroad tonight. It would be very troublesome to get sick on a plane,” Liu Yu said, acting pitiful to Wang Ya.

“And I have to accompany her. Her gland has a problem,” Shang Qing immediately dropped a bombshell, making Su Hua and his wife forget all about the topic of dinner.

“What’s wrong with your gland? Aren’t you an S-class Alpha? How could there be a problem?” Su Hua frowned and looked at Liu Yu.

“Just a small issue, it’ll be fine with some regulation.” Liu Yu looked at Shang Qing, pressuring her with her gaze to speak up.

“Yes, yes,” Shang Qing nodded repeatedly.

To avoid eating food that could potentially poison them, Shang Qing was giving it her all.

“I heard you’re chasing an Omega. When you catch her, bring her to see me.” Wang Ya sighed silently as she watched the dishes she had spent all afternoon on being taken away; it seemed she really had no talent for cooking.

Hearing Wang Ya mention Lou Qingshuang, a faint smile appeared on Liu Yu’s face. “Alright.”

“Lately, someone has been poking around into the Liu family’s affairs. They’ve even reached out to the Wang family. You need to be careful.” Wang Ya had called Liu Yu over specifically to warn her about this.

Liu Yu’s eyes deepened, returning to her usual calculating demeanor. “I was wondering when I’d find a clue. I didn’t expect the other side to reveal themselves so soon.”

“Thank you for the warning, Sister-in-law. I’ll be careful.” Liu Yu accepted Wang Ya’s kindness.

“The person inquiring is very discreet. We haven’t found out exactly who it is yet; you’ll need to investigate it yourself.”

“Over the years, people in Lushi have remained tight-lipped about the Liu family. Your methods back then terrified many people. This time, do not use yourself as bait to lure them out again,” Wang Ya warned emphatically.

Liu Yu nodded. “I will. My strength now is completely different from what it was then. I don’t need to sacrifice myself to act as bait.”

“These people are either from the Liu family or enemies of the Liu family. Once we cross paths, it must be resolved. If you need help, just say the word.” Su Hua looked at Liu Yu. As the years passed, Liu Yu had become increasingly difficult to read.

She only relaxed in front of them; at all other times, she remained tightly wound.

“Protect that Omega and her family,” Wang Ya reminded her timely. She knew those methods all too well.

“As soon as I sensed something was wrong, I already arranged for people to protect her.” Liu Yu was also very familiar with those tactics—they would stop at nothing.

The four of them sat at the dining table, sharing their recent news. Notably, Wang Ya was pregnant. She and Su Hua were the first among them to marry, and they had only decided to have a child after they had had enough fun.

“Congratulations, congratulations!” Liu Yu and Shang Qing looked at Wang Ya with pleasant surprise.

“You two should hurry up too and have a proper romance. Especially you, Shang Qing—stop drifting among the flowers,” Wang Ya advised, being the eldest of the group.

“Yes, Sister-in-law! I’ll settle down and live a good life!” Shang Qing promised immediately.

Looking at her, Liu Yu and Su Hua couldn’t help but laugh.