Stop Being a Black Lotus, Okay? - Chapter 14

At six in the morning, the sky had not yet fully brightened.

Lu Min quietly pushed open the door to Ying Yulian’s room. The teenager was still asleep. Lu Min leaned down, tucked in the quilt that had been kicked aside, and then softly closed the door.

Today marked the one-year anniversary of his rebirth. Over the past year under his guardianship, Ying Yulian had not committed any wrongful acts. He had achieved good grades in school and maintained positive relationships with his classmates. Ying Yulian had even stepped forward to protect him during that incident involving Ying Guiquan in the shanty towns. It was certainly an occasion worth celebrating.

In his past life at the police station, Lu Min had frequently relied on instant noodles and rarely cooked. In this lifetime, he mostly employed a nanny to handle the household meals. However, he reasoned that cooking could not be that difficult. He had researched recipes the night before for something simple: fried eggs, bacon, and toast.

Lu Min turned on the stove, his movements appearing somewhat stiff. As he fried the eggs, the oil splattered and scalded the back of his hand. He hissed in pain but did not stop. He simply wiped his hand hurriedly on his apron and continued to focus intently on the eggs in the pan. The bacon sizzled in another pan, releasing a savory aroma that filled the air. The toaster popped with a sharp chime, revealing bread that was golden brown and crispy at the edges.

Finally, there was the soy milk. The soy milk machine in the house was quite complex, and after studying it for a while, Lu Min still only half-understood how it functioned. He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was almost time for Ying Yulian to wake up. He decided not to wait any longer and to use it as it was, assuming nothing significant would go wrong.

The beans were freshly ground, and the roar of the machine felt particularly intrusive in the quiet morning. He looked back nervously toward Ying Yulian’s bedroom, but fortunately, the door remained closed. Lu Min breathed a sigh of relief.

However, a moment later, the soy milk machine suddenly exploded for an unknown reason. Soy milk sprayed everywhere, covering Lu Min’s face and soaking into his hair.

“Brother, what happened to you?”

The bedroom door opened. Ying Yulian stood there looking startled and worried as he saw Lu Min drenched in white soy milk.

“Are you hurt?”

He immediately ran over, grabbed several napkins from the table, and began to wipe away the milk that was dripping from Lu Min’s body.

“I am fine. I am not hurt,” Lu Min said. He watched with a touch of helplessness as the boy bustled about, wiping him down with tissues and fetching items from across the room to apply a cold compress.

Lu Min eventually caught Ying Yulian’s wrist, forcing the boy to stop circling him like a busy worker bee.

“I am truly fine. Stop spinning around; you are making me dizzy.”

“You should have called me to do this. Your hands are not meant for this kind of work,” Ying Yulian said as he stared anxiously at Lu Min’s hands.

“Hands are meant for doing work,” Lu Min replied, the corners of his lips curving upward as he noted Ying Yulian’s concern.

“And why did you get up so early to do this? Do we not have a nanny?” Ying Yulian stopped his movements, looking confused.

“I told the nanny not to come today. Think about it: what day is today?” Lu Min asked. Seeing the boy’s dazed, half-awake expression, he flicked Ying Yulian’s forehead playfully.

“It is… the anniversary of the day we first met,” Ying Yulian answered after a brief moment of thought. His large, round eyes immediately lit up. Seeing the table full of food that was clearly intended for more than one person, he smiled and shook Lu Min’s arm. “You weren’t planning on making a grand feast, were you?”

“I do not have that level of skill. Making you breakfast is quite enough. We will go out for a nice lunch later,” Lu Min said. Looking at the teenager’s proud face, he could not help but laugh.

“Okay!” Ying Yulian agreed with a light chuckle. “Since the nanny is not here today, you are responsible for cooking, and I will be responsible for the dishes.”

“Can you handle that? Perhaps I should do it,” Lu Min said with a slight frown.

“I can definitely handle it. Do not treat me like a child,” Ying Yulian protested. He playfully bunched his hand into a fist and gave Lu Min a light tap.

“Fine, you can do them. My mistake,” Lu Min laughed. He clutched his chest and took several steps back as if he had been gravely injured by the blow.

“Stop pretending, Brother,” Ying Yulian said, laughing at the man’s childish behavior.

“Go wash up. We will eat together once you are finished,” Lu Min said as he ushered Ying Yulian toward the bathroom.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Lu Min took it out and answered. Chen Shen’s serious voice came through from the other end.

“Lu Min, a body dismemberment case has occurred in the East District. The daughter of the victim is a classmate of your kid.”