“Pft—cough, cough, cough!”
The mouthful of water Lin Luan had just drunk almost sprayed out entirely, choking him until his face turned bright red as he coughed violently.
He could hardly believe his ears.
Be her son?!
What kind of request was that?!
“A-Auntie? What… what did you say?” He wiped the water from the corner of his mouth, looking at Liu Minghui in disbelief.
He must have misheard—he definitely misheard.
No matter how awkward things got, it couldn’t go this far, right?! He wasn’t some sort of tile layer, was he?!
Liu Minghui was also startled by his reaction. She hurriedly waved her hands to explain, “Oh, don’t misunderstand! Auntie didn’t mean it like that! What I meant was… is—”
“Look at you: you take care of your little sister, you cook, you’re sensible and reliable, and you can protect girls… And then look at my Qing Qing. I don’t even know why she’s upset lately, or what food she likes to eat… I—I’m such a failure as a mother!”
As she spoke, her tone grew a bit dejected.
“What I meant was, you could be Qin Qing’s older brother, so I can see how you teach children. I want to learn from you.”
Lin Luan was completely stunned. Staring at this elegantly dressed noblewoman before him, he didn’t know how to respond at all. This request was so absurd that it far surpassed the limits of his meager imagination.
He opened his mouth, but it took a while before his voice returned:
“A… Auntie, this… this doesn’t really seem appropriate, does it? And I’m not that great—I’m just an ordinary—”
“How are you not great?! You’re good in every way!” Liu Minghui cut him off decisively, “Look at you, so humble! That’s a strength! Anyway, you must help Auntie with this! Living expenses… ah, no, consultant fees! Auntie will pay you by the hour!”
Money.
Again, money.
Lin Luan felt that every woman around him seemed to want to buy his time with money.
What a wonderful thing!
Lin Luan did a quick calculation in his head. Su Jin’s commission was about to be finalized; a month’s fee would be around a million or so.
A million wasn’t enough to guarantee Lin Wan a lifetime of worry-free living. He needed to earn more.
After all, people don’t always die of old age. Who knew—maybe Lin Luan would be gone the next second? If his little sister was left alone in the world and bullied, what then?
Only with enough money would she be safe from harm.
So he had to earn even more—enough that his sister could live comfortably even without working. When that day came, it would be enough, and he could finally rest.
Liu Minghui saw that Lin Luan was wavering, so she quickly said, “Luan, I’ll pay you a thousand per hour. How about it?”
Lin Luan’s expression was blank.
A thousand an hour…
That’s perfect!
“Auntie, your intentions are rare.”
Lin Luan put down his cup, looking at Liu Minghui with sincerity. “I understand how much you care. You’re doing this for Qin Qing, and I appreciate it.”
He paused for a moment, then nodded gently.
“Alright, I’ll help you with this. I’ll do my best to let Qin Qing experience what normal sibling interaction is like. I also hope it can truly inspire you.”
“That’s wonderful! Luan, you’re such a good child! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!” Liu Minghui’s face instantly lit up, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
She immediately picked up her phone. “Let’s set a preliminary plan! How about this weekend? Where should we go to help you bond? Amusement park? Library? Or…”
“Auntie Liu, that’s not the right way to build a relationship.” Lin Luan forced a smile and interrupted her. “These things can’t be forced. It has to happen naturally.”
“Is that so…” Liu Minghui’s eyes dimmed a little.
“And, what identity am I supposed to use to get involved in Qin Qing’s life? You can’t just say you suddenly adopted a godson and that’s me, right?”
Lin Luan picked up his water and took a sip.
Just saying she suddenly adopted a godson—that would be too bizarre, in all senses.
Liu Minghui stared at him without speaking.
“Auntie Liu…?”
Lin Luan frowned.
Don’t tell me…?
“Can’t you be my godson?” Liu Minghui blinked, sounding a little naive.
Was this supposed to be something so natural?!
“Pft—cough, cough!!” Lin Luan nearly choked to death on this mouthful of water.
That was way too straightforward!
“A-Auntie!” Lin Luan took a long moment before he finally caught his breath.
“That’s really not possible! It’s too abrupt! What would Qin Qing think? Someone she’s only met a few times suddenly becomes her brother in name? She’d only find it baffling.”
Liu Minghui pouted, looking aggrieved. “Then… what should we do? We need a reason for you to come to the house often, to spend lots of time with Qing Qing, so I can observe and learn.”
Looking at Liu Minghui, who seemed to know nothing besides throwing money at problems, Lin Luan sighed helplessly.
He rubbed his forehead. It seemed like not only Qin Qing, but this mother also needed some proper education.
Wasn’t this the very definition of a greenhouse flower, clueless about the world?
“Auntie, relationships are built through experience, not just by slapping on a label.” Lin Luan tried to keep his voice patient. “We need a reason that makes more sense—one that’s easier for Qin Qing to accept.”
He pondered for a moment. He recalled that Qin Qing was still a student, and although he had dropped out early, the reason was for Lin Wan.
Actually, his grades had been quite good… While he couldn’t tutor someone at Lin Wan’s level, helping Qin Qing should be no problem.
Got it!
“How about this, Auntie,” Lin Luan looked up at Liu Minghui. “You could have me interact with Qin Qing as her tutor.”
In short, he would be her private tutor.
That was a far more reasonable explanation.
It would give them plenty of time and opportunity to interact, and wouldn’t seem abrupt—plus, it fit Liu Minghui’s role as a mother.
Liu Minghui’s eyes lit up, as if she’d discovered a whole new world.
“Tutor? Yes, yes, yes! That’s perfect! That sounds completely proper!” She immediately began to imagine things. “My Qing Qing’s math is terrible, Luan, and your math grades are so good!”
“As for what to tutor her in, you can discuss it with Qin Qing herself. See what she’s interested in, or where she needs help,” Lin Luan added. “The key is that she should be willing, not that we’re forcing it on her.”
He deliberately began to instill the idea of respecting a child’s autonomy into Liu Minghui.
After all, he couldn’t accompany Qin Qing for her whole life—the most important thing was to change her mother’s way of thinking.
“Got it, got it! Let it happen naturally!”
Liu Minghui nodded vigorously, then took out a little notebook and started jotting things down.
Watching her earnestly take notes, Lin Luan picked up his cup and took another sip of water.
This time, before drinking, he stared intently at Liu Minghui, making sure she wouldn’t say anything outrageous again before finally swallowing safely.
Liu Minghui truly was a good mother, to go this far for her daughter.
Lin Luan silently praised her in his heart.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit strange—why did it feel like he and a married man were raising a child together?