Chapter 31: The Adopted Robot and the Persistent Cook

Burp!

Having finished breakfast, Cheng Lan leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach as a loud, satisfied burp escaped him.

“So, what did you need me for?” he asked, looking at Qin Jinxuan, who sat across from him.

“Before… didn’t you save me again?” The young girl’s fingers gently twirled a light blue strand of hair near her ear, her voice softening. “So I thought I’d use this method… to thank you.”

“Oh, that? It was nothing; you don’t even need to thank me,” Cheng Lan said, waving a dismissive hand before taking another sip of the coffee Lidoa had just brewed for him.

*Smack!

Qin Jinxuan slammed her palm onto the table, springing to her feet. “How could that be?!” Realizing her reaction was a bit excessive, she hastily settled back into her chair, the tips of her ears flushing faintly.

“It might have been easy for you… but you still saved my life! How could I not thank you?”

She paused, then declared earnestly, “If you ask me, making just one meal isn’t nearly enough! It’s been so long, and your fridge is still completely empty of ingredients. How about I take charge of all your three meals a day from now on?” She patted her small chest.

“Speaking of which, aren’t you a young lady? How are you so good at cooking?”

“What’s wrong with being a young lady?! Can’t a young lady learn to cook?! That’s such a stereotype!” Qin Jinxuan retorted indignantly, like a hissing kitten with bristling fur.

Only after Qin Jinxuan had finished her outburst did Cheng Lan slowly lower his hands from his ears.

“As for the cooking, let’s just forget about it,” he said, shaking his head slightly.

“W-why?” Qin Jinxuan asked, her face etched with confusion.

“I have Lidoa serving me all day,” Cheng Lan explained, lifting his chin towards the small maid who was cheerfully washing dishes by the kitchen sink. Her face was wreathed in smiles, making him wonder why doing housework could bring her such joy.

He, for one, utterly detested housework, and ever since he’d acquired Lidoa, an all-purpose, fully automatic domestic robot, his life had become utterly comfortable.

“Oh, right!” Qin Jinxuan suddenly realized, following his gaze to Lidoa. Turning back to him, she pressed, “You have Lidoa, so why is your fridge still empty of ingredients? Couldn’t you just buy groceries and have her cook?”

“I’m too lazy to buy groceries,” Cheng Lan stated, utterly unapologetic.

“Then just have Lidoa go buy them!”

“Her?” Cheng Lan glanced at Lidoa again, watching her silver-white twin ponytails sway in cheerful arcs as she wiped down the kitchen counter.

“As for her, let’s not. I’m afraid something might happen if she goes shopping.”

“Something happen?”

“It’s not that I’m worried about Lidoa; I’m worried about other people. Think about it: what do you think would happen to someone who harbored ill intentions towards Lidoa?”

“Uh…” Qin Jinxuan recalled the scene of Lidoa effortlessly severing two robot heads.

“Consider this further: if a car ran a red light and hit her while she was crossing the street, do you think I should be worried about her, or about the car?”

Qin Jinxuan: “……”

“Plus… her appearance is simply too striking. If she’s constantly seen in one place, she’ll easily draw attention.”

Cheng Lan paused, as if a sudden thought had struck him, and turned to Lidoa. “Lidoa, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. Find some time to hack into the government system and create an identity for yourself. As for the identity… let’s say you’re an adopted child of our family.”

“Understood!” Lidoa replied, stopping her actions and blinking at Cheng Lan. “Then, Master, does this mean I’m joining Master’s family?”

‘She’ll be written into the same household registration book eventually, so it should count.’

“I… suppose so,” Cheng Lan said, sounding unsure himself.

“Yay!” Even with the uncertain answer, Lidoa happily bounced, her silver-white twin ponytails swinging even more vigorously.

Sitting nearby, Qin Jinxuan watched the lively Lidoa, a hint of envy, one she hadn’t even noticed herself, flickering in her eyes.

“Then why don’t you use an app to buy groceries?” she steered the conversation back.

“An app? You’re right!” Cheng Lan slapped his forehead, a sudden realization dawning on him. He immediately pulled out his phone, unlocked the screen, and declared, “I’ll download an app right now and order some groceries.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Let’s not!” Qin Jinxuan quickly stood up, her two small hands clamping tightly onto Cheng Lan’s hand, preventing him from operating his phone.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you just tell me to use an app?” Cheng Lan shot her a sidelong glance.

“Ahem, groceries ordered through an app aren’t always fresh,” the young girl said, offering an awkward smile. “How about I just bring the ingredients over and cook? Coincidentally, I have too many vegetables in my fridge; I can’t eat them all myself, and it’d be a waste to leave them.”

“The vegetables in your fridge aren’t ordered online?”

“No,” Qin Jinxuan shook her head. “My housekeeper bought them fresh from the market and put them in the fridge.”

Cheng Lan held up his other free hand, forming the gesture for “six,” and wiggled it in front of her eyes.

“I actually wanted to go grocery shopping myself,” Qin Jinxuan pouted, “but my family insisted that my studies come first and assigned someone to help me. If I hadn’t argued so much, I might have ended up with another live-in nanny…”

‘Look at that! *That’s* a young lady! Someone who doesn’t even want to be waited on!’

“So, why are you so eager to insist on feeding me?” Cheng Lan remained puzzled.

“Oh, come on! Why do you care about that? A beautiful girl is actively willing to cook for you, and you’re not appreciative?” Qin Jinxuan stamped her foot in exasperation. “J-just consider it my way of repaying your kindness, alright?”

‘In truth, she merely wanted to use the opportunity of cooking to spend a little more time by his side.’

“Never mind, let’s not talk about that for now.”

Cheng Lan’s gaze fell upon Qin Jinxuan’s hand—her palm was small and delicate, her fingers slender as tender shoots sprouting in early spring. When her palm pressed against the back of his hand, he could feel a delicate, almost soft sensation. Pale blue veins were visible beneath the fair skin of her hand, clearly from gripping him too tightly.

“Can you let go of my hand now?”

“Promise me you won’t download an app first,” the young girl said, not releasing her grip. Instead, she lifted her eyes to gaze at him intently, a stubborn glint in them that seemed to say, ‘I won’t let go until you agree.’

“Alright, alright, I won’t download it, okay? Now let go,” Cheng Lan said, raising his hands in surrender.

Upon hearing his promise, Qin Jinxuan finally released her grip, her fingertips lingering with a hint of reluctance as they left the back of his hand. She then quickly sat back in her chair, a faint flush creeping up her cheeks—she had gripped him so tightly that the warmth from his hand still lingered on her palm.

“You specially came over today to make breakfast, not just to discuss this, right?” Cheng Lan raised an eyebrow.

‘She had, in fact, come precisely for this reason.’

‘The young girl mused inwardly.’

‘However, she had a feeling that if she just stated it outright, she might truly lose the chance to cook for him in his home.’

‘She needed to find an excuse, fast!’

‘That’s it!’

Qin Jinxuan’s eyes darted, and a flash of inspiration struck her.

“No, no~ I just suddenly remembered, what exactly was that ‘danger level’ you mentioned to me before?” she asked, looking up and feigning curiosity. “You brought it up once in the warehouse, didn’t you? I didn’t get a chance to ask then, and it’s been on my mind ever since.”